"Buy where you want to stay"

[jarestel]

For us, buying where we want to stay the most is like buying insurance. Sure, maybe we'd be lucky year after year and get to stay where we really wanted to. But why take the chance with our precious vacation time?

Excellent point, Granny! Those who buy where they primarily want to stay need not be concerned with how many future DVC members there will be eventually. Whether or not one will be able to book at a certain resort in 5-10-20 years becomes an argument of intellectual debate but of no practical concern. 40-50 years of DVC contentment has already been guaranteed by the simple act of buying where one most desires to stay.

 

[LisaS]

Well said, Jim. I also agree that it's not that big of a deal for everyone. To your list above, I will add:

• 
  
  4. People who don't want to hang in limbo on the waitlist
  

We have had zero success with the waitlist so far, and don't have any trust that it is administered fairly. Just too many "coincidental" waitlists just happening to come through when someone calls to check.

For us, buying where we want to stay the most is like buying insurance. Sure, maybe we'd be lucky year after year and get to stay where we really wanted to. But why take the chance with our precious vacation time?

I agree with all of your points, Granny. I know a lot of people have success with the waitlist, but I would be worried the whole time that I would end up getting a few random nights and have to move resorts multiple times during a stay. Plus I tend to book ADRs based on where we're staying so the less uncertainty about our accommodations, the easier it is to plan the rest of the trip. I also agree that there have been too many coincidences with the waitlist.

 

[KLEONARD]

My opinion, resort hopping is better than the alternative. What if DVC resort hopping was not allowed?
As an example, Disney improves park transportation to coincide with the expansion and offerings at DTD.
This causes a downturn in the number of patrons using the Epcot restaurants. The Food and Wine fest is moved to DTD so the general public as well as Disney guests can attend. Without resort hopping, SSR and OKW members would have exclusive walk-in privileges to the fifth park. This would not be fair to all DVC members.

Yes, I own at SSR and I will continue to refer to DTD as the “fifth park”. I hope it will artificially inflate the market value of my points on the resale market. Kind of like reverse resort bashing.

 

[Dean]

I agree that for those that want to play the field, it really doesn't matter from a usage standpoint where you own. Also those willing to call day by day and wait list day by day will usually be successful. There are specific exceptions of times of year or units types one must own. I do however think that AKV will hold it's value better even taking the price difference into account than SSR for the later expiring resorts though in large part it depends on what comes after. If CRV happens, it will likely be the new king of the hill.

As for AKV, I doubt it will help with the 7 month window anywhere but we shall see.

 

[JimMIA]

Well said, Jim. I also agree that it's not that big of a deal for everyone. To your list above, I will add:

• 
  
  4. People who don't want to hang in limbo on the waitlist

That's really covered by #2. If you really care -- if you'll be disappointed if you don't get your desired resort or accommodations -- then, by all means, buy where you want to stay.

 

[Dennyha]

Part of my point was that there is not a single place that I always want to stay. We love staying at SSR. It has become our second home, but I love being able to stay elsewhere also. For any of our visits, we have never been disappointed to hear that we had to stay at SSR, or OKW, or one time, the only studio available 2 days out was at BCV. All of the Disney resorts are, well, still Disney. One of the strengths of the program is its variety.

 

[tjkraz]

I have two major problems with "buy where you want to stay."

1. As stated it assumes that members actually wish to stay at a single resort the majority of the time. IMO, the more destinations DVC adds, the fewer people that will fit into this category.

2. It assumes that people actually know which resort is their favorite. Even worse, it frightens people into choosing a favorite based solely upon things like website photos and message board popularity polls.

I think a more appropriate phrase is this: Don't buy where you don't want to stay.

IMO, the greatest dissatisfaction voiced seems to come from those who chose their Home resort poorly and have trouble living with that decision. If you don't like the size and condo-style layout of SSR, don't buy there. If you don't like the dark woods and animal theme of AKV, don't buy there.

But as long as one doesn't detest one's Home resort, it's always there as a fallback position for the times one isn't able to move elsewhere at 7 months.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I agree with most comments here. Whatever works for you is the way to go.
Personally, we are predictable. We know where we want to stay the vast majority of the time.
In fact, we are buying and selling contracts now to taylor our home resort points.

MG

 

[Merylj]

We have had zero success with the waitlist so far, and don't have any trust that it is administered fairly. Just too many "coincidental" waitlists just happening to come through when someone calls to check.

Excellent point, thats why we will add on where we want to stay!

 

[DisneyDVCdad]

I think part of it is when you decide to go. My family tends to go towards the end of September. (Although that might change once our kids get a little older.) The last 2 years we have stayed at OKW and this year we are staying BWV. We have had no problem at all booking. We own at SSR and have not stayed there yet! Our plan is to hit all the resorts and see which one we like best and then stay there as often as we can!

 

[crisi]

I think part of it is when you decide to go. My family tends to go towards the end of September. (Although that might change once our kids get a little older.) The last 2 years we have stayed at OKW and this year we are staying BWV. We have had no problem at all booking. We own at SSR and have not stayed there yet! Our plan is to hit all the resorts and see which one we like best and then stay there as often as we can!

Though you need to be aware of how long 40 years is for.

We go the second weekend in October. When we first went, they were setting up for F&W, which started the day we flew out.

Two years after we purchased, F&W moved back. The ease which we'd gotten BWV standard view reservations has turned into "lucky you, you got the last room!" (I haven't been calling day by day, and I haven't been calling first thing in the morning - but 11 months out on checkout day about 10 or 11 am).

