We just signed up!!! Questions on VB

[Richyams]

While most aren't as candid as I am, the one piece of advice that every single person will agree on is to buy where you plan to stay.

"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs", Karl Marx, pretty sick, huh?

 

[LooHoo]

Garette79,
Please do not second guess your reasoning for buying at Vero Beach. I bought at Vero for pretty much the same reasons as you are stating. I do not live in Florida but I am flexible about my travel and where I am willing to stay. I have never regretted buying at Vero Beach ! Best thing I ever did. I can tell you about my personal experience to hopefully ease your mind. I have made reservations at Boardwalk at the 7 month mark for a standard view studio. I have never had any trouble booking OKW ever! I just did an outside exchange for a two bedroom unit in Loch Lommond Scotland for the use of my Vero points and only a one bedroom worht of points so Vero trades very well. I received an exchange for England and also the four seasons in Arizona. No problems with trade power at all. I never feel stuck with my DVC and I have really enjoyed the timeshare program. I have seen other people back out of deals based on what Rich has said and its really to bad. I almost did because he scared me at first until I researched it on my own. Most reservations are made six months or less according to several guides that I am friendly with. They have no reason to lie to me as they are friends of mine. A large amount of guides utilized the magical begginigs program as it was a great deal! All the contracts for every resort have a clause in there about the termination of a DVC resort. ALL not just vero ! It can only be used for a very limited situations such as natural desasters. Vero beach is at 54% sold and is probubally more than that cause that was a few months ago. People need to realize that they are leasing an 11 month priority window at 1 particular resort and after that you are entilted to several different options that the program offers. You can use those options to stay whevere you want! I do all the time. For a guide to tell you this information it is not a lie! But, ultimatly you need to decide for yourself. It souds like your guide has been truthful and helpful. Of course there may be times when you cant get into a particular resort, that holds true for everyone given different situations. DVC offers flexibilty to its consumers - If you want to have more assurances than a regular timeshare would be the way to go for some. Once agian it is the best purchase I ever made and I chuckle all the way to the bank when I think that I paid 52 per point when points were going for 67. Extra incentive or not the resort is selling briskley and if you do not mind giving up the 11 month booking window lease at a WDW resort and replacing it with the 7 month window you will be fine. I myself do not make my ressies more than 5-6 months out - planning 11 months is to far away for my tastes. The program is flexible and that requires it consumers to be flexible. Go for it! You will never regret it. WELCOME HOME neighbor!

KAY

 

[RobDoc]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Proof is pretty easy for this one DOC. The first half may well be true, the second half "The eleven month window is not a concern" is pretty obviously a lie. Last year people couldn't get into BWV, any room, any view, at the nine month mark let alone the seven month mark. [/quote]

At least you've finally admitted that all of your statements aren't based on fact.
As for the "proof" you've offered... you are basing your comments on something posted on the internet by a few people. When were these people unable to reserve...did they try again a week later...what room type did they request....how many people had this problem vs how many got their reservation the first try???? If your comment means "I've read that someone was unable to get a room with their first call"- then I can accept that as a fact, as it has happened to me. To call that proof is very misleading, as it is hearsay at best and does not describe the entire situation at all. In my case, when I called the next day, I was able to make the reservation which wasn't available the day before.
DVC does give their sales staff access to statistical information not provided to the rest of us. Included is information about reservation habits. I would tend to believe that most reservations are made within 7 months- even at the BWV. I have no "proof" of that- just my opinion based on my personal experience.... and comments made by CM's at DVC member services. I have never been exposed to those comments from the sales staff, but have no reason to challenge them if they did tell me that.

 

[KMarie]

Thank you for the encouragement, Laura S. And LooHoo, thank you for the information you supplied on VB.

The VB negativity I have read seems inconsistent with my experience in trying to book a trip there. If VB is such a "failure," one would think that reservations there, even those on short-notice, would be easy to get. I haven't found that to be the case. Meanwhile, I continue to hear positive things about that resort from those who have been there, and I'm anxious for the seven-month window to hit so I can schedule my visit.

