# researching DVC...totally overwhelmed!



## mama_twinkie (Jun 4, 2012)

I'm only just started my foray into the world of DVC, so my apologies if I'm asking questions that have been answered a million times (I think I gave up reading through threads somewhere around page 10).

It looks like my best bet is to rent points to stay at a place before considering a buy option.  But I read that there are some restrictions for renting? Is that if you're an owner trying to rent out your points?  It looks like the "easiest" way to rent points is to go through a broker...is that correct?

Also, I'm looking to take my daughter (currently age 3, but more likely 4 or 5 before we actually decide to go....I hear this planning thing will take a while) for her first trip to WDW.  Does where we stay (as far as on-site/DVC properties) really make a difference at this point?  I want her experience to be a "true" Disney magic one (we're planning on doing the cinderella breakfast and other princess-y things)...and I want for her to enjoy the accommodations (especially if we end up spending some time in the room/resort to relax since I know it can be overwhelming). What property would you recommend and why?

Thanks in advance for your recommendations and insight!


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## pefs65 (Jun 4, 2012)

Hello and welcome to TUG. 

You should definitely rent first and see if you like to be at a DVC property first before you buy.

Also to me it definitely is more magical to be at an onsite Disney property.
The DVC properties are excellent in my opinion. The rooms may be a bit smaller than other time shares like Marriott ,etc but you just cant beat the onsite Disney extras that you get with  DVC property.

I think that once you have rented and stayed on site at a DVC property and you have decided to buy DVC , then I would definitely buy resale.
The resale properties of DVC are usually Saritoga Springs and Old Key West that are most available. These are older properties but by no means less attractive since they are onsite disney properties with all the trimmings but can be had at a much much cheaper point price through a resale.

The company that I would go with for resale is The Timeshare Store INC  which is very reputable and specializes in DVC resale properties and if you went to the DIS boards you will see them advertised.

I hope this helps and keep asking questions until you feel totally satisfied before you purchase. That's what TUG is for.


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## presley (Jun 4, 2012)

Which property will depend on if you want your resort time more laid back or more busy.  Animal Kingdom is a nice place to just hang out, but the bus rides to the parks is longer than most.  

I've read that SSR has the most to offer in terms of resort activities and pools.  The 2 boardwalk properties are very popular, but sound a bit run down to me.

You can rent a reservation from a broker, but they do get all their points from other DVC members.  Normally, a broker will charge you $12 - $13 per point and they pay the DVC member $10. per point.  It is easy to find DVC members who will rent direct for $10 - $12/per point.  

If you want information overload, you can read mouseowners.com.  They also have a rent board.  If you decide to rent from someone on the board, it is very important to only rent from someone who has been active on the forum there for a while.  There have been several passing by scammers who join, rent points and then cancel the reservations after they get paid.  A contract with terms spelled out is very important also.


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## MichaelColey (Jun 4, 2012)

My suggestion before considering buying DVC is:

1) Rent points from an owner (you should be able to find someone willing to rent for $10/point) first.

2) Rent a non-DVC timeshare for an Orlando stay.  My suggestion would be Wyndham Bonnet Creek since it's practically on site, but any of the HGVC or Marriott properties are also nice.  This lets you see the non-DVC alternative.

3) Do the research to figure out what it would cost for you to own in either of the two situations.  Compare the pros, cons and prices of both options.  Things will vary quite a bit based on the unit size you want.  With any option, DVC will likely be quite a bit more expensive and will have smaller units, but you have to weigh out the "Disney magic" to see if it's worth it to you.

4) Either continue to rent, or buy resale.  Do not buy from the developer.

As far as which DVC to stay at, with a little kid my favorites would be:

* Wilderness Lodge - just a short boat ride from Magic Kingdom
* Bay Lake Towers - a short walk from Magic Kingdom
* Beach Club Villas - the most awesome pool complex, and a short walk to Epcot.
* Animal Kingdom Villas - See wild animals from your balcony (if you spring for a Savanna View) or from common areas.


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## chriskre (Jun 4, 2012)

mama_twinkie said:


> It looks like my best bet is to rent points to stay at a place before considering a buy option.  But I read that there are some restrictions for renting? Is that if you're an owner trying to rent out your points?  It looks like the "easiest" way to rent points is to go through a broker...is that correct?



