Some opinions please!!! BCV or Resale??

[Gearjammin101]

Hi Everyone,
I was so excited yesterday when Disney called me to confirm that I received my DVC video and if I had any questions. One of my concerns is with BCV. I love the idea that Disney offers such a wide array of accomodations for people with different preferences.
After reading the boards for different opinions of people's takes on BCV and OKW my husband and I decided that we would probably be better off going resale at OKW because we are more into a quiet, laid back atmosphere. From what I've read, BCV is generally bustling with activitiy.

Yesterday when I stated to Betty our intentions she said, "Oh, there's no need to do that. Many of our members love their DVC that hardly anyone wants to sell and besides, you can stay wherever you want. You can buy into BCV and still stay at OKW. You'll love BCV. It's close to Epcot and they have a quiet pool and it isn't always noisey and you can request a quieter roomnot that you're guaranteed to get it I'm sure) and you can always add on at VWL or OKW. . .

Perhaps I shouldn't have said anything to her because being a rep. from Disney I'm sure she would have me buy direct from Disney and it appears that Disney has some great incentives right now so it seems. Besides, they pay closing and she said if we will make the decision w/in the next 30 days she can give me a special a.p.r. but she didn't say what that percentage would be.

However, if we really have our hearts set on OKW for the reasons we have decided on I don't know if it is a good choice buying into BCV. I mean to me, it really doesn't make sense to purchase into a place that for now I have no desire to stay even if I can use my DVC to stay elsewhere. And I have found some good resales w/ the amount of points we would like and Eros broke down in an easy to understand way of how to make an offer on a resale.

I'm sure I've babbled enough but now I'm really confused. Betty is sending us a packet to look over. In the meantime I hope you can help me.

Thank You all,
April

 

[HookdonWDW]

April,

If you really have your heart set on OKW, then I would say to buy there. When we first looked at DVC, only VWL were available through DVD. It's a nice resort, but we knew that it wasn't where we wanted to stay. Our wise guide said that if it wasn't what we wanted, we should just wait the year out, and buy BCV when it became available. We did, and I think we will be much happier with our choice.

From reading your post, it doesn't sound like you've visited the different DVC resorts in person. You might want to make a trip down and check them out before investing, so that you can see what they are really like. I love that video, but you can only get so much from it - and it doesn't cover BCV. IMO, BWV, is a noisy, fun, happening place. BCV is much more laid back and quiet (well, except for SAB when it gets really crowded ). Good luck making your decision!

 

[Terry S]

April, well I think that you most definatly want to buy where you plan to stay most often, but I am a little confused about your noise comment at BCV. Are you sure what you read about noise wasn't at BWV. I purchased at BCV specifically because in my opinion it is much quieter and more peaceful than at BWV accross the lake. If you haven't seen any of the DVC properties in person I would highly reccomend taking a trip down there and checking them out. Natually I had never stayed at BCV but I had stayed at the BC and love the area, it is very quiet and peaceful. This is all just my opinion of course. I think you will love DVC no matter where you buy.

 

[drusba]

The mantra is buy where you intend to stay most. I doubt BCV itself is going to be the hub of activity that you might perceive. It is located next to BC but sort of off by itself, away from the lake where the BW, BC/YC and S/D sit. Noise level will be mainly from Epcot and Illuminations will be about it.

But the advantages OKW has over BCV, if you prefer OKW's location and style, is much larger 1 and 2BR units and lower dues. Thus, if OKW is what you want then try for a resale. In other words, don't buy at BCV to stay at OKW--why pay the higher dues just to do that?

 

[invalid_char]

It sounds like you might be confusing BCV with BWV. We have stayed at the Beach Club numerous times and, with the exception of their very popular pool, it is very quiet and relaxing.

Still, if you don't care about the pool or the Epcot location, then you should buy at OKW where you can get a cheaper re-sale and also use fewer points for your stays.

Good luck!

 

[caverill]

I agree that BWV can be nosier (in places) then OKW and the future BCV. If you are on the Boardwalk side of the resort at BWV you will hear some noise from it.

