VWL availability planning question

[PamelaASmith]

We are considering officially joining the DVC family. I ran the numbers based on our usage, room preferences, calendar, etc. Looks like our investment would pay for itself about two years faster if we purchased SSR vs. VWL (through the Timeshare Store). However, VWL is by far our favorite resort and is where we would prefer to stay. Can someone please point me to a thread that gives information on VWL availability for 2 bedroom villas? Or, is the information somewhat peppered around the boards? We are wondering if the 7 month booking window would be a problem. Our preferred travel times would be (in order of preference): Last week of October, First week of June, Last week of March, Middle of January.
Thank you for your help!

 

[Sammie]

There is no specific info about availability only personal experiences. VWL is a small resort. At 7 months there will definitely be times it will be difficult to book.

Early December is a very hard time to get at VWL due to Christmas decorations.

Honestly I would never recommend buying anywhere you would not be happy staying there all of time, for truly this is all you are guaranteed is home resort bookings.

If you have your heart set on VWL, best to buy there.

If it would not matter, then yes there are times you will be able to get VWL at 7 months or by wait listing.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I agree with Sammie. VWL is very small and people love the fall and winter there - makes them feel like it should be cooler than it is.

If you really want VWL, buy your points at VWL and use them anyplace you like. But you should always be able to book at 11 months out at VWL and then change if you decide you want to stay elsewhere.

 

[PamelaASmith]

Thanks very much for the advice. I greatly appreciate it!

 

[Granny]

If you have your heart set on VWL, best to buy there.

I agree. Sounds like you would be disappointed if you can't regularly get VWL.

Frankly, the times you mention are mostly pretty easy times to book VWL at the 7 month mark. So you could roll the dice on getting what you want at that point.

Two issues I see with that though. The first is...do you really want your vacation planning to be "iffy" every year, holding your breath that you won't get shut out of VWL? For us, we wanted to be able to book VWL at the 11 month mark and so we own there. Vacations shouldn't be stressful even in the planning stages!

The other issue is...do you really think your vacation timing won't change in the next 30+ years? That you'll never want to go to WDW sometime during the last 6 weeks of the year when you definitely need the 11 month mark to book VWL? Or some other higher demand period? We vacationed several years based on our children's school schedules so we only came in the summer months. Now with both of them in college, DW and I are enjoying trips at other times of the year as well.

The key phrase I read was "However, VWL is by far our favorite resort and is where we would prefer to stay.". That alone tells me you are better off purchasing VWL points.

Good luck!

 

[Sandisw]

We went through the same debate when we bought in 2009, SSR vs. BLT. We would save about $5000 doing it this way but we knew that if we had to stay anywhere but BLT, unless we made the choice to do so, would be a disppointment.

In the end, we bought at BLT and spent the extra money to ensure we get what we want. Where we stay is very important to our vacation so in the end decided it wasn't worth it.

And, even if we looked at this as only a 10 year committment (and we will be going to Disney much longer than that), we really spent an extra $500 per trip--we go once a year--to ensure we were happy.

DVC is a big investment, IMO, and for us, we decided it was better to spend $20,000 on somethng that I love than $15,000 on something I didn't.

 

[jennib5426]

I have a little bit of a different thought.
I bought at SSR because it had the best deals even though it is not my first choice of resort. But I like all the DVC resorts so I book SSR at 11 months and then call back at 7 months to see what I can get. I have had great luck over the past few years and stayed at SSR 1, BCV 3, AKV 1 & OKW 2. I have had the choice of WL, BLT & BW at the 7 month mark over the years but have choosen BCV everytime when available. I am happy staying at any DVC so I just wanted to buy in at the best deal I could get.

 

[wildernessDad]

What if you buy somewhere else and they do away with the booking at other resorts at 7 months? I think that'd be a long shot, but it is a minor consideration.

