Which DVC would you choose for Multi-Generations?

[LovesTimone]

DH and I are in the beginning of journey to be coming DVC owners. I have gotten the best info on here for the whole the process. We have really been talking about what we want and need for our family and looking forward to the future. I really don't want to waste time on something that will not meet our needs, so I am humbly asking for your thoughts and wisdom

Here's our story. We live in Florida, DH and I are empty nester, Our DD, her DDH and my DGS ( 4 months old ). Both of our families and dear friends live here. We are AP holders. Living in Orlando we tend to do the long weekends, or last minute meaning.. waking up on Saturday morning and getting a room for Saturday night, and being check in by 9:00 am. We have moved 5 times in 12 years with my DH's job, some of the moves being out of state. So knowing that we could come for a really long weekends a couple of times a year would make moving easier, if we move again. I do add this into to equation as 5 times in 12 years is a lot of moving, and its more when it might happen, not.. is it going to happen. My parents are still in great health, and they enjoy Disney especially my Mom. So we want to be able to include them in some of our stays. Also we have our travel buddies that we love to go to food and wine with. With a new Grandson we are looking forward to seeing him at Disney. We don't mind ride the buses, its something that is not a issue for us.

DH and I are thinking a 2 bedroom would be the best way for us to go. Privacy, space and 2 bathrooms are a must with our family. We both think that the Tree House at SSR are interesting. The new Poly Bungalows are beautiful, but super costly. But I really want to make sure that we aren't missing something that might work better. We are up to buying resale or direct.

So Please give me your infinite wisdom.

 

[supersnoop]

"Last minute" for a timeshare is 4-5 months out. If you want to book a room for next weekend, do not buy DVC. It will only disappoint you.

 

[disneynutz]

The problem as I see it is that until you stay at the different resorts, how do you know where to buy, is the DVC for you, how difficult is it to book and what is it like dealing with member services.

You can either take you best guess and buy there or buy SSR at a cheaper price and use those points to learn the system. 2 bedrooms tend to book last so it will be interesting to see how it goes.

Bill

 

[LovesTimone]

"Last minute" for a timeshare is 4-5 months out. If you want to book a room for next weekend, do not buy DVC. It will only disappoint you.

If we go this route, for just to 2 of us, we don't care where we would stay, we understand that it more than likely would not be our home resort. Which is fine for us. I have read that this is possible, and also some friends have done this when they met us when we were at WDW when living out of state. They called that morning and got OKW which was fine for what they wanted. This was like 2 years ago.

Are you saying that this is impossible now?

We normally plan our time, especially when others are included.

 

[com_op_2000]

We live an hour north-east of the mouse-house.
Are DVC last minute possible - yes. Some examples:
DW and I several times have been at DTD for the day and decided we wanted to stay the night. Called the resorts directly (back before MS was open on Sundays) or MS and checked in within 15 minutes.
At MK for the day in Feb ’14 for our anniversary, called MS @09:00, and booked a room at BLT for that night. Checked-in @11:00 and the room was ready. We did not plan on this day going like this until @05:00 while still in bed.
Do not plan on using any last for AKL-CL, BWV-standards, or any other special catagories. You can plan on most of the time being at SSR, OKW, and AKL since they are the largest resorts.

 

[disneynutz]

The issue is that now you don't think that you care where you stay but in a few short years the honeymoon in the parks will start to wear off and you will be spending more time at your resort. You will have been on all attractions many times, the parks don't change that much and you will grow tired of the crowds.

Bill

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you wind up getting OKW for a last minute reservation and you have your mother with you, would she have problems with stairs? Most of the buildings at OKW don't have elevators.

 

[nalajms]

If you don't care where you stay, buy at SSR. Buy a smallish contract and try it out. If it works, great. If it doesn't you can always sell.

Another option may be BCV. You'd get your 11m F&W booking, and the pool's great for the little ones (assuming you go in warm months and pools are important).

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you don't care where you stay, buy at SSR. Buy a smallish contract and try it out. If it works, great. If it doesn't you can always sell.

Another option may be BCV. You'd get your 11m F&W booking, and the pool's great for the little ones (assuming you go in warm months and pools are important).

But the OP has to book BCV at eleven months out, not last minute for F&W.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I don't think it's impossible to get something last minute but it's definitely not guaranteed. It's a more risky way to use DVC and may or may not work out well for you. You'll have to just take what's available that would work and there are chances that there may be nothing available that fits your group. If you do decide to give this a try you may want to just purchase a small contract and see how it goes. The SSR contracts are usually the most economical with a lower upfront cost and lower maintenance fees. Since he would be booking last minute it doesn't matter at all where you own so go for the cheapest. Since you are local and can probably be flexible you might use the DVC contract when you can get something that works for you and then supplement that with cash stays when you can't get a DVC room.

 

[DizBub]

I agree with going with SSR. That would be the cheapest overall and last minute booking may be possible most times of the year. During the Holidays and special events most likely not. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Lynne M]

You might as well buy SSR, as that's where you're going to end up most of the time if you do last minute reservations. I definitely wouldn't buy one of the really pricey new ones, that would be an enormous waste of money. If you won't be using your home resort advantage, there's no reason to pay a premium for it.

Timeshares don't work like hotels. Timeshare owners tend to book much farther in advance, at 7-11 months out. You might be able to get something last minute most times of the year, but it's very likely it'll be SSR or OKW, possibly AKV. Those are the large resorts. And it might be a night here and there - a one bedroom at OKW for Friday, a two bedroom at SSR for Saturday and Sunday.

 

[amym2]

We own at SSR but have never stayed there. We did a multigenerational trip at AKV last Oct with our kids (13 and 11 now) and my parents (late 60's). We all loved it! We've also stayed in a THV, which was great for a no parks trip. We've also stayed in 1 bedrooms at OKW and BLT, which were perfect for the 4 of us. Oh and Aulani 2bdrm with FIL, which was amazing. We find that a 2bdrm works great for multigenerational trips. We've never done a last minute trip, but as others have said I'd guess that SSR, OKW, and AKL would be the most available for that. For one night, you might be able to stay at other resorts.