If you had $15,000 to spend on DVC

[dmunsil]

12 total resorts, 8 of which are at WDW and the other 4 which are outshined by competitors in their vicinity.

I'll buy that for 2 of them: Vero Beach and Hilton Head. But I don't know of any other timeshares (or hotels, for that matter) near Disneyland that "outshine" the Grand Californian. The closest timeshare I know of is Dolphin's Cove. I've stayed there, and it doesn't outshine anything. It's a perfectly nice 70's era apartment complex that's been converted to a timeshare. As for hotels, the ones around Disneyland are pretty standard. There's nothing in the same class as the GC.

And in Hawaii, do the other Oahu resorts really "outshine" Aulani? Better value, perhaps, but Aulani is a pretty darn good timeshare resort.

 

[JimMIA]

I'll buy that for 2 of them: Vero Beach and Hilton Head. But I don't know of any other timeshares (or hotels, for that matter) near Disneyland that "outshine" the Grand Californian. The closest timeshare I know of is Dolphin's Cove. I've stayed there, and it doesn't outshine anything. It's a perfectly nice 70's era apartment complex that's been converted to a timeshare. As for hotels, the ones around Disneyland are pretty standard. There's nothing in the same class as the GC.

The thing with Southern California is that "onsite" at DL is nothing like being "onsite" at WDW, so that advantage is minimal. Sure VGC is a beautiful resort, but there are choices in other systems which offer vastly more "versatility" (which is one of OP's prime concerns) ...and which can be purchased without any tortured financial "justifications."

You can buy other systems for $1 on eBay which have 40, 50, close to 100, resorts in their internal timeshare system without exchanging out via II or RCI. Those systems may not have the very best resort in Anaheim, California rolleyes, but they have great resorts in dozens of places where DVC offers nothing. Hopefully none of us would buy anybody's timeshare for one resort!

And in Hawaii, do the other Oahu resorts really "outshine" Aulani? Better value, perhaps, but Aulani is a pretty darn good timeshare resort.

Sure, Aulani is a beautiful resort, as is the Marriott right next door. But they are both located in the least desirable part of the least desirable island in Hawaii.

Other systems offer a wide variety of very nice resorts on Oahu (including right on Waikiki Beach), Maui, The Big Island, and Kauai. Wyndham, for example, offers ELEVEN resorts on three islands in Hawaii...not one "choice." If you look at the Hilton, Marriott, Wyndham and other offerings in Hawaii, you'll see that there are many better options than being limited to one beautiful resort in the armpit of Oahu.

 

[calypso726]

I agree with the post about you already having unrestricted points for a cruise, etc. So I would go resale.

I also agree with calypso726, particularly points 1, 4 and 8. BLT is not for me. BLT and VGF are two totally different styles, contemporary vs Victorian, and I AM NOT a contemporary person.

I have 150 at VGF, with the exception of a possible add on, my next purchase will be through the resale market

It's nice to see I am not alone in my sentiments. We added 220 at VGF. If we add on again it will be either BCV resale or Poly direct.

 

[ELMC]

Sure, Aulani is a beautiful resort, as is the Marriott right next door. But they are both located in the least desirable part of the least desirable island in Hawaii.

Other systems offer a wide variety of very nice resorts on Oahu (including right on Waikiki Beach), Maui, The Big Island, and Kauai. Wyndham, for example, offers ELEVEN resorts on three islands in Hawaii...not one "choice." If you look at the Hilton, Marriott, Wyndham and other offerings in Hawaii, you'll see that there are many better options than being limited to one beautiful resort in the armpit of Oahu.

Having never been to Hawaii, I'm curious what makes you say this. Would you mind elaborating for someone who is very, very unfamiliar with vacationing at Hawaii? Feel free to PM me if you prefer. Thanks!

 

[jillmc40]

I agree with the post about you already having unrestricted points for a cruise, etc. So I would go resale.

I also agree with calypso726, particularly points 1, 4 and 8. BLT is not for me. BLT and VGF are two totally different styles, contemporary vs Victorian, and I AM NOT a contemporary person.

I have 150 at VGF, with the exception of a possible add on, my next purchase will be through the resale market

I agree with you! I'm already dreaming of a BCV resale...

