which home resort and why?

[MJ6987]

See above. Thanks

 

[karrit2000]

Booking window for home resort priority is very important at certain times of the year.

 

[CarolA]

There are NO unbiased views on here. For everyone that loves a resort someone else will post with the LAUNDRY list of "why I hate XYZ"


Keep that in mind when reading any advice on here.

 

[kim_d]

Our initial purchase was through Disney in Feb 2002 for BCV. We stayed at BC for our honeymoom in Sept 2001 and LOVED it. We loved the theme, the location, the pools, etc. My parents were already DVC members so we took the tour in 2001 and told our guide to contact us when they were ready to sell the BCV. Needless to say a few months later he did and we purchased 175 points.

We are still very happy with BCV. We now have 2 children (5 and 2) who also really like BC and it's location to Epcot and HS as well as the pool and entertainment (movies on the beach, campfire, etc).

However, we also like trying other places and have stayed at WLV, OKW, BWV and AKL. We will be staying at CBR and the Poly this trip (december/january).

We were interested in adding points and decided to add 130 with AKL. We truly enjoyed our stay at the lodge and I mentioned previously my DH likes the single resort bus stops...there are so many stops on the Beach Club bus for his taste

 

[shortypots]

This is a completely subjective thing that you will need to answer yourselves.

We chose our first purchase to be AKV because we absolutely loved the look and theme of the resort, and the SV rooms are just icing on the cake.

Our other purchase was VWL and we did this for 11 month priority for Christmas time because the lodge is amazing for the holidays. It is also only a boat ride away from the MK and Fort Wilderness. It is a small resort, so without 11 month priority, you prolly won't get in there without ownership in Dec or peak periods.

The other resorts have their own special features too.

OKW- another one of my favorites are the largest rooms, and lowest point values. We seriously considered buying 200 pts here instead of 150 pts at WL. Great location with a boat to SSR and DTD.Very relaxing. Loved the balcony. This is also one of the cheapest ones per point.

Beach Club is one of the smallest resorts, and hard to get into during peak times. Has a great pool area Stormalong Bay, and is walking distance to Epcot and DHS.

Boardwalk also is walking distance to epcot and DHS and has all the excitement of the boardwalk area.

SSR is the largest I believe so has lots of availability. Walking distance to DTD. We enjoyed our time here, but wasn't crazy about the rooms, JMHO. We are from NY so was disappointed in the theming, just didn't feel like Saratoga to us. Maybe they need some live horses!

You could also go with HH or VB, but then you would only make your ressies 7 months in advance.

Hope this helps.

 

[Tozzie]

It depends on what you like, I bought at AKV because I could sit all day watching the animals and have a great day. Once I finish with my developer points I will probably only stay at AKV unless I make late reservations. The only other DVC property that I would really like to try is VWL.
Some people love BCV didn't like the hotel and I stayed in concierge and I for the life of me can't figure out the draw of SAB but to each is own. .

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

IMHO, Boardwalk is the best.

You've got the best views of any DVC, arguably throughout Disney, fantastic lobby, and best of all, standard and boardwalk view points.

Absolutely Fabulous!

 

[kellybus]

I went with OKW due to the size and 11 month window.

 

[dolphingirl47]

We bought OKW through Disney last year. Our Guide asked a lot of questions about how we like to vacation and then made the suggestion and we decided to have a wander around the place before committing ourselves. The combination of lower points per night and larger rooms was a definite plus point. Walking around the resort, we also loved the feel of it. I am a Disney nut and will spent as much time as I can in the parks. DH not so much. He is looking forward to a relaxing vacation where he will go for some walks, sit on the balcony or go to the pool. He is not really interested in seeing animals (other than the local wildlife) while he is on the balcony. So OKW seems to be a perfect fit for us. He also loves Typhoon Lagoon so having that close by is a distinct bonus.

dolphingirl47

 

[jamstew]

For me, it was the two resorts that I like best and where I want to stay (VWL & BCV).

