Buying resale at BLT

[RLLDMD]

I'm looking for a little advice. My family is currently looking into buying resale points at BLT. We are a true disney family and are now in a position to buy a DVC timeshare. My first thought was to buy around 200-250 points since we always bring my parents with us. (My sister already had 160 point at BLT so I figured between the two of us we could get three bedrooms one way or another). I understand how DVC works, but I'm wondering if I should split the 250 or so total points between two resorts (the second being AKV for the savannah experience or BWV for the short distance to two parks). We have a 5yo girl and baby on the way, so I anticipate MK being our favorite place for quite some time. Is the 11-month out advantage worth splitting my home base points? Are 1 bedroom or 2 bedroom rooms usually booked at AKV at 7 months? Why pay more for BLT points when I can buy less expensive points at another DVC resort? How is the resort at Hilton Head...is it a good place for the hubby and I to take a short vacation alone should we have some points left over? Buying into DVC resale is something we are financially and otherwise ready to do...I just want to do it right! Thank for your input.

[Caren90]

If you ever need to resell those points, it would be easier to resell a smaller contract than one with 250 points. I know most people do not consider selling their DVC contracts but it may happen for you in the future and smaller contracts are easier to move.

Stephen

[ELMC]

Originally Posted by RLLDMD

I'm looking for a little advice. My family is currently looking into buying resale points at BLT. We are a true disney family and are now in a position to buy a DVC timeshare. My first thought was to buy around 200-250 points since we always bring my parents with us. (My sister already had 160 point at BLT so I figured between the two of us we could get three bedrooms one way or another). I understand how DVC works, but I'm wondering if I should split the 250 or so total points between two resorts (the second being AKV for the savannah experience or BWV for the short distance to two parks). We have a 5yo girl and baby on the way, so I anticipate MK being our favorite place for quite some time. Is the 11-month out advantage worth splitting my home base points? Are 1 bedroom or 2 bedroom rooms usually booked at AKV at 7 months? Why pay more for BLT points when I can buy less expensive points at another DVC resort? How is the resort at Hilton Head...is it a good place for the hubby and I to take a short vacation alone should we have some points left over? Buying into DVC resale is something we are financially and otherwise ready to do...I just want to do it right! Thank for your input.

My opinion is that you should split the points between resorts only if you want to have the 11 month booking advantage at more than one resort. If you want to stay at AKV, the only real rooms you need the 11 month advantage for are club level, value studios and grand villas. If you plan on staying mostly near the MK (with kids that age you will be for awhile) I would keep all my points there for ease of booking reservations at the 11 month window. I would not buy an off property DVC if you plan to mostly stay at DVC. You could run into booking problems and the maintenance fees are higher. Good luck with your decision.

[RLLDMD]

If I were to split the points between two resorts, I would be able to book 11 months out. BUT...would I be able to use all my combined points or just however many I have for that one resort?

[Meggysmum]

Originally Posted by RLLDMD

If I were to split the points between two resorts, I would be able to book 11 months out. BUT...would I be able to use all my combined points or just however many I have for that one resort?

At 11 months out you can only use the points at your home resort so you could book a week at BLT and then a week later you could book at week at AK if those were your home resorts. You couldn't book 2 weeks at BLT at 11 months using some of your AK points. At 7 months you can combine them anyway you like if you have the same use year. With different UY you end up transferring points and I think there is a limit to how many times you can do that in a year.

[Caren90]

Originally Posted by RLLDMD

If I were to split the points between two resorts, I would be able to book 11 months out. BUT...would I be able to use all my combined points or just however many I have for that one resort?

By owning two smaller contracts at 2 different resorts you could bank and borrow points to determine which resort you would stay at each year. This would allow you to optimize the 11 month window each year.

Stephen

[Deb & Bill]

Are you aware of the point requirement for a three bedroom Grand Villa at BLT? For the Lake View GV during the lowest point time (Adventure Season), the requirement is 618 points for a week (84 points S-Th, 99 F/Sa). You'd both need two years of points to get a week. Would you want to do that?

If you wanted to go during the holidays, the point requirement bumps up to 1065 (if you wanted Themepark view it's 1287).

[RLLDMD]

I was thinking we would do something like three studios or one studio and one two bedroom. With 250+160 (that my sister already has) should cover a four night stay depending on the time of year.

[lorenni]

Ha! RLLDMD. Can't believe I didn't figure out until right this second that you're my sister.

Ha ha ha ha ha.

[lorenni]

BTW - I talked to mom today about doing alternating between AKL and BLT and she is all for it.

For those on the thread not released to us - question for you all. If my sister and I have the same UY we can transfer points to one another, correct? So I my family could not go one year or could not bank points, I could transfer them to my sister and she could get a bigger room/longer stay with the larger point amount?

[CPTJAK]

Originally Posted by lorenni

BTW - I talked to mom today about doing alternating between AKL and BLT and she is all for it.

For those on the thread not released to us - question for you all. If my sister and I have the same UY we can transfer points to one another, correct? So I my family could not go one year or could not bank points, I could transfer them to my sister and she could get a bigger room/longer stay with the larger point amount?

you do not have to have the same use year to transfer from one person/account to another. So she can have whatever use year works best for her or is available on the resale market that works.

[thptrek]

There are some very good 200 point BLT contracts listed on the resale sites. I am currently under contract on one contract but there are several that I think are good values around 85-90 a point.

[Deb & Bill]

Originally Posted by lorenni

BTW - I talked to mom today about doing alternating between AKL and BLT and she is all for it.

For those on the thread not released to us - question for you all. If my sister and I have the same UY we can transfer points to one another, correct? So I my family could not go one year or could not bank points, I could transfer them to my sister and she could get a bigger room/longer stay with the larger point amount?

But you can't transfer banked or borrowed points. And you can't borrow transferred points, but you can bank transferred points. Plus you are limited to one transfer in or out per use year. They maintain the resort and use year, plus expiration date.

[ninjagirl]

We have a large Disney loving family and reccently purchased at BLT. My parents went on their Honeymoon back in the 1980s to the Contemporary so BLT was pretty sentimental to them. My brother has reccently had a sweet little baby boy that we added into the mix so the location of BLT with the monorail and the Magic Kingdom plus the sentimental factors of it all weighed into making the decision to purchase BLT.

We weighed our options a little differently though. We wanted to have enough points to book the room type we NEEDED at BLT. The absolute minimum we would fit into is a 2BR (which we plan to do every other year) so we bought 260 points at BLT to be able to do that. We reccently purchased an add on at SSR to have cheap points that we could use to upgrade our room category or book an additional room to have more space if it was still there. If not, no big deal we fit in what we have now.

One other thing you might consider when looking at point totals and traveling with family is this. We haven't stayed in a 3br so I don't know if they're all super magical amazing omg I'm gonna die if I'm not in that room but two, two bedrooms are cheaper than one three bedroom which would give you more space, plus two kitchens for less points.

[ninjagirl]

One more thing I'd pay attention to are the maintenance fees. I think a lot of the flooding of the market with AKV points stems around the fact that the dues have been increasing at a MUCH higher rate than most of the other resorts. I'd stand clear of AKV unless I really LOVED it and wanted a value room or a club level room. Most of the other room types are readily available at the 7 month window. I'd strongly favor BWV over AKV just because of the maintenance fees issue.