So, which DVC resort is the best value via resale ?

[Syndrome]

So, we have finally decided we are going to take the plunge and buy in . We go to WDW every year, usually stay Deluxe (or villas) , and have been renting a bunch of point stays recently .............so we think its time. We have done some homework and this is not an overnight decision. Have stayed at most WDW Deluxe resorts and/or know them very well. Have at least walked around almost every DVC resort to get a feel for it (except SSR .......not much interest there right now, we might love it - who knows). So we know what we like, and don't like.

Lets say someone is not REAL picky about where they stay ...........where would be the best value going the resale route ? We are happy to stay at pretty much any DVC resort, some we prefer more than others, but I think we could get something we would enjoy at 7 months out. We would pretty much be concentrating on the WDW resorts, not VB or HH. Aluani or VGC would not happen very often either.

Here is what we are coming up with that suits us ..............so far.
The frugal side of me is looking for the best value above most everything else, because we would be happy to stay at just about any DVC resort.

OKW ....... I like it, wife thinks its a little to spread out. Wouldn't mind staying there.
BWV ........ I am just o.k. with it, wife loves it. Have stayed there and wouldn't mind staying there again. (we are actually)
VWL ......... Wife is just o.k. with it, I love it. Have stayed there before, and wouldn't mind staying there again (we are actually)
BCV ......... We both love it and have stayed there before. Wouldn't mind staying again. BUT we think its not the best value as a DVC purchase. Resale costs are higher than most, The earliest termination contract is a bummer due to the higher costs.
BLT .........doesn't appeal to either of us. Never stayed before, but would try it.
SSR ........ Both of us are just ehh about it, but never checked it out to be fair. Would mind trying it out. Seems like a good value resale with its low resale and later termination date.
VGF ......... Wife kind of likes it, I don't really like it. Have stayed at GF before .......and it didn't wow us. We wouldn't mind staying there. Not a great value right now though.
AKV ...........We both really like it (just not as much as BCV) and have stayed there before, and would like to again. Would be nice to have the 11th month jump on the value room options (since we like Jambo House, and they are a great LOW point option for accommodations) , lower buy in compared to some of of other DVC resale. A LOT of resales always available it seems. People are getting great offer prices accepted. Disney is not ROFR ing a lot of AKL contracts from what I can see. Maintenance fees are around the middle ground. And a big plus ..........a later termination contract end date.

So is smart money on AKL on the resale market ??? Anything else we are not "seeing" that we should worry about in the future ?

Again, we are not real picky about where we stay in Disney, and are willing to try just about anywhere (even SSR, lol). I know most would say to buy where we want to stay ........but that doesn't work so great for us as we like to stay at any of the WDW properties. Yes BC is our favorite, but its not really the best value from what we can see, and we wouldn't want to stay there ALL the time anyway.

AT least on the surface AKL looks like the best value...........does that seem to be correct right now and for about the next year or so on the resale market ???

Thanks for the info and help !!!!

Syndrome

 

[Msmithmd]

Looks like you already answered your own question comprehensively.

The current lowest overall cost DVC is SSR. But that wouldn't be the best value to you individually if you didn't want it as your home resort. There's more to "value" than just price, after all.

It's obvious from your post that AKV is the resort "for you" if you want to be buy in cost-efficient, and BCV is preferred if money is no object. Don't overthink it beyond that.

If you think you might want another home resort later, maybe buy less points now, and add-on later somewhere else. Good luck deciding.

 

[PacoDF]

If you don't mind where to stay at all, the best financially speaking is SSR.

But if you prefer AKV, even as it's a little bit more expensive and with higher dues, having access the the value category is really nice, because they are the cheapier accomodations point wise of all WDW resorts and you can buy a smaller contract if you want to get a same lenght stay. Remember that in order to get a value room, you need to own there and book 11 months in advance.

We did the same reasoning you are doing, and we finally choose AKV (we are waiting for ROFR). Besides financial considerations we really like AKL.

