Potential new member, give me opinions!

[ajsamett]

Hi all, I've been considering doing DVC for several years now and had always been able to talk myself out of it, but after a wonderful weekend on rented BWV points, I think I might be ready to take the leap, and would love opinions!

Some context: I'm a 28yo engineer. Currently single, no kids (however long term, I would like that to change). I currently live in South FL but intend to move in the next few years out of state. I intend to use my points for the following: annual F&G trip end of may/early June (so BWV/BCV), MK resort for MNSSHP, and then misc family/friends trips. My sister is about to have her first kid, in addition to several of my friends approaching that part in their life, and I want to be able to be the DVC owner for them when they take trips every few years. I am the only Disney Adult in my family, but they do plan to take their kids occasionally.

Currently, I'm considering a BWV contract for the F&G trip and then maybe something bigger? Financially, I can currently afford a resale contract under 12k ish, or would potentially be able to do a 150pt direct contract, prob Poly, at the end of the year/early next year (unknown planned medical expense coming end of the year, could be $0-15k #insurance). If I did direct, I would probably still consider adding on a small BWV contract to guarantee that F&G room.

How hard it is to stalk the website for ideal rooms? It's a skill I have from attending conventions (any GenCon goers? I've gotten connected hotels by sheer determination). I like the cost value benefits of direct Poly points to get a blue card, however those point charts are rough!
How many points would you suggest? Which resort? Hybrid situation? I've stayed at Poly (pre tower), CR, BWV, BCV and am a frequent visitor of AKL but have yet to stay there and have loved them all!

 

[cruisehopeful]

Since you want to stay at BW, I recommend buying BW resale ASAP. That resort expires in 2042- meaning that contract will be worth zero at that time. BW is very popular and it's pretty important to own there if you want to stay there on a regular basis. Make sure you get the best use year for you, which I think is maybe Feb if you plan on using it for the garden festival.

Buying a Polynesian contract is a good idea if you want to buy direct and you want 150 points to get the direct benefits. If you are going to wait a little while before purchasing direct, you might be interested in the new property Lakeshore Lodge when it becomes available.

Read up as much as you can here and then ask questions as you narrow your search. I get a tremendous amount of help here on everything from how to pay for my membership to where I can get a great meal quickly. Just be careful, as many of us are enablers for buying more DVC.

 

[Girlstar30]

How often do you plan to go? Those points add up real quick. For 12k resale i would try to look into something like Saratoga Springs if you dont mind having that as your home resort or financing resale to get what you want which is so easy its scary

It seems like you want bwv and bcv which are two of the most popular resorts. Those are going to cost more for the points vs animal kingdom or Saratoga upfront and you have to own there to really have a good shot at getting certain room types at certain times of year. BWV is hard to get into even for owners for certain room types.

You are really young, do you want a contract that expires in 16 years or maybe direct that expires way down the line would make more sense for you? Someone correct me if im wrong but I believe the annual dues also jump up the closer a resort gets to expiring.. all things to consider. 1 bedroom pool views at bwv are pretty easy to get.

If you're planning to go every year with family and friends, depending on how long you're planning to stay, 150 points or less may not be enough

 

[ajsamett]

For my own personal travel, I stick to studios. My family growing up were always the 2 queen (2A, 2kids). In the last year, I've stayed 6 nights at misc Disney resorts. I don't anticipate taking the family every year (I'm betting maybe every 2-4 years, so leaning into banking and borrowing a bit, so 150 points direct plus a small bwv resale might be enough for me (for now, i see everyone's add-on itis in the chats ). But I am not sure what I'll need 5-10 years down the line once there are several families with several kids to factor in. However the point values and charts at AKL/SSR, etc are very tempting (having a hard time telling myself not to get a bunch of small contracts so I can stay everywhere!)

Also, I have no interest in financing as that is a mental hurdle I don't think I can overcome.

 

[Girlstar30]

For my own personal travel, I stick to studios. My family growing up were always the 2 queen (2A, 2kids). In the last year, I've stayed 6 nights at misc Disney resorts. I don't anticipate taking the family every year (I'm betting maybe every 2-4 years, so leaning into banking and borrowing a bit, so 150 points direct plus a small bwv resale might be enough for me (for now, i see everyone's add-on itis in the chats ). But I am not sure what I'll need 5-10 years down the line once there are several families with several kids to factor in. However the point values and charts at AKL/SSR, etc are very tempting (having a hard time telling myself not to get a bunch of small contracts so I can stay everywhere!)

Also, I have no interest in financing as that is a mental hurdle I don't think I can overcome.

150 points sounds perfect for you for now

A direct contract is ideal for the member perks and longer contract, but it is more expensive than resale as you know, closer to $30,000 for a 150 point contract at the active resorts with current incentives.

