"I bought it sight unseen"

[roomthreeseventeen]

Thanks for all the feedback so far. I feel like we're probably going to wait until we're in Orlando to do the tour in August of all the DVC resorts. We're very much a "buy where you want to stay" couple.

 

[Sandisw]

We bought BLT without every seeing the actual building. However, we had stayed at the CR many times and knew that it was our favorite location. We considered DVC prior to BLT being built but it always came down to the fact that we wanted to be within walking distance to MK and said we would only buy in if they built one at the CR.

Well, when BLT began selling we knew it was time. So, while we did technically buy without seeing BLT, we knew the resort area well enough to know it was the right choice.

And, after having stayed in other places, it still remains #1, with BCV coming in close behind it.

 

[Grumpy6264]

We also bought AKV sight unseen. After two trips in less than a year to the Polynesian with 6 people, we knew that we could save some money with DVC.

We took our first trip home this past October and it was everything that we hoped it would be. We stayed in a two-bedroom standard view and it was wonderful. No regrets.

I think Disney is a pretty solid brand,a nd that is what we bought. Again, no regrets.

 

[cseca]

Bought WLV and GCV while the resort is being built!
Always been in love with both locations couldn't get points fast enough...

 

[rynosmom]

We purchased VWL sight unseen and i'm happy to say we've never regretted it.

 

[mouseaider]

We are guilty too ! We bought BWV and have never seen it before.

We are seasoned Disney travelers and most of our stays have been at POFQ. About four years ago we took the tour and our guide showed us model rooms for AKV and actual villas at SSR and we loved the idea, but not the minimum buy in and price.

This year we had saved some money and knew we were going in January to meet some family there and we have been planning a trip to Hawaii for April, 2012. Once we found out Disney was building Aulani, we started considering a DVC purchase again.

I called our guide and she didn't have anything for BWV or BCV but we really wanted the location. She did offer us OKW @ $90 per point but we declined and started watching the resale market.

When we found our BWV contract we knew it was perfect for us and jumped on it. We are booked for two trips in 2011 and still will have enough points for a week stay at Aulani in 2012 if we can get in at the seven month mark, so I think we made the right move.

 

[Granny]

We had stayed at Wilderness Lodge resort and loved it, so when they built DVC there we jumped at it "sight unseen". We knew they would be faithful to the WL theming so it was an easy decision even without seeing models of the villas themselves.

Thanks for all the feedback so far. I feel like we're probably going to wait until we're in Orlando to do the tour in August of all the DVC resorts. We're very much a "buy where you want to stay" couple.

I think that makes a lot of sense. Keep in mind you probably won't be able to get into all the DVC villas on-site, but you would definitely get a feel for the theming of the various resorts.

Most of the WDW DVC room layouts are pretty similar with the exception of OKW which has significantly larger 1BR & 2BR accommodations than the other resorts.

Good luck!

 

[KerTggr]

We had seen the outside of SSR before but never saw a villa or went on the tour there. For us it was pretty much between OKW and SSR since we need a Grand Villa for 90% of our trips and these two resorts had a large # of those. We had stayed at OKW (my sis is an owner there) and knew SSR had a very similar feel to it.

Over the life of our ownership, we'll likely stay at other locations. But are happy to be DVC owners and plan for future WDW trips.

 

[OhioDVC]

My wife and I bought at all of the DVC resorts (recently sold Boardwalk and Vero) and we only bought Vero with seeing the resort first.

 

[chalee94]

Keep in mind you probably won't be able to get into all the DVC villas on-site, but you would definitely get a feel for the theming of the various resorts.

i think she said elsewhere that they are mostly focused on BLT and AKV, which DVC does have models for.

there's also a BWV model on the boardwalk if they are in that area and wanted to check it out.

but yeah, the other resorts are tougher to check out the interiors - it's easier to look online at pictures to get a feel for what those villas are like.

 

[Jason@dvcstore]

It all boild down to "location-location-location"

I think when buying from Disney it all boils down to which resort the guides are pushing to sell at that time. If it is Bay Lake Tower than everyone is buying Bay Lake Tower. When they built Saratoga Springs they were pushing Saratoga Springs and it was selling like crazy.

