DVC purchase

[CarolynFH]

This is why I needed to ask questions - haha. Totally blanked out that there would be people staying in them already and not all would be available at the same time. Thanks for pointing out the obvious!

Ah yes, DVC is a complicated system! Not like other timeshares where everyone checks in and out on Saturdays!

In any case, you might want to add OKW, SSR and AKV to the list of resorts you’re considering. They might not be walking distance to Epcot, but they’re bigger than BCV or BWV and therefore easier to book multiple villas at popular times of year. And resales are less expensive there, too.

 

[kanerf]

I own at a number of resorts and of those that you mentioned, I would go for BLT (walk to Magic Kingdom, Villain's Lair) or Boardwalk Villas (walk or boat to Epcot or HS, the boardwalk). The Beach Club is nice, but rather small, if you want to insure you get the room you want at 11 months, BLT and BWV are better.

 

[Mimi151]

I own at a number of resorts and of those that you mentioned, I would go for BLT (walk to Magic Kingdom, Villain's Lair) or Boardwalk Villas (walk or boat to Epcot or HS, the boardwalk). The Beach Club is nice, but rather small, if you want to insure you get the room you want at 11 months, BLT and BWV are better.

Good info to have! I’m not locked into any specifics at this point.

 

[Mimi151]

Ah yes, DVC is a complicated system! Not like other timeshares where everyone checks in and out on Saturdays!

In any case, you might want to add OKW, SSR and AKV to the list of resorts you’re considering. They might not be walking distance to Epcot, but they’re bigger than BCV or BWV and therefore easier to book multiple villas at popular times of year. And resales are less expensive there, too.

I was considering just putting us all at OKW for this trip to minimize overall points I need to buy (it’ll be resale). What’s your gut feeling about being able to get four studios there at the 7month mark? But now I’m concerned about needing them all the same dates too…

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

I was considering just putting us all at OKW for this trip to minimize overall points I need to buy (it’ll be resale). What’s your gut feeling about being able to get four studios there at the 7month mark? But now I’m concerned about needing them all the same dates too…

4 studios at OKW or Saratoga is doable. 4 studios at 7m at an Epcot resort during F&W is very unlikely. Just know that the cheapest studios at resorts are often not available, even at 11m, without a lot of effort. So don’t buy exactly the number of points you need for a value studio at AKL, for example.

Honestly in your situation I would give serious consideration to BC resale. It’s a wonderful resort and there are some great deals to be had. Plus that way you don’t have to worry about fighting it out with the 7m points as you’d be locked in at 11.

 

[Mimi151]

4 studios at OKW or Saratoga is doable. 4 studios at 7m at an Epcot resort during F&W is very unlikely. Just know that the cheapest studios at resorts are often not available, even at 11m, without a lot of effort. So don’t buy exactly the number of points you need for a value studio at AKL, for example.

Honestly in your situation I would give serious consideration to BC resale. It’s a wonderful resort and there are some great deals to be had. Plus that way you don’t have to worry about fighting it out with the 7m points as you’d be locked in at 11.

My thoughts were but for Beach Club (or possibly Boardwalk or BLT) so I had that as a home resort for future trips. But put us at OKW for this trip since 4 families is a heck of a lot of points. I could get away with a 2 bedroom villa and 2 studios instead of 4 studios. Whether I buy or not I guess now rests on whether or not I feel like I could get all into OKW for same 6 days… which are yet to be determined… but early November as were matching it to a birthday.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

My thoughts were but for Beach Club (or possibly Boardwalk or BLT) so I had that as a home resort for future trips. But put us at OKW for this trip since 4 families is a heck of a lot of points. I could get away with a 2 bedroom villa and 2 studios instead of 4 studios. Whether I buy or not I guess now rests on whether or not I feel like I could get all into OKW for same 6 days… which are yet to be determined… but early November as were matching it to a birthday.

Very few people “downgrade” from BC to OKW so you should be fine. Is there a reason you wouldn’t want to do BC for that November 2025 trip? If you buy a contract with banked points, you could end up with “extras.” Eg. December is not a good use year for November trips, BUT if you are not going to consistently travel in November then you would be talking about the December 2024 use year. You could buy a contract with some current 2023 points and have the seller bank them into 2024. You need 93 points/studio (assuming 3 “cheap” and 2 “expensive” days, or 372 points for 4 rooms. Assuming you have some 2023 points that can be banked, plus full 2024 points and borrowing 2025 points you could get away with as little as 125 point contract (assuming that the stars align perfectly).

 

[CarolynFH]

Someone posted this link in another thread - it's historical availability for the last 5 years at 11, 7, 5, 3, and 1 month prior to checkin. Might be helpful in guessing which resort will be easiest to get a 2BR and 2 studios in early November, if you book at 11 months out.

https://www.dvcfieldguide.com/availability-tables

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

Online I see a contract with 150 points and the 2022 points have been banked into 2023, which would also give you the option of renting out some of them to help cover the additional cost of buying more points than you actually need.

 

[intamin]

Personally I would not go with BCV if your goal is to get 4 studios over the same time frame. Food and Wine is generally pretty competitive even at the 11 month mark and the rooms are often walked. The rooms usually go within seconds, not minutes of the window opening that you would need to book 4 studios over the exact same dates. IMO you’re more likely to be successful with BW even if that means you may end up settling with P/G view studios at times. BLT would also be easy to do even though I know you said you wanted a 2042 end date.

 

[Disney.dad]

Do Bay Lake Tower. It should have good resale value in 18 years quite possibly worth more than it is now. Beach Club and Boardwalk should be worth 0 in 18 years. You can always sell your membership down the road as could your kids.

 

[Noodlez]

Personally I would not go with BCV if your goal is to get 4 studios over the same time frame. Food and Wine is generally pretty competitive even at the 11 month mark and the rooms are often walked. The rooms usually go within seconds, not minutes of the window opening that you would need to book 4 studios over the exact same dates. IMO you’re more likely to be successful with BW even if that means you may end up settling with P/G view studios at times. BLT would also be easy to do even though I know you said you wanted a 2042 end date.

As a BCV owner I've never seen this. Of course, some times of year are more popular than others but I've never noticed any evidence of 11 month walking causing a problem and have never felt the need to be ready the moment booking opens. Checking availability tables seems to confirm this too. It's not like trying to get standard view at BWV. BCV seems to be one of the easiest resorts to get what you want if you're an owner, and the OP seems to plan their trips well in advance.

 

[SG131]

Even getting one studio at BCV for a week is tricky that time of year. BWV has a tiny bit more availability but not to the point where I think you would have any luck getting enough rooms booked for your whole party. There is a dvc help website that has availability charts that will give you a pretty good picture of what to expect trying to book one room. You're talking about going two of the most coveted dvc weeks of the year and needing multiple rooms. I honestly am not sure you are a good candidate for dvc especially if there is possibility of needing to change dates if kids schedules change. DVC doesn't provide a lot of flexibility. I've had to change dates because things have come up and in order to change, I can't be too particular about when I'm changing to, just have a rough idea and then based on what is available have to shift my desired dates by a few weeks or so.