DVC owners share your decision-making process please

[AmyAnne]

I think I have convinced DH to look seriously at a small resale contract. I researched DVC pretty extensively a few years ago but we never made the final decision to purchase. If I recall, two important considerations in looking for a DVC contract are the specific resort and use year. We are pretty flexible in terms of where we will stay (just won't stay at AKL without a savanna view) although with our kids mostly out in the real world, we are limited mostly to travel at peak times, like holidays. So my thought is that we want to own DVC points a resort, and with a use year, that will give us access to the most options at peak times. So if I am correct, resorts like Hilton Head wouldn't work well for us, because we would not have access to WDW resorts at 12 months. I'm starting my research with AKL and Poly because those would be our preferred resorts, but which others should I consider? If I recall, the EPCOT resorts are also very much in demand and hard to book if not booked at 12 months. Those who own DVC, how did you decide which resort, which use year, and how many points?

Any and all advice welcome. I'm excited to get back into thinking about this but also banging my head against my desk because I had pretty much mastered the DVC world a few years ago and now there are only traces of that info left in my brain . . . We decided not to buy a few years ago because our oldest was starting college and we weren't sure how many more WDW trips were in the near future. But we, in some combination, have been back pretty much every other year, with that likely to continue. With four kids, plus their occasional guests, it would be great to have the options of one or two bedrooms.

 

[ahepburn]

Following

 

[quandrea]

The Poly is a poor choice if you want one or two bedrooms. It only has Studios.

Good value is with SSR. Low but in and low maintenance fees. Will you be happy at SSR is that is all that is available? If the answer is no, but where you want to stay.

AKL has higher dues but is still a good value. We own most of our points at AKL. I would be perfectly happy staying there every visit. The point is you may not be able to book a non home resort at seven months. Booking is getting more and more competitive.

As an aside, booking begins at 11 months out, not 12.

Use year was given to us but you can pick. Look for one just before you wish to travel. That way if you cancel, you will have time to use your points. Truthfully it hasn't mattered much for us. Our travel patterns change and Dec works just fine.

 

[Keels]

I'm about to close on a resale contract at Boardwalk (350 points, UY October). This was the fifth resale contract I went for and the first that didn't get bought on RoFR by Disney - which means I paid roughly $18 more pp than the previous four contracts.

So - others are going to be more specific on what numbers and things they crunched (it IS the Budget Board after all!) ... but for me? It was pretty simple:

1. I wanted to be at Epcot - so it was either Boardwalk or BCV
2. I wanted at LEAST 300 points annually. I do Marathon Weekend annually with a large group of friends, so I wanted to make sure I could cover 3-4 studios at my home resort for the duration of Marathon Weekend
3. I needed points left over for two nights at NYE as my husband and I generally do NYE at Epcot if we're in Orlando.

That's basically it.

I had an overall budget for the points (I'm paying cash and not financing the contract), and I came in just under that. I plan to rent remaining points to my RunDisney friends to help cover the annual fee - or at least a portion of it.

I know I could've bought a contract cheaper if I'd waited until February or so when most sellers are trying to unload contracts before they're assessed fees, but ... I'm not a patient person. I did luck into a contract that has points to use, so I'm excited for my husband and I to try and burn one-off nights at all the different DVCs just to experience all the resorts.

 

[CookieandOatmeal]

We went on the tour at Poly and came home to research about DVC. We are a married couple in our 30s with no children yet and are not interested in the larger rooms so a studio suits our needs. Even if we have kids, we are ok with a studio so we went and bought direct at Poly because that's where we wanted to stay. Also when we bought, the savings between direct and resale were negligible so direct was worth the closing speed and the current UY points. Our typical WDW vacation is four nights so we weren't buying a huge contract. We are also planners so booking at 11 months works for us too. Deluxe is where we like to stay as we got older so buying into DVC was a good choice in locking down the room prices.

 

[wendow]

I'm following too

I was ready to buy into DVC on a resale contract back in 2011 (when prices were SO much lower than they are now). But, oh no, my dh didn't think we'd be at Disney as much, and he he didn't think we should spend that kind of money since it would pretty much limit us to vacationing at Disney. Well, guess what, we have still been at Disney every single year since. There is no stopping in sight. I still want to buy into DVC but now the prices are very high and I read that it seems to be getting harder and harder to book the room you want if you want to stay somewhere different than your home resort so I am a bit hesitant now.

