Question on DVC costs

[E2ME2]

@E2ME2 - so the last trip we took the room cost in the package made up around 5-6k of it ($550ish for 9 days). But we added park hoppers and deluxe dining. So for us it's not necessarily about saving for the trip as much as saving on the specific hotel. Why stay at Caribbean if we can stay at Boardwalk! Granted were not loaded or anything, we just like our trips, we don't really go anywhere else. It's Disney or bust!

@aokeefe - we like to book as early as possible, so for next year we were going to be ready to book on June 18th or whatever the date would be. So if we book 11 months out on day 1 how hard will it be for us to book the studio at Boardwalk? We could do the 1BR, but the cost difference during the holidays is just insane.... We tend to visit thanksgiving week or Christmas. My wife is in education, so her days off are few and far between without costing her sick days.

You should be able to get BWV Studio at 7 Months for a January stay.
We often do that to stretch our SSR points, as the BWV studio in January is only 78 points when AKL is 88 and SSR is 90

 

[CrimsonRave]

You should be able to get BWV Studio at 7 Months for a January stay.
We often do that to stretch our SSR points, as the BWV studio in January is only 78 points when AKL is 88 and SSR is 90

What about if we were trying to book in late December? If we booked 11 months out would we still have a shot at a studio?

 

[E2ME2]

What about if we were trying to book in late December? If we booked 11 months out would we still have a shot at a studio?

That I don't know, since I only have 11 Month advantage at SSR.
You'd need to ask BWV owners. We like SSR because we always book at 11 months there, and then go shopping at 7 months to see what else is available.
That's why they're called SSR-Sleep Around Points!

 

[disneydreamer1980]

As a large family of 7 we save a lot on room(s) having DVC, but our trips are still expensive, because Disney’s expensive. We have the Blue card, but not a ton of discounts with it. We love DVC tand we have 4 contracts to show for it, but it’s not necessarily a great deal for everybody. Works for ya though.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

What about if we were trying to book in late December? If we booked 11 months out would we still have a shot at a studio?

I don’t think you’ll have a problem at 11 months. We own at BWV but we always book 2br there

 

[Sandisw]

What about if we were trying to book in late December? If we booked 11 months out would we still have a shot at a studio?

As long as you plan points wise on that of a garden view studio, then you should be okay by booking right at 11 months,

SV studios there are one of the hardest to get and many owners walk them from early on,

Just be aware that resale buyers now are excluded from using points at RIV or any other new resorts. You have to buy direct for that, but for many, it’s not worth the cost difference,

BWV is starting to come down in price, I sold a contract in October at $120/pt and sold in early April for $115.5...

Now seems to be a good time if you are ready!

 

[aokeefe]

@E2ME2 - so the last trip we took the room cost in the package made up around 5-6k of it ($550ish for 9 days). But we added park hoppers and deluxe dining. So for us it's not necessarily about saving for the trip as much as saving on the specific hotel. Why stay at Caribbean if we can stay at Boardwalk! Granted were not loaded or anything, we just like our trips, we don't really go anywhere else. It's Disney or bust!

@aokeefe - we like to book as early as possible, so for next year we were going to be ready to book on June 18th or whatever the date would be. So if we book 11 months out on day 1 how hard will it be for us to book the studio at Boardwalk? We could do the 1BR, but the cost difference during the holidays is just insane.... We tend to visit thanksgiving week or Christmas. My wife is in education, so her days off are few and far between without costing her sick days.

Standard View Studios go first, then Boardwalk Views. You should not have any trouble booking a Pool/Garden view studio at 11 months. (Standard View often go within minutes of booking especially in the fall) Pool/Garden and Boardwalk views are same points. If you decide to buy plan for enough points for Pool/Garden/Boardwalk view for the time that you normally visit. Christmas time is a high point season.

 

[CrimsonRave]

As long as you plan points wise on that of a garden view studio, then you should be okay by booking right at 11 months,

SV studios there are one of the hardest to get and many owners walk them from early on,

Just be aware that resale buyers now are excluded from using points at RIV or any other new resorts. You have to buy direct for that, but for many, it’s not worth the cost difference,

BWV is starting to come down in price, I sold a contract in October at $120/pt and sold in early April for $115.5...

Now seems to be a good time if you are ready!

We were wondering about that, we see $125, $123. $115 would be awesome if we could get that price point.

 

[Sandisw]

We were wondering about that, we see $125, $123. $115 would be awesome if we could get that price point.

