Purchasing first DVC. Need HELP!!! PLEASE

I think buying direct right now is a little too rich for my blood. We are bootstrapping this endeavor. So what if I completely changed the script. Boardwalk? Pro/Cons? We are thinking of buying BW since the price per point is very low, the location is good for HW & Epcot, and the point chart is incredible. We would stay in studios (which sleep 5) for the first few years and then when poly2 opens use the owner discount to buy direct to get all the perks and have access to (hopefully) 1 & 2 bedrooms. We are people that stay at the parks from rope drop to fireworks, so we don't really need the luxuries of a 1 or 2 bedroom yet. I'm sure once our kids are older or we add the 4th then that story will change, but by then we would have bought poly2. So how is BW for kids? Also what does availability look like? For 11 & 7 months out looking for a studio? Does it book super quick? Especially in the summer and around Oct & Dec. Do the studios have a small fridge and microwave? Thoughts? My biggest turn off is the 20 year contract. That scares my hubby.

BWV is a great location, very affordable point chart. Rooms are smallish, but they do have a kitchenette.

The 20 year contract is a major issue. It's really only 19 years at this point.

Basically, the way that DVC "saves" money is either over MANY years (25+) or by re-selling it after 10-20 (getting most of your initial purchase price back). If you can't keep the contract for over 20 years, or you can't re-sell it, it just won't save you any significant $$$.

I provided a full analysis here:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/bwv-is-it-worth-buying-now.3885890/post-64071321

Basically, the way the math works -- For BWV, it's probably cheaper to rent than buy. And buying is pretty close in price to just booking cash rooms there.

Financially, it really doesn't make sense to buy any of the 2042 resorts anymore. The best mathematical values are probably SSR and AKV right now. BLT can work out well.... OKW IF you can find a 2057 contract. Personally, I'd stay away from Poly until there is more clarity on the expansion. GFV re-sale can be a decent deal, as prices are dropping as more supply hits the market, and as they are no longer being ROFRed. RIV resale is well priced with a long contract if you don't mind staying in the same (amazing) resort for almost every trip. (You can still trade your points or rent them out and use the proceeds for something else, but you will primarily be "stuck" at Riviera).
 
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Okay. What's your budget and priority? SS is recently renovated, has great pools, and low cost per point. If you're just looking to get enough points to get your foot in the door, and buying points at a more desired resort is too expensive to get a full week, maybe just buy SS for SAP, but at least you know you'd be able to get enough points to do larger rooms at SS if you needed/wanted it sooner. If you're used to buses at other resorts anyway, no biggie to take buses from SS, worst-case scenario, if you can't do a split stay/swap at 7 months.

Others are more educated on the cost effectiveness of BW, but my understanding is it's not a good price, even resale, given the short length of contract. However, if you think that's where you want to be "home," hey, pick your home base. BW is very hard to get into September-January if you don't own there due to festivals and Run Disney events.
 
Honestly? I would go with Saratoga. Reno is fabulous and the bed layout in the 1 bd (standard are cheapest 1 bed on property that sleep 5 natively) is awesome.

You can play 7 month roulette for another resort (we have a couple of times as a family of 5, especially for 1 bds). You might also find, like we have, that SSR is totally your vibe (we also like CBR & POR).
 
I think buying direct right now is a little too rich for my blood. We are bootstrapping this endeavor. So what if I completely changed the script. Boardwalk? Pro/Cons? We are thinking of buying BW since the price per point is very low, the location is good for HW & Epcot, and the point chart is incredible. We would stay in studios (which sleep 5) for the first few years and then when poly2 opens use the owner discount to buy direct to get all the perks and have access to (hopefully) 1 & 2 bedrooms. We are people that stay at the parks from rope drop to fireworks, so we don't really need the luxuries of a 1 or 2 bedroom yet. I'm sure once our kids are older or we add the 4th then that story will change, but by then we would have bought poly2. So how is BW for kids? Also what does availability look like? For 11 & 7 months out looking for a studio? Does it book super quick? Especially in the summer and around Oct & Dec. Do the studios have a small fridge and microwave? Thoughts? My biggest turn off is the 20 year contract. That scares my hubby.

I would have a hard time investing in BWV with 19 years left.

IMO, it’s not that much less to hate only those years. Now they have a great point chart so you do need less to get more.

But we sold BwV for RIV in part because of that.
 


If you aren't married to the monorail resorts and you are bootstrapping this purchase, as you say, buy SSR. You say you don't go peak time--I think you will almost always find another accommodation. And if you don't on a given trip, SSR is very nice. And it will save a lot of money.

Definitely not BWV, and definitely definitely not BCV. Unless you absolutely love them and couldn't stand to stay anywhere else, but it doesn't sound like that's the case. If you want value, I think SSR, and AKV comes in second imo. But the dues are higher at AKV and you can almost always use your SSR points to stay at AKV.

