Another person looking into DVC who can use help

[EWC88]

So like several others, I am looking into DVC. I’ll do a little background first.

When I was younger I use to go to Disney pretty often, as I got older it stop, basically went other places. That all change a couple years ago. My wife’s stepfather is a DVC member and we did a family trip couple years ago there and stayed at Saratoga. Well life hit and I had a son, who is currently 2. Right before his 2nd birthday they took us to Disney again and we stayed at Animal Kingdom (mainly for my son, but we loved it!). Well after seeing how much my son loved Disney it got me to think of DVC. I also now have another little one on the way so I see Disney being something we do.

Some have asked why get DVC if the father in-law has it, and it’s mainly because I don’t want to assume they will always have us go with them.

So with that it’s time to consider doing this. I have been reading a lot and watching a lot of YouTube videos (who doesn’t anymore). Currently I do not know what would be the best home resort considering we only stayed at 2 and honestly liked both (minus animal kingdom being far). Also points I am trying figure as well. We know we would want to do a once a year trip with a stay of 7 days. I can’t say what time frame currently be best because right now I can say whenever, but that will change when the kids go to school. Also points would have to be enough for two kids and adults.

How did everyone figure there stuff out? Did you rent points to try out all DVC resorts then make decision or just pulled the trigger on whatever was best deal? With points I did the questionnaire on Disney vacation club site and it suggested 200, does that seem good or do more/less?

 

[Bing Showei]

I'm sure your in-laws are enjoying seeing their family enjoy their Disney timeshare, so if you're worried about looking like a moocher, and if they're willing to part with some points, maybe rent your in-laws' points at close to cost (maintenance fee plus x) and spend a few more trips getting a feel for the system and learning more about the product.

As an added bonus you'll get a sense for how Disney fits into things the next time "life hits" which sounds like it's coming within the next 40 weeks.

 

[Bing Showei]

[re-reads original post]

Two years ago, took a Disney trip... now has 2-year-old... right before 2-year-old's 2nd birthday took 2nd Disney trip... now new baby on the wa-

Dude. Stop going to Disney. These annual trips may end up costing you a lot more than you're realizing.

 

[SG131]

The absolute first thing I would do is sit down and speak with your in laws about it. There are many people who buy DVC with the hopes of one day taking their grandchildren so while you think you’re trying to avoid being a burden the could end up hurt. An honest conversation about where everyone stands would go a long way.

Points will vary depending on your home resort and what type of room you want to stay in. A studio would work for your family, but a one bedroom would give you more space and is a little easier to book. Right now you can get pretty good prices on AKL on the resale market. 200 points is a lot for a one week a year trip in a studio, unless you’re staying at one of the pricier resorts like poly, grand Floridian or Rivera.

If you wait until you stay at every dvc resort to buy you’ll be waiting quite awhile. If you think AKL is a good fit that’s great since you’ve already stayed there. If not read a little bit about each resort, see which seems like a good fit then go rent points for that. Each resort has different pros and cons.

 

[CarolynFH]

[re-reads original post]

Two years ago, took a Disney trip... now has 2-year-old... right before 2-year-old's 2nd birthday took 2nd Disney trip... now new baby on the wa-

Dude. Stop going to Disney. These annual trips may end up costing you a lot more than you're realizing.

Bing, you’re perceptive, as always!

 

[Carol_]

How did everyone figure there stuff out?
Did you rent points to try out all DVC resorts then make decision or just pulled the trigger on whatever was best deal?
With points I did the questionnaire on Disney vacation club site and it suggested 200, does that seem good or do more/less?

I asked the DVC CM in a meeting with a table and charts and a big screen on the wall showing me my options.

I never rented points, but I had had enough positive experiences staying on property to know that even the least desirable DVC home would simply thrill me.

200 points sounds good to me but it will depend on which resort you make your home, and whether you’ll want studios or 1BR and the availability of those accommodations when you’re planning on booking.

