A little nudge, this way or that?

[jpessa]

Hi all!
I just came back from a great trip at Aulani, where I stayed on rented points. Renting was a painless, enjoyable experience and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. Of course, while I was there I took the DVC tour and now I'm wondering if I should take the plunge and buy.

A little about us: DD6 and I only, we do Disney A LOT. We are AP holders in DLR and go for long weekends or longer about 5-6 times a year. We just did Aulani, I was in WDW in March as an add-on to a business trip, next year we're cruising DCL, in 2018 I'm planning a week-long WDW trip. And I'm sure this will go on, and on, and on. Even without DD I would still go. So not worried about "outgrowing" it.

But let's face it, it's a BIG initial investment. I don't mind planning in advance. Most of our weekend trips are only decided 1 month in advance, but WDW is usually 9 or more, cruise and Aulani started planning over a year early. I know with DVC, flexibility is key and I'm ok with that. I'm also ok with split stays if needed.

So my question is this: is buying at Aulani even a good choice? Probably won't go back to Hawaii for years. Should I consider Poly instead? What about resale? Should I consider buying someone's contract? How much cheaper is it? I would want the owner "perks" that come from buying direct I think.

Also flip flopping between doing 100 vs 160 points. Obviously, 100 is less money. That way I could "test it" and add points later? I'd have a trip every other year with 100, or more if I use wisely.

What if I ever needed to sell? Is it almost impossible to offload? I've asked the DVC guy these questions but of course he's trying to make a sale and has answers to everything.

Thanks for any advice from the experts!

 

[OKgirl]

I wouldn't buy Aulani unless you plan to travel there every year to two years. It's not terribly hard to book at the 7 month mark so I'd buy elsewhere and use it every few years for Aulani. Since you live close to Disneyland and have an annual pass there, have you considered buying resale at Grand Californian? Your cheapest option would be resale at a WDW resort and you can read all about resale vs. retail on these discussion boards. I bought retail before I knew better but added on resale. We stayed at Aulani this summer as well and I agree it is beautiful! However, I have no plans to pay for airfare to visit Hawaii every year so It doesn't make sense for us to buy there. We had no problems booking Aulani for June at the 7 month mark. We love WDW and plan to travel there every year for the next several years so we bought there. Good luck with your decision!

 

[chalee94]

We just did Aulani, I was in WDW in March as an add-on to a business trip, next year we're cruising DCL, in 2018 I'm planning a week-long WDW trip. And I'm sure this will go on, and on, and on. Even without DD I would still go. So not worried about "outgrowing" it.

You do sound like a Disney fan who should be looking into DVC. For trips to wdw and sometimes trips to Aulani if you plan 7 months out and have some flexibility, DVC should be beneficial. VGC is really small but can be a possibility on occasion if you have some flexibility and can book at exactly 7 months out.

Probably won't go back to Hawaii for years. So my question is this: is buying at Aulani even a good choice?

Not really, no. If you wanted to go to Aulani on a regular basis and were determined to plan 10-11 months out, then it might be an ok choice. But it's extremely expensive direct and even at resale prices (closer to $100 per pt) the Hawaii taxes and costs of doing business make maintenance fees among the worst in DVC (unless the dues are subsidized, which is a longer conversation).

What about resale? Should I consider buying someone's contract? How much cheaper is it? I would want the owner "perks" that come from buying direct I think.

What do you think the "perks" are? The only real perk with any actual value IMO is the wdw annual pass discount (and that can go away at any time for any of us, direct or resale). And you don't sound like you plan to spend multiple weeks per year at wdw.

I wouldn't recommend spending thousands more up front for a perk that you aren't likely to use. While I'm sure the salesperson showed you shiny brochures and told you that resale owners can't trade out of DVC for Disney cruises (which is true), trading out is typically a poor deal compared to renting your points and paying for your own cruise (or whatever else). You would not really be losing anything there by buying resale - which the salesperson won't tell you because they only make money if you buy direct...

Aulani is around $171 per point (direct). Some WDW resorts run around $85-90 per point (resale). How many annual passes would you have to buy to make up that difference on a 100 pt or 150 pt contract?

Here's a listing of DVC resales for comparison (I bought from this company and they are a DIS sponsor):

http://www.dvc-resales.com/dvclisting-P.cfm

(Keep in mind that many of those prices are negotiable.)

