To buy into BLT or not to??? Desperately seeking opinions!!

[hkeller27]

I am brand spankin' new to this whole DVC thing, so please bear with me

We just came home from WDW on Thursday night (sigh), and that morning decided to do the whole DVC tour. Since it was our last day, we get three days to make our decision - meaning til tomorrow night.

My husband and I feel like this is the right thing to do. It all seems so wonderful, and we're most likely to do 210 points at BLT.

Now I'm reading the DVC threads for the first time and am just starting to get cold feet. As far as usage goes... we have two girls that are 1 and 3. So yes, we plan to visit WDW many many times in the future. But, it's likely we will not go there every single year. We also want to do the cruise, but in the future when our kids are bigger, we want to use our points to travel to other places around the world. Our guide we met said he primarily uses his own membership to travel overseas. But I'm wondering if that's the best use of our money? Will it actually be worth doing even if we don't plan to (don't hate me) go to WDW every year?

Clearly I'm getting nervous and am also starting to overthink things. All my DVC friends are new (3 years or less) and have only done WDW with their points so far, so I don't know any accounts of travel to non-Disney places.

I know this is a huge operation and there are so many if-factors involved in travel, but I'd love any general opinions, and thanks in advance for my craziness

 

[larry_poppins]

The best use of points is at the DVC properties at WDW, Hilton Head, Vero, and soon to be Grand California Villas at Disneyland. Further done the road is Hawaii.

If you will use these properties every year or every other year, you will get the most value out of your points.

You can use your points on the cruise or in the other collections. They are your points, afterall. The monetary value may not be there.

That being said, I have been a member since 1998 and have taken a few cruises and have used my points at Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disney, and often at Disneyland Hotel.

I am going to use them at the Whitehall Hotel in Chicago in 2009. I don't care about getting the most value from my points.

I am sure there are plenty on this board who think I am nuts.

They may be right!

 

[Lynne M]

You get the best value out of DVC when you use it to stay at DVC resorts. Other timeshares are much better suited for trading than DVC is, and you can get them for a much lower cost.

I would say that the majority of members use their points solely at DVC resorts. IMO, trading is more of a 'perk' with DVC, not the primary purpose of the membership. I find the trading process to be complex and difficult to understand, with no guarantee whatsoever of getting the resort you want.

DVC also offers the Concierge Collection, which is easier to book - you just call and make a reservation. The value is a bit better there, probably.

A couple of other things that would put me off buying DVC with the intent of using it outside of the DVC system:

There's a $95 fee for staying at non-DVC resorts.

The point charts for DVC resorts are essentially fixed for the life of the contract. Anything and everything about the non-DVC options is subject to change. The point costs could be dramatically raised, fees could be added. Recently, the number of resorts available through the Concierge Collections was drastically reduced, removing some hotels that were favorites of members. The $95 exchange fee is also a recent addition. The exchange company will change from II to RCI in 1/09.

In your position, I'd probably buy only enough points to cover my DVC stays, and either pay out of pocket for my other trips, or consider purchase another timeshare that's better suited for trading.

 

[CarolMN]

Will the DVC purchase be your only vacation money? If so, you may want to rethink the purchase. It is true that the best value of a DVC point is using it to stay at a DVC resort. There are less expensive timshares that are good "traders". Generally, it is better to pay cash for a cruise than points (better cancelation policy, no extra reservation fee, early booking discounts, etc.).

Consider buying only the minimum number of points and using banking and borrowing to stay at a DVC resort every other or every third year. That way you can still go other places in the "off" years.

Another option is to rent points from other DVC members. It may cost a bit more (in the long term, 7 or 8 years down the line after you reach the break even point), but there is no long term commitment if your vacation habits change.

We love our DVC, but it is not a good value for everyone. Don't let the incentives drive your decision if the basics are not there for you. I can remember only a few short periods where there were NOT incentives to buy. Some incentive programs were better than others. Make the decision that is right for you.

Keep in mind that DVC only covers lodging - you will stll have to pay for transportation, tickets, food & souvenirs and other "Extras".

Good luck with your decision.

 

[thesupersmartguy]

Don't get cold feet. Any UY is great, ours is Sept.

 

[hkeller27]

Thanks. After a night of talking and talking and talking, we did it and locked in at BLT today! I'm super excited and still a little nervous about such a big decision, but I know we'll enjoy many many DVC trips for so many years to come. Looking forward to taking our first this August with our free points!

 

[Tink-n-Belle]

I am brand spankin' new to this whole DVC thing, so please bear with me

As far as usage goes... we have two girls that are 1 and 3. So yes, we plan to visit WDW many many times in the future. But, it's likely we will not go there every single year. We also want to do the cruise, but in the future when our kids are bigger, we want to use our points to travel to other places around the world.

