Poll: In making a purchase decision, which of the following are your top three considerations?

[cbyrne1174]

As a local:

1. Price
2. Expiration
3. Amenities

I only bought DVC because I like the amenities at the resorts for 1-2 night stays. I'm not going to waste my money going to a park while I'm paying to stay on property! I was first hesitating because everyone on here was like "you will never get a standard Boardwalk studio or value AKV studio...." Guess which rooms I was able to get within the first month of owning? 1 night at boardwalk and 2 nights in a value studio .

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

W/r/t the walk from HS back to BC, we have never taken the bus. We have taken the boat twice I think, once when DS had just "graduated" from the stroller and was exhausted at the end of the day, and once with DD when she needed something to do. The kids have taken the skyliner home a few times as well, but the adults all strongly prefer walking. We "race" the kids back and almost always win.

We don't particularly enjoy waiting in lines and would rather be on the move.

In a typical 9 night trip, we probably spend 6 nights in BC and will walk to one of the two parks almost every day. We also like walking around the lake if we need to get out and stretch our legs.

 

[BrianLo]

I agree that dues are a consideration for sleep-around points, but I think they're completely negligible for people who "buy where they want to stay."

Dues are the real cost of actually using the points. The upfront cost (not to say it doesn't matter), does seem to slowly inflate like a real estate purchase. Although there's going to be a harsh wake up call for those 20 year contracts within the next decade.

For example, given the option of a 40 year contract like VGF at 207pp and 7$ dues versus a 40 year contract with 17pp point purchase price and 12$ dues... the latter IS worse.

And yet I feel a large portion of the membership here would go bonkers to see 17$ and snap up the latter.

Now the upfront cost certainly matters when we are talking about financing... which is largely a mistake.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

As a local:

1. Price
2. Expiration
3. Amenities

I only bought DVC because I like the amenities at the resorts for 1-2 night stays. I'm not going to waste my money going to a park while I'm paying to stay on property! I was first hesitating because everyone on here was like "you will never get a standard Boardwalk studio or value AKV studio...." Guess which rooms I was able to get within the first month of owning? 1 night at boardwalk and 2 nights in a value studio .

When people say BWV std, AKV value, etc are hard to get without owning there, they mean it's hard to get several nights out a week together, which is what most want. But a night or two here or there is not out reach if you're not picky. Your situation as a local has advantages, you can be very flexible, especially if you only book a night or two at a time.

Dues are the real cost of actually using the points. The upfront cost (not to say it doesn't matter), does seem to slowly inflate like a real estate purchase. Although there's going to be a harsh wake up call for those 20 year contracts within the next decade.

For example, given the option of a 40 year contract like VGF at 207pp and 7$ dues versus a 40 year contract with 17pp point purchase price and 12$ dues... the latter IS worse.

And yet I feel a large portion of the membership here would go bonkers to see 17$ and snap up the latter.

Now the upfront cost certainly matters when we are talking about financing... which is largely a mistake.

Do consider that dues outside the beach-front resorts will tend to equalize over time. Newer resorts are often conservatively priced but then see only modest increases, or even decreases, while the older ones catch up to them. Deviation from average shrinks over time (there is analysis on this you could lookup online). Lastly, the point charts matter. VGF has relatively lower dues but you need more points there. If you normalize the point charts, you see that most resorts cost about the same to operate and the expensive chart resorts (RVA, PVB, VGF) have had lower-than-average increases in dues, and will likely continue that trend.

 

[Sandisw]

As a local:

1. Price
2. Expiration
3. Amenities

I only bought DVC because I like the amenities at the resorts for 1-2 night stays. I'm not going to waste my money going to a park while I'm paying to stay on property! I was first hesitating because everyone on here was like "you will never get a standard Boardwalk studio or value AKV studio...." Guess which rooms I was able to get within the first month of owning? 1 night at boardwalk and 2 nights in a value studio .

Nothing with DVC is ever impossible to get..,there is always a chance.

But, if you were an owner who wanted a BWV SV studio for 4 to 4 nights in the fall, that will not be easy to get. It will take work, even if you are an owner,

Wanting 1 or 2 nights here or there is a lot easier than getting more. But, if someone does not care what they get when, then resort is not a priority.

I had the CL rooms show up for a few nights during my March trip. Got excited, booked them and regretted it immediately because I do not like the resort. Changed it back to my beloved RIV in minutes and lost my SV in the at least got PV.

Thats the great thing about DVC…so many options for everyone!

 

[bakerworld]

Our initial foray into DVC was based on price. We went with the 'deal' because of the 7 month booking window plus we never planned vacations too far in advance. Well anyone whose DVC knows that unless you like SSR the booking early is fairly essential. Our next two contracts were based on location.