 

[browniemtb]

For us it was pretty simple........we wanted to have access to a park either by walking, boat, or monrail. Well since the monorail wasn't available there were 3 choices left...BWV,BCV, and VWL. My DW scratch VWL quickly so we inquired about the last two. Our guide said those were sold out and that SSR was available......until once she realized that SSR was a no go she offered us BWV because there were no points for the BCV. To be honest we haven't been disappointed and all this was bought sight unseen we just trust all the great feedback on the DIS.

 

[SusieBea]

For us it was OKW - because that's the only one there was at the time! But it's worked out well, and we'd choose it again.... Like the size of the rooms, the feel of the resort, and parking directly in front of your building.

 

[Brian Noble]

Assuming you are buying resale:

Start with the list of resorts you wouldn't mind "having to" stay at. That will be different for everyone. Once you have that list, buy the one that you can get the best deal on, taking into account both purchase price and dues. I like to use 8% of my purchase price as "annual carrying costs"---some use a higher figure, others use a lower one. But, once you've converted the purchase price to an annual figure, you can compare two deals with a single number.

That list is important---in booking your home resort, you only have to compete with other owners at that resort for time. In booking anything else, you have to compete with everyone in the system.

However, if you plan to buy through Disney, I recommend AKV if you are buying in the immediate future.

This also assumes you can plan more than 7 months in advance. If you can't do that, then home resort means nothing---just get the best deal you can.

 

[JimMIA]

This also assumes you can plan more than 7 months in advance. If you can't do that, then home resort means nothing---just get the best deal you can.

This is an often-forgotten key to the question about which resort to choose. If you can't usually book during the 11 month window -- or if you don't care where you stay -- home resort doesn't really matter.

That said, I would never buy anywhere you DON'T want to stay just because the price is better. During peak periods, you may have to book at 11 months and you would not want to do that and then dread the stay.

If the booking window is not important to your family, I'd take a look not only at the per-point purchase cost, but also at the maintenance fees. They vary from resort to resort, and over the length of your ownership they add up to a LOT more than the purchase price.

 

[crisi]

I'd make a list of the attributes YOU find important. Weight them, and grade each resort on those attributes. One may be "chance of booking it at seven months - OKW is a lovely resort to like, and a lovely resort to own - but it you also like BCVs that's harder to get at seven months and you might want to choose to buy your contract at BCVs knowing that you can probably get in at OKW at seven months (provided you don't want a Grand Villa). Another may be dues - and maybe buying a low dues resort is really important to you, or maybe you burn cash in the winter for heat and can leave it off. Another may be purchase price. Theming. Location. Pool. Nearby restaurants. Condo vs. Hotel. Room size. Length of contract. Availability of dedicated two bedrooms. Car friendliness. Your own memories (our first trip with kids was at VWL, it will always have a special spot for that reason). What one member thinks is ultimate reason to own a resort, another thinks is a huge detriment - i.e. some people LOVE BWV for its busy location, other people LOVE OKW because its quiet and away from the action.

(ETA: Remember that some of this WILL change over the life of the contract - a resort with lower dues may catch up over time. Restaurants close - all of Pleasure Island gets closed! Pools get remodeled. Contracts are even offered for extension. But you have to work with the information you have today.)

 

[tink4ever]

For us we love the VWL and BCV so we bought into both. The locations are great and the theming is beautiful so we love them.

 

[VanessasMom]

We are also considering DVC and had some of the same questions. Where do we find the information on how much the dues/maintenance fees are for each resort?

 

[wdfan1977]

We are currently in the process of purchasing at WLV . Our reason was close proximity to MK (our daughter is 2 years), the rustic appeal the resort offers, and Christmas at WLV is the best from my understanding .

 

[dinodak]

VWL - Love the setting and location!

 

[Brian Noble]

They vary from resort to resort, and over the length of your ownership they add up to a LOT more than the purchase price.

Only in constant-value dollars. If you include opportunity cost, MFs are about half.