“Add-on-itis” is that urge to buy more DVC points, an affliction known to affect many a DVC Fan. You can never seem to have enough points! So when you finally decide to purchase more points, how do you go about choosing your next home resort? Here are a few ways to strategically select where to add on:
Home Resort Advantage
You may love your current home resort and simply want more points there, but perhaps you have noticed that there is that one resort that is always challenging to switch to at the 7-month mark. (Beach Club Villas, I’m looking at you.) Maybe you really want a resort along the monorail loop like Bay Lake Tower, the Polynesian, or the Grand Floridian. Perhaps you have fallen for Animal Kingdom Lodge with its savannas and its value and concierge booking categories that you cannot find at any other DVC resort. Having a contract at one of those resorts can give you that valuable 11-month mark advantage.
Park Proximity
Another factor to consider is to find a resort that complements the location of your current home resort. For example, if you own a contract at the BoardWalk Villas, Beach Club Villas, or Riviera, you already have great access to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Adding on at Bay Lake Tower, the Grand Floridian, the Polynesian, Copper Creek, or Boulder Ridge can provide better access to the Magic Kingdom. Similarly, you could consider Animal Kingdom Lodge for its proximity to Animal Kingdom.
Contract Length
If you have a home resort with a contract that ends in 2042, maybe it’s best to find a home resort that has a longer contract length. Contract length played a big role in my husband and me choosing to add on at Bay Lake Tower, which has an expiration date of 2060. It felt like a nice counterbalance to our first DVC contract at the BoardWalk, which unfortunately ends in 2042.
Cheaper Points
Some people prefer to book at the 7-month mark or less, and home resort advantage doesn’t matter at all. If that’s the case, it’s best to look for the most economical points such as those at Saratoga Springs or even the Polynesian or Copper Creek. This is a great way to get more points for less to book larger accommodations. Cabin points, anyone?
Options in Villa Types
Speaking of the Polynesian, one of the cons to the resort is the lack of one bedroom and two bedroom villas (other than the point-hungry bungalows). Similarly, a resort like the BoardWalk only has lock-off two bedroom villas that are made up of studios with adjoining one bedroom villas and lacks the dedicated two bedroom villas that can be found at other resorts. The Beach Club is also one of the few DVC resorts that doesn’t have any grand villas. In each of these instances, another home resort can give you better access to those villa types.
For those of you who have purchased an add-on contract before, what factors helped you choose your next home resort?
We originally bought at Poly, but added-on the BoardWalk since that is my husband’s favorite place to stay during the first of December. that is not easy to get at the 7 month mark.
Honestly we were looking for that more bang for the buck. We bought direct and thought that the amount of points would give us what we needed out of DVC. Little did we know that it wasn’t even close. We started off our DVC adventure with two years of points in a year. That spoiled us. Yes we could have banked them but we were so excited and able to travel and share with family and friends we burned through those points.
We decided to go resale so we could get the most out of our dollar. We bought into Saratoga Springs. Same point contract as our direct contract. We love the resort and the walking distance to Disney Springs. By the time that contract expires I will be 80 years old. Hopefully still kicking and living in Orlando. I’ll still have the Riviera contract that expires in 2070 I believe. We don’t have kids so we didn’t need to worry about inheritance. We do have a few nieces that will get it down the road if they want it.
I’ll give it another year and revisit another contract. If Disney would have the promo that caused me to jump in I’ll buy direct but if not, resale it is.
Very informative.