Yet more questions . . .

[FutureSailor]

Thanks to all who have provided info--I really, really want to buy but want to make an informed decision too . . . My questions today are:

1. What happens (that is, how does Disney figure out how many points to charge) when a weekly stay overlaps two "seasons"?

2. Who is eligible for the annual pass and other discounts? If I purchase with my sister, do both of our families qualify? Or do we need to put everyone's name on the deed?

Thanks again!

 

[cobbler]

1- You are charged the appropriate amount for both seasons. It isn't like with CRO where the season you check in on carries through-out your stay.

So say if its 10 points a night for the first nights then 12 points a night for the last 2 then your total point cost would be 74. (10+10+10+10+10+12+12)

2 - Not sure about that one. I know it is for owners and their immediate family living in the same household but not sure how your situation would work. Someone else does I am sure.

 

[dianeschlicht]

2. Who is eligible for the annual pass and other discounts? If I purchase with my sister, do both of our families qualify? Or do we need to put everyone's name on the deed?

That's a tricky one. In theory, every owner should have access to the APs, so putting her on the deed may help, but there is also the rule that all must live in the same household as the owner. Not sure if they would allow 2 households or not. That would be a good question for your guide.

 

[RobDoc]

In order to qualify for the AP discount and a few of the other perks, you'll need to have a DVC Membership card. Those on the deed will get those. In addition, members (those with the membership cards) may purchase up to a total of 8 AP's for those with the same home address.

If your sister's family resides with you, she may purchase discounted APs - otherwise she would need to be on the deed to qualify. Everyone on the deed will be an owner of record and if any of the owners of that contract were to have financial difficulty (bankruptcy, divorce, etc) that contract could be affected by the resolution of the difficulty - which in turn could affect any other names on the contract.

 

[Parkhopper13]

I knew that Doc would know the answer to that one!!! He gets all the tricky ones.

 

[FutureSailor]

Thanks for the responses. I am not worried about my sister's financial solvency (but it's a good issue to think about). But another related question--if I later buy into AKL on my own or with another co-owner (say, our parents) how will that affect the joining of the contracts? (I understand, I think, that Disney combines purchases by the same buyers under a single master contract. Is this right?)

Another question I have is about use year. We have been to Disney about every other year, the past couple of times in December. If we plan mostly to use the points in December, and not necessarily every year but more like every other year, what would be the best use year? I am guessing it is not December, but would it be November or January, or something in the middle of the year like May?

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

There is no November use year, so you would probably be good with September or October as that would give you plenty of time to bank your points if anything happened with your December plans. Also, are you looking at the big picture (ie: do you have small children that will be school-aged soon and your vacations plans will change?).

 

[tjkraz]

Thanks for the responses. I am not worried about my sister's financial solvency (but it's a good issue to think about).

I'll just add that I think you need to look further than just financial considerations. Although Disney calls it a "club", we are talking about property ownership here.

In addition to financial difficulties, you need to ponder the death or divorce of one of the co-owners. According to Florida law, in the event of the death of one of the two owners of a piece of property, full ownership transfers to the remaining living owner. If you were to go first, are you comfortable with your sister taking the entire contract?

I've heard of situations where one co-owner was going through a divorce and the courts ordered the DVC contract to be sold as part of the proceedings.

I know that the initial reaction to many of these scenarios is to think that a) it will probably never happen, but if it does b) everyone involved would do what is "right". But it seems like it's worth a little extra work on the front end to prevent these situations rather than risk the rift they could produce in the future.

Before making any commitments, I'd speak to an attorney first and get some practical advice. That's my $.02.

And since nobody has said it yet, I'll also point out that discount programs can and do change frequently. If the Annual Pass discount is eliminated in 2 or 3 years, would you still feel that you chose the proper course of action?