Really want to do DVC...now what?

[ryansgirl96]

Hi all!! DH and I are pretty sure we want to do DVC. So now LOTs of questions, lol!!

Now the question is where do we buy? Did everyone "sample" each VC prior to buying? We took the tour of BLT and AKV when we there last year which they had at the BCV I think it was. DH, heavily leaning towards AKV, primarily due to the price point. We're definately going to do the resale option. But I hear alot about SSR as well on here. What is that VC like? Would probably want to stick with either BLT, AKV, or SSR due to the expiration dates.

Also, My in-laws leave in FL, so I know that we would be going every year...probably the week before Thanksgiving. We'd like the option of bringing family for a THanksgiving week (maybe every other year to third year??) So, what are our options for larger rentals?? Are the accomodations better for those types of accomodations depending upon the VC?

Right now our children are ~4 and 7mo. Maybe adding on a 3rd in the future, so I know we will at least need a 1bedroom maybe 2 depending upon where we are staying. I'd like to buy at a resort that I know we won't mind staying at year in and out if Disney did decide to change the booking rules. Hence all the questions on home resort...

Thanks so much!!!

 

[Disneypubgal]

Hi all!! DH and I are pretty sure we want to do DVC. So now LOTs of questions, lol!!

Now the question is where do we buy? Did everyone "sample" each VC prior to buying? We took the tour of BLT and AKV when we there last year which they had at the BCV I think it was. DH, heavily leaning towards AKV, primarily due to the price point. We're definately going to do the resale option. But I hear alot about SSR as well on here. What is that VC like? Would probably want to stick with either BLT, AKV, or SSR due to the expiration dates.

Also, My in-laws leave in FL, so I know that we would be going every year...probably the week before Thanksgiving. We'd like the option of bringing family for a THanksgiving week (maybe every other year to third year??) So, what are our options for larger rentals?? Are the accomodations better for those types of accomodations depending upon the VC?

Right now our children are ~4 and 7mo. Maybe adding on a 3rd in the future, so I know we will at least need a 1bedroom maybe 2 depending upon where we are staying. I'd like to buy at a resort that I know we won't mind staying at year in and out if Disney did decide to change the booking rules. Hence all the questions on home resort...

Thanks so much!!!

Buy where you want to stay! Each resort is unique and has its own special offerings... Do some homework on this board and on the web, and compare to the things you know your family would like.... home resort is very important if you are traveling at peak times... enjoy!

 

[ryansgirl96]

Disneypubgal,

Tha'ts what I keep reading.. "buy where you want to stay"! We only go down to Fl for disney once a year, so I guess to "try" them all we wouldn't be buying for awhile, lol!!

Right now, our oldest REALLY loves Animal Kingdom, but we still have small childr en, so MK is still a must. Big things for me would be transportation right now...you know not having to wait 2 hours to get back to the rooms. We stayed off site last year at the Hilton, I think it was near Downton Disney, and the transportation getting there was great...at park close not so much. And with little ones asleep it was a little crazy, so I know that is important to us. We don't have to be right there but a simple transportation plan is a must...

then it would just be the accomodations. The more spacious the better, lol!!

 

[JimMIA]

First of all, welcome to the DIS!

I'll give you a couple of ideas about home resort as I think they might apply to your situation, and also the length of contract question.

Home resort

First of all, your home resort matters for the 11-month booking window and annual dues.

If you will be taking trips during Thanksgiving week, you are going to need that window and you are going to have to book very early in your 11-month window to get what you want. Obviously, that means that you must be able to book 11 months in advance. Many families can. However, other families (because of family or work constraints) just can't book that far out.

If you can't book far in advance like that, home resort becomes much less important to you. It also means you are going to have great difficulty getting Thanksgiving week anywhere.

(The week before Thanksgiving week should not be bad, but Thanksgiving week itself is one of the most difficult booking periods. Actually, from Thanksgiving week through New Years are probably the most difficult weeks of the year.)

It is always theoretically possible to book your home resort at 11 months and then change to a non-home resort at 7 months. But obviously, the likelihood of being successful with that for Thanksgiving week is much less than for other time periods.

The idea of "buy where you want to stay" is probably over-emphasized a little here, but I would definitely NOT buy where you would be disappointed to stay.

Dues and other costs

Although BLT dues are currently low, most likely OKW and SSR will be the lowest over the long run. Dues comprise much more of the cost of DVC ownership than the initial purchase price, so they are an important consideration.

Another consideration for BLT is the nightly points cost, which are very high. If you are planning on traveling at a time where you may very well only be able to stay at your home resort because of availability, you're going to need a LOT more points to take folks to BLT than OKW, for example.

Expiration Dates

This is another area I think we overthink and over-emphasize here on the DIS.

If you buy one of the older resorts (OKW, BWV, VWL, BCV), they expire in January 2042...at which time, your 4 y/o will be 36 and your 7 month-old will be 33. The argument FOR buying one of the longer contracts is that you can pass it down to your children.

The problem with that argument is that it assumes (and you know what happens when we ASSume!) the kids will WANT to take on a timeshare with the associated annual dues which will only have a few years left on the contract. Stop and think about that for a minute -- you're thinking the 32 years remaining at OKW is not long enough, but you're going to leave your kids a 15-year remaining contract with high dues???

IF you DO want to do that, here's the math you have to do. Consider the difference in purchase price between one of the 2042 resorts and AKV, BLT, or SSR. That's the premium you are paying for points that you will not see for 32 years.

Those of us who own OKW were offered that deal a year or so ago, and almost none of us thought it was worth the price.

Personally, if I were buying right now, I would buy either OKW or SSR -- with OKW being my personal choice because it is selling at a slightly lower price, has lower dues, and having stayed at both we greatly prefer OKW.

 

[ryansgirl96]

Question can annual dues change? I mean just bc SSS th and OKW are low now does that mean they will stay that way? or can Disney up and change them at anytime?

 

[JimMIA]

Question can annual dues change? I mean just bc SSS th and OKW are low now does that mean they will stay that way? or can Disney up and change them at anytime?

Yes, they will change every year. There have been a few years when dues have actually gone down, but generally they increase 2-3% per year.

OKW is, of course, the oldest resort and its dues have remained the lowest among the "mature" resorts. BLT might be lower right now, but it's new and Disney still owns +/- 40% of the resort, so there might be some subsidies in play -- or, since they also manage the place, they might intentionally keep the dues lower to reduce their cost.

Historically, the hotel-connected resorts have had higher dues than the stand-alone resorts -- probably because the DVC portion has to absorb some of the cost of the hotel's common area and services infrastructure.

 

[Sandisw]

We did not try the DVC resorts because we only bought in to DVC because they built BLT. We had been staying at the CR for years so knew the resort would be for us.

MK is our favorite park and being in walking distance is really important. So when BLT became a reality, we were in.

We did consider SSR due to price but just knew we would not be happy if we stayed anywhere else. So we bought BLT and very happy we have it.

Given the time you are going, as PP mentioned, it is busy so if you will be making your trips at the 11 month window, you definitely want to buy at a place you would be happy at if you can't go somewhere else.

Good luck!