 

[kydisneyfans]

We bought Animal Kingdom on resale several years ago.
Animal Kingdom was the choice as it is our favorite resort. We have been able to book OKW and SS most of the time when we want. We stay away from the big weeks, but do attend RunDisney events.

We bought 160 points, which covers studios pretty well. We've started taking extended family, meaning 5-6 nights in a 2 bedroom. We're running low on points to keep doing that as we've already borrowed many of our 2018 points.

If you are looking at a small contract, make sure that studios in low season are what you want, otherwise it won't be enough points.

 

[Best Aunt]

You said that your kids are out in the real world. Are you planning to travel with them?

I think the biggest factor in To DVC Or Not To DVC is whether you can plan vacations far in advance and be confident that your plans won't change. Do your kids have jobs which allow this kind of planning? Are they likely to stay at these jobs? If they switch jobs, could they end up someplace which doesn't allow new employees to take vacations until they have been working there a certain length of time?

Are they in settled relationships with people who like Disney? A new partner might prefer to travel elsewhere.

If, on the other hand, you plan to travel without them, and you can make travel plans far in advance without being likely to change them - go for it, and don't worry about Use Year. It has never factored into my plans. It's only an issue when it comes to banking your points, I think. And you can always borrow your other points if you banked prematurely. (others may disagree)

 

[Marionnette]

I think I have convinced DH to look seriously at a small resale contract. I researched DVC pretty extensively a few years ago but we never made the final decision to purchase. If I recall, two important considerations in looking for a DVC contract are the specific resort and use year. We are pretty flexible in terms of where we will stay (just won't stay at AKL without a savanna view) although with our kids mostly out in the real world, we are limited mostly to travel at peak times, like holidays. So my thought is that we want to own DVC points a resort, and with a use year, that will give us access to the most options at peak times. So if I am correct, resorts like Hilton Head wouldn't work well for us, because we would not have access to WDW resorts at 12 months. I'm starting my research with AKL and Poly because those would be our preferred resorts, but which others should I consider? If I recall, the EPCOT resorts are also very much in demand and hard to book if not booked at 12 months. Those who own DVC, how did you decide which resort, which use year, and how many points?

Any and all advice welcome. I'm excited to get back into thinking about this but also banging my head against my desk because I had pretty much mastered the DVC world a few years ago and now there are only traces of that info left in my brain . . . We decided not to buy a few years ago because our oldest was starting college and we weren't sure how many more WDW trips were in the near future. But we, in some combination, have been back pretty much every other year, with that likely to continue. With four kids, plus their occasional guests, it would be great to have the options of one or two bedrooms.

• No UY gives you and advantage over another when it comes to making a reservation. It comes into play when you are banking your points. Banking deadlines are on the last day of the 7th month following your UY. So a Feb. UY will have a Sept. 30 banking deadline. Now imagine that you make a reservation for December but in October circumstances change and you need to cancel. The points can no longer be banked, which means that you must use them by the end of January or lose them. It's better to travel during the first months of your UY.
• Buy where you don't mind staying. Book your home resort during the 11-7 month home resort booking advantage. Change your resort at 7 months if availability is there. Do not purchase at a resort that you have no intention of staying at and you won't be disappointed.
• Consider renting points for a couple of DVC stays before you purchase. You may find that you don't like a resort that you thought that you would love.
• Epcot resorts are difficult to book during F&W and are becoming hard to book during F&G lately as well. Once the Galaxy's Edge opens at HS in 2019, you can expect them to be fully booked even at times that are considered to be slower periods for DVC. Switching to one of them at 7 months is going to be difficult. However, both BCV and BWV have short contract lives remaining. They both expire in 2042 and who knows what will happen with those resorts then?
• PVB does not have 1- or 2-bedroom villas and the over-water bungalows take a huge number of points to book. It's not the DVC resort for someone who has a larger family unless you want to split your party between 2 studios all of the time.

I bought into DVC after "renting points" from my brother and I stayed at AKV, BWV and SSR. Of the 3, I decided that I liked BWV the best but ended up purchasing a very small AKV contract, more for the DVC benefits and the opportunity to book one of the few AKV CL studios. It wasn't long before I was adding on to that purchase at BWV and most recently at VGF. The number of points purchased at each resort was based on how often I want to travel to each, the size of the villa I think I will use, and my ability to pay the MFs for those points. Since purchasing, I have stayed at OKV, BCV and BLT in addition to my home resorts (and yes, I have stayed AKV CL). I have an upcoming stay at the newest resort CCV and plan to eventually stay at PVB when it's only me and my husband traveling. So, it's been possible to book at non-home resorts but only by being flexible with my dates or just plain lucky with the waitlist.