 

[kem330]

MaryAnn, Please let us know if you have success geting your ressies, I, too, am waiting for final close and member#. In reviewing all the posts, it seems that one could conclude that if you are flexible, it doesn't matter where you buy. If you have a strong preference,then buy where you plan to stay. Just curious- since Vero is also a hotel, aren't they able to rent unpurchased units and recoup expenses that way? How successful are they at the hotel business v.s. timeshare at Vero? It's a great location, I would think it wouldn't matter if they don't sell as many DVC as long as they can keep the rooms rented. Although I have to wonder about the impact as Rich said, of purchasers who primarily use points at WDW. It does seem that that will have a neg. impact on availability for WDW owners.

 

[garrett79]

Loohoo, Doc, et al. Thank you very much for all of the feed back and providing an alternative view to Rich's perspective. LooHoo, can you explain a little more about the trading and how that worked with VB?

 

[Desnik]

I am also one of those people who was purchasing at VB and then cancelled. We were flat out LIED to. Thank God for these boards or we would have made a purchase we would have been disappointed with! We are waiting for BCV and will purchase there. Nothing against VB, but we plan on being in WDW for most, if not all of our DVC trips. To answer your original question, we have stayed at VB and enjoyed it very much. It is beautiul and such a relaxing atmosphere. The staff was great, and they have lots of kids and family activities. Enjoy your new purchase and congrats!

 

[RoutemanDan]

I am a Vero owner and almost backed out myself after reading some of the "OPINIONS" on these boards.After giving it much thought ,I stuck with it.We are very flexible with when we travel and with what size accommodations are /will be available.Maybe it's just beginners luck, but I booked a stay at OKW studio for 4/28-5/07 less than three months out.
Good luck with any decision you make.
Welcome Home!

<img src=http://www.geocities.com/waltsdream_club/rmandandvc201.gif>

<img src=http://www.geocities.com/routemandan/NJdvcers.gif>
Dan ºoº

 

[garrett79]

Desnik, thanks for the info. How were you lied to? Can you provide any examples?

 

[PamOKW]

LooHoo THANK YOU! Finally, a very informative piece on Vero. I agree that it is not right to scare people off of their decisions by stating "facts" that are really educated opinion.

All of us here really have no idea how hard or easy it is to book at the resorts. We can guess based upon what we share with each other but there are 48,000+ DVC members. There are maybe 20 who post regularly here and a few hundred who lurk and/or post from time to time. We're not a very big sample I don't see where the guides are lying about anything concerning home resort choice.

As to Vero's success as a resort...it appears to be extremely successful. They resort is not left vacant if members aren't using it. They seem to have a very successful business meeting and wedding hosting business happening at Vero. One rumor we've heard is the possiblity of adding a conference center to the resort. They have a lot more land to play with at Vero and to decide how they will use it. The land is only becoming more and more valuable as Disney holds on to it so time will tell how things will build out. I've seen articles in the past that show no indication that Disney has abandoned all plans for the "other side of the road".

 

[Desnik]

garrett79: These were just some of the lies we were told: "It doesn't matter what your home resort is, you can book anywhere" "if you buy only 150pts. that won't get you anything, you have to buy at least 240pts." "the 11 month and 7 month window don't mean anything, you'll have no problem getting into the BWV at peak times, maybe not at x-mas, but you don't want to be here at x-mas anyway, it's too busy" Your VB pts. are worth the same as BWV" "your monthly dues will always be much lower than on-site DVC" If I can remember more I'll post them. Our guide also told us a bunch of lies not purtaining to DVC, but the lies about the DVC were not only told by 1 guide, but by 2!!

 

[Richyams]

I guess it comes down to advantages vs disadvantages.

Advantages of owning at VB when planning to vacation at WDW:

MB saves some money up front

I can't think of any others...

Disadvantages:

Highest dues of any DVC resort

Studios, especially standard view studios can be difficult at any time of year.

