Next Question from Indiana Dad

[Indiana Dad]

Hello to everyone and thank you to those of you who have replied to my original post. I am still a little in the dark but all your thoughts were helpful. My next question is, if I can get over the risk of not being able to get into the VWL for some trips, then why would anyone presently buy at any other resort than SSR and forgo the additional 12 years? Is there something I am missing? in the math? Or is it just because like me everyone has their personal favorite resorts and you really can't put an intrinsic value on it? I mean 12 more years seems to make the most sense, if you can accept any of the resorts at booking. Am I missing something?
One more question, is it true DVC has plans for a property in Hawaii? Or in Disney, between the Poly and the Contempory--on the Monorail? thank you again for all your help!

[greenban]

Hi IndianaDad!

I'm a strong subscriber to the BUY WHERE YOU WANT TO STAY school of thought.

DVC resorts all have a themeing, a certain flavor. Some people like em all, some have 1 or 2 favorites, and yes some people actively dislike certain resorts. I originally bought resale at OKW, and it turns out that is our favorite so far. Privacy, Biggest rooms, Great Parking, Low points, low maintenance fees, the best CMs, etc. Even thought it is the oldest resort, IMHO it is maintained better than some of the super busy newer resorts (And those resorts know who they are! :sunny: )

Having said that, since I like to be able to pick my resort at the 11 month window, I have purchased additional contracts everywhere except HHI. Again, IMHO we are seeing the need for the 11 month window for prime vacation times more and more over the last 3 years. I believe it is due to the number of owners. I honestly believe that in the comming few years, only 11 Month windows will work at BCV, BWV & VWL for December, XMAS, Easter, President's Week, etc. Thus buy where you want to stay. Also use simple logic, it will always be easier to book OKW or SSR with your VWL points, because there are so many more units in OKW & SSR compared to VWL, so the booking difficulties is very one sided.

Next rumors, we all love them. Yes the DVC at the CR, Poly and Hawaii are all just that rumors, no one who really knows is talking. Infact we got all excited about a billboard that was simply announcing a new billboard!

So, while I hoping for the CRV, and others for VAK or PRV, no one knows. I do know that years ago Disney sold some prime Hawaian real estate, so I doubt the HVC as possible, but I have been wrong before.

So if one school of thought is to buy where you really want to stay, then high school would be, buy what exists, not what is rumored!

Hope that helps.

-Tony

[withdisneyspirit]

Hi there! We bought in April 2004 at OKW. We bought resale, not through DVC. The first contract was $68 per point and the second contract was $75 per point. We love OKW so it does have intrinsic value for us but it also was a very good deal in comparison to what Disney was offering at the time.:thumbsup:

HTH

[Deep-Thots]

Hello to everyone and thank you to those of you who have replied to my original post. I am still a little in the dark but all your thoughts were helpful. My next question is, if I can get over the risk of not being able to get into the VWL for some trips, then why would anyone presently buy at any other resort than SSR and forgo the additional 12 years? Is there something I am missing? in the math? Or is it just because like me everyone has their personal favorite resorts and you really can't put an intrinsic value on it? I mean 12 more years seems to make the most sense, if you can accept any of the resorts at booking. Am I missing something?
One more question, is it true DVC has plans for a property in Hawaii? Or in Disney, between the Poly and the Contempory--on the Monorail? thank you again for all your help!

Well, ID, some people apparently just don't care about the extra years. They want to stay at a resort other than SSR regardless. Otherwise, logically, there is no reason why someone wouldn't buy SSR. Of course, buying DVC can be approached via two different roads: the logical/financial way; and the emotional, OMG-I-have-to-stay-*THERE* way (and yes, some people do actually feel that way about SSR!). Both ways have their merits!! You'll have to choose yours.

Your next question is really, alas, unanswerable. Rumors abound about what the next DVC resort will be, but there's no confirmation. You can check out the Rumors forum for what the latest and greatest happens to be.

Good Luck!!

[idratherbeinwdw]

Another reason for not buying at SSR: Although some of us may be very young at heart, we are older in body. The extra 12 years at SSR wouldn't be useful to me, unless I am really spry in my 90's. (If so I'll rent points. :;)). So I chose to buy at the resort that appealed to me most.

