Thinking of buying, questioning if we are too old.

[kathy306]

My husband and I are in our mid 50's. We have 2 young grandchildren and a 3rd on the way. We live about 3 hours away from Disney. We loved going there when our children were young and recently went with the 2 grandbabies. We are seriously considering purchasing DVC (still pondering where, but the BLT is high on our list). I am just wondering if we should have invested yrs ago. I guess I am questioning if this is a good plan. Would love to here people's thoughts.

 

[wilkeliza]

You might want to look into resell last I heard Disney does not have BLT.

Also by buying resell your lease will be shorter. Brand new owners typically own for 40-50 years of buying direct. You could have much less time left if you buy resell (30-35).

 

[Thisdman]

My wife and I are the same age as you guys. We bought about a year ago at VGF and have been there 3 times already. We love it. It was a gift to ourselves and our kids will just inherit it when we pass and do with it as they see fit. Until then they can come join us if they want but we truly bought this knowing full well we will almost always be going alone and that is AOK with us.

 

[Msmithmd]

You might want to look into resell last I heard Disney does not have BLT. Also by buying resell your lease will be shorter. Brand new owners typically own for 40-50 years of buying direct. You could have much less time left if you buy resell (30-35).

This post is plain wrong. Resale and direct have the exact same RTU. The resort's RTU expires at the same time for everyone, whether you buy direct or resale.

The only resort with multiple expiration dates is OKW, due to a (poorly subscribed) extension offer that DVC made years ago. You can thus find OKW that has a couple different dates. For every other property, the direct and resale buyers expire on the same date.

Also, DVC sells every resort direct all the time. Guides will steer you toward the newest property because they get better commissions to sell it. They might even say they cannot sell you a different resort. That wouldn't be the truth.

There might be a wait to buy at a given location direct. But DVC sells points in every single resort in the system every month. The reality is that for everything other than VGF or a tiny add-on, buying direct is a poor financial decision. But people do it every day.

 

[wilkeliza]

This post is plain wrong. Resale and direct have the exact same RTU. The resort's RTU expires at the same time for everyone, whether you buy direct or resale.

The only resort with multiple expiration dates is OKW, due to a (poorly subscribed) extension offer that DVC made years ago. You can thus find OKW that has a couple different dates. For every other property, the direct and resale buyers expire on the same date.

Also, DVC sells every resort direct all the time. Guides will steer you toward the newest property because they get better commissions to sell it. They might even say they cannot sell you a different resort. That wouldn't be the truth.

There might be a wait to buy at a given location direct. But DVC sells points in every single resort in the system every month. The reality is that for everything other than VGF or a tiny add-on, buying direct is a poor financial decision. But people do it every day.

Sorry what I was saying was a little misleading. I was trying to say you can get resorts easier to get a resort with a closer experation date.

We really wanted Beach Club and both reps we worked with were pretty hard that it wasn't available at all while we were looking.

 

[Candy Orlando]

We bought our first 300 SSR points when we were in our mid 50s. We added 200 OKW points a few years later. We have enjoyed our trips with our family. Last year we saw the VGF model and fell in love so we sold our 500 points and bought 750 VGF points.

Many people buy a condo at this age to go to in the winter. We bought VGF for the same reason. We like that Disney takes care of everything.

We can stay in a studio for six weeks or a one bedroom for three weeks.

Candy

 

[kathy306]

Thanks for the replies. I think we will go ahead with our plans and look for resales. We are not great planners and like to go on the spur of the moment. This endeavor may force me to plan better..as it seems the places we like to stay book up quickly.

 

[DizBub]

This endeavor may force me to plan better..as it seems the places we like to stay book up quickly.

Buy where you want to stay. My DH and I bought 5 years ago and we are currently 66 and 63. Best money we ever spent on ourselves.

We bought direct initially and added on direct a year later but bought BCV resale a couple years later. We looked into buying direct but they didn't have any points in our Use Year and quite frankly they didn't seem interested in selling BCV to us. Now we have 2 home resorts (BLT and BCV) for the 11 month booking window.

Key here is you pretty much HAVE to book these resorts at 11 months if you really want to stay there especially at busy times. Otherwise we have learned to love OKW and SSR.