Well going thru a broker like Daddio is certainly easier and if you are uncomfortable dealing with strangers probably safer, but you'll pay a premium for his services.  He does offer a safety net for a renter so that is certainly worth something.  His site is dvcbyrequest.com  He's got a nice points calculator that helps to know how many points a reservation will cost you.  

At this moment the only restriction on DVC owners renting their points is not renting commercially as a business.  Disney defines that as more than 20 reservations a year or having a website where you are clearly renting reservations.   That might have changed so don't quote me on that.  

That's alot of reservations and alot of leeway for owners to rent their points on the years that they cannot travel.  I think that it's more than fair as a policy but of course in the timeshare world anything could change at any moment.  :annoyed: 

I've rented my points, but mostly to just friends and family who want to stay for a few nights.  It's a nice perk and saves my friends and family alot of money over paying direct for the same Disney experience while subsidizing my own vacations.  I doubt I'd ever do it as a commercial endeavor, it's just not worth the upfront cost for the return I'd make.  I've got much better options for my money and one day the Mouse might not like the competition and since it's his sandbox I'd be out of the game real fast.


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## capjak (Jun 4, 2012)

I would reccomend reading up on things here:

Disboards link below

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=28


For me the Beach Club Villas would be my first choice for a rented stay.  As far as purchasing that depends on each person some like this and some don't....


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## chalee94 (Jun 5, 2012)

mama_twinkie said:


> Also, I'm looking to take my daughter (currently age 3, but more likely 4 or 5 before we actually decide to go....I hear this planning thing will take a while) for her first trip to WDW.  Does where we stay (as far as on-site/DVC properties) really make a difference at this point?



if you are spending a lot of time at the MK, i'd try to get BLT (a short walk or monorail) or VWL (boat) for the best experience.  to get one of those resorts, you ideally would need to book 10-11 months in advance.

i love AKV for the giraffes and zebras, but it can be a long bus ride to the MK.

when the kids get older, BCV is more popular due to being a short walk from epcot and access to the stormalong bay pool (sandy bottom).

if you are getting a studio, OKW can be nice since they have the only studios with 2 "real" beds (2 queens) - the rest have 1 queen bed + 1 double pullout sofa.  kids don't usually mind but adults can be pickier.

definitely rent first - that's a good plan (but remember that you won't generally have cancellation options, so have firm plans).  you also don't get much housekeeping, which can throw some people who have more of a hotel-mentality than a timeshare-mentality.

when you go to buy, remember that resorts like VWL and BCV expire in 2042 (regardless of whether you buy resale or direct), while resorts like SSR, AKV and BLT expire in 2054, 2057 and 2060, respectively.

but take your time and do a lot of research - both here and on the DIS.  scan through random threads to see what current owners like and don't like to see if that might affect you.  try to get a sense for how things have changed to understand what changes might be coming in the future.  things like that...


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## MichaelColey (Jun 5, 2012)

And don't forget to try a non-DVC timeshare rental (preferably a 2BR) so you can see how DVC and non-DVC compare.  You might decide that being off site isn't so bad if you have relatively minimal upfront purchase costs, lower MFs, and considerably more space.


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## stanleyu (Jun 6, 2012)

We were staying on-site at one of the Disney hotels when we bought our DVC unit. By staying on site we got a pretty good feel for the Disney "magic". We took a tour of one of the then current offerings and we were hooked!


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## SuzanneSLO (Jun 6, 2012)

MichaelColey said:


> And don't forget to try a non-DVC timeshare rental (preferably a 2BR) so you can see how DVC and non-DVC compare.  You might decide that being off site isn't so bad if you have relatively minimal upfront purchase costs, lower MFs, and considerably more space.



I agree with Michael. We bought at BWV but we did so after doing 2 split stays where we stayed in a 7 night exchange offsite and 4 nights at on-site hotels.  At the time, I was travelling with my parents and my niece who was 3 for one trip and 4 for another.

We stayed at Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge and Pop Century. My niece's favorite hotel was Contemporary, because she loved the monorail.  The adults likesd it as well for the view of the Magic Kingdom.

