Vero Beach or HHI? Will use at WDW primarily.

[DanaHesson]

Is there an issue with buying at Vero Beach or Hilton Head Island if I will primarily use my points (well almost always) at another resort? I know they are a little more affordable on the resale market than the resorts in Orlando. Are there any negatives I need to be aware of other than the priority booking issue? TIA!!

 

[salmoneous]

There's a reason those points are cheaper! The big one in maintenance fees. Over the life of your contract you will pay more in maintenance fees than you did for your points, so be sure to factor that into your decision. As you mention, the booking priority is also a factor to consider.

 

[mikesmom]

Yes, there are issues. The first is the Maintenance Fees (MF). Over the life of your membership you will pay FAR more in MF than your initial outlay for membership. Vero Beach has the highest MF of any of the DVC resorts.

Also, the booking issue may be bigger than you think it is. At 7 months you are competing with EVERY other member for onsite accomodations. As DVC membership gets larger, that gets harder to do. If I had a nickel for everyone who comes on these Boards to say "Why can't I get a ressie at 7 months in December? I though if I never traveled in summer I could always get a reservation.", I would have a lot of nickels. Truth of the matter is, DVC busy times are not WDW busy times. If you want to travel in the 4th quarter, at any Holiday (and by ANY, I mean even little ones like Columbus Day), near the Marathon in January, or Spring Break, DVC accomodations can be a challenge. If you reserve right at the 7th month window, you will almost always get something (except for New Years Eve), but flexibility will be key. If you get your heart set on a Grand Villa, Savannah view at AKL, or one of the smaller DVC resorts (BWV, BCV, VWL) you could get disappointed. The most important issue here is that if you buy, for instance, SSR and you want a ressie at BCV and don't get it- well, you are still at WDW and there's always next time. But, if you buy at Vero, want a ressie at BCV and don't get it - you have an awfully long drive to get to WDW.

 

[DanaHesson]

Because it is one of the less expensive, it is a WDW, and the maintenance fees are lower. We usually travel in september, november, or january. So would a September use year be good for us?

 

[Mtnman44]

If you want to buy OKW, just a wait a few weeks and then disney will be selling shiny new OKW contracts with new 2057 expiration dates, for only $96 per point. Or, if you are look for absolute lost cost option AND you want a longer contract, SSR is a good option as it sells for around $85 on the resale market and it also has the lowest maint fees.

Yes, Sept UY would be a good choice if you normally vacation in the Fall/winter.

 

[CarolAnnC]

I always say, buy where you want to stay....

 

[bobbiwoz]

If you buy and want to stay at OKW, fine. Their studios have 2 Q's, not a Q and a pull out sofa, and most of their buildings do not have elevators, in fact, only 3 do. The 1-2-3 bedroom units are large and spacious.

Buy where you want to stay!

Bobbi

 

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

Another vote for buying where you would like to stay the most.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

There's a reason those points are cheaper! The big one in maintenance fees. Over the life of your contract you will pay more in maintenance fees than you did for your points, so be sure to factor that into your decision. As you mention, the booking priority is also a factor to consider.

Well, that is relative to the number of points you purchase vs. the purchase price difference. On a lot of points, maybe. But not that much on smaller contracts. That said, Vero Beach does not trade as well as WDW resorts (Dean correct me if I'm wrong!)

 

[DanaHesson]

So OKW would be a huge step up for us in a one bedroom. Not to mention it appears it would be fairly cost effective and cost comparable in the long run.I WANT AKV, but I don't want to pay for it. I will be 85 in 2057 and likely in an assisted living, or worse. I have no need for a contract that long. Right now it is just my husband and I, no children, so a one bedroom is perfect.

All of you that are saying buy where you want to stay, is it THAT hard to get in at another resort?

 

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

................................................
All of you that are saying buy where you want to stay, is it THAT hard to get in at another resort?

As I mentioned before, buying where you want to stay would be my vote.

We bought OKW when it was the first DVC Property. We use the 11 month window for a 2BR or GV during the Summer/July 4th Holidays.

