Thinking of buying....

[kd5k]

Hi all. We are totally new to this and I need help, advice, experience or anything you have to offer!!
We went to DL two weeks ago and DH and SIL went on the tour of DVC. We are seriously thinking of doing this and am looking for the best deals, of course...
Can you explain how this all works?? I have been reading the boards for two days trying to gather info. We would be buying into Saratoga Springs and thinking of starting out with 200+ points. We are a family of 6 right now. Kids range in ages from 6 to 13. We would probably look at the 2BR.
Couple of questions right off.....how far in advance do you usually have to make reservations for WDW? We would be going in Oct.
What are the transfer fee costs involved?
What are the benefits of buying from DVC as opposed to buying a resale at a resort in Florida?
Like I said, any info and perks and experiences would be greatly appreciated!!
We need to make this decision by Fri. as the last day for this package is on Sat. the 30th!!
Thanks, Deb

 

[abner1776]

IF you are buying into DVC with SSR as your home resort, then you can book at SSR beginning 11 months prior to your planned departure and you can book into the other DVC resorts beginning at 7 months prior to your planned departure. This is the home resort booking advantage ...the difference between 11 months and 7 months.

You state that you are buying into SSR, but is SSR where you want to stay over the next 40+ years ? The number #1 quote from DVC member is "buy where you want to stay"...if you really like Beach Club better than SSR, then don't buy at SSR.

ALso, there is no such thing as a "sold out resort"...DVC usually has inventory of points at all resorts even though they are pushing SSR. Even if the inventory is currently depleted for one resort, DVC may inventory next week for that same resort.

Most DVC members are not "last minute" travelers...they plan well ahead of time and book their home resorts at the 11 month window especially for the more popular weeks of the year...school vacations...holidays, etc.

Good luck

 

[DMKEDM]

"how far in advance do you usually have to make reservations for WDW? We would be going in Oct."

At home resort (SSR), you can make reservations as of 11 months from the day you check out...at any other DVC resort, it's 7 months from the day you check out...so, for an October trip, you could reserve the November before at SSR; in April for the other resorst. In October, if you're not "fussy" about which resort you stay at, you should find something at SSR, OKW or perhaps VWL...but w/food & wine going on, you may have trouble (once it starts) at the Epcot resorts (BCV and BWV)...wait lists help; I'm told Food & Wine does tend to fill up all the DVCs, so booking as soon as you can makes sense...I'm told the best option would be to book in November at SSR, and then in April try to switch to a different resort if you're wanting to stay at a different resort...w/use of the WL, and doing this at 7 months out, your chances are good (altho not guaranteed). WLing is great, altho they it can be a little "nerve-wracking" to use...we just bought in June and got reservations for T-giving week (I'm told that's one of the 2-3 hardest weeks to get) using the WL (we called the day we gave Disney our payment--about 5 months out; had to use the WL, but it came thru w/in five weeks)--we had our choice of studio or 1-br...we had no trouble getting std view BWV in Jan, or SSR in May...

What are the transfer fee costs involved?

Not sure what this means...but if you mean are there any fees charged to a DVC member to book a reservation at any of the DVC reports, no there are none. There is a $75 fee if you trade your DVC points for one of the non-DVC resort options...but that wouldn't apply at WDW...

are you able to sneak extra people into a studio?

Not legally (except possibly a child who can sleep in a pack-n-play), and I doubt you'll find anyone on these boards who would approve the attempt! Having said that, I wouldn't even want to try for the family you describe...a studio is one queen sized bed and one pull-out sofa...even if you brought sleeping bags or air mattresses for your "extra" kids, you'd be jammed in like sardines...plus you only get four towels and sheets/pillows for the two beds...you'd have more space in a 1-br, but same restrictions in terms of beds (one king in the BR and a pull-out sofa in the living room)...same restrictions on towels & linens...w/kids ranging from 6 to 13, it sounds a lot more cramped than I'd want...

What are the benefits of buying from DVC as opposed to buying a resale at a resort in Florida?

As far as I can tell, the biggie is that you go into the system and can make reservations the day Disney gets its payment...w/resale, you have to wait thru the closing process, and then for a period of time while the sale makes its way into the Disney system. Resales tend to be less expensive. Once you've bought, there's no difference at all in the way Disney "regards" you...if you're a DVC member, you're a DVC member regardless of whether you purchase from Disney or from a resale.

Like I said, any info and perks and experiences would be greatly appreciated!!
We need to make this decision by Fri. as the last day for this package is on Sat. the 30th!!

We had that same 3-day window on the incentives we were offered back in June...I was skeptical and cynical...figured if I decided to buy on Day 4 (or even 3 weeks later) chances are Disney would give me the incentive. I was wrong! Turns out it's a "real" 3-day-only incentive!!

Good luck w/your decision!

 

[salmoneous]

First things first:

Folks on this board are very down on people exceeding the occupancy of a room. Even asking about it risks getting this thread closed. Suggest you edit your question to remove that part. Then go to the "sticky" occupancy thread to get answers to that questions.

Couple short answers:

If you want to stay at SSR, book far in advance isn't crucial. But being able to book at least several months ahead is a good idea for any stay (if you want BWV/BCV/VWL you want to be able to book 7 if not 11 months ahead for popular times of year.) If you aren't the type to have your plans set that far in advance, DVC might not be for you.

The main advantage of buying through Disney is the quickness and ease of your purchase. Buying resale can save you a few bucks

 

[sue]

If you are looking into financing... we are currently financing through DVC and you can pay your loan off early if you want. Also, you can have your payments automatically debited from your checking acct, which is very convenient.