One thing most posters in here don't like about AKV is that is it very far away from the parks and the buses take a while to get there. But we always rent a car so we can move freely (even outside of Disney property), so is not an issue for us.

 

[Nabas]

Really, if you look at it objectively, there is no best value. The resale market pretty much determines value so, in that sense, the market has decided that the current prices represent a state of equilibrium between the resorts.

Right now, the "smart" money is on SSR, which has a low purchase price, low MF, high availability on the resale market, and longer length of contract. It also has a history of low annual MF increases.

However, it's also the easiest to book so buying there basically means forfeiting any booking advantage.

In terms of overall value, I suggest that Standard View rooms at BWV offer the best value, followed by Standard Views at AKV. The required point totals are low. Picking on a Studio for one week for the Food & Wine Festival:

- SSR: 104 points X $4.91/point = $511
- BWV: 78 points X 6.01/point = $469
- AKV: 88 points X $5.97/point = $525

Getting a Standard View Studio at BWV is hard if you don't own there. BWV puts you in a Deluxe Resort within walking distance of 2 theme parks. However, BWV contracts expire in 2042.

VGF, BLT, and BCV resales are all priced high right now, much higher than your other options.

 

[Syndrome]

Thanks for the info, its very helpful !

Yes, if money were no consideration we would probably choose BC. But some of the BC decision is because of the F&W 11 month booking window, and SAB. (The villa pool is fantastic as well !)

I guess the important question for us is how hard is it to book BCV at 7 months out ? Either summer time, or during F&W ?
We don't really want to buy into a resort just to have F&W 11 month window open to us. If there is at least a decent chance of getting a studio or a 1 bdrm during F&W at BCV or BWV at exactly 7 months out, we would be o.k. with that. We don't mind split stays either.

SSR does seem like the best value, but is there really any need to own there given they almost always have availability anyway ? Prices are pretty close to AKL too.

That's why we were thinking that AKL may work best for us. Its not our 1st choice, but for the value it will suit us pretty well ..........we think. The 11th month option for booking those value rooms is pretty appealing, and we do seem to find ourself always visiting AK Jambo and Kidani even if we are not staying there. We kind of like the remoteness of it as well. Its very close to the 192 area for grocery's and stuff like that.
The one thing we haven't checked out yet ..........and really not sure why we didn't, lol ..........is the Kidani pool area. Jambo is great, but is the Kidani pool just as nice ?

I know it seems like our mind is made up(its not really ) , but we didn't buy yet, and are just worried we are overlooking something about AKV. I am a little nervous the AKV maintenance fees have the potential to skyrocket due to the large size of the resort and the animal factor.

Still researching ..............
Thanks for the help so far !!!!

Syndrome

 

[Maverick]

Thanks for the info, its very helpful !

I guess the important question for us is how hard is it to book BCV at 7 months out ? Either summer time, or during F&W ?
We don't really want to buy into a resort just to have F&W 11 month window open to us. If there is at least a decent chance of getting a studio or a 1 bdrm during F&W at BCV or BWV at exactly 7 months out, we would be o.k. with that. We don't mind split stays either.

Syndrome

Chances of booking BCV at 7 months out during F&W are very slim. Studio is very unlikely. I will not say 'impossible' just because there is always the rare event that does occur. You may have slightly better odds for a 1BR at BCV during that time, but I wouldn't count too much on that.

Summer, on the other hand, has less DVC demand, so that might be more possible. Again, the studio will probably be harder to get than the other accomodation types.

I'm hoping other with more experience than me will also weigh in.

Mav

 

[Deb & Bill]

Chances of booking BCV at 7 months out during F&W are very slim. Studio is very unlikely. I will not say 'impossible' just because there is always the rare event that does occur. You may have slightly better odds for a 1BR at BCV during that time, but I wouldn't count too much on that.

