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

[Wendysofftoneverland]

I'm curious. What was so disappointing? Had you never been to BoardWalk?

It seems to me that most who'd consider buying into DVC will have been to the resort they're considering buying into.

Maybe I'm missing something...again.

It felt like an overpriced, lackluster fair. Food was overpriced and greasy, couldn't get just a sandwich (had to get unwanted fries and a drink), entertainment was lacking (again, if it wasn't the pandemic it might be different), most of the people working there didn't seem very friendly, and I just didn't feel the Disney magic. Maybe I just had too high of expectations based on prepandemic times, or maybe I needed to stay the night there to get a full assessment.

We didn't buy there, but if I was buying site unseen, BWV would have been the one I would have picked based on pictures I saw online and the fact studios sleep 5. I did almost buy a small resale contract there prior to visiting, because I know the smaller contracts go fast and I was so sure it would be my favorite. I liked the vibe I felt looking at the photos and what I saw taking the boat past there en route from Epcot to HS and running through there during rundisney. I had visited the Beach Club and loved it, and Boardwalk was in a similar location, but I thought I would like the theming/things to do there more.

And I guess everyone probably has visited what they want to be their home resort, maybe it didn't need to be said to at least visit there. I just was surprised at how different my feelings were from looking at photos, going past there, and watching YouTube videos versus seeing for myself.

 

[Her Dotness]

Okay, I understand your viewpoint more now. Thanks for clarifying.

I agree your impression may have been affected by the pandemic. We found CMs seemed more jittery, a few even quietly remarking that they were beyond weary of all the pandemic stress. We almost never heard anything negative from CMs before all this unless about the weather, followed by a joke. Food wasn't nearly as good at some long-time favorites either.

I do agree there's something to be said for a real-life visit even if you're a WDW veteran. Sometimes, you just don't feel cozy or at home there once you walk around considering it as somewhere to stay rather than popping in to eat or shop. I know I feel that way about Beach Club after walking around it. The videos make it look lovely , but it was too noisy and hectic for me when we walked about once after eating.

Another real-life factor that just occurred to me is the scent diffused into the air at each resort. I've seen posts remarking that the poster thought a particular resort beautiful but that it smelled funny. You certainly couldn't experience that by watching videos!

 

[BennyBoyWrench]

I've skipped past all the replies to offer my two cents - it's not imperative, but if you're going to put down north of $20000, then make sure it's on something that you like. Get a tour of the room, spend some time in the lobby etc. We were staying in AKL when we rang up and purchased a Copper Creek contract. I'd never been to Copper Creek, so we swung by, looked at a room, saw there was a walk in shower, and that was it. When they said they stole the beds from the cruise line, my joke about where do those guests sleep was overlooked. Nearly a deal breaker.

 

[Imkarlawithak2005]

We bought both our contracts sight unseen. We had done a tour at VGC in 2010 but we weren’t really in the position to buy. Two years later we bought Aulani. Last year we wanted a bigger room for a trip so we bought Copper Creek. I think for us we wanted Aulani for Hawaii. And for Disneyworld we knew what we didn’t want.

 

[dvc lover 1970]

Not necessary to rent and stay first. If you like the resort area you should be all set. You must know that the dvc studios have one bed and pull out couch vs two beds in the hotel room. Okw is the exception with two beds in the studio

 

[JinxRemoving]

I think the biggest things that are different about a DVC stay that impact whether or not it's a good fit are 1) can you plan your trips months in advance? and 2) are you ok with less housekeeping? I would imagine most people like nicer, larger accomodations so I don't think you NEED to stay at a Deluxe before buying in. Both of the two things I mentioned you should be able to suss out without spending your cash on renting points. We, like many others here, bought at a resort we'd never stayed at and have been happy with our choice.

Sounds like you've done your research and I'm assuming it makes sense for your family financially so I say go for it! Use the money for your DVC contract instead of a rental and get closer to breaking even faster.

 

[kboo]

Which ones ended up "meh"?

My wife and I spent hours last night watching tours. But I couldn't find good ones that "seemed" non bias. Everyone we watched just walked around glowing at how awesome the place was. There is no way each is perfect... although I find a lot of the vloggers a bit overly "bubbly". Does anyone have any recommended videos for any of the DVC properties? At this point I am pretty sure we are going to buy direct at either OKW or Saratoga. But it would be completely due to price. OKW seemed the better of the two but the one video we watched made us kind of blah on it.