 

[JETSDAD]

I voted price, expiration, and theming. Price and expiration kind of went together though, along with dues and point charts, as those things all factored into our decision on the financial side. Theming and decor help us decide where to stay much of the time and our first home resort choice of AKV. Even though BLT is very convenient to MK we don't stay there because of theming and would rather stay at VGF if we want to stay near MK.

 

[BamaGuy44]

I used 300 points as an average amount needed for a one week stay in a 1-bdrm at any of these three resorts.
I know it may take a little more or less, but its a nice round number.
That being said, even at the $250 that you state, it comes to over $10,000 extra being paid to annual dues over the remaining life of the contract.
For me, $10,000 is a lot of money.
For some, an extra $250 here or there may not be a big deal, but I try to look at the full picture when I can.
And Disney already nickel and dimes us enough.

If I was worried about a few hundred dollars per year, looking at the big picture of cost, I wouldn't own DVC at all. It's far from the cheapest way to vacation at WDW. If I'm spending this kind of money on a luxury leisure product, I want what I want. If exactly what I want isn't worth what it costs, I'll pass.

 

[Lunchbox66]

For me it's

1. Deed Expiration
2. Location
3. Resort feel/theming.

I'm in my early 30's so I wanted a contract I could really get the full use out of (if I don't drop dead early). I want my home resort to be near the parks I like most and want to have that magical feel that I'm somewhere magical while I'm there.

I'm usually the exception to the norm, but I was willing to pay whatever the price was or is (addonitis in the future) to have the home resort I want.

 

[koncra]

1. Price - Let's be seriously here folks, this one is miles ahead of the rest for most people
2. Location - We owned OKW, stayed once, and sold it to buy Poly. This one to me also means transportation options as i consider a "good" location something close to the parks, which typically have the extra transportation options like boat, monorail, walking, etc.
3. Deed length - LOVE BWV and BCV but couldn't pull the trigger because of the 2042. I'm only 26, so understandably this means more to me and my wife than it does some other people.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

I'm surprised at how many people prioritize location. Unless you spend a huge percentage of your time at a single park, nothing is especially far from everything else.

I narrowed it down like this:

Eliminate 2042. I don't care about deed expiration beyond this.
Eliminate BLT, VGF, and RIV on theme
Eliminate PVB and CCV on price

That leaves AKV, SSR, and OKWe. I would also consider Aulani subsidized, and I'll probably consider PVB2 if we see similar incentives as VGF2.

For us, location was extremely important. BCV has really easy access to both Epcot and HS, so that was a big factor. And BCV is our favorite resort, so if you adhere to the “buy where you want to stay” adage then it was an easy decision.

Everyone has things that are more important to them, so it shouldn’t really surprise you how many people prioritize location. Based on the number of votes location is receiving, it was important to a lot of people. Deed expiration wasn’t important to us at all, but I am not surprised other people prioritized that because everyone has different priorities.

 

[koncra]

For us, location was extremely important. BCV has really easy access to both Epcot and HS, so that was a big factor. And BCV is our favorite resort, so if you adhere to the “buy where you want to stay” adage then it was an easy decision.

Everyone has things that are more important to them, so it shouldn’t really surprise you how many people prioritize location. Based on the number of votes location is receiving, it was important to a lot of people. Deed expiration wasn’t important to us at all, but I am not surprised other people prioritized that because everyone has different priorities.

Agree! This is why we added on a Poly. MK is our favorite park and once we stayed at Poly we knew we needed to make sure we could stay there every year for the foreseeable future. The access to both Epcot and MK via monorail is awesome. We didn't used to subscribe to the "buy where you want to stay theory" so we bought our first add on contract at OKW. We stayed there once and immediately realized it wasn't for us so we sold it.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

For us, location was extremely important. BCV has really easy access to both Epcot and HS, so that was a big factor. And BCV is our favorite resort, so if you adhere to the “buy where you want to stay” adage then it was an easy decision.

Everyone has things that are more important to them, so it shouldn’t really surprise you how many people prioritize location. Based on the number of votes location is receiving, it was important to a lot of people. Deed expiration wasn’t important to us at all, but I am not surprised other people prioritized that because everyone has different priorities.

This post is bizarrely defensive. I said I was surprised, I didn't say other people's opinions are illegitimate.

If you have some ice cream that you don't like, then you see a survey that says 90% of people like it, you're going to be surprised. That doesn't mean you're claiming that the people who like it are wrong.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Agree! This is why we added on a Poly. MK is our favorite park and once we stayed at Poly we knew we needed to make sure we could stay there every year for the foreseeable future. The access to both Epcot and MK via monorail is awesome. We didn't used to subscribe to the "buy where you want to stay theory" so we bought our first add on contract at OKW. We stayed there once and immediately realized it wasn't for us so we sold it.