 

[LisaS]

I consider the extra money we spent buying a VWL contract instead of SSR (and the higher dues we pay every year as a result) as insurance. I like to book our trip 11 months out and know we are going to be exactly where we want to be. I'm not interested in rolling the dice and hoping I can get in 7 months out. VWL is a small resort and while I think we could get in for our May trips I doubt we would for our early December trips.

We've seen some changes in DVC's rules over the years so I don't want to have to worry about whether they might decide to change the home booking window or do anything else that might make it more difficult for non-owners to book there.

 

[sleepydog25]

As others have correctly pointed out, if you'd be content to stay at SSR should the 7-month reservation (and waitlisting should nothing be available then) not pan out, then by all means, save money and buy there. My original contract was for SSR, and for the five trips I took on those points, I managed to get into VWL each visit at varying times during the years. However, I'll leave you with a small anecdote. A friend of mine from many years ago was in the car selling business. He once told me that the most disappointed customers he ever had were those who got the very best deal out there regardless of vehicle. Conversely, the happiest patrons were those who might not have gotten the rock-bottom price but those who purchased the cars they wanted. Good luck with your decision.

P.S. I wound up buying a VWL contract earlier this year and will be staying at "home" for five days during the Christmas holidays. . .

 

[cmanuli]

I think your chances for late october, or middle of Jan would be good at 7 months, I actually just booked the other day for VWL February 9 to 13th 2011

 

[Nutty4Disney]

I was able to book VWL at 7 months for Jan. 22-29 without any trouble. This is the first time we are staying at a resort other than our home - AKV. I always book at 11 months at AKV than change it when the 7 month window opens so I am sure of having a place to stay. Of course we stay in a studio which might make a difference.

 

[PamelaASmith]

Thanks to all of you for your advice. It is very helpful.

Granny, I would love to hear more about how your Disney vacations have changed now that your kids are in college. We will be in the same situation in 11 years. Right now, Disney is our family bonding time, our get-away to be kids with our kids. Our kids even like doing the "grown-up" things with us, like the Food and Wine Festival and eating sushi at California Grill. I just can't imagine what it would be like to go without them. My husband thinks we will use the DVC heavily for about 10 years, then he wonders what we will do then. Sounds like you've got it all figured out, and I'd love to hear more about it!

 

[sleepydog25]

Granny will have wonderful perspectives on how to use Disney in the future, but I thought I'd toss in a few things from my own. . .
- I know it's a long way off, but remember, your grandkids will likely love Disney.
- Once your children get to the point they may not want to or can't go, consider saving up points and taking a cruise (yes, I know some will chime in that such isn't a good use of points, but it is an option).
- Take adult-oriented trips--make the F&W Festival an opportunity to explore new foods and wines you might have put off trying before, or use a out-of-the-blue trip as a mid-marriage honeymoon.
- Consider giving your kids an expense paid (accomodations, at least) trip to WDW or DL as a honeymoon gift.

The possibilities are endless. . .

 

[Granny]

Thanks to all of you for your advice. It is very helpful.

Granny, I would love to hear more about how your Disney vacations have changed now that your kids are in college. We will be in the same situation in 11 years. Right now, Disney is our family bonding time, our get-away to be kids with our kids. Our kids even like doing the "grown-up" things with us, like the Food and Wine Festival and eating sushi at California Grill. I just can't imagine what it would be like to go without them. My husband thinks we will use the DVC heavily for about 10 years, then he wonders what we will do then. Sounds like you've got it all figured out, and I'd love to hear more about it!

Sleepydog made some great points about using DVC when the kids get older.

We purchased DVC when our daughters were 12 and 10 years old. Like many others, we wish we would have bought earlier but frankly we weren't interested until they build a DVC resort at WL. That sold us on buying as the entire family has a strong emotional connection to that resort.

The key question about going to WDW as empty-nesters is...do you and your husband really love going to WDW or is pretty much just for the kids? It sounds like you and your husband like it a lot as you aren't focusing exclusively on the children's events and attractions. If so, you will find that a couples trip is strange at first, but awesome in its own way. Very relaxing and low stress.