Best Aunt's advice about considering how you will travel in the near future is spot on. If your kids are still in college, don't expect that they will be traveling with you all of the time. Their lives are in a state of flux and too many factors will influence their interest or ability to travel with you. You're in what a lot of DVCers refer to as the "gap years" - the time when your kids have grown to adulthood but there are no grandkids to take to Disney. You may want to start out small and with just enough points to get a studio at your home resort for yourself and husband every other year. Once you get to know DVC from the inside, you can always purchase additional points if you find that you are in constant point-borrowing mode.

I strongly suggest that you take your time to understand how DVC works before making an offer on any resale contract. Right now, it's a seller's market. The prices are high and the contracts have been stripped of their points. When the bills for MFs start going out in December and people begin to think about how much their DVC contract is costing them, you will see many more available on the resale websites. So, you've got several months to read, ask questions and mull it all over. Good luck reaching a decision. DVC is not for everyone. But for those who can make the most of their purchase, it can be worth the investment.

 

[MommaBerd]

I have been researching DVC off-and-on for the past 5 years or so, and have talked myself out of it each time (plus DH hasn't been really ready to pull the trigger). Now, fingers crossed, we may be at a place where we actually could do this.

One thing I want to point out about 1 BRs is that MOST only sleep 4, whereas several STUDIOS sleep 5. It's crazy, but true. I have found this page very helpful in reviewing the room inventories at each property. I am squarely in the camp of buy where you want to stay, but I have to balance that somewhat with our need for space.

I don't know your travel habits, but we typically take one big family trip - like 9 nights - and staying in a 2 BR. So, we'd probably be looking at a higher point contract, which are typically lower cost pp. I figure we will always be able to rent points to cover the MFs if we have "extra".

If we are able to make a purchase in the near future, I am going to make myself wait until Jan-Feb when the MFs are due and the market sees more inventory, in hopes that I can get a better deal. There is also a tool that helps you evaluate the total cost of ownership. It is a bit outdated in the sense that you have to input the current MFs and update some other info, but it IS helpful in making an apples-to-apples comparison. You can find it here.

Hope this helps!

 

[4HOLIDAYS]

We also have DVC. Marionnette explained it very well. When we bought we wanted BCV but were told only SSR was avail, that was BS but we did not know it then. We were also told the points never changed, also BS. They change the catagories, pts per night,pts for locations, preferred seasons...just so the overall number for a resort for a yr does not change. In the last few yrs I find it difficult to get where we want many times. You need to buy where you most want to stay, and book at 11 months if it is a popular time. At 7 months it is much tougher. We are happy we bought in when we did and we have had many great trips but think hard about how and when you travel and try staying at a number of resorts first.

 

[tasha99]

We bought 75 points at BWV first, because I wanted an Epcot resort. I'd actually made an offer on a BCV resort first, but in the process, the broker came back and said it was actually BWV. I found that shady and dropped out, then decided I really did want BWV because they tend to be a bit cheaper. Went to a different broker and bought our first points.

Then we wanted more, so we got 75 points at VGC and 150 at SSR. The thought behind them was that we got to DL every few years. The SSR points were to use past the 7month booking advantage--they are the least expensive points available and it seemed good to have "short notice" points.

We've since sold SSR--turns out, we rarely used 300 points per year. 75 for WDW and 75 for DL is perfect, as we keep them completely separate and go to each every third year. In the short time where we were figuring out that we had wayyy too many points, I had no problem renting the extras out.

