Should we join?

[tink'72]

So we are leaving in 8 days ( so can't wait ) and my DVC package came yesterday because we are thinking of joining. It looks so impressive..is there anything that I should be aware of??? There is 6 in my family so the DVC agent who I spoke with said that I would need around 360 points to do a week at AKL. I would need a 1 bedroom villa ...does that sound right? It seemed high to me but I don't fully understand the system yet.

[doombuggy]

If all 6 of you go at once, i think you would need more space than a 1BR. that might be why the point # was that high. It also depends on how often you come down here. If you are that serious about it, you might want to do the tour and discuss your vaction habits with someone over there.

Good luck! :mickey:

[NewmanFamily6]

We are also a family of 6. We always stay in a 2 bdrm villa. I do not believe that you can have that many people in a 1 bdrm:confused: We have 350 pts. I based this number on if we went in the middle of the summer how many pts would we need for a week. 360 is not far off. Now that being said we have yet to go in the summer so it has not been costing the whole 350 per year. This coming Jan we have a 2 bdrm at OKW for 164 pts. It all depends on the time of year that you travel:thumbsup:

[tink'72]

We are also a family of 6. We always stay in a 2 bdrm villa. I do not believe that you can have that many people in a 1 bdrm:confused: We have 350 pts. I based this number on if we went in the middle of the summer how many pts would we need for a week. 360 is not far off. Now that being said we have yet to go in the summer so it has not been costing the whole 350 per year. This coming Jan we have a 2 bdrm at OKW for 164 pts. It all depends on the time of year that you travel:thumbsup:

Wow a 2 bedroom for 164 points that is awesome! Is that your home resort? I'm going on a tour when we are down there but the said the only properties available for touring were Sarasota , which I'm not interested in and AKL , which I would love to be my home resort.

[MomOfAPrincess502]

We are a family of 7 and we bought 250 points at Saratoga. That has been more than enough for us to go and stay in a 2 bedroom. Last year we went in October for 5 nights and stayed in a 2 bedroom plus we had 3 studios for extended family members. This year we are going again in October for 6 nights and have a 2 bedroom and then a studio for some friends. When we signed up we got an extra 250 points so the first year it was like having 500 points. But you can always borrow points from upcoming years if you need to. I too had my doubts about Saratoga after reading so many negative reviews, but it really is a beautiful place. If you request a room near the main pool then you are close to everything and the long walk around the resort isn't a problem.

[dixielandings]

The DVC preview center is at SS. You will see SS units as well completed AKL units there. The tour will answer all your questions and then some. Our home resort is SS, although we LOVE AKL and DH wishes we had sprung for the extra $$ to make that our Home. That being said, SS is beautiful, not overly crowded (at least not when we've gone), and we have had 2 very enjoyable stays there - looking forward to the 3rd this fall - a week in a 1-BR for the 2 of us. LUXURY! :mickey:

[JMTStone]

I suggest a visit to the SSR DVC center. Then you may want to call The Timeshare Store (one of INTERCOT's sponsors, link to the left)

You've gotten some great advice here!!! We origionally purchased 220 points at SSR but recently added on 50 AKV points. We got our additional points throught the timeshare store and it couldn't have been easier. You may be able to save some money that way.

[MarkC]

My best advice to you is look around and buy at your favorite resort. Although they will tell you the other resorts are sold out, that is not the case. There are resales occasionally from Disney and also through the Timeshare Store. We almost bought somewhere else and then realized we could buy at Beach Club, which is our favorite place to stay. Check out as many of them as you can and then buy accordingly. Good luck. Mark

[Horizon93]

I definitely recommend that you take the tour when you are there. You will be able to ask questions, see the AKV models and really get an idea of the whole thing.

The 360 number comes from a 2 bedroom savanna view for a week in the summer which is the second highest point usage time for DVC.

A one bedroom at AKV officially can sleep 5. You have the king master bed, the queen pullout and the single sleeper chair. The pullout sofa and sleeper chair are in the living room.

A 2 bedroom will sleep up to 9.

