Vero Beach - am I missing something?

[Camilo]

Hi everyone,

I've been reading about DVC for a few weeks now, thinking about buying a few points (50 or 75) from resale as I only plan to go to WDW every other year or so (we live in Canada but our whole family is in Brazil so we go there almost every year).

I understand some people WANT a specific resort to allow them to book 11 months in advance (against 7 months somewhere else). My understanding is that's really the only advantage of owning resort X.

I hate line-ups in the parks, so I try my best to go to WDW during (if we can still call) off-season.

Checking the price of points, I noticed that the Vero Beach Resort can be very cheap in terms of points. Some people are selling their share for $60 a point. There's not another resort as cheap as this "offsite" one.

If one only plans to go in not so busy months (beginning of December, May, January, etc) is there a reason why it would NOT make sense to buy your points at Vero Beach?

Am I missing something?

For instance, I've read here many people that buy at Saratoga but never stay there. Why would it be different from buying (cheaper) at Vero Beach?

Thanks....

Camilo

 

[DisDaydreamer]

Quite simply it is the annual dues, which in the long run is the greatest part of DVC ownership costs.

Maintenance and taxes (annual dues).




Resort--------------------2007 2008
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Beach Club Villas $4.6339/pt. $4.80/pt.

Animal Kingdom $4.62/pt. $4.71/pt.

BoardWalk Villas $4.8512/pt. $5.04/pt.

Wilderness Lodge Villas $4.7281/pt. $4.87/pt.

Hilton Head $4.9839/pt. $5.16/pt.

Old Key West $4.3983/pt. $4.56/pt.

Saratoga Springs $4.1229/pt. $4.21/pt.

Vero Beach $5.6272/pt. $6.04/pt.

 

[PIERCEDRN]

The dues at Vero are much higher than any other resort, so in the short term Vero is a bargain, in the long term the money you saved will be paid back in higher dues.
heres the rates:
Animal Kingdom - $4.71
Beach Club Villas - $4.80
BoardWalk Villas - $5.04
Wilderness Lodge Villas - $4.87
Hilton Head - $5.16
Old Key West - $4.56
Saratoga Springs - $4.21
Vero Beach - $6.04

On my 150 point SSR contract I pay $631.50, on 150 a VB it would be $906.00. If dues stay the same (never happen) Vero total cost will catch up to SSR in around 12 years, after that SSR is "cheaper" overall.
BOB

 

[Camilo]

Wow....
I totally forgot about the different annual fees....
It makes sense now why it's so much cheaper compared to the other resorts.

That brings another question, still about my "profile".

Would it make sense to say that the resort that would make more sense to buy (in my case) would be SSR? Is there anything else that should be taken into account?

Thanks....

 

[TenThousandVolts]

You might not be able to get a room at wdw at the beginningof Dec. booking 7 months out.

Do you like SSR? Do you have a favorite place or do you just want a room at any of the DVCs? OKW is a good choice- you get a lot more mileage out of your points- low dues- great resort.
You can buy 2042 expiration contracts resale- or pay about 104pp from Disney and get a contract that expires in 2057.

 

[5forDiz]

For instance, I've read here many people that buy at Saratoga but never stay there. Why would it be different from buying (cheaper) at Vero Beach?

Thanks....

Camilo

At least you can make your reservation onsite at WDW at 11 month booking window. Even off-peak times of year may be difficult to book at 7 month window at WDW.

Also, be aware that what may typically be thought of as an off-peak season by most travellers may not hold true at WDW. There are many, and this number seems to increase with each passing year, special events scheduled throughout the year at WDW that make low occupancy weeks harder to come by ( examples - marathons, soap week, food & wine festival, Disney Channel Games, golf tournaments, etc. )

We've stayed at Vero Beach & love it but for the above mentioned reasons we decided it is best to have our home resort at WDW.

And the previous poster makes a good point regarding the higher maintenance fees at Vero Beach. So paying more per point to purchase onsite WDW DVC resort vs higher maintenance fees at Vero each year - - is the initial $ saved purchasing at Vero really a true savings ? I can't say for sure because I haven't crunched actual VB numbers (we own onsite) so it would be good idea to do that math to help with your decision.

Good luck

 

[Disney_Villain]

Hi Camilo. I agree with 5forDiz! Buy a WDW home resort if you intend to stay in WDW.

What if you could book nothing but VBR? Would you be happy vacationing there? (I would, but you may not.) Sounds to me like you want a low-priced starter contract, which would be OKW via resale.

You say now that you only travel during low seasons. Will that be true many years from now, over the life of your contract? Also . . . low season for what? The 1st 2 weeks of December are a "low season" for WDW DVC resorts (in term of points charts) . . . but many people fight to get into Wilderness Villas for that period. The same goes for Food & Wine Festival with respect to BCV and BWV. Counting on "low seasons" may not always work for you.

At least you can make your reservation onsite at WDW at 11 month booking window. Even off-peak times of year may be difficult to book at 7 month window at WDW.

Also, be aware that what may typically be thought of as an off-peak season by most travellers may not hold true at WDW. There are many, and this number seems to increase with each passing year, special events scheduled throughout the year at WDW that make low occupancy weeks harder to come by ( examples - marathons, soap week, food & wine festival, Disney Channel Games, golf tournaments, etc. )

We've stayed at Vero Beach & love it but for the above mentioned reasons we decided it is best to have our home resort at WDW.

And the previous poster makes a good point regarding the higher maintenance fees at Vero Beach. So paying more per point to purchase onsite WDW DVC resort vs higher maintenance fees at Vero each year - - is the initial $ saved purchasing at Vero really a true savings ? I can't say for sure because I haven't crunched actual VB numbers (we own onsite) so it would be good idea to do that math to help with your decision.