If you don't plan to use the vacation club every year just purchase 160 points and bank the ones you don't use . If you go every other year you would have 320 points to get a really great room (1bedroom-which is heaven with kids) If you look at the chart for BLT you need more points to stay there then other DVC resort and if you want MK view rooms it is a lot of points. Once the girls are in school you will have to go during the higher point season so keep that in mind.

My family have 180 at the BW and 160 at the BLT and since our kids 8 & 10are in school now we have to go during the higher point times and it cost us alot more points then if we can go off season- but in 10 years my DH & I can go anytime we want and we will be able to stay longer. However, right now if we want MK view rooms or BW view rooms we can only get 9-10 nights in a one bedroom per year.

The best way to look at DVC is for your Disney Vacations. Can you trade out sure, but its not a great as it seems (at least of us). For example, we currently got the incentive of 160 dev points for purchasing BLT. We decided that 160 DP would get us a week at II so we decided we would go to Hersey PA. However, they don't have any 1 bedrooms only 2 bedrooms in Hersey and we would of have to use 270 points for the week. So we thought about going to Williamsburg (11 hour drive ) and thought that in 11 hours I could fly to Disney 3 times. We decided to use them in Disney.

If you love Disney and your kids are only 1 & 3 you will definitely get great use out of your BLT points. What could be better than staying at the BLT right next to the MK!!! (That's why I bought at the BLT too). The 1 bedrooms are so nice with young kids with the kitchen and Washer/dryer units. Its the only way to travel. IMHO, DVC is so great because you get the best location (BLT, BW & BCV) and the best rooms for a fraction of what you'd pay retail. Also, with all the choices for resorts you will never get board. The AKV is a destination in itself especially the cool pool area and the SAvanna rooms, SSR with the Treehouses, BCV with SAB, The BW with the boardwalk, carnival theme and walking distance to 2 parks and don't forget about VB or HH. VB is absolutely beautiful. It is definitely a low key stay but its right on the beach and its really really nice. They have camp fires, unbirthday parties, mini-golf right on the premies, bike rentals, a great pool and the beach!!! And don't forget the NEW dvc resorts in Hawaii and California!



GOOD LUCK with your decision.

 

[ILIKEWDW]

Yes, the better for you is to buy half of the points you will use, so you will borrow or bank points from one year to another, and see if that work for you.

Remember if you need more points you always can add on later, as you have tried and understood the system, and the most important if you will travel to WDW yearly.

I you have signed, you have 10 days to cancel with no problem and then buy less points or look for a cheaper resale, now resale prices are down so you can get a deal.....

 

[coastiewifern]

Great advice here. We bought low points to BLT as we plan to go every other year to WDW. Right now we pull the kids from school but we won't be able to do that much longer as they are getting older. In the future we may need to add more points. With the current economy we couldn't justify those extra points until we really need them. Congrats on your purchase!

 

[RJLechner]

Another option to give you flexibility in the future would be to split your points into 2 contracts...160 and 50. If as your children get older you find that you want to go to other places besides WDW and the trading out option doesn't meet your needs, having 2 contracts gives you the option to sell one of the contracts and keeping the one that best meets your needs. We purchased 260 (160 +100) at BLT. Right now we want to be able to take our family (DSIL, DBIL and their kids) When their kids get older and it's just the 2 of us, we may decide we can get by with just 160 and can sell the 100 point contract. However, by that time we'll be close to retirement and will probably want more points It's just an option I learned from this board to give me the most flexibility down the road to ensure DVC continues to meet my needs.

Good luck with your decision!!

 

[Buckeye Fan]

Thanks. After a night of talking and talking and talking, we did it and locked in at BLT today! I'm super excited and still a little nervous about such a big decision, but I know we'll enjoy many many DVC trips for so many years to come. Looking forward to taking our first this August with our free points!

Congratulations, and..... HOME!!!

For what it's worth, buying DVC was the best decision we ever made. Even though we were more financially ready when we bought in, I wished we had purchased back in 2000 or 2001 when originally requested information. We spent so much money on rooms at Disney, and all of that could have gone toward our purchase. We were staying in values or 1-BRs at OKW, and I bet we easily sank $10K.

Also, another beautiful thing about DVC is if you find it's not right for your family, the resale market has remained pretty strong. If a couple of years from now you decide you don't want it, you won't lose your shirt.

Like I said, I'm so glad we purchased. Wishing you many magical years of vacationing, and hope you enjoy your purchase as much as we have!

 

[ILIKEWDW]

Another option to give you flexibility in the future would be to split your points into 2 contracts...160 and 50. If as your children get older you find that you want to go to other places besides WDW and the trading out option doesn't meet your needs, having 2 contracts gives you the option to sell one of the contracts and keeping the one that best meets your needs. We purchased 260 (160 +100) at BLT.

That is another good advice, as you can´t break a big contract into a few, you must make your first contract as two or more small...... in case you need to sell one of them you will not loose the whole membership, just a few points.....