General problems associated with ONLY HAVING THE 7 MONTH WINDOW TO WORK WITH.

VB also asks the lowest price for resales

If the remote possibility of DVC selling anything does happen, VB will no lobger offer the ability to stay at WDW at all.

I think that it also comes down to asking why the DVC sales staff needs to resort to lies and fraud to sell VB points.

"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs", Karl Marx, pretty sick, huh?

 

[maryisme]

I just happened to get off the phone with a disney rep who offered me a wonderful incentive to purchase at vb. This incentive was only applicable for vb. If i were to purchase at vb, i would be given the same amount of points i purchased. Example, if i purchased 150 points, i would receive an additional 150 points from the sept 2000 use year. I could either use those points, or disney would buy them back and i could credit it toward my purchase. They would credit me $1950 toward my purchase bringing down the cost of my purchase to $8850. They sure do make it sound attractive and tempting to purchase at vb. Unfortunately for me, it wouldn't make sense for us to purchase there. Has anyone else been offfered this "deal"?

 

[garrett79]

Ok, Rich, I really need to understand something. Did they dupe you at DVC sales into buying VB or do you just hate them in general? As Doc mentioned, I haven't seen any proof otherwise. Additionally, I dont care where I stay on property and was able to get a standard or preffered view at BWV this morning without any problem for Labor Day weekend. Besides, who wants to be there in a peak season anyway? So, any concerns about a 7 month window are pretty much moot at this point to me........

 

[garrett79]

Desnik, what were the names of the guides?Thanks

 

[SwampFox]

While I certainly know the context of the conversation where these sales "statements" were supposedly made, I don't agree that all of the quotes were lies.

"It doesn't matter what your home resort is, you can book anywhere" --- This is actually an important component of the DVC program. You CAN make reservations at any of the DVC resorts with your points. (Not a lie)

"if you buy only 150pts. that won't get you anything, you have to buy at least 240pts." --- Context might make a difference here, but many guides get an idea of what a buyers intended travel needs areand use that to suggest how many points may be be needed. That could explain why 240 points would be more appropriate than 150. In any event- that discrepancy is pretty easy for anyone to compute. (IMO- Not a lie)

"the 11 month and 7 month window don't mean anything, you'll have no problem getting into the BWV at peak times, maybe not at x-mas, but you don't want to be here at x-mas anyway, it's too busy" --- Maybe the words "no problem" are a little strong, but lots of people have reported here making reservations at OKW and even the BWV on fairly short notice. Again- this is part of the DVC program. If you are flexible- those reservations are entirely possible. (IMO- Not a lie)

"Your VB pts. are worth the same as BWV" --- Very true!!! The points owned at VB are valued the same as any other DVC resort when making a reservation- whether at a DVC resort or an exchange or another WDW resort. (Not a lie)

"your monthly dues will always be much lower than on-site DVC" --- If this is an actual direct quote- in context, then it is NOT accurate. IMO, this would be a pretty dumb statement to make since it is so easy to confirm. (You could have confirmed it at the presentation by merely asking what dues were at the other DVC resorts.) (Certainly a misleading lie- if an accurate quote!)

The DVC vacation guides are still sales people and try to find ways to explain the advantages of their program and their particular resort. Most of the "quotes" you mention are well within the parameters of the program. The qualifying is done when- in practice- on any given day there could be a reservation which is unavailable. That is why everything is "subject to availability".
Sorry you feel so abused by the guide(s) you had. Looks like you were able to overcome at least some of the bad feelings, since you say you are still interested in DVC. Will you still consider buying from a DVC guide or wait for BCV to be available through resale?

 

[kem330]

maryisme, As far as I know, they offer you year 2000 points at all the resorts. If you were buying VWL for example, you might get an Aug use year and get points from aug 2000 as well as aug 2001

 

[Richyams]

No, I bought way back in '92 and added on in '93, there were no other resorts back then.

I think DVC is the greatest thing in the world. I have had a bunch of friends anf family buy in also.

