I love my DVC... and my husband!

[ktbugsmom]

Just because no one else understands - I had to post this here.

My husband agreed to buy into DVC about 4 years ago. We found a nice 100 point resale. Of course, I wanted more, but don't like debt - and this contact had 100 banked points -so it felt huge for a year! Last summer - I did a 50 point add on through Disney - so now we have 150 points at BWV. We are a family of 3.5 - me, DH, DD7 and DSD (step) 13. My stepchild can only make it to half of the trips (due to custody arrangments)- so I count us as 3.5! Therefore, we just do studios and those work fine. We go in off season (January) - and that saves points too. But, we usually end up bringing another family and renting a studio for them as well - so I am always in borrow mode.

My husband enjoys our trips - but always mentions "Shouldn't we go someplace else this year?" My DD7 and I both scream "No!"

Long story long... (yes, I can't get to the point...) - last weekend, my husband asked me out of the blue "How many DVC points do we need to really have enough?" Since my birthday was that week - I was freaking out thinking that maybe he bought me some points for my b-day! The truth is - he did not - but the fact that he suggested we consider buying more just made me SOOOO happy! Maybe he does enjoy the trips more than I thought!

I told him we should get through this year (taxes, Christmas etc) and save up some cash for another add-on next year. He was in full agreement - so I am just SO excited!

Now the question is... re-sale/add-on at BWV or new purchase at AKV?

Anyway, I just knew Dis'ers would understand this. No one else really does - not even my DH - but at least he loves me and is willing to go along for the DVC ride!!!

 

[bobbiwoz]

I'm so happy for you! I see another add on in your future!!!
We're like you in that we often have guests with us, and rent a studio for them. We have bought some points in all of the resorts that we want to stay at, so that's my advice. If you think you'll want a definite vacation at AKV, that you can book 8-11 months out, I would add on there.

Bobbi

 

[ktbugsmom]

Thank you Bobbi!

Yes - I am torn. We LOVE our BWV. The location, the view and other things really work for us. But, I have stayed at AKL and loved it there. Gorgeous resort. Bus service was the best I have ever experienced on site. The restaurants were ALL awesome - and we had a savannah view which I loved - and if I want savannah view with DVC - I will require points - won't I?

My concern is that when we stayed there, it did feel "remote". Not that there is anything wrong with "remote" - but given I live in NE Wisconsin - I am "remote" most of my life. When on vacation - we like to be where the action is - so BWV with the Boardwalk evening activities and being able to walk to Epcot for an adult beverage or sushi is just SO appealing to us.

But - the fun part is that I get to make a decision! That is cool. Also - the extra years are appealing as well...but, given that I am 41 now - so at 75+ years old - I am sure I will still love Disney - but I'll just spend my kids inheritance and stay where ever I want and let my kids fend for themselves.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I will be 95 in 2042! We feel we are enjoying our legacy with our children, we had bought DVC to celebrate when we could with my DMom. She's not able to travel now, but maybe on our next all family trip she will be well enough.

Best wishes!
Bobbi

 

[bmoncher]

My DH gave me 50 points OKW for my birthday this year!

 

[ktbugsmom]

bmoncher - you lucky Mouse! How happy were you!?!

Funny - as much as I want more points, I am the "money person" in our family, so if my husband dropped that kind of cash to "surprise" me - I am not sure how happy I would be. Terrible control freak, I guess! Now - if I make the decision...

 

[Mr Man]

Thank you Bobbi!

Yes - I am torn. We LOVE our BWV. The location, the view and other things really work for us. But, I have stayed at AKL and loved it there. Gorgeous resort. Bus service was the best I have ever experienced on site. The restaurants were ALL awesome - and we had a savannah view which I loved - and if I want savannah view with DVC - I will require points - won't I?

My concern is that when we stayed there, it did feel "remote". Not that there is anything wrong with "remote" - but given I live in NE Wisconsin - I am "remote" most of my life. When on vacation - we like to be where the action is - so BWV with the Boardwalk evening activities and being able to walk to Epcot for an adult beverage or sushi is just SO appealing to us.