As an aside, you might want to line up your use year (which is Disney for “month in which you’re awarded your yearly points”) with your family’s use year so you can all book vacations near each other at the same time... which I presume is why your in laws bought into DVC... to vacation together.

Another aside: Addonitis is real. We bought 150 pts and soon after bought a second contract for another 150 pts at another resort. All that and I’m still paying cash for a night in February because there‘a no availability on that date and waitlisting and I aren’t friends.

 

[CraigInPA]

I'd have a talk with the in laws and see what their intentions are. For me, this would be a difficult discussion, but for others, perhaps not.

If you're in the market to buy, the first question is which resort. Then, when you expect to be going. Not just now, when the children aren't in school, but in the future when they are and have things they are participating in. Once you know those two things, you can figure out how many points you need. After that, it's all down hill, complexity-wise.

My wife and I narrowed our DVC resorts to three initially, based upon where we thought we'd like to stay. We crossed off SSR, AKV, and OKW because they were bus transportation to every park. We crossed off BRV (and CCV) because, while we liked Wilderness lodge, it reminded us of our mountain home. The clown pool at BWV was too creepy for us, so that went off the list. No interest in Vero Beach, Aulani, or HHI, so those got crossed off. The point charts for GFV were so high and the cost of points so much that, while we like the resort, we just felt it was too extravagant a purchase. That left us with Poly, which we loved and had stayed at for decades, and BLT and BCV where we had never stayed. We then rented points and stayed at BCV (first) and then BLT (second). We eliminated Poly because we didn't like which longhouses DVC took over (we prefer the other side of the resort because it is quieter). After staying at the other two resorts, we chose BLT because it was ideally situated (walk to the MK!), had all the amenities that we could ever want within walking distance or monorail, and we liked the low key theming. We go in February and usually stay 10 nights in a studio. That dictated about 175 points and a December or February use year. We then watched all the resale sites for 6 months to find that "Cinderella" contract, the one just right for us. It came through, and we bought it, saving $50 per point over buying direct from Disney, and it came with 320 points ready to be used immediately (the previous owner banked the previous year's points, and the current year points were all there too). We immediately rented all of the points (because we were skipping the next year to go elsewhere). We took the rental income and bought another 30 points direct, which at that time gave you "blue card" (direct purchaser) status. Recently, we did another add on, so we could move up to a 1 bedroom every other year.

 

[Frederic Civish]

I would recommend you look into buying a resale contract and I think the place to purchase would be Animal Kingdom. I also like BLT but that isn't as fun for the kids.

Saratoga Springs and Old Key West (non-extended) are often going for around $100 to $105 per point. Animal Kingdom is going for $105 to $110 a point, on resale. However, OKW expires in 2042, and Saratoga springs in 2054 whereas Animal Kingdom contracts run 3 years longer until 2057. Besides, Animal Kingdom is unique, amazing, and, in my opinion, a definite upgrade over OKW and SSR. There is nothing wrong with OKW and SSR, they are great, but I like Animal Kingdom considerably more, personally.

You probably won't get enough value from the 'Membership Perks' to make it worthwhile to buy ANY of these direct. So I don't recommend going Direct. I went Direct (at Poly) with my first purchase and I have the Perks and I am not impressed. My inlaws, who only own through Resale feel a bit bad sometimes that they can't go into the DVC lounge in the pyramid at EPCOT, unless they go with me, but it really is not worth the extra money. I also buy Annual passes frequently, because we sometimes make up to 3 or 4 trips per year to DW. But if you are going once a year, Annual Passes have no advantage. Also food and merchandise discounts are really quite minor. As for using your points to stay in a Disney Collection, such as Caribbean Beach or French Quarter, or to take a cruise, is not the best use of your points. Better to rent you points out and pay cash. I went resale with my next 3 purchases, one contract at BLT (which I love and prefer to Poly), and 2 contracts at AKL, which I love even more.