And being able to book at other times besides the summer...wow! We got used to the Florida summers and always enjoyed our trips but it really is great to go when the weather is mild and the crowds a little less.

We are several years off (I hope) from having grandchildren, so for now we enjoy our DVC vacations as a couple. And yes, one of our college daughters still loves to go so she is included at least once per year.

Good luck...and enjoy your future trips to WDW.

 

[Donna M]

We bought when our kids were 13 and 15. When the older one started college, we let the younger one bring along a friend. Now that both are in college we enjoy going solo. We have friends who also belong, and travel with them. We've cruised together on Disney too. We still are trying to travel down with another couple who are members. Next year we plan to treat a family to Disney with us. We also bring family with us.

I'm looking forward -way forward- to the day we can bring grandchildren down.

We treat Disney as a resort. We may only go into the parks once while we are down there.

 

[PamelaASmith]

Thanks everyone. DH and I had a long talk last night. I can't quite get him to go for it. It's not a dead idea yet, but it's on life support.

According to my calculations, it will cost about the same for the next 8-9 years, whether we join DVC or just continue to rent points for our vacations. The difference to me is that at the end of that period, either we are left with nothing, or we are left with a "pre-paid" vacation plan that we can use for 25 more years. That logical argument makes it a no-brainer for me. He accepts all of this, but he can't quite get past the feeling of being "locked into" a Disney vacation after the kids are grown up. I have tried to point out that there are other options besides Disney resorts, but his argument back is that he just doesn't like the commitment part. So, we shall see. I won't force him to do it, but I don't think I'm going to give up. I just need to do some more research, I guess, especially with respect to using the DVC points to travel to destinations outside of the resorts. I think it would be a fabulous convenience and would save me the leg work of trying to pick out a decent vacation place! Sigh.

 

[gkrykewy]

Probably not the answer you want to hear, but buying DVC with the intention of using it for trading out to other resorts/destinations down the line probably isn't a great move. There are a thousand other timeshares you could buy for a dollar on ebay with roughly equivalent trading power. DVC makes sense for DVC resorts only (whether at WDW or elsewhere), and to a lesser extent, other Disney trading options like cruising.

 

[Sandisw]

Thanks everyone. DH and I had a long talk last night. I can't quite get him to go for it. It's not a dead idea yet, but it's on life support.

According to my calculations, it will cost about the same for the next 8-9 years, whether we join DVC or just continue to rent points for our vacations. The difference to me is that at the end of that period, either we are left with nothing, or we are left with a "pre-paid" vacation plan that we can use for 25 more years. That logical argument makes it a no-brainer for me. He accepts all of this, but he can't quite get past the feeling of being "locked into" a Disney vacation after the kids are grown up. I have tried to point out that there are other options besides Disney resorts, but his argument back is that he just doesn't like the commitment part. So, we shall see. I won't force him to do it, but I don't think I'm going to give up. I just need to do some more research, I guess, especially with respect to using the DVC points to travel to destinations outside of the resorts. I think it would be a fabulous convenience and would save me the leg work of trying to pick out a decent vacation place! Sigh.

Remember, there is a resale market out there and you could always sell it once the kids are grown and possibly recoup some of the money so there is a way to get out to do other things down the road.

And, if he is okay with renting and ending up with nothing, tell him that at least by buying, you have a chance of recouping some of your money when you sell--but even if you don't, you are in no worse shape than as a renter (just trying to give you another argument!!!!)

 

[sleepydog25]

Here's an option: get hubby to come on the Disboards to ask questions. It's a low-threat environment, and though you will largely get pro-DVC owners on here, there are those who won't be. And even those who do love DVC will be more than happy to address any concerns he may have. We have been where you two are and can give him an honest evaluation of buying into DVC. Even that might not convince him, but at least you'd have a community of people with varying ideas about what it means to own here.