If you start with resale the discount, although not that large, is greater for being a current member adding on direct. This is what I did (buy resale) and I haven't committed to direct yet, but I dont regret this decision as I needed the amount of points I have and def cannot afford that direct. It will also be way easier for you to pick any use year you want and then add on to it with direct than the other way around.

 

[ajsamett]

What has been your experience with 7 month mark, modifying, waitlists and stalking the website? I love Poly as a resort, but it's hard to justify the point chart when BLT is right next door for so much better. I would love to use those points for semi SAP. I know AKL Standard and Savana view is pretty easily booked in general, but I'm not familiar with any other patterns!

 

[byurick]

This will give you a general idea, some good info here https://dvcfieldguide.com/availability-tables

 

[Girlstar30]

What has been your experience with 7 month mark, modifying, waitlists and stalking the website? I love Poly as a resort, but it's hard to justify the point chart when BLT is right next door for so much better. I would love to use those points for semi SAP. I know AKL Standard and Savana view is pretty easily booked in general, but I'm not familiar with any other patterns!

I will let someone else handle the 7 month question since I am a new member as well and barely missed the 7 month booking window by the time my membership processed (resale can take a while to fully process), but I can give you my insight as a new member like yourself booking at 6.5 months at a resort like BCV.

I went damn near insane, stalking every day, every hour (more like every 15-20 mins) nearly 4 months for a 1 bedroom 4 night stay in a peak epcot season of September before i got it because im sure someone cancelled.

I definetely do not want to do that again I was able to get bwv easily 1 bedroom pool garden view at 4 month, again for only 4 nights. I got resort view too (1 bedroom) but not easily.

BCV was way harder! I couldnt imagine only having enough points for a studio as an option for booking those resorts or wanting to stay more than 4 nights in that amount of time and attempting.

 

[ajsamett]

This will give you a general idea, some good info here https://dvcfieldguide.com/availability-tables

Oh this is fascinating!

 

[VGCgroupie]

If you do a small BW contract now you will qualify for member pricing when you decide if you want Poly or the newest Lakeshore Lodge later on which will save you money. If you own BWV and then buy Poly or LL you will have the best of both worlds covered an MK area home resort and a Crescent Lake area home resort.

No offense to anyone here but I would absolutely not consider SSR regardless of how attractive the price might be, unless you have been there and know that you like it.
Just understand what the BWV contract ending in 2042 means and that you are okay with it before you take the leap.

 

[Chili327]

If you do a small BW contract now you will qualify for member pricing when you decide if you want Poly or the newest Lakeshore Lodge later on which will save you money. If you own BWV and then buy Poly or LL you will have the best of both worlds covered an MK area home resort and a Crescent Lake area home resort.

No offense to anyone here but I would absolutely not consider SSR regardless of how attractive the price might be, unless you have been there and know that you like it.
Just understand what the BWV contract ending in 2042 means and that you are okay with it before you take the leap.

100%

Buy 50-100 BWV resale now w/ Feb or maybe April use year. Then you have lots of time and can learn all about DVC and wait for a great direct sale on a monorail resort or lakeshore (or even CCV).

 

[ajsamett]

Thanks guys! This was really helpful. Now to keep an eye out for a good contract! (And get the confidence to make a big spend like this )

Feel free to keep the info/opinions coming tho!!

 

[Chili327]

Thanks guys! This was really helpful. Now to keep an eye out for a good contract! (And get the confidence to make a big spend like this )

Feel free to keep the info/opinions coming tho!!

Don’t sweat the “big spend” you can always just sell it if you need to.

 

[disneylandtour]

I'd actually suggest to do the small contract now, so you have access to the site and can see first hand how everything works. BWV expires in 2042. As you're 28, you might want to think about something else with a longer expiration date for your small contract. But you'll figure out more this way--you can also make small weekend trips and visit different resorts.

 

[foodiddiedoo]

Hi all, I've been considering doing DVC for several years now and had always been able to talk myself out of it, but after a wonderful weekend on rented BWV points, I think I might be ready to take the leap, and would love opinions!

Some context: I'm a 28yo engineer. Currently single, no kids (however long term, I would like that to change). I currently live in South FL but intend to move in the next few years out of state. I intend to use my points for the following: annual F&G trip end of may/early June (so BWV/BCV), MK resort for MNSSHP, and then misc family/friends trips. My sister is about to have her first kid, in addition to several of my friends approaching that part in their life, and I want to be able to be the DVC owner for them when they take trips every few years. I am the only Disney Adult in my family, but they do plan to take their kids occasionally.

