DVC Questions from a Newbie

[weh8625]

I understand that DVC is a points system. I have a few questions about how the system works:

1. How many points does it take to reserve a 2 bedroom unit? Does it depend on location and season? Is there a list somewhere that spells out all the point values needed?

2. Does it matter what your home resort is, or can you reserve at any of the resorts?

3. What is the retail price per point? Where is the cheapest place to buy resale points? What's a good price for resale points?

4. What are the maintenance fees?

5. Does DVC have high trade value in to other resorts?

Thanks in advance for all your help.

 

[littlestar]

I understand that DVC is a points system. I have a few questions about how the system works:

1. How many points does it take to reserve a 2 bedroom unit? Does it depend on location and season? Is there a list somewhere that spells out all the point values needed?

2. Does it matter what your home resort is, or can you reserve at any of the resorts?

3. What is the retail price per point? Where is the cheapest place to buy resale points? What's a good price for resale points?

4. What are the maintenance fees?

5. Does DVC have high trade value in to other resorts?

Thanks in advance for all your help.

Hi, here's a link with point charts for the different seasons and DVC resorts. Your best value is using your points with the DVC resorts Sunday through Thursday:

http://www.tagrel.com/Points/DVCPointCharts.shtml

Maintenance fees vary by resort. Here were the 2008 fees per resort:

Animal Kingdom - $4.71
Beach Club Villas - $4.80
BoardWalk Villas - $5.04
Wilderness Lodge Villas - $4.87
Hilton Head - $5.16
Old Key West - $4.56
Saratoga Springs - $4.21
Vero Beach - $6.04

You can book your home resort at 11 months out and all others at 7 months (depending on availability).

Retail price varies by resorts - the Bay Lake Tower is $112 without a discount, but $107 if you buy a certain amount. I can't remember the price for Animal Kingdom but I know it's less than BLT. The best value resale (for the extra years) is Saratoga in my opinion. All the resorts are Right to Use and have different ending dates. Saratoga expires in 2054. BLT and Animal Kingdom have later ending dates (by a few years). All the older resorts, OKW, VWL, BWV, BCV, Vero and Hilton Head expire in 2042. Resale for Saratoga is usually around $15 to $20 less than what Disney direct sells it for. But you have to watch the points - if it's a stripped contract, I value the points at, at least $10.00 a point. So if a 150 point contract only has 2009 points, those missing 150 points in 2008 are worth $1,500 to me. Here are a few resalers that I know of:

http://www.atimeshare.com/disney/buy-disney.html
http://www.dvcbyresale.com/index.php
http://www.dvc-resales.com/dvclisting.cfm

I would not buy DVC points to trade on a regular basis - buy to use at Disney. Buy a cheaper system or timeshare to trade. Most DVC trades would be a step down unless you could get another high end resort (like for like).

 

[tomandrobin]

I understand that DVC is a points system. I have a few questions about how the system works:

1. How many points does it take to reserve a 2 bedroom unit? Does it depend on location and season? Is there a list somewhere that spells out all the point values needed?

Points required for a two bedroom varies on the resort, view and season.

2. Does it matter what your home resort is, or can you reserve at any of the resorts?

Home resort does matter if you must stay at a peak week, spefic resort, special rooms. If you don't care and is flexible on when and where you stay, it doesn't matter.

3. What is the retail price per point? Where is the cheapest place to buy resale points? What's a good price for resale points?

When you buy resale, take into account the closing costs and if the contract is stripped of points or has points banked.

5. Does DVC have high trade value in to other resorts?

DVC's trade value is just average at best. But because of its high cost and maintenance fees, DVC is should not be used for trades.

 

[icydog]

Just as Tom said, never trade DVC.. It is economically a disaster to do so. Because it costs so much to own DVC, with the high buy in price and the high maintenance fees, it makes sense to get the most bang for the buck by staying at DVC resorts with your points. If you want to go away for a Non-DVC vacation do as we do and rent your points out to pay for it. You will get a much better deal if you do that. I rent my points out and then I go to Redweek and find a resort to which I want to travel. Then I look for the price and availability and make a deal. It is very easily done.