How to choose a home villa

[TXDisney]

It's getting close to where my wife and I want to purchase a DVC resale. She is recently pregnant and id like to have a decision made in the next year. We've been to WDW tons of times. We got engaged and married there. We definately go atleast a week a year, so it makes financial sense for us. We've rotated to different resorts when we stay to see different locations and themes. As almost all know, what you pay for at WDW when it comes to resorts or villas is location, and I'm perfectly ok with that. That's why I've narrowed it down to just the villas near Epcot and MK. We've seen the villas at the boardwalk and BC. Rooms we weren't impressed with but love that location as Epcot lovers. Access to storm along bay is big for us as well. I don't know much about the bay lake area villas. I know the contemporary is similar priced to that of BC and that GF and poly are more pricey. But if it's worth it, those can be an option.

 

[WWWD]

... as Epcot lovers. Access to storm along bay is big for us as well.

Um, I'm thinking BCVs. Beach Club Villas will get its refurbishment and once again be a stellar resort. We have never regretted owning there and the 11 month booking window advantage can become very useful certain times of the year.

 

[lostpro9het]

Honestly, IMO, you should absolutely stay at your future home resort at least once before you purchase. "On paper" a resort could seem great to you but in reality you could end up hating it. I've read of folks purchasing a home resort without ever setting foot in a room, I cant get my head around that one! We sampled OKW, SSR, BLT, BCV, BWV, VWL, and AKL before we purchased. "On paper" we thought for sure BLT and BWV would be for us but in reality we really didn't like either after staying there! I agree SAB is a huge perk for BCV, which is our #2 preferred DVC room tied with SSR. Something else to consider about the Poly is they only have studios and bungalows. Not an issue for you now but if you ever wanted a 1-brm at Poly it is not an option right now. If you are asking for advice between BLT, POLY, VGF, BCV, and BWV then I'd say BCV.

 

[Maddog57]

Please all me to weigh in here. I have been a DVC member since 1997. We have 2 Home Resorts, Boardwalk Villas and Animal Kingdom Lodge. I have heard this debate about where to buy in person and on the web. In my humble opinion you buy into where you want to stay. In reality the slogan for the DVC should be "Forget About Being Spontaneous". If you want to stay at your home resort you have to be online or on the phone at the exact start of the 11 month window. Any later and you are rolling the dice. That is not a complaint, just a statement of fact. I can deal with that and have done so for almost 20 years now. That is not to say that you can not get a reservation in a resort that is not your home resort at the 7 month window, because I have done so many times. Having said all of that, my beloved wife and I LOVE the Boardwalk. We like the rooms (they are doing a refurb right now) and we like the location. We bought into the Animal Kingdom because that is the most unique hotel we have ever seen in our life. Keep in mind that the newer the resort the higher the cost (in DVC points) to stay there. That is only fair. When you buy into a specific resort the DVC guarantees that it will cost the same amount of points to stay there for the life of your contract (ours is 45 years). Disney is allowed to make money so as they build new resorts they raise the price that it costs (in DVC points) to stay there. I hope this has helped.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

@Maddog57 this is kind of off topic, but it doesn't need its own thread. Is there any distinction between owning AKL at Kidani versus Jambo? Does the contract even specify? If I ever considered DVC it would be under very specific circumstances. It would have to be cheap, resale, AKL, and Jambo. I've stayed at Kidani as a cash guest and it doesn't come close to the same experience IMO.

 

[lostpro9het]

@Maddog57 this is kind of off topic, but it doesn't need its own thread. Is there any distinction between owning AKL at Kidani versus Jambo? Does the contract even specify? If I ever considered DVC it would be under very specific circumstances. It would have to be cheap, resale, AKL, and Jambo. I've stayed at Kidani as a cash guest and it doesn't come close to the same experience IMO.

IIRC, both my AKL contracts list Jambo as my "home" but when it comes time to book I can book with Kidani or Jambo at the 11-month mark.

 

[DVC Mike]

It's getting close to where my wife and I want to purchase a DVC resale.

For help on choosing your home resort, see:

https://dvcinfo.com/buying-dvc/choosing-your-home-resort/

 

[GoofGoof]

Generally speaking you should buy where you want to stay most, but there are some financial considerations as well. There is a pretty big price gap between the cheapest resale resorts and the most expensive. The maintenance fees are also different. Your upfront and annual payment will vary depending on where you buy. Some resorts are also likely to hold their value better than others if you do decide to resell. The more popular the better if you have to resell.