But - the fun part is that I get to make a decision! That is cool. Also - the extra years are appealing as well...but, given that I am 41 now - so at 75+ years old - I am sure I will still love Disney - but I'll just spend my kids inheritance and stay where ever I want and let my kids fend for themselves.

Congrats on your add-on. I think the simplest solution is to pick which DVC resort you want to stay at and go from there. The nice thing is, you can't make a mistake......they are all Disney after all.

IMHO, I think the value and concierge suites will fill up fast at AKV.
Having AKV as a home resort will give you a better chance for these rooms. I think (again, just a guess) that Savannah view won't be as difficult to get, as a fairly high percentage of suites have a savanah view.

I hear the "remote" comment about AKL/AKV a lot. I could not disagree more. The bus service at AKL/AKV was great. Also, we had a rental car (for convenience mainly) & were happy to see that it did not take long to get wherever we needed to go at WDW. YMMV, but I would not be concerned about the remoteness of AKL/AKV.

We are planning an add-on for either AKV (or an -as yet unannounced DVC resort-which must not be named) I would have bought our 1st contract at AKV (was thiiiiis close) but DW was uncertain that our 2 DS would like it as home base as they get older. She thinks being across from DD is best. Who am I to argue? (add-on-it-is will take care of this itch anyways). Plan is to do the add-on mid 2008.

 

[BroganMc]

But - the fun part is that I get to make a decision! That is cool. Also - the extra years are appealing as well...but, given that I am 41 now - so at 75+ years old - I am sure I will still love Disney - but I'll just spend my kids inheritance and stay where ever I want and let my kids fend for themselves.

My dad bought into the system at 74 years old. Granted he did buy with me and his other three grown kids, but he mostly did it so he and I could use it. At 75 my dad turns to 7 when he's in Disney. So don't think your DVC will go unused just because you're in your senior years. If anything it becomes an even better vacation destination because it is so accessible to those less mobile (and there's a lot to do other than thrill rides).

As for your decision, save your money in full and on your next trip visit the other resorts. I'd look at them all and evaluate what works best for you.

I've been visiting Disney regularly the last 5 years, 3 before I bought DVC. I had an early fascination with AKL but ended up turning down an add-on. I find my enthusiasm for the theme waning a bit and the remoteness really bugging me. I like to leave my hotel room and walk over to someplace.

Your choices in the next year can include more than just BWV or AKV. There's BCV (for the pool), OKW (for the low points and bigger rooms), SSR (for DTD), VWL (for the wilderness activities and MK). And there just might be the choice of CRV (for MK).

I added on my SSR ownership after the first year because we had a good price and wanted larger accommodations at longer stays. But our next add-on will be somewhere else... CRV if it comes along. I want us to be able to have a different stay experience.

 

[JimC]

My first question when I saw this thread title was: Did she mean in that order?

Congratulations!!

On what to buy next. If you buy a different resort it should fit what is most important to you. Simplicity is one resort and one use year. Saving money on dues means SSR or OKW (the difference in purchase price is really negligible over the term of the ownership so dues become the main driver of total ownership cost). Longer contracts mean SSR or AKV. Need a different 11 month booking advantage, then buy enough to actually use it. Now that may be a small contract that you use banking and borrowing to get a trip every other or third year.

 

[ktbugsmom]

You all are so sweet... as for the order of love... depends if I am at Disney or not! My DD7 and I have been know to let daddy sleep while we run out to the parks and meet him later! But he truly is a saint and we love him desperately!

As for my "remote" comment about AKV - please don't think it was a slam. I really do love the resort (AKL at least since I have not tried AKV) - but when we stayed there, it just felt more "distant" to get to fireworks and other evening activities. But - keep in mind we have stayed at BWV and BCV most other vacations. So - we can walk to the boardwalk and walk to Epcot for entertainment and food. And again I could get to those things from AKL - but it required a bus (since we don't rent a car - part of the appeal of Disney - we don't drive for a week!). This is fine and like I said, I had the best bus service ever when staying there. But I still had to take a bus.

Now - that being said - a 50 point add on could give me a fun long weekend every other year with my DD and DH in a studio at AKV for a change of pace.

