Is it imperative to rent and stay at a DVC property prior to purchasing?

[Orion Nebula]

My wife and I are becoming VERY serious about purchasing DVC. There have been some caveats which is making us pause (good thing I believe) but the amount of research and time we have put into this has been immense. So I "think" we have a fairly good idea on the in's and out's of the process.

However, we have never stayed in anything outside of the moderates. Which obviously means we have not actually experienced what it is like to stay at a deluxe. At first we thought about taking a short trip to do the entire tour thing, then thought about renting points and actually staying at one would be even better. But the hangup on that is the massive amount of money the resorts cost to visit. So taking that into consideration that chunk of money could be put toward the DVC membership itself.

What do you guys think? If we are pretty positive we are going to buy in, should we dump all the cash for the "trial" stay one into the purchase? Or should we rent points and just try a possible home resort out?

 

[thanxfornoticin]

If you've done that much research and are clearly leaning towards purchasing, I'm not sure I see that much value in spending money for a rental stay. Let's say you do rent, then what? Unless you have an absolute disaster of a stay, you're probably likely to buy the points. And I can tell you in 30 years of DVC, we've only had one 'disaster' stay! And part of that was just unlucky on our part. The other 99% of the trips have been good to great. If you're going to make the investment, save the dollars from a rental and put it towards a purchase.

Do you know where you think you want to buy?

 

[Nabas]

You don’t have to sleep at the resort you want to purchase at, but IMO it’s a good idea to at least visit it. And if you have already been to it once and really liked it, that’s good enough.

Good luck!

 

[mgarbowski]

I agree that if you've done enough research to give you pause (yet you still are leaning to buy) I see little value in a test run, unless one of the items causing you concern could be clarified by a visit. But that seems unlikely and you don't suggest it is the case so I would just make sure your research and decision bases are solid and then apply the money you did not spend on this trip.

 

[kes601]

If you've done research and are sure of where you would like to purchase at then I see no reason to stay there ahead of time. Seems like throwing money away to me. Take what you would have paid for the "trial stay" and put it toward purchasing a contract.

 

[DL1WDW2]

I have just discussed this in the other thread .(Riviera Direct or VGF2)
I would say Yes its a good idea but not necessary since you are familiar with property. Currently a lot is going on with this decision and involves more than just location .
I can guarantee one stay at a deluxe will only convince you that Deluxe is your only choice Haha .
Keep us posted cause a trip and the eventual outcome will be interesting to hear about.
It is fun even for those that are currently not researching.to really buy.

 

[tlm345]

It’s not necessary, but as a family that had only stayed at moderates…we stayed 3 times at DVC on rental points (all discounted-last minute) and it sold us. We had never had such a magical time at Disney. We used the rental deals to help us narrow down our decision on where to buy. While some people this may be a waste of money, for us, it was an enjoyable way to get our daughters excited about the decision as well. And who doesn’t love some extra time at Disney for “research” purposes

 

[Orion Nebula]

Just to answer a earlier question we have been looking at SS and OKW. Obviously we have not visited either. Our experience with comparing comes from articles and youtube. My wife though is leaning more towards OKW.

 

[ak517]

I probably was not the prime candidate for DVC, as growing up and into adulthood we chose to stay at Values and Moderates, with one very short stay at AKL. However, my family always toured and dined at the Deluxe resorts just as if they were extensions of the parks. I grew to love them and dream of staying at each of them, however I always felt priced out (I am a stickler for a good deal and $600+ a night is not a good deal). March 2021 I started listening to the podcasts and realizing I could have what I always wanted at a "discount" that although wasn't pennies on the dollar was still much more substantial than what resort discounts Disney is offering to APs and FL residents. Plus, I like the idea of being able to control my reservations which you can't do with point rentals! So, in November we put an offer on an AKV contract (not as great of a discount as some other properties on the resale market, but this was our preferred use year and came with 2020 banked points) and we got our points last week. I have already planned three trips with the surplus points that expire this year, and we already see the benefit in staying at resorts within walking distance of MK and Epcot/HS in our planning strategy.

I guess that was a long-winded way of saying that you don't need to try before you buy if you know this is right for you!

 

[DaveNan]

I followed much of the same process as you. I actually started the rental process. I had a friend share all the availability info with me so I understood actual availability at all the resorts and villa types. This actually made me more convinced to buy. Availability is difficult at 7 months and owning the reservation process (not needing the 2nd and 3 rd parties involved) is helpful on the more desirable resorts. There is no guarantee, in fact the only chance is low demand times. This is why you willl hear the consistent advice, buy where you want to stay. By the time I was doing my rental stay, I was out of rofr and waiting on closing. I could have followed the advice above and used the rental monies for buying, but understand, if you go resale, it may takes weeks/months to find the right contract, then 2-3 more months for rofr, closing, and getting access to the membership and points. And then you need to book, 7-11 months out. If you have a specific trip planned on 7 months, that just isn’t an option. As I am sure you research has shown, DVC is for planners and you will need patience on the front end.