The best way I can suggest getting all the info you need, is to call DVC directly. They are extremely noligable and really can set your mind to ease. We have been on Disney cruises and also to WDW a few different times, but had never checked into how this timeshare worked. We purchased site unseen and will be going down to WDW in 3 weeks to see our new home. We felt completely satisfied with all the paperwork and never once felt uneasy about how things were handled.

Can't tell you how much fun it is going to be taking other family with or gifting points to our kids for their weddings, graduations etc. Good luck with your decision making. I'm sure you will enjoy DVD if you decide to join

 

[kd5k]

thanks for all of your input!! It seems so confusing and overwhelming at first. We have had a hundred questions.
I did call our agent again with a couple of more questions today and think we will be calling her this evening with our deposit $$. I am soooo excited!!
Could someone possibley lead me in the direction to find out exactly what the dinning plan is? I have read different things about it, but want to totally understand it and how it works.
thanks and I appreciate it!
Debbie

 

[bwvBound]

kd5k from UT --

Is your primary purchase intention future trips to WDW? or were you dazzled by the potential for nonDVC uses? Think this through carefully - including airfare for your family. While DVC is a great tool for staying at WDW, Hilton Head and Vero Beach -- there are many excellent options outside Disney for non-DVC resort stays.

Have you studied and considered timeshare / vacation club programs with resorts along the west coast states? Worldmark the Club (WM) is a similar "points-based," flexible system (any resort, any size unit, any season, any arrival date, etc) - with 50+ resort locations. Four are in UT with many more that may be considered w/in drive-to range. Beyond its own wide network of properties, WM also offers exchanges through Interval International (II), Resort Condominiums International (RCI), cruise exchanges, tours, etc.

Just something to think about ...

 

[sue]

The dining plan is a very good deal!! It basically works like this... Say your staying at SSR, if you would like to sign up for the dining plan, everyone in your room must also sign up and for the entire length of your stay. It is currently $37.99 per person/per day. It allows you to eat at about 90 % of all restaurants at WDW. Each person gets 1 snack, 1 quick service meal ( such as a combo meal) and also one full service meal ( which is a appetizer, entree, dessert, non alchoholic drink) it also covers your TIP and TAX !!!

We will be using this in a few weeks when we go to WDW. Now, say you are staying at 2 different resort.... if you have 2 seperate reservations, you don't have to sign up for both resorts for the dining plan, you can just sign up for one of the resorts and then either cook in your room ( if you have a kitchen) or you can be on your own for your meals. We have decided you only have the dining plan for OKW and we will be cooking while we stay at SSR and also have a few meals out that we will pay for.

Also.... say you dont want your snack or you didn't use one of your meals for the day, you CAN use them on another day of your stay while at the same resort. You are given a card with the grand total of all your credits so for one person on a 3 day reservation, your card would say 3 snacks, 3 quick service and 3 full service meals. As you use them up, the restaurant will mark them off your card so, if you use a quick service meal first, then your card would say 3 snacks, 2 quick service and 3 full meals left. You have until midnight on the day you depart to finish using the credits up.

Hope this answers all your questions about the dining plan
It is a very good deal if your don't want to cook and like to eat

 

[kd5k]

bwvbound, thanks for the concerns....we have done some of the math and basically banged out heads on the wall !! I still think we would come out OK. What we are thinking we would be able to do is go to WDW every other year or two even. Being in Utah, a Ca. transplant..., we do go to DL once if not twice a year. If we are able to do this on the off years we could go 2-3 times a year for short periods of time. I am thinking this is still beneficial for us???
We do own a share of property at Pismo Coast Village and have 41 days a year there that we never use all of the days!! We usually hit there once during the summer and either once in the spring or the fall. We are going there in fact on the 9th for a week. Kids have a 4 day weekend and are pulling them out of school 2 days.

To be honest, we have not looked into any other timeshare programs. We have been to a couple of presentations through the years. We do have a couple of people that belong to TrendWest and they complain that they can "never" get the reservations they want.

again....thanks for the help!! Deb

 

[kd5k]

sue,thanks for the heads up on the dinning club. I know I had read about it "somewhere ", but couldn't find it when I wanted to show hubby. Again, guess we need to do the math and see if it would benefit us.

do they also offer this at DL, or is this just for WDW?

thanks for the help, again!! hugs, Deb

 

[skibum]

If you are looking to buy over 200 points, think about splitting the contract into smaller pieces. The original buy-in minimum is 150 points, so do one contract at that amount with the remainder 50+ in another. Smaller contracts are easier to sell, if you ever decide to.

 

[paults]

kd5k

We would probably look at the 2BR.

with your family size (6 right now) you would need enough pts for a 2 bedroom at any DVC resort.

A lot of us book Sun through Thru nts and save those high weekend pts for weekdays.

EXP: SSR 2 bedroom SUN/THUR = 145 pts (5 nts )
SSR 2bedroom SUN/FRI = 255 pts (7 nts )

 

[kd5k]

yes, we have thought over the points are are now looking at doing the 270! that would be enough for us to do something every year or bank them for something bigger.

I never thought of doing it as two seperate contracts....would you have to pay the closing fees on both of them? Not that it is a big deal.....

Deb

 

[Trebor]

we do go to DL once if not twice a year.

I didn't see it mentioned by anyone else, so I wanted to make sure you realize that you can also use your points to stay at the resorts in Disneyland. Might make a difference in your decision of cost-benefits and how many points you might need.

 

[kd5k]

that was honestly allot of our decision here. We live in Utah... a loooong way from Florida!!

By going to DL and staying at the Grand Californian (which we loved!!) once or twice a year for 3-4 nights, we would still have points to bank and go to WDW like every other year. Too many $$ to fly 6 of us every year and too far the drive the motorhome every year!!

so yeah, for the Grand at DL, think we are still doing OK there!!

hugs, Deb