Seriously interested in DVC, but question about other locations.

[disfanforlife]

Hi, We went to Contemporary 06 (loved it) Wilderness (07) liked it, and in general my whole family loves Disney and staying on site. So, my hubby and I are thinking about buying in at AK now. It sounds like there are great incentives from everything I have read. I have two questions though - even though we do love Disney we may not want to go every year and would love some feedback from someone who has gone to the Carribean with their points - can't seem to find much info on that. I understand Disney is a better value for points, but we are thinking this would be an option maybe once every 3 or 4 years when we are members for something different to do. My other question is we have 5 in our family - do they ever allow you to have a cot in your room and stay in a 1- bedroom or do you have to jump to the 2 bedroom (except in AK - I know that we can have 5 there) I am wondering if once year we wanted to stay at one of the other resorts could we do that or would we really have to have the 2 bedroom? Thanks for any answers anyone can give me!!!!

 

[browniemtb]

Lots of great questions......As you have stated, Disney is the best value for your points but as you, we tend to trade out eventually as well. One bedroom villas for a week stay in the Carribean can run about 270 points for a week. Each resorts will have there own occuoancy limits. Disney occupancy in a 1 bedroom is 4 but will allow 5 as long as the fifth person is under 3. AKV has the sleeper chair that allows 5 people per villa. At the minimum buy in through Disney at 160 points this would give you 320 points every other year for travel. You also have the ability to use three years worth of points by banking and borrowing. Hope this helped a little......

 

[Buckeye Fan]

Hi, We went to Contemporary 06 (loved it) Wilderness (07) liked it, and in general my whole family loves Disney and staying on site. So, my hubby and I are thinking about buying in at AK now.

Disney is building a "structure" right beside the Contemporary that will connect and it is rumored to be Kingdom Tower Villas, a Disney Vacation Club resort. If you LOVED the Contemporary and are in no hurry to buy, you may wait a few months and see if/when it is announced. Prices just went up, and I'll assume that if/when Disney does announce, it will be higher than what you can buy through Dis or resale today. However, if you truly LOVE the Contemporary and the area, you may want to consider it.

It sounds like there are great incentives from everything I have read.

Disney always runs good incentives, so don't feel rushed. When we went to purchase 2 years ago, there was a 15 year anniversary combined with a Friends and Family promo. We could get SSR points for $86 per point. Between resale and on-going promos, do your research and feel good about your decision.

I have two questions though - even though we do love Disney we may not want to go every year and would love some feedback from someone who has gone to the Carribean with their points - can't seem to find much info on that. I understand Disney is a better value for points, but we are thinking this would be an option maybe once every 3 or 4 years when we are members for something different to do.

Most will say it's not wise to buy DVC to trade out. You just don't get the bang for your buck. However, my BIL/SIL have been DVC members for a long time and have traded out many times. They have gone to Hawaii twice, Spain, Paris, Aruba, Grand Cayman, etc. My SIL says that their accommodations are always wonderful, and she's been extremely happy with her trades. I will tell you that she plans about 12 months in advance and puts in a pretty broad search. The balancing act with trading is the automatic confirmation. So, if you put in a search for Hawaii for the month of July and you get a hit, it automatically confirms the reservation. What if flights aren't available for that week when you actually get the reservation? Also, what if you make flight reservations and don't get the hit via DVC? Just some things to consider, as trading out isn't quite as smooth as it may sound.

My other question is we have 5 in our family - do they ever allow you to have a cot in your room and stay in a 1- bedroom or do you have to jump to the 2 bedroom (except in AK - I know that we can have 5 there) I am wondering if once year we wanted to stay at one of the other resorts could we do that or would we really have to have the 2 bedroom? Thanks for any answers anyone can give me!!!!

We are a family of 4 and purchased enough points to do a 2-BR. DVC will not do a cot...we asked because my two want their own beds!!! Anyway...when kids are little, a 1-BR at AKV could work, but it would be tight for adults and older kids. Someone will have to chime in, but I think AKV is the only DVC resort that will even allow you to book a 1-BR with 5 guests. As the OP indicated, each resort (if you trade out) will have it's own limitations when it comes to occupancy. MS should be able to assist you or point you to a website where you can see the occupancy limits for yourself.

 

[luna99]

The balancing act with trading is the automatic confirmation. So, if you put in a search for Hawaii for the month of July and you get a hit, it automatically confirms the reservation. What if flights aren't available for that week when you actually get the reservation? Also, what if you make flight reservations and don't get the hit via DVC? Just some things to consider, as trading out isn't quite as smooth as it may sound.

wow. thank you so much for explaining that.

 

[shelby101301]

We are new owners and asked specifically about # of guests per room. While we are currently a family of 4, we are expecting #5 to join us in the fall. We were told that absolutely not can you book 5 into a studio due to fire regulations.

However, 5 were allowable in 1 bedrooms if we wanted to bring something like an aero bed. We were not told this is limited to AKV or that the 5th guest had to be under three. If anyone has more info on this, it would be greatly appreciated as I would be pretty ticked off to be misled by our selling agent. (We bought the minimum with the idea that we would buy more points later as our family expanded)

 

[disfanforlife]

Thank you so much for the information. I think that we will take our time in deciding because even though I know we want to buy, I want to be sure that we buy the best one for our family.