 

[sets14]

• No UY gives you and advantage over another when it comes to making a reservation. It comes into play when you are banking your points. Banking deadlines are on the last day of the 7th month following your UY. So a Feb. UY will have a Sept. 30 banking deadline. Now imagine that you make a reservation for December but in October circumstances change and you need to cancel. The points can no longer be banked, which means that you must use them by the end of January or lose them. It's better to travel during the first months of your UY.
• Buy where you don't mind staying. Book your home resort during the 11-7 month home resort booking advantage. Change your resort at 7 months if availability is there. Do not purchase at a resort that you have no intention of staying at and you won't be disappointed.
• Consider renting points for a couple of DVC stays before you purchase. You may find that you don't like a resort that you thought that you would love.
• Epcot resorts are difficult to book during F&W and are becoming hard to book during F&G lately as well. Once the Galaxy's Edge opens at HS in 2019, you can expect them to be fully booked even at times that are considered to be slower periods for DVC. Switching to one of them at 7 months is going to be difficult. However, both BCV and BWV have short contract lives remaining. They both expire in 2025 and who knows what will happen with those resorts then?
• PVB does not have 1- or 2-bedroom villas and the over-water bungalows take a huge number of points to book. It's not the DVC resort for someone who has a larger family unless you want to split your party between 2 studios all of the time.

I bought into DVC after "renting points" from my brother and I stayed at AKV, BWV and SSR. Of the 3, I decided that I liked BWV the best but ended up purchasing a very small AKV contract, more for the DVC benefits and the opportunity to book one of the fe AKV CL studios. It wasn't long before I was adding on to that purchase at BWV and most recently at VGF. The number of points purchased at each resort was based on how often I want to travel to each, the size of the villa I think I will use, and my ability to pay the MFs for those points. Since purchasing, I have stayed at OKV, BCV and BLT in addition to my home resorts. I have an upcoming stay at the newest resort CCV and plan to eventually stay at PVB when it's only me and my husband traveling. So, it's been possible to book at non-home resorts but only by being flexible with my dates or just plain lucky with the waitlist.

Best Aunt's advice about considering how you will travel in the near future. If your kids are still in college, don't expect that they will be traveling with you all of the time. Their lives are in a state of flux and too many factors will influence their interest or ability to travel with you. You're in what a lot of DVCers refer to as the "gap years" - the time when your kids have grown to adulthood but there are no grandkids to take to Disney. You may want to start out small and with just enough points to get a studio at your home resort for yourself and husband every other year. Once you get to know DVC from the inside, you can always purchase additional points if you find that you are in constant point-borrowing mode.

I strongly suggest that you take your time to understand how DVC works before making an offer on any resale contract. Right now, it's a seller's market. The prices are high and the contracts have been stripped of their points. When the bills for MFs start going out in December and people begin to think about how much their DVC contract is costing them, you will see many more available on the resale websites. So, you've got several months to read, ask questions and mull it all over. Good luck reaching a decision. DVC is not for everyone. But for those who can make the most of their purchase, it can be worth the investment.

I believe they expire in 2042, not 2025!

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

We took wedding gift money and purchased a 55 point contract at Poly direct from Disney. It is enough for us to stay every 2 years for 5-6 nights (depending on season), which seems good for us for now. We plan to add a 75 to 85 point contract at VGF at some point. DH strongly favors the monorail resorts and since I like them as well, it was easy to agree on our desired home resorts. We are just saving up the money now to purchase a resale contract at VGF (we have decided never to finance a DVC contract). Then we would like to add another 25-30 points at Poly with the same use year (also via resale). This would put us at between 150 - 170 points per year, which will allow us to alternate resorts and stay about 1 week every year. Perfect for us.

 

[DizzyStitch]

When I bought DVC I was tired of looking for room or package discounts. We had been staying at Values and with the pricing I got in 2012 it was a very nice leap to Deluxe. I was advised to chose a February to April UY because we tend to travel June to September. So I think this allowed us to make sure we got any banking done, etc. without too much risk. I was not super choosy about location so I bought the best value, SSR. We have actually only stayed there twice since we bought. And depending on how I want to stretch my points we may be there again. We are pretty flexible so this choice works out for us. I've managed to stay at Kidani, Polynesian and Boardwalk without any issues so far. But it will all depend on your travel times. Good Luck and maybe Welcome Home!

 

[Denise W]

I believe they expire in 2042, not 2025!

Correct, BCV and BWV expire in 2042.
Denise

 

[Marionnette]

I believe they expire in 2042, not 2025!

Yes, my mistake. I was combining the expiration date and the number of years remaining on the contract in my head and out came 2025 instead of 2042! I'll amend my post.

 

[AmyAnne]

Thanks, everyone. A lot has changed in the past few years. It's really helpful to hear how other people evaluated the pros and cons.

