Where do you start?

[lolobug]

Thinking about purchasing DVC but have done zero research. Can someone tell me where to start? Thank you!

 

[geargrinder]

Here, and tons of great content on Youtube. I suggest you study for at least a couple months before you start looking to purchase.

 

[AwfulWaffle]

You tube for sure. Grab a 12 pack and just watch three years worth of episodes from the board sponsor haha

 

[jcolvin5]

Thinking about purchasing DVC but have done zero research. Can someone tell me where to start? Thank you!

Looks like you are a DIS Veteran, so is it safe to assume you have stayed on property (WDW or DL) at some point before? What are your experiences if you have stayed in the resorts? Ones you like, don't like. Specific areas that you like.

I would start with that and then begin researching what buying DVC is and how it will affect your specific vacation interests. Plenty of good research sites and vlogs out there. Too many really. This link is from host site and is pretty good dive into what DVC is.

And this community is really good at providing their experiences to help guide you. I know they have helped me as I moved from buying only direct (3 contracts) to resale (now 3 contracts).

Good luck!

 

[peabody58]

One word..... Spreadsheet!

 

[lolobug]

Here, and tons of great content on Youtube. I suggest you study for at least a couple months before you start looking to purchase.

Thank you!

 

[lolobug]

Looks like you are a DIS Veteran, so is it safe to assume you have stayed on property (WDW or DL) at some point before? What are your experiences if you have stayed in the resorts? Ones you like, don't like. Specific areas that you like.

I would start with that and then begin researching what buying DVC is and how it will affect your specific vacation interests. Plenty of good research sites and vlogs out there. Too many really. This link is from host site and is pretty good dive into what DVC is.

And this community is really good at providing their experiences to help guide you. I know they have helped me as I moved from buying only direct (3 contracts) to resale (now 3 contracts).

Good luck!

We love the Wilderness Lodge- that would be my top pick!

 

[4eversleepy]

As someone who just went through this, here are the starting points IMO, all of these have several youtube video explanations for. It helps to watch the same thing from multiple sources so you get different perspectives.

1) Direct vs Resale: based on cost, with resale being around 50% cheaper, I knew right away that I wanted resale. But other people value the benefits of Direct, so research what those benefits are and what you'll be losing out on by buying resale.

2) Home resort: All resorts have there pros and cons. You need to understand what you value in a resort, what kind of room you'll most likely stay in, and whether that resort is easy to book at the 7mo mark. I was really leaning towards AKV first, but then realized it was relatively easy to get at 7mo, so I went with a different resort that I was happy staying in.

3) Number of points: Addonitis is real and happens even during the buying phase. We were first looking at contracts from 100-150 points and somehow ended up with 350 points. Again look at the type of room you'll most likely stay in, how long you'll stay for, and what time of year. For us we started considering a studio but realized we would be more comfortable in a 2br, so that's what we purchased for.

I think the above is a good starting point. Once you've got a handle on that you can start reading more into the fine print and intricacies.

 

[intamin]

As someone who just went through this, here are the starting points IMO, all of these have several youtube video explanations for. It helps to watch the same thing from multiple sources so you get different perspectives.

1) Direct vs Resale: based on cost, with resale being around 50% cheaper, I knew right away that I wanted resale. But other people value the benefits of Direct, so research what those benefits are and what you'll be losing out on by buying resale.

2) Home resort: All resorts have there pros and cons. You need to understand what you value in a resort, what kind of room you'll most likely stay in, and whether that resort is easy to book at the 7mo mark. I was really leaning towards AKV first, but then realized it was relatively easy to get at 7mo, so I went with a different resort that I was happy staying in.

3) Number of points: Addonitis is real and happens even during the buying phase. We were first looking at contracts from 100-150 points and somehow ended up with 350 points. Again look at the type of room you'll most likely stay in, how long you'll stay for, and what time of year. For us we started considering a studio but realized we would be more comfortable in a 2br, so that's what we purchased for.

I think the above is a good starting point. Once you've got a handle on that you can start reading more into the fine print and intricacies.

