Staying at a Non-Home Resort

[ZehnJahren]

My head is spinning on this one, and every time I think I know the answer I second guess myself.

I know you're supposed to buy where you want to stay, but I can't decide where that is! I know where it is NOT, but I cannot decide between AKL, BCV, BWV, BLT, and SS - and I want them all for different reasons.

I don't necessarily expect to be able to stay at a value/standard studio, or even a regular studio, at any resort besides my home resort - but can you reasonably expect to find a one bedroom at the 7 month mark at *most* resorts, or no? If not, what COULD I expect to find?

 

[Sandisw]

1 bedrooms are definitely the best size of room to get at the 7 month window,

Certain times will be harder than others. For example, during Food and Wine time, trading Into the Epcot resorts will be tough.

Trading into near park resorts during the holidays is tough. However,, the rest of the year it’s pretty easy to get something.

I have had great luck trading at 7 months for studios and 1 bedrooms to many of the places.

Of the ones you list, AKV and SSR will be the ones most available at 7 months. I think the hardest is BCV as there is only one type.

BLT and BWV had a few categories so I’d say those are right in the middle!

IMO, I’d go with BLT due to expiration as it is 18 years longer than BWV or BCV, which would be next.

 

[ZehnJahren]

IMO, I’d go with BLT due to expiration as it is 18 years longer than BWV or BCV, which would be next.

Would your recommendation change if I told you I don't mind a contract that ends sooner?

If I bank points to be able to do a 2+ bedroom, would I currently be able to get almost anywhere? We like to go in April, May, June, August, September, October, early December....

 

[Sandisw]

I just sold BWV and bought RIV and required BLT. So, I’d still choose BLT out of the once’s you listed as that is one of my top resorts,

But, which parks are your favorite? If MK is a big one, BLT wins, However, if it’s more DHS and Epcot, then BWV.

The Sept to early Dec time is very busy so I would not plan on 7 month switching to be easy. Nothing is impossible, but those book up at 11 months. Like I said, 1 bedrooms will be the easiest. The one drawback of BWV is all 2 bedrooms are lock offs. That means, once studios are gone, so are the 2 bedrooms in that view.

 

[Lorana]

I'm a big fan of owning more than one resort -- perhaps too much so! But this is to allow us to do split stays and alternate where we stay from year to year, especially as some trips we may care about one park more than the other.

For example, if we go for Halloween, we're more focused on MK and want a resort close to there, but if we go during F&W, we like being near Epcot & HS. And we always love being near AK. Also consider if your preferences might change over time. When our kids were little, MK was their favoite. Now that they're older, they prefer HS & AK. DH and I also enjoy the World Showcase a lot.

 

[Onceuponamarathon]

If you have the ability to go to the parks, DVC has opened rooms at all the resorts and you can tour them. It may help you make your decision

 

[ZehnJahren]

I absolutely love the Epcot resorts and often have stayed at BC (not BCV, though) or BW (I've stayed in a studio and 1 br there). I've stayed in a few studios at a couple of the resorts, too (never BLT, though I've stayed at CR and watched quite a few youtube vidoes at this point!). In the last 12 years, most of my trips have been solo trips with a few trips with my mom sprinkled in; both alone and with my mom, I almost always did split stays and LOVED them. Now I'm engaged, and I have an almost-three-year old, so I think that the rooms we want are going to just get bigger - but I think after all the research I've done I'm ready to bite the bullet.

Park wise, I love Epcot and HS (which is why we usually stayed in that area). Since my daughter was born, we gravitate more towards MK, but I will always love Epcot and HS most I think. Would it be a silly thought to just get SS points (since they're cheaper and you can get more for your money) and then use those points to get 1-2 bedrooms at other resorts at the 7 month mark (or even stay at SS close to DS?)? I haven't stayed at SS so I'm hesitant to do that but if it might work for what I'm thinking I may be willing. This would be our initial contract but probably not our last - I just want something to get us going for a few years until DD is in grade school and we have a better idea of the long term.

 

[Stargazer65]

My head is spinning on this one, and every time I think I know the answer I second guess myself.

I know you're supposed to buy where you want to stay, but I can't decide where that is! I know where it is NOT, but I cannot decide between AKL, BCV, BWV, BLT, and SS - and I want them all for different reasons.

Easy! Everybody is giving complicated answers but the simple answer is just buy all five.

