Saving $ at Vero Beach or Hilton Head

[fatherAZ]

We are seriously thinking about buying into the DVC and were planning on going through Disney SS at $90 per point, 150-175 point contract. In searching through the ads, I noticed VB and HH are priced at less than $70 and sometimes at $65 per point. SS contracts run 80-85 resale so that savings is not worth it to us after paying for closing costs. The only disadvantages I see in buying at VB over SS is the shorter life of the timeshare and lower maintenance costs. I am certain we can never book our vacations 11 months out anyway so owning in the Disney grounds is not an advantage to us. Also, we do not need the financing that Disney has to offer.

My questions are:
1) Does it matter where you own if you you're not able to book more than 7 months out?
2) Will Disney not let a contract priced at 65-68 for VB go through the ROFR?
3) Where can I find the exact current maintenance costs for all the resorts?

Thanks and looking forward to joining the club!

 

[vascubaguy]

If you can't book out beyond the 7 month window, then no, your home resort doesn't matter, except for the purchase price and maintenance fees. Right now, VB is the highest while SSR is the lowest.

Here the list of MN fees:
SSR: 3.83
OKW: 3.86
HHI: 4.04
BCV: 4.27
VWL: 4.35
BWV: 4.41
VB: 4.87

In the long run, SSR would be the cheapest per point, only because of the 12 extra years. Also, although VB is the cheaper up-front per point, the MN fees over the years will off-set that initial savings. If you want to lower your initial investment, I would probably go with OKW (low 70's per point with current and/or banked points), otherwise I would go with SSR.

There were 2 VB contracts that I know of that just passed ROFR at $63 per point! There was also a small 25 pt contract at OKW that passed at $70 per point.

Just my opinions, but I HTH!

 

[Doctor P]

It is unlikely that SSR will continue to have the lowest maintenance fees as they are currently being subsidized by DVD, so I would not buy on the basis of those fees remaining lower than the other resorts.

 

[fatherAZ]

That is a good point about the SS maintenance costs being subsidized. Does anyone have an idea about why the costs vary so widely, especially for VB? Is is likely that OKW will maintain the lower fees?

Also, how hard is it to book at BW, BC and VWL if you do so at the 7 month time frame. We live in MO and like to escape in the wintertime Jan/Feb. This will change when the kids are older and in school as then our travel will be restricted to the summer, spring break, and late December. Does anyone have experience booking these resorts at the 7 month mark? If this is going to be a big problem, we may think about buying into the BW or VWL and paying the premium for the points.

Thanks in advance.

 

[gppnj]

Does anyone have an idea about why the costs vary so widely, especially for VB?

Oceanfront = higher maintenance costs.

 

[vascubaguy]

VB and HHI you have those pesky hurricanes (thus hurricane insurance, which is pretty high down in FL).

As for the others.... well, one commonality I see from VWL, BWV and BCV being higher are that they are connected to Disney resorts, so I would imagine there are some contractual maintenance issues with those resorts. OKW and SSR are independent DVC resort properties which don't have big lavish/complex pools like SAB. I would predict that OKW and SSR would continue to be lower than the others (although I know all of them will go up over time). JMO

 

[bicker]

Also, how hard is it to book at BW, BC and VWL if you do so at the 7 month time frame. We live in MO and like to escape in the wintertime Jan/Feb. This will change when the kids are older and in school as then our travel will be restricted to the summer, spring break, and late December.

You could have as much trouble in the off-season as the peak season, as the points are substantially less during the off-season. Generally-speaking, you're far better off buying where you plan to stay the most. Figure that folks who pay more for BCV and BWV probably want to stay close to a theme park, so will learn pretty-quickly that if they don't book early they run the risk of being locked out of their own home resort.

 

[Tamar]

Aside from BWV standard view during the Epcot F&W Fest., we've never booked anything more than 7 months out. I recently made a reservation for a friend for the week before Christmas...she wanted 3 days at BCV and 4 days at VWL, and I used HH points to make the reservation...no problem. If you HAVE to stay at a particular resort, buy there and book early, otherwise, I'd say go for the lower point price (PS, I'm probably in the minority on this board with that opinion).

 

[fatherAZ]

Thanks Tamar, that is very good information. I think for the most part, we would not be too selective in where we would stay, would prefer VWL, BWV, and BCV though, and are even flexible as to type of room, 1 BR or studio. Judging by your experience, our best bet would be to buy where we can find the best deal which seems to me like it would be SSR (longer contract), or OKW or HH (points inexpensive, fees inexpensive). And then to plan the trip right at the 7 month window and to be a little flexible--probably can get something we are looking for.

Our plan (things could change if we fall in love with one resort) is to visit Disney every other year and to try to hit all of the vacation clubs over time (may try to combine a couple in one trip as well) since having never stayed anywhere other than All-Star, they all have fantastic things to offer. The ones near the parks seem a little more convenient and "magical" though.

I've combed the board and printed out a map but can someone tell how accesible BWV and BCV are to Epcot and MGM, and VWL from any theme parks (by foot, boat or monorail).

Also, I am not an accountant, nor are we very aggressive investing our money but is the 12 (I think) extra years in the SSR contract worth the extra $10+ per point upfront cost compared to OKW or HH? Thanks!

