Weighing the options

[spunkygoatsgobaa]

Hello all!

So we are considering buying into DVC! We really want to buy into BCV but what hangs me up is that 100 points resale BCV is dang near the same price as almost 200 points resale OKW! That's a lot more vacationing for roughly the same price. We go 2-3x a year as it is.

How badly do the other resorts fill up at the 7 month mark? I know BCV and BWV is impossible around Food and Wine but what about the other times? I know for our first few years we would want to resort hop as much as possible. And the way I see it, having more points would make that more feasible since I've read studios fill up the fastest.

I'm thinking I should buy into OKW since it's more affordable and we can keep our vacation schedule. And down the road if we really want to make BCV a home resort we can buy a smaller contract then.

Thoughts? Opinions? Total newbie but have been researching/stalking for a long time!

 

[dsnydaddy]

BCV is very popular. Especially during the Food and Wine Festival. That's why it is priced higher than other resorts. If you are not going to be happy staying anywhere else than BCV then you'll need to bite the bullet. OKW is inexpensive but the MF's are higher and will eat up that savings. SSR is only a bit more expensive and the MF's are lower which will make the whole deal more affordable.

If it is a studio that you are looking for then you will really want that 11 month window. The way it was explained to me is that what is busy for DVC is not necessarily what is busy for WDW and vice versa. So the times that you might find availability at 7 mos may not be the best times to visit WDW.

If you do decide to buy into OKW then make sure that you buy enough points to pay for the more expensive times of year (pointwise) to go to the parks because the cheaper times will probably book before the 7 mo window.

 

[a742246]

For BC I usually can get a mid-March reservation if I reserve right at the 7 month window. I don't know much about the other months.
If you are thinking about getting a cheaper resort to trade in. I would suggest SSR cheaper MF, longer expiration date (12 years), improvement to DTD,
treehouse option.

 

[chalee94]

I'm thinking I should buy into OKW since it's more affordable and we can keep our vacation schedule.

OKW is a nice resort. the studios have 2 queen beds and you can park in front of your villa. the landscaping is mature and beautiful. it's a nice quiet place to take a break from the parks.

but i would not buy there unless you are ok with staying there.

you can probably trade out on a regular basis but there is a reason why people pay more for BCV pts...because that is where they want to stay and where they plan to book during the home resort window.

if you are going during slower DVC periods (nonholiday/nonrace weeks in jan/feb or august/sept), you will probably have more luck in getting into BCV. but if you will be disappointed to be "stuck" at SSR or OKW, then buy BCV and book early.

And down the road if we really want to make BCV a home resort we can buy a smaller contract then.

just remember that you cannot combine those OKW pts with BCV pts until you hit the 7 month window.

 

[Dean]

You'll have to decide whether you'll be disappointed if you're only at your home resort most of the time. That said, with realistic expectations one can get something desired most of the time. For example you might reserve your home resort 11 months out and try for maybe BWV at 7 months out. Take what you can get and use the wait list when needed. I'd strongly suggest SSR over OKW because of dues and long term value. Another alternative that's in between is to look at BWV both cheaper and with the standard view option though higher dues. Personally I'd buy maybe 150-170 for SSR and use the method I described. Then if it's not working you could sell SSR and buy something else or just do an add on for something else to increase your holdings and give options for some of the trips.

 

[ToddyLu]

Do not underestimate how DVC will change your Disney trips. Believe me, your home resort may begin to matter a great deal 3-4 years in to ownership. We purchased at AKV and love the resort amenities. Five years in to our contract we spend more time relaxing at the resort than speeding off to the parks. So if you have a favorite, purchase there, we were glad we did...

I was all for SSR when I was researching but DH "had to have" AKV. I was so pleased with the prospect of ownership I didn't really care where our home resort was and SSR seemed to be the best financially....but oh no, DH stuck to his guns, so AKV it was. I am so happy he knew our needs so well We stayed at BLT for Halloween night in 2013...never again...he hated it and it was a let down for me too. The decor, the sterile feel and most of all the shower curtain that wrapped around him due to the way the vent worked in the bathroom. You just never know how things are going to change. Plan wisely and most of all enjoy your contract...we love it!!

 

[disneynutz]

Prices are set by supply and demand. More people want BCV compared to OKW, there must be a reason.

If availability wasn't an issue at 7 months, only the least expensive resorts would have owners.

Bill

 

[Minniesgal]

We try every time to trade into BCV and in 4 trips have never managed. It is one of the most popular resorts, If i really wanted to stay there regularly I'd buy there.

 

[Dean]

We try every time to trade into BCV and in 4 trips have never managed. It is one of the most popular resorts, If i really wanted to stay there regularly I'd buy there.

