Tips for new owners?

[eticketplease]

I just bought my first contract of 320 points and I understand this point. I figured I am playing a little less per point and only one closing cost.....but I think I would have preferred two resorts with 160 each, same use year.

As someone who likes the larger accommodations I would split the contracts but have the same resort to have the 11 month advantage.

 

[RickNJane]

Bought our first contract in 1996. 250 points at BWV. Now we have 800 points among BWV, VDH, AKV, and BLT. It can get really addictive!
Things we learned.
1) Like a lot of posts, 1BR and above are the way to go. Before adding on look at the points chart. BLT, for instance is pretty cheap point wise.

2) Dues! Dues can be killer. Look at the dues. They can really make or break your yearly budget.

3) VDH has TOT. This can really be expensive. I wish I had known more about it when we added points at VDH. Our guide really glossed over that.

4) Know the differences between perks at the 2 coasts. Mostly the same, however WDW has a discounted AP, DLR does not, so we just buy from Get Away Today.

5) As others have said. Get used to planning a year out. A must do if you want to stay in your Home resort. We have had trips we planned at 6 months, but had to stay at OKW. That is not bad as OKW is a fantastic resort. It was just not BWV.

6) Set reminders for your banking deadlines. Before adding on, we would bank a year and borrow a year to make enough points for a prolonged stay.

7). If you add on watch the UY. Stay with the same if you can. It really makes things easier.

8) Did I mention Dues and TOT? Bears repeating.

9) Get used to the DVC website. You can look at availability for weeks across multiple resorts. It is a great resource for planning.

10) Don't be afraid to call MS. In my experience they are great!

Hope this helps!

 

[Psymonds]

Bought our first contract in 1996. 250 points at BWV. Now we have 800 points among BWV, VDH, AKV, and BLT. It can get really addictive!
Things we learned.
1) Like a lot of posts, 1BR and above are the way to go. Before adding on look at the points chart. BLT, for instance is pretty cheap point wise.

2) Dues! Dues can be killer. Look at the dues. They can really make or break your yearly budget.

3) VDH has TOT. This can really be expensive. I wish I had known more about it when we added points at VDH. Our guide really glossed over that.

4) Know the differences between perks at the 2 coasts. Mostly the same, however WDW has a discounted AP, DLR does not, so we just buy from Get Away Today.

5) As others have said. Get used to planning a year out. A must do if you want to stay in your Home resort. We have had trips we planned at 6 months, but had to stay at OKW. That is not bad as OKW is a fantastic resort. It was just not BWV.

6) Set reminders for your banking deadlines. Before adding on, we would bank a year and borrow a year to make enough points for a prolonged stay.

7). If you add on watch the UY. Stay with the same if you can. It really makes things easier.

8) Did I mention Dues and TOT? Bears repeating.

9) Get used to the DVC website. You can look at availability for weeks across multiple resorts. It is a great resource for planning.

10) Don't be afraid to call MS. In my experience they are great!

Hope this helps!

we are VDH and our guide did mention TOT. not a selling point, of course, but worth noting, especially if we're renting points.

It will be interesting as more rooms are dedicated at VDH to see if the occupancy at the two Disneyland resorts stays as tight; there's not really an OKW equivalent out here.

 

[RickNJane]

we are VDH and our guide did mention TOT. not a selling point, of course, but worth noting, especially if we're renting points.

It will be interesting as more rooms are dedicated at VDH to see if the occupancy at the two Disneyland resorts stays as tight; there's not really an OKW equivalent out here.

I am hoping that with DLR expansion will come a bigger DVC presence. Of course they will have to do something with TOT maybe like GCH where it is just part of the Dues. DVC seems to be in a building frenzy, so anything is possible I suppose. DLR is such an easy trip compared to WDW.

 

[Sondra Sunflowers]

This is a fun thread!

1. What's something you've learned the hard way that you can share?

Put a yearly reminder in your calendar to bank your points. I forgot to do it once. They give you a 1-time grace for that. I've never forgotten again and usually do it early.

As others have mentioned, we plan our trips MUCH further in advance than any of our friends. To better manage points, I'm always thinking a couple years out. My husband is in a clinical profession, so PTO is requested/granted about a year in advance so this doesn't bother us at all.

1. What's something you didn't realize until much later?

I have been a DVC owner since 2008. My daughter was 6 years old. Life has changed a lot since then. I didn't realize how much I would still love Disney at this stage of life, with an adult child. My husband and I really enjoy Disney just the two of us. DVC is now a big part of our retirement plan. We'd like to have enough points to spend 3-4 weeks over the winter. Disney snowbirds LOL.

The best advice anyone has ever given me was to take advantage of the annual pass discount. Even if you can only take 1 week of vacation a year, plan next year's trip 11 months later so you can use it twice.

1. What did you wish you knew starting out?

The prices ALWAYS increase. Buy as much direct points as you can afford with your first contract so you get that coveted blue card. You will probably add on later and resale will probably cost more than your original contract LOL. Speaking from experience....