Rethinking home resort after Disney exercised ROFR

[peace_all]

So, we are now back at stage 1. I was set on Saratoga, as I like the location, point value of treehouse villas, but the numbers, expiry date and resale contracts available had me sold on it.

Now that we are back looking, I am disappointed with the selection of contracts, and availability of points for 2015. There are a lot of "stripped" resale contracts. Which has me looking at other resorts.

We have stayed at OKW and love it, but unless it is an extended contract, we won't touch it, due to our age and the kids. DH wants Florida, I am open to California and Hawaii, but the maintenance fees at ALU are high and resale at GC is high. So I think we are down to Beach Club, OKW extended (if possible) and a mystical SS contract.

Thoughts on resorts please?

 

[dankil13]

So, we are now back at stage 1. I was set on Saratoga, as I like the location, point value of treehouse villas, but the numbers, expiry date and resale contracts available had me sold on it.

Now that we are back looking, I am disappointed with the selection of contracts, and availability of points for 2015. There are a lot of "stripped" resale contracts. Which has me looking at other resorts.

We have stayed at OKW and love it, but unless it is an extended contract, we won't touch it, due to our age and the kids. DH wants Florida, I am open to California and Hawaii, but the maintenance fees at ALU are high and resale at GC is high. So I think we are down to Beach Club, OKW extended (if possible) and a mystical SS contract.

Thoughts on resorts please?

BCV and OKW both expire in 2042 - why would you consider BCV without an extended contract and not OKW?

For me, I am leaning towards SSR with either AKL or BLT as a backup. BLT has a higher upfront cost, but I would recoup some of the cost (if not all) in lower maintenance fees. I really want to consider BWV or BCV, but the cost in relation to years just seems too high. We are staying at SSR in about 2 weeks, so our next vacation won't be until Fall 2016. Our past DVC stays have been OKW, which we have loved. I plan to be patient in the 1st half of next year and wait for the right contract.

 

[mort1331]

Lots of SSR contracts out there, they pop up daily. If that's where you want it will come. Disney has ROF's a few high priced ones lately so that's always a mystery, but I wouldn't be scared off by it.

 

[bookem]

I lost my 1st contract at BLT to ROFR then I started to re-think and decided on SSR because the upfront cost allowed me to buy more points upfront. The Mouse took my second contract which was for SSR and now I am awaiting my 3rd, SSR to go through ROFR! I too didn't want a stripped out contract, which there are a lot of. I would say put your name on the lists of multiple brokers for exactly what you want, ones bound to come through before MFs are due.

 

[dsnydaddy]

I lost my 1st contract at BLT to ROFR then I started to re-think and decided on SSR because the upfront cost allowed me to buy more points upfront. The Mouse took my second contract which was for SSR and now I am awaiting my 3rd, SSR to go through ROFR! I too didn't want a stripped out contract, which there are a lot of. I would say put your name on the lists of multiple brokers for exactly what you want, ones bound to come through before MFs are due.

I'm still thinking SSR. But am rethinking on if I want to stick to that one alone. I know I'd pay more for some others but location counts for a lot too. I like SSR. It's a nice resort but I'm really liking the idea of being walking distance to Epcot and DHS. Or even being on a monorail resort. I did give a lot of thought to expiration dates but not as much lately because I figure that I might sell to trade up at some point and if so the date won't mean much.

I ruled out OKW for two reasons. My wife hates the bathroom decor. And the MF was quite a bit higher than SSR. For that MF I can be in a better resort.

 

[peace_all]

BCV and OKW both expire in 2042 - why would you consider BCV without an extended contract and not OKW?

For BCV it is the walking distance to Epcot and HS, the pool and amenities on the Boardwalk (ESPN etc.). OKW it would be the value, so we would go for the longer contract. With better value for money.

Yes, there are lots of contracts, but I am critical over use year, points banked, etc. The analytical mind is crippling the jump! This would also be so much easier if we didn't need at least a certain amount to travel with, considering we are a family of 6.

dsnydaddy I know what you mean, was starting to look at lower point contracts with banked points, then considering buying another 150ish at say BCV to have for the other years.

 

[dankil13]

For BCV it is the walking distance to Epcot and HS, the pool and amenities on the Boardwalk (ESPN etc.). OKW it would be the value, so we would go for the longer contract. With better value for money.

Yes, there are lots of contracts, but I am critical over use year, points banked, etc. The analytical mind is crippling the jump! This would also be so much easier if we didn't need at least a certain amount to travel with, considering we are a family of 6.

dsnydaddy I know what you mean, was starting to look at lower point contracts with banked points, then considering buying another 150ish at say BCV to have for the other years.

BWV seems to have a much lower price point than BCV (avg $79/pt vs $91/pt) - but if you really want to stay at BCV than you should certainly buy there.

I'm a bean counter by trade so I have a spreadsheet with 30 tabs going analyzing everything from how many points to purchase and total costs by contract by resort. We are a family of 5 but often travel as 6 and require two bedrooms. We also go to WDW every other year so I am trying to figure out if I buy 1/2 the points I need vs the full amount of points and just rent the unused points every other year.

When I started my research I thought I'd be buying at OKW given the lower upfront costs, but as I said now I am leaning towards SSR or AKW since there is much more value there with the extra years.

My wife thinks I'm nuts with all of this analysis!

 

[DizBub]

We already owned at BLT, wanted more points and found an excellent 150 point fully loaded contract at SSR with a fantastic price. Sadly the deal fell through when the sellers didn't return the closing documents.

Started over and all the "good" SSR contracts had been snapped up but found a nicely loaded BCV 160 point contract and jumped on that. It was more expensive since the price was $19 more per point and it was 10 more points plus the expiration date is shorter. MFs are higher too. I do like having an Epcot and a monorail resort though.

We are happy with the decision but I am still not quite over losing that SSR contract. SSR is a terrific choice and a great value. If you want SSR stick with it, bills for MFs will be coming out soon and people tend to put their contracts on the market around this time of year.

Good luck!

 

[disneynutz]

To me Disney is a luxury vacation and frankly the price difference and expiration date doesn't matter if you don't love where you are staying since you are spending mega money.

I would guess that most owners find their vacation patterns change after going to WDW every year for a few years. The parks are the same, the rides and attractions the same and the crowds more crowded every year.

Spending more time at the resort is inevitable.

Buying a resort without staying at them first is nuts, we did that at BLT and it is our least favorite resort.

Bill

 

[jnamadison]

I agree with Bill. Experiencing where you want to stay is definitely a good idea.

That said, once you do find where you want to buy, don't settle because the exact contract you want isn't available immediately. This is a 40+ year decision (assuming you don't want to sell/re-buy at another time) so you should wait and find the right one, even if it means renting points for the current trip.

However, for a trip in 2016, I'm gonna bet you'll fine something before then.

 

[peace_all]

Thanks for the help! I am in agreement, we are keeping our eyes open for a BCV contract, and aren't going to settle. We were hoping to go down this summer, but aren't too picky with were we stay, as long as it is before our annual passes expire the end of Aug.