[tjkraz]

Another reason for not buying at SSR: Although some of us may be very young at heart, we are older in body. The extra 12 years at SSR wouldn't be useful to me, unless I am really spry in my 90's. (If so I'll rent points. :;)). So I chose to buy at the resort that appealed to me most.

True, but there can be more to it than just using the points.

DW and I will turn 60 in 2030. As we're preparing for our retirement, it's entirely possible that some other arrangement may preclude the need for our DVC points. Perhaps we'll purchase a winter home in FL or just move there altogether.

If so, which will have greater resale value: 12 years at BCV or 24 years at SSR?

I don't have any problem with the whole "buy where you want to stay" routine--but the reality is most people haven't seen all of the resorts and can't make an educated decision. I couldn't see myself paying a premium price for a single resort and risking the chance that we would end up liking another resort more. I don't like one resort--I like them ALL! :)

In 6 trips as members--only two at our home resort--we've gotten the resort we wanted every time.

With regard to the rumors out there, nothing is official until Disney makes it official. I've lost count of how many people claim to have access to the highest-placed sources in Disney, who have confirmed the Contemporary will be the site of the next resort. Now suddenly everyone is talking about a new resort south of the TTC.

Regardless of which it is, count on it being 3+ years before the next resort is open to guests, and plenty of price increases on DVC points over that time.

[idratherbeinwdw]

True, but there can be more to it than just using the points.

DW and I will turn 60 in 2030. As we're preparing for our retirement, it's entirely possible that some other arrangement may preclude the need for our DVC points. Perhaps we'll purchase a winter home in FL or just move there altogether.

If so, which will have greater resale value: 12 years at BCV or 24 years at SSR?

I don't have any problem with the whole "buy where you want to stay" routine--but the reality is most people haven't seen all of the resorts and can't make an educated decision. I couldn't see myself paying a premium price for a single resort and risking the chance that we would end up liking another resort more. I don't like one resort--I like them ALL! :)



I can't see the point in buying at a resort I don't care for just in case I retire to the area. Maybe you are right and "most people" haven't seen all the resorts before they buy. I am not sure what you base that on, but I will accept that as fact. Still, for ME BWV was the right choice. Unlike you I do NOT like all the DVC resorts, and BWV is the place I call home. I love everything about it, and even if the resale is less than SSR I will have spent many happy years at my favorite place on earth in my favorite resort. Priceless.
I'm glad you chose a place that was right for you, BWV was right for me.:yes:

[tjkraz]

Still, for ME BWV was the right choice. Unlike you I do NOT like all the DVC resorts, and BWV is the place I call home.

Don't think I ever claimed that it wasn't the right decision for YOU. Just trying to present other points of view to help answer Indiana Dad's question. Sheesh. :headscrat

[idratherbeinwdw]

Don't think I ever claimed that it wasn't the right decision for YOU. Just trying to present other points of view to help answer Indiana Dad's question. Sheesh. :headscrat

Well I guess I misunderstood when you quoted my post saying
"Another reason for not buying at SSR: Although some of us may be very young at heart, we are older in body. The extra 12 years at SSR wouldn't be useful to me, unless I am really spry in my 90's. (If so I'll rent points. :;)). So I chose to buy at the resort that appealed to me most."
And then you posted:

"True, but there can be more to it than just using the points.

DW and I will turn 60 in 2030. As we're preparing for our retirement, it's entirely possible that some other arrangement may preclude the need for our DVC points. Perhaps we'll purchase a winter home in FL or just move there altogether.

If so, which will have greater resale value: 12 years at BCV or 24 years at SSR?"

I did take it to mean you were criticizing people who bought elsewhere, and that the resale value should be a factor for everyone. If you were merely stating another point of view I stand corrected.

[tjkraz]

I did take it to mean you were criticizing people who bought elsewhere, and that the resale value should be a factor for everyone. If you were merely stating another point of view I stand corrected.

As stated, it was just another point of view. :duck:

[ErinC]

ID- one thing to keep in mind as you make this decision... how far out do you plan your vacations? If you can't plan your vacation time more than 7 months in advance, than it really won't matter where you buy. Home resort advantage only works for those that plan more than 7 months out. The extra 12 years at SSR are really nice. If you will always be happy with staying at SSR ,if that is the only thing available than you will be fine. You'll probably get plenty of other opportunities to try other resorts too, you just won't be able to count on it.