There are many reputable Resale Brokers who you could work with to get these purchases. I would explore my options, try to get something with a Use Year that starts a month or so before my typical preferred travel dates, and look for the best combination of Total Points and Price per point. Look at the listings and ask the brokers whether those listings are still available. (Some brokers are slow to take down their sold listings, since they use them as advertising.)

If you are going to buy at Animal Kingdom, it doesn't matter a bit whether you buy Jambo or Kidani. You have equal rights for use and reservations at both. On the two contracts I bought, I didn't even know which was which, until after I bought.

The rooms at Kidani are slightly bigger, but wow, is it a big building. The Lobby at Jambo is amazing and world class. Of course Jambo is also a massive building, but it is a bit smaller than Kidani. The point of this is that you will be walking a fair amount, but then people also walk a lot at SSR, OKW, Boardwalk, BLT, and some others.

Animal Kingdom Lodges are Unique in the world. There are no other similar lodges, even in Africa. Most kids also love to look at the animals and most adults also find it very relaxing to spend some time every day sitting out on the balcony, watching the savannah.

If you can afford it, I definitely recommend getting enough points to get Savannah View, since that is the most special thing about AKL. A Savannah View Studio for 1 week will typically be about 140 points in June and July, and around 125 or 126 points, or less, for most of the rest of the year.

I recommend you get as many points as you can reasonably afford, since, truthfully, the price of DVC points (Direct and Resale) and the price of Disney hotel rooms is likely to do nothing but go up over the next 15 to 20 years. During that period of time, you should almost always be able to resell them and get most or all of your money back. Or rent them out, right up to the end of the contract. Currently, Owners who plan ahead on renting are getting $15 to $18 a point. Which means if you rented out your 125 (or more) points you would get $1800 to $2200 per year for renting them. But don't forget that you would have Maintenenace fees which currently would cost you around $900 a year. The Maintenence/membership Fees WILL go up,though I trust Disney to keep them as low as possible, however, the amount you can rent out your points for is also likely to go up. Just a year or two ago, it was very common to see most people renting their points in the $12 to $14 range. I AM NOT saying you should look at this purchase as an investment. But what I AM saying is that you are likely to have some 'cushoning' and 'fall back' positions, if you find that going to Disney is no longer what you want to do.

Anyway, those are my 2 cents worth of advice.

 

[skier_pete]

How do you figure this stuff out? Research, research, research. DVC can certainly save money over a deluxe resort cost, but it's not cheap, and it's not all that simple to use. As you say - read the help threads on here - and watch Youtube (shameless plug - the DISboards DVC show we try to answer all the basic questions and most episodes are only 20 minutes.) As to where to buy, that's really something only you can determine, because the prices can swing wildly. (From $90 a point resale at Boulder Ridge to $235 a point at the Poly direct.) I would suggest that any resort you buy you should at least visit if not stay at to determine if you like it enough to want to own there.

 

[GrtDisGuy]

We bought DVC last year. Sounds like you are doing the research and the right things to learn. I did quite a bit of research, and am still learning quite a bit through DisUnplugged, this sight and other podcasts. At the end of the day, I purchased because our family loves the Disney experience. So it was an emotional purchase, though I ran numbers to justify the purchase.

Before we bought, we rented DVC points, stayed in houses off Disney and stayed at various Disney Resorts. So it took us a while to finally pull the trigger. We liked staying in deluxe accommodations (so I could justify the cost of DVC).

Looks like you are looking at the right things. The advice above about talking to your in-laws is great. Also, think about what accommodations you like to stay in, how often you may go, do some costs analysis based on those to ensure it makes sense for your circumstances. As far as the points, you can plug in the points you may use over your next few vacations in the cost analysis to ensure it is about right.

You are probably also trying to decide on which resort and whether you buy direct or resale. There is plenty of helpful advice on this site and many opinions. Best advice I got was to buy where you want to stay. For us, I loved CC because it had cabin options (more reasonably priced than the Poly). Also, direct will give access to future resorts (such as a potential new one in California and Reflections). Resale can save you quite a bit on initial purchase price though.

