Researching Resales for Family of 5

[shelton_wes]

Hi all DVC friends - we've been looking at buying in for a while and are very close. We've rented points for a couple stays and are looking at resale contracts. As a family of 5 (2 adults, 2 teens and one preteen) we for sure are needing 1 bedrooms - studios are too small. So we're looking at OKW, BLT, or VGF.

We want to go in March but I'm not sure that even if we made an offer today we would be able to close on a contract and find availability at any of those resorts for 3/14-3/20. Any insights?

Also - if anyone has recommendations on best value for our situation I'm all ears (see what I did there).

 

[Sandisw]

I would not count on any resale process being completed for a March 2021 trip, regardless of whether or not rooms will still be there.

My preference is always the near park resorts. OKW is the only one I have not stayed at so I can’t comment on it specifically other than to say every time I book it for a trip, I have second thoughts and change because it doesn’t suit my near park needs and think I’ll regret it,

BLT and VGF are my resorts of choice for the MK area parts of my stay. The great thing with BLT is that it has 2 bathrooms in the 1 bedroom and VGF does not.

The points go farther at BLT because as an owner, you will be able to book SV rooms, especially in 1 bedrooms!

I own there again, having just added a contract back this summer...sold some over the years but wanted it back.

I debated between VGF and BLT but honestly, went with BLT because it is a favorite of more of the family!

 

[shelton_wes]

Dumb question...what are SV rooms? Studio Villas?

 

[kelsey2020]

Dumb question...what are SV rooms? Studio Villas?

SV = Standard View

We're in ROFR for OKW and we are so excited to grow our family as members there! The rooms are so spacious and you really get the most bang for your buck. If you have teenagers, they each get their own space and if you're in an updated villa, there are separate doors to the bathroom, so they won't disturb whoever is in the Master bedroom.

That said, BLT is our second choice and we'll probably end up getting a second add-on contract there at some point. Having an extra bathroom is clutch, especially for families with growing teens.

 

[sethschroeder]

I would be looking at BLT resale or RIV direct as my two options in your place. VGF would be an outside candadite but for the price would rather get RIV direct.

OKW maybe you could buy with the idea of switch to another resort but I bought where I wanted to stay didn't want to deal with switching and wouldn't personally want to stay at OKW yearly.

 

[princesscinderella]

My vote is BLT or AKV because they have the 2 bathrooms in the one bedroom. It’s invaluable when the kids get bigger. We are also a family of 5

 

[Cupcake232]

SV = Standard View

We're in ROFR for OKW and we are so excited to grow our family as members there! The rooms are so spacious and you really get the most bang for your buck. If you have teenagers, they each get their own space and if you're in an updated villa, there are separate doors to the bathroom, so they won't disturb whoever is in the Master bedroom.

That said, BLT is our second choice and we'll probably end up getting a second add-on contract there at some point. Having an extra bathroom is clutch, especially for families with growing teens.

Are some of the villas at OKW not updated?

 

[kelsey2020]

Are some of the villas at OKW not updated?

They've all been updated, but the higher numbered buildings have an external entrance to the bathroom so you don't have to go through the Master to get into the bathroom.

 

[Ethanandyclaire]

I have a family of 5. We own and stay at Kidani a good deal. I love the extra bathroom.

 

[Lorrie7249]

We are a new DVC family of 5 (very similar ages for our kids 19, 17 and 12). We recently had our 1st Welcome home visit in early December. We decided we wanted to try out as many resorts as we could bare so we did a 3 way split stay - BWV 2BR lockoff, VGF 1BR, and RIV 2BR.

I specifically booked the 1 BR at VGF because it looked like a resort we would love (and we did), but it is on the expensive side points wise, and requires lots of them. My thinking was if we could manage the 1BR it might be doable for an add on. Well, we did love the resort, and the sleeping situation was manageable, but not ideal in the 1BR. However, the bathroom situation with only 1 bathroom was not cool with the 5 of us. Our experience solidified my fear that we needed 2BRs or 1BRs with a second bath for our family.