[carolina_yankee]

ID - as you can tell there are many different answers to your questions, and why people buy where they do.

There are financial and emotional reasons to buy either re-sale or though DVC. Those who go re-sale probably want their specific resort, or want to pay less money for their points. For many middle-aged adults, the shorter contracts are fine. For younger adults, the lower buy-in cost might be the incentive.

For us, we'll be in our 80s and 90s when SSR expires and we have no children our nieces and nephews, so a re-sale might have made more financial sense for us. However, we liked working with Disney and we're fine with SSR as a home resort. I want to try them all, but we generall don't travel at peak periods, because we're needed in our professions at those times.

I didn't want to wait for the perfect contract elsewhere, arrange financing on my own, and then take a long time to close, while possibly losing the contract due to right of first refusal. Even so, I don't think it was financially a bad decision, because I personally believe I could sell the contract for a profit for at least the next 15 years (not that I factored this in, since DVC is not a financial investment - but it's still a potential safety net).

There are as many reasons to buy DVC in a certain way as their are members!!

Dirk

[AFMom]

We went in with a very un-emotional outlook. We knew we'd be happy at any of the resorts, so we bought OKW sight un-seen for our first contract to save money and for the lower maint fees and lower nightly points. Once we'd been in the system longer, we knew we wanted the 12 extra years, and thought SSR was very nice. So far we've gotten OKW at 6 weeks out (F & W), OKW at 7 mo's out (for the first week of Dec), and BCV at 3 months out (Just a Sept visit). I think if we passionately had to stay at WLV in December, or BCV or BWV during F&W - we'd have bought there - but we're happy anywhere really!

[Blue&Gold]

Well, ID, some people apparently just don't care about the extra years. They want to stay at a resort other than SSR regardless. Otherwise, logically, there is no reason why someone wouldn't buy SSR.

Well, I "care" about the extra 12 years... I just "care less" about the extra 12 years than I do the location, theming, and other aspects. In real estate, I think location and other less tangible aspects have some bearing on the "logic" of a purchase.

When we decided to buy BWV vice SSR in early '05, I made calculations comparing "cost per point" of an SSR point vs BWV at the resale price I bought in at ($78). Amortizing the points across the remaining contract years, and assuming annual maintenance costs proportional to today's, I roughly came up with the answer that SSR costs about 30% less than BWV. (Don't ask me to provide my math:) )

Now, the question we asked ourselves is would we pay 30% more to stay at BWV than SSR if they were unrelated to each other---and we decided we would. We "value" the proximity to Epcot and DS. We put value in the BoardWalk entertainment/restaurant area. We valued the "Clown Slide." We (I) valued the fact that I grew up taking family vacations to the New Jersey "shore," so I love the theme. We put value in the physical fitness opportunities the hallways give us :kickingco . We put value in being able to get room service... Others may apply a different calculus. Liking the BWV "more" doesn't automatically translate to disliking SSR.

We are now seriously considering an add-on at SSR. Now that we have a fair number of BWV points (and that itch is scratched, so to speak) we are re-evaluating the value (to us) of the longer contracts as well as the other features of the resort. We're trying to approach it logically...

Good luck making your decision.

[Deep-Thots]

Well, I "care" about the extra 12 years... I just "care less" about the extra 12 years than I do the location, theming, and other aspects. In real estate, I think location and other less tangible aspects have some bearing on the "logic" of a purchase.



Okay, I understand what you're saying. But from what I've seen, there are indeed some folks who really don't care at all about the extra 12 years (I think I referred to them as the "OMG-I-have-to-stay-*there*!!" crowd). That's all. It's a gut, emotional reaction for them -- kinda like falling in love.

And I agree that loving another resort doesn't automatically translate into disliking SSR. But I don't think I ever said that it did. :idontgeti

[Blue&Gold]

And I agree that loving another resort doesn't automatically translate into disliking SSR. But I don't think I ever said that it did. :idontgeti

True... Maybe poorly worded. Frankly, being sensitive to the "no resort bashing" spirit here, I wanted to say that in pointing out some of the reasons I found BWV a better fit for me, I wasn't trying to smash SSR. Oversensitive to other sensitivities!

