We started looking at DVC when our 2nd kid was in utero. Now we have bought (in this order): BLT(r), VGF(r), RIV(d), VGF(d). oops! Our kids are now 7 and 11 and we have been blissfully stroller- and nap- free for some time now.
-CCV vs. BRV:
I went back and forth between CCV and BRV. Especially since BRV was recently refurbished and is a cheaper per point cost compared to CCV. But ultimately I decided (if we do indeed decide to go the route of buying a WDW DVC resort over Aulani) it would be CCV. CCV has a longer contract length, cheaper dues, and I like the slightly more modern take on the wilderness theming in the rooms. (And don’t get me wrong, BRV rooms are right up my alley as well. Just like how they did the CCV rooms better). And at some point in the future would love to splurge on a CCV cabin one trip. They look amazing! (From the photos and videos I’ve seen online).
We are older, but have young kids. We generally prefer longer expiration dates, even when we first bought resale, because if we later "grew out" of DVC the points would sell at a somewhat higher price. Although we like WL's restaurants and theming, and we visit often for shopping and dining, we have yet to book a stay there, even when both CCV and BRV were open recently. Even though we aren't beholden to strollers and naps any more, we like having more transportation options, especially being close enough to walk. On some boats you'll have to fold the stroller; the same goes for buses.
Also echo others who've said to consider whether studios and 1Brs sleep 4 or 5. We only have 2 kids, but for a time we could put the little one near the entry in a crib, the older one could sleep on the fold down bed, and we still had a couch in a studio. It made the unit feel much larger. When we stay in 1br, we like ones that sleep 5 in case my dad decides to join us (which he did for the first Christmas after my mom died) - kids sleep in the murphy and grandpa can sleep in the single. By the time my dad was considering whether to come, there was no way we could have gotten a 2br.
(That said, if your immediate plan is to travel in December in studios and you know you love CCV/BRV, it probably doesn't hurt to start with a small contract there and try it out. Or rent points.)
-Buying sight unseen:
Point well taken and words of caution well taken. And I agree it does sound kinda crazy. But I guess I’m not uncomfortable with the situation since the wife and I are pretty strong Disney fans. I can’t imagine we’re going to be disappointed whichever route we choose. (We’ll be on vacation at Walt Disney World for Christ’s sake! Lol.) And from the research I’ve done, it seems like there’s no “bad” DVC resorts. Seems like everyone just has their preferences for different reasons. What’s to fear?
I think it's easier now with all the video walkthroughs. Still - we'd bought BLT to use studios and 1br, when we'd previously stayed in a 2br with family (rented points). The BLT studios are small for a family of 4 - especially if 1 is in a crib. (The couch would have to be pulled out for the other kid, too.) Maybe if we had really internalized that, we might have bought elsewhere. A few years later DH and I stayed in a studio at BLT on a couples' weekend and concluded that we could probably buy/bank/borrow points so we wouldn't need to stay in a BLT studio with the 4 of us, ever. (we do quite often stay in VGF and RIV studios the 4 of us, and have no problem at all doing so.)
-Renting Points for our first WDW trip (before buying DVC):
I thought about this as well. But my mind just kept going back to “Man! The money I’m spending on this reservation could be used towards a DVC contract.” And I know renting is way cheaper than rack rate, but it’s still going to be a good chunk of money either way and that could’ve been used towards at contract. (Trying to break even as early as possible! Lol.)
I hear you - but you might find a resort you like *better* or find that a particular resort isn't totally to your taste. for our first purchase we had been considering BLT, BWV and BCV. We knew we'd be traveling with a stroller for several years, so being walking distance to somewhere was top priority. We had stayed at BWV and BLT before, so I rented points for VGF, BLT and BCV. By the time we stayed at BCV on rented points, we'd already bought BLT and DH ran in our first afternoon there saying he wanted to sell our BLT (that we had just bought and not even used yet) to buy BCV because LOOK AT THE POOL! Then later in the stay we realized that it wasn't right for our family at the time - toddler DD was very unstable in the sandy bottom, older DD was not a strong enough swimming to want to do the big slide, and neither kid could use the all-deep lazy river. Now, 6 years later, both kids are strong swimmers and we do enjoy spending time there, but if my kids weren't strong swimmers I'd still have a problem keeping an eye on them, etc.
