Taking the DVC plunge

[frogprincesskc]

I have been thinking about buying into DVC for about a year now and being a major mouse fan, I believe it would be well worth it for me and my family. We went with my mother last January and would never have been able to afford a trip like that if my parents were not members. So my question is this...how many people out there have bought in at an off property DVC like HHI or Vero and never stay there. Simply to get the cheapest points they can. For any that have done this...do you recommend this? Are you still able to get the rooms you wanted, and for the dates that you wanted only having the 7 month window?

 

[LoveToDisney]

Be careful about the maintenance fees for Vero Beach...don't know about HHI. Your initial investment is only part of the cost. The rest are the yearly maintenance fees. Vero will cost less to start but cost more to maintain each year. Plus, if they ever change the structure so you can't "trade", then you are stuck with just Vero. We bought where we would be happy to stay even if we can't trade into a different resort if they change the rules.

Good luck and enjoy your purchase!

 

[Sandisw]

The upfront costs of those contracts are indeed cheaper, but the MF's will eat that up in no time.

If you have no plans to use those points anywhere than WDW, I think you might want to consider one of the cheaper WDW resorts (SSR or OKW).

While anything is possible at the 7 month window, your time of travel can play a big role. Finding something available, is a lot different than finding what you need available for the entire length of your stay.

For example, if you want to travel in early December (a very popular time for DVC), you will probably find some rooms, but maybe only a few nights at one resort and a few at another so a split stay will be necessary. Or, you will find availability, but not in the room size you want.

To me, if the goal is WDW, then owning points at the beach or in SC is not worth the risk. And, if you buy there, and begin having trouble, you will either be stuck or have to sell--making any upfront savings disappear quickly.

IF you buy SSR or OKW, you can always books there at 11 months and then trade out at 7. The best of both words, IMO.

Good luck!

 

[Crystal_27]

I think that most people who are newly researching DVC always are attracted to the beach properties because of their (initial) lower buy-in cost (I know that when we were looking in March, 2009, we asked the same question - LOL). Keep in mind that the annual dues on the beach properties are higher than the on-WDW property resorts, so your initial savings is going to be eaten away at every year when you pay your dues. Also keep in mind that, because the resorts are not on WDW property, you are risking not being able to vacation at the parks (or having to jump from resort to resort) if nothing is available at the 7 month mark (highly unlikely, but still something to keep in mind). If you bought into, say, SSR, you would pay a little bit more but would be guaranteed a room on property if you booked at your 11 month mark. Also, there is a chance (albeit an unlikely one) that DVC might drop the beach properties from the system and you would likewise be stuck not able to transfer into WDW. All that said, many members who own the beach properties report all the time that they are able to book on-WDW property with no problems every year.

For us, we knew that we wanted to stay at BLT most of our trips. However, the high buy-in price was very hard to reconcile so we really had to debate on the issue before we bought in. What finally sold it for us was that we didn't want to "fight the fight" with every other DVC member wanting BLT at the 7 month mark. So, in the end, for us, it was worth paying a couple extra thousand dollars to have the peace of mind to book at our preferred resort at the 11 month mark. Something that you will always read on this board is "buy where you want to stay" - - good advice because home resort really is important.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[chalee94]

Are you still able to get the rooms you wanted, and for the dates that you wanted only having the 7 month window?

i don't recommend buying at HH or VB if you are buying primarily to stay at wdw and can book more than 7 months out.

for the most part, you can probably get a room if you call exactly at the 7 month window...but it's that once or twice when the waitlist doesn't come through and you get locked out of wdw and have to change vacation plans that might cause you to question whether the upfront savings was worth it...

 

[dvc deernut]

LIKE EVERYONE ELSE SAID BETTER TO BUY FROM ONE OF THE OTHER RESORTS WE HAVE BOARDWALK AND SARATOGA AS OUR HOME RESORTS. WE NEVER HAVE STAYED AT BOARDWALK WE ALWAYS TRY FOR OKW AND SOMETIMES AKL. WE HAVENT HAD ANY TROUBLE BOOKING AT 7 MONTH WINDOW UNLESS WE WERE BOOKING FOR PEAK TIMES LIKE CHRISTMAS. tHEN WE WILL BOOK AT SARATOGA AND PUT OURSELVES ON WAIT LIST FOR OKW OR AKL. WEVE USUALLY BEEN ACCOMADATED AND BEEN ABLE TO EVENTUALLY GET IN. I THINK ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES ABOUT THE 11 MONTH WINDOW IS FOR STAYING IN ONE OF THE NEWER RESORTS LIKE BLT AKL AND WHEN HAWAII OPENS UP THERE TOO. WHEN YOU CALL MS THEY ARE VERY HELPFUL.