What am I missing?

[djb_rh]

First, I think the DVC is for me. We tend to plan ahead of time, do vacations like that for a week or so, and appreciate space, the ability to sort of cook (at least some), do laundry easily, etc. Seems like buying in the resale market makes the most sense, too.

That said, here's where I'm stumbling. Other than your maintenance fee (which I know varies by property), does it matter which property you buy into? Since it's a points system and all, what difference does it make? Do you get any priority at your "home" property over the others?

I understand the process of figuring how many points you need and all that.

I feel like this has to be a FAQ, but either I'm blind or it's not. I could be blind, and welcome a pointer to the appropriate FAQ if so.

 

[anonymousegirl]

You do get a priority at your "home" resort in that you may book 11 months before your vacation, whereas all other DVC properties, you must wait until the 7 month mark. This is important if you want to stay at the smaller DVC like Beach Club (208 rooms) or a very popular resort during a popular time (Villas at Wilderness Lodge at X-mas or either of the two Epcot resorts during October's Food and Wine)

If you cannot book 11 months out, then home resort doesn't matter very much.

The maintenance fees vary greatly from resort to resort, so do keep those in mind when choosing a "home" either through Disney or resale.

 

[dianeschlicht]

THe above advice is "right on", but look at the point costs for each resort as well. You will find that 100 points at one resort isn't exactly equal to 100 points at another resort, because of the higher number of points needed for a week in any given unit size. Also, don't plan on getting the room types that are lower in inventory for given resorts if you are planning at the 7 month mark. For example: Don't plan on BWV standard view, concierge club level at AKV, or a GV anywhere unless you can book that prior to the 7 month booking window, or maybe even right at 11 months. That's where the home resort advantage kicks in.

So, if you find you will frequently be wanting a GV or a standard room, or concierge, or even a value at AKV, then you need to make one of those home resorts you "home". That's why you see folks having more than one "home".

Here is the dues history for your perusal also. It might help in your decision process.

Year OKW BWV VB VB(sub) HH VWL BCV SSR AKV

2008 4.56 5.04 6.04 4.71 5.16 4.87 4.80 4.21 4.71
2007 4.40 4.85 5.63 4.39 4.98 4.73 4.63 4.12 4.62
2006 4.24 4.69 5.27 4.12 4.34 4.61 4.48 3.98
2005 3.86 4.41 4.87 3.84 3.86 4.35 4.27 3.83
2004 3.68 4.25 4.67 3.67 3.70 4.22 4.18 3.80
2003 3.49 4.11 4.37 4.37 3.69 4.05 3.97
2002 3.22 3.92 4.17 3.33 3.49 3.80 3.77
2001 3.13 3.83 3.98 2.70 3.32 3.63
2000 3.16 3.94 4.07 2.87 3.25 3.62
1999 3.16 4.02 3.99 2.82 3.18
1998 3.17 3.94 ---- 2.76 3.20
1997 3.14 3.84 ---- 2.90 3.16
1996 2.99 3.70 ---- 2.82 3.16
1995 2.84
1994 2.70
1993 2.63
1992 2.56

 

[djb_rh]

Thanks for the info, everyone. I knew there had to be more to it than I was seeing.

One more question...if you have two homes each with 150 annual points, are you still limited to the 7 month booking window in one or the other if you're booking something that costs more than 150 points (within one of your two home properties, I mean)? I'd guess so, but it doesn't hurt to ask.


--Donnie

 

[anonymousegirl]

You are not able to combine points from two different resorts at 11 months. You may book your home resort with the points there at 11 months and then at 7 months add to the ressie with the other points, or you can combine the points together at 7 months for any resort.

 

[5forDiz]

Thanks for the info, everyone. I knew there had to be more to it than I was seeing.

One more question...if you have two homes each with 150 annual points, are you still limited to the 7 month booking window in one or the other if you're booking something that costs more than 150 points (within one of your two home properties, I mean)? I'd guess so, but it doesn't hurt to ask.


