Why own at multiple resorts?

[Goofy DVC]

We're the same as most. We bought OKW in 93 and immediately added on there. We then bought BCV to insure that we could book Food and Wine at 11 months. Our favorite resort is OKW and we love staying there all the time except during F & W, then it's location, location, location.

 

[ToddyLu]

Turns out I married a DVC purist who only wants to stay at AKV and purchase add-ons at AKV...

 

[CliftonParkGMan]

It is easy to be confused. That is why I like coming to the DISboards to read.

The key is if there is someplace you want to stay that is hard to get in buy there, buy enough points to meet your booking needs because many do get confused about the 11 / 7 booking preference and co-mingling of points.

It really depends on the size of your party / accommodations needed. We have a large family for instance and like to book with other groups and truly love BCV which was our original home resort. For that reason we bought 2 resale contracts at BCV to ensure that we can stay there when we want with the size room we want. We are EPCOT & Studios SHU's so the location is perfect. I don't like unpredictable bookings or the wait list so that forged our decision.

Now in the future as my children grow and have children of their own I'd could see geting some BLT points for access to MK. If no kids and empty nest AKV would be great for me and my wife. The key is that choosing based on cost of resort / dues is a gamble but worth it if you don't care which resort you stay in. You can save some money.

The bottom line there is no "right" or "wrong" answer to your question.

 

[ELMC]

Buying a two resorts makes sense if you know you want to stay in two specific places that have tight availability. Or even one specific place, and your other contract is for a less expensive resorts. You do need to understand that owning two resorts only gets you home resort advantage for those home resort points....i.e. if you own 50 BWV points to get a room at BWV over Food and Wine and 150 SSR points, at eleven months you can use those 50 BWV points - or 150 if you bank and borrow three years worth of BWV points - but none of those SSR points can be used to book that BWV room until seven months out.

Over the years, several newbies to DVC have misunderstood this and have tried to work the system by buying a lot of cheaper points, and a few expensive points - and it doesn't work that way.

Excellent point. I suppose I should clarify that we bought two resorts with the intention of doing split stays.

 

[DizBub]

Excellent point. I suppose I should clarify that we bought two resorts with the intention of doing split stays.

This is an option for us too but having done a split stay we found that we really liked to settle in and stay put. Moving day was not great, homeless for most of the day. We'll have to try it again and see if it goes smoother.

 

[crisi]

This is an option for us too but having done a split stay we found that we really liked to settle in and stay put. Moving day was not great, homeless for most of the day. We'll have to try it again and see if it goes smoother.

I think MOST members who own at more than one resorts don't do split stays, they do alternate stays. Say you own two resorts and go once a year. In year one, you use your current year BWV points and borrow next years, and stay at BWV...in year two, you do the same thing, only using your VWL points. Multiply by number of trips and number of resorts owned. It sounds like too much point management to me, but some people don't seem to think its a big deal (or even take pleasure in planning their point usage).

 

[CarolMN]

I think MOST members who own at more than one resorts don't do split stays, they do alternate stays. Say you own two resorts and go once a year. In year one, you use your current year BWV points and borrow next years, and stay at BWV...in year two, you do the same thing, only using your VWL points. Multiply by number of trips and number of resorts owned. It sounds like too much point management to me, but some people don't seem to think its a big deal (or even take pleasure in planning their point usage).

I've never quite understood what those people do with their extra points. Unless they have exactly 1/2 of the points needed for each trip, they will have extras. Since Disney has reallocated, it has to have messed up some people's 1/2 calculations, too.

I can't figure out how to avoid losing points with the alternate method without using "extra" points to book something at 7 months, which isn't always possible without doing a split stay or maybe another trip. Maybe some are just OK with losing a few every year?

 

[crisi]

I've never quite understood what those people do with their extra points. Unless they have exactly 1/2 of the points needed for each trip, they will have extras. Since Disney has reallocated, it has to have messed up some people's 1/2 calculations, too.

I can't figure out how to avoid losing points with the alternate method without using "extra" points to book something at 7 months, which isn't always possible without doing a split stay or maybe another trip. Maybe some are just OK with losing a few every year?

Since we go every other year, I know exactly how it works - you combine banking and borrowing.

So I have 150 points and normally take a 284 point vacation.

In year one I use 150 year one points,and borrow 134 year two points.


In year two I don't go, and bank 16 year two points.

In year three I go, use 16 year two points, 150 year three points and 118 year four points.

In year four I don't go and bank 32 year four points.

Eventually we end up with "too many" points - and then we take friends or extend our vacation or .....

etc. etc. Two contracts works the same way, you are just doing it every year, alternating contracts and resorts.

 

[ELMC]

I've never quite understood what those people do with their extra points. Unless they have exactly 1/2 of the points needed for each trip, they will have extras. Since Disney has reallocated, it has to have messed up some people's 1/2 calculations, too.

I can't figure out how to avoid losing points with the alternate method without using "extra" points to book something at 7 months, which isn't always possible without doing a split stay or maybe another trip. Maybe some are just OK with losing a few every year?

Plus, there's always the rental option. While I know some people aren't comfortable with it, it does make it so that you won't lose extra points, especially if you are borrowing from the following year to round out the reservation.

 

[MrsDuck]

We started with Grand Cali and then added Aulani; we like having two "homes".

 

[LisaS]

I've never quite understood what those people do with their extra points. Unless they have exactly 1/2 of the points needed for each trip, they will have extras. Since Disney has reallocated, it has to have messed up some people's 1/2 calculations, too.