Summer, on the other hand, has less DVC demand, so that might be more possible. Again, the studio will probably be harder to get than the other accomodation types.

I'm hoping other with more experience than me will also weigh in.

Mav

In the past two years we tried to get a studio for one night at BCV at seven month out for F&W before we moved to another resort. Couldn't get it.

OP, if you like BCV the best and would like staying there the most, that's the one you probably should buy. It's small and is hard to get at seven months out.

But wherever you buy, make it a place that you wouldn't mind staying if you could book anywhere else at seven months out. We own most of our points at OKW and I love OKW the most.

If you toss out VB. Aulani and HHI (all offsite), AKV has the second highest annual fees behind BWV.

 

[a742246]

If you both like AK then that is where you should go. Value rooms at AK is a better deal then anything at SSR, they run around 20-30 less point useage then SSR. Maintence fees are a bit higher at AK but with value rooms they become a wash.

BC is a great resort but for the value when all things consider, I think AK is a better choice for you.

 

[MagicJourney]

Well, I guess you'll find supporters for each individual resort. Everyone has his/her preference. It seems to me you already made a choice: AKL, and it is a smart decision

 

[robinb]

I wish you had visited SSR so you could have a real feeling for it since SSR is the best overall value IMO. The one thing it has against it is the same thing your wife doesn't like about OKW: it's really spread out. I would go with AKV or BCV.

 

[Syndrome]

Thanks for the input everyone !
The only problem we have with AKL is not having the ability to book either BWV or BCV during F&W . Once in a while ........maybe we would get lucky, but I know we can not count on getting anything at 7 months out. I am sure we can find enough availability (even if its a few days at a time) at BCV during the summer. That may be good enough.
The value of BCV is just not there either ..........although its our favorite. 2042 seems like its not that far off compared to 2057.
Disney has been using its ROFR for BCV in the mid $70's PP while almost everything at AKV has been flying past Disney. Even some $60. PP have been getting by ! That's telling me Disney wants out of AKV and good deals can be had via resale.

I think the slightly higher MF's at AKL offsets the higher points per room at SSR also. If we were going for absolute cheapest DVC to buy into, we would prob just do SSR, but that's not the best value for us.

I guess we just feel that AKV is the right "home" for us. We both like AKV and do our kids. Sometimes our daughter just goes over to AK Lodge to hang out .......while the rest of the family does some other things she is not into (water parks, SAB etc).

Are there any other "suprises" about AKV that we are not thinking about ? Anything else we should know? Anyone reading this have buyers remorse after buying in to AKV for some unforeseen reason?

I really do appreciate all the help from all you DVC vets. I know for some of you it is all quite simple ..........but for a DVC newbie just getting into buying seriously.........it can be quite daunting. There is a LOT to learn to make an informed decision !!

THANKS !

Syndrome

 

[Missyrose]

Are you planning for more than one trip a year? Because you could buy a bigger AKV contract for most of your trips and then a small one at BCV for F&W. Any reason why you only want one home resort?

 

[Syndrome]

Yes we are starting to take and or plan for 2 trips a year. This year its WDW in December (and universal, lol) and DL in July/August (at GCV) , last year we had a second trip planned for F&W but had to cancel last minute due to the weird timing of a house closing. So yes, at least 2 trips a year is what we are going for .........maybe more !

That's a great idea to buy a small contract for BCV. I think a 50 would give us a long weekend for F&W in a studio no problem. I know 50 point contracts are hard to find, and usually command a premium price ..........but its only 50, so it may be doable.
SO maybe a 150 for AKL, and a 50 for BC would work out well for us.

200 total would be a nice manageable MF every year. Use years would be tricky. Ideally we would use the BCV 50 in Oct/Nov, and use the AKV in July/August .