While on-site, we focused on the Magic Kingdom.  We did the other parks and visited other resorts, such as Animal Kingdom Lodge, while staying offsite.  -- Suzanne


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## MichaelColey (Jun 6, 2012)

When you're doing the DVC vs. non-DVC comparisons, here are some sample calculations:

1 week per year in a 2BR DVC - should take around 300 points (or more, depending on season, view and resort).  That's roughly $30k upfront from the developer or $15k upfront resale, and MFs of about $1500 per year.  If you spread the upfront costs over 10 years, that's essentially *$3k per year*.

1 week per year in a 2BR offsite timeshare can be bought for virtually nothing and would typically have MFs in the $500 to $1000 range.  I regularly see Wyndham Bonnet Creek available to rent for *$700 per week or less*.

The difference would be less for a 1BR or Studio.

I love Disney magic, but not for an extra $2300 per year.

How much do I love the magic of staying on site?  Enough that I'll pay about $800 to exchange into a DVC unit, when I could exchange into a nice non-DVC for less than half of that.


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## gtm2011 (Jun 6, 2012)

Do you own any other timeshares?  I just want to make sure you are familiar with your various timeshare options and the upfront purchase costs and the ongoing maintenance fees associated with owning a timeshare.  If you are comfortable with all that and you still believe you would prefer to buy and stay onsite at Disney, please make sure you buy a resale contract and try to buy a contract that is fully loaded (i.e. has banked points from the previous year, all of the points from the current year and next use year).  We are taking our first trip to Disney this year and I started doing my research last summer.  We initially thought about renting directly from Disney or renting points from other owners, but those options were going to cost us anywhere between $10-$15 a point.  We needed roughly 300 points for our stay, so my estimated sunk cost for renting was between $3,000 and $4,500.  I figured we would only go to Disney World every 2-3 years, so we ended up buying a 150 point resale contract that was fully loaded.  Since the contract was fully loaded (all 150 points from use year 2010 and 2011 were still available), I basically got our initial 300 point vacation for free or I lowered my cost basis in my resale contract by $10-15 a point depending on how you want to look at it.  Just something to consider, because if you decide that you want to stay onsite I recommend that you buy a resale contract that is fully loaded to start with.  It took a little while to find the right resale contract, but I think it was worth the hassle and the price was right.


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## blondietink (Jun 7, 2012)

we own at DVC (SSR) and at Sheraton Vistana Villages.  Each has it's advantages and disadvantages.  I think you should stay  both on-site at a DVC and they try an off-site timeshare.    

We went to WDW in April doing a split stay first at Sheraton Vistana REsort, then moved to Beach Club Villas.  We had our car, so that helped.  Overall, we had a better experience at the Sheraton property this time.  Why?  the villa is about twice the size of BCV's.  We had a one bedroom at both.  the condition of the villa was much better at SVR.  More pool options at SVR and closer to the grocery stores.  Staff was excellent and we got our requested floor and view  with no issues. Very quick drive to WDW parks. 

At BCV's our first unit was in horrible condition and we were right over "the road" and had all kinds of road noise.  Front desk never called us to say that either of our villas were ready, so we wasted a lot of time waiting.  When we got home we found that they had called our home phone number, even after we gave them our cell phone number 3 times. We moved to another unit that was in better condition, but still had some road noise, but not much. It also had some non-working electric items. Stormalong Bay pool complex was closed for emergency maintenance when we first arrived, but opened the next day ahead of schedule.  We were able to walk to Epcot and took the boat to Hollywood Studios (best part of the stay).  The bus to MK had some long waits and we were able to get back/forth to MK from SVR much faster using our car than from BCV's using the bus.  Front desk staff at BCV's was terrible and housekeeping was mostly absent.  We could not get any dishwasher soap at BCV's even after calling the front desk, going down to the front desk and finally snagging a housekeeper in the hall the next day.  Housekeeping also came a day ahead of schedule for trash and towel service, right after I had taken out the trash myself.  Valet service and bell services were terrific. Overall, it was the worst experience we have ever had staying at any DVC unit in the last 7 years.


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