Question for DVC Members......

[crbenelli]

We are currently interested in joining DVC, but like everyone else...we have questions that we need some help and feedback on. I'm ashamed to say we've been to disney quite a few times and never stayed on for one reason or another....We been researching buying resale vs. SSR now being offered....Seems to us they both have advantages....My biggest question is how hard is it to book at other resorts that are NOT your home using the 7-month window??? ( Excluding peak times..X-mas,Easter ) Would it make sense to buy at SSR and try to book our points at other locations??? We are making a special trip this upcoming July to tour SSR and most the other properties and will make a final decesion then...we will try to rent points so we can stay on disney and find out what we've miised all these years!!! Thank-you in advance......

 

[tjkraz]

If you want to spent MOST of your time at one resort, and are able to book more than 7 months out, you should absolutely buy your points at that resort. The 11-month booking advantage can be important for many times of year / resorts...and not just during holiday periods.

But, if you decide that you like all of the resorts and intend on rotating through them over time, it really doesn't matter as much where you own. You'll often be faced with attempts to book at 7-mos regardless of your Home resort.

If you go the resale route, it will take more of your time to find and negotiate the right deal. You will also have to pay cash or finance yourself. But the trade-off is you are likely to save a few dollars and you can get the Home resort you want (if not SSR.)

Buying direct is very simple and DVC will finance the purchase for you. By-and-large, they only sell points at SSR. You could go on a waiting list for points at other resorts via DVC, but the price you will pay is significantly more than if you buy the same resort via resale.

 

[IndianaDVCMember]

We are currently interested in joining DVC, but like everyone else...we have questions that we need some help and feedback on. I'm ashamed to say we've been to disney quite a few times and never stayed on for one reason or another....We been researching buying resale vs. SSR now being offered....Seems to us they both have advantages....My biggest question is how hard is it to book at other resorts that are NOT your home using the 7-month window??? ( Excluding peak times..X-mas,Easter ) Would it make sense to buy at SSR and try to book our points at other locations??? We are making a special trip this upcoming July to tour SSR and most the other properties and will make a final decesion then...we will try to rent points so we can stay on disney and find out what we've miised all these years!!! Thank-you in advance......

The response you will get from most on this board is to buy where you want to stay. The incentives offered through DVC have been excellent lately. There are times during the year, particularly the low point seasons, that are difficult to book at 7-months. However, if you are flexible in travel dates, you will have the opportunity to stay at any resort.

 

[sweetinmaine]

Hi...Tough decision. We just bought into SSR on Monday. We took a while to really think about buying into SSR when my husband wanted OKW. We live near the real Saratoga Springs, NY. We went with SSR because of the incentives that are out there. No maintenance fees for 2005 and a $1200 credit on the downpayment (or a free vacation) plus ownership until 2054. We have already made reservations at OKW for Sept (no problem getting the ressie).

 

[spiceycat]

there is a different with DVC vs WDW resorts.

Dec 1-14, Thanksgiving, the food and wine festavial (Sept 30 - Nov 13) - are probably the most requested with DVC.

then - some weeks in spring break, the garden and flower festavial (april 15 - june 10).

summer is not generally a hard time to get!

neither is Easter, nor CHristmas.

DVC generally don't want to go when the parks are that crowded!!!

plus there is a big difference in points for Easter or Christmas a studio a BCV would be 19 points a night - for Dec1-14 it is 12 point a night.

 

[Granny]

I think you are making an excellent move in renting points and staying in a DVC resort before purchasing. Certainly, the off-site options are less expensive than Disney and you very well might think that staying on-site, or at DVC, is just not worth the extra money to you.

I happen to be in the camp of "buy where you want to stay the most". I will say that if you don't travel during peak times, and can book as close to the 7 month window as possible then you will probably be able to book a given resort on a given trip most of the time.

On the other hand, booking patterns could change over time and I bought DVC to avoid hassles, not to bring on new ones. By buying where I know I will be happy, I feel comfortable that I've done everything I could to make my vacations (including planning) as stress free as possible.

And as long as you will be happy to "settle" for SSR if everything else is booked, then it might well be the best choice for you.

Good luck in your decision.

 

[jonestavern]

I am new to DVC membership, and have as yet to book my first stay. That being said, I have a friend who has been a member for several years, who goes at least twice a year. Other than his tour through his home resort (VWL) at the time of purchase, he has never set foot inside the place again (although I personally LOVE VWL ), and has had no problem booking inside the 7 month window. Perhaps this is due to the times of year he chooses to travel??

Chris

 

[JimMIA]

First of all, let me say that I think you are approaching this difficult decision the right way. By that, I mean that you are looking at all alternatives, trying to decide what is the best decision for your family.

Second, let me say that I don't think there is a bad answer - any DVC membership, no matter where it is or how you buy it, is right for your family if it is right for your family. One of my favorite DVC quotes, which I attribute to Beca is, "The best contract is the one with your name on it."