 

[pennst8r]

How much easier is it to get a studio, as opposed to a 2 bedroom? I think that may factor in as well. Number of days, too?

We're at SSR this Oct for 7 days, and still waitlisted at BCV.

 

[TenThousandVolts]

I think a more appropriate phrase is this: Don't buy where you don't want to stay.

This logic makes the most sense for our family. We don't have a favorite- we want to stay everywhere including VB and HHI. We do want to spend most of our points at WDW so HHI an VB were not home resort options. We bought at SSR and couldn't be happier with our decision!

 

[mikesmom]

How much easier is it to get a studio, as opposed to a 2 bedroom? I think that may factor in as well. Number of days, too?

We're at SSR this Oct for 7 days, and still waitlisted at BCV.

Actually, I believe Studios are the hardest.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Actually, I believe Studios are the hardest.

For me, personally, I've had more trouble with the 2 bedrooms.
In 2004 (November) I tried in vain to get a two bedroom anywhere at any DVC and there was absolutely nothing. I was waitlisted at OKW (my preference) and even called the 7 days right up to arrival with no luck. That year they let us put 5 in a 1 bedroom there. But I really wanted a 2 bedroom. I had started calling about 90 days prior to arrival. I think Jersey Week may have had something to do with the no availability.

I've had some very good luck getting studios at VWL and BWV (as well as OKW and SSR) at less than 90 or even 60 days out. The BWV was fairly last minute (maybe 50 days out) for early August. VWL was about 40 days out for early Oct for Food and Wine time period.
I do have trouble with the BCV studios though. They had the studio for only some of my days this past October.

 

[BroganMc]

I think a more appropriate phrase is this: Don't buy where you don't want to stay.

I sure wish the general advice on this board was just that. It's a theory I've practiced for years when buying timeshares. A good deal is worthless if you never want to be there.

From what I've seen all the resorts are available depending on when you go, when you ask and what you want. But I'm perfectly happy at my SSR home so any other stays are just short adjuncts to my trips and not a necessity. I feel bad for the folks who buy at a place and hate it. They must have a dreadful time trying to book. (Except those I meet staying other places never complain of troubles booking. It's odd.)

 

[Dean]

I sure wish the general advice on this board was just that. It's a theory I've practiced for years when buying timeshares. A good deal is worthless if you never want to be there.

While I agree in principle, I do not in specific when it applies to timeshares in general and DVC in some cases. Rather I'd say you should know what you want to do with it before buying. I've owned a number of weeks or contracts at a number of resorts over the years that I didn't plan to ever stay at. In some cases I owned to exchange, in some to resell at a profit. Owning for exchange never to stay at a given resort in II and RCI can be a great option. But it does require learning the system and finding what's best for you plus making sure you buy at a price that's workable for what you want.

 

[Granny]

I think a more appropriate phrase is this: Don't buy where you don't want to stay.

I think it is difficult to give one blanket axiom to everyone. The above advice is excellent for people who are not passionate about their resort choices. I'd tweak it a little and say "Don't buy where you would be disappointed to stay" since even if a home resort is "okay" to a member that would get really old if forced to stay there year after year.

For those who really,really like a particular resort, then the original adage of BWYWTS makes sense. For others, don't buy somewhere you wouldn't want to regularly stay.

Both work, and accommodate the different philosophies of resort choice importance.

 

[crisi]

So functionally -

Do you feel truly passionate about a resort - buy where you want to stay.

Do you have negative feelings about a resort - don't buy where you wouldn't want to stay - particularly if the dues are higher there. Why pay BWV dues when you think the clown slide is scary and the BW is too noisy - even if you don't have a problem switching to your preferred SSR at seven months?

Do you fall in between - buy where you wouldn't be disappointed to end up. You may wish to give a preference in buying towards the smaller resorts, since the competition at seven months at those resorts is fiercer. But if the extra years at SSR or AKL overcomes that, or the lower resale cost/lower dues of OKW does, buy there.

Need something in short supply with regularity - own points at that resort (Grand Villas, 2 Q 2 BR at BCV, AKL Conceirge, BWV Standard View)

Don't care where you stay or can't make plans more than seven months out - buy a resort with a long contract life and/or cheap purchase price/dues. It doesn't matter where you own and you might as well save a buck on a cheaper OKW resale contract with low dues or a longer life slightly more expensive SSR contract with low dues.

 

[Granny]

So functionally -

Do you feel truly passionate about a resort - buy where you want to stay.

Do you have negative feelings about a resort - don't buy where you wouldn't want to stay - particularly if the dues are higher there. Why pay BWV dues when you think the clown slide is scary and the BW is too noisy - even if you don't have a problem switching to your preferred SSR at seven months?

Do you fall in between - buy where you wouldn't be disappointed to end up. You may wish to give a preference in buying towards the smaller resorts, since the competition at seven months at those resorts is fiercer. But if the extra years at SSR or AKL overcomes that, or the lower resale cost/lower dues of OKW does, buy there.

Need something in short supply with regularity - own points at that resort (Grand Villas, 2 Q 2 BR at BCV, AKL Conceirge, BWV Standard View)

Don't care where you stay or can't make plans more than seven months out - buy a resort with a long contract life and/or cheap purchase price/dues. It doesn't matter where you own and you might as well save a buck on a cheaper OKW resale contract with low dues or a longer life slightly more expensive SSR contract with low dues.

So crisi, how are we supposed to fit all that into one neat acronym?


I think many of us have been saying the same acronym>>>>>I.D.


IT DEPENDS!