Vero and other offsite Disney Locations

[Br'erBriere]

Looking at some of the offsite DVC Resales like Vero and Hilton Head, is there any reason there are more of those available?

If all points are equal, and you can stay at any of the DVC locations, but get more points for less money, isnt that the bargain?

Just wondering if there is a catch.

 

[sjcampbl]

No catch, necessarily. We've done largely the same thing with Old Key West. There are pluses/minuses, however.

We have never had much of a problem staying wherever we've wanted to given the 7 month reservation windows. We usually travel in early December or late January, and June. Last December was a bit busier, however.

The dues at OKW are less than many of the other resorts and as you mentioned, the buy-in cost was less.

Although we like to stay at almost all the resorts and take advantage of that most times, we are perfectly happy with OKW if that is our only option. We usually book there at 11 months and then change at 7.

It's been a while since I've reviewed all the rules, however, I believe DVC can pull the privilege of resort swapping at some point. Don't necessarily buy-in to Vero/HH if you never want to go there. OKW may be a good happy medium.

Good luck.

 

[ToddyLu]

IF you are going to buy HHI or Vero to stay there, then great go for it! But if you are just looking to buy inexpensive points to stay on Disney property then OKW and SSR are your best options. Having OKW or SSR gives you the benefit of booking 11 months out at those resorts ahead of other owners. Then at 7 months you can use the points at Vero or HHI or any other resort where you can get a reservation. Having points at a WDW property insures that you will have accomodations there when needed. So you wouldn't necessarilly benefit from having Vero/HHi points if you are planning Disney trips.

The other catch is Maintenance Fees or MFs. Vero and HHI have expensive MF compared to some of the Disney properties. The reason these are high is to cover insurance in case of weather/hurricans, etc. Plus I think there is a very small risk (very very small) that Disney could pull out of these resorts at anytime, but that is very unlikely. Most people love Vero and HHI and they both get rave reviews. My DH and I only want to stay at Disney (we already live on the Gulf Coast) so we bought at AKV. It is the resort we wanted to stay at most and having it as our "home resort" gives us the advantage when booking 11 months out. If a different resort at 7 months didn't come through then we would always be happy having our reservations there.

If you are looking at Resales be sure you also consider MFs. We pay higher MFs at AKV for the view and up keep but it is worth it becasue the points for different times of year are lower. You just have to consider the big picture.

THis being said there are my people in DVC who own at Vero and HHI and have not had a problems booking a WDW resort at 7 minths with those points.

 

[5forDiz]

What you may perceive as a substantial savings buying at HHI or VB is going to be eaten up by higher dues at each of these resorts. But ymmv, and you may feel that based upon how long you plan to own the contract that you will save $.

You will not be able to book at WDW DVC resorts until 7 month booking window opens at which point you will be in competition with all DVC members who are attempting to book at non-home resorts. If you want to book all or majority of your trips onsite at WDW then jmho buy at an onsite DVC unless you absolutely and positively will not mind having to keep the reservation you have at your Home Resort of HHI or VB made during your owner's priority booking window ( 11 months through 7 months+1day before checkin date you want ).

 

[Sandisw]

While HH and VB look less expensive in the short term (initial buy in costs), their higher MF's eat up that savings pretty quickly, especially compared to SSR.

If your goal is to be at WDW, then I think SSR is the best value out there (providing you are okay with this as your home resort). It runs around $15.00 more per point, but it expires 12 years later (in 2054 vs. 2042 for VB and HH) and has MF's about $2.00 per point less than the other two. Based on that, any upfront savings would be eaten up in about 7 - 8 years.

And, by owning a WDW resort, you know you can book 11 months out and have a place at WDW. At 7 months, you can always try the other resorts, but if there is not the availability that you need, at least you know you are all set.

With VB and HH, you are at the mercy of the 7 month rule and while getting something on property is always possible, there are times where you could find yourself with a missing night or two right in the middle of your vacation.

Now, if you plan to stay at VB or HH, then buying there would make some sense.

Good luck!!