Should I buy the "cheapest?"

[1GoldenSun]

I feel like I could be missing some information here, or not properly taking into consideration all the information I do have.

I live an hour and a half from Disney and have a pretty flexible schedule. I would usually only want to go for one or two nights at a time, and would not usually plan very far ahead at all. Although I have my favorites (and they're not Saratoga Springs or Old Key West), I like all the resorts and would not be disappointed to be "stuck" with whatever is left when I make my reservations. Is there any advantage for me to pay more for one of the more popular resorts rather than just buying the cheapest?

 

[Nabas]

I live an hour and a half from Disney and have a pretty flexible schedule. I would usually only want to go for one or two nights at a time, and would not usually plan very far ahead at all. Although I have my favorites (and they're not Saratoga Springs or Old Key West), I like all the resorts and would not be disappointed to be "stuck" with whatever is left when I make my reservations. Is there any advantage for me to pay more for one of the more popular resorts rather than just buying the cheapest?

Since you "want to go for one or two nights at a time, and would not usually plan very far ahead at all", I cannot think of any advantage to paying for one of the more popular resorts.

 

[CarolMN]

I feel like I could be missing some information here, or not properly taking into consideration all the information I do have.

I live an hour and a half from Disney and have a pretty flexible schedule. I would usually only want to go for one or two nights at a time, and would not usually plan very far ahead at all. Although I have my favorites (and they're not Saratoga Springs or Old Key West), I like all the resorts and would not be disappointed to be "stuck" with whatever is left when I make my reservations. Is there any advantage for me to pay more for one of the more popular resorts rather than just buying the cheapest?

No, not if you aren't going to use the home resort booking priority. And no good reason to buy direct, either, since you appear to be a Florida resident.

 

[Stargazer65]

Is there any advantage for me to pay more for one of the more popular resorts rather than just buying the cheapest?

Sounds reasonable to buy cheap in your case. Consider dues in your calculation. Dues are a bigger expense in the long run than up front cost.

 

[Sandisw]

I agree, but a less expensive resort and hope for the best.

Be aware, though that from mid September until mid January DVC books up pretty solid at the 11 month mark. Last minute travel during that time, even for one or two nights will be difficult, especially if you want a studio.

Just realize getting rooms with that type of booking style will be tough. Rooms can be taken for breakage at the 60 day window so many times very little is left for points bookings.

 

[zavandor]

I live an hour and a half from Disney and have a pretty flexible schedule. I would usually only want to go for one or two nights at a time, and would not usually plan very far ahead at all.

This could be the deal breaker. Every resort is booked solid 2 or 3 months before stay, so if you don't plan in advance, you cannot plan at all, you can only react to some last minute availability created by a cancellation. One night wait lists are easier to get than for longer stays, but they're not guaranteed. I think it's an expensive purchase to not being able to control your destiny.
Anyway, if you don't plan at least 7 months in advance, buying any premium resort is completely useless. Buy the cheapest one.

 

[Lorana]

It sounds like cheap resale is the way to go for you, but like others have said, whether DVC makes sense at all really depends on when you travel, because in the fall and around major holidays, it can be booked solid 7 months in advance - and sometimes 11 months! Also, weekends do book up faster than weekdays, so if your intent was weekend trips, DVC might not be the right choice.

 

[RoseGold]

It depends on what you mean by cheapest.

There's an argument that even a ridiculously priced VGF contract is actually the cheapest because of how long the contract is:

https://www.dvcresalemarket.com/blog/best-economical-dvc-resorts-to-purchase-spring-2021/
But yea, if you are booking last minute, points are points. We call them sleep around points (SAP). Maybe it's worth it to you to put less money upfront, even if that contract expires sooner.

You might be very disappointed if you are trying for cheaper rooms on weekends.

 

[dvc lover 1970]

I would buy cheapest points you can get. I love SSR and am never disappointed to be "stuck" there

 

[tgarre06]

Go with the cheapest but make sure you buy in at a resort with a contract length you are comfortable with.

 

[crisi]

Sandy and zavandor are right - when you say "not plan very far in advance" do you mean four months or four days? Are you going to be "lets use our points next weekend" and then be disappointed with nothing at all is available at any resort? Do your short notice trips have flexibility in timing, or do you need it to be over specific days (like the weekend) due to having a job or something? Keep in mind that if you hold onto points to use late in your use year, and then nothing is available for when you can travel, you will lose those points - they expire and are gone. DVC works best for people who can plan at least seven months in advance - not that it won't work if you can't plan - or don't want to plan - that far out, but that the shorter your reservation window, the more flexible you need to be - "we'd like to go to Disney sometime in the next month and we are retired, so can take a night whenever it shows up" - rather than "we'd like to stay in a studio next Saturday night" as wells as in terms of the possibilities that nothing is available and you may lose points.

