TrY. before you buy?

[SabresFan]

I think one thing you need to weigh in considering try-before-you-buy is the cost of trying versus the cost of just buying. We recently purchased a 150 point SSR resale contract and have never stayed at a DVC before (3 total trips before to WDW - once at Yacht Club and twice at Polynesian). This July we will be staying 7 nights at BoardWalk Standard View 1 BR (booked at 6 months out, not 7 months) and 2 nights at Vero Beach 1 BR.

So far I am out about $10,300. If I stayed in the same rooms this trip but paid OOP, even with discounts, it would cost me over $4000 for the same rooms.

So let's say July comes and goes and we just hate DVC, and want to get out ASAP. I bought at $60 per point, and let's say I sell at a loss at $55 per point and pay 10% commission. That nets me $7425. So the net cost of the same rooms would come to $2950 for this trip. So it's still cheaper than paying OOP for the same trip although I would have avoided some hassles by paying OOP.

And I don't expect to hate it, and do expect to keep the contract, so the overall risk is pretty low. And if I like it, then I expect to cover my costs after 3 more trips, which is a pretty good rate of return.

Now I live up in Buffalo and will be driving down for the trip. So the cost of just going to Disney isn't trivial in terms of time or money. I think OP said they were in Florida, so if that were the case, it's a lot easier to justify a weekend trip to try it out.

A lot also depends on your personality. In our case we aren't all that concerned with decor or other stuff about a resort. Location and amenities count for more with us, and location I can find on a map, and amenities I can see by getting the list. But if you're somebody that cares a lot about decor or ambience , then it makes more sense to pop in for a personal visit before buying.

 

[disneynutz]

Once you are a member and make repeat visits to WDW, your attitude will change and the importance of buying at your favorite resort will make sense. We spend more time outside of the parks then in them. More time at the resorts and in our room. We cook more meals and do the other things in and around the resorts.

WDW has become a vacation destination where we relax, rent a patio boat or go miniature golfing, ride horses and rent a golf cart to look at the Christmas decorations at Fort Wilderness Camp Ground. We don't set the alarm clock and we don't rush to a ADR or rope drop. Last year the DW spent several days on the balcony at BWV looking at the lake and doing her Disney cross stitch.

We go on our favorite rides and attractions based on the attendance and crowds. We might enter Epcot through the IG, go on Sorin a couple of times, stop for lunch somewhere and go back to our resort before the crowds get too heavy.

I enjoy spending time talking to Guests and Cast Members and learning about back stage Disney.

Bill

 

[Kidanifan08]

We're trying to decide between AKL and SSR. We love the decor at AKL, the animals, the kids' activities, and especially that the 1 bedroom will sleep 5. On the other side, SSR, we like the proximity to Downtown Disney and the cost is less, though you can only sleep 4 in their 1 bedroom and we are a family of 5, so I believe we would be required to stay in a 2 bedroom unit due to fire regulations?

As a family of 5, your current options for booking a 1BR are AKV, BLT or (I think) OKW. If you are looking for the best bang for your buck, OKW resale would foot the bill, although most OKW resale contracts end in 2042. BLT is still high, even on resale. Depending on how many points you are thinking about buying, some of the larger point contracts may be available for under $70 per point. With that said, you could buy at SSR and get into AKV most time of the year. Christmas/New Years and Spring Break may be the only difficult periods to get into AKV at 7 months.