--Donnie

You may book at 11 months the number of days 150 points covers at each particular resort those points are attached to but you wouldn't be able to combine the points from 2 different Home Resorts to book either resort or any other DVC resort until 7 months.

Months 8,9, 10 & 11 before desired check-in date points stay "tied" to their designated Home Resort.

At 7 months or less before the check-in you'd like all points become "equal" and can be combined for booking at any DVC resort you'd like to book at.

 

[djb_rh]

Okay, thanks again. That's as I expected it to work. One more question, then...I've seen talk in threads of "adding" points. That's just for folks buying into new DVC properties, right? As in the properties that DVC has already sold out (and are only on the resale market) can't be added that way, correct?

Also, if you buy two deeds on the resale market for the same property, those points can all be used in a combined manner for that property at 11 months out, right? You just might have goofy rules on banking and borrowing since you might end up with different use years on the two deeds, right?

I think I'm starting to "get it" now.


--Donnie

 

[WolfpackFan]

You can do an "add-on" at any resort even if DVC isn't currently selling that resort. A lot of times DVC will have add-ons available at the older resorts or you can buy an add-on thru the resell market. We did an add-on for HHI from DVC even though the current resort being sold was SSR.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Also, if you buy two deeds on the resale market for the same property, those points can all be used in a combined manner for that property at 11 months out, right? You just might have goofy rules on banking and borrowing since you might end up with different use years on the two deeds, right?

I think I'm starting to "get it" now.


--Donnie

That's actually an interesting question. I would assume that the second contract for a particular property (assuming same UY, obviously), would be treated and recorded at DVD just like an add-on. Is that correct?

 

[Buckeye Fan]

Thanks for the info, everyone. I knew there had to be more to it than I was seeing.

One more question...if you have two homes each with 150 annual points, are you still limited to the 7 month booking window in one or the other if you're booking something that costs more than 150 points (within one of your two home properties, I mean)? I'd guess so, but it doesn't hurt to ask.


--Donnie

One thing you can do to make what you're wanting to do work is borrow and bank your vacation points.

So, let's say you purchased 150 points at BCV and 150 points at OKW. If your normal reservation was around 300 points, you could bank your OKW points into next year, and borrow your 2009 BCV points into this year. That would allow you 300 BCV points to use this year with the 8 - 11 month booking window, and 300 OKW points to use for next year within the 8 - 11 month window. You could continue doing this, and have 300 points available at each resort every other year.

In this scenario, think through your UY and when you'll be traveling. If you're going to WDW several times a year, it won't matter. If you're only going once or twice at most, UY will be very important to you. Banked/borrwed points expire at the end of the UY they are banked/borrowed into, and the last thing you want to have happen is your UY expiration date dictate when you travel.

Best of luck with your purchase!!!

 

[bangzoom6877]

We purchased a resale at BWV at the end of the summer. Everyone here was so helpful with the information about DVC. Here are the key things I learned:

1. We always take our big vacation in July (we're teachers, prefer a long annual vacation, and have little kids so it is very predictable for us). So we chose an April Use Year. The earliest in the year we would go would be April, ONLY IF our spring break falls weeks after Easter (we are in NYC and always off the week of Passover, even if Easter is in March and Passover in April, as was the case last year). We don't like to travel on a big trip Christmas week or in the dead of winter for Feb. break, so summer works for us. So UY had to be April. And we got it, very quickly mind you!

2. We knew we wanted to go to WDW every other year since we returned from our trip in July. Our kids are only 3 and 1, and we know that we have many Disney trips to look forward to since they will enjoy it well into their teens. DH and I fell in love with Disney all over again when we were there in July and said we should go every other year. However we did not care too much for the value resort, especially the lack of space. We decided that from now on we would stay for 10 nights, go to a park every other day (we stayed 5 nights this trip and went to parks 5 days!) so it is less tiring, and stay at a deluxe resort or a deluxe villa (DVC) resort on each trip. We really preferred the Epcot area and the fact that you could walk to Epcot. Then I saw the nightly rate to stay at Beach Club or Boardwalk and calculated a 10-night stay in TODAY'S money and wow.....the DVC really started to make sense. It fit perfectly into our plans for future vacations.

