How we made our DVC decision(s)

Jedi Dad

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jun 27, 2018
Hello! I wanted to post this for others, who are researching DVC, to show how we made some our decisions. Most of this is just what was the most important to our family, I’m sure I will leave out things that may be important to you that did not weigh heavily for us. This is by no means a definitive guide; I'm not reinventing the wheel on this one, just sharing my experience in my research.

Question 1: DVC - Yes or No?

- YES! For us, this was a no-brainer. If every year, for the foreseeable future, you are going to WDW and staying in moderate or deluxe resorts, it probably makes sense. As far as the math goes, I think of buying DVC as an upfront cost for long-term savings.

Question 2: Which Home Resort?

- We have gone back and forth with this one a couple dozen times, lol. Our current favorites are BWV, PVB, BLT and (the value of) SSR.
- We are still a little worried, if we buy SSR, that we will have a hard time booking other resorts at 7 months out. We generally go at slower times of the year, but it is definitely something to consider. It goes against the “buy where you want to stay” adage.
- We love BWV, but with only 24 years left on the contract it is not a great value compared to some of the other resorts. The other side of that coin is; if you get 24 great years out of it, who cares? It is still a better value than NO-DVC. These are the kinds of arguments I have with myself inside my brain.
- PVB and BLT have EXCELLENT long term value, having 40+ years left on the contract. LOVE that!

Question 3: How many points?

- We are going to start with 100. We like the idea of one year doing a trip one year for less than 100, in say a studio, than banking the rest for next year and doing something for more than 100 points, say 1 bedroom villa or banking/borrowing and getting a 2 bedroom and inviting family, etc.

Question 4: Direct vs Resale?

- 75-100 pts @ SSR is the only resort we were considering direct (for the “incidental benefits”, which everyone will point out, are subject to change). We would then add on resale, as needed. The biggest factor for us is that, we’re not really sure if SSR is for us, so that may wipe out direct all together, because all the other resorts we were only considering resale.
- Our best prediction is that most years we will only be going once, so the difference between a 7-Day Park Hopper and the buy-direct discount on Gold AP is a wash. (We can get a fraction of the dining/merch discounts with the Disney Visa.)
- We like the members only stuff, but not enough to justify the HUGE cost difference.


Question 5: Which Use Year?


- For the most part, we go to WDW in Fall/Winter. So an AUG use year is probably best for us. Our trips will inevitably change when our 3 month old daughter goes to school.
- Use Year is important to us to an extent, but we’re not gonna stress over it. Travel habits change over time and I can’t predict the future… yet…

Question 6: How do we pay for it?

- First, we first figured out the total amount we needed. Then we took a few thousand out of our savings and said “this is the beginning of our DVC fund”. We subtracted that from the total and now we knew how much we still needed to save. We decided on a date we wanted to be finished savings by and figured out how many pay periods were in between. Dividing what we still need to save by how many pay periods, gave us an idea of how much we would need to put away each pay period. For us the number was a little higher than we would like, but rather than extend the date out, we decided to make concessions elsewhere in our budget to make it work. SO! After a years’ worth of research, DVC spreadsheets (color-coded to the match each resorts colors, of course) and talks with my wife, we are going to be ready to buy DVC in December.

***Edit: I probably should have included what we actually decided on, lol. If all goes well, we will be buying around 100 points, re-sale, at either BLT or BWV, with an Aug use year.***

If you made it this far, here’s my last 2 cents. DVC, for us, is an investment in our happiness. While the numbers need to make sense, remember why you’re doing it in the first place.

Happy people live longer… I think… and if they don’t… please don’t tell me.

-Mike
 
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Nice breakdown. The only thing I would mention is that fall, and into winter, may be slower times for WDW in general but are the busiest time of the year for DVC so the adage of buy where you want to stay will be very important.
 
Nice breakdown. The only thing I would mention is that fall, and into winter, may be slower times for WDW in general but are the busiest time of the year for DVC so the adage of buy where you want to stay will be very important.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/p...-studios-1-bedrooms-june-2018-update.3689931/
As stated these charts may help redefine "slow times of year". Fall frenzy is real and makes booking of studios at 7 months at a non-home resort very difficult if not impossible.
 


If it were me, I would go all resale. I was able to get in at 25 direct and really don't plan on using any of those benefits, with the exception of the cheap APs, on any of my upcoming trips.

The price difference between direct and resale is too extreme to justify the potential savings as far as I can see.
 
