SSR and OKW Confused

[Alic]

Ok, I just got of the phone with a Disney Rep and she might have swayed me to buy into SSR. After reading these boards for a few weeks I had just about made up my mind to buy resale at OKW. Now I'm not too sure anymore. For about $2,000 more I can have 150 points at SSR. I like OKW b/c it seems very kid friendly. From the pictures SSR seems very sophisticated and spa - ish. I will be traveling with children so I wanted to make sure where we stay is fun for the kids. I realize that this is only our "home"resort and we can make ressies at other places. Does anyone know how kid-friendly SSR will be? Do you think that will matter b/c it seems pretty easy to get ressies at OKW at 7 months out. Do you think an extra $2,000 is worth the extra 12 years?

 

[PamOKW]

I have no doubt that SSR will be "kid friendly". It has the spa but I think all other vestiges of the "Institute" are going to be replaced with the Saratoga theme. The pool looks like kids would have a blast.

It's a personal decision on the extra years. If it's time that you expect to still be using the resort -- God willing you can still make trips into your 70's-80's unassisted and may stretch another 10 years if someone comes along to provide a little help.

 

[BWVDee]

I do not think you have to worry about any of the WDW resorts not being kid friendly. We have stayed in almost every WDW resort there is many times and have yet to find one that was not kid friendly from the value resorts to the deluxes and including the DVC resorts.
Personally, I think if you are young enough to be able to enjoy the extra 12 years, the extra $2,000 is a STEAL!

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

I don't think there is a resort at WDW that is not kid friendly. Have you seen pictures of the SSR pool slide through the rocks? Now that's kid friendly!

HBC

 

[Alic]

Ok, so everyone seems to agree that it will be fun for kids. What about if we buy SSR and want to trade to OKW while the kids are young? Do you think a 7 month window during peak season will be extremely difficult? I'm a teacher so my schedule is during peak season.

 

[BWVDee]

Other than maybe trying to get a GV during certain times of the year, I doubt you will have any problems gettting a room at OKW at 7 months or less.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

We were able to get a studio at OKW this past year for the week of New Year's including New Year's eve. That is one of the most difficult times to book in the year and it was available. I wouldn't be overly concerned but I would still make sure that SSR is where you want to stay the most before you buy there. You never know what the future will bring.

HBC

 

[Alic]

Wow! Now I'm changing my thinking. This throws a loop in everything. Adding an extra 12 years for $2000 seems like a pretty good deal. If we buy through Disney I know that there are no closing costs but are there any other hidden fees? I also know there is a $500 deposit but when is the rest due. We will probably pay in full.

 

[Granny]

There are no other fees, hidden or otherwise when dealing direct with Disney.

Also, just to address this...

Do you think a 7 month window during peak season will be extremely difficult? I'm a teacher so my schedule is during peak season.

I would think that you might be calling the summer peak season? I think it's important to know that the WDW Resort peak seasons and the DVC peak seasons are not exactly lined up.

While the summer times are busy in general, I think you won't have any trouble getting into other resorts at the 7 month window especially if you have a little flexibility with your dates.

The "peak" DVC seasons seem to be after Thanksgiving leading up to Christmas due to the low points needed, at BWV and BCV during the Food & Wine Fest at EPCOT, Christmas and Spring Break.


Good luck in your decision. You absolutely cannot make a poor choice...they're all good!

 

[Alic]

So I can expect to pay 150 X 84 = $12,600 and that is it, right? Does anyone know why the MF is lower than BCV and BWV and VWL? Does that mean I can expect a big increase over the next few years?

 

[WebmasterDoc]

Maintenance fees have always varied by resort. OKW is the lowest and SSR is not much higher. Some costs will be similar for all resorts (staff costs, insurance) and som will vary (property taxes may vary by location).

There is no suggestion that these fees will remain proportionate as time goes on, but OKW has always been the lowest of the onsite resorts.

Enjoy!

 

[Alic]

Do you think OKW and SSR are lower b/c they are farther away from the parks?

 

[tjkraz]

The point costs for individual rooms tend to be lower at OKW and SSR than the other resorts. This probably has something to do with the location.

But the maintenance costs are tied directly to the costs to operate each resort. Staffing, maintenance, housekeeping, property taxes, insurance, etc. All of the annual operating costs are totaled and spread evenly among all of the points available at the resort.

DVC cannot arbitrarily set the dues wherever they wish.

 

[stacy6552]

I think the cost may be location, but also size. There are many more owners to devide the maintenance costs by.

We are SSR owners and felt the extra life was worth the extra money. In addition to the longer life, the resale value is better should we ever have to sell. Disney didnt raise the price per point for the other resorts when they opened SSR. If their price per point is at its max, I dont think the resale price for the other resorts will go up any more. But SSR should continue to climb with the Disney price (we hope). But hopefully I will be the way cool Granny who takes the kids to WDW every year and the resale wont be important.

 

[dianeschlicht]

The point costs for individual rooms tend to be lower at OKW and SSR than the other resorts. This probably has something to do with the location.

It has more to do with number of units and costs of construction. OKW was built 10 years ago, much cheaper then and the resort is LARGE with lots of units. SSR is also LARGE with lots of units, so the point usage is lower than BWV, VWL, or BCV.

 

[tjkraz]

Originally posted by dianeschlicht
It has more to do with number of units and costs of construction. OKW was built 10 years ago, much cheaper then and the resort is LARGE with lots of units. SSR is also LARGE with lots of units, so the point usage is lower than BWV, VWL, or BCV.

Are you sure about that, Diane?

BWV is quite a bit larger than VWL, and VWL was built quite a few years later. Why wouldn't VWL have even higher nightly point costs?

I can understand how the number of points would impact the maintenance fees. If you've got fewer people accessing amenities like restaurants, pools, boat docks, etc., then each person would have to pay a marginally higher portion of the cost.

But I always thought the nightly costs to stay at a resort was more a function of...whatever value DVC wanted to plug-in. As the first resort, OKW seems a bit underpriced, but then you had the next three resorts released at largely the same nightly costs. And, I guess I assumed that SSR was a bit lower than BCV, BWV and VWL due in part to its location on WDW property.

 

[childsplay]

My advice would be to buy the SSR points. We have points at BCV, OKW and HH and I would trade them all (well maybe not the HH ones) straight up for SSR points for the extra 12 years (38 years from now my wife won't even be 70 yet)
After 4 years of using DVC I have yet to experience a situation when i couldn't book my desired accomodations at the 7 month window, with a some reasonable flexibility.

 

[Doug7856]

I think that dues may be cheaper for OKW and SSR because there are some services not offered at these resorts -- such as valet parking. Also, I think that the other resorts have interior access to the rooms and I believe at OKW and SSR you enter from a covered corridor without heat or A/C costs. These items have to be paid for with dues. Just some thoughts.