Always negotiate! My contract was at $125 when I accepted $120. You never know what a seller is willing to accept until you try!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

What about if we were trying to book in late December? If we booked 11 months out would we still have a shot at a studio?

You could get Pool/Garden, but your chance at Standard, the cheapest one, are not good.

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

Yah I had never seen the rooms in any of the DVC sites yet. I looked at pictures of the boardwalk and was surprised at the difference in looks between the actual boardwalk rooms, and DVC rooms. Very very different.

So my last question has to do with occupancy. We are also looking at this direction cause we prefer the convenience of the location around epcot more than having to book a suite at animal kingdom. Things are in walking distance, and buses don't have to travel as far.

My question has to do with others coming on the trip. I know that we will want to get tickets and dining, but we may bring my wifes parents. They don't have as much of an interest in the parks, or dining with us for the most part, but it would be nice if they stayed with us. Do we have to include them when we book? or is it like they get to come along and we don't have to buy their tickets or dining?

Never booked through DVC so I don't really know how it works.

DVC is a hotel room, not a vacation package. Just a room. You have to understand this. You book dining, tickets, tours, and anything you want on your own. If you only like to book vacation packages, this product is not for you. You say you only like Dining plan. You can buy it, but it is never included, and there are never free dining offers, etc. DVC is a separate company with separate availabilty than the WDW resorts. They may be in the same space, but they are NOT the same. You seem to be thinking it is like booking hotel rooms, it is not. It runs at 95% as people have said, and getting a room when and where you want requires a lot of determination, and frequently you can't. You don't get a room that is your own sitting empty waiting for you, like if you bought a second home, and you can't promise your daughter she can honeymoon at GFV,even if you own there. So many people don't know or believe these things, and are greatly disappointed with the rude awakening they get in the first few years. They come on here and complain---"That's not fair!" like little children, about not getting free dining, not getting the room they think should be sitting empty waiting for them because they spent $20,000.
They didn't understand the product and what they bought.

 

[CrimsonRave]

DVC is a hotel room, not a vacation package. Just a room. You have to understand this. You book dining, tickets, tours, and anything you want on your own. If you only like to book vacation packages, this product is not for you. You say you only like Dining plan. You can buy it, but it is never included, and there are never free dining offers, etc. DVC is a separate company with separate availabilty than the WDW resorts. They may be in the same space, but they are NOT the same. You seem to be thinking it is like booking hotel rooms, it is not. It runs at 95% as people have said, and getting a room when and where you want requires a lot of determination, and frequently you can't. You don't get a room that is your own sitting empty waiting for you, like if you bought a second home, and you can't promise your daughter she can honeymoon at GFV,even if you own there. So many people don't know or believe these things, and are greatly disappointed with the rude awakening they get in the first few years. They come on here and complain---"That's not fair!" like little children, about not getting free dining, not getting the room they think should be sitting empty waiting for them because they spent $20,000.
They didn't understand the product and what they bought.

Thank you so much! We totally get it, we are looking at the value of the room cause that's really what we are trying to secure here. We know we like BW, and we would love to stay there when we choose to visit. We like to look at these as vacations, thus we want dining taken care of, we don't plan on making our own stuff. So if we can add dining and tickets that's all we are looking to do.

Here is our thinking. Rack rate at Boardwalk if $800 during the holidays, if we do DVC, that reduces the cost of a room at boardwalk. If I am wrong there let me know.

With that in mind if the room rate is cheaper and we add park hoppers and dining after the fact, wouldn't that be cheaper than paying 15k every-time we make a visit to Disney?

 

[Paul Stupin]

Thank you so much! We totally get it, we are looking at the value of the room cause that's really what we are trying to secure here. We know we like BW, and we would love to stay there when we choose to visit. We like to look at these as vacations, thus we want dining taken care of, we don't plan on making our own stuff. So if we can add dining and tickets that's all we are looking to do.

Here is our thinking. Rack rate at Boardwalk if $800 during the holidays, if we do DVC, that reduces the cost of a room at boardwalk. If I am wrong there let me know.

With that in mind if the room rate is cheaper and we add park hoppers and dining after the fact, wouldn't that be cheaper than paying 15k every-time we make a visit to Disney?

One thing about Boardwalk to be aware of. Your ownership will expire in about 20 years. Though it hasn't yet affected resale prices, I think this reduced time frame will eventually start to devalue the contracts, and you won't be able to get back your purchase price, let alone make a small profit. A lot of folks don't really care, because you'll still save money on vacations if you go to Disney regularly. But one of the reasons I bought at Copper Creek was the later expiration date of 2068.

