What to consider to choose home resort?

[itsreally4mommy]

I apologize for the vague nature of the question. I know personal taste varies. But what should be the biggest considerations?

Are some locations more difficult to get reservations? (just resort not accounting for vws)

Is it silly to get wrapped up in decor? Some I don't care for at all but like other things about the resort and vice versa.

Are the furnishings/mattress/bedding quality the same @ all DVC?

They really stressed buying the amt of points you need now in order to avoid having to add later. I understand that is also a sales tactic to buy buy buy, but help me understand the "home resort" issue. Is it more difficult to get reservations at other resorts than your home? If you have 2 home resorts, do you get priority @ both?

My DH is a bit concerned about not being locked into the point value @ say AKV vs SSR etc. BUT given they pts and dues are higher does it even out? While we also seemed to really like AKV we are a bit concerned we'll get burned out after a while, so again wonder if the pt value is not that big of a priority?

Sorry for all the questions, LOL. I do appreciate all the help these forums provide. WDW wouldn't have been the same w/o it.

 

[stacy6552]

So you are trying to decide between SSR and AKV?

Point value does not change with ownership location. The 100 point AKV will cost you as the owner, there, will cost me the same as an owner at SSR.

You only get the 11 mos booking window at your home resort for the points you have there, so if you have 100 at AKV and 100 at SSR, you can only book with 100 points 11 mos out at one and or the other.

Depending on the time of year, booking at the 7 mos window can be hard, so by ownership in the one you would rather stay at by default.

I would say the quality is pretty equal throughout, though they are all of varying ages.

 

[itsreally4mommy]

We only saw the SSR on our tour and looked around @ AKL on our own (not @ the villas). DH likes the look of OKW in brochures/tv, and I love beach theming but am a bit worried that it looks older and not as delux as some of the newer ones. Although the deals for resale @ these older ones seem very appealing.

So everyone gets a locked rate @ all the resorts? For example if a 1BR @ SSR is 25pts, it will always remain that rate for the SSR owners as well as other DVC members? We thought that say we buy SSR, it will lock at those rates for SSR but other resorts would not be a locked rate.

 

[chalee94]

I apologize for the vague nature of the question. I know personal taste varies. But what should be the biggest considerations?

depends on the person.

end date is a factor, depending on your age (AKV - and some OKW contracts - end in 2057, SSR in 2054 and all others end in 2042.)

cost is another factor. buying a resale might save some money. maintenance fees are also a consideration: buying OKW results in lower annual dues than buying VB.

location also counts. for some, VWL is desirable because it's near the MK while AKV is much farther removed. walking to epcot/mgm is a perk at BCV/BWV.

BCV has a unique pool in stormalong bay. other DVCers can't hop to it.

personal taste is a big factor. if you hate OKW or SSR, you may get stuck there if there's no room at other locations at the 7 month window. it's a lot of money not to enjoy your stay...

Are some locations more difficult to get reservations? (just resort not accounting for vws)

yes. BCV, VWL and BWV are smaller resorts and in demand for various reasons. you might get lucky on a waitlist during the christmas season and find availability at one of these, but i wouldn't count on it year after year...

Are the furnishings/mattress/bedding quality the same @ all DVC?

nope - i'm pretty limited in my experience, but i know that OKW beds are much firmer than SSR's pillowtops. SSR also has much "nicer" furnishings, although OKW's are a better fit for its laid-back theming.

They really stressed buying the amt of points you need now in order to avoid having to add later. I understand that is also a sales tactic to buy buy buy, but help me understand the "home resort" issue. Is it more difficult to get reservations at other resorts than your home? If you have 2 home resorts, do you get priority @ both?

it's easy to add-on later. buy as few as 25 pts (cash) or 50 pts (financing) with no closing costs. (although you may give up some discounts if you are adding on fewer than 100 pts.)

as already stated, if you buy 2 home resorts, there's no mixing pts until the 7 month window. it can be difficult to book another resort at 7 months depending on when you stay (and DVC busy seasons are not necessarily the same as wdw busy seasons.)

 

[chalee94]

So everyone gets a locked rate @ all the resorts? For example if a 1BR @ SSR is 25pts, it will always remain that rate for the SSR owners as well as other DVC members? We thought that say we buy SSR, it will lock at those rates for SSR but other resorts would not be a locked rate.

everyone gets the same point cost rates - yes.

there is a tiny chance that point costs will change - that a 1BR at SSR will be raised in one season from 25 to 28 pts per night - but any increase in pt costs will require a decrease in pt costs elsewhere (such as on weekends or in a different season) as the total pt costs for the resort are fixed.

if it should change (IIRC, there's only been one change in 15 years - at OKW), it would change for everyone regardless of home resort.

 

[itsreally4mommy]

So people who have multiple home resorts just do so in order to make reservations 11 months ahead vs 7? I can't say any of the resorts appear to potentially ruin my trip so I'm not dead set on 1 yet. I like how AKV seem so private, but part of my desire is to avoid the hectic ordeal of getting back and forth to the parks.

 

[rangermom]

We chose AKV for a couple of reasons.

We are nature buffs and naturally feel drawn to the animals at AKV.

We have a family of 5 and some of AKV 1 bedrooms can hold 5.

We fell in love with the floor model of the AKV.

Because of these reasons and since we bought direct from Disney the incentives were either for AKV or SSR. We wanted to be able to book AKV during the 11 month window, so that is what we chose. If we had bought resale we probably would have looked into WL or BWV.

Each villas will have its own perks and downfalls. I'm sure you will be happy with what ever you chose.

 

[stacy6552]

Here's the thing to keep in mind with resales. With one possible exception (a potential contract at OKW), SSR and AKL are the only ones with a contract life until 2054. The rest expire in 2042. You also ahve to remember that Disney has the right to buy your contract, first, so purchasing could take a while.

 

[kfalsey]

I think you should stay a night or two for cash at the resorts and see which one you like. I think as time goes on it will be harder and harder to get into the smaller resorts, especially holidays. I know you can get a better financial deal upfront with some, but it is a long term experience you are buying.

 

[spiceycat]

would probably go with BWV or BCV also VWL in your case.

VWL is the smallest DVC resort - at present the only one in the MK resort (hoping this will change shortly)

BCV is the more popularity and hardest to get.

BWV standard view is much less points - a little higher than OKW & value rooms at AKV - but less than everyone else.

AKV has some villa that are less points like BWV - so this is good news to me.

during late Sept, Oct and early Nov - during the food/wine festavial - BWV or BCV is one of the best places to be. - that say was surprise (nicely) by the bus transportation at OKW to Epcot - every other bus was going to Epcot. so DVC definitely knows what we are there for!!!

 

[Safari Queen]

Other than what's already been discussed, the biggest difference in resorts is whether they're condo type or hotel type. Many people like to park close to their units and feeling like they have a separate dwelling (SSR, OKW). Others prefer the atmosphere and facilities offered by hotel style resorts like BWV, BC, AKL and VWL. We adore our stays at BWV because of the proximity to Epcot. We walk into the WS many times for meals. However, we also love the laid back, peaceful environment of OKW.Think about that. Also, whether you buy through Disney or resale, two or more small contracts are a good idea in case you ever need to sell.