 

[DisK]

Thanks for the replies. I think we will go ahead with our plans and look for resales. We are not great planners and like to go on the spur of the moment. This endeavor may force me to plan better..as it seems the places we like to stay book up quickly.

If you are NOT planners, DVC is NOT for you.

 

[chainkid]

If you are seriously not a planner I would run away from owning DVC. Last minute trips are not easily obtained and could result in endless frustration. I wouldn't even bother to go to disney world at all if i weren't a planner. So many people hate Disney because they arrive without a plan and encounter frustrations at every turn. I have several members of my extended family that i had to beg to come with me because they had had a very bad taste of WDW without a plan. Disney is forcing you to be even more organized or you will be shut out of alot of main attractions, restaurants and show.

Part of the joy of a trip for me is in the planning so DVC is a good fit. My family now lines up to go with us as I plan all their trips so when they go they have zero stress. Its fun for me and a eye opener for them .

I love my DVC but I mainly use it at 11months or right at 7 month window. Whne I'm retire then I may take my chances at a short term trip and i'm sure I may get lucky but I would count these trips as possible not probable

 

[drusba]

Thanks for the replies. I think we will go ahead with our plans and look for resales. We are not great planners and like to go on the spur of the moment. This endeavor may force me to plan better..as it seems the places we like to stay book up quickly.

As to your age, be aware that there are huge numbers of DVC members who did not purchase until their 50s. Also be aware that many older members who are now retired, most now without children, find themselves going to WDW more often per year then they did when they were working full time and had children at home.

As to "planning," DVC is best for members who can reserve at least 7 months in advance. Moreover, for something like BLT (and other near park resorts), there are times of year, particularly the entire last quarter of the calendar year (DVC's high demand quarter) when you better be reserving with the 11 month window if you want to be assured of getting a room.

 

[jerseygal]

Thanks for the replies. I think we will go ahead with our plans and look for resales. We are not great planners and like to go on the spur of the moment. This endeavor may force me to plan better..as it seems the places we like to stay book up quickly.

IMO, you are DEFINATELY NOT "TOO OLD"!We have been members now for six years and LOVE DVC! We vacation with our two older sons and when we purchased we bought 2 separate contracts, equal points, instead of 1 larger contract, so both boys can have their separate contract when they eventually inherit(HOPEFULLY MANY MANY YRS FROM NOW!)...

We have never had a problem booking EXACTLY at 7 mos and have been to AKV Kidani(AKV is our home( Vero Beach, BCV, Aulani, SSR, Grand Californian Resort(on points) and are looking forward to split stay at AKV Jambo and VGF!:dance3, childless for this upcoming vaca.: We can't wait till we can share our vacas with future grandchildren one day!

Only word of caution I would give is what I gave my friend who wound up purchasing. IMO, to stay at the "in demand" properties, you really NEED TO PLAN and book at EXACTLY 7 MOS! My friend often is disappointed because she doesn't like to plan and then is upset when she can't get her desired property when she attempts to book 5 months or less in advance!

GOOD LUCK with your decision!

 

[chainkid]

You are never too old to buy DVC. I just bought another 170point contract at BWV to add to my other contracts whcih I purchased in 1999 when I was a mere 49years young. My daughter in law keeps asking me to explain how my DVC works in case I die and they inherit the points LOL. I don't plan to turn them over and expect to be going to disney right up until they expire God willing. I am an empty nester and my only grandchild is only 4 months old so I see many trips in my future . When I retire at age 70 I plan to spend my winters in Florida going from resort to resort until the weather breaks in the northeast. If you are a kid at heart you are never too old and the wonderful memories I have already had , have more than paid for themsleves.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Sorry what I was saying was a little misleading. I was trying to say you can get resorts easier to get a resort with a closer experation date.

We really wanted Beach Club and both reps we worked with were pretty hard that it wasn't available at all while we were looking.

I'm really confused with what you are saying. Did you try to buy BCV points directly through Disney or through a reselling company like the Timeshare Store or Fidelity? BCV is a smaller resort and a pretty hot property, so it can be a bit harder to find points for resale for BCV than for OKW or SSR or AKV. I think DVC sales have a waitlist for BCV points because so many people want to own there. It's why you will pay more for a BCV contract resale than some other resorts.

