TrY. before you buy?

[mjc2003]

Unknowingly, yes; we had never considered DVC, but got a 1BR villa at BCV when making a regular cash reservation in 2009. We made a reservation in a 2 BR in 2010 at BCV, b/c we loved it and couldn't wait to go back. After those 2 trips, and having spent about $8000, we decided to look into DVC and ended up buying 200 points via resale. We toyed with the idea of buying elsewhere and hoping to get into BCV at 7 months, but my wife wasn't having it. She said we can stay elsewhere if we choose to, but not b/c we have to.

 

[Sammie]

yes several times. I never buy any major purchase sight unseen.

 

[disneynutz]

yes several times. I never buy any major purchase sight unseen.

Same here!

Everyones taste, likes and dislikes is different. Your purchase will cost you thousands and thousands of dollars and you will be spending thousands and thousands more in the years to come as a member. I want the biggest bang for my bucks including loving the place where we stay.

We stayed at BCV, BWV, AKV, and VWL, before we purchased contracts there. The only resort that we bought before staying there was BLT because we fell victim to Disney's Magic and got a "free" cruise. It has become our least favorite even though it's a wonderful resort, we just like our others better.

Bill

 

[Disneyfan81]

We stayed at BCV, BWV, AKV, and VWL, before we purchased contracts there. The only resort that we bought before staying there was BLT because we fell victim to Disney's Magic and got a "free" cruise. It has become our least favorite even though it's a wonderful resort, we just like our others better.

Bill

Did you stay via cash reservations or rental points? I believe those are the two options available to stay at DVC if you are not a member yet? We currently live in Florida so maybe our best bet is to do a day trip there and walk the resorts to get a feel of them.

 

[disneynutz]

Did you stay via cash reservations or rental points? I believe those are the two options available to stay at DVC if you are not a member yet? We currently live in Florida so maybe our best bet is to do a day trip there and walk the resorts to get a feel of them.

We did a cash reservation at BCV and then bought a resale contract. For 2 years we tried to learn as much as we could about the DVC, the ins and the outs, policies and rules, and the difference between the resorts. Using our BCV points we stayed at the other WDW resorts and one December we booked a 4 resort split stay, did some room tours and decided to buy at our favorite resorts. Several years later we now own 26 contracts at 5 resorts and vacation at WDW 2 or 3 times a year, staying 10 to 14 days per trip.

Bill

 

[Elise79]

We bought BLT before it opened however we did tour the model rooms at SSR and loved them and I knew I loved the Contemporary so felt comfortable.

We are looking to add on more points and trying to decide whether to stick to BLT or add on elsewhere so we stayed at BCV in May and have BWV booked for September to try them out.

We visited the AKV and were just not wowed by it and the models when we saw those a couple of years ago did nothing for us so we have ruled that out as an add on.

 

[jupers]

I guess I'm one of the few who bought sight unseen. However, I'm on these boards a lot and I feel like I know my stuff. But, I have not stayed at, or even seen SSR in person. Can't wait to check it out in October.

 

[dbs1228]

Toured BWV and SSR when they were being sold, I knew that the location was not what we wanted. Once BLT was being built (watched it being built) we knew if we bought it would have to be there for the location. We toured the models did not love the decor but loved the room layout (2 bedroom for us most vacations) and location! After buying we added on SSR for the THV's since my DD's grew up staying at the Ft. cabins and we always said we wish they would make the cabins at least 2 bedroom! Stayed BLT twice, AKV once loved both and staying at THV in Feb. BTW we always rent a car so transportation is never an issue.

 

[brianbyard]

Bought Beach Club
resale sight unseen and Love it!

 

[jodifla]

We stayed at Vero when it first opened on a $99 rate. Before we left, I convinced my husband to take the tour (so I could see those beach cottages!). Two weeks later, we stopped by WDW on our way to Orlando and toured OKW and BWV. That sealed the deal for us 15 years ago.

 

[ssawka]

Nope, never stayed @ BLT before we bought. We tried out DVC @ BCV on my brother's membership. Then when we were considering buying, I just could not resist the chance to be Mickey's neighbor. Anyway, no regrets, you just cannot beat the location. BCV and BWV would be close, but MK is by far my favorite park.

 

[Sandisw]

Yes and no. We bought at BLT before it was open so we didn't get to stay there before buying.

However, we had stayed at the CR for years and knew the location of BLT was the right choice for us and that is why we bought.

Matter of fact, we had considered DVC for years prior but it always came back to loving the CR location and owning DVC (before BLT) would have required stays elsewhere.

Before buying, we did think that VWL would be our 2nd choice resort, due to the proximity to MK, our favorite park, but after staying there since becoming owners, it is not.