Just to further expand on the points you already made

1. Direct vs. resale.

Direct Pros:
- Able to book any and all resorts
- Ability to buy Sorcerer pass at Disney World which otherwise is only available to Florida residents
- Access to Moonlight Magic
- Access to DVC Lounges which are not available to resale members at Disneyland, Epcot and at Bay Lake Tower
- 20% discount on merch, 10% discount on food
- points instantly available and loaded into your account

Direct Cons:
- Significantly more expensive buy in cost compared to resale (can save 10s of thousands by buying resale) so do not discount this con
- typically can expect to lose more money if needing to sell the contract in the future compared to buying resale

Resale pros:
- Cheaper buy in cost
- able to recuperate cost without significant loss generally speaking if needing/planning to sell
- Able to pick use year (the importance of this takes a little bit of time to wrap your head around so I won't try to explain it in this comment)

Resale cons:
- Unable to book Riviera, Villas at Disneyland Hotel or Cabins at Fort Wilderness and every other new resort that is not added to an already existing association (unless you buy resale at RIV, VDH or CFW in which case you can ONLY use it at their respective home resort)
- pretty much you don't get access to the stuff I listed in the direct pros
- still paying the same amount in dues which make up more than 2/3 of the price of a contract over it's lifetime

I'd say a lot of us own a mixture of both resale and direct points AKA have hybrid memberships. This allows us to enjoy the full benefits of membership, but also get a significant discount on a lot of our points. IMO though, the only real tangible benefit of buying direct is being able to book any future resorts as all the other benefits are subject to discontinuation at any time. Also the things like merchandise and food discounts are available to you if you have an annual pass so if you're planning to buy a pass or already own a pass, this makes this perk less important.

 

[intamin]

2) Home resort: All resorts have there pros and cons. You need to understand what you value in a resort, what kind of room you'll most likely stay in, and whether that resort is easy to book at the 7mo mark. I was really leaning towards AKV first, but then realized it was relatively easy to get at 7mo, so I went with a different resort that I was happy staying in

2. Home resort

General rule of thumb is buy where you want to stay. That being said, not every resort needs home resort priority to be able to book there. The 3 most frequently available resorts are Saratoga Springs, Old Key West and Animal Kingdom Lodge at 7 months.

That's not to say that having home resort priority there is not useful. For example Old Key West owners will typically book a room category called Near Hospitality House which is a little bit harder to get without owning there during popular travel times. Animal Kingdom Lodge has the only concierge level rooms in all of DVC albeit there are extremely few of them available. But if you're not picky about these specific room types, you'd likely be better off owning somewhere else.

Certain resorts are less available during specific times. I saw you have an interest in Copper Creek. Copper Creek studios are notoriously difficult to book during early December because it's decked out for the holidays and are difficult to book without the 11 month window. Another example would be trying to book theme park view rooms at Bay Lake Tower during New Years Eve or July 4th where you may not always need home resort priority but at certain times you will.

Some resorts are simply tiny and don't have that much inventory such as Grand Californian or Beach Club and again are extremely difficult to book without owning there.

I'd take a look at the availability charts to get an idea of how difficult it is to book things at the 7 month window and help you determine if you REALLY need to own there to book at your desired room type and resort.

DVC availability charts found here: https://www.dvcfieldguide.com/availability-tables

Dues
Your home resort will also determine how much you pay in dues per point. Many uneducated buyers will purchase a resort like Vero Beach because they see that the buy in price is extremely cheap; however, the dues at that resort are the highest in the DVC system and quickly negates any savings that were had from buying Vero Beach instead of a resort like Saratoga Springs.

Location
What parks do you want to be around?
Magic Kingdom? Bay Lake Tower, Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Copper Creek, Boulder Ridge, Cabins at Fort Wilderness
Epcot/Hollywood Studios? Boardwalk, Beach Club, Riviera
Animal Kingdom? Animal Kingdom Lodge
Peace and quiet/Disney Springs? Saratoga Springs, Old Key West

 

[intamin]

3) Number of points: Addonitis is real and happens even during the buying phase. We were first looking at contracts from 100-150 points and somehow ended up with 350 points. Again look at the type of room you'll most likely stay in, how long you'll stay for, and what time of year. For us we started considering a studio but realized we would be more comfortable in a 2br, so that's what we purchased for.