We recently sold our SSR and used the money on BLT, but during the time we had SSR we only stayed there once and it was by choice as it was a non-park stay. All the other times we used our SSR to stay at BCV, PVB, VGF, VGC, CCV, AKV, and several times at BWV. Except for VGC, all were stays of at least 6 nights, and most were 8 nights. Mixture of studios, 1BRs, and 2BRs.
 
Our first (direct) contract was at SSR. We now have more points at BRV (in smaller bite-sized contracts), but still use the SSR contract for SAP (mostly Aulani, since we are in So Cal) and to book SSR trips.

This is WAY outside conventional wisdom, but I actually think SSR is a pretty good alternative to Epcot resorts for festival-specific trips too. The Crescent Lake resorts can become ungodly madhouses of humanity during peak festival events, especially when a festival overlaps a holiday weekend. For me, staying at either SSR or BRV is easier and less hassle than fighting the crowds (and walking/waitlisting) just to get into an Epcot/HS resort. Sure the stagger back to your room isn't quite as easy, but after a day in the sun in World Showcase, an Uber back to the peace and quiet of a non Epcot resort can be a welcome relief.
 
The issue with renting BW is you'll never get standard view. Let's take a look at the 2023 point chart, focusing on studios:
1655239555677.png
Standard runs 9-12 points/nt and 13-16 pts/nt weekends for the 4 cheapest seasons.

Boardwalk and Preferred View are 2 separate categories yet still the same point cost. Those follow closely with Beach Club's point chart (which has no room categories).

98% of the time renting ends up with only Preferred View. At BC the rental issue is usually only finding partial availability for your trip dates. That's why people still pay high prices for these 2 even though there's under 20 years left.

Let's compare a week (7 straight nights) in Dec 2023 before Christmas:

80 points - BW Standard
114 points - BW Pool/Garden Preferred View
114 points - BW Boardwalk Preferred View
114 points - BC (No view categories)
139 points - Poly Standard
162 points - Poly Lake View

A smaller contract goes further at BW and BC.

With 3+1 kids I think you're really going to enjoy monorail and Epcot resorts over the next 2 decades. Planning to buy something now, then add on in a few years... It's not a bad option to buy around 100-150 points now at BW or BC, and let the monorail resort choice wait so you can take a better look at those and also see what Poly2 has to offer.
 


BWV is a great location, very affordable point chart. Rooms are smallish, but they do have a kitchenette.

The 20 year contract is a major issue. It's really only 19 years at this point.

Basically, the way that DVC "saves" money is either over MANY years (25+) or by re-selling it after 10-20 (getting most of your initial purchase price back). If you can't keep the contract for over 20 years, or you can't re-sell it, it just won't save you any significant $$$.

I provided a full analysis here:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/bwv-is-it-worth-buying-now.3885890/post-64071321

Basically, the way the math works -- For BWV, it's probably cheaper to rent than buy. And buying is pretty close in price to just booking cash rooms there.

Financially, it really doesn't make sense to buy any of the 2042 resorts anymore. The best mathematical values are probably SSR and AKV right now. BLT can work out well.... OKW IF you can find a 2057 contract. Personally, I'd stay away from Poly until there is more clarity on the expansion. GFV re-sale can be a decent deal, as prices are dropping as more supply hits the market, and as they are no longer being ROFRed. RIV resale is well priced with a long contract if you don't mind staying in the same (amazing) resort for almost every trip. (You can still trade your points or rent them out and use the proceeds for something else, but you will primarily be "stuck" at Riviera).
As those with the BWV facts have said, that’s a no for most people. Check out DVC Resale Market’s Most Economical Points blog posts and you’ll see very quickly that it’s worse economically ($16.13pp) than every DVC but Beach Club.

The issue with renting BW is you'll never get standard view. Let's take a look at the 2023 point chart, focusing on studios:
View attachment 676339
Standard runs 9-12 points/nt and 13-16 pts/nt weekends for the 4 cheapest seasons.

Boardwalk and Preferred View are 2 separate categories yet still the same point cost. Those follow closely with Beach Club's point chart (which has no room categories).

98% of the time renting ends up with only Preferred View. At BC the rental issue is usually only finding partial availability for your trip dates. That's why people still pay high prices for these 2 even though there's under 20 years left.

Let's compare a week (7 straight nights) in Dec 2023 before Christmas:

80 points - BW Standard
114 points - BW Pool/Garden Preferred View
114 points - BW Boardwalk Preferred View
114 points - BC (No view categories)
139 points - Poly Standard
162 points - Poly Lake View

And while BWV points chart appears better, it is a mirage. Using the example week above:

16.13pp X 114 BWV pool/bw view (most inventory) is $1838.82

$11.34pp X 139 Poly Standard (most inventory) is $1576.26

And if you were to use BWV points to stay somewhere else then you’re getting an even worse value. I would steer clear of BWV and 2042 but that’s just me.

Conversely, use a cheap SAP to stay at BWV and you come out ahead.

No one has said it yet, but DVC doesn’t meet everyone’s needs. It may not meet yours right now.

