Thinking of Buying...First (of probably many) posts!

[dfb05]

Hi All!
I've been looking around the Disboards for the last few months in prep for our Sept trip to Caribbean Beach, and I really appreciate all the info here. We love Disney, between my DH & I we have been there around 30 times. We are now seriously considering buying into DVC. We're reading through these boards like crazy, but have a few questions:

1) We normally go in September-October, what Use Year should we look for?
2) How does housekeeping work? How often do they come in, what to they do? Can you pay extra to get daily housekeeping?
3) If there's no housekeeping, can you still call for new towels if you'd like them? Are there dishwashers so I wouldn't have to do dishes? (my main concern!)
4) What do most people do for park tickets? I've seen here that the annual passes are discounted $100 for DVC members, are the APs hoppers?
5)If we buy a resale, then our contract would still expire on the orignial date, correct? So if we bought a resale at BCV, our contract would be about 18 years shorter than if we bought from Disney at BLT, is that right? I've seen that some people say you can buy resales thru DIsney, do they extend the contract to 50 years, or does it still have the original end date?

That's all for now...thanks in advance!

Denise

 

[Disneycouple99]

Hi All!
I've been looking around the Disboards for the last few months in prep for our Sept trip to Caribbean Beach, and I really appreciate all the info here. We love Disney, between my DH & I we have been there around 30 times. We are now seriously considering buying into DVC. We're reading through these boards like crazy, but have a few questions:

1) We normally go in September-October, what Use Year should we look for?Septemper
2) How does housekeeping work?Every 4 days you will get either a trash and towel day or a full cleaning How often do they come in, what to they do?Trash and Towel you get just that. A full cleaning gets new shets for beds and cleaning Can you pay extra to get daily housekeeping?Yes
3) If there's no housekeeping, can you still call for new towels if you'd like them? Yes, for a feeAre there dishwashers so I wouldn't have to do dishes? (my main concern!)Yes
4) What do most people do for park tickets? You can get them from whomever you likeI've seen here that the annual passes are discounted $100 for DVC members, are the APs hoppers?Yes
5)If we buy a resale, then our contract would still expire on the orignial date, correct?Yes So if we bought a resale at BCV, our contract would be about 18 years shorter than if we bought from Disney at BLT, is that right?Yes I've seen that some people say you can buy resales thru DIsney, do they extend the contract to 50 years, or does it still have the original end date?You can not buy resale thru Disney

That's all for now...thanks in advance!

Denise

Hope this help.

 

[erionm]

1) We normally go in September-October, what Use Year should we look for?

Generally you would want a use year that begins just before you normally vacation. This way if you have to cancel, you should still have plenty of time to bank any bankable points if needed.

2) How does housekeeping work? How often do they come in, what to they do? Can you pay extra to get daily housekeeping?

Housekeeping Services
Trash & Towel Service
For stays of seven or less nights, Trash & Towel Service is provided on day four, regardless of whether you're using Member-discounted cash, Vacation Points or a combination of both.

With Trash & Towel service, Housekeeping will:

• Empty trash and replace liners in trash bins.
• Provide fresh bathroom linens.
• Replace shampoo, facial soap and bath soap.
• Replenish facial tissues, paper towels and toilet paper.
• Replenish coffee, sugar, cream and sweeteners.
• Replenish dishwashing liquid, dishwashing detergent, sponges and laundry detergent as needed in one-, two- and three-bedroom Vacation Homes.

Full Cleaning Service
For stays of eight or more nights, Full-Cleaning Service is provided on day four and Trash & Towel Service is provided on day eight. After that, the cycle begins again on day 12, regardless of whether you're using Member-discounted cash, Vacation Points or a combination of both. With Full-Cleaning service, Housekeeping will provide everything included with the Trash & Towel Service, plus:

• Change the bed linens.
• Vacuum and dust the Vacation Home.
• Clean the bathroom(s).
• Clean the kitchen/kitchenette and wash the dishes.