[granny]

. My next question is, if I can get over the risk of not being able to get into the VWL for some trips, then why would anyone presently buy at any other resort than SSR and forgo the additional 12 years? Is there something I am missing? in the math? Or is it just because like me everyone has their personal favorite resorts and you really can't put an intrinsic value on it? I mean 12 more years seems to make the most sense, if you can accept any of the resorts at booking. Am I missing something?
In your original post, you indicated that "I love the VWL more than anything, and it would kill us if we ever didn't get in there." We happen to feel the same way about VWL, and since it's the smallest DVC resort we knew we needed to purchase there if we wanted to be sure of staying there often. The key word is "sure".

Many people are happy rolling the dice.

Many people are happy just to be at WDW and resort location isn't important.

Many people can't plan more than 7 months in advance so home resort is meaningless at that point.

Many people are willing to use the waitlists and hope.


We don't fall into any of those categories. Purchasing at VWL was like buying insurance. Could we stay there without owning there? Sure. Would we have the same peace of mind knowing we have the booking advantage over the TENS OF THOUSANDS of other DVC owners for the smallest DVC resort? Absolutely not.

So for us, the extra 12 years at SSR doesn't sway us because we only want to stay at non-home DVC resorts when we choose to, not when we have to.

[Dale-n-chip]

I'm going to throw in my one piece of advice in addition to the great advice already given:
Don't buy where you DON'T want to stay!

If you DON'T like SSR and would be UNHAPPY to stay there, for Heaven's sake, don't BUY there! The extra 12 years at a place you don't like probably won't make up for any "financial advantage" (with DVC, as you've already determined, the math is always a little fuzzy ;) ).

We bought DVC early in our Disney obsession (obsession began in March05, DVC purchase in Nov05), so we didn't have the luxury of checking out all the DVC resorts before purchasing. In fact, we still haven't set foot on a single DVC property! :jawdroppi (I know, HORRORS!) But we decided that we could seriously be happy at any DVC resort for a week at a time. (Or maybe that should read "We could be seriously happy at any DVC resort. . .") Maybe it's a matter of "ignorance is bliss," maybe we are just easy to please. . . I don't know.

We also used the "longer contract = better resale opportunities" logic. This is certainly not a money-making investment, but we know that the financial winds in our life can change and we might NEED to sell at some point. Heck, we might decide on down the road we just WANT to sell it. At any rate, SSR made more sense to us from that perspective.

Just adding more fuel to the fire, probably, but those were our deciding factors. Good luck!

[mousehouse]

Hi ID,

Well, we are taking the plunge..we stayed at BCV in August , got home sat around depressed thinking we wouldn't be back for 20 years, and then decided to buy dvc. We saw parts of BWV, LOVED BCV, but haven't seen any of the others. We decided to buy based on price and yearly fees. We chose OKW sight unseen. However, we figured if we are at Disney what resort could really be bad?
We got really lucky and are almost done buying 190 pts at OKW..just waiting for my funds to complete and it will be ours. We have our first trip planned for Sept. I think, we will try and stay in 2 different resorts..the BWV and OKW are my current 2 choices. Just want to try them out for future plans. We are also lucky as I homeschool, so our travel plans are very flexible and currently we prefer when the parks aren't busy. i hate to stand in line! Hubby hates to be bumped by people.

If you would only be happy at WVL then buy there. Make sure when you compare resale you compare contracts with their points. i think when you buy thru Disney, the contracts include their points where as resale the contracts may have used their current points and even their future points. We were lucky as the contract we got even had a few points banked.

Good Luck!

[Lisa]

I have another 14 years of living by the school calendar. We would hate to go in summer so that leaves Thanksgiving, Christmas, President's week and April/Easter. All high demand times. I needed to buy where I wanted to stay. Sure we will be able to waitlist and get other resorts at times but our home resort has what we want for our vacation. To me and our family location (walkable to parks) and theme is important. In our situation the assurance of our home resort would be better then the extra 12 years of maintance fees when we are 78!

Good luck with your decision and figuring out what is best for your family.