3. We decided to go with a resale because it was $81 per point for BWV, rather than $104 per point that DVC offered us directly for the same resort. We were looking for 150 points because we decided that we would like to stay in a one-bedroom villa every other year for 10 nights each trip. That requires 294 points per trip, so with banking and borrowing we could do that easily with a 150-point contract. Plus, if at any point in the future we should decide to make this an annual trip, we could stay 10 nights every year in a studio at BWV, standard view.

4. We chose BWV over BCV for 3 reasons. One, it is closer to DHS, and you could still walk to Epcot. Two, the lower point costs for a standard view room, and we knew we would need the 11-month home resort advantage in order to book those rooms. And 3, the resale price per point was lower for BWV.

5. We intend to use our DVC points ONLY for DVC vacations. We are not planning to ever use them for exchanging out through Interval Int'l or for a Disney cruise or anything like that. If we do not want to use the points at any given time and will not use them by the deadline after banking them, we will try to rent those points. DVC resorts are truly the best use of your membership.

6. In 10 years from now DH and I will (hopefully) be thinking that we were very lucky to buy into the DVC when we did, as we watch the prices for the deluxe resorts go up annually. Right now in 2008 rates it costs a minimum of $315 per night to stay at Beach Club or Boardwalk, which means $3150 for a 10-night trip minimum. Then what? Shell that amount out again 2 years from that point for the next trip. But for what we spent on the DVC, we have many more trips to enjoy than just a few. We will have this for 34 years and we are only 31 right now so we will have this for 10 years after we retire!

7. DO NOT buy into the DVC simply for the perks (i.e., discounted AP, discounts on shopping and dining, etc.). Those perks can and will change at any time and can be taken away at any time. Just ask anyone who bought into the DVC in the early '90s when it all started how drastically things have changed!

Good luck with your decision!! We certainly are glad we bought into DVC. Only problem is that now we have to wait until July 2010 for our first trip home!

 

[djb_rh]

I just want to say thanks so much for all the help so far. I'm out of questions currently, but I wanted to post again for the simple reason that a few people have PM'ed me with offers of additional help. I'd thank you personally, but I can't since this board won't let you PM anyone until your post count is 10. I understand why it does that, but it would be nice if it would at least let you REPLY to a PM before then. *sigh*

Anyway, thanks very much everyone. And I don't think any referral offers are going to help since I'm almost definitely going to buy in the resale market.


--Donnie

 

[Coach81]

11 month window is nice at home. Buy where you want to stay is the general rule of

 

[chalee94]

That's actually an interesting question. I would assume that the second contract for a particular property (assuming same UY, obviously), would be treated and recorded at DVD just like an add-on. Is that correct?

if it's the same UY month and it's titled the same, it can be. doc has posted that it's best to contact DVC and let them know to put both contracts under the same membership number just in case they miss it...

 

[maburke]

Also, if you buy two deeds on the resale market for the same property, those points can all be used in a combined manner for that property at 11 months out, right? You just might have goofy rules on banking and borrowing since you might end up with different use years on the two deeds, right?

Keep in mind that if you have two different use years, they will be different "master" contracts as opposed to one master and an add-on, which you can do with different resorts, even sometimes with resale, as long as they are titled the same and have the same use year. The major disadvantage to different master contracts is that the points cannot be combined for a single night's reservation. For example, if you want three nights, each of which is 24 points, with one master and an add-on (within 7 months if they're different resorts, let's say) you can use whatever combination of the points you want. With two masters, you'd have to use blocks of 24 points from each contract. You *could* transfer between the two, but that's another story, and may or may not be limited to one time per year...

I think I made this sound less clear! sorry.