OP, we are 62 and 61 and use our DVC as much now as we did when we bought. But now it is just us most of the time since our son is in college and can't go when we want to go. We like Food & Wine and Flower & Garden. And we can tie a shorter DVC trip in with our annual beach trip to the Southern Florida Gulf Coast. But we plan these trips at least 11 months out so we can book where we want to stay and get our dates.

DVC busy times don't always line up with WDW busy times. From late Sept to Mid-Jan it can be harder to get a DVC reservation at seven months or later. Early Dec is extremely hard to get, even at ten months out. If you don't mind moving around, staying one night here and two nights there, you can piece together a trip nearly any time. But getting a full week requires planning.

 

[wilkeliza]

I'm really confused with what you are saying. Did you try to buy BCV points directly through Disney or through a reselling company like the Timeshare Store or Fidelity? BCV is a smaller resort and a pretty hot property, so it can be a bit harder to find points for resale for BCV than for OKW or SSR or AKV. I think DVC sales have a waitlist for BCV points because so many people want to own there. It's why you will pay more for a BCV contract resale than some other resorts.

OP, we are 62 and 61 and use our DVC as much now as we did when we bought. But now it is just us most of the time since our son is in college and can't go when we want to go. We like Food & Wine and Flower & Garden. And we can tie a shorter DVC trip in with our annual beach trip to the Southern Florida Gulf Coast. But we plan these trips at least 11 months out so we can book where we want to stay and get our dates.

DVC busy times don't always line up with WDW busy times. From late Sept to Mid-Jan it can be harder to get a DVC reservation at seven months or later. Early Dec is extremely hard to get, even at ten months out. If you don't mind moving around, staying one night here and two nights there, you can piece together a trip nearly any time. But getting a full week requires planning.

We tried to buy direct as we didn't want resell.

We ended up not going with DVC because we couldn't get in where we wanted direct.

 

[DizBub]

We tried to buy direct as we didn't want resell.

We ended up not going with DVC because we couldn't get in where we wanted direct.

Did they not tell you that you could go on a waiting list? Sometimes it takes a few months because they have to find points through the ROFR process but people have been buying direct at all the "sold out" resorts all along.

 

[wilkeliza]

Did they not tell you that you could go on a waiting list? Sometimes it takes a few months because they have to find points through the ROFR process but people have been buying direct at all the "sold out" resorts all along.

They never even mentioned a waitlist. They just said these are the places you can buy and the rest are sold out so if you want to stay there try at your 7 month mark. Aounds like we got two duds when it came to sales reps I guess. We decided to step back from DVC though because we are young. Might look into it again when Poly goes on sale.

 

[Deb & Bill]

They never even mentioned a waitlist. They just said these are the places you can buy and the rest are sold out so if you want to stay there try at your 7 month mark. Aounds like we got two duds when it came to sales reps I guess. We decided to step back from DVC though because we are young. Might look into it again when Poly goes on sale.

In the meantime, do some research on DVC to find out everything you need to know to make a educated purchase. I can't imagine paying DVC direct prices. They are much too high for what you get.

 

[DizBub]

They never even mentioned a waitlist. They just said these are the places you can buy and the rest are sold out so if you want to stay there try at your 7 month mark. Aounds like we got two duds when it came to sales reps I guess. We decided to step back from DVC though because we are young. Might look into it again when Poly goes on sale.

It kind of makes sense. The guide we spoke to (ours was on a cruise) said they didn't have any points in our Use Year and tried to push the resorts they were actively selling, meaning the new ones. All the sold out "classic" resorts are selling for $130 per point direct and the newer ones are selling for $155 to $165 per point. I've heard they have incentives to push the newer resorts.

 

[wilkeliza]

In the meantime, do some research on DVC to find out everything you need to know to make a educated purchase. I can't imagine paying DVC direct prices. They are much too high for what you get.

We did a tin if research and number crunching. We are now leaning towards resell or just buying a small condo. We are down easily one long weekend every quarter abs with me doing runDisney more the condo may make me sense for us.