What do you wish you would have considered

[Mmw37]

before buying DVC? I'm just starting my research, but have done a LOT of reading this week. We'll be looking to make an offer probably in early 2017 so that we can close in time to book at 11 mo out for an April 2018 trip. Our boys are 4 and 1 right now, and I'm trying to decide between BCV, BWV, and BLT. Walking distance to 1-2 resorts is a huge bonus for us, so I think we'll limit it to those three. We'll be traveling to BCR this Jan, so that should help with the decision. I'm leaning BWV right now due to cost of both resale points and low point cost of rooms. Thoughts from those wiser than me are very much appreciated!

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

We just passed right of first refusal so we are still in the process of buying our resale contract. I don't really have any tips on what I wish I would have considered because up until this point we feel we did everything right. I am glad you are giving yourself time to do research before you plan to pull the trigger. Just remember that not all contracts pass ROFR so you may end up with a delayed timeline if you have to start over again. Good luck!

 

[BillPA]

Several things to look at:
What size unit do you think you will need? Now and down the road few years?
Do you expect to keep it for more than 15-20 years?
Don't let just the purchase price sway you. In the long run it's the dues that will cost you most.
I would only purchase where you would not mind staying. Don't buy Vero, if you will always want to stay at WDW. Not a knock on Vero, I enjoy going there also, but would not want that as my only option.
Also look at the points needed for a stay, they are NOT all equal.
BWV standard view is a good deal, IF you can get it. They book quickly and if you can't plan close to 11 months ahead, you could be disappointed.
Also, don't forget that some day you may sell. So pick one that should still have time left and be desirable in the future.
JMHO

 

[dsnydaddy]

Only bought 150 points. Now wish I had bought more. However, my budget is happy with the 150pts. Maybe someday I will add on.

I am one of the guys who are happy with a nice place to stay at WDW. So I'm not so good about the ins and outs of various properties. I'm the guy who chewed the numbers six ways to Sunday and got the best deal that I could on my purchase.

Factoring in the number of points you need in my opinion is one of the more important considerations.

Once you have decided upon the resort you are buying into, then decide upon the room type you believe that you will need. As mentioned above, not what you need now, but what you will need in the future. (When my kids were young I always assumed that we'd do well in a Hotel room. But once the kids grew up, the Hotel room Idea just doesn't cut it. Even If you doggedly insist upon the less expensive Studio, understand that a lot of savings on a trip can be had by the kitchens in the one and two bedrooms. (I know, a lot of people want a vacation from cooking, but when on vacation I actually enjoy cooking because I get so little opportunity to do it at home.)

Now that you have the resort and accommodation, decide how long you will stay, how often and at what times of year you will travel. Then use Dave's Vacation Calculator to determine how many points you will need.

For us the magic number is 300. And I bought half that. Bad news because I just plunked down 350 points on the Aulani. So, my DVC is tied up for quite a while. Good news because now we can explore some other non-Disney vacation options.

 

[GrumpyInPhilly]

before buying DVC? I'm just starting my research, but have done a LOT of reading this week. We'll be looking to make an offer probably in early 2017 so that we can close in time to book at 11 mo out for an April 2018 trip. Our boys are 4 and 1 right now, and I'm trying to decide between BCV, BWV, and BLT. Walking distance to 1-2 resorts is a huge bonus for us, so I think we'll limit it to those three. We'll be traveling to BCR this Jan, so that should help with the decision. I'm leaning BWV right now due to cost of both resale points and low point cost of rooms. Thoughts from those wiser than me are very much appreciated!

With the possibility of not finding a contract you like or having your offer rejected or having the contract ROFR'd and the closing process possibly taking up to 90 days even if everything goes right, I'd give myself some more leeway and start making offers in the Nov/Dec timeframe if possible. When we purchased our first contract, we wanted to make a F&W ressie at 11 months and did what you are proposing to do time-wise and although it all worked out I was worried that we weren't going to be able to book at 11 months out.

 

[disneynutz]

We assumed that DVC was run like the magical Disney that we grew up with, (it's a club right?) In reality you buy a limited contract for a resort, you may have difficulty booking where and when you want, you may have DVC website issues, room issues, and they throw in some perks and (exclusive) events that you pay for. Rules and policies may change, some good, some bad.

DVC can save you some money compared to paying cash for the same room but most end up taking more Disney vacations then prior to buying.

Bill

 

[Matty B13]

I second starting your purchase by resale earlier. It might take some time to find the right contract for the resort you want with the points close to how many you want and with the UY you want. If traveling in April a lot, especially with kids only able to get of school during spring vacation week, a March UY or February would make the most sense.

 

[lilpooh108]

I wish I figured out the Use Year month better. We have a Dec UY and I hate it, since I have to make plans by a certain time or bank my points. It just doesn't work with our school schedule. I'd look into that a bit more and figure out which month works better for you guys.

 

[Matty B13]

I wish I figured out the Use Year month better. We have a Dec UY and I hate it, since I have to make plans by a certain time or bank my points. It just doesn't work with our school schedule. I'd look into that a bit more and figure out which month works better for you guys.