But it won't matter which resort you buy at.

 

[brazzledazzler]

I'm a Florida Resident too. Before joining DVC, I enjoyed planning quick getaways to Disney. However, this doesn't work as a DVC owner.

Since I joined DVC last month, I've discovered that if you want to get the dates you want at the resort you want, you need to be comfortable planning your vacations 7+ months in advance. Otherwise, you may be out of luck.

There are many unused points in the system due to the 2020 lockdown, leading to minimal availability after the7 month mark. Can this change? Maybe. Should you make a $30,000 purchase based on this possibility? I don't think so.

It may be that DVC isn't a good fit for your vacation lifestyle. It's definitely for a certain type of traveler. Good luck in your decision-making!

 

[crisi]

I'm a Florida Resident too. Before joining DVC, I enjoyed planning quick getaways to Disney. However, this doesn't work as a DVC owner.

Since I joined DVC last month, I've discovered that if you want to get the dates you want at the resort you want, you need to be comfortable planning your vacations 7+ months in advance. Otherwise, you may be out of luck.

There are many unused points in the system due to the 2020 lockdown, leading to minimal availability after the7 month mark. Can this change? Maybe. Should you make a $30,000 purchase based on this possibility? I don't think so.

It may be that DVC isn't a good fit for your vacation lifestyle. It's definitely for a certain type of traveler. Good luck in your decision-making!

Before the glut of points there was limited available at the seven month mark - and limited availability BEFORE the seven month mark at certain resorts. BCV has a lot of owners who paid a lot of money for their points - and between them all, they own enough points to book every room in the resort year round. So at popular times of year, those rooms are gone BEFORE seven months, and even at unpopular times of the year, there are only a few rooms available at seven months to snag. There are similar issues with GFV, GCV, CCV (in studios, particularly), BWV (in Boardwalk and Standard View rooms especially), and maybe a few other resorts.

At seven months usually VAKL, SSR, OKW are pretty available, and available for a while before they book solid - although even those resorts can book fast during the last quarter of the year.

 

[Meem93]

I just added on a 3rd small contract. I kind of went cheaper on the third but not cheapest. Meaning, my 3rd is not my favorite resort, however I wouldn’t mind staying there, but I purchased it because it was cheaper than my favorite resorts. I really dislike OKW and SSR, so they were out. I didn’t do Vero or HHI because I vacation to WDW. So I did Animal Kingdom. not crazy expensive (compared to others ), decent deed length, and I wouldn’t mind staying there. I also feel like at 7 months and with waitlisting there are decent options usually.

i think do something similar. If you wouldn’t hate staying at a resort that is less expensive, buy there. But perhaps don’t get the very cheapest just because it’s cheapest. Get the resort that you would be happy at. Also, one day you might want to book 11 months out (race weekend, holiday, festival, etc).

 

[Deb & Bill]

Once you buy into DVC, you can check Last Minute Getaways for up to 60 days out. For the one on the website today, there is only one studio available for the entire time for two nights in early Sept at SSR. The rest of the units available are usually two bedrooms, Grand Villas, Treehouse Villas and a few one bedroom villas.

 

[Sandisw]

Once you buy into DVC, you can check Last Minute Getaways for up to 60 days out. For the one on the website today, there is only one studio available for the entire time for two nights in early Sept at SSR. The rest of the units available are usually two bedrooms, Grand Villas, Treehouse Villas and a few one bedroom villas.

And that information is not accurate most of the time. Not sure why they even keep it.

 

[Deb & Bill]

And that information is not accurate most of the time. Not sure why they even keep it.

Because it changes so often.

 

[Yinn]

I feel like I could be missing some information here, or not properly taking into consideration all the information I do have.

I live an hour and a half from Disney and have a pretty flexible schedule. I would usually only want to go for one or two nights at a time, and would not usually plan very far ahead at all. Although I have my favorites (and they're not Saratoga Springs or Old Key West), I like all the resorts and would not be disappointed to be "stuck" with whatever is left when I make my reservations. Is there any advantage for me to pay more for one of the more popular resorts rather than just buying the cheapest?

Nothing wrong with that method, just make sure you take into account 2 considerations.

1. How long do you plan on holding it?
If the dues are significantly higher on the cheaper contract, it could eventually catch up to a slightly more expensive one.

2. How long is the contract length?
Some of the cheaper resorts are only discounted based upon the contract term but would be the same cost if the years were prorated. That said a short contract could be a pro to some and a con to others.