[DVC] newbie question, where to buy?

Hi everyone, I'm new to DVC and have a couple questions, I've read the sticky posts, but still somehow confused.

I have two little girls, 4 and 1, none of them has been to DW yet, I plan to bring them to Disney World annually in late August/early September, our school starts on the first Monday of September, and we will be going the week right before that. Here are my questions:

1. is late august/early september good time to visit DW? is it too crowded or too hot?

2. I'll need 2 br, animal kingdom villa seems to be the cheapest one pointwise, is it much worse compared to others?

3. If i'm going to stay at animal kingdom villa, I'll need about 200 points per year, which home resort should I buy in?

4. is it a good deal to buy resale? will i lose any perk as a resale owner?

you will lose perks are resale buyer--google to find out what to decide if that matters to you. Going in late Aug, is there any way you can do a WDW hotel room? If so, there are usually WDW free dining deals that are better than owning DVC. I was there in Aug and could book a "bounceback" offer when I was there for free dining for the next year. Free dining usually comes out in April for the public.
Assuming you want to stay at DVC in a 2BR, AKV value is the best bang for the buck. You will need to own at AKV to be able to book right at 11 mths to get the value 2BR. Even then, there is a chance you might not get it.
We bought AKV resale b/c we love AKV. We have stayed there 5+ times and love it. We are very happy with our AKV resale purchase (but still also do a WDW hotel with free dining sometimes, as well).
Before you buy, think about your use year. For Aug., you don't want a Fall UY.
We love Aug., but it's hot, humid, rainy for a few hours each day, with possibilities of tropical storms. Crowds are fine. We have had flights delayed in late Aug. of year b/c of storms/hurricanes before, but most years, it's fine.
disboards.com has a whole forum section about DVC with many owners posting, where you can read and get a lot of info.
Elaine

1. Late August/Early September is still quite hot/humid. Orlando doesn't really cool down until mid to late October. That said, if you are tied into following the school calendar your options are limited.

2. The villas at Animal Kingdom Lodge are very nice. And the theming is some of DVC's best, the pools are great, and getting to stay 'on property' with the animals is a LOT of fun. The downside is the transport - you can't walk to anything...including Animal Kingdom.

3. I'm a big fan of buying where you want to stay - particularly if you are limited to going only during high demand school vacations. And certainly you should look at purchase prices and maintenance fees. But since you have young children and will likely hold on to your DVC timeshare for at least 20 years you should also consider the contract end dates of the various resorts.

4. You can see the limitations on DVC points purchased resale on various websites. But the quick answer is that (at least for now) none of them matter. And that you can get around most of them by buying a small add-on point package direct from Disney. And that Disney has thus far grandfathered resale purchases every time they have ratcheted up the limitations. But as always, your mileage may vary.

Thank you Elaine and mjliii, I'll buy MKV, I've read on this board that i need to buy from a broker. Is there any forum/website where I could find brokers selling dvc resale?

Btw, does MKV have a kitchen? If so, I should be ok without a dining plan.

sui said:

1. is late august/early september good time to visit DW? is it too crowded or too hot?

2. I'll need 2 br, animal kingdom villa seems to be the cheapest one pointwise, is it much worse compared to others?

3. If i'm going to stay at animal kingdom villa, I'll need about 200 points per year, which home resort should I buy in?

4. is it a good deal to buy resale? will i lose any perk as a resale owner?

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1. much too hot IMO. I love November (the week before or after thanksgiving week) and early December. But that is definitely not an option with school schedules.

2/3. it looks like you are looking specifically at the "value" villas - right? if so, you'd need to buy in AT AKV and book very early (often at 11 months out). there are only 10 or so value 2BRs so they are extremely difficult to book. if you just want a savanna view 2BR, then you can own at SSR or OKW and usually have no trouble booking at 7 months but that would run closer to 300 pts per year.

AKV is one of my favorite resorts - great theming and restaurants and of course, the animals. but it can feel like a long haul from the Magic Kingdom compared to some other resorts. (with young children who want to spend more time at the MK, Bay Lake Tower resort is the ideal option for walking to the MK.)

4. resale is a much better deal. the only real perk of value a resale buyer loses is the annual pass discount (which - like all perks - can go away for any DVC owner at any time). it would take a long time for the annual pass savings to offset the thousands you lose by buying direct.

sui said:

Thank you Elaine and mjliii, I'll buy MKV, I've read on this board that i need to buy from a broker. Is there any forum/website where I could find brokers selling dvc resale?

Btw, does MKV have a kitchen? If so, I should be ok without a dining plan.

