What are the most cost effective DVC?

[misspelledone]

We are considering purchasing a DVC since we would like to able to visit every year or two.

We are a family of 8 and we plan on visiting Disney every year, or every two years. We would need at least the 2 bedroom villa to stay in. My question is, factoring in the cost of the points initially, the amount of points it costs to stay (we would usually stay for 10 days around the last week of October or first week of November) and the amount of maintanence costs of the said points........ what would be the most cost effective resorts to stay at?

Is there a tool that would rank them in order, most cost effective to least cost effective?

Also any suggestions on where to purchase from? I am assuming Disney is not the best way to purchase

Thanks in advance for any help!

Misspelledone

 

[Msmithmd]

Resale runs 50-70% of the cost of direct for most of the properties.

Your desire to find the most cost effective place to own is admirable, but I really wouldn't approach it that way. Although it is easy to think of it as "just a place to sleep," many who buy DVC end up finding they use the resort primarily and the parks secondarily in their vacation after they have been going for years. Therefore I think you really need to consider where you want to own as the first decision point.

Lowest combination of purchase price plus dues over the long term is currently SSR. But I wouldn't buy there if you would be disappointed staying there at least half the time. (Not that SSR isn't desirable; I quite like the place.)

If you would only be happy staying at beach club, or at the Grand Floridian, then you should buy there regardless of cost. If you're happy staying wherever, I would currently purchase SSR. Just be aware, particularly during peak season, that you may not be able to trade anywhere else from any home resort.

 

[misspelledone]

That is sort of what I was thinking. I was hoping to find a list of the most cost effective places and then go down the list and find a place I actually wanted to stay

I agree I think SSR is probably not the place for us. What would you recommend? I was thinking maybe Wilderness? The resort and scenery look great and the pool as well.

Thank you!

 

[disneynutz]

Resale runs 50-70% of the cost of direct for most of the properties.

Your desire to find the most cost effective place to own is admirable, but I really wouldn't approach it that way. Although it is easy to think of it as "just a place to sleep," many who buy DVC end up finding they use the resort primarily and the parks secondarily in their vacation after they have been going for years. Therefore I think you really need to consider where you want to own as the first decision point.

Lowest combination of purchase price plus dues over the long term is currently SSR. But I wouldn't buy there if you would be disappointed staying there at least half the time. (Not that SSR isn't desirable; I quite like the place.)

If you would only be happy staying at beach club, or at the Grand Floridian, then you should buy there regardless of cost. If you're happy staying wherever, I would currently purchase SSR. Just be aware, particularly during peak season, that you may not be able to trade anywhere else from any home resort.

Excellent post, after a few years the parks tend to be the same old thing. No reason to rush, you will be back next year.

Bill

 

[Dawn68PA]

We just went through this. We did end up (and are in the middle of our purchase) at both OKW and SSR. We delved in and figured no matter where you stay you will have to "travel" to at least 2 parks. We fell in love with OKW when we visited. The cost cemented it in and we did resale. I hate driving to Downtown Disney so a boat to there was also a plus. I understand the attraction of staying at newer resorts, monorail resorts, and walking to Epcot resorts but it wasn't a huge deal for us.

 

[CarolMN]

''''''(snip).......we would usually stay for 10 days around the last week of October or first week of November).........

That is among the more difficult times to book BCV, BWV, BLT & VGF at 7 months and that will be especially true since you stay 9-10 nights at that time.

So be sure that you buy a resort that whcih you will be happy to stay if you can't make a switch at 7 months.

That assumes you will book during the home resort priority period. If you can't or won't book before the 7 month window opens, it truly doesn't matter which resort you own - at 7 months, any resort's points can book any available space at any DVC resort. Popular times and the near park resorts go very quickly once that 7 month window opens.

Here's a very good thread on busy times/availability at 7 months:

Any resource to see historical availability for days 7/11 months out?


Have fun while you do your research.

 

[Dean]

We are considering purchasing a DVC since we would like to able to visit every year or two.