Good stuff............
Thanks,
Syndrome

 

[Dean]

Dollar wise for WDW, SSR is consistently the best value because of later RTU, lowest cost other than 2042 OKW and low fees. However, BWV standard view, OKW 3 BR and AKV value rooms may make one of those the cheapest for a given buyer if, and only if, they plan to use those specialty items routinely because they will generally not be available at 7 months out like the rest of OKW will. It's essentially impossible to quantify anything else other than looking at numbers because it comes down to personal preferences. One can usually get in to AKV otherwise so owning elsewhere to stay there for non specialty options is not a compromise and you can save on maint fees.

 

[DisneyDiana]

At least for the summer months, I have been able to get a studio at BCV if I book at exactly 7 mos. We own at AKV and love it! We like to do a week in the summer at AKV then add on a few days at another resort. I have not tried during F and W though. It sounds like the odds are not good during that time period.

 

[itutorfortravel]

At least for the summer months, I have been able to get a studio at BCV if I book at exactly 7 mos. We own at AKV and love it! We like to do a week in the summer at AKV then add on a few days at another resort. I have not tried during F and W though. It sounds like the odds are not good during that time period.

Can you tell me what time of summer you go? Early June, late August, or in the middle? Thanks!

 

[DisneyDiana]

Can you tell me what time of summer you go? Early June, late August, or in the middle? Thanks!

The third week in June every year.

 

[Minniesgal]

Thanks for the info, its very helpful ! Yes, if money were no consideration we would probably choose BC. But some of the BC decision is because of the F&W 11 month booking window, and SAB. (The villa pool is fantastic as well !) I guess the important question for us is how hard is it to book BCV at 7 months out ? Either summer time, or during F&W ? We don't really want to buy into a resort just to have F&W 11 month window open to us. If there is at least a decent chance of getting a studio or a 1 bdrm during F&W at BCV or BWV at exactly 7 months out, we would be o.k. with that. We don't mind split stays either. SSR does seem like the best value, but is there really any need to own there given they almost always have availability anyway ? Prices are pretty close to AKL too. That's why we were thinking that AKL may work best for us. Its not our 1st choice, but for the value it will suit us pretty well ..........we think. The 11th month option for booking those value rooms is pretty appealing, and we do seem to find ourself always visiting AK Jambo and Kidani even if we are not staying there. We kind of like the remoteness of it as well. Its very close to the 192 area for grocery's and stuff like that. The one thing we haven't checked out yet ..........and really not sure why we didn't, lol ..........is the Kidani pool area. Jambo is great, but is the Kidani pool just as nice ? I know it seems like our mind is made up(its not really ) , but we didn't buy yet, and are just worried we are overlooking something about AKV. I am a little nervous the AKV maintenance fees have the potential to skyrocket due to the large size of the resort and the animal factor. Still researching .............. Thanks for the help so far !!!! Syndrome

BCV is extremely hard to book at 7 months. In three trips we have managed to book the Treehouse villas and BLT at 7 months in the summer but we have never had a chance of BCV in February, in July or in August and no way during food and wine.

AKV is a fabulous resort but in your position I might buy the bulk of my points there but a small contract at BCV to get a couple of nights as well.

 

[Dean]

One thing about DVC compared to other timeshares is that it's relatively easy to exchange within the system. Say one buys the cheapest option (usually SSR overall) and reserves at 11 months out, if you pay attention and plan, you can almost always get something you may want that is higher demand at 7 months out. There are a few things that are very unlikely like AKV concierge/value, BWV BW view, etc but even then there are examples of success at 7 months or after. IMO anyone who wants into the system and then try most everything over time is FAR better off buying lower and trying to trade up than trading down buying resale. The reality is that unless you want basically one or 2 resort every time and can plan at 11 months out, you're in the same boat no matter where you own. The exception is if you buy all most all the resorts but few can afford to do this and doing so renting the rest is not a viable plan IMO.

 

[itutorfortravel]

The third week in June every year.

Perfect! That's when we normally travel in the summer and it's nice to know you've been able to get BCV studios at 7 months out...hoping to try it sometime but it's not my home resort...