 

[DaveNan]

I followed much of the same process as you. I actually started the rental process. I had a friend share all the availability info with me so I understood actual availability at all the resorts and villa types. This actually made me more convinced to buy. Availability is difficult at 7 months and owning the reservation process (not needing the 2nd and 3 rd parties involved) is helpful on the more desirable resorts. There is no guarantee, in fact the only chance is low demand times. This is why you willl hear the consistent advice, buy where you want to stay. By the time I was doing my rental stay, I was out of rofr and waiting on closing. I could have followed the advice above and used the rental monies for buying, but understand, if you go resale, it may takes weeks/months to find the right contract, then 2-3 more months for rofr, closing, and getting access to the membership and points. And then you need to book, 7-11 months out. If you have a specific trip planned on 7 months, that just isn’t an option. As I am sure you research has shown, DVC is for planners and you will need patience on the front end.

And to add, never regretted buying. And I have added on at 2 more resorts for the 11 month booking window.

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

It is smart to at least take a tour at the resort you are interested in. These days, you can easily find a video tour on YouTube. This is not as good as being there, but still pretty good.

 

[Sandisw]

Honestly, I think the research and understanding the pros/cons of DVC is more important than actually staying at one.

I do think it is important to make sure you know a lot about the home resort you are choosing, the booking patterns for ones you want to try, and what times of year is busy for DVC…because it is not the same as Oarks.

It sounds like you have done a lot of that so I think you could buy without spending the money to either rent or stay as a cash guest.

 

[Brian Noble]

Obviously we have not visited either. Our experience with comparing comes from articles and youtube. My wife though is leaning more towards OKW.

If it were me, I'd probably want to at least walk around each one to get a sense of the vibe, but I don't think I'd need to stay there. I'm not sure those come across in the videos. They are different. OKW whispers "island time" everywhere you turn. SSR is more quiet sophistication. OKW's landscaping is a bit more lush and the resort is somehow more integrated with the water features, while SSR's amenties (pools, CS location, etc.) are better developed.

On the other hand, neither is particularly hard at 7 months, so if you buy at one and decide to stay at the other often, that's probably doable outside of race weekends and the worst of Fall Frenzy (which itself might get better with the continuing reallocation). They are more alike than different and it is hard to go wrong.

I'd split the difference. Go ahead and start the purchasing process. If you are thinking about a resale purchase, it might take a while to find the right thing, get an offer accepted, pass ROFR, etc. In the meantime, you don't have to stop going; you can still visit, staying in whatever resort fits your budget for a cash reservation, but visiting these two for maybe lunch or dinner.

 

[MinBz]

I bought into DVC (Copper Creek) in 2019 without ever staying or visiting a Disney Resort. Prior to buying into DVC, we always stayed off property. Bought DVC over the phone so didn’t even do a tour or meet anyone in person. Did a lot of research online and saw YouTube videos on the different resorts and rooms. No regrets on just buying in without ever visiting a Disney resort. We love our home resort stay at Copper Creek for our first ever Disney stay in 2020 and and love Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani (our second Disney stay in 2021). This summer we are going back to AKL Kidani for a week but then switching over to Beach Club. Can’t wait to try Beach Club (had to stalk to piece together 5 nights there in a 1 bedroom). Oh and I have a resale contract pending on Beach Club even though I haven’t actually stayed there yet. We will close on Beach Club before our Summer Stay there. I know I’ll love it because of the location and pool videos!! Good Luck with what you decide is best for you and your family!

 

[Wedgeout]

There are so many online tour videos, it can be done virtually to confirm if you are ready to stay elsewhere. That’s all I did prior to joining into this prepaid vacation plan. Took the first DVC vacation and it was great. The most important prior decision to me is having the huge chunk of fun money available to just do it.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Just to answer a earlier question we have been looking at SS and OKW. Obviously we have not visited either. Our experience with comparing comes from articles and youtube. My wife though is leaning more towards OKW.

We've owned at OKW since 93 now and love it. The place is so peaceful and the rooms are very large. It's not perfect (for example, only 2 or 3 of the buildings have elevators to get guests to the 2nd and 3rd floors - the rest are stairs only), but it's one of our 3 favorite resorts on property. Good luck with your decision and purchase.

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

I did a ton of research and knew I wanted Riviera, wasn't thrilled with resale restrictions, but still bought it in 2019 when it was not open yet. Had our welcome home a year later in a pandemic and still loved it. No regrets. I think if you do online tours of the grounds, pools, and room size you think you'd like and still like it -- you'll be fine. No way you won't like it more than a moderate!

 

[Pluto1976]

As others have suggested, given the amount of research already done and still being ready to buy, a rental DVC stay is not necessary. I would suggest at least visiting the resorts and walking around to get a feeling for both of them and what one you like better (i.e. OKW or SS). Now, if these are the two finalists in your decision and you already know you have a preference for a beachy/island feel then OKW wins and no need to visit. This works vice-versa as well making SSR the winner.

Enjoy the "dilemna" and good luck!

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Agree 100% - once you stay at a deluxe resort, you won't go back to value/moderate anytime soon!!