We are a family of 8 and we plan on visiting Disney every year, or every two years. We would need at least the 2 bedroom villa to stay in. My question is, factoring in the cost of the points initially, the amount of points it costs to stay (we would usually stay for 10 days around the last week of October or first week of November) and the amount of maintanence costs of the said points........ what would be the most cost effective resorts to stay at?

Is there a tool that would rank them in order, most cost effective to least cost effective?

Also any suggestions on where to purchase from? I am assuming Disney is not the best way to purchase

Thanks in advance for any help!

Misspelledone

Resale and resort choice are the best variables to consider IMO. Your question was about cost and value if I read the intent correctly, I'll confine my thoughts to those areas. Using a single resort over time, AKV value rooms and OKW will be the cheapest. These answers assume buying DVC at all makes sense to you which in my way of thinking means saves you 20% over what you would have spent or adds significant value at the same price, that one has sufficient knowledge AND experience to judge and one can pay cash.

OKW 2042 should be the cheapest to buy in to, SSR is likely to be the best long term value and cheapest if you want past 2042. OKW 2057 might be close but poses some real variables and long term risk IMO. To get AKV value you'll need to buy AKV and thus likely pay a little more up front compared to SSR and much more yearly. You'd need to save more than 25% in points over OKW using AKV value to make AKV cheaper.. With AKV having much higher dues, that will eat most of the savings of the value rooms.

OKW trying for AKV value at 7 months with wait list will be the cheapest but only until 2042. SSR will be next and the cheapest overall if you want to try different resorts and options over time. BWV will be close to those ONLY if you use them consistently for standard view rooms. AKV will be close IF you do value rooms almost every time which means you must reserve exactly at 11 months out consistently. VB & HH will be the cheapest up front but more long term due to differences in dues, VB will be worse than HH in that regard. Buying SSR and using at AKV value, BWV standard and AKV standard (when available) and/or OKW will be the cheapest.

 

[chalee94]

most cost effective overall is to buy SSR and book OKW at 7 months out. (you would rarely have issues with booking unless you were looking for a grand villa).

as dean says, BWV-standard villas and AKV-value villas are also great deals but can be tougher to book consistently as owners at AKV and BWV will tend to beat you to the punch most of the time.

best to start off renting IMO and get a feel for what you like...

 

[misspelledone]

There is so much to consider all around. Thankful that I don't have to make a decision tomorrow!

At this point, Animal Kingdom and Wilderness look like really nice places, but I am definitely open to suggestion.

Question for anyone who would like to answer, if you were not really strapped for cash what DVC resort would you choose and why? Don't just pick the most expensive one just because it's expensive. Currently we have 5 children aged 8,7,5,3 and 10 months old. I know certain resorts and great for easy transport. Some people have mentioned that I should try and get a DVC near the monorail for ease of transport.

Thank you to everyone for all the help and opinions! I really appreciate all the input I can get and I hope everyone has had a great weekend!

Cheers!

 

[misspelledone]

Thank you very much for the suggestion of trying a couple out to see what we like. That is a great idea!

most cost effective overall is to buy SSR and book OKW at 7 months out. (you would rarely have issues with booking unless you were looking for a grand villa).

as dean says, BWV-standard villas and AKV-value villas are also great deals but can be tougher to book consistently as owners at AKV and BWV will tend to beat you to the punch most of the time.

best to start off renting IMO and get a feel for what you like...

 

[Dean]

There is so much to consider all around. Thankful that I don't have to make a decision tomorrow!

At this point, Animal Kingdom and Wilderness look like really nice places, but I am definitely open to suggestion.

Question for anyone who would like to answer, if you were not really strapped for cash what DVC resort would you choose and why? Don't just pick the most expensive one just because it's expensive. Currently we have 5 children aged 8,7,5,3 and 10 months old. I know certain resorts and great for easy transport. Some people have mentioned that I should try and get a DVC near the monorail for ease of transport.

Thank you to everyone for all the help and opinions! I really appreciate all the input I can get and I hope everyone has had a great weekend!

Cheers!