 

[Onceuponamarathon]

I absolutely love the Epcot resorts and often have stayed at BC (not BCV, though) or BW (I've stayed in a studio and 1 br there). I've stayed in a few studios at a couple of the resorts, too (never BLT, though I've stayed at CR and watched quite a few youtube vidoes at this point!). In the last 12 years, most of my trips have been solo trips with a few trips with my mom sprinkled in; both alone and with my mom, I almost always did split stays and LOVED them. Now I'm engaged, and I have an almost-three-year old, so I think that the rooms we want are going to just get bigger - but I think after all the research I've done I'm ready to bite the bullet.

Park wise, I love Epcot and HS (which is why we usually stayed in that area). Since my daughter was born, we gravitate more towards MK, but I will always love Epcot and HS most I think. Would it be a silly thought to just get SS points (since they're cheaper and you can get more for your money) and then use those points to get 1-2 bedrooms at other resorts at the 7 month mark (or even stay at SS close to DS?)? I haven't stayed at SS so I'm hesitant to do that but if it might work for what I'm thinking I may be willing. This would be our initial contract but probably not our last - I just want something to get us going for a few years until DD is in grade school and we have a better idea of the long term.

Many people do exactly this! The only catch is that availability at 7 months can be limited, especially in high demand resorts (beach club, grand Floridian, etc). If you rarely book or plan out more than 7 months though, then it’s perfect. It not worth the premium of paying more per point for a more expensive resort if you rarely take advantage of the 11 month home resort booking windows.

I recently posted about our trip down to look at all the options on my thread “help me spend my money, Poly or riviera”. We found beach club to be very dated and there are only 22 years (out of 50) left on the contract. So if you’re planning for you grand kids to enjoy as well, that is something to take into account.

riviera has the skyliner to both Hollywood Studios and Epcot which is nice. However the decor is more subdued.
Have you thought about copper creek? The incentives right now are VERY attractive (20 dollars off a point), they have a boat directly to MK, and the theming is a lot of fun.

 

[Wedgeout]

The fun part about DVC, it’s a personal preference purchase. Only you and your family will know which resort to start your membership at. Your list of 5 makes it a bit more difficult to choose. Of those 5, over the lifetime of each resort contract, where do you see yourself staying the most of your trips? That’s your home resort answer.

 

[Flynn's Gal]

My head is spinning on this one, and every time I think I know the answer I second guess myself.

I know you're supposed to buy where you want to stay, but I can't decide where that is! I know where it is NOT, but I cannot decide between AKL, BCV, BWV, BLT, and SS - and I want them all for different reasons.

I don't necessarily expect to be able to stay at a value/standard studio, or even a regular studio, at any resort besides my home resort - but can you reasonably expect to find a one bedroom at the 7 month mark at *most* resorts, or no? If not, what COULD I expect to find?

Also, make sure you look at the annual dues of all of the resorts you're interesting in if you haven't already. It may push you toward one or away from another.

I've super new to DVC so I really only have my Welcome Home trip as experience. BLT's studios are a lot smaller than the other resorts. It didn't bother me because it will be just me and my daughter for most of our trips. I liked the layout of the kitchenette there a lot, but it does take space away from the room.

I got hit with add-on-itis immediately and had an offer for a resale before I even took my Welcome Home trip. I wanted another home resort in the Epcot area. You're right, it the whole process makes your head spin...in a good way though.

 

[Wakey]

I stay one beds and usually have a great choice. Boardwalk has always been available to me, albeit I’ve never been in food and wine. Twice in the past few years I’ve had Boardwalk standard.
Im always on at 7 months, 8am ET.
Last few years (all stays 5 days plus aside from VGC which I’d booked for 3 nights).
Boardwalk standard July.
Boardwalk standard Xmas.
Beach Club Xmas.
BLT New Year.
Copper Creek August.
Grand Californian July.
Kidani August (could have booked value)
VGF Easter.

 

[LadybugsMum]

When do you like to go to WDW? I like to go at low crowd times like May, early Sept, and early Nov. With that in mind, I bought at SSR for the cheapest points and switch to other resorts at 7 months. I have 2 trips in 2021 and have stays at AK Kidani, BLT, GF and BWV set up. I did have to get a lake view studio at GF and a garden view at BW, but they're worth it.

 

[KPeterso]

I own at 3 resorts and have a mix of Exclusive Use Points (EUPs) and Sleep Around Points (SAPs). I book studios for all my trips as it is usually only 1-2 people. Getting a 1 br for the first time next fall for the 50th with my many extra points due to Covid.

