Which DVC makes sense for a family of 6?

[have2getaway]

We recently went to Disney and stayed at the Polynesian and loved it. I have been many times and we are now looking into DVC, but are still very green and unsure. On our recent trip, our older son was not with us, so the standard Poly room worked fine. He will come with us from time to time so just wondering what other families of 6 have found? We are considering renting a 2 BR villa at AKV next year to get a better idea and see if DVC is even right for us. My biggest concern is not being able to afford to purchase enough points to cover a stay for 6 people, since only a 2 BR will work. Does DVC make sense if you think you will go to Disney every other year, and not necessarily every year?

 

[cmanuli]

If you really plan on going every other year, then you would in reality need half the points that it would be to cover a stay, because if you bank the year you don't go you then use it in the year you travel. So yes it makes sense!

 

[have2getaway]

If you really plan on going every other year, then you would in reality need half the points that it would be to cover a stay, because if you bank the year you don't go you then use it in the year you travel. So yes it makes sense!

Thank you!

 

[Dean]

We recently went to Disney and stayed at the Polynesian and loved it. I have been many times and we are now looking into DVC, but are still very green and unsure. On our recent trip, our older son was not with us, so the standard Poly room worked fine. He will come with us from time to time so just wondering what other families of 6 have found? We are considering renting a 2 BR villa at AKV next year to get a better idea and see if DVC is even right for us. My biggest concern is not being able to afford to purchase enough points to cover a stay for 6 people, since only a 2 BR will work. Does DVC make sense if you think you will go to Disney every other year, and not necessarily every year?

If all the other parameters fit then EOY is very workable, you'll just save half as much as going every year. To me that means pay cash, understand the limitations of a timeshare and that DVC offers you savings and/or added value sufficient to justify buying in. It sounds like you would need 150-175 or so points depending on home resort, likely on the low end since you likely wouldn't need a 2 BR all trips. It sounds like you have sufficient Disney experience to make some decisions. Home resort and Use year will be important. SSR and BLT will be your cheapest options but AKV and BWV (for standard) aren't going to be bad either.

 

[have2getaway]

If all the other parameters fit then EOY is very workable, you'll just save half as much as going every year. To me that means pay cash, understand the limitations of a timeshare and that DVC offers you savings and/or added value sufficient to justify buying in. It sounds like you would need 150-175 or so points depending on home resort, likely on the low end since you likely wouldn't need a 2 BR all trips. It sounds like you have sufficient Disney experience to make some decisions. Home resort and Use year will be important. SSR and BLT will be your cheapest options but AKV and BWV (for standard) aren't going to be bad either.

Most of this makes sense to me, and yes, we would definitely do cash, but why would BLT be our cheapest option? I guess I need to review the points brochure again, but I thought the MK DVC's were all the most expensive. Is it because they are smaller? Is the brochure that we were sent only for costs through Disney Direct?

 

[Dean]

Most of this makes sense to me, and yes, we would definitely do cash, but why would BLT be our cheapest option? I guess I need to review the points brochure again, but I thought the MK DVC's were all the most expensive. Is it because they are smaller? Is the brochure that we were sent only for costs through Disney Direct?

BLT will likely be the second cheapest long term due to lower maint fees. It can also be cheaper still due to the standard view options if you take advantage.

 

[have2getaway]

BLT will likely be the second cheapest long term due to lower maint fees. It can also be cheaper still due to the standard view options if you take advantage.

Thank you! This makes complete sense. I had thought about fees, but hadn't compared them yet. It is a good point to keep in mind.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Buying resale will be a LOT cheaper for that many points.

Poly's not going to be a good choice for you, and that's what's Disney's selling. They'll sell you other points -- from a third higher to double the cost of resale.

 

[Minniesgal]

We found the 2 bedrooms were fantastic fir our family of 5 so probably good for 6 too.

Best week AKV and BLT due to the extra bathroom

 

[have2getaway]

We found the 2 bedrooms were fantastic fir our family of 5 so probably good for 6 too.

Best week AKV and BLT due to the extra bathroom

Did you have a preference for one over the other? AKV vs. BLT? We prefer BLT for location, but like the look of the AKV. Just curious if we would regret the AKV due to the location?