Personally, I'm not sure I'd buy in again but it's because I have other options now, not because I don't like DVC. IF I were going to buy in, it'd be SSR with the intent of using the points to stay at all resorts over time and I'm confident I could do so ignoring specialty options like AKV value but in reality I'm pretty convinced I could get those specialty items some of the time as well. If I didn't own any timeshares and was looking at WDW AND non Orlando trips, I'd opt for a non DVC timeshare over DVC.

 

[Deb & Bill]

You also need to look at the number of points required for your booking time. DVC can change the number of points required for a reservation, but where points go up, other points must go down and the total number of points for a resort is fixed.

So BLT and GFV require a lot more points than OKW. SSR is less than BCV and BWV (preferred view).

But like someone else already said, you've picked a very popular time for members. You'll want to own where you really want to stay and book it 11 months out.

Also, so resorts don't have dedicated two bedroom villas or smaller number of dedicated two bedroom villas if two queen beds in the second bedroom is important.

 

[DizBub]

There is so much to consider all around. Thankful that I don't have to make a decision tomorrow!

At this point, Animal Kingdom and Wilderness look like really nice places, but I am definitely open to suggestion.

Question for anyone who would like to answer, if you were not really strapped for cash what DVC resort would you choose and why? Don't just pick the most expensive one just because it's expensive. Currently we have 5 children aged 8,7,5,3 and 10 months old. I know certain resorts and great for easy transport. Some people have mentioned that I should try and get a DVC near the monorail for ease of transport.

Thank you to everyone for all the help and opinions! I really appreciate all the input I can get and I hope everyone has had a great weekend!

Cheers!

If money was no object I would go for BLT to be able to get the standard 2 bedrooms. We own at BLT for this very reason.

With your family a 2 bedroom with 3 full bathrooms and the sleeper chair in the living room would be a "must" in the future when your kids get big enough to not want to sleep in the same beds. AKV would be a nice fit also since it has the same amenities. Difference is BLT still has lower dues and walking access to MK.

All that said, I would not have a problem buying SSR. OKW is lovely and would be a great fit for your family but unless you get an OKW extended contract SSR would have a longer contract life.

 

[bwvBound]

Question for anyone who would like to answer, if you were not really strapped for cash what DVC resort would you choose and why? Don't just pick the most expensive one just because it's expensive.

The DVC choices available now are not the same as when we purchased 10 years ago. If money were no object and we were buying now, I'd likely buy at the Grand Californian as it's location (90-minute drive from home) makes it a tempting weekend getaway.

 

[disneynutz]

There is so much to consider all around. Thankful that I don't have to make a decision tomorrow!

At this point, Animal Kingdom and Wilderness look like really nice places, but I am definitely open to suggestion.

Question for anyone who would like to answer, if you were not really strapped for cash what DVC resort would you choose and why? Don't just pick the most expensive one just because it's expensive. Currently we have 5 children aged 8,7,5,3 and 10 months old. I know certain resorts and great for easy transport. Some people have mentioned that I should try and get a DVC near the monorail for ease of transport.

Thank you to everyone for all the help and opinions! I really appreciate all the input I can get and I hope everyone has had a great weekend!

Cheers!

You need to decide which resort fits your family, the theme, location, amenities, and which one makes you feel great when you walk through the doors.

Your park visited most often today may not be your favorite tomorrow. That's why we bought MK resorts and Epcot/DHS resorts.

Bill

 

[Msmithmd]

There is so much to consider all around. Thankful that I don't have to make a decision tomorrow! At this point, Animal Kingdom and Wilderness look like really nice places, but I am definitely open to suggestion. Question for anyone who would like to answer, if you were not really strapped for cash what DVC resort would you choose and why?

These are two of our preferences as well. Our points are owned at VWL, because it is harder to book in the fall/Christmas season than is AKV. Neither is a wrong answer.

I would say that my overall favorites are VGF and VGC. We haven't had problems booking either one of these yet, but both would be near impossible to book certain times of the year for a non-owner. It isn't worth the big cost spread for me to own either of these places to ensure consistent access, but for many it is. One important thing to remember is that most owners like to try out the whole system over time.

