Seriously considering a purchase

[goodferry]

We have tossed this idea around since last August and I think we have decided to do it. I have a few questions, though, and I would like your thoughts.
1. Is there any advantage or disadvantage to buying through Disney.

2. We really love Wilderness Lodge Villas (stayed there last August) and Boardwalk Villas, neither of these are available through Disney though, correct? Is there an advantage to buying one of the resorts that is currently open through Disney?

3. Which resorts are available through Disney right now, just BLT and AKV? We like the BLT area (on monorail) but aren't crazy about the theming and AKV seems so far from everything.

4. Is it correct that the treehouses will not be available until 2011? What happens if you buy now, you can't use your points until the open?

Thanks!
Linda

 

[stopher1]

We have tossed this idea around since last August and I think we have decided to do it. I have a few questions, though, and I would like your thoughts.
1. Is there any advantage or disadvantage to buying through Disney.

2. We really love Wilderness Lodge Villas (stayed there last August) and Boardwalk Villas, neither of these are available through Disney though, correct? Is there an advantage to buying one of the resorts that is currently open through Disney?

The advantages of buying direct from Disney would come if you were buying into the current resorts that they are marketing, and then you would be able to take advantage of the incentives being offered. But if you aren't interested in those resorts for your home resort, then the advantage of lower prices per point with resale comes into play. You CAN buy points from Disney for any resort provided they have some through exercising their Right of First Refusal on the resale market, but you'll pay premium pricing and receive no incentives. So yes, there could be points available direct from Disney for WL and BWV, but you'll pay more for them. For the resorts not currently "on sale" with Disney, you should go resale

3. Which resorts are available through Disney right now, just BLT and AKV? We like the BLT area (on monorail) but aren't crazy about the theming and AKV seems so far from everything.

In addition, Disney is selling Phase IV of SSR for the Treehouses, but you'll find better pricing on the resale market for SSR than buying direct from Disney, even with the incentives currently being offered. AKV may be far away from different parts of the overall resort, but using that logic so is SSR, or BLT. It's all perspective really. The bus ride from AKV over to MK is not really much longer than the bus ride from the Grand Flo to DTD. And there's just something special about being out there overlooking the savannah... it really makes you forget you are in Florida at times. (Can you tell I like my AKV? ) In addition they are currently selling VGC, or the Villas at the Grand Californian - the first DVC resort to open (this November) at Disneyland out in California.

4. Is it correct that the treehouses will not be available until 2011? What happens if you buy now, you can't use your points until the open?

Not correct at all...the Treehouses open June 1st, just a little under 50 days from now. Many of us already have reservations made through early 2010.

 

[goodferry]

REALLY! My sister is at Disney right now and she bought yesterday at BLT and she asked about the Treehouses and she said they told her they weren't scheduled to be open until 2011, interesting because that definitely influenced her decision.
Thanks for your perspective on AKL, that is one of the things we like about the Wilderness Lodge is that it feels like you are in a different place, not at WDW, which is refreshing when you are in the parks all day long.
If we do decide on AKV, are we better off going through Disney?

 

[JimMIA]

REALLY! My sister is at Disney right now and she bought yesterday at BLT and she asked about the Treehouses and she said they told her they weren't scheduled to be open until 2011, interesting because that definitely influenced her decision.

Let her know that she has 10 days from signing the purchasing paperwork to rescind the contract with a full refund of her money.

She either misunderstood the guide (pretty hard to believe a misunderstanding that big about a material question!), or the guide flat-out lied to her.

If she wants THV, she'd be many hundreds of dollars ahead buying SSR resale. SSR is selling for (and clearing ROFR) <$70 per point, which is about a 35% savings over the Disney direct price.

 

[stopher1]

REALLY! My sister is at Disney right now and she bought yesterday at BLT and she asked about the Treehouses and she said they told her they weren't scheduled to be open until 2011, interesting because that definitely influenced her decision.
Thanks for your perspective on AKL, that is one of the things we like about the Wilderness Lodge is that it feels like you are in a different place, not at WDW, which is refreshing when you are in the parks all day long.
If we do decide on AKV, are we better off going through Disney?

Wow, sounds like a poorly informed guide or as JimMIA said, she was lied to. If you were to look out on the regular WDW website at the reservation section, you would even reserve the treehouses for cash now too.