With all my research, I still did the use year wrong, I bought too little points (so bought more), I bought too large of a contract initially (instead of smaller contracts to sell later or pass to my kids). Still glad I moved forward when I did though.

Hope this helps!

 

[sethschroeder]

How did everyone figure there stuff out?

Rented points, did research on here, watched the YouTube videos from DISUnplugged, and in general knew we wanted to keep going to Disney (after going with a 2 yo and 6 mo).

I would recommend you look into buying a resale contract and I think the place to purchase would be Animal Kingdom.

I don't agree on Animal Kingdom unless someone really has their heart set on it with kids that small coming up. Having a home resort next to Magic Kingdom or in the Epcot area is the way to go personally (unless money is really an issue for the length and room size you want).

Reasons why MK/Epcot resort options:

• You have likely half your trip with easy/quick access to parks
• Easier ability to take mid-day naps (either quick access back to your resort or quick access to park in your area after nap)
• When walking, boating, skyliner, or on monorail you likely won't need to fold stroller (again good for half your days likely)
• Ability to cut it closer when doing rope drop (no 1 1/2 hrs early to bus stop like you need for AKV -> MK)
• More variety of food options if you would like it (its great for 1 parent to quickly stop in the park quick or hit another resort - into Epcot and back while kids are taking a nap or prior to dinner if they were at the pool)
• Costs of using Minnie Van can add up to get those car seats while your kids are young and if you want to skip busses
• 0 stress as we move forward that I can get a room, for whatever size, during pretty much any time (either by just booking or walking a reservation)

Plenty of people love AKV and its a great resort. I just personally decided to not purchase there primarily because of location. I can always down the road sell my DVC contract and purchase AKV likely at a discount because of its size, location issue, and length of contract at that point in the future.

 

[Sandisw]

I think doing the research into the different resorts and what they have to offer is a good start,

Understanding the difference between buying resale and direct is also important. Resale saves a lot of money but you will be limited to only the original L14 resorts, no new ones moving forward, Of course, the fact that your in laws own points, most likely, their points are eligible for those resorts so if you ever wanted to stay there, im sure you can work something out with them. You would also not be eligible for DVC discounts on AP, merchandise or dining. But again, the savings could make that point mute, especially if you travel with the in laws again who may have some of those perks...you would t be able to get the AP ever, but the dining discount could be covered when with them,

Think about parks and where you might want to visit and compare cost of those resorts to others. I first bought at BLT due to ease to MK. I also then added on at BWV so we had closeness to both EPcot and HS.

Buy at a resort you won’t mind staying at that will offer you a buy in price and MFs that you are comfortable with that gives you the most of what you want out of your Disney trips!

Good luck!

 

[Frederic Civish]

I will say that a lot of people shy away from Animal Kingdom Lodges, because they think the travel time will be too long. However, when you compare travel times on the bus to the times on the bus at other resorts, where you have multiple stops (OKW, SSR, Boardwalk, Beach Club) you will see that travel times are actually quite good, except to magic Kingdom, which takes about 10 minutes longer, once you are on the bus.

With small children, there is a lot to be said for being close to Magic Kingdom. However, from Bay Lake Tower, the walk to Magic Kingdom is about 0.4 miles. You will probably be pushing young kids in a stroller. You can take the Monorail around the loop to the magic Kingdom, but you will need the Resort Monorail, and that will make 5 minute stops at TTC, Poly and VGF before finally arriving at magic Kingdom, so travel time on that is at least 25 minutes, plus wait time. Poly has the Resort Monorail, which stops at VGF then Magic Kingdom, but on the return trip, you will go MK to BLT to TTC and finally to Poly. Or, you can walk over to the TTC and catch the Express Monorail to MK, or catch the ferry to MK. From VGF, you can take the Resort Monorail to MK, or they are putting in a pathway so you can walk, about 0.5 miles to MK.