 

[have2getaway]

Buying resale will be a LOT cheaper for that many points.

Poly's not going to be a good choice for you, and that's what's Disney's selling. They'll sell you other points -- from a third higher to double the cost of resale.

Thank you! We have sadly already determined that Poly will not be an option for us due to the DVC cost through Disney Direct. We loved that Resort so much and part of why we are on the fence is not being able to stay there as often as we might without DVC.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Did you have a preference for one over the other? AKV vs. BLT? We prefer BLT for location, but like the look of the AKV. Just curious if we would regret the AKV due to the location?

If you are getting a two bedroom, you'll want AKV-Kidani Village. You'll have an extra bathroom just off the entrance to the villa. Jambo House will be a lockoff, so a combination of a studio and one bedroom. You can get a dedicated two bedroom at KV.

We like KV a lot. The bus to Epcot was only about 15 minutes or less after we left the resort. MK will be a bit longer and DHS will be somewhat shorter. And, of course, AK will be a few minutes away.

 

[rg35]

I own at AKV. If you generally use a car, location is really a non-issue. It's a few minutes extra to get anywhere from there.

Bus takes a little bit longer depending on your destination, and obviously you don't have the monorail convenience that you have at Poly.

 

[kniquy]

Seeing that your older son will not be with you all the time. As long as he gives you adequate notice there is an option to receive a transfer of points to cover needing a 2BR when he does come. This can be tricky and difficult as you might not find the points you need.

if you want/need a 2 bedroom for a week in april:
At AKV 2BR stnd would be 287 and savannah 372

BLT for the same time frame 2BR Standard 354, Lake 386 and magic 472 Someone else might be able to comment, but my guess is that the standards at BLT probably book first because of the lowest points.

To buy a contract with enough point to go every other year and to allow you to get a 2BR when older son is with you. you would need to buy:

AKV - 150 points ~$12750 (SSR would be in the same price point, but SSR has lower maintenance fees)
MF on AKV this would be $988 based on 2017 (SSR MF $841)

BLT - you would need ~200 points = which runs about $110 per point = $21800
MF based on 2017 $1125


So what it boils down to is -- do you plan for your typical traveling family of 5 and buy points for a 1BR (where you would only need to buy a 120pt contract for AKV/ssr) or do you spend extra buying a larger contract to have that cushion of point to cover when your son joins you. It depends on what you have for cash to buy in.

The best thing to remember is that you are not locked into your home resort unless you are looking at sept - Dec -- high demand DVC time. So if you love poly you could stay there when you don't have your son.

You do need to review the points charts for the times of the year you will typically want to travel. If you go on davids dvc they have a good points calculator where you can put in different dates and compare all the points needed for every resort and room type. This is very helpful compared to going through pages of points charts. If you wanted to go a sunday - friday -- it would be less points than if your travel time covered the weekend (friday and saturday are higher points). There are many ways to make DVC work for your family.

 

[zavandor]

Beware, after staying in a 2BR there is no turning back to studios. You'll want to stay at least in a 1B when you'll be 5

 

[have2getaway]

"The best thing to remember is that you are not locked into your home resort unless you are looking at sept - Dec -- high demand DVC time. So if you love poly you could stay there when you don't have your son."

Thank you! I think we needed to hear this.

 

[LauraLea]

If you loved the Poly so much, I would lean more to buying at BLT. It is a short monorail ride away for a nice visit.

Laura

 

[have2getaway]

If you loved the Poly so much, I would lean more to buying at BLT. It is a short monorail ride away for a nice visit.

Laura

Thank you! I was just looking at a floor plan of the BLT 2 BR. It also occurred to me, do DVC renters have access to the Magical Express or dining plan?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Thank you! I was just looking at a floor plan of the BLT 2 BR. It also occurred to me, do DVC renters have access to the Magical Express or dining plan?

Yes, and yes. When renting, you get access to MDE, Magical Express and your owner can add the Dining Plan, which must be paid in full when booked. As a renter, you do NOT get any DVC member discounts, access to the DVC lounge, or access to the Top of the World Lounge (even if you're staying at BLT).

 

[kniquy]

dining plan?

Just wanted to note that you do not have any access to free dining promotions. There are some DVC dining discounts offered so sometimes those discounts work out to be better than the dining plan.