 

[CarolMN]

Keep in mind that the resale price for VB will probably remain lower than the other resorts. IMHO, it will sink faster than the others when Disney decides not to exercise its ROFR so aggressively. If you plan to sell your contract in a few years, it may not be worth as much as one of the others.

Just another factor to consider - especially if you are only talking a few hundred dollars difference.

Another factor to consider is the possibility that your travel / planning habits will change. Perhaps you will be able to plan more than 7 months ahead in the future. If so, you may appreciate having the extra booking window at WDW.

Best wishes -

 

[CarolMN]

Thanks Tamar, that is very good information. I think for the most part, we would not be too selective in where we would stay, would prefer VWL, BWV, and BCV though, and are even flexible as to type of room, 1 BR or studio. Judging by your experience, our best bet would be to buy where we can find the best deal which seems to me like it would be SSR (longer contract), or OKW or HH (points inexpensive, fees inexpensive). And then to plan the trip right at the 7 month window and to be a little flexible--probably can get something we are looking for.

You will probably be able to get something on site, but it may not be BWV, BCV or VWL unless you call as soon as the 7 month window opens. Those are the smallest on site resorts and very popular. I believe that Tamar's experience is fairly typical - right now. However, we are starting to see more reports of members having to use the waitlist or accept a second or third choice or split their stays between different resorts. (Some people do that on purpose - I don't like to move once I'm there, LOL).

As SSR gets finished and sold out, there will be lots of people doing what you propose. You are going to have lots of competition to get into the smaller resorts at 7 months. That siad, if you can't plan very far ahead, the home resort booking advantage is of no use to you.

I've combed the board and printed out a map but can someone tell how accesible BWV and BCV are to Epcot and MGM, and VWL from any theme parks (by foot, boat or monorail).

Both BWV and BCV are within walking distance of EPCOT and MGM. There is also boat service to both parks from those resorts. BWV is the more centrally located - it's about a 15 minute walk to MGM and about 10 to EPCOT (enter at the International Gateway, which is between Great Britain and France in the World Showcase portion of the park). BCV is only about 5 minutes to EPCOT, but it's probably 25 - 30 minutes if you walk to MGM. Both have bus service to the MK, AK, DD and the waterparks.

VWL has boat (and bus) service to the MK and bus service to everything else.

Good luck with the research and the decision process.

Best wishes -

 

[fatherAZ]

Thanks for all the information CarolMN. I wonder if Disney plans on expanding after SSR and if that would further impact the booking at the centrally located resorts? (unless they build a new one closer to the theme parks--I've read somewhere that maybe contemporary may become a DVC resort) Alternatively, could they raise the points required to stay at BVC, VWL, and BWV--I think DVC rep told me these were fixed?

Have other people who have been members for awhile also experienced more difficulty booking these resorts at the 7 month period?

On to a different question: have people used the World Passport Collection resorts? For weekly rates of 124-160 + the the booking fee of $75, am I better off paying cash for these or are these a good value for the points. We are not world travellers so don't know how much these types of resorts cost.

 

[vascubaguy]

Thanks for all the information CarolMN. I wonder if Disney plans on expanding after SSR and if that would further impact the booking at the centrally located resorts? (unless they build a new one closer to the theme parks--I've read somewhere that maybe contemporary may become a DVC resort) Alternatively, could they raise the points required to stay at BVC, VWL, and BWV--I think DVC rep told me these were fixed?

The total amount of points for each year can't change, but they can move around those numbers. Say at OKW, a studio in adventure season is 8 points per night... they could lower the cost to stay on a Friday night by 5 points and distribute that across the other nights (thus making it 9 points), etc...

They can also change the dates of the different season categories. This is going to impact me a bit next year because one of the times I had planned to travel is moving into a higher bracket, so I might adjust my travel plans some.

 

[bicker]

I wonder if Disney plans on expanding after SSR and if that would further impact the booking at the centrally located resorts?

Well, SSR is still being built, AFAIK, and after that there is talk of another large DVC resort called Eagle Pines, which would be located Northwest of where SSR is.

(unless they build a new one closer to the theme parks--I've read somewhere that maybe contemporary may become a DVC resort)

Yes, there is also talk of a more centrally-located DVC resort. However, it would be substantially smaller than SSR or the proposed Eagle Pines, so would represent only a minor gain in terms of the more highly-desireable capacity.

Alternatively, could they raise the points required to stay at BVC, VWL, and BWV--I think DVC rep told me these were fixed?

The total amount of points for each week can't change, but they can move around those numbers.

Hmmm... from the next sentence it is clear you knew how it really works, but this one sentence you wrote could be read the wrong way. Specifically: The number of points for any one unit, for the entire year, cannot change. The total number of points for a week CAN change.

 

[vascubaguy]

Hmmm... from the next sentence it is clear you knew how it really works, but this one sentence you wrote could be read the wrong way. Specifically: The number of points for any one unit, for the entire year, cannot change. The total number of points for a week CAN change.

Thanks for pointing that out, I was thinking faster than I was typing. I meant to put year (edited the OP to correct that).

Thanks again!