Jason

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

We bought our AKV contract sight unseen. Back in 2005 on our first visit, we did a land/sea package and stayed at Port Orleans Riverside. I wanted to stay at AKL, but I couldn't afford the higher package. I was just so intrigued by AKL. When planning our next trip for June 2008, I knew I wanted to stay at AKL, but when I called my AAA agent to book it, she told me about the DVC construction going on. I was bummed. I just didn't want to stay there with backhoes, hammering, etc. So we booked WL instead. But after learning about what DVC was, I started researching. We were planning on doing the tour that summer while in WDW and hopefully buying in then. But then a month before our vacation, my grandfather got sick with a rare brain disease, and we were told there was no cure. I cancelled my WL trip. Then in July about a week after he died, I learned that you could buy into AKV for 100 points. We bought instantly! I had never even been to AKL/AKV and had only been to WDW once with my family, but I had been so intrigued by the whole theming of AKV for 3 whole years and had researched DVC for several months. When we went to SSR in October 2008 with developer's points, we toured the AKV model rooms, and I knew I had made the right decision. We just went "home" to AKV this last October, and it was everything I had dreamed it would be! No regrets!!!

 

[merby]

We bought sight unseen at SSR 3 years ago on a really good incentive that allowed us to recoup about 40% of the cost by renting out the 2 years worth of developer points and 1 extra years worth of use year points that we got. We researched heavily though and we felt confident in our purchase. We knew that we would be frequenting Disney in the upcoming years and relished the idea of the extra space provided in the 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom villas. Our guide told us that we would likely be able to get into most resorts at the 7 month window and we haven't had any issues yet.

 

[TK Brown]

We bought sight unseen at AKV back in 2008. We have been to WDW 15 times before then, so we had a good idea what we were looking for. Never toured a model. I also did alot of research into what DVC ownership was and had my questions planned out for when I called in. Needless to say, we are quite happy with what we got.

 

[JWG]

Just toured the BLT model a couple days ago after adding on there back in August. Bought for the location, I've been a CR fan since I was a kid. While the studios are small, there's only 3 of us so I think we'll be ok. Plust the 1BR and 2BR layouts are gorgeous and spacious.

 

[HotdogDncrs]

We also bought "sight unseen". We went for a tour in December 2008 while we were staying at Wilderness Lodge. Guide was pushing AKL. At the time we also wanted to move, so didn't purchase. Fast forward to December 2009 after traveling to WDW two more times and staying at deluxe resorts - we called DVC from our home in Canada and bought at BLT. We've added on twice since then, and have no regrets (other than not being able to get the same deal on all of our points!).

 

[IloveDisney77]

Add us to that list...We had never stepped foot into a DVC room until our first stay. I had been to Disney many times in my life while my wife had never been. We planned a trip 2 years ago for our DD5 when they were doing the 4/3 promo. We stayed at the Poly and loved the location and proximately to MK.

During that trip my wife also fell in love with Disney and we knew that we wanted to come back time and time again. We also knew that these types of promos were only occurring due to the terrible economy and wouldn't last. Plus, even with the promo we shelled out over $4300 for the room, tickets and dining plan...so, knowing we were hooked decided to go the DVC route.

I did a bunch of research here and other sites and decided DVC was definitely a good fit for us. So, based off of pics, theme of room and location decided on BLT....3 stays later and it was the best decision we've made! We've since added on at AKV and VGC.

 

[SEC71]

We bought at WLV sight unseen in 2001. We did everything through the mail and on the phone. We love the theming of WL so when they built DVC there we knew the time was right. We have not been disappointed!

 

[DisneyMim]

We bought sight unseen because there was nothing to see. We started our buying process early fall of 1991. We are one of the first members. Didn't hesitate at all, in fact we had been waiting for this for years (since I was little and watched Walt talking about EPCOT on TV). Never regretted a minute of it.

Enjoy The Magic!!

 

[dumbo_buddy]

I'm interested in this... in another thread I posted a few days ago, quite a few people said they bought their DVC points with the resort "sight unseen".

What could be the motivation for this? Did they mostly assume they'd stay somewhere ELSE within the 7 month window? Or were they just happy to have DVC in WDW/DL, and didn't care where they stayed?

TIA.

hey amy!

we bought DVC through the TSS and purchased SSR without really having ever been there. we stopped there when magical express dropped off people but that's about it. BUT, we knew that any DVC resort would be great.

now that i type it it doesn't seem a little ridiculous that we would purchase something we hadn't even seen! lol! but it was SO worth it