FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

Timeshare Monopolist has a cunning plan:

“Hi! Could you explain the strategy/benefit of having investment in multiple properties?”

Image: Disney

The answer to this is a bit specific in that it applies primarily to people who visit Disney multiple times each year. Presuming that you’re one of them, what you need to know is simple. Some DVC rooms book extremely early. The logical situations where sellouts occur are holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas Week and popular site-specific booking scenarios such as Beach Club Villas during the Food and Wine Festival, but there are other instances as well.

As an example, Animal Kingdom Villas offers a handful of studio rooms on the concierge floor of Jambo House. These are so exclusive that even Kidani doesn’t offer them. Since demand outstrips supply by several exponents, the only realistic way to book one is to own DVC membership at Animal Kingdom Villas. You claim an 11-month booking window at your home property, which provides a competitive advantage over the seven-month window that all DVC members have at all resorts.

Answering the question directly, the strategy/benefit is that if you plan to visit during Food and Wine Festival, you should own at Beach Club Villas or Boardwalk Villas. That way, you are only a few hundred steps away from Epcot during the event. If you love Magic Kingdom at Christmas, you should own at one of the monorail resorts, the best one of which is Bay Lake Tower if you want to stay as close as possible. And if you love the concierge studio at Animal Kingdom, you’ll want to own there as well. This strategy is only for diehard Disney visitors. Even I find it a bit over the top.

In between finding new babysitters, the Brady Bunch asks:  

“How many points would I need for a family of 7?”

Image © Paramount Television

Most studios at DVC resorts can hold five people while some are only designed for parties of four. None of the one-bedroom villas is designed for families of seven, either. You’ll want to purchase enough points to stay at a two-bedroom villa whenever you visit. If you plan to stay a week each visit, you’ll probably want at least 250 points, and I would suggest 315. That’s the current cost to ensure that you can stay at Beach Club Villas, Saratoga Springs, or Old Key West. If you prefer Grand Floridian or Bay Lake Tower, you should probably get 400 just to be safe. Alternately, plan to get two rooms every visit if you want to save yourself the cost of additional points.

Easy to Please wonders:

"Is this worth it for a family of 3 for 2 trips a year if we don't care what kind of room we stay in?"

If you don’t care about the quality of the room/hotel, the answer is definitely no. While there are divided opinions about Disney’s All-Star Resorts as well as non-Disney properties, I cannot in good conscience recommend that you pay extra for a DVC resort. For two visits, you’d probably need 150-200 points, and that money would pay for a lot of nights at lesser hotels.

Glass Half-Full worries that they’re missing something:

"Are there any downsides to buying resale?"

In 2011, Disney slightly altered the rules for resale purchase. People who purchase membership on the secondary market are unable to use their DVC points on cruises or RCI exchanges. As I’ve mentioned before, you shouldn’t use your points for cruises anyway. The points cost is so outrageous that you’re better served renting your points then using the money earned from the transaction to pay for your cruise. You’ll probably wind up with spending money to boot. As for RCI exchanges, I couldn’t care less about this membership incentive, but you might. I would suggest that you perform your own research to determine whether it’s something you’ll actually use rather than something you’ll obsess about if you don’t have the option.

Sold Out fears the worst:

"Any times when you tried to book with points and couldn't?"

Image © Disney

Yes, of course. The timeframes I mentioned above are going to sell out by the time the holidays roll around. There are also other calendar dates where Disney’s resorts are unexpectedly popular. Their annual marathons are great examples, as is MLB Spring Training. When sellouts occur, DVC has a system in place where you add your potential reservation to a waitlist. I’ve gotten my waitlist request every time thus far, which I’m told makes me fairly lucky. Based on my experience, as long as you plan well and understand the system, you’ll get to stay at the DVC resort you prefer, most of the time. When you don’t, consider the situation a great opportunity to fall in love with some place new.

Elitist has self-esteem issues:

"How does your resale work? Disney doesn't see you as "true" owners? If that's the case, how does that affect your trading ability?"

First of all, Disney considers all DVC members true owners. I am entitled to all the discounts and membership perks as my brother who purchased direct. Part of the reason for this is real estate law, and the other part is good business. Eventually, I’ll want to buy more points, and Disney would prefer that I do that through them. In order to enhance the possibility, they aren’t going to treat me like a second class citizen.

Other than the negligible contractual limitations above, the only other issue resale owners have is that their official DVC sales person may not contact them a lot. People who have bought directly through their sales agents occasionally (but not always) receive gifts upon check-in at the resort when they vacation at Disney. That’s about the extent of the divide between direct purchase and resale owners.

 
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

Comments

Your info about resale contracts is not correct. You can use resale points for RCI exchanges regardless of the sale date.

Your comment about RCI and resale is incorrect. You CAN use resale points for RCI exchanges, but cannot use them for the DISNEY COLLECTION - Disney hotels not part of the DVC.

Add new comment

About Theme Park Tourist

Theme Park Tourist is one of the web’s leading sources of essential information and entertaining articles about theme parks in Orlando and beyond.

We are one of the world’s largest theme park guide sites, hosting detailed guides to more than 80 theme parks around the globe.

Find Out More About Us...

Plan Your Trip

Our theme park guides contain reviews and ratings of rides, restaurants and hotels at more than 80 theme parks worldwide.

You can even print them.

Start Planning Now...