Questions about resale

[FLJLiz]

Hi everyone,
My DH and I did the DVC tour in Oct and now we are sold on the idea of buying DVC. After research we have decided we are going to go with a resale as it is more cost effective and we don't like the Poly for our family.

I am a total DVC newbie and I have a few questions for you experts. We have two sons, 5 and 9, and we often travel with my parents.

As FL residents we usually go to WDW 3-4 times a year for 3 days at at time - Sept/Oct, early Dec, and 1-2 trips between January and May.

We will likely book 1 bedrooms and studios most often and occasionally a 2 bedroom.

What use year should we look for? Does it matter in our situation? Will resort choice make a huge difference? I would LOVE to stay at GFV in a 1 bedroom and at BCV in a 1 bedroom during our first few years as owners. Will those be impossible to get if we don't own at those? Any tips on what resorts we should focus on or avoid? We also really like VWL.

Any other tips are appreciated as we start this process!

Thank you!

 

[supersnoop]

Getting the right use year gives you "free insurance" if you need to cancel or if you want extra flexibility. Cancelling, waitlisting, or changing a reservation late in your use year puts some points at risk of being abandoned and forfeited.

Given the dates you listed, a September use year would likely be your best option. How often would you travel in June, July, or August?

One bedrooms are the easiest category to book. But BCV is practically impossible to book from late September through the end of the year.

How far in advance will you be able to book? Everyone is equal at seven months. Unless you can book between seven and eleven months out, your home resort is pointless.
* SSR is generally considered the least expensive option because of the low dues and buy-in cost.
* BLT is a close second for me, because the dues are lower and the contract expires later.
* AKV is pointless unless you'll be booking the "value" or "club" rooms there.
* BCV and BWV are a must if you plan to stay there during Food & Wine
* VGF is necessary if you plan to book studios there

 

[disneynutz]

Your home resort pretty much guarantees that you will get the room you want while waiting to book at 7 months might be occasionally disappointing. As with life what you think you will like and what you really like may be different and your vacation habits today may change after taking several WDW vacations.

Bill

 

[DebbieB]

You have a young family, so I assume you are younger. You may want to consider the expiration date. BCV expires in 2042, where VGF expires in 2064, so over 20 more years.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Jan thru May it's definitely possible to get 1BRs at both VGF and BCV. You might also be able to in Sept and would likely need to waitlist for stays in Oct or Dec. Having flexibility in your dates makes it much easier to stay at all the resorts.

I'd also think that a Sept UY sounds like it would offer the most protection against last minute cancellations.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Will you be able to book in the home resort priority time (11 to 7 months in advance)? Your home resort only matters as long as you will usually book in that time. Then consider if you have a resort that you have to stay at and won't be happy if you can't stay there every time when you want to? If so, and depending on what resort that is, you'd probably want to buy there. If you enjoy staying at different resorts then that opens up your options and you'd probably want to buy the least expensive resort that you won't mind staying at if you can't switch at 7 months.

 

[Dean]

Hi everyone,
My DH and I did the DVC tour in Oct and now we are sold on the idea of buying DVC. After research we have decided we are going to go with a resale as it is more cost effective and we don't like the Poly for our family.

I am a total DVC newbie and I have a few questions for you experts. We have two sons, 5 and 9, and we often travel with my parents.

As FL residents we usually go to WDW 3-4 times a year for 3 days at at time - Sept/Oct, early Dec, and 1-2 trips between January and May.

We will likely book 1 bedrooms and studios most often and occasionally a 2 bedroom.

What use year should we look for? Does it matter in our situation? Will resort choice make a huge difference? I would LOVE to stay at GFV in a 1 bedroom and at BCV in a 1 bedroom during our first few years as owners. Will those be impossible to get if we don't own at those? Any tips on what resorts we should focus on or avoid? We also really like VWL.

Any other tips are appreciated as we start this process!

Thank you!

It sounds like you're just getting started. I'd spend a few months investigating. More information means a better decision. IMO it usually takes about 6 months of active investigation to get close. One thing to realize is the current points structure hasn't always been where it is, historically weekends were much higher. Under that situation it was not a reasonable option to buy for weekends alone. It could change again and change back, just something to be aware of. As described I'd do August or Sept depending on wether you'd do the holiday weekend for Sept which will often start in Aug. You need to carefully consider your home resort choice. VGF will end up being literally twice as expensive as SSR but you likely won't get VGF very often if you don't own there. The same is not true for BCV is you're flexible but may be for certain types of rooms. 1BR are usually much easier than studios.

Your home resort pretty much guarantees that you will get the room you want while waiting to book at 7 months might be occasionally disappointing. As with life what you think you will like and what you really like may be different and your vacation habits today may change after taking several WDW vacations.

Bill

Bill's more of a buy what you want type person, I'm more of a buy the cheapest that will fit your needs approach. The reality is that for those you have to own to stay, you also have to book day one 11 months out much of the time. For some people these approaches are the same but if you buy VGF and use it for other options much of the time, you'll overpay by thousands and likely would have been better off renting or going cash. There are several approaches that span the options is to buy lower like SSR and then also stay at more difficult to get like VGF or AKV concierge. If one owns SSR (or anything else) and wants to do VGF periodically, planning will get you in at times with the wait list owning elsewhere though more likely for a 1 BR than studio. One could also buy VGF points to use once every few years and also something else. SSR is the best $$$ value, BLT likely next then AKV.

 

[FLJLiz]

Thank you everyone!

You have given me a lot to think about and consider. I think that buying a less expensive contract at SSR or BLT may be the way to go based on the input here. That way we can get more points and book 1 bedrooms instead of studios which sound easier to get.

We can definitely book right at the 7 month mark as we know our schedules way in advance.

 

[Dean]

Thank you everyone!

You have given me a lot to think about and consider. I think that buying a less expensive contract at SSR or BLT may be the way to go based on the input here. That way we can get more points and book 1 bedrooms instead of studios which sound easier to get.

We can definitely book right at the 7 month mark as we know our schedules way in advance.

I'm a fan of underbuying in terms of both home resort and number of points assuming one does a full sized contract. VERY FEW new members (basically none who don't have a lot of DVC experience otherwise) have enough info to truly make an informed decision on home resort, even those who investigate for months to years. It's one of the more emotional components of buying in. Until one actually experiences multiple resorts from a DVC standpoint, one simply doesn't know what they'll prefer. Some recommend buying multiple smaller contracts just for the future resale options, IMO that's almost always a poor choice until you get up to around 300 points or greater. OTOH, buying much less and doing an add on later, possibly a second home resort, can be a great choice for many. In your case you likely only need around 150-170 points, I wouldn't go any smaller unless you can do so without paying extra per point even if you think you need less.

 

[CarolMN]

If you haven't already, be sure to read this post before you decide on a home resort - it will give you a good idea of what to expect when booking at 7 months:

Historical availability at 7 & 11 month windows

There is also a LOT of excellent info in our DVC INFORMATION CENTER.

Good luck with your decision.