Rule Breaker

James White

New Member
Original Poster
I know the number one rule when buying a DVC is "Buy where you want to stay." Understood. However, there cost difference between Hilton Head (Around $80) and OKW (around $130) is a big delta. Call it $40 per point. If I buy at Hilton Head, how much trouble will I have booking at the various resorts for a one bedroom around October?
 

nickys

Premium Member
I know the number one rule when buying a DVC is "Buy where you want to stay." Understood. However, there cost difference between Hilton Head (Around $80) and OKW (around $130) is a big delta. Call it $40 per point. If I buy at Hilton Head, how much trouble will I have booking at the various resorts for a one bedroom around October?
The first thing I’d say is to look at the maintenance fees for HHI and consider that hurricane damage can result in a special assessment.

For the next couple of years, even booking a 1-bed at that time could be difficult.

I like these charts, but they’re obviously based on pre-Covid data. The Epcot resorts are almost impossible at 7 months once you hit October. OKW, SSR and Kidani are the best options.


To find the actual charts on the page, go to the “Availability Charts” tab at the top and use the drop down to look at different resorts.
 

CastAStone

5th gate? Just build a new resort Bob.
Premium Member
I know the number one rule when buying a DVC is "Buy where you want to stay." Understood. However, there cost difference between Hilton Head (Around $80) and OKW (around $130) is a big delta. Call it $40 per point. If I buy at Hilton Head, how much trouble will I have booking at the various resorts for a one bedroom around October?
More than you’d expect. Especially for the next few years while there’s this huge glut of points.

A few things:

You shouldn’t be looking at more than $115 for OKW. Make sure you’re looking across a breadth of sites. See the search engine at https://dvc.market/listing/ for some options.

The dues gap is $1.60/ year now and will likely grow as these things tend to increase as a percentage, and HHI has more sudden dues risk being coastal.

The historical DVC availability charts at DVCHelp.com are a good starting point but they do reflect some unusual easiness due to Covid and don’t reflect how much harder it will be u til the point glut breaks.

Edit: haha @nickys beat me to all my good points but make sure you are looking more broadly for a good deal on OKW. Or SSR for that matter. I would never advise buying HHI to stay at WDW unless you have incredible flexibility in your travel timing.
 

i<3riviera

Active Member
The historical DVC availability charts at DVCHelp.com are a good starting point ...
I'm also a fan of the availability charts at https://www.dvchelp.com/; like @nickys and @CastAStone mentioned, there is the whole pandemic effect right now making these charts less immediately valuable

also, DVC has rearranged the 2021 and 2022 point charts to increase the point cost of the fall which will potentially improve 7 month availability in the fall (helping your HHI option); it remains to be seen by how much until we clear through the pandemic point surplus

I would never advise buying HHI to stay at WDW unless you have incredible flexibility in your travel timing.
the "buy where you want to stay" concept has been rephrased by several as "don't buy where you don't want to stay" which line's up well with @CastAStone's advice

related: OKW rooms are among the most point efficient at WDW, especially the grand villas; so there is an advantage to locking in lower point rooms at 11-8 months vs. waiting to see if you're staying at OKW, SSR, or AKV at 7 months
 
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Phonedave

Well-Known Member
I like to say "buy where you would not mind staying"

I own at SSR. Many times I am able to get into a different WDW resort, but there are times (especially around F&W and Jersey Week) where I can only get SSR.

I do not mind staying in SSR, in fact sometimes I want to stay in SSR, depending on the purpose of my trip.

I will say it has been harder to get other resorts at 7 months lately.

If you are looking at DVC for the purpose of staying at WDW, I would not consider any of the non-WDW based resorts.
 

jaklgreen

Well-Known Member
I have never had issues with getting stays in October at SSR. I know OKW usually has rooms 7 months out also. I would not plan on getting BCV or BWV or any of the other popular ones. I own at the Poly but my points go much further at SSR and I like that resort.
 

eliza61nyc

Well-Known Member
Personally I wouldn't go for it if October is the time you must go. I do totally agree with @Phonedave, if you don't mind SSR you probably won't have an issue BUT as others mentioned until the whole covid glut is wiped out, all bets are off.