-Buy Aulani if that’s where you will be staying the majority of the time:
If availability for the rooms we want is “favorable” at 7 months at Aulani, I just don’t see the advantage of having Aulani being my home resort. Seems like having the 11 month booking window there would be a “waste.” (Or have yet to hear a compelling argument yet). And obviously Aulani dues are on the higher end.
Agree with you on that. Again, also depends on the room sizes/views you are ok with. We spent a TON of pandemic (and transferred) points to stay for a week in a 1br OV. Oceanview was the only view available when we booked maybe a week into the 7 mo window. It was spectacular, but it was like 600ish points. I you think you'd go to Oahu every year, you could book early and modify before 7 mo, if necessary. This could be workable if you got really cheap AUL points, but if you're thinking of getting a small-ish contract, you're not saving THAT many $.
-What months do you plan on travelling?:
Slow time for my line of work is December. So most of our vacations are usually in that month. But never during Christmas. ALL my family either lives locally or the small percentage that doesn’t always travels to us for the holidays. So we never go away for Christmas. (But obviously this might all get flipped on it’s head when my son starts going to school. Unless we decide to home school, which is also on the table. We’ll see).
December-not-Christmas is super cheap in points and thus has the highest demand at WDW (together with January-Not-MLK-or-New Years). If you plan on going to WDW during that time frame and prefer not having to waitlist etc etc, then by all means buy a WDW resort.
This also becomes an issue once your kid starts having a school schedule. My older kid is a rising 7th grader and we are at a point where we are all still ok missing a day here and there on either end of a vacation, but our longer Disney trips are generally during school break times. Rooms cost more points and they also still go pretty quickly - some of those school break times also line up with Run Disney events (Presidents weekend and February break, I'm looking at you) and it will be helpful to book your home resort close to 11 mo and then modify later if you want. So you may find that you only take 2 December-not-Christmas trips before you start going in February or April ...
--- some thoughts based on our experience, which may not be yours:
When our kids were little, being able to easily go back for naps (or cut a park trip short if they were overstimulated or needed a break) and not have to fold a stroller were prime concerns. Also being close to MK because it has the most things you can ride/do with a baby, asleep or not. BLT at the time was undervalued, imo - selling for $30+ pp less than the other monorail resorts.
Now that they are bigger, they are all about the rides, and ride pretty much everything. But they also have their favorite restaurants, in park and at the resorts. They also like pool time more. We still don't go to Disney Springs - too many other things to do at the resorts and the parks, so we haven't felt a need or desire to stay at SSR or OKW. We like having a lot of options within walking distance, and I'm a sucker for fireworks views. Still being close to parks lets us split up easily if 1 kid wants to go back while the other one wants to stay out, or if they want to do separate things. And some of the walks home as a family after a long, fun day have been downright magical.
Also consider if you have another child in the next 3-4 years you will be in strollers for the next several years.
Finally - we've used our points to stay at AUL, AKV, BWV, BCV, BLT, VGF, RIV. Rented points for VGC. If you like variety and don't have your heart set on staying at one particular resort all the time, then pick the one that ticks the most boxes that are important to you. If that's CCV, then go for CCV - just consider whether bus and boat (and mostly folding a stroller) are important to you, and whether a smaller studio matters (or whether you'll just skip the studio and go for 1br, lol)
Home resort doesn’t matter if you can’t book your trips at least 7 months out but this applies to Disneyland as well because you simply won’t be able to stay there. Also not surprised you only stayed at CCV once if you don’t book more than 5 months out.
I’m jealous. I had hopes of joining you guys but now that I’m thinking of moving within 15 minutes of the park in a few years VGC means less sense for me. Hope your offer gets accepted!
