Help me pick the best UY & resort for our family of 5!

[we"reofftoneverland]

My 2cents:
1. Poly (and monorail) will be a nightmare once new tower opens. It used to be my fav resort but it is just too crowded with people not staying there.
2. SSR (own there) is our favorite resort because we can park right by our door. We started bringing a cooler for milk etc because we are not huge fans of the local groceries and don’t like to waste time on vacation going to the grocery. It is a major hassle to deal with anything like a cooler in a place like RIV (where we also own btw and do love the rooms but it too is crowded and inconvenient). Also, no outsiders visit SSR, so it is peaceful. SSR is also very convenient for getting to universal
3. We also have five kids and when our oldest (now a college student) travels with us we do not consider anything smaller than a two bedroom. None of our kids will sleep in the same bed— all boys.
4. Kidani and BLT are awesome for the 2 bath in one bedroom.
5. RIV and Poly have the best quick service. Kind of an aside but we eat a lot of resort quick service. We also like the quick service at BLT. Kidani quick service is awful imo. Boardwalk and beach club also have awful quick service. SSR quick service is also just meh. Others are all OK.

 

[Chili327]

UY - Sept, Oct, Aug, June (in that order, but all will work)
If CCV is out for you then I’d say Poly or BLT (or SSR), maybe start with a smaller contract at one of the park resorts, then you can add another small contract at SSR (or whatever feels right at that time) later when you need more points to get out of a studio.

 

[jolynne28]

UY - Sept, Oct, Aug, June (in that order, but all will work)
If CCV is out for you then I’d say Poly or BLT (or SSR), maybe start with a smaller contract at one of the park resorts, then you can add another small contract at SSR (or whatever feels right at that time) later when you need more points to get out of a studio.

Can you explain your UY order recommendation? I was thinking June would be best b/c our main travel months are going to be June-Dec, which means I could cancel and bank anything within that time period. What am I missing?

 

[mamaofsix]

Thanks for the very thoughtful reply. Kids are 10m, 7f, 5m. We will always want to do MK, Haunted Mansion is hands down my fav ride simply for nostalgia and it's just so easy to get around that park, but we are definitely Epcot/HS people, which is why Riv is so appealing. We hate rope drop, we prefer to stay out late and sleep in. We don't care so much to see the fireworks, we've seen them too many times as it is and would rather squeeze in some rides while lines are short most nights. I do like to have good dining options, but we are also willing to drive, being 2 hours away means we always have our car and find it just as easy to drive even to parks sometimes than to take Disney transportation.

I haven't technically set foot in BLT, and know about the refurb, but it's just not calling to me at all knowing how much we love the theming of WL. We really liked the vibe at SSR when we went, it's so nice to be able to park by your room. It seemed very relaxed and quiet. We liked the room we were shown. DS being so close with good dining options is a plus IMO. I just worry that the Mrs might get crazy in the next 10 years or so. But that could happen at any of the properties theoretically.

Years ago DH got food poisoning at Jiko, and we just did Sanaa in September and were not very impressed, so Boma is the only place left to try there. I do like that resort, but not as much as WL.

I agree with what you're saying about Poly, I am certain the point chart for the new tower is going to be high. I would say we definitely enjoy the vibe there too, but it feels so cramped in the lobby.

Direct benefits don't matter so much to us, we already have access to Sorcerer being residents. The dining 20% off is a nice perk, dining adds up quick at the pre fixed restaurants. I think we would only buy direct if the price point was the same or better like the VGF deal this past summer.

Thanks for sharing your thought process with all of us - this is fun to follow!

Our family similarly went back and forth for years on which resale resort to buy. In the end, the deal at VGF was so incredible that we did direct. Our reasons for this: discounts on meals and merchandise, access to lounges, moonlight magic, etc. Also: having access to book future resorts was a BIG deal to us. I didn't want to be locked out of future resorts for the next many decades.

If you're considering Riv direct, that's a great option. Checks all your boxes as a family of 5. Will likely give you decades of discounts and perks (I know, we can never "count" on perks - but they are likely to continue). Beautiful resort and convenient to two parks.

 

[intamin]

Can you explain your UY order recommendation? I was thinking June would be best b/c our main travel months are going to be June-Dec, which means I could cancel and bank anything within that time period. What am I missing?

If you’re traveling in June I would not recommend a September UY, I think you were correct with your original assessment where a June UY would work. You could also do an April UY or a October UY. The reason why an April UY would work is because if you cancel at least 31+ days before your December trip to avoid holding status you would still be in November where you can still bank the points. October would work fine as well for the same reasoning I said about the April UY but applied to your trips in June. If you plan to travel during other months of summer besides June though I would pick a June UY.

 

[jolynne28]

If you’re traveling in June I would not recommend a September UY, I think you were correct with your original assessment where a June UY would work. You could also do an April UY or a October UY. The reason why an April UY would work is because if you cancel at least 31+ days before your December trip to avoid holding status you would still be in November where you can still bank the points. October would work fine as well for the same reasoning I said about the April UY but applied to your trips in June. If you plan to travel during other months of summer besides June though I would pick a June UY.