For the record...I did have 15,000 to spend on DVC and I chose to spend it on GFV. That is the first and only resort that made me stop and think about DVC! Now that I am here, I can see expanding, just don't tell my hubby

 

[JimMIA]

Having never been to Hawaii, I'm curious what makes you say this. Would you mind elaborating for someone who is very, very unfamiliar with vacationing at Hawaii? Feel free to PM me if you prefer. Thanks!

• Most people who vacation in Hawaii prefer Maui, Kauai, and The Big Island (Hawaii) to Oahu. Honestly, I would only fly into Honolulu if I couldn't get a direct flight where I really wanted to go. Oahu has a beautiful beach at Waikiki, Pearl Harbor is obviously an important historical site, and the North Coast is legendary surfing territory...but that's about it. The other islands offer much more.
• A few years ago, the Ko Olina area where Aulani is located was primarily notable for the power plant there, and was an area that some tourist guides warned tourists to avoid. The developers have created a lovely setting there by digging the lagoons, but it's still Ko Olina and it's still far from anything else on Oahu...which is a lot like being a long way from nowhere.

 

[JimMIA]

There is another negative I would cite about Aulani as a justification for buying DVC -- and I'd cite this with ANY timeshare in Hawaii.

Unless you currently vacation in Hawaii, I would not count the ability to do so in the future as a plus. The reason is that Hawaii is just so darn expensive that most people won't go there regularly enough to make it a real benefit. If you are not going to use an option, what is the value?

And that is true of any timeshare system's Hawaiian offerings -- just too expensive to get to unless you live on the West Coast.

 

[DisneyKidds]

If I didn't have a strong preference for one resort over another, I'd go with a BLT resale. Points are too valuable to use for Disney cruises and the other 'low point value' options you'd be restricted from booking, so I'd take more points for the money 11 times out of 10. You can always rent your points for cash and pay for the cruise!

This week we were blessed to have $15,000 to spend on DVC, and we purchased at GFV. Why?

My wife and I started our Disney journey together with our honeymeoon at the GF. Almost 22 years, 3 kids, and two DVC contracts later we couldn't pass up the opportunity to bring that journey full circle and own at GFV. We look forward to having the opportunity to stay there a little more often than we have since that wonderful honeymoon trip.

What other reasons would I choose GFV? Personal taste, for starters. We like the theme, restaurants, grounds at the GF much more than the Contemporary. If you are buying direct from Disney the lower point cost helps. The extra four years is nice. Biggest reason, though...is that if you hope to stay at GFV in the future, I think the home resort advantage will be BIG. It's a very small resort, and sales have been through the roof, and that was before sales opened to the general public on the 19th. The guide I purchased with told me that AFTER we bought, so it wasn't his sales line.

 

[iluvthsgam]

• Most people who vacation in Hawaii prefer Maui, Kauai, and The Big Island (Hawaii) to Oahu. Honestly, I would only fly into Honolulu if I couldn't get a direct flight where I really wanted to go. Oahu has a beautiful beach at Waikiki, Pearl Harbor is obviously an important historical site, and the North Coast is legendary surfing territory...but that's about it. The other islands offer much more.
• A few years ago, the Ko Olina area where Aulani is located was primarily notable for the power plant there, and was an area that some tourist guides warned tourists to avoid. The developers have created a lovely setting there by digging the lagoons, but it's still Ko Olina and it's still far from anything else on Oahu...which is a lot like being a long way from nowhere.

Just went to Aulani for the first time this March. Also my first time to Hawaii as well. I stayed at the Marriott in Maui as well. If you mean "outshine" as far as resort selection and location I could see your point. If you are only talking about the resort, I would say Aulani beats the Marriott handily. When we were at the Marriott it felt like any other hotel. When we were at Aulani it felt like being in Hawaii.

I understand your comments about location and those are good points to raise. CM's at Aulani mentioned to us that they were expanding things while we were there because they expected people to leave the resort and see other parts of Hawaii at times and that wasn't happening. People were just staying at Aulani their whole trip.

If you want to visit Hawaii often and go to different islands, obviously DVC is at a disadvantage. But I don't necessarily think that discounts how nice the Aulani property is.