Again, maybe because I love DVC so much that I feel personally hurt and insulted when DVC sullies their reputation by having their sales staff lie and use fraud to sell DVC points, especially VB points.

Maryisme just reported a new desperate measure they are using to try and get someone, anyone to buy those points. What is more insulting is that they are selling many of those points to people who have no intention of ever seeing VB. Once they sell the other half the points, people who bought at VB are going to have alot more competition at the seven month window.

Not only do I think DVC is a great thing, but VB is a beautiful resort. It truly is, but it is in an industry that has found a new price level, a price level that DVC is not on. It turns out that the Disney name was not enough to sell the resort.

When I say "Failed", I mean as a timeshare venture as part of DVC. I think that it has very clearly FAILED in that sense.

I think they will soon take my suggestion of giving away free VB points with breakfast at Olivia's....

"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs", Karl Marx, pretty sick, huh?

 

[RobDoc]

Maryisme- that is the MB program which has been offered at all of the DVC resorts for some time. The only difference is that at VB they are willing to buy back all of the 1st years points (instead of 50%) at $13 apiece (instead of $10).
There are not really an "extra" 150 points - since that deal is available at all DVC resorts. You're getting the 2000 allotment of points and then another allotment in 2001 (that's how the program works all the time).
Thanks for reporting that- it is currently an important feature of VB sales. Enjoy!

Doc
doc@wdwinfo.com

 

[LooHoo]

Garrett,
I would be happy to tell you more about the exchange options. You may exchnage your points through DVC contract with interval international. All you need do is call MS to request a location and give a time frame and size of unit you are looking for. I wanted anything in Scotland and gave a period of Aug 2001-Oct2001. We were put on the list and were called when a match was found. The first match was to far south in Scotland so I turned it down but the second match 2 weeks later was at Loch Lommond for a 2 bedroom even though we wanted a 1 bedroom it sttill only cost us the points for a 1 bedroom. I did the same for Arizona and England. The biggest issue with getting exchanges that I have found is giving a large travel window and asking as far in advance as possible. It is true that most people do not deposit there weeks for exchange until 6-8 months out but if your on the list before others you will get priority when things open up. There is a whole world out there that my Vero points offers to me so take advantage of it if you like. It is interesting to me how this topic seems to upset so many people. I know some of us bought our points with the intention of staying at our home resort for every vacation and that is what the 11 month window is for. Others like myself went for this timeshare because of the flexibility it offered and plan to take full advantage of that option. It is a moot point who exchanges points the most and what there home resort is. The program was set up to offer this accomadation to every one. If your worried about last minute reservations at a certain resort than you need to plan ahead. Just because you pick one home over another does not give you the right to demnd availability at your home resort on a moments notice. You pay for 11 month window and once that has passed you have the same options as every one else. As far as dues go it is clearly written down what the dues at each resort are so for a DVC rep to say they are higher is not subjective at all and find it difficult to believe that would be said. I think there must have been miscommunication on that point because dues sheets are printed and easy to verify.Did you not look at the sheets? Dues for Vero actually came down this year and under the 4 mark like the other resorts. they are still higher but not by that much. the time fram to make up the difference in dues per year will not extend long enough for that to factor. I did the math as compared to my price per point saved and other dues at WDW locations. To long to even consider a down side for me. Resales at Vero go for the less but remember a lot of us paid less so that would even out for me as well. None of us should even think along these lines really because as time goes on evetually all our contracts will be worth less. This is not a program instituted for consumers to make money selling resales. This is a program built with flexibility for everyone to enjoy. I know there is only 1 Vero beach resort so I want availablity there at 11 if I so chose. There are 3 WDW resorts soon to be 4 I think my odds are a lot better of securing a room at 1 of those resorts vs just i vero property. This has been my experience so far. Value of a resort, up sides and down sides are truely subjective to each individuals situation so it is very important to not make blanket statemnts that seem like facts which apply to all. Think of your own situation and make a determination based on your own needs. Just my own opinions and some of the reasoning that I used when purchasing.

KAY