Good luck

 

[Dean]

Wow....
I totally forgot about the different annual fees....
It makes sense now why it's so much cheaper compared to the other resorts.

That brings another question, still about my "profile".

Would it make sense to say that the resort that would make more sense to buy (in my case) would be SSR? Is there anything else that should be taken into account?

Thanks....

HH is similar price but with lower dues currently though I don't think they'll stay that way. Buying off site only to stay at WDW means your always hoping at the 7 month window. I think that's fine but if one is planning routinely later than the 7 month window, it's likely best not to buy at all.

 

[chalee94]

You might not be able to get a room at wdw at the beginningof Dec. booking 7 months out.

this needs to be repeated:

You might not be able to get a room at wdw (ANYWHERE) at the beginning of Dec. booking 7 months out.

 

[Camilo]

Thanks all for the advice.
I was not taking into account the annual fees.
Also, Disney_Villain, you're right, who knows if our "travel pattern" is not going to change over the years???

In a couple of years, our oldest son will go to school and we might have to re-think, travelling at different times.

I'll keep researching DVC. I'm not sure if it is the right choice for us, we don't mind staying in cheaper hotel rooms, as we barely spend any time at the hotel while at WDW.

Thanks...

 

[Lynne M]

Early December may be not-so-busy in the theme parks, but it's the busiest time of year for DVC resorts. Many, many members book that at the 11-month window, so it will likely be very difficult for you to stay at a resort other than your home resort. Owning at Vero + trying to book WDW in early December is a recipe for stress and disappointment.

Since you mentioned that you're happy staying in cheaper rooms, as you don't spend much time at the resort, then DVC may not be a good fit for you. You almost certainly won't save any money compared to staying at values. If you decide that you want to upgrade to the larger accommodations with extra rooms, then DVC can be a very good value.

 

[JudyS]

Resorts right on a beach (not just DVC) tend to have very high annual fees because of hurricane insurance, and because of the constant weathering caused by exposure to the wind & water. As for why Vero dues are higher than Hilton Head, I don't know, but I'd guess it's the high Florida real estate taxes, plus maybe greater hurricane risk at Vero. That's assuming HH dues stay lower -- Dean, have you heard that HH DVC dues will be going up?

....
I'll keep researching DVC. I'm not sure if it is the right choice for us, we don't mind staying in cheaper hotel rooms, as we barely spend any time at the hotel while at WDW....

If you decide you want DVC, OKW is probably the least expensive, as it has reasonable annual fees, and uses the least points.

I agree with Lynne M that buying DVC doesn't generally make economic sense unless you would be paying to stay in at least in a Disney Moderate room, with the possible exception that DVC studios can be more cost-effective than Disney Value rooms on weeknights (but not Friday & Saturday.) Also, the microwave and mini-fridge in the DVC studios can be a source of cost savings, as can the annual pass discount for frequent Disney visitors.

It wasn't clear to me whether you were talking about staying in cheaper Disney hotel rooms, or cheaper rooms off-site. If you are willing to stay off-site (and give up the many, many on-site perks), that can be far cheaper than staying on-site at Disney, even in a Value room. In the off-season, there can be amazing deals on non-Disney timeshare rentals and exchanges.

 

[Dean]

Dean, have you heard that HH DVC dues will be going up?

Not specifically. But they've gone up quite a bit already, there's likely little difference in hurricane risk between the two (HH & VB) and I believe HH to be inherently expensive in terms of upkeep given the building makeup and weather there. But HH does give one thing that VB doesn't, that is 11 month access to a high demand area (summer HH).

 

[TenThousandVolts]

I have a theory that HH dues will stay in line wit the other resorts. In the past dues were comparitively low- then when they had an unforseen expense they took out a loan and factored that in to the mfs- I am hoping when the loan is paid, dues there will end up somewhere in the middle of the pack.

As far as insurance goes, Orlando is actually a greater hurricane risk area than HHI. But I do think the environment is harder on the buildings at hhi.

My theory is probably heavily influenced by what I hope will happen, as I just bought some HHI points. I am an optimist.
Sorry- got kind of off topic- and as we all know- what the future holds as far as mfs is really just a guessing game- we can guess- but you never know.

 

[Camilo]

It wasn't clear to me whether you were talking about staying in cheaper Disney hotel rooms, or cheaper rooms off-site. If you are willing to stay off-site (and give up the many, many on-site perks), that can be far cheaper than staying on-site at Disney, even in a Value room. In the off-season, there can be amazing deals on non-Disney timeshare rentals and exchanges.

Although I consider myself a huge Disney fan, I don't go as often as I wanted to. The last 2 times I went to Orlando, I stayed offsite.

Once in a hotel at International Drive, called Universal Hotel (almost across Wet'n Wild waterpark), I was told this hotel has a new name.

Last time, in 2006, in Kissimmee, at Best Western Lakeside. The hotel was pretty good and staying a week there costed about the same it would cost me in annual fees at DVC (assuming I would buy 75 points in OKW).

I enjoyed both hotels a lot....

I have yet to stay onsite (would like to start by going to Values and then try DVC or Moderate) to compare. I know onsite guests have their perks (free parking, EMH, some discounts in restaurants, etc), I just don't know if it would be worth for me.

And you're right: the offsite timeshare offers make it extremely cheap to stay in a good resort. Right now, one is able to stay 7 nights in Silver Lake for U$ 249.00 + 90 minutes to watch their timeshare presentation.

I'll keep researching....