So, the point of all of this is, I don't see the Monorail Resorts to necessarily be better, for access to Magic Kingdom, and all the other resorts use buses to Magic Kingdom, and with the extra stops that most of them have, Animal Kingdom bus transit compares quite favorably.

 

[Sandisw]

I will say that a lot of people shy away from Animal Kingdom Lodges, because they think the travel time will be too long. However, when you compare travel times on the bus to the times on the bus at other resorts, where you have multiple stops (OKW, SSR, Boardwalk, Beach Club) you will see that travel times are actually quite good, except to magic Kingdom, which takes about 10 minutes longer, once you are on the bus.

With small children, there is a lot to be said for being close to Magic Kingdom. However, from Bay Lake Tower, the walk to Magic Kingdom is about 0.4 miles. You will probably be pushing young kids in a stroller. You can take the Monorail around the loop to the magic Kingdom, but you will need the Resort Monorail, and that will make 5 minute stops at TTC, Poly and VGF before finally arriving at magic Kingdom, so travel time on that is at least 25 minutes, plus wait time. Poly has the Resort Monorail, which stops at VGF then Magic Kingdom, but on the return trip, you will go MK to BLT to TTC and finally to Poly. Or, you can walk over to the TTC and catch the Express Monorail to MK, or catch the ferry to MK. From VGF, you can take the Resort Monorail to MK, or they are putting in a pathway so you can walk, about 0.5 miles to MK.

So, the point of all of this is, I don't see the Monorail Resorts to necessarily be better, for access to Magic Kingdom, and all the other resorts use buses to Magic Kingdom, and with the extra stops that most of them have, Animal Kingdom bus transit compares quite favorably.

My typical ride from BLT to MK averages around 15 minutes. I don’t think it’s ever taken me 25, even when we just missed one.

Don’t forget Poly and VGF have the boats and while it does take about 10 minutes or so once it gets going, IMO, much nicer than a bus.

But, I’m biased in that AKL is my least favorite resort not only because bus is the only option, but it is isolated.

With the MK resorts, you have access to other resorts for food and shopping I almost always when staying at VGF walk to Poly for my morning coffee and monorail over to BLT to watch fireworks. Even took the boat around Bay Lake when my kids were teens just for fun, getting out at WL for an ice cream and then back around.

Of course, if animals are your thing..they are not mine..AKV can not be beat and I know I’ll be staying there someday when my grandkids are with me!

 

[BWoody]

I will say that a lot of people shy away from Animal Kingdom Lodges, because they think the travel time will be too long. However, when you compare travel times on the bus to the times on the bus at other resorts, where you have multiple stops (OKW, SSR, Boardwalk, Beach Club) you will see that travel times are actually quite good, except to magic Kingdom, which takes about 10 minutes longer, once you are on the bus.

With small children, there is a lot to be said for being close to Magic Kingdom. However, from Bay Lake Tower, the walk to Magic Kingdom is about 0.4 miles. You will probably be pushing young kids in a stroller. You can take the Monorail around the loop to the magic Kingdom, but you will need the Resort Monorail, and that will make 5 minute stops at TTC, Poly and VGF before finally arriving at magic Kingdom, so travel time on that is at least 25 minutes, plus wait time. Poly has the Resort Monorail, which stops at VGF then Magic Kingdom, but on the return trip, you will go MK to BLT to TTC and finally to Poly. Or, you can walk over to the TTC and catch the Express Monorail to MK, or catch the ferry to MK. From VGF, you can take the Resort Monorail to MK, or they are putting in a pathway so you can walk, about 0.5 miles to MK.

So, the point of all of this is, I don't see the Monorail Resorts to necessarily be better, for access to Magic Kingdom, and all the other resorts use buses to Magic Kingdom, and with the extra stops that most of them have, Animal Kingdom bus transit compares quite favorably.

Further to this, see also this thread: https://www.disboards.com/threads/list-of-travel-times-from-resorts-to-parks.3707781/

The info here is a little old now since it doesn't consider the skyliner, but useful info nonetheless.