That's exactly where I was at with the banking, either June or October UY. So here's my other question, let's say I have a June UY, the first week of June is our main trip every year, and someone gets sick right as our trip rolls around and we have to cancel. These points are now in holding correct, b/c we didn't cancel at least 31 days prior, and we have 60 days to use them or lose them?
If that's true, then that's the only negative I see with DVC. Maybe we've just have bad luck, but with 3 kids, we've had it happen more times than not that we have at least one sick kid when we have a reservation. Worst example of this is when we were going to spend Thanksgiving 2023 at FW with my parents. If you've never traveled in an RV before you have no idea how not fun it can be to pack. It's like a tiny house on wheels so you always end up packing way more than if you were jumping on a plane, well b/c you can and 'just in case'. Anyway, the morning we were scheduled to leave my oldest came in our room super sick, ended up at urgent care with the flu. We pushed the reservation back a few days, he was fully recovered, but then it got another kid, so we just pushed it back a bit more and then cancelled with no penalty.
60 days to use points seems like not much since availability can be so limited, but I guess early summer is the best time for that to happen and we can always book at OKW or SSR before school starts.

 

[LittleBitGoofy]

Does sound like a June UY would serve you well since that month kicks off your traveling season. We would be going Oct to May so we got an Oct UY which fits perfectly.

 

[intamin]

That's exactly where I was at with the banking, either June or October UY. So here's my other question, let's say I have a June UY, the first week of June is our main trip every year, and someone gets sick right as our trip rolls around and we have to cancel. These points are now in holding correct, b/c we didn't cancel at least 31 days prior, and we have 60 days to use them or lose them?
If that's true, then that's the only negative I see with DVC. Maybe we've just have bad luck, but with 3 kids, we've had it happen more times than not that we have at least one sick kid when we have a reservation. Worst example of this is when we were going to spend Thanksgiving 2023 at FW with my parents. If you've never traveled in an RV before you have no idea how not fun it can be to pack. It's like a tiny house on wheels so you always end up packing way more than if you were jumping on a plane, well b/c you can and 'just in case'. Anyway, the morning we were scheduled to leave my oldest came in our room super sick, ended up at urgent care with the flu. We pushed the reservation back a few days, he was fully recovered, but then it got another kid, so we just pushed it back a bit more and then cancelled with no penalty.
60 days to use points seems like not much since availability can be so limited, but I guess early summer is the best time for that to happen and we can always book at OKW or SSR before school starts.

I think your understanding of holding points is off. Once points are in holding, they can only be used to reserve a room that is 60 days or less away but do not expire until the end of the use year they’re being used in.

So lets say you had an early June 2024 trip with a June UY, you cancelled in mid-May, <31 days out, points go into holding, those points that are in holding now must be used on a reservation ending on or before June 1st 2025 (they can't be banked). however instead of being able to book up to 11 months out at your home resort, you only have a 2 month/60 day window basically so you're really at the mercy of what's left. Typically being SSR, OKW or a bungalow most commonly. Now this is the best case scenario because essentially you have an entire year to find something at the 60 day mark which I mean something will pop up and at the very worst you can rent out the room for cash on DVCRM or something.

There are ways to free points from holding status if you have another trip lined up later during that year and have more points but that’s the gist of it.

 

[Canchaser143]

Given the small kids who like MK and room sizing… Perhaps consider not completely ruling out BLT being the most practical for a value buyer at today’s pricing and dues….

Great resort to book as a just in case and then look to use as SAP for other resorts at 7m… you know you will always have a short walk to a park entrance, low dues, monorail access, and an extra bathroom in a 1Bd/2Bd.

I really shouldn't be reading this thread as you all are making want to trade in my OKW for BLT lol The struggle is real

 

[intamin]

I really shouldn't be reading this thread as you all are making want to trade in my OKW for BLT lol The struggle is real

I'm not a fan of OKW so I'm biased but monorail loop, lower dues, walking distance to MK, no more multiple bus stops? I'd definitely trade it in lol.

 

[jolynne28]

I think your understanding of holding points is off. Once points are in holding, they can only be used to reserve a room that is 60 days or less away but do not expire until the end of the use year they’re being used in.

So lets say you had an early June 2024 trip with a June UY, you cancelled in mid-May, <31 days out, points go into holding, those points that are in holding now must be used on a reservation ending on or before June 1st 2025 (they can't be banked). however instead of being able to book up to 11 months out at your home resort, you only have a 2 month/60 day window basically so you're really at the mercy of what's left. Typically being SSR, OKW or a bungalow most commonly. Now this is the best case scenario because essentially you have an entire year to find something at the 60 day mark which I mean something will pop up and at the very worst you can rent out the room for cash on DVCRM or something.

There are ways to free points from holding status if you have another trip lined up later during that year and have more points but that’s the gist of it.