Now for 283 points, you can stay in a 2 bedroom for a week using a standard view at AKV. Your view would either be of the pool, garden or parking lot, but your villa would be exactly the same as the savanna view villa. The 2 bedrooms at Kidani Village the new section at AKV, also will have three full baths.

You can also check out some of the other resorts when you are there. As has been said, buying resale is also an option, and often DVC has points at some of the other resorts that they can sell.

Last year, I was considering buying, and everyone here at Intercot suggested that I take the tour. I did, no pressure was put on us at all. We talked about it after the tour, and DW and I decided to wait until we got home to decide if it was the right thing for us.

Well we joined and have just returned from our second DVC trip which was 11 nights at AKV and we loved it!

Have a great trip, and let us know if you take the tour and what you think.

[MinnieMommie]

I have a family of 6 as well but manage fine without that many points. Things to consider:

Depending on where (specific DVC resort) and when you stay (season) the amount of points needed differs considerably.

With 6 people you will need a 2 bedroom or 2 studios.

Depending on the age of your children they may not always come with you. On the other hand you may bring others. The number of people each trip will determine the size of the unit you need and hence the number of points.

The weekends really eat up points. If you stay Sunday through Thursday (a 5 nights 6 day stay) you will use far less points than if you also stay on Friday and Saturday night. You can consider staying 1 rather than 2 of the weekend nights or you can decide to pay out of pocket at a DVC discounted rate for the Friday and Saturday nights rather than use your points for those nights. If you do that it will significantly influence the number of points you need.

We are thrilled with our DVC membeship and only wish we had joined sooner than we did. Our home is SSR and we love it there. We have also stayed at BC and love that too. Hard to go wrong regardless of where you stay.

I hope this is helpful. :mickey:

[tink'72]

Well, we did it! We bought 280 points at AKL. We went to SSR and toured the villas and that was our deciding factor. It was so beautiful and more then enough room!

Thanks for all the great advice!

[lockedoutlogic]

I would suggest that you be COMPLETELY satisfied with your home resort....

as in....you would be willing to go there 100 times.....

one of the things that saratoga and now animal kingdom has done is that it has effectively made movement between resorts much more restrictive.....so it is difficult....especially in demand times....to go to another resort.

So i would be sure that you are happy with the location you are purchasing.....if that's AKV....so be it.....if it's a more "prime" location.....like say.....the contemporary?

then it is worth the wait and extra cost to purchase there....

good luck with whatever decisions you make...

[tink'72]

I would suggest that you be COMPLETELY satisfied with your home resort....

as in....you would be willing to go there 100 times.....




You know I've thought of that. Am I going to be completley happy with AKV?? I asked about the Contemporary and the sales rep wouldn't confirm or deny that the new building would be DVC. BUT with that said, today after dinner we drove to AKL and all I needed to do was walk through those front doors to know I was "home":cloud9:

[lockedoutlogic]

You know I've thought of that. Am I going to be completley happy with AKV?? I asked about the Contemporary and the sales rep wouldn't confirm or deny that the new building would be DVC. BUT with that said, today after dinner we drove to AKL and all I needed to do was walk through those front doors to know I was "home":cloud9:

AKL is great....there is no question about that.....

but don't believe what the drones tell you.....that tower at contemp is timeshare and they will be selling by christmas.....make no mistake

[Horizon93]

Well, we did it! We bought 280 points at AKL. We went to SSR and toured the villas and that was our deciding factor. It was so beautiful and more then enough room!

Thanks for all the great advice!

Congratulations and :welcome: Home! And welcome to the AKV family. I think you will love it there.

[Horizon93]

AKL is great....there is no question about that.....

but don't believe what the drones tell you.....that tower at contemp is timeshare and they will be selling by christmas.....make no mistake

I think that is likely true. But when will it be announced? And what will the per point cost be? And what about the point charts? It should be interesting to see.

But for me, I prefer AKV, and probably OKW and BWV as my second faves. BLT or whatever it is called really is not interesting to me. Maybe we will stay there once or twice, but I'd prefer the magic and theming of AKV.

