Adding a Second Contract.. Should I Have Multiple Home Resorts?
There is a disease that is common around DVC circles. It's called "addonitis" (pronounced "add-on-itis"). It's the Disney Vacation Club disease of once you have become a member, you want to purchase another one or two, etc.…
When adding a new contract, DVC members will have the option to purchase the same home resort or purchase a new one. Unlike complexities around owning multiple Use Years, owning two or more home resorts will be more straightforward. Membership will be easier, but owning at two different resorts will also mean that both resorts' 11-month booking privileges will differ. This chapter discusses why people purchase a second contract at a home resort different from the original contract.
Understanding The 11-Month Priority With Multiple Home Resorts
First, owning a second home resort will give you priority home resort booking at two resorts eleven months from your reservation. The priority is specific to the home resort, so a 100 point contract at Bay Lake Tower and a 100 point contract at Saratoga Springs will not give you 200 points of home resort priority at either location at the eleven-month window. It will only give you 100 points at each location at the 11-month booking window. You'll have to wait until 7-months from your reservation to combine the points. However, owning at two resorts gives you the flexibility at the 11-month window to book at either resort.
Need 11-Month Priority For A Specific Time/Resort
One of the reasons owners will add a second home resort is that they are frustrated by not having the accommodation at a specific resort available at the seven-month reservation window. This is especially true in the Fall when availability tightens up for most Walt Disney World DVC Villas. You may want the Boardwalk for a week so you can walk to Food and Wine, but at the 7-month window, this resort only has 3.27 days average availability during this time. If you want an entire week or more, the only way to guarantee a room will be to have the Boardwalk as your home resort. This will prioritize booking eleven months out and guarantee room availability during this time.
The Problem Owning Non-Walt Disney World Home Resorts
Sometimes owners just want to have more points and are looking to add them at the cheapest location. This is in play most common for potential owners who look at the current resale pricing and see that Vero Beach and Hilton Head are some of the cheapest cost/points of any DVC locations. However, when looking at annual dues, these locations are much higher than the other DVC resorts. Both should be considered when looking at purchasing any DVC home resort.
Additionally, a common phrase you'll hear is to own where you don't mind staying. This typically refers to booking your home resort at 11-months and then, based on availability when the 7-month window opens, moving the reservation to another resort. If you don't see the accommodation you want at 7-months, you are fine staying at your home resort. Buying at any non-Walt Disney World hotels (Vero Beach, Hilton Head, Grand Californian, or Aulani) is a risk if you don't plan to stay there.
Using Banking And Borrowing To Accommodate Multiple Home Resorts
Some owners can also use a strategy when purchasing multiple contracts to bank or borrow points to give you flexibility at 11-months. Rather than have multiple contracts with only 100 points at Bay Lake Tower and 100 points at Saratoga Springs, the owners will use bank and borrow to have 200 points at each resort in alternating years. This is done by banking the Bay Lake Tower points until next year and borrowing the 100 Saratoga Springs points into this year. This gives you 200 points for Saratoga Springs this year and 200 points for Bay Lake Tower next year for booking an 11-month home resort priority. By alternating, you have 200 points at the same resort each year, making it much easier to get the vacation time you want.