Resale buyers can still book any DVC resort available at 7 months out (including Aulani, HHI, Vero Beach and wdw). While I don't recommend it for value reasons, you do also still have the option of trading out of DVC for other timeshares through RCI. And renting for cash gives you pretty much all the options.

What if I ever needed to sell? Is it almost impossible to offload?

Pretty easy to sell - not like some other non-Disney timeshares. Things may change in the future but so far DVC has maintained a fair amount of resale value.

Also, keep in mind that if your circumstances change and you need to sell, you will be selling at resale prices whether you paid double to buy direct or not.

But let's face it, it's a BIG initial investment. I don't mind planning in advance. Most of our weekend trips are only decided 1 month in advance, but WDW is usually 9 or more, cruise and Aulani started planning over a year early.

A 100 pt contract is a good place to start IMO.

DVC works best if you plan more than 7 months in advance. Ideally at 11 months out for those with strong preferences for their home resort. 1 month out means you are mostly looking at "leftovers" - keep in mind there is some competition involved in booking what you want while others are trying to book what they prefer with points that only have a limited shelf life till they expire.

Take some time and do some research. (And IMO - always have a healthy skepticism when talking to a DVC salesperson.) Have fun!

 

[jpessa]

Wow amazing thank you all so much for the tips and advice! It's so nice to hear from actual owners and not just sales people. This is exactly the kind of information I need.

 

[jpessa]

Looking at Grand Californian resale, it's almost double the price of, let's say, animal kingdom. Wouldn't it make more sense to go with AKV? Am I missing something? I understand the home resort advantage, but would it really be worth double?

 

[Cyberc1978]

...Also flip flopping between doing 100 vs 160 points. Obviously, 100 is less money. That way I could "test it" and add points later? I'd have a trip every other year with 100, or more if I use wisely.

Thanks for any advice from the experts!

Remember if you do buy, that you are able to bank/borrow and could potentially have 300 point available(if you buy a 100 points contract). This would however mean that you couldn't go every year.

Looking at Grand Californian resale, it's almost double the price of, let's say, animal kingdom. Wouldn't it make more sense to go with AKV? Am I missing something? I understand the home resort advantage, but would it really be worth double?

The challenge is to book VGC at 7 months out. Its a small resort DVC wise, so the rooms tend to book fast. The studios tend to be gone 8-11 months out. The 1BR does have some availability at 7 months and almost none at 6 months. The 11 month priority window matters a lot for this resort. Therefore if you wish to stay at this resort the most(and I assume you do) then it makes most sense to buy there.

Look for VGC in this thread: http://www.disboards.com/threads/pr...-some-1-bedrooms-vgc-update-10-21-15.3419112/

The thread showes the availability for the different resorts.

 

[disneynutz]

You can buy your favorite resort, maybe pay more but you can book at 11 months. You could also buy at SSR and take your chances booking at a different DVC resort at 7 months.

Take the time to read the threads on buying and availability, UY, banking and borrowing.

Bill

 

[Dean]

Hi all!
I just came back from a great trip at Aulani, where I stayed on rented points. Renting was a painless, enjoyable experience and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. Of course, while I was there I took the DVC tour and now I'm wondering if I should take the plunge and buy.

A little about us: DD6 and I only, we do Disney A LOT. We are AP holders in DLR and go for long weekends or longer about 5-6 times a year. We just did Aulani, I was in WDW in March as an add-on to a business trip, next year we're cruising DCL, in 2018 I'm planning a week-long WDW trip. And I'm sure this will go on, and on, and on. Even without DD I would still go. So not worried about "outgrowing" it.

But let's face it, it's a BIG initial investment. I don't mind planning in advance. Most of our weekend trips are only decided 1 month in advance, but WDW is usually 9 or more, cruise and Aulani started planning over a year early. I know with DVC, flexibility is key and I'm ok with that. I'm also ok with split stays if needed.

So my question is this: is buying at Aulani even a good choice? Probably won't go back to Hawaii for years. Should I consider Poly instead? What about resale? Should I consider buying someone's contract? How much cheaper is it? I would want the owner "perks" that come from buying direct I think.

Also flip flopping between doing 100 vs 160 points. Obviously, 100 is less money. That way I could "test it" and add points later? I'd have a trip every other year with 100, or more if I use wisely.

What if I ever needed to sell? Is it almost impossible to offload? I've asked the DVC guy these questions but of course he's trying to make a sale and has answers to everything.

