Which Home Resort?
The first decision a potential DVC owner must make is which resort to make their “Home.”  DVC is a timeshare, and each member owns some small part of a building on Disney property.  The DVC management program does allow us to use our points at resorts of which we are not owners, but there are reasons to give careful thought to where you decide to buy.

Relevance of Home Resort
For most people, the primary importance of a Home resort relates to the booking dates.  Owners can book a room at their Home resort 11 months in advance of the check-out date.  At non-Home resorts, individuals can only book 7 months in advance of the check-out date. 

With the size and popularity of resorts varying from one property to the next, there are situations where rooms can be difficult to book if you are not an owner at that resort. 

For example, some of the more difficult rooms to obtain inside 7 months are the Grand Villas at Old Key West and Standard View rooms at the Boardwalk.  Rooms at the Beach Club Villas and Villas at Wilderness Lodge can be difficult to obtain year-round because the resorts are so small—205 and 135 rooms, respectively.

Members wishing to have frequent access to these units would be well advised to own points at their preferred location.

 A member’s Home resort also determines the Annual Dues (maintenance fees) that are paid on each point.  2006 dues range from $3.98 to $5.27 per point.  The dollars paid in Annual Dues over the course of a DVC contract will greatly eclipse the initial buy-in cost.  Consider carefully the long-term impact of these annual dues payments.  A resale contract at Vero Beach may seem like a good way to save $5-10 per point over other resorts in the initial purchase phase, but those savings will quickly disappear in the face of higher Annual Dues payments.

Finally, one’s Home resort also determines the ending date of their DVC ownership.  All DVC contracts do expire at some point in the future.  Contracts at Old Key West, the Boardwalk Villas, Vero Beach, Hilton Head Island, Villas at Wilderness Lodge and Beach Club Villas all expire on January 31, 2042.  Contracts at Saratoga Springs Resort expire on January 31, 2054.

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Selecting a Home Resort
Publicly, DVC is only promoting point sales at Saratoga Springs.  In their eyes, the other resorts are “sold out”, meaning that DVC sold all of the points initially offered at those resorts.  Potential members who contact DVC for promotional information or take a tour of the model units at Walt Disney World will be given a strong impression that Saratoga Springs is their only purchase option.

However, like any other real estate holding, DVC contracts can change hands a number of times over their life.  Contracts at all seven DVC resorts can be purchased on the resale market.  There are a number of reputable brokers who specialize in DVC resale contracts such as The Timeshare Store and DVC By Resale.

In addition, DVC does re-acquire points at the “sold out” properties from time-to-time and is often willing to sell these points to a new or existing member.  

Visit our Direct vs. Resale page for more information on the differences between these two purchase options.

Potential members should consider the importance of all of the factors discussed here when deciding on a resort to buy:  Initial buy-in cost, annual dues cost, preferred resort booking and contract ending date.

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When Is Home Resort Irrelevant?
There are situations when a specific Home resort may be irrelevant to a member.

1. You generally cannot book a vacation more than seven months ahead of time.  The Home resort booking priority only applies to the period of time 11-8 months in advance of the check-out date.  When that 7 month window arrives, all points are created equal.  If you cannot book more than 7 months out, the Home resort is totally irrelevant with regard to your ability to obtain your preferred accommodation.
2. You do not vacation during peak periods.  Bear in mind that DVC peak periods are different from peak periods throughout Walt Disney World.  For example, the first two weeks of December is one of the slower times throughout WDW, but it is arguably the single most popular time for DVC members to visit.  The slowest months for DVC members tend to be January (except MLK weekend), February (except President’s Day weekend), May and September.  Those wishing to visit during these periods have an excellent chance of getting their preferred location when calling at 7 months.
3. You really don’t care which resort you stay at.  Most potential DVC owners have little experience with the seven DVC properties.  Many have never stayed at any of them prior to contemplating a DVC purchase.  All provide high quality accommodations with varying locations, amenities and themes.  Those who are entering into DVC with visions of trying all of the resorts and having no clear favorite for a single resort shouldn’t try too hard to predict which resort might be their favorite.
4. You most frequently plan to book One Bedroom villas.  One Bedroom villas are consistently the easiest size DVC unit to book.  Member reports indicate that Grand Villas are the most difficult followed by Studios, Two Bedroom villas and One Bedroom villas. 
5. Contract ending dates are irrelevant.  As of 2005, owners at Saratoga Springs have contracts that are 33% longer than owners of all other resorts.  This is an important consideration for many, but perhaps not for older potential members who need not worry about where they will vacation in 2043.

Those who fall into one or more of the categories above will probably not find overwhelming evidence suggesting one Home resort over another.  But do make a careful decision when selecting a Home resort.  Forty years is a long time to regret such a decision.

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