I feel pretty safe to say you'll have almost no chance of getting the epcot area resorts.
 

correcaminos

Well-Known Member
I know the number one rule when buying a DVC is "Buy where you want to stay." Understood. However, there cost difference between Hilton Head (Around $80) and OKW (around $130) is a big delta. Call it $40 per point. If I buy at Hilton Head, how much trouble will I have booking at the various resorts for a one bedroom around October?
Big issue with this is if you are not buying a WDW location you cannot stay at WDW if fall is booked. This year Oct was gone fast due to the 50th celebration.

Second issue are the MFs as mentioned.

I say buy where you don't mind staying most. If you want a WDW stay, buy there! Don't buy HHI, VB, or Aulani hoping to have good luck all the time for stays at WDW. That's just not wise at all IMO. Just like if you want DLR yearly you need VGC and not any others.
 

CastAStone

5th gate? Just build a new resort Bob.
Premium Member
I will just add, that the rule came into being because of the exact scenario you are describing yourself in. You are not explaining a circumstance where there might be exception to the rule, you are explaining the exact literal circumstance that the rule came into being to talk people out of, because so many people have wound up disappointed from doing exactly what you explain you want to do with a beach resort.
 

CaptainAmerica

Premium Member
I know the number one rule when buying a DVC is "Buy where you want to stay." Understood. However, there cost difference between Hilton Head (Around $80) and OKW (around $130) is a big delta. Call it $40 per point. If I buy at Hilton Head, how much trouble will I have booking at the various resorts for a one bedroom around October?
I fully reject "buy where you want to stay" because who wants to stay in the same place every year? But the issue with a Hilton Head or Vero Beach contract is the short duration and the high maintenance fees.
 

nickys

Premium Member
I fully reject "buy where you want to stay" because who wants to stay in the same place every year? But the issue with a Hilton Head or Vero Beach contract is the short duration and the high maintenance fees.
If you want to stay at WDW you really should buy at a WDW resort though. Otherwise you risk disappointment, especially if you can’t be flexible with dates.
 

LuvtheGoof

Grill Master
Premium Member
I fully reject "buy where you want to stay" because who wants to stay in the same place every year? But the issue with a Hilton Head or Vero Beach contract is the short duration and the high maintenance fees.
We own all of our points at SSR, but have stayed in almost every other DVC resort. Our last 3 to stay at WDW are CCV, BRV, and Riviera. Of course, we are probably one of the exceptions in that for just the 2 of us, we usually reserve a 1 bedroom, and those are usually the last to go. We have easily gotten both BCV and BWV at 7 months during F&W because of this.

Saying that, we love SSR, and still stay there as well. Our next 2 trips are already booked there.
If you want to stay at WDW you really should buy at a WDW resort though. Otherwise you risk disappointment, especially if you can’t be flexible with dates.
I completely agree, especially for the next few years until the glut of points is behind us, and who knows may may happen after that to affect availability. If you buy at a WDW resort, at least you are guaranteed that you will get to visit on your points (well, if reserving at the 11 month window). If someone is flexible and goes at a slower time - and NOT a WDW slower time, but a DVC slower time, then it might be slightly easier if you decide to buy at HH, VB, VGC, or Aulani. Still no guarantee for the 7 month window, though.
 

Phonedave

Well-Known Member
We own all of our points at SSR, but have stayed in almost every other DVC resort. Our last 3 to stay at WDW are CCV, BRV, and Riviera. Of course, we are probably one of the exceptions in that for just the 2 of us, we usually reserve a 1 bedroom, and those are usually the last to go. We have easily gotten both BCV and BWV at 7 months during F&W because of this.

Saying that, we love SSR, and still stay there as well. Our next 2 trips are already booked there.

I completely agree, especially for the next few years until the glut of points is behind us, and who knows may may happen after that to affect availability. If you buy at a WDW resort, at least you are guaranteed that you will get to visit on your points (well, if reserving at the 11 month window). If someone is flexible and goes at a slower time - and NOT a WDW slower time, but a DVC slower time, then it might be slightly easier if you decide to buy at HH, VB, VGC, or Aulani. Still no guarantee for the 7 month window, though.

We own at SSR too, and very often it is just the two of us and we do like 1BR, and as you said it is a LOT easier to get those.

The problem is our kids (who are all older - HS, College, and just graduated college) keep talking us into family vacations, and those burn up points, making a studio for F&W what we can fit in. :)
 

lightguy

Active Member
I know the number one rule when buying a DVC is "Buy where you want to stay." Understood. However, there cost difference between Hilton Head (Around $80) and OKW (around $130) is a big delta. Call it $40 per point. If I buy at Hilton Head, how much trouble will I have booking at the various resorts for a one bedroom around October?
First question would be are you buying an OKW contract that has the extension or not. If not, then both resorts expire in 2042 so that doesn't matter- though you should make sure you understand that you're buying a contract that only has 21 years left on it- however, if you're buying an OKW contract that has the extension, then it doesn't expire until 2057. So depending on the cost and your age, that alone might be the deciding factor.