If you buy into a $160+ per point home resort, almost all of your trades will be using extremely expensive points for a less expensive location. If you buy a less expensive resort that you are content staying some of the time, and are able to trade into "premium" resorts regularly, it feels like trading up when you do, both emotionally and in your pocket book.

If I were buying from scratch again, I wouldn't do anything differently. But if you do find that a certain resort is your strong preference and you don't own there, it is a pretty expensive proposition to sell and re-buy after you pay a broker and closing costs on a couple transactions. So take your time deciding. DVC certainly isn't going anywhere- in fact it seems to be the only thing TWDC can build quickly these days.

 

[SarahInMN]

Excellent post, after a few years the parks tend to be the same old thing. No reason to rush, you will be back next year.

What Bill said! We wanted a certain location (BCV) initially to be close to food and wine. We now though spend less time at the parks and more at the resort. We go to the parks every day: a few hours in the morning, break for lunch and/or pool, then go back late afternoon/early evening and putz around. For us, being close to the parks is key for our leisurely pace of back and forth.

If I didn't own any timeshares and was looking at WDW AND non Orlando trips, I'd opt for a non DVC timeshare over DVC.

Dean makes a very good point about non-Orlando trips and other vacations. Your family's vacation habits may change over time and DVC may not meet your needs over the long term.

Question for anyone who would like to answer, if you were not really strapped for cash what DVC resort would you choose and why?

We own at BCV and at VGF - would not change a thing! We love BCV for F&W and we love VGF because of its location: the GF has most of our favorite restaurants, we can walk to Poly for Lapu Lapus, we can monorail it to Top of the World Lounge, and monorail it to MK/EPCOT.

 

[disneymath]

If money was no object I would go for BLT to be able to get the standard 2 bedrooms. We own at BLT for this very reason.

With your family a 2 bedroom with 3 full bathrooms and the sleeper chair in the living room would be a "must" in the future when your kids get big enough to not want to sleep in the same beds. AKV would be a nice fit also since it has the same amenities. Difference is BLT still has lower dues and walking access to MK.

I routinely travel as a party of 8 (5adults, 3 young boys) and Dizbub's comments cover many of the reasons I chose to buy-in at BLT. For us, dedicated 2brs are preferred over lockoffs and the third bathroom really is usefull (moreso now that the boys are no longer babies/toddlers). Ability to walk to MK and the monorail/nearby resorts are also big plusses.

 

[crisi]

If money were no object, I wouldn't own DVC.

If money were a significant object - i.e. it HAD to work financially - I wouldn't own DVC.

In my opinion, DVC fits a sweet spot financially that is pretty narrow.

In addition to looking at resorts, consider two other possibilities.

Owning offsite - Bonnet Creek is close and lovely and can be bought resale for much cheaper. Its program is far more flexible than DVC.

Renting points - renting points can give you a lot of flexibility that owning can't. You get the eleven month window anywhere you can find an owner for. You don't have your capital tied up in ownership and you trade risks (with brokers, I think you come out ahead on risks now - before brokers - I think renting was the riskier proposition).

(We own BWV and buying again today without looking at cost we'd own BWV. We bought it long ago when there were fewer resorts pretty much by chance and it wasn't our first choice. But its worked well for us.)

 

[holden]

After much thought over many years, we bought resale BLT. The modern decor is not my taste at all, but we bought there for the extra bathroom and the convenience. Being able to walk home from MK after Wishes is wonderful! No fighting with the crowds for boats, buses or monorail.

We love being on the monorail! It makes for a relatively easy ride to Poly (our favorite resort!) and GF for dinners. Poly is more convenient for EP, though BLT isn't too bad, just one monorail switch at TTC.

We have stayed at many DVC resorts, but BLT has been the best experience so far. They each have their highlights though, and we like trying other DVC resorts for short stays. We are staying at OKW for a few nights soon.

Our grand plan is to buy at Poly and sell BLT, but we might keep BLT anyway. So far, DVC has worked out well for us