 

[taaren]

DVC villas are timeshare units. They take a lot of pounding from constant use and they are not refreshed as often as hotel rooms, so they can begin to look worn. Yes, they’re better than a Motel 6 in a lot of cases, but are we really comparing the two when the discussion is about costs?

Sort of. When I was buying DVC, one of my comparisons was to the Best Western Park Place Inn across the street from DL. It is the same distance to the parks as the VGC, and at the time it had become our preferred motel of choice for Disney trips. When we did the math, we realized buying a contract and the maintenance fees for the VGC was about the same price as paying for the BWPPI every year at 2008 prices. When I couldn't get a room at VGC in 2018 for a last minute trip where I needed to be very close to the parks (it was my 11 week old's first Disney trip in crazy heat), I was scandalized at how much BWPPI had risen in cost, even though I bit the bullet for the sake of proximity (2008 me would never have considered paying as much as we did for that room!!).

 

[bakerworld]

I haven't stayed DVC yet... .still waiting for my points to load, but one big benefit to me is having the kitchen. We can bring/buy groceries and make 2-3 meals (plus snacks) in our room each day and that will save a bundle, I'm sure. The other reason I bought is that I am getting the top of the line rooms that I would never actually pay rack rate for otherwise. One thing I plan to do is get a 3br in a year or two (when it is safe) and invite my family to come. That one stay will be more than half the cost of my contract.

Our first DVC Bay Lake stay was an EYE OPENER. We found the big plus to DVC was location. Directly after a renovation the rooms will be in the best shape. Remember people stay with kids or people who are careless with their drinks which leave water marks and stains on the furniture that DVC doesn't address. The rugs at Bay Lake in 2010 were so worn they were threadbare. The replaced rugs are much more durable. I cannot even comprehend how some of the huger chips have been created - sometimes it looks like someone took a hammer to the furniture. We enjoy the walk-able locations of many of the WDW DVC locations. We do find the beds more comfortable and prefer the rooms with balcony, although the view can leave something to be desired.

 

[TandemShoehorns]

Thank you so much! We totally get it, we are looking at the value of the room cause that's really what we are trying to secure here. We know we like BW, and we would love to stay there when we choose to visit. We like to look at these as vacations, thus we want dining taken care of, we don't plan on making our own stuff. So if we can add dining and tickets that's all we are looking to do.

Here is our thinking. Rack rate at Boardwalk if $800 during the holidays, if we do DVC, that reduces the cost of a room at boardwalk. If I am wrong there let me know.

With that in mind if the room rate is cheaper and we add park hoppers and dining after the fact, wouldn't that be cheaper than paying 15k every-time we make a visit to Disney?

If you are committed to Disney vacations for many years, then yes, I believe DVC will be a good value for you. You will be paying out a chunk of cash now and your savings should be realized slowly over the life of your contract. You will also be paying "maintenance fees" every year through the life of your contract, whether you use your points or not. By my (very) rough estimate, if you buy a contract that runs for 20 years at $120 per point then your cost per point per year is $6. (This is ignoring all the unknowable complications of the future and the passage of time.) Add to that $6/point the maintenance fees which are currently in the neighborhood of $7-$8 per point per year. These fees will go up with time as well. Let us say that right now we are looking at $13-$15 per point. Probably a reasonable estimate as you can "rent" points for a little less than $20. Now take that $13-$15 per and multiply by the number of points needed for the vacations you typically take. I'm gonna ballpark again and say your studio would be around 15 points per night and a 1 bedroom would be around 30 points per night. Even "renting" the points at $20 a night would be less than $800. Renting, (although I have never done it myself), I believe is a cost-effective way to experience DVC without the big upfront investment and concern with paying annual fees. You would have to ask a rental company how reasonable it would be to expect a Boardwalk villa at the time you need to travel. As far as the hoppers and dining plans, that's all up to you. My own opinion is if I were going for an 8-day trip, I wouldn't need park hopping. We have never used the dining plan. We used to eat a lot of table service, lately not as much. DW makes a very good Egg McMuffin knock off in the room for breakfast. Later lunches or earlier dinners and a snack somewhere usually are sufficient for each day. Food seems to be our big variable. Also, I feel your pain about vacation times. DW was an educator, DD currently is. Whatever you decide will be based on your circumstances alone. I wish you good luck.