My advice would be try them out if you haven't already (you mention you've stayed on rented points, but not sure if those stays included the resorts you are leaning towards). I personally would lean BLT if you settle on the 1BR. Other option is to get enough now for 1BR, and add on later to get you to 2BR.

Good luck in your decision!

 

[Mrskmid]

I'm in a similar situation as you except my 3 are 10, 7, 4.
We have narrowed it down between BLT, RIV direct and POLY (kids favorite). Like you we rented points and even though we LOVE Poly its not the best decision long term as the kids get older. We excluded VGF primarily because of the point chart and resort style, OKW/AKV/SSR because of transportation options. So now we are heavily looking for a BLT contract because of the ability to get a SV room and save on points but my mind keeps drifting back to getting a RIV direct contract because it also checks off a lot of our must have boxes.
Good luck to you with you decision!

 

[TTA Rider Matt]

I second Sandisw with BLT. BLT is not my favorite DVC resort, but the second bathroom in the 1BR units is excellent, and the rooms themselves are awesome. Also as Sandisw said, if you agreed on a price today, you’re still looking at 2-3 months before you have points in your account. For reference, my last contract I had my offer accepted on 8/19, closed 10/13, got points in my account 11/3. Granted, ROFR was taking over a month at that time, but I certainly wouldn’t bank on having points ready to go for a March trip.

 

[Stargazer65]

I've never stayed at the OKW or VGF, but we own at BLT and love it. For a lot of the same reasons other people stated: Extra bathroom and location are great. Also, I think retro-futuristic is a fun theme.

 

[ldo]

Family of 5 with teens. Love okw for the reasonable points for 1br and extra space and great layout. We bought akv and sometimes get the value 2br! If not, the standard akv 1br with 2 baths is ok. Or we swap out at 7 months to 1br okw.

 

[3 DD love princesses]

I'm in a similar situation as you except my 3 are 10, 7, 4.
We have narrowed it down between BLT, RIV direct and POLY (kids favorite). Like you we rented points and even though we LOVE Poly its not the best decision long term as the kids get older. We excluded VGF primarily because of the point chart and resort style, OKW/AKV/SSR because of transportation options. So now we are heavily looking for a BLT contract because of the ability to get a SV room and save on points but my mind keeps drifting back to getting a RIV direct contract because it also checks off a lot of our must have boxes.
Good luck to you with you decision!

We are 5 and poly studio is nice if you are only using it to sleep. Cheap points and while your kids are younger they can fit easily. We have blt and poly home resorts. Blt we have to get 1 bed or larger. Poly is nice Bc it’s cheaper points. Depends on your needs for space. Sleeping wise they both sleep 5 (poly studio and 1 bed blt).

 

[TCRAIG]

Stayed at all but RIV - I would look at BLT, OKW or possibly Boardwalk - depending on when you go - Boardwalk (std view) and OKW 2Br units could be less points then BLT lake view 1Br...

 

[GinnyBear's_mom]

We are also a family of 5, we own at AKL and VGF. The 2nd bathroom is getting more and more important each trip as the kids get older. We usually do a split stay with 3-5 nights in a studio if we plan on staying and eating in the parks all day (especially for our universal days) and then a 1 or 2 bedroom for the 2nd week of our stay where we enjoy the resort more and visit fewer parks.

The 1 bedroom bathroom at VGF does have 2 showers which is very helpful when getting ready in the morning. BLT is great for that extra full bathroom. As others have mentioned, you may want to check out AKL as the 1 bedrooms at Kidani (not Jambo) have a 2nd bathroom. We haven't stayed at OKW yet as I prefer resorts with interior entry doors and rooms contained in one building.

As far as the contract timeline, even if you put an offer in on a contract today it would take about 2-3 months for all of the paperwork to get processed and the points to appear in your account. The thread "Closing Time!!" is helpful to see how long the process is for current resale contracts, there are frequent updates to the thread and members discuss issues and hiccups that can cause closing to take quite a long time. Regarding DVC availability that week, only AKL and Saratoga have full availability for your dates in a 1 bedroom.