Anyhow at this point I don't think I could spend my points at any resort that lacks alternative transportation. The person showing off OKW mentioned in some of the locations you had to take a bus... to take a bus...

And as far as the decision on direct, I think the idea of buying resale and not being able to use the points at any future resorts (or Riviera) is a deal breaker. Riviera looked really nice.

I really appreciate everyone's help!

We watched tour videos on mute (ha!) and had been to WDW multiple times, so sort of knew the layout and roughly where the resorts were. While we did stay at many resorts (some hotel side and not DVC), I don't think it was imperative to stay before buying and I think we would have made roughly the same decisions that we ended up making. One thing to keep in mind is that your needs/desires may change upon owning DVC - whether it's kids, grandkids, friends, parents, etc. Also, as others have said, once you go larger than a studio, it will be much harder to go back. And sometimes other seasons that were too expensive before (Christmas!) end up being more realistic since you've already bought your points so its not another outlay of $$$$$ to book a room. But that's not necessarily something you could know before buying and using your DVC, so there is a little bit of a leap.

Next time you are near WDW .. take time to walk around the resorts that interest you. You'll know if it is pleasing to you. Some will be OK ... some will turn you off ... and, perhaps, some will grab you. But it will be different for you than anyone else.

This post and summary spoke to me! I happen to be a BLT and RIV lover and owner, and there are lots of people on these boards who dislike these resorts or find them "meh." We own at BLT, RIV and VGF, bought not in that order. Now that I look at my pros/cons, I realized we followed our tummies for our home resorts.

Since I recently learned how to make a table, here's my thoughts on WDW DVCs.

Resort (bold if I've stayed)	Pros	Cons	Decision point/wish I'd known?
AKV	theming, restaurants	bus transportation only	value/club levels, decor don't excite me
BCV	pool, location	2042, no views, odd layout in 1br that only sleep 4; SAB not great for families w small children	BCV was selling for ~$100pp when I was first looking; might have bought there if kids were older
BLT	location, point costs, +1 bath in 1br and larger, restaurants, views	studios very small if you have kids, some don't like theming and pools are meh	wish I'd started w enough points to be in 1br and up, was selling for ~100-110 pp in 2017
BRV	theming of resort, point costs, good values can be found	2042, needs refurb	if I'd known the boats were mostly stroller-friendly, would have looked closer when we were buying in
BWV	theming, location, great point value	2042, all 2br are lockoffs, 1br only sleep 4	We almost bought BWV, it was the first DVC we stayed in. the fact that 2br are tied to studio availability makes me relieved that we didn't buy here.
CCV	theming, location, new	5 guests? must get a 2br. ouch	would love to stay at 7mo - tour was lovely, but at that point we were looking at RIV
OKW	great value, close to DS, large units! Studios have 2 real beds, newly refurbed, large villas	2042 resales, location, no elevators	might have considered OKW2057 direct when we were first buying but had no idea,
PVB	extra bathroom space, large units, theming, connecting studios are a good deal	studios and bungalows only, studio point costs comparable to VGF	personally think the split bath layout in VGF/RIV studios is a better use of space
RIV	theming, location, restaurants, views, cast members, large villas	point charts, getting to HS can be slow sometimes, resale restriction (doesn't bother me)	many standard rooms have amazing views of MK *and* EP fireworks; need to own to get std rms
SSR	newly refurbed, close to DS	bus to all parks, easy to get at 7mo	good value for sleeparound points, but we got a good deal for BLT
VGF	theming, location, restaurants, views, newly refurbed w murphy beds, most transportation options	point charts	wish I'd bought enough points for 2br or larger more often (1st world problems)

 

[bwvBound]

Since I recently learned how to make a table, here's my thoughts on WDW DVCs.

Good job using tables, @kboo!

 

[DVCSunDevil]

Like many others have said, I don’t think it’s necessary to stay at a resort if you already put that much research into it. The one caveat I would have is if you are having a really tough time deciding between two resorts. Then I would maybe at least go check out the vibe of each resort in person.