Got it, thanks for explaining. The 60 days or less is still a pita, but having basically an entire year to work it out in that scenario makes it sting a little less.

 

[Canchaser143]

I'm not a fan of OKW so I'm biased but monorail loop, lower dues, walking distance to MK, no more multiple bus stops? I'd definitely trade it in lol.

I mean when you put it that way haha Granted it was an extremely good deal for a 2057 and I really just wanted to be a member so I could purchase a small VDH contract. The points charts for OKW are just so good and the rooms are massive lol We will see how much long I keep telling myself that
My Advice to the OP is make sure you just do not look at value alone! Buy what will make you happy VDH gets a ton of heat on here but it makes me happy lol

 

[Chili327]

Can you explain your UY order recommendation? I was thinking June would be best b/c our main travel months are going to be June-Dec, which means I could cancel and bank anything within that time period. What am I missing?

My thought was June vacations weren’t the priority, I was going by Oct-Dec.
You are correct (and others) in doing a June UY for June vacations. I don’t travel until Oct-Feb and have 2 contracts that are both June UY.

 

[tom1944]

I really shouldn't be reading this thread as you all are making want to trade in my OKW for BLT lol The struggle is real

When do you travel? Have you ever not been able to book at BLT using your OKW points?

 

[intamin]

Got it, thanks for explaining. The 60 days or less is still a pita, but having basically an entire year to work it out in that scenario makes it sting a little less.

Yep still a PITA but much better to have your UY to your advantage and have the full year to use those points. If you truly go during all seasons of the year UY matters much less but if you have a tendency to go during certain times use year matters. I can't help but roll my eyes when I see people say use year doesn't matter and not to think about it too much. Having the correct use year is like having insurance. You don't want to have to ever use said insurance but you'll appreciate having it when you need it.

 

[MerlinandtheMouse]

There are ways to free points from holding status if you have another trip lined up later during that year and have more points but that’s the gist of it.

Sorry to pull away from the point of the thread but do you mind explain this a little further? I think I’ve misunderstood what happens when you cancel less than 31days from the reservation. We’ve only been members for a little under a year and this is the first time this situation has happened.

I have to cancel a 1 night booking in early Jan that was a last minute addition to a longer trip. I was just thinking of finding a booking for similar/exact point value within the 60 days following and try to rent it out since I assumed I had to use them within 60 days of the existing booking. But you’re saying that as long as the points don’t expire (Aug 2023 points) I can use them anytime until the end of July but at a 60 day booking window?

 

[Canchaser143]

When do you travel? Have you ever not been able to book at BLT using your OKW points?

I actually have been able to! Got a lake view studio for a few nights in February

 

[Genie+]

I don't disagree with what you are saying about Poly. At this point I'm feeling like there's no "perfect" choice, we just need to make the one that's best for us. I'm typically a very practical person, but Dis does have an emotional pull on me. So DH needs to make the final call probably on where we buy.
We can do 2 studios at CCV for the same amount of points as the 1 bedroom and have two bathrooms.

We’ve decided next trip to do 2 studios for 4 of us. I’d rather have 2 bathrooms than a kitchen. No cooking lol!

One caveat is rooms may not be very close. Poly is best here since it’s all studios and most are connecting. From what I hear they try their best to fulfill request for families with children under 18. Other resorts are more hit or miss. You may end up down the hall or on another floor. I think none have lockoff door between studios like Poly does.

Got it, thanks for explaining. The 60 days or less is still a pita, but having basically an entire year to work it out in that scenario makes it sting a little less.

When we chose our Sept UY our thinking was: We’ll likely only visit Sept-May. May is in the banking window of Sept UY but since we’d want to cancel at least 31 days out to avoid holding, that May trip would still be bankable in April. If we had to cancel closer to the trip, we could still try to find availability within 60 days before Aug 31 either to use ourselves or rent out.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Sorry to pull away from the point of the thread but do you mind explain this a little further? I think I’ve misunderstood what happens when you cancel less than 31days from the reservation. We’ve only been members for a little under a year and this is the first time this situation has happened.

I have to cancel a 1 night booking in early Jan that was a last minute addition to a longer trip. I was just thinking of finding a booking for similar/exact point value within the 60 days following and try to rent it out since I assumed I had to use them within 60 days of the existing booking. But you’re saying that as long as the points don’t expire (Aug 2023 points) I can use them anytime until the end of July but at a 60 day booking window?

Yes. They expire at the end of their use year. But you can only secure a booking within 60 days. So I have some holding points right now. I want to book in July. Right now everything is wide open for July, but I cannot book until May (60 days out). When I go to book, availability will be tighter. But it will be doable because it is July. For the most part DVC people use their points in the fall, Christmas break/NYs, spring break, and Easter.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Honestly, I wouldn’t base my decision on theme since that can (and does) change with every refurb…it’s all about location, points chart, maintenance, etc. I would go with BLT due to the second bath in a 1 Br, location, decent maintenance rate, end date, standard room points costs and dining options.

The *theme* changes???
That’s new to me.