The other part is that you can’t math away your preferences. And if you haven’t been able to say “this is the resort I want to stay at,” then you may want to hold off.

When we were deciding on our first contract I knew I wanted Poly, but I had this huge fear or missing out on all the other resorts. I had never stayed deluxe, but turns out my guy was right. I’m a Poly guy. When I am squished and underwhelmed at BLT, I ask myself why I’m not at the Poly. I like trying other resorts with my points, but the Poly is my home.

Find your home and then find your contracts and THEN do the math. If it checks out, go ahead; if not, just stay cash. It’s not a real club with real exclusivity- it’s a complicated timeshare. You can buy the DVC merch without a membership card.
 
The board sponsor's value chart has a big assumption in it, and that's linear depreciation, which has never actually happened at DVC.

https://www.dvcresalemarket.com/blog/best-economical-dvc-resorts-to-purchase-spring-2022/

BC and BW just keep getting more expensive exactly because of people like OP, who want a starter contract and don't want to spend 40K on this. I don't see that changing in 5 or 10 years. I think these could hold better than expected for a while. BC/BW are awesome properties, and those legacy charts are POWERFUL.

This is pure speculation, and I own no 2042 contracts. And obviously, these expire in 2042, so mathematically they have to go down at some point. But I think with a plan to sell in 5 years, dropping like a rock is not likely. It's possible, I guess, but I don't think it's likely. I'd feel pretty good owning BC/BW for five years. After what they did to VGF resale, maybe that would have been smarter than what I actually did, which was VGF1 resale.

If you redo the chart to take the edge off the linear depreciation, BC/BW start to look a lot better. Get the BW standard room, and the math completely changes.

I'd actually make the exact opposite argument for CCV/BR.
 
Ok after lots of soul searching and researching and reading everybody's thoughtful comments we have decided on....
POLY!!
We will stay in the studio as a family of 5 then when the kids are older or we have a 6th we will either buy poly2 direct with the owners discount or we will plan on adding more poly1 resale points & getting 2 conjoining studios!

So now I need yalls help with a contract we are negotiating...

160 pts @ $160 pp. We are paying closing but the seller is paying ALL the 2022 dues. Aug use year. 236/2022 & 160/2023

Good deal, bad deal or neutral?

Also my hubs is concerned about the Aug use year. He says when our kids get older we will be traveling mostly in the summer. And we have both read/heard that you shouldn't travel between the end and beginning of use years. (ex July 30-Aug 5). What happens exactly when you do that?
 
I would also add that buying BWV with the idea of always staying Standard is a disaster of an idea.

Standard is walked year round. While the point chart for Preferred is also solid, it is also the much more likely booking.

Seems like with a Poly buy this is no longer a concern/issue, but if some other potential reads this, it's an important consideration.
 
Ok after lots of soul searching and researching and reading everybody's thoughtful comments we have decided on....
POLY!!
We will stay in the studio as a family of 5 then when the kids are older or we have a 6th we will either buy poly2 direct with the owners discount or we will plan on adding more poly1 resale points & getting 2 conjoining studios!

So now I need yalls help with a contract we are negotiating...

160 pts @ $160 pp. We are paying closing but the seller is paying ALL the 2022 dues. Aug use year. 236/2022 & 160/2023

Good deal, bad deal or neutral?

Also my hubs is concerned about the Aug use year. He says when our kids get older we will be traveling mostly in the summer. And we have both read/heard that you shouldn't travel between the end and beginning of use years. (ex July 30-Aug 5). What happens exactly when you do that?

If you think you will travel in July, Aug is not the best. If you had to cancel or change that trip, after March 31st, your banking window, you would pretty much lose the points because they would all expire by July 31st.

People will say they never cancel, but then when Covid hit, many realized that sometimes things happen outside your control.

Also, to cross UYs requires a call to MS to book as you can’t do that online on your own.

Getting a UY that has most trips in the beginning of the UY gives more flexibility in case something happens.

I can’t comment much on the deal as I don’t follow Poly but it seems like a good one
 
If you plan to travel in summer, you need Feb March, April, even Dec will work.

Key is to get a loaded contract you don't pay MFs on.

Both board sponsor and Fidelity have multiple contracts that meet this criteria. I'd make some offers. I'd use Mason Title, put it in the offer.
 
Welcome Home! I love Poly and just get the best feelings there.

I did not pay that much attention to use year, but it’s important to get one that works with when you travel. Not all use years are common. The hardest thing is trying to match anything to it on the resale market. Disney can match you direct no problem.
 
Just wanted to chime in as someone who does 2 Poly connecting studios nearly every trip. It’s cheaper or the same cost as a 2 bed in many instances and gives us lots of space. We always say that sometime we will mix it up and do a 2 bedroom somewhere, but all of our hearts are at the Poly so we end up booking two studios. Virtually all of the studios at PVB connect so that has never been a problem. Laundry isn’t too far away and we don’t cook much on vacation so the set up works very well for us. Welcome home!!
 

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