Ready to buy into VWL - please help relieve this anxiety

[qqq]

Just attended a DVC presentation on the Magic. Sounds like a winner. Especially considering we paid Disney $5500 for 2 adults and a 6 year on this cruise (loved it, worth every penny).
We want to buy 270 points at VWL - but that kind of investment feels like a leap of faith. Especially since we've never seen these villas (we did walk through the lodge once - very nice).
Can we have some advise/opinions?

 

[ILuvDVC]

Wilderness Lodge Villas look beautiful. I have yet to stay there, but then, WL is not my favorite resort at WDW. It is nice, but I prefer OKW and the BW over the WLV. That's just me. I did stay at the WL once.

If you prefer BoardWalk and/or Old Key West, and do not want to wait for the Beach Club Resorts, then buy a resale

 

[CLC]

We own at BWV and VB but just returned from our first stay at VWL. We absolutely loved it. Our view was pine trees and a bit of the pool. The rooms are decorated in a mountain theme-a bit darker wood with antique green kitchen cabinets-very different than BWV. We particularly liked the grounds. There are places to stroll (we walked the paths) and to sit and relax (we enjoyed the sitting areas in the main lodge, some were outside balconies and some inside lounging areas). The villa lodge is homey-there is no check in, so the hustle and bustle is low. There are seating areas, areas to play checkers, a large porch with rockers...it felt like your own lodge. The geyser is fun to watch-the quiet pool is by the villas..The transportation wasn't too bad either-some of the bus rides are long as they stop at the Grand Floridian and Contemporary and Polynesian but the wait for the bus for us was not too long. It was different as we are used to walking to Epcot from BWV and taking the boat or walking to MGM.
They have the refillable mugs at VWL which we loved!!!! and a place to get a quick snack or simple meal. I do miss not having that at BWV. We hope to stay there again in December [we will be at BWV in August]
For us it was great-different people like different things and certainly you'll have to take info and decide what is right for you-but hope this helps!

 

[gscott8075]

Hi, QQQ, I was also just on the Magic and attended the talks.

We joined DVC in March. We bought a resale from Timeshare Store. They completed the transaction seamlessly. We paid $12 less per point than Disney charged and the seller paid all of the maintenance fees for the year. There are a lot of variables - so you need to understand exactly what DVC is offering while determining the value of a resale.

The big issue with a resale is financing - if you are a cash buyer its the only way to go. If you need to finance, the DVC financing is tought to beat - and it could be tax deductible.

The Magical Beginnings program for VWL is very weak - $5 a point is not worth taking advantage of.

DVC looks at us the same way as all members - except we did not get the tote bag.

Be careful, there is a lot of hot debate on these boards about the relative using points on the cruise. You should do a search and read them to help make your decision.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Richyams]

You will get a lot of information here. The FAQ at the begining of the topic page is a great start.

Remember, there are several DVC resorts. The most consistant piece of advice that you will get is to buy at the resort you wish to stay at most often.

Personally, I prefer OKW. I like it best for many reasons. I like the ability to park in front of my unit. I like that the units are MUCH larger than either BWV, VWL or the soon to come BCV. I like that the points are less per nights stay. I like that the dues are lower also.

OKW is also the largest resort, it has the most owners and resales are pretty easy to get.

SOme people will prefer the location and atmosphere of VWL so much that are willing to deal with the higher dues, higher point schedule and smaller units.

 

[normr]

If you just spent $5500 on just 1 cruise, then you just spent almost one half of what it would have cost you to buy into a DVC resale where you would still have 40 years of vacations/cruises, but don't get too bummed out by that many of didn't realize what a great deal DVC was right away either, we always shyed away from the DVC kiosks because we has been through some terrifying timeshare presentations and thought Disney would be the same, it wasn't until we finally did the tour an d saw how unbelieveable the accomodations were that we realized we needed to buy in.