BWV and BCV are tied for that at the moment. We realize that if we add on at a different resort (and will at some point), it will be one of those. I really agree with those that said you should have an idea of what you like and enjoy before taking the plunge.

 

[arthur06]

We bought site unseen. I had been looking into it for about 8 months before we bought. We bought a small BWV resale for our first contract. Then we added on 125 at BLT (our first stay will be in Sept.)

I think that we will always love BWV. And for right now (our kids are young) the BLT location can't be beat. As they get older more AKL stays will be in our future.

 

[DisneyEater]

that's overrated IMO - there are a lot of pics on the web that will give you a great feel for what the rooms are like.

have lunch/dinner at the resort and walk the grounds if you like, but it's not that big of a deal.

(naturally, i bought OKW without ever being inside a villa there - i did wind up visiting the grounds by accident once...)

I couldn't disagree more. Before buying I was almost certain we were going to go with BWV resale. Then on a whim, we decided to take advantage of a pin code we recieved and go visit all the DVC resorts before buying. We had seen pictures of all of them before, but when we visited in person we fell in love with OKW and are now proud owners there. You can check out the trip report here to see our opinions on all of the resorts we visited. It is the second trip report down the page.

 

[Disneyfan81]

We did a cash reservation at BCV and then bought a resale contract. For 2 years we tried to learn as much as we could about the DVC, the ins and the outs, policies and rules, and the difference between the resorts. Using our BCV points we stayed at the other WDW resorts and one December we booked a 4 resort split stay, did some room tours and decided to buy at our favorite resorts. Several years later we now own 26 contracts at 5 resorts and vacation at WDW 2 or 3 times a year, staying 10 to 14 days per trip.

Bill

Wow! . Which one is your all time favorite resort? I think we are leaning towards AKL, though I think SSR may be better when the kids are older since DD is nearby. LOL, perhaps we'll end up with contracts at both!

 

[bumbershoot]

OP, we bought into DVC without even having been to WDW, let alone our home resort. And we didn't buy the Grand CA villas, either, though we had been to Disneyland. We knew that we would love WDW, just as we love DLR, we knew that we do NOT love the Grand and therefore did not want to own there, and the look of Bay Lake appealed to us.

Since then, of course, since our first trip to WDW involved lots of family members, as will our second, we just don't have the points to do it at BLT, so we haven't even seen our home resort LOL. 4 nights at AKJambo, and the rest of it was, and will be, at OKW.

No, but we did book a stay within the 30 day cancellation period.

30 day cancellation period??? Hmm. I thought it was something like a 10 day period.

 

[kristenrice]

When we walked into AKL on our honeymoon in 2002 (just for dinner), I looked at DH and said, "If they ever build a DVC here, we HAVE to buy!"...

...in 2008, we bought a 100 point resale contract at AKV...and we had not set foot on the property since that visit in 2002. After three stays at AKV (both Jambo and Kidani) I am 100% satisfied with our decision. If I had to stay at AKV every trip, I would happily do so...and I may not even leave the resort.

This year, we bought an additional 50 point contract at HHI...and we'd never even been to South Carolina. I read...and read....and read everything I could about the resort and it really appealed to me. I told DH that it would be a great alternative to a Disney vacation. We decided that 50 points would be perfect since we can go every three years in a 1BR over our April spring break. When the kids are out of school, we can go in the fall so DH can do some hunting while I hang out at the pool. We took our first trip to HHI this April and, again, DVC did not disappoint. We loved it! Even DH, who was the voice of reason, saying that we shouldn't drop $4000 on something we've never seen...he can't wait to go back.

 

[disneynutz]

Wow! . Which one is your all time favorite resort? I think we are leaning towards AKL, though I think SSR may be better when the kids are older since DD is nearby. LOL, perhaps we'll end up with contracts at both!

Each resort has it's pluses and minuses and attracts people for different reasons. Currently BWV, Boardwalk View is our favorite. We enjoy the lake view and nightly Epcot fireworks, proximity to Epcot and DHS, people watching on the Boardwalk and the overall feel of the area.

Bill

 

[BlackRock]

We did stay with my sister-in-law before we bought; we loved the stay and that is what made us buy points.

Very Happy we did
Blackrock

 

[disneydenisel]

We rented points to stay at BCV before we bought. Loved it so much, came home and tracked down a resale contract (resort was sold out long before). It was great to try it out before we bought. I had also researched it online and read about it. It seems like it was meant to be our home away from home!

For VGC, we bought sight unseen. I had read a lot of great things about it and knew that we would have to own there . We will try it out in 5 days .

Good luck with your decision!