You probably could pick-up an AKV resale for a lower price per point, but the incentives are pretty nice right now. DVCNews.com lists them out pretty well. http://dvcnews.com/content/view/227/173/. As a new member you'll need an existing member referral for the incentive, but that won't be hard for you, especially if your sister just bought. Weigh the cost of both and see which works out better for you and your individual situation. The cruise is nice, but if your family is larger than 4, then there is an upgrade charge for the additional passenger(s). The Timeshare Store (as advertised above) has a good number of AKV listings in the mid-$80's to $90s range per point.

Buying directly from Disney means your points are available to use for reservations basically right away, whereas buying resale means having more patience, as you have to go through the ROFR process and wait for closing. Each way has its' own pros and cons that only you can determine as being "right" for you. Good luck in your consideration process.

 

[logan115]

Would advise your sister to go over and see SSR while she's there (if she hasn't already) if she would rather own there because of the THVs. If she'd rather own at SSR she still has 10 days to rescind/cancel her BLT contract (I think - others know much more about this than I).

If she wants to own there, as the PP mentioned SSR can be had via resale much cheaper than direct.

I'm waiting to hear back on my contract now and we're offering $68 per point, buying direct thru Disney would cost closer to $90.

Good luck,

Chris

 

[logan115]

That's just crazy - as I was typing that others (like JimMIA and Stopher) would be able to better answer your questions, they were already doing so........

 

[Crystal_27]

We have tossed this idea around since last August and I think we have decided to do it. I have a few questions, though, and I would like your thoughts.
1. Is there any advantage or disadvantage to buying through Disney.

2. We really love Wilderness Lodge Villas (stayed there last August) and Boardwalk Villas, neither of these are available through Disney though, correct? Is there an advantage to buying one of the resorts that is currently open through Disney?

3. Which resorts are available through Disney right now, just BLT and AKV? We like the BLT area (on monorail) but aren't crazy about the theming and AKV seems so far from everything.

4. Is it correct that the treehouses will not be available until 2011? What happens if you buy now, you can't use your points until the open?

Thanks!
Linda

Linda, I would say that the key advantage of buying through Disney is the ease of financing *but* because Disney seems to finance everyone, the interest rates that you would pay through Disney are very high (10.75% for "preferred" financing and 14.25% for standard financing).

I think that if you guys loved Wilderness Lodge, you should definitely look at resale. There is no difference in membership if you purchase resale, and there are certainly a lot of great resales on the market now which would save you a considerable amount of money compared to buying through Disney.

And, for what it's worth, we are not crazy about the theming of BLT either *but* we love to be on the monorail (and walking distance to MK) so we bought into BLT. We actually stayed at a non-monorail resort for the first time in March, and DH and I came to the realization that transportation issues affect our vacation much more than we thought. I hated having to build in an hour of transportation time each way, and now, having bought into BLT, it's great to have the option to always be on the monorail.

Anyway, there are a lot of knowledgeable and helpful people here on the Boards. Best of luck with your decision!!

 

[WilsonFlyer]

In case it matters, don't forget the immediate availability of points purchased through Disney v. up to a 2-3 month wait to buy and use points via resale.

 

[Lynne M]

If you really love VWL or BWV, I'd advise you to buy at one of those resorts. VWL is one of the smallest DVC resorts, and availability will be a problem at certain times of year if you're booking at the 7-month window.

Same goes for BWV......the Epcot resorts are extremely popular during the Food and Wine Festival, and after that, you've got peak DVC booking season in December. The end result is that BWV will be tough to get at 7 months from Oct.1 through the end of the year.


The most common advice you'll hear on the boards is 'buy where you want to stay'.

 

[CarolAnnC]

Re the Treehouse villas in "2011" - could she possibly have asked about the new Disney Cruise ships? The first of those is due for 2011. Sometimes lots of info is given out in these meetings, and maybe that was mentioned there as well?

Good luck..I would go for the DVC incentives myself over resale at this time..

 

[Inkmahm]

If you really love VWL or BWV, I'd advise you to buy at one of those resorts. VWL is one of the smallest DVC resorts, and availability will be a problem at certain times of year if you're booking at the 7-month window.

Same goes for BWV......the Epcot resorts are extremely popular during the Food and Wine Festival, and after that, you've got peak DVC booking season in December. The end result is that BWV will be tough to get at 7 months from Oct.1 through the end of the year.


The most common advice you'll hear on the boards is 'buy where you want to stay'.

Exactly why we purchased at both VWL and BWV.