 

[Mr Man]

You all are so sweet... as for the order of love... depends if I am at Disney or not! My DD7 and I have been know to let daddy sleep while we run out to the parks and meet him later! But he truly is a saint and we love him desperately!

As for my "remote" comment about AKV - please don't think it was a slam. I really do love the resort (AKL at least since I have not tried AKV) - but when we stayed there, it just felt more "distant" to get to fireworks and other evening activities. But - keep in mind we have stayed at BWV and BCV most other vacations. So - we can walk to the boardwalk and walk to Epcot for entertainment and food. And again I could get to those things from AKL - but it required a bus (since we don't rent a car - part of the appeal of Disney - we don't drive for a week!). This is fine and like I said, I had the best bus service ever when staying there. But I still had to take a bus.

Now - that being said - a 50 point add on could give me a fun long weekend every other year with my DD and DH in a studio at AKV for a change of pace.

Not a problem. I definitely didn't take it as a slam. Actually, just checked my post to see if I sounded snarky. Nope.

Having a rental car for us is a "nice to have" and really opens up our options at WDW. It really does depend on where we are and what mood we are in etc. as to whether we drive rental car or ride. The only place I don't bother with a rental car is when we are at FW. This is because we are generally in a MH and have everything we need. On these trips we spend most of our time at MK & the Fort itself.

I have to admit, the first time we stayed at POLY, we were so excited to have access to MK & EPCOT by monorail. It was great for MK but for some reason we didn't like the long walk from our room at POLY to the TTC for the EPCOT monorail (ramp got old too....). It was soooo much quicker to just call valet and go to the front and pick up our car and drive to EPCOT.

Um, back on topic........

We stayed at AKL in a regular savanah view room for a week last month. I would definitely stay there again but this time using DVC points and in a 1BR. The only question is.....do we buy a contract there to ensure we get a shot at the dates we want.....or get what is available at 7 months.....

Again, best wishes to you and yours.

 

[ktbugsmom]

Mr. Man -
No - you were not snarky, but I wanted to make sure you understood that I was not slamming anything. If I had more vacation time and more money - I would spend a week at each DVC resort each year! They are all lovely in their own right - so it comes down to what you like best and how you allocate your resources and time.

Funny - I stayed at the Contemporary last August with my sister and our kids thinking that we would love the proximity to MK. Well - my daughter and I ended up heading over to Epcot more than we went to MK. Oh well... maybe that is why I like BWV!

 

[Mr Man]

Mr. Man -

Funny - I stayed at the Contemporary last August with my sister and our kids thinking that we would love the proximity to MK. Well - my daughter and I ended up heading over to Epcot more than we went to MK. Oh well... maybe that is why I like BWV!

It is funny. Things like that happen to us on every trip. You just can't plan for everything 11/7 months out. Making dining at 6 mos is a cruel joke. I mean, how am I supposed to know if DS6 will want chinese food.....on a Thursday.....at 4:53pm? HUH? . Stop it Mr Man......stop the anger.....send it to the "quiet place"......

That is why we make our plans......and then just keep changing them....and changing them back.....then re-thinking the plan. Effectively, we just get to WDW and wing it!

I am a Project Manager by trade, and these WDW related planning items keep me up at night!

 

[ktbugsmom]

Mr. Man,
On the planning part - you are so right - how WILL you know what you want 6 months out? My husband just looks at me with dis-belief? You are asking me in July where I want to eat on our vacation in January?!

So - I book at the 180 day window what I think we might want - get the harder ones (Le Cellier), and book a couple others (this year Ohana, Teppanyaki, Coral Reef and Narcooses). Then when we go - we have reservations and I have peace of mind- but I would bet we cancel 50% of them.

For example - we end up in Epcot, and my daughter loves sushi - so instead of trekking where ever we were supposed to go for dinner - we eat sushi. But, I am more comfortable knowing I have something in place. And - I was thrilled to have my Le Cellier reservations last year. We had a lovely meal and even in January, they were turning people away.

I do love the planning part though. I get to re-experience my vacation over and over!