 

[Donald Duck 57]

Hi QQQ,
Alll I can tell you is that my DW fought me for 2 years about DVC until we took a tour of the VWL (5/17)the next day we joined. The rooms there are beautiful as are the grounds. The thing that we liked about the VWL was it was more laid back then BWV. Good luck in what ever you decided.

 

[dbkelly]

Hi,

I just bought a resale of OKW and I am very excited. I bought the resale from Jaki at atimeshare.com 1-888-345-2622. Jaki was wonderful. She is absolutely the best resaler out there.
Also, this board was extremely helpful. More so then Disney themselves! Everytime I had a question I would just submit it to this board and it was always answered by at least 2 or 3 people. Good Luck.

Doris

P.S. We were just about to purchase VWL with Disney when I discovered this board and started investigating resales and I am so glad that we did. OKW is a better choice for us, but that does not mean it is for you. Evaluate each property and determine which one is the best fit for you.

 

[janiejo]

As you will see, each of us love DVC but we all have our favorite resort. I would have loved to own at OKW but couldn't get my husband interested in buying in '92. After staying once at BWV paying cash for two 2 bedroom units, and staying at other resorts on property, my husband finally "saw the light." We bought at BWV and love the location especially when going to the parks. For a golf vacation, we love OKW. We stayed at WL last Thanksgiving (last minute trip and paid cash) and toured the villas. They are beautiful. I would love to stay there - especially around Christmas. The fireplaces were a fantastic touch. We sipped cocoa by the fireplace, sitting in the rockers among the beautifully decorated Christmas tree. I think if you love Disney, you would be happy owning DVC. So far, I have never been disappointed with any of the hotels or vacation club resorts. Get on the website and look at the photos at the different resorts. If you don't think you a WL type, then check out the other resorts. You can, as others have said, still buy through resales. We have used The Timeshare Store twice and would recommend Shontelle in a second! Just keep asking the questions and you'll get the answers. Good Luck!

 

[CLC]

We also bought VB from Jaki and it was very easy-as easy as when we bought BWV from Disney. I agree all the resorts are great-each has its own personality. Try to decide which you prefer to be at for the 11 month booking window and then use your membership to try them all! Good luck and enjoy.

 

[Pointdisney]

DW and I recently stayed at VWL, despite the fact that our original 'home' is BWV, and we absolutely loved it! So much so, in fact, that we decided to add on at VWL.

The grounds are relaxing, meticulously themed and just plain beautiful. You will love it here! Best of luck in your decision!

 

[gofenmom]

We purchased at BWV because you could walk into Epcot and now walk to MGM. You only have to bus to MK, AK, and DD. We've never stayed at the WL so I'm not sure how quick the boat to MK is or the buses to the rest of the parks. You can't go wrong. Any place you purchase will be "HOME." Good luck.

 

[GrammieMame]

Another often overlooked benefit of WLV is access to Ft. Wilderness area. Hoop-de-doo-Review, hayrides, campfire singalong & movie, River Country. All of these are a trek from any other area, but an easy walk or bike ride from WLV. I also love the boat access to MK.

 

[KMarie]

qqq,
If you want to refresh your memory and get an idea of what the VWL rooms look like, go to the offical DVC Web site at http://www.dvcmagic.com and click on resorts. There are some pictures and descriptions of the facilities on the site.

What sold us on DVC was what it cost us to stay with our whole family at BWV for a couple trips. We spent as much on lodging for those trips as we did for our points, which give lodging for the next 40 years or so at BWV. We wish we had done it sooner!

 

[CLC]

We wish we had done it sooner also! Somehow we missed hearing about it when we visited in '97-we bought in '99. We are really enjoying the facilities-our stay at Dixie Landings in '99 [which we loved] cost us about 25% of our whole BWV purchase! Since then we have gone many times-for a week in August and luckily several 'alone' trips this year. We will be at BWV in August again-just returned from VWL-and have a beach house for 2 nights in Dec and a 2 bedroom at Key West for 2 nights also. There is a lot of variety and we love DVC.