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...We generally go at slower times of the year, but it is definitely something to consider. ...

- For the most part, we go to WDW in Fall/Winter. So an AUG use year is probably best for us. Our trips will inevitably change when our 3 month old daughter goes to school.
...

-Mike
Fall/Winter is the busiest time of the year for DVC. They don't call Sept through early Jan Fall Frenzy for nothing. The first two weeks of Dec are the busiest weeks of the year for DVC. Run Disney events like Wine & Dine Half marathon and January Marathon get booked up closer to 11 months than six months. You need to book your home resort at 11 months out for this time of the year and see what you might be able to change to at seven months out.

If you buy start a resale purchase in Dec, you probably won't close until Feb which will make it really hard to book that fall trip.
 
Nice breakdown. The only thing I would mention is that fall, and into winter, may be slower times for WDW in general but are the busiest time of the year for DVC so the adage of buy where you want to stay will be very important.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/p...-studios-1-bedrooms-june-2018-update.3689931/
As stated these charts may help redefine "slow times of year". Fall frenzy is real and makes booking of studios at 7 months at a non-home resort very difficult if not impossible.

Fall/Winter is the busiest time of the year for DVC. They don't call Sept through early Jan Fall Frenzy for nothing. The first two weeks of Dec are the busiest weeks of the year for DVC. Run Disney events like Wine & Dine Half marathon and January Marathon get booked up closer to 11 months than six months. You need to book your home resort at 11 months out for this time of the year and see what you might be able to change to at seven months out.

If you buy start a resale purchase in Dec, you probably won't close until Feb which will make it really hard to book that fall trip.
Thanks for the info! We have narrowed it down to our 2 favorites BLT/BWV. Either one (or both... lol) would be great for us.
 


Thanks for the info! We have narrowed it down to our 2 favorites BLT/BWV. Either one (or both... lol) would be great for us.

If going BLT, direct could potentially be worth it since you are paying only about $50 more per point, or under $4000 extra for 75 points. over 42 more years. $10 a year for potential perks is probably worthwhile. BWV would be harder to justify going direct for 75 points because the contract length is so much shorter.
 
You need to book your home resort at 11 months out for this time of the year...

If you buy start a resale purchase in Dec, you probably won't close until Feb which will make it really hard to book that fall trip.
No prob booking 11 months out for us.

We are now considering buying (2) 50 point contracts. Either both at BLT or (1) BLT AND (1) BWV with same use year. That would allow us to start the process for the first one around sep/oct and get both 11 month windows
 
No prob booking 11 months out for us.

We are now considering buying (2) 50 point contracts. Either both at BLT or (1) BLT AND (1) BWV with same use year. That would allow us to start the process for the first one around sep/oct and get both 11 month windows

2 small contracts at different resorts will make your plans more difficult for getting larger rooms at 11 months every other year as you can't combine until 7 months (or you're looking at split stays).
 
If going BLT, direct could potentially be worth it since you are paying only about $50 more per point, or under $4000 extra for 75 points. over 42 more years. $10 a year for potential perks is probably worthwhile. BWV would be harder to justify going direct for 75 points because the contract length is so much shorter.
Interesting, I will look into that as well.
 
2 small contracts at different resorts will make your plans more difficult for getting larger rooms at 11 months every other year as you can't combine until 7 months (or you're looking at split stays).
Good point!
 
Question 3: How many points?

- We are going to start with 100. We like the idea of one year doing a trip one year for less than 100, in say a studio, than banking the rest for next year and doing something for more than 100 points, say 1 bedroom villa or banking/borrowing and getting a 2 bedroom and inviting family, etc.

We initially bought 185 points (we were looking in the 150-175 range) at BLT because we thought we would go annually and stay in studios one year and 1BR the next. Fast forward a little over a year and ... we are staying in 1-2br and going 2x a year. What they say about going more often and spending more is real! :lol

We are now considering buying (2) 50 point contracts. Either both at BLT or (1) BLT AND (1) BWV with same use year. That would allow us to start the process for the first one around sep/oct and get both 11 month windows

As others have said, 2-50 point contracts at the same or different resorts is probably not necessary. You'll be looking at booking split stays at 11 months, which is challenging to do with little ones (I've done it, but only for compelling reasons). Our thought process on resorts was almost exactly the same, and I had actually gotten to a point where I would have bid on the first contract at either resort that fit my criteria for # points, UY and $pp (different criteria for each resort). And even though we have added on at another resort, and seriously considered BWV *again*, the short contract time remaining and the "all 2br-are-lockoffs" really gave us pause. While I know that it's unlikely we will actually be owning the contracts 25 years from now, we decided for flexibility's sake (resale, or leaving to our kids) to go for something with a longer contract life.

