Thinking of Buying

[tikifanatic]

I had a couple of quick questions for DVC members. My partner and I are thinking of buying. We'll probably go resale because I don't think we'll really need 150pts. We would use our pts to go to the Food & Wine Festival at Epcot every other year. My questions are these:

First, which is better Beach Club Villas or Boardwalk Villas?

Second, what's the difference between Premiere and Standard Boardwalk 1 Bedrooms?

Third, is there any reason you WOULDN'T buy resale and would go through Disney?

Fourth, Anyone who owns or has stayed in Saratoga Springs, how is the transportation to Epcot? I've stayed many times on property and like being able to hop on a monorail or ferry or walk to the parks. SSR seems kinda remote. Same question for OKW.

I think that's all the questions I have right now, I'm sure I'll have more later.

 

[Lynne M]

The transportation to Epcot from OKW and SSR is fine, but in no way does it compare to being able to walk or take a boat to the International Gateway, as you can from BWV or BCV.

Since you primarily want to go to F&W, I'd very strongly recommend that you buy at BWV or BCV. You'll be a 5-10 minute walk from the World Showcase, where all the F&W action is. If you're coming from any of the other DVC resorts, you'll be dropped off at Epcot's front entrance, and then you'll have to hike back to WS. Believe me, that will get old REALLY fast.

 

[Disney Doll]

I like BCV because of Stormalong Bay. If a pool is not that important to you, then BCV or BWV are equally as since, with comparable amenities. Decorating and themeing is a bit different, but both are still lovely.

Prmeium view at the BWV is a Boardwalk view. Standard view usually gives you the parking lot or front entrance portico.

We bought an OKW resale through The Timeshare Store and had no problems. We would certainly use them again if the need for more points arose. Unless Disney is offering a huge incentive or you would need to avail yourselves of the financing options Disney offers, then you should be fine with the resale market.

You get to Epcot by bus from SSR, which is fine, but does not compare to be able to hop over there whenever you want through the International Gateway if you are staying at the BCV or BWV.

 

[Caskbill]

First, which is better Beach Club Villas or Boardwalk Villas?

That's a personal choice. The room layouts are basically the same, so only the motif is different. BCV is newer, and has SAB. It's also closer to Epcot than BWV. BWV is closer to MGM.

Second, what's the difference between Premiere and Standard Boardwalk 1 Bedrooms?

There's no category of Premier. Categories are Standard, Preferred, and Boardwalk view. There is no difference between the rooms themselves. Standard view faces parking areas and the front entrance. Preferred views face water, pool, or garden areas. Boardwalk view is on the boardwalk. Both preferred and boardwalk views are the same point chart. Standard views are fewer points. (Boardwalk view is actually a sub-category of Preferred view, and is titled guaranteed boardwalk view)

Third, is there any reason you WOULDN'T buy resale and would go through Disney?

Disney offers financing. With resale you need to arrange that separately. Disney gives you current year points. Resale contracts can vary from 'loaded' to 'stripped', so the amount of points you start off with your first year can vary from none, to all next year points already borrowed and used, to fully loaded with all last year's points banked. With Disney you're in the system almost immediately. Resale will take a lot longer. Disney does offer incentives at times to purchase directly from them. This can make some differences. With Disney you can purchase any size point contract you want (150 point minimum). With resale, you can only purchase the size contract that's available. You could buy multiple contracts, but then would have closing costs for each. Also, multiple contracts would most likely have different use years, so would have to be managed totally separately. EG points cannot be combined to make reservations, nor combined when determining banking percentage amounts.

Fourth, Anyone who owns or has stayed in Saratoga Springs, how is the transportation to Epcot? I've stayed many times on property and like being able to hop on a monorail or ferry or walk to the parks. SSR seems kinda remote. Same question for OKW.

Keep in mind that you can stay at any of the resorts, only the booking window is different between home and non-home resorts. If you plan on going during busy times, especially items like F&W at Epcot, then you're best to own at BWV or BCV. OKW and SSR have access to DD. Bus transportation from these resorts is dedicated (not shared) and works pretty efficiently. OKW has the largest rooms of all the DVC resorts, much more spacious when getting 1-B/R or larger than the other resorts' 1-B/R units. SSR is the newest of all the resorts, and additionally has a contract that lasts 12 years longer than any of the others.

Hope this helps.