Do you wait list, are you trying to get a very popular time or unit type? The reason I ask, in addition to simply getting enough info to evaluate your statement, is there really aren't many options with DVC that I think I'd be shut out of 4 times in a row. Maybe VGF or BLT standard or AKV Concierge or 3 BR villas at some places but there really isn't much else and not even those for all times of the year. But I'd be aggressive trying to get what I wanted which would likely include focussing on one item and wait listing shorter segments trying to piece together all at the start of the 7 month window and running it up to the 7 days out when the last WL options ends. Something not being available at the opening of the 7 month window is only a small part of the equation and is insufficient to say one is unlikely to be successful in getting some specific item. I realize not everyone is willing to go to those extremes and I usually don't either simply because those specific items are generally not important to us or we're actually staying through RCI exchanges more than our own points anyway.

 

[Minniesgal]

Do you wait list, are you trying to get a very popular time or unit type? The reason I ask, in addition to simply getting enough info to evaluate your statement, is there really aren't many options with DVC that I think I'd be shut out of 4 times in a row. Maybe VGF or BLT standard or AKV Concierge or 3 BR villas at some places but there really isn't much else and not even those for all times of the year. But I'd be aggressive trying to get what I wanted which would likely include focussing on one item and wait listing shorter segments trying to piece together all at the start of the 7 month window and running it up to the 7 days out when the last WL options ends. Something not being available at the opening of the 7 month window is only a small part of the equation and is insufficient to say one is unlikely to be successful in getting some specific item. I realize not everyone is willing to go to those extremes and I usually don't either simply because those specific items are generally not important to us or we're actually staying through RCI exchanges more than our own points anyway.

We go July and August and I book at 11 months but switch at 7. I didn't wait list at 7 months though just moved to the next resort on my list and took what was available. My point is BCV seems to be one of the hardest to get into.

 

[staceymay00]

We go 2-3x a year as it is. How badly do the other resorts fill up at the 7 month mark? I know BCV and BWV is impossible around Food and Wine but what about the other times?

We tend to travel to WDW during spring break (early April), Thanksgiving week or Christmas/New Year's. Spring break is the only time I have seen pretty much every WDW resort available right at 7 months for all nights I wanted to book, at least 2br units. We own at OKW. We have stayed at BC, the hotel not BCV, and BWV. We liked both, but I would not pay double the price of OKW for any DVC resort. That is my family - we do not feel strongly about staying at one particular resort every trip, and we happen to like OKW although we have tried a couple of other resorts at 7 months since buying DVC. It's really not worth it to spend thousands on points at a resort where you'll be disappointed to stay, but if you decide you are content staying at OKW then you'll get more points for the same amount plus the points required to stay at OKW are fewer. I'm sure you'll have some luck getting into BCV if you have flexibility to visit at times that are not peak for DVC, but there are no guarantees,

 

[bellablue2]

your first purchase is unlikely to be your last...certainly not for me. personally, i'd rather have 200 okw points than 100 bcv points. but today, i own both and love each for what they offer.

 

[Dean]

We go July and August and I book at 11 months but switch at 7. I didn't wait list at 7 months though just moved to the next resort on my list and took what was available. My point is BCV seems to be one of the hardest to get into.

OK, thanks for the additional info. A point I've made several times lately is that there's more to availability and getting what one wants than just trying day 1 at the 7 month window. I think the takeaway from your experience is that the things you don't see at 7 months for the time and type you are looking for aren't likely to be available at that time just to reserve. And that the things that aren't consistently available at that time are more in demand than those that are consistently available. That's really about it. IMO it really doesn't speak to the actual chance of getting such an option if one uses the other available methods of waitlisting, stalking the website and piecing a stay together rather than having it sitting there. And one can do a version of walking at times with the 7 month window as well. I realize not everyone wants to approach it that way but that's a personal choice that reduces one's chances of getting a certain option. I am 100% certain I could have gotten a unit the size you're looking at at BCV for a week during July or August in a 4 yr stretch.

 

[crisi]

We go July and August and I book at 11 months but switch at 7. I didn't wait list at 7 months though just moved to the next resort on my list and took what was available. My point is BCV seems to be one of the hardest to get into.

Its a good example of the definition of success being variable based off success criteria.

I want what I want when I want it. We like our home resort, are able to book eleven months out, don't even go when its busy, so get what we want. If I had to waitlist, or call right at seven months first thing in the morning (or even right at eleven months), or stalk the website - that wouldn't be success criteria for me. It does work for plenty of people (and sometimes doesn't) - but it doesn't matter if other people are happy working the waitlist, that isn't what I want to do.

When we have switched, its been because there is something available and we haven't had our heart set on it - its just "lets call and see."

The exception was a Summer trip to HHI which I rented points for, knowing my chances of getting that reservation on a single call at seven months was slim, and knowing that the waitlist chances were not 100%. And HHI had one option for us and it was a trip promised to Girl Scouts.