The real question here is what is best for your family, and none of us can answer that. You have to look at the options, do the math, and decide for yourself. One caution I would give is don't rely too much on the conventional wisdom. Conventional wisdom does, in fact, represent the majority opinion (whether right or wrong), but it may not fit your particular circumstances.

"Buy where you want to stay" ("conventional wisdom") fits many DVC owners to a tee. It is the only rational choice for many. It is critical 1) if you usually can book more than 7 months out and can therefore enjoy the 11 month window, AND 2) if you CARE where you stay. It is especially important if either a) you expect to visit WDW during peak DVC demand periods (which are different from peak WDW periods), and/or, b) if you need specific accommodations like an OKW Grand Villa.

Classic examples would be the family who want to go to Food & Wine at Epcot and stay at BCV/BWV, or the family who wants to go to MK during Christmas season and stay at VWL. Those are not the only situations, but they are classics. If that description fits your family's needs, and you can book 7+ months out, then "buy where you want to stay." It is your only sensible choice, and resale will most likely offer you the least expensive way to accomplish that.

If you can't book 7+ months out, the above has zero value for you because "...points is points" at seven months. If you don't travel during peak periods, the above has limited value for you and other considerations may outweigh the 11 month window we all hyperventilate over. The truth is, most of the time you can get what you want at 7 months unless you are going at peak times or want something really special.

If "buy where you want to stay" is not dictated by your family's needs, then your calculations become much more complex. I suspect, from your original post, that you are more flexible (as we were) and therefore have more options, but also a more difficult decision.

If that is the case, your real decision is whether you should buy SSR, with its incentives and financing and 49 years worth of points, or buy resale and enjoy a possibly lower entry cost.

I can make an argument that - considering the long-term cost of ownership - buying SSR is actually a little cheaper than buying just about anything resale. But I won't. What I think you will get from many sources is that the cost is about the same, and it's really a question of what fits you better. Buying SSR direct, you pay a little more for a little more; buying resale, you pay less for less.

In my case, I bought OKW resale for $73 per point (a price lower than many are currently paying). I got a good contract and am comfortable with my decision. However, I had some false starts during the process, and if that contract had fallen through, I would have bought SSR direct and been perfectly comfortable with that decision.

The advantages of resale are lower initial cost, lower initial cost, and lower initial cost. Sure you can select your resort and use year (to some extent) but you can do the same buying direct from Disney. The real difference is lower initial cost. Another advantage is that you can sometimes get contracts with less than 150 points per year. You can't do that buying direct.

There are several negatives to buying resale. The procedure is complex, frustrating, and unreliable...and that is on its best day. There are three key points at which it can fall apart - seller not accepting your offer no matter what it is, Disney ROFRing your contract, and seller backing out at the last minute. People often focus on the resale brokers, wondering if they are legit. They're legit; don't worry about them. The people you need to worry about are unscrupulous sellers and the Disney ROFR folks.

With resale, you usually pay closing costs, and that is not a trivial expense. They seem to run from a minimum of about $400 up to about 3% of the total sale.

With all resales except SSR, you are buying 37 years of points vs. 49 years of points with SSR. Some will argue that is inconsequential, but they are incorrect. To be precise, that is a 32% difference. Even if you don't intend to keep your DVC for 49 years, those extra 12 years have serious value, and may make a big difference when you sell 12-15 years down the road.

Another disadvantage of buying resale may or not be a factor for you. Buying resale takes a LONG time. You should figure on 8-12 weeks for the process from start to finish - from your original offer, acceptance, through ROFR, through closing, and finally "in the system" and able to actually use your contract. You may get lucky, and there are things you can do to shave 2-3 weeks off the process, but no matter what you do, it is S...L...O...W. And because it is filled with the uncertainties outlined above, it can be very stressful.

The advantages of buying direct are not subtle.

You are dealing with Disney, not someone you don't know.

The process is known, it is quick and painless in most cases, and the eventual outcome is never in doubt. When Disney gets the points, you have them. If you are buying a resort other than SSR, the wait list can be excruciating once in a while, but the outcome is known and ROFR is guaranteed to be excruciating and uncertain every time.

And finally, Disney finances. That is important to some, not important to others.

The only real downside to buying direct is you will pay more. SSR is currently $87 per point with incentives. Direct resales are $89 with no incentives available. We paid $73 per point for OKW, but others have recently paid $78-80. BCV is about $83-84 to pass ROFR, and BWV was ROFR'd this week at $80. To all of those prices, of course, you have to add closing costs, time and mental anguish.

To close, I come back to the earlier statement - there is no bad answer if DVC meets your family's needs. "The best contract is the one with your name on it."

 

[hig4s]

Our membership is OKW, but in the 11 years since buying in we have stayed at several other resorts and have never had any problem getting a room unless we waited and tried to book only 3 or 4 months ahead.

 

[sweetinmaine]

."

This was awesome advice! I recently bought into SSR (Monday) and you made me even more comfortable with my decision. Thank you!

 

[crbenelli]

I just wanted to thank eveyone for the advice....We will continue to look at all options before we purchase...This is a GREAT board and thanks again...