Pay As You Play
With Pay As You Play service, you'll be provided with the following amenities free of charge at the start of your stay. After that, you may purchase more for the following fees:

• Toiletries Package, $5.00 - 1 facial soap, 1 bath soap, 1 shampoo, 1 conditioner, 1 shower gel
• Coffee Package, $3.00 - 1 package of coffee, 8 sugars, 8 creamers, 8 artificial sweeteners
• Towel Package, $6.00 - 4 bath towels, 2 hand towels, 4 washcloths, 1 bath mat
• Laundry Detergent (only in One-, Two-, and Three-bedroom Vacation Homes), $1.00 - 1 box

Additional Full - Cleaning Rates:
Studio/Inn Room - $30.00 per day requested
One-Bedroom - $45.00 per day requested
Two-Bedroom - $60.00 per day requested
Three-Bedroom - $75.00 per day requested

Additional Trash & Towel Rates:
Studio/Inn Room - $15.00 per day requested
One-Bedroom - $20.00 per day requested
Two-Bedroom - $25.00 per day requested
Three-Bedroom - $35.00 per day requested

Note: Rates are subject to change

3) If there's no housekeeping, can you still call for new towels if you'd like them? Are there dishwashers so I wouldn't have to do dishes? (my main concern!)

See above for extra towels. If you reserve a 1-bedroom or larger you will have a washing machine and a dishwasher in the room.

4) What do most people do for park tickets? I've seen here that the annual passes are discounted $100 for DVC members, are the APs hoppers?

We have APs mainly because we live near WDW. Yes, APs are park hoppers.

5)If we buy a resale, then our contract would still expire on the orignial date, correct? So if we bought a resale at BCV, our contract would be about 18 years shorter than if we bought from Disney at BLT, is that right? I've seen that some people say you can buy resales thru DIsney, do they extend the contract to 50 years, or does it still have the original end date?

That's all for now...thanks in advance!

Denise

 

[robertdangelo]

The Timeshare store is great to deal with! If you like BCV, you can purchase a resale of ie: 100 points there and buy a contract at another resort for a similar amount.(do same Use year for both) You can have 11 month booking advantage at two different resorts... through banking/borrowing you could alternate where you go each year. You can combine points between contracts at 7 months and book anywhere.
As far as 2042 contract end at BCV... Disney may offer an extension to curent owners. They did at OKW a couple years ago... a 15 year extension.
Good luck & we hope to be able to say "Welcome home" to you soon!

 

[JimMIA]

Hi Denise, welcome to the DIS!

5)If we buy a resale, then our contract would still expire on the orignial date, correct? So if we bought a resale at BCV, our contract would be about 18 years shorter than if we bought from Disney at BLT, is that right?

It doesn't matter WHO you buy the contract from, with one exception. But yes, BCV expires in 2042 and BLT expires in 2060.

I've seen that some people say you can buy resales thru DIsney, do they extend the contract to 50 years, or does it still have the original end date?

When you buy from Disney, you are buying direct -- not resale. Resale is purchasing through a licensed real estate broker from an existing owner...which offers BIG savings.

For example, Disney is currently selling BCV and BWV for $115 per point. If you look at the resale listings from The Timeshare Store at the top of this page, you'll see BCV listing in the low $80's and BWV in the low $70's-high $60's. That's a huge savings.

The ONE exception where Disney will extend a contract when selling direct is OKW, which Disney automatically extends 'til 2057.

They originally offered OKW owners a 15-year extension for $15 per point...and it didn't go well. I think most of us decided if we were going to put additional money into DVC, we would put it into points we would get immediately -- not points we wouldn't get until 2042. When considering contract length, that's some math I'd encourage everyone to do -- in your example, do you really want to pay $110-$120 per point for 18 extra years at BLT vs. $80 for BCV? Are those extra 18 years really worth the 40-50% premium you'd be paying?

On the surface, 18 extra years sounds good -- but is it really for your family? Are you personally going to be using DVC in 2050? Do you think your kids would want to be "given" a DVC account with several thousand dollars in annual dues somewhere down the road? One indicator that I see in the marketplace is all the timeshares for sale on eBay for $1 plus closing costs -- just so the owners can get out from under the annual maintenance fees. For our family personally, I prefer the shorter term, but your family situation may be completely different and your answer might be different.

If I were a buyer right now, I'd set aside expiration considerations and choose my resort based on which resort I thought would fit my needs best over the long haul. Then I would buy that resort resale and save a lot of money. If my resort choice was Aulani or VCG and there were no resale contracts available, I'd use other options at those destinations and wait for resale.

 

[hollis]

I suppose "resale through Disney" means buying from Disney an existing resort, like BCV, not a new resort like BLT. The BCV points Disney sells is from buying back from resale (typically when people are selling it for too low that Disney reserves the right to buy back). As stated in JimMIA's reply, the expiration date will be the original expiration date.