I also agree that the fees are cheaper at OKW.

We purchased at BWV when OKW was still available. Here were our reasons for selecting BWV...

- You can walk to two theme parks
- Close availablity to dining options
- Boardwalk activities
- It seems easier to get a studio or 1 bedroom at OKW at 7 months then trying to get into BWV at 7 months.

Everybody has different reasons for which resort they pick. The great thing about DVC is that you can stay anywhere if there is space available.

Good luck with your decision. Whatever you pick will be OK!

 

[DisneyKidds]

One of the reasons we got a VWL resale in addition to a BWV resale was because we like the idea of having one quiet home resort. Of course, I like to be in the middle of everything by the Epcot resorts as well. I agree with you about the BCV amenities being busier, if not noisier. The BCV are off to the side so the units themselves will probably be quiet. However, the YC/BC area is very busy around the common areas (SAB, etc).

Sounds to me like an OKW resale would work well for you. Don't let a CM steer you in a direction you are not comfortable with. At BCV you will pay $70 a point (if you take the $5 incentive). For an OKW resale you may be able to get one between $55 and $60 - and you might be able to get something with banked points. You will pay closing costs, but compared to the savings the closing costs are marginal. Financing a resale may not be as easy as financing thru DVC. Good luck!

 

[dtheboys]

Buy where you want to stay!!!
11 month window is very important....you may not get what you want at the 7 month window.
Tha'ts my short, but sweet answer.
Good luck, to whatever you choose!

 

[llp479]

We bought at BWV site unseen in '98 because OKW was sold out.

While we love BWV we also like the quite atmosphere at OKW and have stayed there on our BWV points. In January we were debating to add on a BCV or buy elsewhere. We ended up doing a resale at OKW through the Timeshare Store, which closes this month, so now we'll have the best of both worlds.

 

[Richyams]

I haven't worked out the exact numbers for BCV yet, but they are going to be similar.

The dues at BWV are 25% higher than OKW, the rooms at BWV are 25% smaller than OKW, the points are 25-75% higher per night at BWV.......this means that the dues at BWV are 75% higher per sq ft, per night than OKW.

Also, many feel that OKW is really the only TRUE DVC resort.

We have stayed at BWV twice, each time reminded us how much we prefer OKW.

 

[crisi]

Buying resale will give you both more and less options. If you have a specific point quantity or use year in mind, you may have to wait to see if such a contract becomes available - and exactly what you want may never become available... You might need to by 230 points when you really wanted 225. It will be cheaper than the contract through the DVC - but you will pay closing costs. But you get more options, in that you can by into one of the sold out resorts (like OKW). You may also have to dink around and wait for the seller to make up (or change) their mind - I currently have a bid in on a resale contract (at the asking price) where the seller isn't sure they want to sell anymore (or at least not at the price they originally asked).

Your DVC rep is wrong - plenty of people get rid of their DVC contracts - maybe they can't afford them anymore in tough times, maybe they aren't getting the use out of them, maybe they got upset over Disney's recent cost cutting measures, maybe they got ten years of use out of them and now their lives are in a place where they won't use them (kids grown, bought when they retired and they are now in their 80s).

 

[vacationman]

Make sure you look at each of the sites which have DVC resales. Compare the prices being asked for the different properties. While there is a very vocal group here that loves OKW, the fact is that BWV points consistently sell for more money than OKW points(even with BWV's higher maintenance cost). The same should hold true for BCV. There is great value to being able to walk to two parks from your resort - and only BVW and BCV have that option. As many on these boards have stated, noise has not been a factor in the BWV rooms but, naturally, the boardwalk with all of its activities is going to be louder than the golf course and trees at OKW. As a result, if you want to come close to comparing apples to apples, compare the cost of BWV resale to that of the $70 BCV price.

Additionally, as someone said earlier, it is way easier to book at OKW 7 months out than it is to book BWV.

You should decide which area of WDW you would rather be in and buy there regardless of the price difference since that difference is minimal over the course of 40 years. Usually, things that cost less do so for a good reason. Only you can decide where you would be happy (and not be regretting the location).

