[lvbug]

I have a party of 10 going to Disney in July--it was suggested to me to try one of the DVC villas? Any suggestions? I go to Disney almost every year -- would it make more sense (save me money) to join the VC then book the villa? Any help would be much appreciated.

[brumcg]

Lvbug,

Well, if you go every year, it might make sense. It's basically a timeshare type of deal... I personally think that if you go every year (or at least close to every year), it's a good deal. It ain't cheap, though.

If you want our contact at DVC, e-mail me at brumcg@hotmail.com. The nice thing is that it's really low pressure "sales." I really got the impression that they feel like the product sells itself. There are also several websites that have info and studies on whether it's "worth" it or not.

Bruce

[mickey]

lvbug

We joined DVC a couple years ago. We go twice within a 12 month period (annual passes), and then take 24 months off. It has been the best thing we have ever done. We don't have to worry about the price of the resorts, we just make the reservation, and we are off. We purchased ours from a reseller in Orlando, and it was worth it for us. We save a considerable amount of money, and it came with about 370 points that were banked, so we used them immediately. We bought through the Timeshare Store. I know a lot of people who have purchased through Disney, and they have been great.

With 10 people, you could fit into a three bedroom villa at OKW. It might be a little crowded, or you could do two two-bedroom villa at any of the resorts. Good luck!

[lvbug]

Thanks for all the Help! I've checked out both sites...

The one thing i really don't understand is why--if its based on points--do you have to pick a time of year and a location? Why can't you just say -- I want to buy 300 points per year??? I understand that to vacation at a premium hotel during peak season should cost more points than say in feb -- but why are there different dollar values for the points??

[brumcg]

lvbug asks:

>The one thing i really don't understand is why--if its based on >points--do you have to pick a time of year and a location? Why >can't you just say -- I want to buy 300 points per year???

Well....as abstract as the points are, you still are basically buying a timeshare - a specific space at a specific time. If everyone who had April points at Vero Beach made reservations at Vero Beach in April, they'd be full. I don't think anyone actually views their points like this, but...

We bought October points at Wildnerness Lodge. There were other locations available, and some had better deals. In the end, though, we'd actually like to be at the Wildnerness Lodge in October, so that makes the most sense to us; if we plan accordingly, there should never be a reason that we couldn't make these reservations. You probably noticed that you can make reservations at your "home" resort before anyone else can...so that's one 'practical' reason to pick a resort based on location rather than price.

>but why are there different dollar values for the points??

If I had to guess, I'd say supply and demand.

Bruce

[mickey]

Let's see. We never even thought about the month, it is only used to determine when you get the points, and when they expire. You can borrow points from the next year, so to me, it really didn't matter. Plus, we didn't get to choose, since we bought them resale.

The location is simply your home resort, and there are only two factors you need to know. First, Each resort's annual fee differs. OKW is the cheapest at WDW, and Boardwalk is the most expensive. We pay less than $3.00 per point per year, and I think Boardwalk and Wilderness Lodge are around $4.00. Second, you can reserve at your home resort 11 months in advance, and at other DVC resorts only 7 months in advance. So, if we want to stay at Boardwalk, most of the rooms are full, but as long as we aren't going during a busy time, we don't have a problem.

My suggestion is to decide which resort you would rather stay at the most, and buy points at that resort. If you love Wilderness Lodge, buy there, etc... You are not locked into staying at any one resort, you just end up with more priorities at your home resort.

And it is solely supply and demand. It is more expensive (more points) to stay at Boardwalk and Wilderness Lodge than at OKW, but more people would rather stay there, so that is why it is higher. I think your question about the price of points is referring to resale. Simply greater demand for Boardwalk. Things change though, a couple of months ago, there was nothing for sale, and the prices where high.

Good luck, did we answer your questions?

[lvbug]

Thanks guys-- I think I'm ready to go shopping for DVC :D