AKV is actually middle of the road for average travel time when considering travel to all parks and the monorail resorts are actually the worse. If you only go to magic kingdom then BLT is great, but if you try to hit each park on your trips it is terrible.

 

[Frederic Civish]

My typical ride from BLT to MK averages around 15 minutes. I don’t think it’s ever taken me 25, even when we just missed one.

But, I’m biased in that AKL is my least favorite resort not only because bus is the only option, but it is isolated.

Of course, if animals are your thing..they are not mine..AKV can not be beat and I know I’ll be staying there someday when my grandkids are with me!

Animal Kingdom Lodges are a bit farther away from Magic Kingdom, and even, maybe, EPCOT. However, it is absolutely the closest to the Animal Kingdom Park - 6 to 9 minutes on the bus. And is close to Hollywood Studios - about 10 to 12 minutes on the bus. So it depends where your favorite parks are, and where you spend your time. My favorite parks are Magic Kingdom, and then Animal Kingdom second. We spend a moderate amount of time in EPCOT, but the only rides I care about there are Frozen and Soarin. Other than that, it is just going around somewhere for food.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

When you look at a map, AKV is isolated from Magic Kingdom. But so is everything. The MK resort area is the least convenient to everywhere else on campus.

AKV is fine for DHS, Epcot and obs AK.
Meanwhile, the MK area is kind of a slog anywhere but MK.

 

[Sandisw]

Animal Kingdom Lodges are a bit farther away from Magic Kingdom, and even, maybe, EPCOT. However, it is absolutely the closest to the Animal Kingdom Park - 6 to 9 minutes on the bus. And is close to Hollywood Studios - about 10 to 12 minutes on the bus. So it depends where your favorite parks are, and where you spend your time. My favorite parks are Magic Kingdom, and then Animal Kingdom second. We spend a moderate amount of time in EPCOT, but the only rides I care about there are Frozen and Soarin. Other than that, it is just going around somewhere for food.

I agree completely It really does depend on what you want out of the trips. I never bus to AK whe I’m traveling with people who want to visit. I pay to be driven there, which is pretty quick for most of the other resorts but yes, if AK is a park one enjoys, AKV will be the fastest for sure.

Split stays, if one enjoys them, is another way to help with making transportation to the parks a little less cumbersome!

 

[Deb & Bill]

I'll throw some water on your plans. DVC is very expensive. We bought our points direct in 1997 and paid $50 a point. Dues were around $3 a point. Now they are closer to $7-8 a point and direct points are hitting $200 a point. Tickets were a lot cheaper back then (APs about $299 and are now $699 or higher). Our son was four when we bought; he's now 26 and in grad school. We both had really good jobs so we could afford twice a year trips to WDW, plus pay his school tuition (our public schools weren't that good, so we paid for Catholic school for him). Even in that case, we wound up with too many points that were affordable. We sold off two contracts in 2006 and now have just three contracts for 325 points. We are retired and can go when we want, plus we moved 3.5 hours away instead of 14 hours away. Like you say, life gets in the way. Kids are expensive, especially babies. Two are more expensive than one (duh). If you and your wife both work, have good paying jobs, can afford child care for two (plus any future schooling), can handle a mortgage and any other expenses and still be able to put money into a retirement fund, then look at purchasing DVC.

WDW is great fun, especially with your kids. But it can be really expensive. But the decision is up to you and your wife.

 

[EWC88]

Wow so much great advice! I think I will do the first step and talk to the in laws. So many people have told me “your not a moocher, they want to do this because of the grand babies” I just always think the worst I guess and don’t want to be viewed bad.

I know for a fact we would want a 1 BR for sure, ease of booking and just having more space is worth it. And as mentioned above although I have only stayed at 2 resorts I feel any would be no issue with me and the misses, we loved both Saratoga and AKL, and can only imagine what the other resorts are like.

I shall report back after talk with in laws because maybe I’ll have more questions! (I’m sure I will)