We bought VWL for the 11 month window for the Christmas Holidays.

Finally, we bought AKV primarily for Spring reservations at 11 months.

Of course we don't stick exclusively to the dates/periods and have not always been successful getting exactly what we wanted, however, we were confident these purchases gave us the best shot and they usually have.

Best of luck with your "no lose" decision!

 

[vettechick99]

This is similar to what we are thinking, except not Vero but HHI. We only live a few hours from there so we'd likely vacation there as much as we would WDW. If not more.

But does anyone have a calculator on long-term costs - like the difference if we bought SSR at $82/pt with the lower fews vs. HHI at $72/pt with the higher fees?

 

[CarolMN]

The competition to book at 7 months will only get larger and larger.

Disney has just announced a plan to build a DVC resort in Hawaii. In the same press releases, they have suggested they are also considering other locations that do not have a theme park associated with them. Don't you think those who buy those "non-theme park" resorts will want to visit WDW - at least occasionally?

If you want to stay on site, buy something on site. If you don't, your membershipo is almost surely going to be a large source of stress!

 

[lisaviolet]

So OKW would be a huge step up for us in a one bedroom.

Well I would love the footage when you first walk into an OKW one bedroom!

Aaaaah. What a memory....what a memory.

Best of luck with whatever you choose,

Lisa

 

[Eeyore's Pal]

I know this is a moldy-oldy rumor/concern: What if DVC sold off HHI or VB? This question has rolled around now and then for several years. If that came to pass, it is unlikely those points would hold their value for a trade for a WDW DVC reservation.

 

[dwelty]

The competition to book at 7 months will only get larger and larger.

Disney has just announced a plan to build a DVC resort in Hawaii. In the same press releases, they have suggested they are also considering other locations that do not have a theme park associated with them. Don't you think those who buy those "non-theme park" resorts will want to visit WDW - at least occasionally?

If you want to stay on site, buy something on site. If you don't, your membershipo is almost surely going to be a large source of stress!

Yes, but there could be likely more WDW owners (due to the high number of members there) that would also want to stay in Hawaii. This would create avalibility at WDW. Unless DVC builds a resort in a really crappy location, it will always even out.

 

[DanaHesson]

The responses have been very helpful. If we go with the "buy where you want to stay" group, we will end up at Animal Kingdom Villas. If we go the practical, less expensive route, I dont yet know where we will end up. I have to admit the announcement of a Hawaii Resort does sweeten the pot a bit.

I have also been doing some more research into the tax implications and the financing. It is NOT a good time for us to do a home equity loan because of some home repairs done last year, so that is basically out, but I would HATE to lose out on the tax deductibility of the interest. Does anyone know of a way to finance on the resale market that preserves your right to deduct?

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Subscribing.

We are also looking at buying into HHI as our first DVC purchase and then adding on a smaller contract at a WDW resort. My parents live in Charleston so we visit the SC coast several times a year and would definitely stay at HHI at least once a year.

If I understand correctly we can book at the 11 month window at any of our "home" properties so if we had say 200 pts at HHI and 50 pts at SSR we could book at 11 months out at either place and use our 250 total points at either place. Is this correct?

 

[bobbiwoz]

Subscribing.

We are also looking at buying into HHI as our first DVC purchase and then adding on a smaller contract at a WDW resort. My parents live in Charleston so we visit the SC coast several times a year and would definitely stay at HHI at least once a year.

If I understand correctly we can book at the 11 month window at any of our "home" properties so if we had say 200 pts at HHI and 50 pts at SSR we could book at 11 months out at either place and use our 250 total points at either place. Is this correct?

At 11-8 months you can only book at the home resort of the points. It's at 7 months out that you can combine the points for a 250 point reservation. Of course, you can borrow, but the points at 11-8 months out must be from the resort you are booking.

Bobbi

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

At 11-8 months you can only book at the home resort of the points. It's at 7 months out that you can combine the points for a 250 point reservation. Of course, you can borrow, but the points at 11-8 months out must be from the resort you are booking.

Bobbi

Thanks for clearing that up for me.