 

[PCMama]

Having never been to Hawaii, I'm curious what makes you say this. Would you mind elaborating for someone who is very, very unfamiliar with vacationing at Hawaii? Feel free to PM me if you prefer. Thanks!

I think he is referring only to location compared to waikiki. It is 25 miles from town. That being said, I would hardly call that side of the island the armpit of Hawaii. Kapolei is oahus second city and home to the major chain stores and newer home developments. Waianae is and older community with many locals but nice beaches. Ko Olina resort is beautiful- if you are looking for sunshine and a safe place for children free of crowds, less crime (due to limited access to the area), and swimmable safe lagoons, ko Olina is a better location. Whenever it rains on the rest of the island most of the time its sunny there. The Marriott ko Olina beach club is a larger property that is more spread out with three pools and a quiet pool. The property also has its own lagoon not shared by another hotel.

It's a matter of preference only. Some people like the hustle and bustle of Waikiki. I recently stayed at aulani and the Hilton Hawaiian village in Waikiki. Both were fun, but for small children, I was always worried about them getting run over by fast moving tourists or bikes in Waikiki.

I'm going to the Marriott propety in two weeks so I would have been at all three in a matter of three months I can probably provide a better comparison after my stay.

 

[k3chantal]

If you already have 320 direct points, don't you already have the versatility of buying direct? Why do all your points have to have this feature? If a monorail resort is important to you AND you need a larger number of points, then it sounds to me that those criteria are more important than flexibility. If that is the case, a BLT resale is the best option for you. Sorry to say that you can't have it all, you are going to have to compromise somewhere. Good luck!

This is what I would do since I already have enough direct points to do what I what to do, my next purchase would be resale so I could get more points for my money. Then you have the best of both worlds.....

 

[goneviral]

Other timeshare products offer much more "versatility" and value than DVC once you leave the boundaries of Walt Disney World...and they are available on eBay for $1.

I want to add to this reply with a link:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/200934113458?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

My wife and I were toying with the notion of buying this yesterday in addition to a DVC purchase.

If you look carefully on eBay, you can find resort timeshares such as this one that require no money down on 2013 maintenance fees, closing costs or the like. This one even provides a guarantee for a clear title, and it is for the fourth highest ranked resort in Orlando as ranked by TripAdvisor users. Plus, there is a $200 gift card included with purchase. While this auction is now closed, there are several like it on eBay right now.

There are a *lot* of time share owners who just want out and will gladly hand you their title as long as you agree to start paying the maintenance fees.

Of course, the flip side of this is that you can stay at many of these places for a week for roughly the same cost as the annual maintenance fees. Such an acquisition includes an understood gamble that the real estate market is in recovery and that such purchases will not be available for much longer.

 

[dmunsil]

Of course, the flip side of this is that you can stay at many of these places for a week for roughly the same cost as the annual maintenance fees. Such an acquisition includes an understood gamble that the real estate market is in recovery and that such purchases will not be available for much longer.

You can stay at this particular resort for $129/night for a 2-bedroom by booking it on hotels.com, or $903 for a week, which is $1015 with the 12.5% room tax. The maintenance fee is $1021/year. There's a reason it costs $1 to buy in. It is worth, literally, nothing.

 

[goneviral]

At the moment, yes, and thus my last two sentences. It's also exactly why we didn't buy but it's a data point to track. There are currently 757 timeshares listed on eBay that cost less than $5. Most of them are probably bad (or at best risky) deals but a few are interesting.

 

[derricksonb]

Hi y'all,
If you had $15,000 to spend on DVC points & you wanted those points to be at BLT or VGF, which resort would you choose? We currently have points at AKV. Love the resort, but would really love to have points at a monorail access property. We generally go to DW for Mardi Gras or Thanksgiving, usually every other year. If our whole family went on a single trip together, it would be 10 of us. I know we would need a lot of points for staying in a larger villa. I would love some help with scenarios. Could we even get points at BLT? I am not interested in a resale. Thanks for any input!

