Using Vero Beach as a "zero-entry pool"

[TeraCuse]

I've seen other threads about folks who have never stayed at their home resort, so hoping I'll be able to get some real world experiences here. My thought was using Vero Beach as a low cost, low risk way to dip our feet in the DVC pool. It's just the wife and I and we can be very flexible in our travel arrangements.

Has any bought very low with the idea of those points being their "we'll use these points to stay at whatever is available" points? If JetBlue has a big airfare sale with limited dates, what are the chances we could call MS and ask "where can you put us last minute for 2 or 3 days" even if it's an All Star? I'm also thinking it might give us a chance to see other properties we might not otherwise consider for purchase. Any shared experience would be greatly appreciated!

 

[The Jackal]

All Star is way waste of DVC points and it's not a DVC resort, so you would need direct points or be grandfathered in . Vero has cheap points but a high maintenance fee . After 8-10 years of ownership it will cost you more then owning at Saratoga Springs Resort SSR. There usually are some rooms available a couple days out in the DVC line up but they are usually 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom units. Studios are booked quickly . Lots of times at 7 months it could be hard to get one for a 7 night stay without changing locations . Can you make Vero work, probably, but your options are limited .

 

[TeraCuse]

Thank you for the info! Ran the math to see how it came out. This is making an assumption that the YoY percentage for the maintenance fees stays consistent, a 22 year contract, and looking at current contracts available on DVC store. VB comes out to $41,184 life time, SS is $37,620 and BW (which is our preferred property if we're going to buy where we want to stay) is $42,261. Based on that, SS is your zero-entry pool.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Only owning at VB means you can't book a WDW resort until seven months out and that is just getting harder and harder all the time. Especially for Fall Frenzy. Buy VB if that is where you want to stay.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

looking at current contracts available on DVC store

Those contracts can never be used for non-DVC Disney resorts. So your idea of calling MS and asking for an All-Star is not workable.

 

[The Jackal]

SSR is starting a refurb this year and it will be getting a Murphy style couch bed .Riviera will have this when it opens .The new refurb for SSR, I think will make a. More desirable resort in my opinion .the resort is the largest in DVC so availability should be ok .

 

[TeraCuse]

Everyone has been a huge help in a short period of time. I wasn't aware you could not use points towards other Disney properties. Now comes the huge decision of what home property. I love the low entry cost of SSR, but not crazy about the property personality. I live pretty close to the actual Saratoga Spring so it isn't a huge draw for us. Old Key West seems to be the next in line in terms of cost. And we love Olivia's. Thank you again for all the info!

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Everyone has been a huge help in a short period of time. I wasn't aware you could not use points towards other Disney properties. Now comes the huge decision of what home property. I love the low entry cost of SSR, but not crazy about the property personality. I live pretty close to the actual Saratoga Spring so it isn't a huge draw for us. Old Key West seems to be the next in line in terms of cost. And we love Olivia's. Thank you again for all the info!

Not sure exactly how you figured your numbers (there are numerous variables), but using those numbers your favorite property is roughly $4500 more than your least expensive option. That comes to less than $200 per year spread across the BWV contract. If BWV was my first choice, that seems like a reasonable price to pay.

 

[The Jackal]

Not sure exactly how you figured your numbers (there are numerous variables), but using those numbers your favorite property is roughly $4500 more than your least expensive option. That comes to less than $200 per year spread across the BWV contract. If BWV was my first choice, that seems like a reasonable price to pay.

I’m not sure on how many points the OP is interested but here is a rough estimate on the difference. If one were to buy resale or direct on a 150 point contract SSR would be about $5,000 cheaper then BWV. BWV’s dues are $0.77 more per point right now. 0.77*150= $115.5 more per year. $115.5*24 years is $2,772. So assuming the dues increase the same rate, the price difference is just under $8,000. About $333 a year more for BWV. SSR has 12 more years left after BWV has been taken back and resold by DVC.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I’m not sure on how many points the OP is interested but here is a rough estimate on the difference. If one were to buy resale or direct on a 150 point contract SSR would be about $5,000 cheaper then BWV. BWV’s dues are $0.77 more per point right now. 0.77*150= $115.5 more per year. $115.5*24 years is $2,772. So assuming the dues increase the same the price difference is just under $8,000. About $333 a year more for BWV. SSR has 12 more years left after BWV has been taken back and resold by DVC.