[lockedoutlogic]

I think that is likely true. But when will it be announced? And what will the per point cost be? And what about the point charts? It should be interesting to see.

But for me, I prefer AKV, and probably OKW and BWV as my second faves. BLT or whatever it is called really is not interesting to me. Maybe we will stay there once or twice, but I'd prefer the magic and theming of AKV.

they had to submit a preliminary point chart a few months back to a florida state board that regulates such matters.....it....of course....made it's way onto the internet....

i believe that the points per night will start at about 3 points above the boardwalk-beach-wilderness level for a studio.....and go from there.....

not as much more in points as i would have thought....

the pricing is a different issue....as i expect it will be significantly higher......DVC is undoubtedly trying like heck to peddle AKV as much as possible (terrible market to do so...however) in an attempt to "clear the decks" for what should be a $120 dollar a point Contemp cost.....wide speculation is that this is the start of "tiered" pricing....which will serve them well in california (lower) and hawaii (higher) in the coming years

we'll see.....i agree that contemp doesn't interest me all that much......EXCEPT that it might pull some away from boardwalk, beach, and wilderness.....and maybe offering more variety for all.....

I think this is Disney's "big" October announcement......as they are probably putting on hold any plans they had to add to the attractions end.....

they'll have one of those press events where suits go all batty about 350 timeshares units that have been plain as day for over a year now......magic! dreams! wonder! :roll:

[Horizon93]

Well put. I have seen that point chart, but the latest rumor out there is that DVD is taking another look at it because they think it is too low. Who knows if that is true.

I have heard the $120-125 per point rumor as well. I agree that they are likely considering tiered pricing. The issue I see with that is this: At the 7 month window, the rest of us who have not paid $120 per point will be able to book there at the 7 month window and get the same accommodations and amenities that a BLT owner will get. Do you think that the 11 month window will be worth the extra $$?

I do think that October will be an interesting month.

[lockedoutlogic]

Well put. I have seen that point chart, but the latest rumor out there is that DVD is taking another look at it because they think it is too low. Who knows if that is true.

I have heard the $120-125 per point rumor as well. I agree that they are likely considering tiered pricing. The issue I see with that is this: At the 7 month window, the rest of us who have not paid $120 per point will be able to book there at the 7 month window and get the same accommodations and amenities that a BLT owner will get. Do you think that the 11 month window will be worth the extra $$?

I do think that October will be an interesting month.


First let me say...i'm enjoying the dialogue here.....

now....i was surprised at the point chart leaked as well.....i think they will be able to charge much higher point charges per night and still fill it.....the natural consequence of that is that those buying contemp will purchase a much larger initial contract...on average....than any other location.

I don't have a good enough grasp on how they distribute points to know if that's good or bad for DVD....there is the school of thought that they want people to get more out of their point banks...as they want the discretionary spending....always disney's angle

on one hand....they'll make alot up front....on the other....fewer total numbers of members for that location....perhaps.

i was thinking that 125 a night is a nice....good sounding number for the point cost.....that's what i thought when they announced the demo fo the garden north....that's still where i'm at.

as far as the 7 month/ 11 month thing.....

the value of buying contemp isn't the 11 month day....it's the 10 month....9 month...8 month...and up until the day before the 7 month that matters.....

as i stated on other threads.....my wife and mother in law where on hold at 9 am on the day the seven month window opened up for our october trip......

they booked old key west...and went on the waitlist (in pretty much all categories) for beach, wilderness, boardwalk......

65 days out....still nothing

that 7 month window has changed alot in the past couple of years.....

the reason: ridiculous 900 room (disney institute...or whatever they repackaged it as now) and 500 room (animal kingdom) expansions that have maxed out the capacities on the older units....

the pond is only getting slightly bigger....the fish are breeding out of control!

this new tower will only be worse......train....fiberglass castle....chef mickeys....fireworks.....blah blah blah....

it's going to be a nightmare.....

I for one am not even going to bother asking for several years....unless we are traveling at the slowest of times or the economy has travel ground to a halt.....

it's not worth the aggrivation or disappointment...