I know some others have touched on some of the advantages, disadvantages or what they would prefer. Based on your criteria of wanting to have a DVC ownership option worth $15K at one of the monorail stops I would say that they are both fairly matched with this only real difference being the cost difference per point for the annual dues: BLT being $4.2219 per point (pp) and VGF being $4.3255pp. Both are currently being sold through DVC at $165.00pp which would give you 90.909 points (I think you can only buy in lots of 10s so let's just call it 90 points at each resort, and both are have contract expirations through 2060. At 90 points it really comes down to a question of preferences and if you are willing to pay an additional $438.xx over the life of the contract for VGF. Of the two I would probably choose VGF simply because of the location and ambiance. I've always loved the GF.

However I ran this exact same scenario last year when I purchased an additional 100 points and discovered that the best total value both annually and over the remaining life of the contract was Old Key West at $8.85pp or $38,940.24 over the remainder of the contract (including interest and annual dues) verses BLT at $9.95pp and $46,753.49 and VGF at $10.05pp and $47,240.41.

 

[Missyrose]

I know some others have touched on some of the advantages, disadvantages or what they would prefer. Based on your criteria of wanting to have a DVC ownership option worth $15K at one of the monorail stops I would say that they are both fairly matched with this only real difference being the cost difference per point for the annual dues: BLT being $4.2219 per point (pp) and VGF being $4.3255pp. Both are currently being sold through DVC at $165.00pp which would give you 90.909 points (I think you can only buy in lots of 10s so let's just call it 90 points at each resort, and both are have contract expirations through 2060. At 90 points it really comes down to a question of preferences and if you are willing to pay an additional $438.xx over the life of the contract for VGF. Of the two I would probably choose VGF simply because of the location and ambiance. I've always loved the GF.

However I ran this exact same scenario last year when I purchased an additional 100 points and discovered that the best total value both annually and over the remaining life of the contract was Old Key West at $8.85pp or $38,940.24 over the remainder of the contract (including interest and annual dues) verses BLT at $9.95pp and $46,753.49 and VGF at $10.05pp and $47,240.41.

VGF is $150 pp now.

 

[Sammie]

Grand Floridian, because to me there is no comparison to the properties at all. It was built cheaply and I don't think that it's just furnishings either. I personally would not buy resale, I am not convinced restrictions to usage of resale points is over.

 

[Dean]

I want to add to this reply with a link:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/200934113458?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

My wife and I were toying with the notion of buying this yesterday in addition to a DVC purchase.

If you look carefully on eBay, you can find resort timeshares such as this one that require no money down on 2013 maintenance fees, closing costs or the like. This one even provides a guarantee for a clear title, and it is for the fourth highest ranked resort in Orlando as ranked by TripAdvisor users. Plus, there is a $200 gift card included with purchase. While this auction is now closed, there are several like it on eBay right now.

There are a *lot* of time share owners who just want out and will gladly hand you their title as long as you agree to start paying the maintenance fees.

Of course, the flip side of this is that you can stay at many of these places for a week for roughly the same cost as the annual maintenance fees. Such an acquisition includes an understood gamble that the real estate market is in recovery and that such purchases will not be available for much longer.

Unless you're tied to a specific resort for Orlando for something you'll use and not trade, it's rarely a good idea to buy Orlando for most options. Exceptions would be for things that are part of a system like Marriott, Bluegreen, Hilton or Wyndham. You're almost always better off buying somewhere else and trading in, I've traded studios for 3 BR in Orlando many times at top resorts. We're talking non DVC of course.

 

[abdmom]

At the moment, yes, and thus my last two sentences. It's also exactly why we didn't buy but it's a data point to track. There are currently 757 timeshares listed on eBay that cost less than $5. Most of them are probably bad (or at best risky) deals but a few are interesting.

The vast majority are not going to be risky.

Anyone thinking of buying into a timeshare and any current owner, should be reading tugbbs.com.

 

[JimMIA]

Such an acquisition includes an understood gamble that the real estate market is in recovery and that such purchases will not be available for much longer.

First of all, I would NEVER purchase any timeshare assuming prices will go UP.

In fact, I look at most timeshares other than DVC exactly the opposite. My theory is, if I get in for nothing and give it away later, I've lost nothing.

In my case, I purchased the rough equivalent of 600-700 DVC points in Wyndham for less than $2,000, and my MFs are $2,200 annually. If I use my points (which we will) and give it away a few years down the road, I've limited my losses to $2,000.

To me that's a very low-cost, low-risk, high-reward situation.