Currently, I'm considering a BWV contract for the F&G trip and then maybe something bigger? Financially, I can currently afford a resale contract under 12k ish, or would potentially be able to do a 150pt direct contract, prob Poly, at the end of the year/early next year (unknown planned medical expense coming end of the year, could be $0-15k #insurance). If I did direct, I would probably still consider adding on a small BWV contract to guarantee that F&G room.

How hard it is to stalk the website for ideal rooms? It's a skill I have from attending conventions (any GenCon goers? I've gotten connected hotels by sheer determination). I like the cost value benefits of direct Poly points to get a blue card, however those point charts are rough!
How many points would you suggest? Which resort? Hybrid situation? I've stayed at Poly (pre tower), CR, BWV, BCV and am a frequent visitor of AKL but have yet to stay there and have loved them all!

Had to comment to say yes I am a Gencon goer (and an engineer) ! I'm the planner for my whole group so I have to do the hotel rooms and ticket bookings yearly! I got an amazing lottery time this year and scored two double queen rooms at the JW Marriott! Are you going?
Also, I am a DVC owner at BLT because I love MK and walking back from things like MNSSHP. We have 450 points but do a week long 2 bed resort stay yearly with my parents and my daughter. I bought direct at BLT but they had a great promotion last fall that made it cheaper than Poly is now. I think 200 points or so really works for having a lot of flexibility with room types for your trips. Plus you can add on later.
Wait listing and stalking is very easy. I just check a few times a day if I'm truly interested in something I don't already have reserved.

 

[DL1WDW2]

Don’t sweat the “big spend” you can always just sell it if you need to.

I don’t agree…it is not that easy to “ just sell “ …have you checked the long lists of members currently trying to sell their contracts ?

 

[VGCgroupie]

I don’t agree…it is not that easy to “ just sell “ …have you checked the long lists of members currently trying to sell their contracts ?

@Chili327 has sold a few. If you don’t overprice things sell in a decent amount of time. The biggest downside of selling is commissions

 

[DVCsloth]

I would keep an eye on the BWV listings and consider picking up something there. Once you get a feel for what a fair price is, you could start making some offers. This way you could try out being a DVC owner and possibly pick up some direct points down the road if you want the membership extras and the ability to book the newer resorts.

 

[NVDISFamily]

A few thoughts -

Poly direct will also get you into the longhouses at 11 months. I think they have good availability most time of the year at 7 months but I'm not sure about that. Still, they are great rooms and we loved staying in them. The two showers is a nice perk and they are a solid size. The cost difference between direct and resale is hard to justify but Disney keeps adding more perks. We love our direct points. Direct points will also make it WAY easier to splurge and book in a 7 months at Disneyland Hotel if you ever want to head west. Booking into Grand Cal is rough at 7 months.

BWV seems hard to recommend given your age and you'll likely still want those points years from now. Me and @MrsNVDISFamily have a good 10 years on you but we still feel like the 2042 expire date (2041 actually as the last year to get points) is too close. You can always buy BWV 2.0 at 300+ a point years from now

Have you run the numbers for the range of dates you want to go? Factored in a buffer for other seasons? Considered what you can do with banking and borrowing?

Don't be shocked if your family doesn't want to go as often as you think even if you provide "free" rooms. Some people don't love a trip to WDW or DLR as much as you would think. Be ready for some rejection or for them to go a bit less than you.

As you are considering this before you have found your special someone, just be very cautious and only invest/burn and commit to dues that are trivial to your life/budget. Will that future someone want to commit to that dues bill you have locked into? Just consider that in your thought process. Would it be better to wait a few years until you are the big boss and it's easier to buy that contract?

We love DVC and it's been a good thing overall, but definitely there are some downsides if you don't consider them. Wish you the best as you research this.

 

[ajsamett]

Had to comment to say yes I am a Gencon goer (and an engineer) ! I'm the planner for my whole group so I have to do the hotel rooms and ticket bookings yearly! I got an amazing lottery time this year and scored two double queen rooms at the JW Marriott! Are you going?
Also, I am a DVC owner at BLT because I love MK and walking back from things like MNSSHP. We have 450 points but do a week long 2 bed resort stay yearly with my parents and my daughter. I bought direct at BLT but they had a great promotion last fall that made it cheaper than Poly is now. I think 200 points or so really works for having a lot of flexibility with room types for your trips. Plus you can add on later.
Wait listing and stalking is very easy. I just check a few times a day if I'm truly interested in something I don't already have reserved.

A fellow GenConner!! I also scored an incredible time and got a 2Q JW Marriott! I actually was in HS for the drop!

I'll have to keep an eye out for BLT sales then! Glad i can stalk like GenCon!