Yeah, I think a December UY must get confusing. I think a February or March UY is easier to wrap your head around.

 

[Dream big]

Go see the resorts. I wish I'd had time to actually stay in all of them before buying. But at least seeing them may have changed my mind. The location, layout and feel are important. I may have underestimated that.

 

[DisneyRegulars]

One thing that I didn't really consider when buying was just how much time I would actually spend at the resort. We probably spend at least half our awake time now enjoying the resorts and all the amenities. So if there's a resort that's maybe a little more expensive, but you absolutely love it, it may be worth considering because you will be spending way more time there as a dvc member than you did prior to joining dvc.

 

[Mmw37]

All good stuff. So, responses without quotes because multi quoting is hard for me.

We will buy somewhere we're ok staying. For the price, that to me means walking distance to a park. I'm browsing listings now, but can't make an informed purchase decision until our trip to BCR in early Jan. Double edged sword. I take all of my vacations a year in advance. That's great for a DVC owner, bad for someone who would love to book a short trip to check out a resort before buying. I'm hoping to know a lot more after staying at BC - is SAB worth paying $10+ more a point, and if am I ok with the fact that even their 1BRs will cost a lot more points than BWV?

As far as points, I'm thinking 150-175 for now. At BWV that will get me a lot. At some other resorts, less, but still a week most times of the year in a studio. I'd rather add on than have unused points every year. I figure a studio is okay with the little kids we have now, and we can either add on points or go during alternate years when we need more room.

Hopefully we're going about this right! And thank you for all of your thoughts so far.

 

[Dean]

before buying DVC? I'm just starting my research, but have done a LOT of reading this week. We'll be looking to make an offer probably in early 2017 so that we can close in time to book at 11 mo out for an April 2018 trip. Our boys are 4 and 1 right now, and I'm trying to decide between BCV, BWV, and BLT. Walking distance to 1-2 resorts is a huge bonus for us, so I think we'll limit it to those three. We'll be traveling to BCR this Jan, so that should help with the decision. I'm leaning BWV right now due to cost of both resale points and low point cost of rooms. Thoughts from those wiser than me are very much appreciated!

Knowing what I know now, I wish I'd had a broader knowledge of timeshares in general going in. While it's worked out fine for us, where we started out is not where we've ended up largely due to acquiring additional knowledge in other ares. I feel I investigated about as well as possible in 1994 but the ability to do so is much greater now. I recommend people spend around 6 months of investigation to learn the ins/outs and to get past some of the emotions. DVC only makes sense for those who feel paying more to stay on property is a plus, can plan at least 6 months out, can afford it (to me that's pay cash) and plan to use ONLY at DVC resorts. IMO the whether to buy DVC is a much larger issue than the home resort or number of points. BLT will almost certainly be the cheapest of those listed long term for the same number of points and has the bonus of the standard views there if that is help. BWV will be next, esp if one takes advantage of the standard view options. Remember that to get real savings from the standard view options, one has to buy less points than otherwise. For me personally with those choices it'd likely be BWV because we prefer it of the 3 however, if I were buying today it'd be SSR due to the value and the knowledge that I can get most anything over time and that we're happy with any of the DVC resorts. The truth is that almost all of our trips are timeshare exchanges in so not owning or a smallish qualified purchase would likely be our best option if we didn't own already.

 

[kniquy]

our trip to BCR in early Jan

I can't really give you much info on what i wish i knew because i am a fairly new member and only have my first trip booked in April. I know you are staying at the BC for this upcoming trip, but I am not sure if this is book through Disney or is a DVC rental. If you want to experience the DVC side of things maybe look at a rental of a DVC for that trip or part of the time. It may or may not be to late to book but if you spend a little time in an actual DVC it might be helpful. There is no daily housekeeping so that may or may not have an impact on your stay.

 

[BillPA]

Just to compare a few studios you mentioned, at the current dues cost, with the points required,
For 7 nights in Magic season, using the lowest number of point/view available.
To get standard view at VGF, Poly, BLT and BWV you will most likely need them as a home resort.

Poly 169 pts $6.01 $1029.21
VGF 169 pts $5.71 $964.99
BCV 134 pts $6.18 $821.42
BLT 139 pts $5.28 $733.92
BWV 108 pts $6.18 $667.44
SSR 106 pts $5.44 $576.64
Hope this helps.

 

[lovin'fl]

I didn't read all the replies but will give my story which might be repetitive of what others have said. We bought OKW in 2006 when our kids were young. We bought OKW to get the most points for our money. We have stayed there twice and while there are things to like about OKW it is our least favorite resort. We use those points at 7 months out to book other resorts... and have been able to try every east coast DVC resort with them (except VGF and Poly because we haven't tried for those yet). We added HHI, AKV and BWV points but then resold the AKV when we discovered that we can book there with our OKW at seven months out without much trouble. And we sold for way more than we bought them for.