 

[Peterd]

Gearjammin101, If you really prefer Okw, I would definitely buy the resale. When we first bought into BW, we returned home and wanted to buy more BW points, since BW wasn't approved yet in NY, we bought into Okw, after our guide convinced us that the 7 month window wouldn't be too tough to get ressies. We should have waited. At first it was easy to trade into the BW with our Okw points at the 7 month window, not anymore. We've since added onto the BW 3 more times. We've never had any problems getting the Okw rooms at 7 months out, so you would have that going for you if you bought BCV.
As for the space comparisons between the rooms, I would think Okw is a little bigger because you probably spend more time in your room than doing other things at the resort, 'cause there really isn't much to do there. The point difference isn't as large as some claim either. A two bedroom at Okw is the same price of a standard view at BWV in Nov. The studio at okw is only a point cheaper than a standard studio at the BW, ( 8/9). Now the Grand Villas are a lot more points, but I have noticed at some times of the year, the Okw GV is a little more expensive. The dues are a little higher at the Boardwalk for good reasons, Nicer pool, lifeguards, a real health club, walkways to the different parks, and the excellent extras we pay for, (that are definitely worth it).
So, I would definitely buy where you want to stay the most, so you can guarentee that you'll get what you want with your eleven month window. Good luck with what ever you choose.

 

[EROS]

If you have your heart set upon OKW, then I'd say that it's a "NO-BRAINER" to purchase a resale there. You'll save considerable $$ over direct purchase at BCV even with all of the current incentives. Forget any "advice" from your DVC rep; you should be buying where you plan to predominately vacation.

It's unclear to me whether you have actually seen the resorts. If you haven't, I'd STRONGLY recommend that you first visit them BEFORE deciding. You could easily rent points via the DIS for an OKW stay.

Good Luck,

 

[LDPKELLY]

APRIL,
I REALLY SYMPATHIZE WITH YOUR PREDICAMENT....MY HUSBAND AND I BOUNCED BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN RESALE AND DISNEY DIRECT....WE LOVE THE WILDERNESS LODGE BECAUSE IT IS QUIET AND HAS GREAT ACCESS TO THE BUS SYSTEM...BUT BECAUSE WE PLAN TO USE THE CONCEIRGE COLLECTION FAIRLY OFTEN, WE DECIDED TO BUY OKW RESALE, PAYING LESS IN MAINTENANCE DUES FOR THE SAME NUMBER OF POINTS....IN REFERENCE TO FINANCING, WE WERE ABLE TO GET A HOME EQUITY LOAN FROM OUR LOCAL BANK AT 7.25%.....THIS WILL ALLOW US TO DEDUCT OUR INTEREST FOR TAX PURPOSES. WE DID HAVE TO PAY CLOSING COSTS OF ABOUT $500, BUT WE ALSO GOT 220 BANKED POINTS WITH 220 MORE ON APRIL 1, 2002. WITH DISNEY THE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO FORFEIT OUR POINTS UNTIL AUG 1, WHEN WE WOULD RECEIVE OUR 2002 ALLOTMENT.

 

[sgtpet]

If I were you I would purchase at OKW since that is where you want to stay. I would have consider buying a resale at BWV but I knew they were building BCV so I waited, love SAB.

And Richyams, what do you mean that OKW is the only DVC resort. Because it is on its own, or is it because DVC's were suppose to have unimaginative pools like OKW?

 

[DeeP]

Also, many feel that OKW is really the only TRUE DVC resort.

Oh please!!!! What a bunch of Baloney!!

While there is a very vocal group here that loves OKW, the fact is that BWV points consistently sell for more money than OKW points(even with BWV's higher maintenance cost). The same should hold true for BCV.

Additionally, as someone said earlier, it is way easier to book at OKW 7 months out than it is to book BWV.

Both of the above statements are So true!!

We have stayed at BWV twice, each time reminded us how much we prefer OKW.

The same is said in reverse from those that prefer BWV.