As to the rest, when we bought we went with the "buy where you will be happy" philosophy. We own at BLT, it might not have been our 1st choice in some respects (I was concerned it wouldn't feel "Disney" enough), but we figured we'd never mind it due to the location and being able to walk to the MK. As it turns out, it's really grown on us and we would never mind being "stuck" there. We always book our home resort right at the 11 month mark and then try to get something else at 7 months if that's what we want.

But I agree with the others that if you mainly want to go to WDW and don't have flexibility in when you can go, then buying at a non WDW location is risky. If you want to buy at HH because you want to stay there a good bit and you have some flexibility in the time of year or dates you can go to WDW, then I'd say go for it. We've never really had a problem getting SOMETHING when we tried to book at exactly (I mean down to the second) the 7 month mark- but I know lots of people have.
 

Texas84

Well-Known Member
We own at Hilton Head and have had decent luck getting WDW in the fall. This year is a mess for obvious reasons.
 

The_Jobu

Well-Known Member
The first thing I’d say is to look at the maintenance fees for HHI and consider that hurricane damage can result in a special assessment.

For the next couple of years, even booking a 1-bed at that time could be difficult.

I like these charts, but they’re obviously based on pre-Covid data. The Epcot resorts are almost impossible at 7 months once you hit October. OKW, SSR and Kidani are the best options.


To find the actual charts on the page, go to the “Availability Charts” tab at the top and use the drop down to look at different resorts.

poking around the site I noticed that many hotels seem to have increased availability one month out. Would that mean it would me more likely to find a dvc stay for rent a month away?
 

correcaminos

Well-Known Member
poking around the site I noticed that many hotels seem to have increased availability one month out. Would that mean it would me more likely to find a dvc stay for rent a month away?
DVC and hotel availability do not align. 1 month out with DVC can be hard to impossible. Granted I know this is F&WF, but I struggled to get 4 months out for 2 consecutive nights anywhere yesterday for the middle of Nov.
 

jaklgreen

Well-Known Member
poking around the site I noticed that many hotels seem to have increased availability one month out. Would that mean it would me more likely to find a dvc stay for rent a month away?
No, DVC is a totally different system. They do not "hold back" DVC rooms at booking time. So if it shows no availability then, unless someone cancels, there are no DVC rooms available.
 

macefamily

Well-Known Member
We bought our points to try all of the resorts. First time we booked we did two nights at the Boardwalk and two nights at Saratoga. We love Saratoga. Also stayed at the Tree Houses at Saratoga which we loved. When we were at Boardwalk this ultra-jerk started a conversation with me basically calling us out as being idiots for staying at Saratoga essentially saying it was the slums of Disney. He proceeded to tell me about the massive amount of points he owned at Boardwalk and Aulani. I'm the type of guy who would have hauled off and sent him to the dentist for major reconstructive surgery, but I figured that I best keep my calm at the "happiest place on earth." However, that doesn't mean you're going to meet people with the most humility or respect.
Check out your annual dues, and try to pay the most you could out of pocket. Don't take a massive loan from Disney.
 

LuvtheGoof

Grill Master
Premium Member
We bought our points to try all of the resorts. First time we booked we did two nights at the Boardwalk and two nights at Saratoga. We love Saratoga. Also stayed at the Tree Houses at Saratoga which we loved. When we were at Boardwalk this ultra-jerk started a conversation with me basically calling us out as being idiots for staying at Saratoga essentially saying it was the slums of Disney. He proceeded to tell me about the massive amount of points he owned at Boardwalk and Aulani.
We own all of our points at SSR, and have stayed in every DVC resort except for BRV, CCV, and Riviera over the last 15 years. We'll hit those eventually. We have stayed in the Treehouses twice, and loved them. We also love SSR, and we are happy to stay there if we can't switch at 7 months, which is rare as we travel in slightly slower times.

Don't listen to idiots like the jerk at Boardwalk. They have no idea what they are talking about, and it's best just to smile at them and move on. Oh, and Boardwalk is our second favorite DVC after SSR. Have stayed there multiple times already during F&W.
 

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