 

[newdeal]

I bought SSR a couple months ago thinking "hey, how hard could it be to find what I want without owning what I want?" The answer is HARD. Its easy to get AKV SSR and OWK. Anything else and you are lucky to find a studio for all the nights, and if you do then generally its a more expensive view. If you want the cheaper view and have to get the more expensive one just because you don't own at that resort then you aren't really saving anything by owning the resort that you don't want. If I had to do it all over again I would not have bought SSR I would have bought BLT which is where I really want to stay. I am early in my ownership, haven't even stayed on our first trip yet, but that is my feeling.

 

[SarahInMN]

Do not underestimate how DVC will change your Disney trips. Believe me, your home resort may begin to matter a great deal 3-4 years in to ownership. We purchased at AKV and love the resort amenities. Five years in to our contract we spend more time relaxing at the resort than speeding off to the parks. So if you have a favorite, purchase there, we were glad we did...

This. We love F&W and it was important to us to wander over for a taste of this or that. We therefore bought BCV. What I didn't realize is that DVC changed how we approached our trips: we rarely do rope drop, may ride a few things, but we enjoy wandering back to our room and then wandering back to a park for a snack. Being at an EPCOT resort allows this.

Then we bought into VGF (BLT was just not our cup of tea) primarily because it was GF, near MK, and on the monorail. Our new favorite hobby is riding the monorail and wandering about the monorail resorts having snacks, shopping, going up to TOTWL, and partaking of the cocktails at the resorts.

If we owned at a different resort that required bus transport (vs foot transport or monorail), we would not be able to wander or meander as easily. For us this is key. We just don't spend huge chunks of time at the parks anymore and we think the busses are a hassle.

If you want to stay at OKW, then go for it. But if you want to buy OKW so that at 7 months you can stay elsewhere, I'd advise buying in elsewhere. I love being able to book at the 11 month mark and let it go - no fuss, no muss, no stress.

 

[djohn06]

I bought SSR a couple months ago thinking "hey, how hard could it be to find what I want without owning what I want?" The answer is HARD. Its easy to get AKV SSR and OWK. Anything else and you are lucky to find a studio for all the nights, and if you do then generally its a more expensive view. If you want the cheaper view and have to get the more expensive one just because you don't own at that resort then you aren't really saving anything by owning the resort that you don't want. If I had to do it all over again I would not have bought SSR I would have bought BLT which is where I really want to stay. I am early in my ownership, haven't even stayed on our first trip yet, but that is my feeling.

Sorry to hear......

I would imagine that you could get something during less demanding times. I have been able to find BWV and VGF with my HHI points in April and May.

 

[crisi]

I bought SSR a couple months ago thinking "hey, how hard could it be to find what I want without owning what I want?" The answer is HARD. Its easy to get AKV SSR and OWK. Anything else and you are lucky to find a studio for all the nights, and if you do then generally its a more expensive view. If you want the cheaper view and have to get the more expensive one just because you don't own at that resort then you aren't really saving anything by owning the resort that you don't want. If I had to do it all over again I would not have bought SSR I would have bought BLT which is where I really want to stay. I am early in my ownership, haven't even stayed on our first trip yet, but that is my feeling.

Another good example of success criteria. If you want the cheaper views (especially BLT) with any regularly, you have to own the resort in question. DVC members are connoisseurs of low points and good weather - and owners generally snap up those low point rooms before the seven month window opens. Sometimes people get lucky, but if that is what you want with regularlarity, you should buy your points there. On the other hand, if all you want to do is stay at BLT once in a while, lake view rooms are pretty readily availabile at seven months for most of the year.

At BLT those standard view rooms often get snapped up right at eleven months - and owners who plan in advance sometimes are disappointed.

 

[shpdem]

I would have purchased at vwl or bw but the contract year ending date has me a little worried. In 30 years I'll still be young and hopefully still going strong and don't like the idea that my purchase is just gone or having to pay more to keep it for a little longer. Thats one of the reasons i choose ss. Has this affected anybody elses purchase decision or is it just me.

 

[shpdem]

I bought SSR a couple months ago thinking "hey, how hard could it be to find what I want without owning what I want?" The answer is HARD. Its easy to get AKV SSR and OWK. Anything else and you are lucky to find a studio for all the nights, and if you do then generally its a more expensive view. If you want the cheaper view and have to get the more expensive one just because you don't own at that resort then you aren't really saving anything by owning the resort that you don't want. If I had to do it all over again I would not have bought SSR I would have bought BLT which is where I really want to stay. I am early in my ownership, haven't even stayed on our first trip yet, but that is my feeling.

i'm curious what time frame do you normally stay or when were you trying to book with nothing available at 7 months?