• VGC (Villas at Grand Californian) - I live local to Disneyland and like to do a couple stay cations there a year. Those are EUPs since that resort is very small and hard to get at 7 months.
• SSR (Saratoga Springs) - I have nothing against it and do love the look of the renovations. That said, I have owned since 2007 and still have never stayed there. I figure some day it will happen, but it has not yet. So as of now, these are exclusively SAPs. I use these points first when booking as SAP. In recent years, I have booked BWV x2, AKV, BLT, and Poly (all september or march reservations) and I have BCV booked for March (originally BWV but waitlist came through for BCV).
• AKV (Animal Kingdom) - I love the resort and originally bought DVC because this was announced, so stay here about 30-40% of the time. I have booked in the home resort advantage time and at the 7 month mark. So really, this resort is truly a mix of how I use my points.

All that to say, I kind of think along the lines of instead of buy where you want to stay, Buy where you would be ok staying. So if you would not be happy with SSR if you could not switch out, don't buy there. But if you would be ok staying there, buy there. BTW - I love BWV and would love to own there, but I can't get over the resale price with only 21 years left on the contract.

 

[RoseGold]

Like your style @Wakey!

 

[CarolynFH]

Would it be a silly thought to just get SS points (since they're cheaper and you can get more for your money) and then use those points to get 1-2 bedrooms at other resorts at the 7 month mark (or even stay at SS close to DS?)?

No, not silly at all; many owners have done just that, as you can read above. Just remember to book your home resort at 11 months so that if for some reason 7-month availability doesn't work out, you have a place to stay for the dates you want to be there!

 

[chalee94]

Would it be a silly thought to just get SS points (since they're cheaper and you can get more for your money) and then use those points to get 1-2 bedrooms at other resorts at the 7 month mark (or even stay at SS close to DS?)?

I like this idea. 1BRs are typically easier to book. April through August should give you great availability for booking 1BRs and 2BRs at different resorts.

Due to COVID compression over the next couple of years (lots of points being pushed into the future), I am not as optimistic about options in the Fall, but flexibility on size might still make it work. Definitely book at 11 months to lock in your stay, though.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Early Dec and October will be the hardest to book at seven months out. Plan on your home resort for those months, booked at 11 months out. Recent months I've been all over the place in getting one bedroom villas, but it's all because of Covid. I never plan on getting BWV Std during Oct and Dec. I have it for late Jan next year. SSR and AKV might be easier at seven months out. I've gotten BLT one bdrm in late Jan at seven months out. Lake view only.

 

[E2ME2]

My head is spinning on this one, and every time I think I know the answer I second guess myself.

I know you're supposed to buy where you want to stay, but I can't decide where that is! I know where it is NOT, but I cannot decide between AKL, BCV, BWV, BLT, and SS - and I want them all for different reasons.

I don't necessarily expect to be able to stay at a value/standard studio, or even a regular studio, at any resort besides my home resort - but can you reasonably expect to find a one bedroom at the 7 month mark at *most* resorts, or no? If not, what COULD I expect to find?

You're going through a perfectly normal progression! I started with SSR only, and for a good while had bought into my DVC guides mantra of
"A Point Is A Point, Is A Point". We've had really good luck with 1BRs at 7 Months. But, now that we are able to go more often, and for longer periods of time, we have been getting Studios more, to stretch our points even further. For that reason, I just added on with a small BCV contract, and would be open to buying a small AKL contract at the right price also. We want that 11Mo. priority at both spots, as January can be hard getting studios at 7 Mo.
Those are our 3 DVC Faves! We have loved SSR, and spend a lot of time walking to DS, especially on our non-park trips.
We have also stayed at AKL in 1BRs, on a non-park trip , and that is an awesome way to relax. I love the theming, the safaris, and the restaurants there.
When we have APs, however, there's nowhere better than Crescent Lake. Walking into EPCOT & DHS is hard to beat, and they're our 2 favorite parks.
We're happy at BWV or BCV, but the SAB Pool at BCV & the even closer jaunt to EPCOT, make it worth a few more points to us.
So good luck in your journey. I never thought I would own at more than one resort, but now I have 2 DVC homes, and I'm looking for the third!
ET

 

[RoseGold]

That said, I have owned since 2007 and still have never stayed there

Love it! You are my people!