Thanks for any advice from the experts!

Easy to sell but you'll likely lose money, a fair amount if you buy direct. It sounds like the WDW trips are the only ones that would fit into an ownership for you. Buying DVC to cruise is saying you want to pay more, have more risk and have less flexibility for the cruises. For VGC you'd likely need to own there or at least plan at 7 months out. You're not going back to HI for a while. IMO you need to go back to WDW around every 2 years to make owning worthwhile, every 3 years might worth but often doesn't and cuts it too close IMO. You're likely not going to get VGC at 7 months out routinely, you'd really have to pay the higher price to use there. If you decide to buy for WDW trips, SSR is the best $$$ value and you should be able to get into AKV routinely though not concierge or value.

 

[jpessa]

Thanks again for the info! I'm going to continue researching this based on all your feedback.

 

[chalee94]

From the DVC Resource Thread:

BCV - 36 Dedicated Studios - 20 Dedicated 1Bdrm - 78 Dedicated 2Bdrm - 74 Lockoffs - 0 Grand Villas = 208 VIllas / 282 Max. Available

SSR - 0 Dedicated Studios - 0 Dedicated 1Bdrm - 360 Dedicated 2Bdrm - 432 Lockoffs - 60 THV - 36 Grand Villas = 888 Villas / 1320 Max. Available

AKV - 46 Dedicated Studios - 0 Dedicated 1BR villas - 140 Dedicated 2BR villas - 250 Lockoffs - 22 GVs. 134 villas within Jambo House at AKL (46 Dedicated Studios, 82 Lockoff 2BRs, 6 GVs) and 324 villas in Kidani Village (140 Dedicated 2BRs, 168 Lockoff 2BRs, 16 GVs) for a total of 458 Villas / 708 Max. Available

BLT - 0 Dedicated Studios - 0 Dedicated 1BR villas - 148 Dedicated 2BR villas - 133 Lockoffs - 14 Grand Villas = 295 Villas / 428 Max. Available

VGC - 0 Dedicated Studios - 0 Dedicated 1BR villas - 23 Dedicated 2BR villas - 23 Lockoffs - 2 Grand Villas = 48 Villas / 71 Max. Available

SSR has 888 villas available - AKV has 458 villas available and VGC has 48. That gives you a sense of what you will be working against to book VGC...

Most VGC owners own there to book there and know they have to book during the home resort window before 7 months out to get what they want. So while it's not impossible to book there at exactly 7 months out, it's not a sure thing. Trying to book VGC on short notice is generally pretty frustrating...

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The salespeople definitely overstate the "you can cruise on DVC points!" thing as a benefit. The value of the points when traded to cruise is lower than it is renting the points and paying cash -- on a private rental, you can get the cruise value of the point and pay your dues with the proceeds, generally, or come awfully close. DVC also gets a contracted points rate for cruises, and in most seasons you can get a cheaper cash rate or incentives working on cash, buying via Costco, etc. etc.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Since you do not plan DL then VGC doesn't make sense as a home resort only matters if you will book more than 7 months out. After that a point is a point. I also agree that Aulani doesn't make sense as you don't plan to go there every year or every other year. DVC also doesn't make sense to buy to use to cruise as the numbers most often work out better to rent out your points and use the cash to pay for the cruise. And, as mentioned, the most meaningful perk is the discount off the WDW annual pass (DL is a whole $20 off the higher passes and if you're more local you already have access to cheaper passes).

If you would plan to go to WDW every year or every other year then DVC can make sense. It can be possible to pick up cancelled nights at VGC so you still might be able to use points there but I'd consider it a bonus vs a definite.

 

[Missyrose]

Looking at Grand Californian resale, it's almost double the price of, let's say, animal kingdom. Wouldn't it make more sense to go with AKV? Am I missing something? I understand the home resort advantage, but would it really be worth double?

I would only buy VGC in your case if you can take advantage of the home-resort booking window (which it doesn't sound like you can for your quick DL trips).

 

[jpessa]

Since you do not plan DL then VGC doesn't make sense as a home resort only matters if you will book more than 7 months out. After that a point is a point.

Yeah ,this is what I'm thinking. DLR isn't like WDW. Staying on-site, although nice, isn't a must. There are tons of hotels right across the street, even closer than the DLR resorts. Sometimes we stay on site but usually not. And we're more "Hey let's go to DL next weekend" kinda gals.