If you are deciding between the monorail resorts and EPCOT resorts there really isn't a bad choice IMHO. I'm an owner at BLT so partially biased, but we just stayed at BCV and it was a pretty amazing resort even without a refurbished room. Those would be my votes over BWV or the other monorail resorts. The extra cost and higher point totals for GF and Poly make them less of a value. BWV is nice too, but if you go EPCOT BCV has the better facilities and amenities (mainly the pool).

One thing to consider is how your vacations are likely to change now that you are going to have children. You may find that you spend a little more time at MK than you did before. It's also really convenient to walk back to BLT from MK especially if a little one is asleep in a stroller. Generally, the buses are a hassle with strollers so resorts with direct parkaccess are really nice. There tends to be a lot of going back and forth for naps and meals and stuff. Of course once your kids are older this will change again so it shouldn't be the only factor in your decision.

Check out pictures and virtual tours online to see if you like the looks of the rooms if you have never stayed at a resort.

 

[GoofGoof]

Check out the link @DVC Mike posted above. Very good information.

 

[TXDisney]

Honestly, IMO, you should absolutely stay at your future home resort at least once before you purchase. "On paper" a resort could seem great to you but in reality you could end up hating it. I've read of folks purchasing a home resort without ever setting foot in a room, I cant get my head around that one! We sampled OKW, SSR, BLT, BCV, BWV, VWL, and AKL before we purchased. "On paper" we thought for sure BLT and BWV would be for us but in reality we really didn't like either after staying there! I agree SAB is a huge perk for BCV, which is our #2 preferred DVC room tied with SSR. Something else to consider about the Poly is they only have studios and bungalows. Not an issue for you now but if you ever wanted a 1-brm at Poly it is not an option right now. If you are asking for advice between BLT, POLY, VGF, BCV, and BWV then I'd say BCV.

I've been to every resort. But I haven't stayed at every resort. And what I've decided is location is huge. And I really enjoy the convenience of the Epcot area villas. I like that you only have to take the bus to AK. Obviously you use it more than that, but it's a good perk. My question about BCVs is while Epcot is my wife, my family and my favorite park... Kids don't seem to love Epcot until they're older. So is a MK area villa maybe better for a family about to have kids. Obviously BCVs aren't far away but not as convenient as a MK area villa if that's where we will be spending a lot of time with little ones.

 

[Maddog57]

To respond to the question asked of me above, I consider The Animal Kingdom Lodge to include both the Jambo House and Kidani Village. The entire Kidani Village is a DVC resort whereas the DVC portion of the Jambo House is limited to the 5th floor only. When it was determined that there would be a DVC at the Animal Kingdom Lodge they started by converting the 5th floor to DVC type accommodations.

 

[slappy magoo]

I've been to every resort. But I haven't stayed at every resort. And what I've decided is location is huge. And I really enjoy the convenience of the Epcot area villas. I like that you only have to take the bus to AK.

Well, I suppose technically it's true, the buses from the Epcot resorts to MK, even when crowded (resorts often share) will probably be much MUCH shorter a commute than walking through International Gateway and Future World to get to the front of Epcot and get the monorail to the TTC to transfer to MK.

Obviously you use it more than that, but it's a good perk. My question about BCVs is while Epcot is my wife, my family and my favorite park... Kids don't seem to love Epcot until they're older. So is a MK area villa maybe better for a family about to have kids. Obviously BCVs aren't far away but not as convenient as a MK area villa if that's where we will be spending a lot of time with little ones.

Having "caveat"-ed my "emptor" above, there's probably no perfect answer. Every resort has its pluses and minuses. If you think ultimately you'd spend more time in the Epcot area, or enjoy Stormalong Bay more often, go for Beach Club. It's not only very popular, there aren't a lot of units so getting in at the 7 month mark will often be harder than, say, BLT.

 

[Anthony Alsup]

Please all me to weigh in here. I have been a DVC member since 1997. We have 2 Home Resorts, Boardwalk Villas and Animal Kingdom Lodge. I have heard this debate about where to buy in person and on the web. In my humble opinion you buy into where you want to stay. In reality the slogan for the DVC should be "Forget About Being Spontaneous". If you want to stay at your home resort you have to be online or on the phone at the exact start of the 11 month window. Any later and you are rolling the dice. That is not a complaint, just a statement of fact. I can deal with that and have done so for almost 20 years now. That is not to say that you can not get a reservation in a resort that is not your home resort at the 7 month window, because I have done so many times. Having said all of that, my beloved wife and I LOVE the Boardwalk. We like the rooms (they are doing a refurb right now) and we like the location. We bought into the Animal Kingdom because that is the most unique hotel we have ever seen in our life. Keep in mind that the newer the resort the higher the cost (in DVC points) to stay there. That is only fair. When you buy into a specific resort the DVC guarantees that it will cost the same amount of points to stay there for the life of your contract (ours is 45 years). Disney is allowed to make money so as they build new resorts they raise the price that it costs (in DVC points) to stay there. I hope this has helped.