Right.... as I said, I’m not sure how they figured their numbers. There are many variables. I just used their numbers.
That said, even $500 extra per year seems reasonable to me.

 

[CraigInPA]

Keep in mind that DVC works best for people who plan 8-11 months in advance. Trips planned at the last minute, less than 2 months in advance, are going to be difficult unless you have the huge allotment of points required for a Polynesian Bungalow, or don't mind changing rooms every night.

 

[Jason@dvcstore]

After 8-10 years of ownership it will cost you more then owning at Saratoga Springs Resort SSR.

This is the key thing to know about Vero Beach. You should want to own at Vero Beach so you can book the 3 bedroom cottage 7 to 11 months in advance. If you are going to own DVC for more than 10 years and want to book less than 7 months in advance I would recommend owning at Saratoga Springs.

 

[kniquy]

using Vero Beach as a low cost, low risk way to dip our feet in the DVC pool

It is a bit deceiving when vero's price per point is low, but the real cost of ownership is the yearly MF. This will amount to more than your initial buy in and Vero has the highest MF. So it isn't the cheapest way to get into the DVC system. At this point SSR is the best bang for your buck and it is on property. Vero is a very high risk resort. Not only does it have the highest MF it is on the coast which puts it at a high risk for being hit by a hurricane. This scenario would put owners at risk of having to pay higher MF due to "special assessments". It happened to HHI owners recently.

"where can you put us last minute for 2 or 3 days" even if it's an All Star?

DVC is not for the last minute person. It is more for someone who can plan at least 7 months out. The last minute trips could possibly happen if you are talking between Mid January and early September, but mid September through early Jan you would be shut out of all resorts. Room categories which might be available as a last minute trip would likely be larger rooms, GV, 2BR or 1 BR -- studios are not going to be available last minute. Studios book up the soonest as they are the lowest points cost. As for calling to stay at a value resort as a last minute trip, this is a very poor use of points. Buying into DVC you are essentially paying a moderate rate for a deluxe resort. So if you are ok with staying at a value resort, just pay cash for it.

You have found a great resource here on the boards. Any and all questions you have ask here before you jump in to purchase.

 

[CanadaDisney05]

Here is another, non-traditional perspective on the numbers. Here is a comparison of SSR and VB

Lets assume you want around 150 points. VB will cost around $65/point, and SSR will be around $105/point. VB's maintenance fees are roughly $3 more per point than SSR. The easy way to figure out your break even point is to take your upfront savings of $6,000 and divide it by the extra annual maintenance fees of $450. This gives you a breakeven point of 13 years. But this is not fair, because your money upfront is worth more than the money down the line.

Lets assume that you are taking the extra money saved on the upfront cost and investing it at 5% (or by going with VB, you don't have to finance the balance at 5% on an open ended line of credit).

The break even point is about 22.5 years. VB ends in 23 years anyways.

Some Cautionary Items

1) The above calculation assumes you have the extra amount on hand, will be investing it, and withdrawing from this fund to pay the extra maintenance fees every year. In practice, this may not be what you would actually do.

2) If you invest the extra money, but don't use that amount to cover the extra maintenance fees, your budget for maintenance fees will now have to go up by around $3 per point, per year in today's dollars. Of course, at the end of it, you will have a nice chunk of change sitting there.

3) There is still the risk that weather related damages to the coastal properties could lead to a further spread on maintenance fees.

4) The market for resale of VB seems to be dramatically worst than the WDW properties. This becomes an issue if you plan to get out at some point.

5) The contract at VB is 12 years shorter than SSR, so you are either losing 12 years of vacations, or losing out on a potential resale of SSR in 23 years from now. How much this is worth is anyone's guess.

6) There is still the whole issue of possibly not being able to book your hotel at WDW. Atleast with SSR, you can always book SSR and then cancel if there is availability at another resort.