I'm following too

I was ready to buy into DVC on a resale contract back in 2011 (when prices were SO much lower than they are now). But, oh no, my dh didn't think we'd be at Disney as much, and he he didn't think we should spend that kind of money since it would pretty much limit us to vacationing at Disney. Well, guess what, we have still been at Disney every single year since. There is no stopping in sight. I still want to buy into DVC but now the prices are very high and I read that it seems to be getting harder and harder to book the room you want if you want to stay somewhere different than your home resort so I am a bit hesitant now.

At least you can blame your husband. I was actually the one who put the brakes on our purchase.

We took wedding gift money and purchased a 55 point contract at Poly direct from Disney. It is enough for us to stay every 2 years for 5-6 nights (depending on season), which seems good for us for now. We plan to add a 75 to 85 point contract at VGF at some point. DH strongly favors the monorail resorts and since I like them as well, it was easy to agree on our desired home resorts. We are just saving up the money now to purchase a resale contract at VGF (we have decided never to finance a DVC contract). Then we would like to add another 25-30 points at Poly with the same use year (also via resale). This would put us at between 150 - 170 points per year, which will allow us to alternate resorts and stay about 1 week every year. Perfect for us.

I have read that Disney claims that 100 points is the minimum number of points required to purchase directly, but that's a rule they are willing to bend. Did they give you a really hard time about purchasing 55 points?

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Thanks, everyone. A lot has changed in the past few years. It's really helpful to hear how other people evaluated the pros and cons.



At least you can blame your husband. I was actually the one who put the brakes on our purchase.



I have read that Disney claims that 100 points is the minimum number of points required to purchase directly, but that's a rule they are willing to bend. Did they give you a really hard time about purchasing 55 points?

I think that rule is outdated now. And I am not sure if it is now 50 points, or maybe even less. Our rep did not give us a hard time at all. Honestly, the DVC rep that I worked with was really great and helped me work through a ton of scenarios based on time of year we like to travel, number of nights, and our overall travel style. I let him know upfront that we did not want to finance the contract, that we only had about $10k to spend and that we weren't 100% sure how many points made sense to us given that we were an (almost) newly married couple without any kids yet. I spent many, many hours over several days on the phone, asking tons of questions. Though our talks, we decided that 55 points was a good starting point and that we could add more from there later on.

 

[Anthony1971]

When we bought back in 2004 while there was resale it just was not worth it and ended being cheaper to buy Direct... the good years..in fact people on these boards would buy a small retail contract get the extra incentive points and sell it for a profit as you could only buy 150 or more direct unless you owned already... we own at SSR which is what they were selling. so I can not help you on our decision...I can however tell you DVC has limited your ability to trade out and discounts if you buy resale BUT the huge amount you pay less makes up for this. My suggestion is to figure out what resort you want to stay at (being it is holiday season) look at points chart for how long you want to stay and room size/category and that is the amount of points you need. Can you get other DVC resorts at 7 months out.. mostly yes but other times no.. so make sure you buy at resort you are comfortable staying at-- do not read reviews actually stay at the resort as you will find some resorts people rave about may not be that great and others that people pan you might love. We have stayed at most of the DVC resorts with the exception of GF and have favorites but enjoy all for different reasons... You are making a big purchase make sure you understand what you are buying-- for one you are buying the right to stay at whatever resort you purchase for X amount of years and that is it EVERYTHING else is a benefit that can change.... Make sure you can afford and are willing to pay for theme park tickets, plane tickets and food every year and lastly understand your maintenance fees will go up every year and will cost you more over time than you paid for the contract itself. The good is simply you will get a room at a great price. For me including my dues per point and dividing what I paid for the contracts I own over the life of the contract it will cost me 157.00 all in a night to stay at the POLY this August... even at todays retail price through Disney you will still be a lot less than paying cash but in the lower 200 range a night. NOTE that buying resale may not change that number as if you pay half of what Disney is charging and you have 30 years lest on the contract you need to divide what you paid by 30 not the 55 or about you will have with a new resort if you are buying DVC make sure you are buying for the long haul not a few years.... IE a 200 point contract cost is 20,000 and 30 years left on the contract each point is valued at 3.33 plus that years mait. per point. if you pay 40,000 direct for 200 point contract and have 54 years left your point is valued at 3.70 plus that years mait. per point. (there is more that can be considered as far as the true money cost per point you can make a huge formula that will up this numbers ? cents a point but in simple terms to value a point as above)