I can't figure out how to avoid losing points with the alternate method without using "extra" points to book something at 7 months, which isn't always possible without doing a split stay or maybe another trip. Maybe some are just OK with losing a few every year?

We have so few points at our alternate resorts that we follow Crisi's model borrowing points most years, so we rarely are in a position where we could lose points. When we are, we either take a longer trip one year or book a stay at OKW (we love it but don't own there) and use up any stray points. Since an OKW trip would be in either late January or early May, it's not a problem booking 7 months out.

 

[BestDadEver]

My plan is to add another contract in the future . I currently own 100@ SSR . I figure if I add 150 to 100 points at another resort , that would alow me flexability to do studio without having to use points or do 2-3br with banking borrowing . And still not miss time, using points at our other resort . 300 will get you a week in the most expensive room types .

Also itwould make booking rci rooms that are 2br if we wish .

 

[dmband]

so lets say i own 160 points at blt
and then 25 points at bwv
can i make a ressie at bwv 11 months out even though 25 points will not cover the whole trip or do i have to wait till 7 months since i would be using points from blt
tia

 

[DougEMG]

so lets say i own 160 points at blt
and then 25 points at bwv
can i make a ressie at bwv 11 months out even though 25 points will not cover the whole trip or do i have to wait till 7 months since i would be using points from blt
tia

You can only use the 25 BWV points at the 11 month mark at BWV. You then need to wait till the 7 month mark to use the BLT points to book at BWV.

Don't forget though you can bank and borrow The BWV points which would give you 75 points to use at the 11 month mark once every 3 years.

 

[LisaS]

so lets say i own 160 points at blt
and then 25 points at bwv
can i make a ressie at bwv 11 months out even though 25 points will not cover the whole trip or do i have to wait till 7 months since i would be using points from blt
tia

Being an owner at BWV is not enough (and also not required) to book BWV 11 months out. What matters is having enough BWV points in your account to pay for your stay. They could be your own BWV points or BWV points that you had transferred into your account from a BWV owner, but only BWV points are valid to book BWV in the home resort booking window.

I don't own BLT points but I could book there 11 months out if I arranged for a BLT owner to transfer BLT points into my account. Points are what matter.

 

[CMOORE185]

I've never quite understood what those people do with their extra points. Unless they have exactly 1/2 of the points needed for each trip, they will have extras. Since Disney has reallocated, it has to have messed up some people's 1/2 calculations, too.

I can't figure out how to avoid losing points with the alternate method without using "extra" points to book something at 7 months, which isn't always possible without doing a split stay or maybe another trip. Maybe some are just OK with losing a few every year?

What you have to do is always be borrowing points. We never have extra points or worry about banking because we borrow every year.

 

[wallygirl]

So if you buy at two resorts you can book one of them at the 11 month window, correct? You don't have to designate one only as home. For example, if we have AKV and BCV with 100 points each you could book BCV at 11 months (borrowing from AKV) for F&W and then AKV another year at 11 months for a different trip. TIA!

 

[chalee94]

So if you buy at two resorts you can book one of them at the 11 month window, correct? You don't have to designate one only as home. For example, if we have AKV and BCV with 100 points each you could book BCV at 11 months (borrowing from AKV) for F&W and then AKV another year at 11 months for a different trip. TIA!

you as the owner do not have home resort priority. it is the points that have home resort priority.

if you have 25 AKV pts and 300 BCV pts and then you want to book AKV at the 11 month window, all you can use is pts from the 25 pt AKV contract.

you can use banking and borrowing to use 25 banked AKV pts + 25 current AKV pts + 25 borrowed AKV pts = 75 AKV pts to use at AKV at 11 months out...but your 300 BCV pts are sidelined from booking AKV until the 7 month window. (and vice-versa.)

banking and borrowing does not turn BCV pts into AKV pts, so in your example, borrowing AKV pts would not allow you to book BCV for food and wine at the 11 month window.

you need the right "currency" so if you want to book BCV at the 11 month window, you have to have enough BCV pts to do it. you can use banked BCV pts, current BCV pts, borrowed BCV pts or BCV pts transferred in from a BCV owner...but you have to have BCV pts.

(but if you meant you could book BCV at 11 months out with current and borrowed pts from your BCV contract, and then next year book AKV at 11 months out with banked and current pts from your AKV contract...yes that would be a good plan.)

 

[wallygirl]

Thanks Chalee!!! Super explanation to help make everything clearer.

you as the owner do not have home resort priority. it is the points that have home resort priority.

if you have 25 AKV pts and 300 BCV pts and then you want to book AKV at the 11 month window, all you can use is pts from the 25 pt AKV contract.

you can use banking and borrowing to use 25 banked AKV pts + 25 current AKV pts + 25 borrowed AKV pts = 75 AKV pts to use at AKV at 11 months out...but your 300 BCV pts are sidelined from booking AKV until the 7 month window. (and vice-versa.)

banking and borrowing does not turn BCV pts into AKV pts, so in your example, borrowing AKV pts would not allow you to book BCV for food and wine at the 11 month window.

you need the right "currency" so if you want to book BCV at the 11 month window, you have to have enough BCV pts to do it. you can use banked BCV pts, current BCV pts, borrowed BCV pts or BCV pts transferred in from a BCV owner...but you have to have BCV pts.

(but if you meant you could book BCV at 11 months out with current and borrowed pts from your BCV contract, and then next year book AKV at 11 months out with banked and current pts from your AKV contract...yes that would be a good plan.)

 

[parlay]

What you have to do is always be borrowing points. We never have extra points or worry about banking because we borrow every year.

LOL! We are also in a constant state of borrowing. I don't have to worry about banking until April of 2014!!