Ok...question. What do you mean by, "When you buy into a specific resort the DVC guarantees that it will cost the same amount of points to stay there for the life of your contract (ours is 45 years)."??? I have never heard anyone say this. Is this just a "direct" thing?

Because that would be a game-changer in the direct vs. resale argument!

 

[slappy magoo]

When you buy into a specific resort the DVC guarantees that it will cost the same amount of points to stay there for the life of your contract (ours is 45 years). Disney is allowed to make money so as they build new resorts they raise the price that it costs (in DVC points) to stay there. I hope this has helped.

Ok...question. What do you mean by, "When you buy into a specific resort the DVC guarantees that it will cost the same amount of points to stay there for the life of your contract (ours is 45 years)."??? I have never heard anyone say this. Is this just a "direct" thing?

Because that would be a game-changer in the direct vs. resale argument!

I've never heard this. I think Maddog is in error. In fact if he's implying what I think he's implying, that would be illegal.

The amount of points anyone owns - no matter how they buy them - represents a teeny tiny percentage of that home resort you co-own with everyone else who has that resort as a home resort (and of course, you only "own" that teeny tiny percentage until the contract expires, at which point it goes back to Disney). For DVC to raise the amount of points you need if you buy resale, that would be saying "you bought THIS much of the resort, but we've decided you really only own THAT much of the resort." Which would be just as illegal than if they raised the amount of points you needed across the board, because suddenly your points represent less of a percentage in the resort, and where does that percentage go? It's like if you bought a 10% interest in a small business, signed the contract that specified that and when it came time to share the profits, you were told "we decided you only own 5% after all." Can't do it.

DVC has the right to restrict perks - like your ability to use your points anywhere outside of DVC resorts (RCI, other Disney park hotels worldwide, Cruise Line etc). They could add other restrictions (like only being able to use your points at your home resort) but I'm pretty sure that could not be retroactive, so if you bought resale before they make that kind of change, it would not apply to you.

But if you own 200 points at Saratoga Springs at resale, those 200 points will get you just as much of a vacation at Saratoga Springs as someone who bought those points the first day DVC sold them to the public. Furthermore, if you own 200 points at Saratoga from resale, and you want to use them at the Poly, you will not be charged more points to stay there than any Poly owner, just like you wouldn't be charged more if you owned Saratoga points direct from Disney. Your only restriction is the window of opportunity, you can only book a room 7 months in advance versus 11.

 

[Anthony Alsup]

Thats what I thought, but it sounded like Maddog was saying you could basically "lock in" your point chart for your home resort. Just hoping he would clarify what he meant.

 

[Anthony Alsup]

Also, in the discussion of choosing a home resort, noone has really brought up the remaining time on contract. That is what kills BCV and BWV for me.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Thats what I thought, but it sounded like Maddog was saying you could basically "lock in" your point chart for your home resort. Just hoping he would clarify what he meant.

Disney cannot change the total number of points available at each resort yearly. However, the points chart does shift a bit each year. Not appreciably, though. If a studio costs 17 points per night now when you go, it is safe to expect it to cost about that much in 20 years. If they rose the points required for a studio, they'd have to lower the points required at a different room type.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Also, in the discussion of choosing a home resort, noone has really brought up the remaining time on contract. That is what kills BCV and BWV for me.

If I can buy into a resort through 2042 for $80/point or 2060 for $150/point, I think you are oversimplifying. 26 years for $80/point is a better value than 44 years for $150/point.

Also have to ask where you see yourself in 26 or 44 years. I don't know that we will still be staying at WDW yearly when I'm 76 and I won't assume my kids will. VWL made the most sense to us as it is our favorite resort, we love the theming, dining, location, and could buy at a reasonable price until we are 58 and our boys are 29.

 

[Anthony Alsup]

Never realized that. Since they come out with new point charts every year, I assumed that points changed. Learned something new!

 

[ToTBellHop]

Never realized that. Since they come out with new point charts every year, I assumed that points changed. Learned something new!

When Disney opens a new DVC, they set the total number of points available at that resort and then sell them. They cannot increase the number of points available from that point on. Again, though, if one room type is especially popular, they could increase its points cost as long as other rooms come down by the same number of points.