Yes, "buy where you want to stay" is extremely important if you only like one resort in particular and want to stay there every time.

But I think some people underestimate the amount of availability there is at 7 months. Some (not you) make it sound like you'll only ever be able to stay in your home resort. My "buy where you want to stay" rules are something like:

1. If you have a clear favorite that you want to stay in every time, buy there.

2. If you like lots of different resorts, run the numbers and buy what makes the most financial sense, but;

3. Don't buy somewhere you hate, even if it's the best financial value.

 

[Lunchbox66]

I'm surprised at how many people prioritize location. Unless you spend a huge percentage of your time at a single park, nothing is especially far from everything else.

I narrowed it down like this:

Eliminate 2042. I don't care about deed expiration beyond this.
Eliminate BLT, VGF, and RIV on theme
Eliminate PVB and CCV on price

That leaves AKV, SSR, and OKWe. I would also consider Aulani subsidized, and I'll probably consider PVB2 if we see similar incentives as VGF2.

See for me VGF and RIV speak to me on theme. But that's the beauty of Disney and DVC, there's a flavor and theme for everyone.

 

[koncra]

Yes, "buy where you want to stay" is extremely important if you only like one resort in particular and want to stay there every time.

But I think some people underestimate the amount of availability there is at 7 months. Some (not you) make it sound like you'll only ever be able to stay in your home resort. My "buy where you want to stay" rules are something like:

1. If you have a clear favorite that you want to stay in every time, buy there.

2. If you like lots of different resorts, run the numbers and buy what makes the most financial sense, but;

3. Don't buy somewhere you hate, even if it's the best financial value.

Definitely! Our main contract is AKL because 1) We are happy if we end up staying there and 2) We don't feel like we are "wasting" them by using them elsewhere. They are essentially "sleep around" points, where as our Poly points are strictly to make sure we can stay there on our annual Sept/Food and Wine trip.

 

[Sandisw]

Yes, "buy where you want to stay" is extremely important if you only like one resort in particular and want to stay there every time.

But I think some people underestimate the amount of availability there is at 7 months. Some (not you) make it sound like you'll only ever be able to stay in your home resort. My "buy where you want to stay" rules are something like:

1. If you have a clear favorite that you want to stay in every time, buy there.

2. If you like lots of different resorts, run the numbers and buy what makes the most financial sense, but;

3. Don't buy somewhere you hate, even if it's the best financial value.

While unlikely, if a resort is removed from BVTC, then all owners of that resort will be forced to stay at the one they own.

So, it is important to understand that aspect of it all. I agree if someone does not really care at all where they stay, then location is not a big deal,

DVC is a lot of $$$ so choosing a home resort that you know would be content if you can’t trade at 7 months, makes a lot of sense,

So, I think that is why you see a good number number of votes for that.

 

[redboat45]

I picked: price, deed expiration and other. The other being point chart. Location was a close 4th but we usually have a car so that doesn't matter as much.

 

[Skywalker3]

really just 2, price and location, but included transportation for a third choice. Bought in 2011, and DH handled all the specifics, and I"m so glad he had to foresight to choose BWV for location.
Price per point then was great, MFs are NOT. BWV often close to the worst for those.
We prefer walking to parks when possible, and currently favorite rides are at HS., Also, we tend to go during festivals, and want to have easy access to Epcot for lunch, back to room, then back for snacking in the evening. and BWV standard view point charts are great.
we do drive every trip to Orlando, but except for maybe driving to get to AK for rope drop, we prefer to park the car at the resort and leave it. Don't love driving around Disney (or Orlando much,) just our preference. so transportation options were the next important thing.
I love trying new resorts, especially as a split stay, but DH would be happy staying only at BWV.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

This post is bizarrely defensive. I said I was surprised, I didn't say other people's opinions are illegitimate.

If you have some ice cream that you don't like, then you see a survey that says 90% of people like it, you're going to be surprised. That doesn't mean you're claiming that the people who like it are wrong.

Defensive? I think you misinterpreted my comment. I am not defensive at all. I didn’t think you were saying that other peoples opinions are not legitimate. My point was only that I don’t get surprised when there a large number of people who like something I don’t. Especially when it comes to DVC. Being on these boards, we see all sorts of comments and opinions on why people like and bought into certain resorts. Heck, if “color scheme” was an option it may have also gotten a lot of votes for all we know. That’s all I’m saying. Nothing defensive.