It sounds like you've done your research. I look forward to reading about your journey!
 
Another plug for BLT: With little kids, you will spend an inordinate amount of time at MK. Walking distance to MK is the best. My older one is almost 7 and she loves the thrill rides at all the parks, and she could probably still spend every day at MK and love it. There is just something special about The Park With the Castle. And when you're in the era of mid-day naps, being able to walk back and forth to MK is just the best.
 
2 small contracts at different resorts will make your plans more difficult for getting larger rooms at 11 months every other year as you can't combine until 7 months (or you're looking at split stays).
As others have said, 2-50 point contracts at the same or different resorts is probably not necessary. You'll be looking at booking split stays at 11 months

OK, I understand having contracts at different resorts but lets make sure I have this right for same resort, lol:

If we buy (100) points @ BLT(AUG) now and decided later to add on (50) points @ BLT(AUG), they cannot be combined until 7 months as well?

Another plug for BLT: With little kids, you will spend an inordinate amount of time at MK. Walking distance to MK is the best. My older one is almost 7 and she loves the thrill rides at all the parks, and she could probably still spend every day at MK and love it. There is just something special about The Park With the Castle. And when you're in the era of mid-day naps, being able to walk back and forth to MK is just the best.

I totally agree!: "just something special about The Park With the Castle. And when you're in the era of mid-day naps, being able to walk back and forth to MK is just the best" (1) BLT contract is starting to seem like the way to go for us, as much as we love BWV and the ability to walk to Epcot/HS.
 
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OK, I understand having contracts at different resorts but lets make sure I have this right for same resort, lol:

If we buy (100) points @ BLT(AUG) now and decided later to add on (50) points @ BLT(AUG), they cannot be combined until 7 months as well?



I totally agree!: "just something special about The Park With the Castle. And when you're in the era of mid-day naps, being able to walk back and forth to MK is just the best" (1) BLT contract is starting to seem like the way to go for us, as much as we love BWV and the ability to walk to Epcot/HS.

Same resort can be combined at 11 months. Same resort and same UY make that seamless. Same resort and different UY means you'd have to transfer points to be able to book together.
 
Same resort can be combined at 11 months. Same resort and same UY make that seamless. Same resort and different UY means you'd have to transfer points to be able to book together.
Ok, that's what I thought. Thanks for clearing that up!
 
OK, I understand having contracts at different resorts but lets make sure I have this right for same resort, lol:

If we buy (100) points @ BLT(AUG) now and decided later to add on (50) points @ BLT(AUG), they cannot be combined until 7 months as well?

They functionally act almost like the same contract. We actually own 160 + 25 at BLT but same UY and titled the same, and it works like one 185 point contract. In the process of adding on at VGF as well. As long as they're the titled the same and same UY and same resort, you just use up the points in 1 contract first and then move on to the other.

Another thought if you love BWV - when you book a stay, if you want to do 3 days at BLT and 3 days at BWV, book two separate 3-day stays at BLT at 7+ months. Then at 7 months switch one of your BLT stays to a BWV stay (there are usually 1br/P&G available, or waitlist something else). Voila, split stay. Or - (this had us putting off buying BWV points for a while) - if you have SPG points, you can redeem them to stay at the Swan or Dolphin hotels and still walk to EP and HS. We make our points go farther that way.
 
They functionally act almost like the same contract. We actually own 160 + 25 at BLT but same UY and titled the same, and it works like one 185 point contract. In the process of adding on at VGF as well. As long as they're the titled the same and same UY and same resort, you just use up the points in 1 contract first and then move on to the other.

Another thought if you love BWV - when you book a stay, if you want to do 3 days at BLT and 3 days at BWV, book two separate 3-day stays at BLT at 7+ months. Then at 7 months switch one of your BLT stays to a BWV stay (there are usually 1br/P&G available, or waitlist something else). Voila, split stay. Or - (this had us putting off buying BWV points for a while) - if you have SPG points, you can redeem them to stay at the Swan or Dolphin hotels and still walk to EP and HS. We make our points go farther that way.
:scratchin All the possibilities!!

If you book (2) 3-day at BLT (7+) and at 7 months there is no availability for BWV, will you have the same room for both 3-day at BLT? Just curious, not a big deal changing rooms at same resort.
 

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