3. Point charts

Each resort has a different point chart which essentially determines how many points you need to spend per night to stay there in a specific room category. These charts can greatly affect the price of the room per night as some resorts cost more than 50% more points for the same room type. I'd recommend buying the amount of points you need for the time when you want to go and add an additional 10% to give yourself some flexibility. Point charts occasionally are re-adjusted to fit booking demands although usually not by a significant amount but buying extra will ensure you have enough points for your stay. Generally speaking, older resorts have more friendly point charts although Copper Creek is a newer DVC resort and has low point charts.

You can find the point charts for each resort listed here: https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/vacation-planning/points-charts

This may or may not have been more information than you wanted but I hope you find it useful @lolobug

 

[CVG]

Use dvcrofr.com to establish what experienced buyers are paying resale. The board sponsor has a great website with lots of great features and info so definitely spend time there. Just don't expect them to have the best resale deals!

 

[MarkNC2Disney]

You either wing it or you watch 10,000 hours of YouTube - there is no in between.

 

[Lorana]

Resale pros:
- Able to pick use year (the importance of this takes a little bit of time to wrap your head around so I won't try to explain it in this comment)

You can pick your Use Year (UY) as a Direct buyer, too.

A benefit of each is, if you don't use your points, you can convert them into Interval International points to book at timeshares around the world. I have not personally done this (yet), so I cannot speak to the value or ease, but it is an option.

 

[Lorana]

Another Direct benefit:

- You can also your points to go on Members Only Cruises, Adventures, etc., and other events (beyond just Moonlight Magic), and Disney does sometimes offer Members Only events - like movie screenings - that require you to have access to Membership Benefits (Direct Points).

- You can use points to book Disney resorts around the world, and to book cruises, adventures by Disney, etc.*

* The point conversion for these are high, and so if you are willing to rent out points, it is often better to rent out points and then use that to pay for the hotels, cruises, etc., as you'd only need to "spend" about half the points. However, if you want a quick, easy way to use your points when not visiting Disney, using them for cruises and other vacations is an option.

 

[tom1944]

I started by talking to about 6 or 7 co-workers who owned DVC. I then spoke to my wife about it and see what her concerns were and promised to do research before I bought.

I joined this board and read as many posts as I could.

Before I bought, I showed my wife where the money would come from and the future cost. I never promised my wife we would save money because this is not a save money item in my mind. I made the case it is a commitment to vacation which works for our unique circumstances.

The reason I say it is not a save money product because no matter the deal you get on the cost of a contract the cost of a yearly trip to a Disney location is very expensive with tickets, travel. food and souvenirs. I am not going on vacation and watching what we spend.

 

[intamin]

You can pick your Use Year (UY) as a Direct buyer, too.

A benefit of each is, if you don't use your points, you can convert them into Interval International points to book at timeshares around the world. I have not personally done this (yet), so I cannot speak to the value or ease, but it is an option.

Lol yeah you can but sometimes if you’re not already a member they will try and limit you to specific ones. I was originally set up with June, asked to have the contract rewritten in the 10 day period and they refused to give me a March UY but were okay with giving me an April UY.

 

[CarolMN]

Lots of good info right here on the DIS in this thread:

DISboards DVC Resource Center

Have fun with your research and feel free to ask more questions.

 

[CVG]

Lots of good info right here on the DIS in this thread:

DISboards DVC Resource Center

Have fun with your research and feel free to ask more questions.

That may be worth a clean up. A lot of the links don't work anymore.

 

[walt34]

It's a paid resource, but for me the DVC Field Guide (www.dvcfieldguide.com) is well worth the $12.95. It's a very complete book on DVC. It has an excellent introduction to how DVC works and a great reference of all the resorts (room types and numbers, room layouts, availability, point cost)

I found it a little too late after doing my own research but it's what I recommend to newcomers when I get asked.