Click to expand...

I think you mean BLT (which is walking distance from the magic kingdom). all 1BRs and 2BRs have a kitchen. the new Polynesian villas is the only DVC resort that does not have 1BRs or 2BRs.

this is the timeshare store - I bought my resale here but there are other options:

http://www.dvc-resales.com/dvclisting.cfm

It sounds like you haven't visited at that time, yet. Many people say that it is hot, sweaty and miserable at the time. You may want to rent from an owner for a year or two to see if you really do want to visit there annually during that week before you buy a contract.

IMHO, I would visit in Aug, staying in a WDW hotel, renting DVC pionts or even trading into a non DVC resort, and then visit a few resorts (just get on a bus from Disney Springs or any WDw park) that you are considering. You can go to AKV and watch the animals and eat lunch at the quick service next to the pool at the main lodge (Jambo). This is a nice 1/2 day with young kids. Then, see how you tolerated Aug. and see which resort you like the best. Each of the DVC resorts has a very different feeling and decor. You might decide AKV is too far from the parks, or that you like the tropical feeling of OKW better, or that you really want to be at BLT right on the monorail line.

I agree - don't rush into making a commitment to DVC.

Rent a points reservation and try DVC before you buy.

sui said:

Thank you Elaine and mjliii, I'll buy MKV, I've read on this board that i need to buy from a broker. Is there any forum/website where I could find brokers selling dvc resale?

Btw, does MKV have a kitchen? If so, I should be ok without a dining plan.

Click to expand...

What do you mean by MKV??? AKV (Animal Kingdom Villas are composed of Jambo House and Kindani Village) - it is one timeshare. If you meant Magic Kingdom Villas (name does not exist), then someone would correctly assume you meant Bay Lake Towers at Contemporary (BLT). Definitely do a lot of research. However, I would not do more than one stay before buying points.

sui said:

Thank you Elaine and ljmiii, I'll buy MKV, I've read on this board that i need to buy from a broker. Is there any forum/website where I could find brokers selling dvc resale? Btw, does MKV have a kitchen? If so, I should be ok without a dining plan.

Click to expand...

I assume you meant AKV...?!?

Buying a timeshare isn't like buying a condo, there really aren't 'buyer's brokers.' So choosing a timeshare broker is more a matter of seeing who has the inventory you want. My more recent DVC purchase was through The Timeshare Store (http://www.dvc-resales.com) but there are other good brokers out there.

DVC 1BRs and 2BRs villas have kitchens that range from reasonable to quite nice, the functionality of the studio kitchens vary.

While the kids are in school, not much choice - holidays and summers. We did this for years. We tried end of June (right after school was over), July once and then almost all of our trips were end of August (last week off before school started). Definitely hot and humid but we knew that. It can be done of course as long as you are prepared. Get out early (rope drop if possible), go back to the resort very early afternoon (before or after your lunch). Relax, nap, hang out by the pool. Head back out very late afternoon/early evening. Lot's of water, hats, sunblock, ponchos, mist fans. Whatever works. If you need to stay in the park longer or middle of the day, take short breaks in the stores, restaurants, ac rides, shade, etc.

AKVs is a great resort, if this is where you plan on staying, then buy here. I would suggest you visit at least once before you buy. If you have time, take a ride to whichever other resort you are/might be interested in. Get a feel of the place. Picking a resort is pretty personal. Some have no problem with the condo style resort and some prefer the hotel style resort.

We bought direct many years ago but I would definitely compare direct vs. resale. If you want to save big bucks and don't mind losing the few "perks" - definitely buy resale.

I would buy resale first. Once you are a member you can buy as little as 25 points directly from DVC and get the ticket discounts as well as some others by owning 25 direct and 175 resale.

Buy where you don't mind staying if you can't change your reservation at seven months out to a different resort. Then you won't be disappointed with your stay. At seven months out, all points are equal and you can book anywhere. But not everything will be available every time you want to book.

And August is hot, hot, hot. You'll spend a lot of time at the pool because of the heat. And August tends to be the month when most hurricanes hit. So if you fly or drive through any hurricane prone areas, your trip could be delayed. Hurricanes don't usually affect WDW much (they might shut down for a day or part of a day) but getting there might be a problem.

I agree with capjak. Buy your bigger resale contract first. Then DVC will sell you a 25 point contract to match your Use Year (but not your resort if you want 25 points at a different one - but 25 points won't get you much) to get the AP perks. They usually won't sell you a 25 point contract as a first contract. But they will as a add-on.