The BWV we add for annual F&W trips. We got them direct and could have gone with BCV for the same cost but we chose BWV thinking we could save points by booking standard view. But let me forewarn you that standard view can even be impossible to book being an owner who tries to book at the 11 month window. I could not get it for this coming F&W trip... in a studio (I think 1BR are a little easier to get...2BR are tough like studios). I had to take P/G view and since I had to use max points I waitlisted boardwalk view (which was also all booked) and that waitlist has not come through... just a 4 night trip. So don't buy BWV only for booking standard view. It might not be do-able 100% of the time.

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

We bought where we wanted to stay, VGF, and I did extensive research online and otherwise before buying. The key is you have to love vacationing at Disney. If that is the case, everything else can fall into place.

As I did my number crunching, I realized we would need to buy more points than the Guide was pushing, so we did. Our trips have been so enjoyable, we have recently added more points on the resale market. It is hard to predict how many points you will need over 50 years, so I would say you need to start out with enough points that makes sense for your current needs. Also, if you have to pool three years of points to get what you need now, then it will never be a good deal for you, because of the time value of money.

The other thing I wish I had explored more would be the ability to purchase a fixed week. It is hard to predict which week would meet your needs over a long period of time, but if you are in a high demand resort, it can be a stress reducer.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

First time we bought we didn't buy enough points. We thought we would come every other year. We come every year. Since then we have added on 3 times!

We are happy with the home resorts SSR because we like Disney Springs and VGF with the monorail.

Buy where you like to stay. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have ours.

 

[Marionnette]

After staying at 3 resorts and researching for years, I bought my first contract...a small AKV contract on the resale market. I think that even though I had read a lot during the years that I mulled over ownership, there's a lot that you learn once you become an owner. You hear a lot about buying where you want to stay and for the most part, that is very true. I also read up on UYs, borrowing, banking and points in holding. I thought that I understood those processes well enough but when it comes to putting those concepts into practice, it's a whole different story! There's definitely a learning curve involved.

If there were anything that I would emphasize is that life throws changes at you. What works fine now, may not be what works for you later. I thought that a small contract was a good way to get my feet wet and to learn the process. And it did allow me to do that. However, I also learned that owning at AKV is only advantageous for booking value units or Jambo concierge. As an owner at any other resort, I could book at AKV easily at 7 months but if I want an Epcot resort during Sept.-Dec., I had better own at one of them and book at 11 months. And I have since discovered that while a studio works well when traveling with my husband or sister, it doesn't suit me when there are more people staying for more than a night or two. In anticipation of traveling with grandchildren someday in the not-too-distant future, I have since purchased BWV contracts so that I will have over 300 points total when this next purchase goes through. Addonitis is a very real thing!

 

[Brian Noble]

IMO the whether to buy DVC is a much larger issue than the home resort or number of points.

This might be the most important thing written in this thread. And, it requires some very sober consideration about what is likely for you and your family longer term.

If there were anything that I would emphasize is that life throws changes at you. What works fine now, may not be what works for you later.

Exactly so. When we started with timeshares, the kids and I both had the same week off every Feb/Mar for my "spring" and their winter break. I assumed we'd just keep going to Orlando that time each year in a 2BR unit at least until both kids graduated from high school, about 12 years later.

Just a few years after that, the school system changed their winter break from the week overlapping U. Michigan's spring break to President's Week. I can't be gone that week, and we did not want to pull the kids during my week off, so that completely changed our winter vacation habits. A few more years into the future, and the kids' extra-curricular schedules made travel even harder. When they were both in high school, we had only about three full weeks, year round, when all four of us could get away without having to miss something important: Christmas Week (a tough sell with all the extended family activities at that time), and the two weeks ending with the week of July 4th. And after having done it once, I do not plan to spend late June/early July in Orlando ever again unless something unusual comes up.

We've still made plenty of trips to Orlando, but they are much different than I first imagined them. Sometimes we split up, and we've been at several different times during the year. Also, tastes change. We found we really enjoy the Universal parks, and focus on those to the exclusion of Disney once every several years or so. My son and wife would rather be on the beach than in an amusement park. My wife would also rather cruise. My daughter and I still think of WDW as our happy place. But, less than half of all of our vacations have been "Disney" vacations, and even some of those would be poor uses of DVC points compared to alternatives (Disneyland Paris, DCL cruises, and arguably Oahu).

This Fall, my daughter moves across town to start her Freshman year as a Michigan undergrad, and the two of us will once again spend our "spring" breaks together at WDW, bringing us full circle back to something close to my original plan. And, in two short years, my wife and I will be empty-nesters, again completely changing our vacation habits!

We bought our first timeshare ten years ago, and now own three. We never did buy DVC points---we decided that buying into another system would give us a broader set of vacation options, and that we could tolerate the risk of trying to exchange into DVC units once in a while, but stay offsite if necessary. That worked well for us, and we had some great vacations, both in DVC units and elsewhere, over the years. But if you need a 2BR or were particular about resort choice I would not try the same thing today.