 

[Deb & Bill]

You might want to consider renting for a WDW trip before you consider buying.

 

[kapicka]

Some great info and advice given above by seasoned members!

We live in CA and have only used our points at VGC and Aulani. We rented first to go to VGC and loved it so we purchased a tiny VGC resale contract. We added on (resale) at VGC and then a bigger one at SSR. I know this runs counter to a lot of people's experiences but in our opinion if you have flexibility and don't mind watching for cancellations it is not only possible to book VGC with SSR points but is fairly likely. We actually many sell our VGC points fairly soon and just book with our SSR points going forward.

That said, we are comfortable doing this because we purchased in and were able to experience how easy/hard it was to book VGC within 7 months. My initial hope was to find a friend or someone I could login with and see what they see when booking, but since I didn't know anyone personally who was a DVC member I ended up buying a 25 point VGC contract first so I could "try out" DVC without a big commitment.

I will add that besides the GC being a great hotel and close to Disneyland the BIGGEST thing we love about staying on site is that each day we are there and have a theme park ticket we get into one of the parks an hour early. Since the parks are SO busy nowadays that extra hour is a huge benefit. (Plus you get to use it on the day you check in and check out so if you book a 2-night stay you can use it all 3 days you are there if you arrive early the first day.)

DVC contracts DO have an expiration date so at some point the value of them is going to go to zero, and I'm sure you know timeshares are NOT an investment, but watching prices over the last few years it does look like contracts are holding their values FOR NOW and steadily increasing too. My guess is that if you bought and changed your mind in a year or two you could probably sell and get most of your money back but you WILL have some expenses on the buying and selling end which you cannot recover and of course NOTHING IS GUARANTEED when it comes to how much a timeshare will be worth in the future.

 

[jpessa]

Some great info and advice given above by seasoned members!

We live in CA and have only used our points at VGC and Aulani. We rented first to go to VGC and loved it so we purchased a tiny VGC resale contract. We added on (resale) at VGC and then a bigger one at SSR. I know this runs counter to a lot of people's experiences but in our opinion if you have flexibility and don't mind watching for cancellations it is not only possible to book VGC with SSR points but is fairly likely. We actually many sell our VGC points fairly soon and just book with our SSR points going forward.

That said, we are comfortable doing this because we purchased in and were able to experience how easy/hard it was to book VGC within 7 months. My initial hope was to find a friend or someone I could login with and see what they see when booking, but since I didn't know anyone personally who was a DVC member I ended up buying a 25 point VGC contract first so I could "try out" DVC without a big commitment.

I will add that besides the GC being a great hotel and close to Disneyland the BIGGEST thing we love about staying on site is that each day we are there and have a theme park ticket we get into one of the parks an hour early. Since the parks are SO busy nowadays that extra hour is a huge benefit. (Plus you get to use it on the day you check in and check out so if you book a 2-night stay you can use it all 3 days you are there if you arrive early the first day.)

DVC contracts DO have an expiration date so at some point the value of them is going to go to zero, and I'm sure you know timeshares are NOT an investment, but watching prices over the last few years it does look like contracts are holding their values FOR NOW and steadily increasing too. My guess is that if you bought and changed your mind in a year or two you could probably sell and get most of your money back but you WILL have some expenses on the buying and selling end which you cannot recover and of course NOTHING IS GUARANTEED when it comes to how much a timeshare will be worth in the future.

Thank you for this , it's great hearing your experience at VGC . I love staying on property for that exact reason too. Totally worth it . But OOP is soooo expensive! It's nice to know that if you're flexible you can get reservations on cancelations .

 

[PSUDinsey]

I just bought Aulani at 85 pp with subsidized dues making it one of the cheapest DVC resorts. I plan on going there every other year and WDW every now and than with shooting for Animal Kingdom and cheaper with a longer contract than buying Animal Kingdom resale.

 

[jpessa]

I just bought Aulani at 85 pp with subsidized views making it one of the cheapest DVC resorts. I plan on going there every other year and WDW every now and than with shooting for Animal Kingdom and cheaper with a longer contract than buying Animal Kingdom resale.

How do you get a subsidy ?

 

[PSUDinsey]

How do you get a subsidy ?

Disney messed up and they first sold Aulani and those first contracts come with a lifetime subsidized contract on the maintenance fees they were 5.14 in 2016. There are a few subsidized contracts on the market right now.