Buying dvc

Tiggeroo

Grammar Nazi
Joined
Sep 16, 1999
After many trips we finally toured dvc this time. We want to buy. I have a few questions about the difference between resale and disney direct.
With the new changes in rules will we lose substantial benefits now in resale? Ex. discount annual passes, discount meal plans.
If we want to visit Disneyland is that still possible with resale points?
If we buy at a cheaper resort such as Saratoga how tough will it be to get a room at Poly?
If we buy the bulk of our points at a cheaper resort like Saratoga can we gain benefits by later buying a small amount of points at Poly?
 
With the new changes in rules will we lose substantial benefits now in resale? Ex. discount annual passes, discount meal plans

There is no discount on the Disney Dining Plan. The discount on APs only makes sense if you are going multiple times per year, so it's hard to say if that's "substantial."

If we want to visit Disneyland is that still possible with resale points?
There is one DVC property at Disneyland, Grand Californian. It is the smallest DVC property and very hard to book for anyone who does not own VGC points. While non-resale DVC points can be used to book Disneyland hotels for points, the rates are awful and owners would be better served to rent their points and book somewhere cash. This can be done with resale points.

If we buy at a cheaper resort such as Saratoga how tough will it be to get a room at Poly?
Depends on tie of year. DVC high season is late September through January marathon. In general, Poly is mostly available at 7 months, but during high season rooms disappear at 7 months very quickly and may even require waitlist to get a full stay. Poly is only about half sold right now, and availability may change when it sells out. In general, you should buy where you want to stay, especially if you travel September-marathon. If you buy Saratoga, be prepared to stay at Saratoga the last three months of the year. (Note: Saratoga is lovely and a fine resort.)

If we buy the bulk of our points at a cheaper resort like Saratoga can we gain benefits by later buying a small amount of points at Poly?
You can get things like the AP discount. Note that the "cheaper" points and the Poly points will both retain home resort. You won't be able to book Poly at 11 months with Saratoga points even if you own a Poly contract. You won't be able to use the resale points for Disney Collection hotel bookings or cruises, even though you also hold a direct contract.

Be sure you understand all these things:
  • Home Resort
  • 11/7 month bookings
  • Use Year
  • Banking/Borrowing
  • Annual Dues
  • Point Charts/Variance in points needed by season
  • What happens if points are reallocated
 
Last edited:
Another important thing to know: the benefits you'd be losing if you bought resale can be taken away at any time, even if you buy direct. They are not part of your ownership in DVC. They come from other divisions of the Disney company (i.e., the AP discount is from Disney Parks), or outside companies (like some of the restaurant discounts), and they come and go at the whim of those parties.

You're buying the right to stay in DVC resorts, subject to availability, for the life of the contract. Anything and everything else is subject to change or termination at any time.
 
You've gotten excellent responses so far. Read them and remember them. They are important. Also, most members suggest you buy where you don't mind staying if you cannot change your reservation at seven months out. So if you don't plan on staying at SSR ever or seldom, don't buy there. Buy the resort you want to stay at the most. Book it at 11 months out or shortly thereafter and see what is available at seven months out.
 


Also, if you aren't already a member, you can buy a minimum 50 point contract.

But members can buy as little as 25 points and currently that 25 point contract will restore full benefits and would most like be grandfathered through any future change.

I would say that if you want to stay at Poly, buy direct. The price differential between resale and direct don't justify buying resale yet. Especially with the current discount that expires Oct 11th.

Best guess if they offer another or better discount after Oct 11. I think the current discount is $1250 credit for 150-200 points and more money with higher points.

But. Let's say you want to buy a 150 point SSR contract. 3 options:

Direct 150 x $140 = $21,000

Resale at current resale price of let's say $86/point, reasonable: 150 x $86 = $12,900

Combo: 125 resale at $86 PLUS 25 direct at $140 = $14,250, or $1,350 over resale alone.

You can restore the discounts for $1,350 more and STILL save $7,750 off direct.
 
Last edited:
After many trips we finally toured dvc this time. We want to buy. I have a few questions about the difference between resale and disney direct.
With the new changes in rules will we lose substantial benefits now in resale? Ex. discount annual passes, discount meal plans.
If we want to visit Disneyland is that still possible with resale points?
If we buy at a cheaper resort such as Saratoga how tough will it be to get a room at Poly?
If we buy the bulk of our points at a cheaper resort like Saratoga can we gain benefits by later buying a small amount of points at Poly?
You lose nothing worth paying retail by buying resale. You lose access to the cash type exchanges and a few special events and the discounts. Make sure you understand the system before buying including UY, home resort and the impact of fees. IMO the new standard for most situations is to buy resale and do a 25 pt add on. Just remember if you do this at a different resort you'll only have use of those 25 points at the 11 month window and can't combine with other resort points until 7 months out. I personally think that buying elsewhere and trying to get in to the Poly at times is a viable plan but there are no guarantees.
 
All good advice, the same as I've been getting for the last month or two. I am planning on buying SSR to start with, because dining is a big part of our trips and we will enjoy ing close to DS, and because we won't travel during high DVC season with the exception of short trips near/during Marathom weekend. I do plan to add on 25-30 direct down the road, probably at a near park resort with the same u/y as my resale contact for short biannual trips during high season that I can book by banking/borrowing. We don't know yet where we love to stay, so for us it makes sense to start at SSR and experiment. We can always sell them in a few years if we find that we only want to stay on the Monorail.
 


All good advice, the same as I've been getting for the last month or two. I am planning on buying SSR to start with, because dining is a big part of our trips and we will enjoy ing close to DS, and because we won't travel during high DVC season with the exception of short trips near/during Marathom weekend. I do plan to add on 25-30 direct down the road, probably at a near park resort with the same u/y as my resale contact for short biannual trips during high season that I can book by banking/borrowing. We don't know yet where we love to stay, so for us it makes sense to start at SSR and experiment. We can always sell them in a few years if we find that we only want to stay on the Monorail.
Make sure you understand the busy times for DVC. They are not the same at the rest of the world.
 
We do, thanks. Our kids are 1 and 5, so we will be traveling during school breaks for the foreseeable future. If we ever start going during F/W I'd probably add on at BWV or BCV, but that would be way down the road. I also figure that if booking at 7 mo gets to be too much of a PITA I can sell the SSR contract and buy elsewhere, and at that point I'd have a much better grasp on where we do really want to stay regularly.
 
So much good advice. Thanks. I really am leaning toward SSR resale. We love Disney Springs and being able to walk there would be nice. I can get more points buying resale at SSR than I can afford by buying new. If I think I want the benefits I will pick up the 25 points new the following year. Now I have to decide the berst way to buy resale.
 
Before I decided where I was going to buy, I booked a trip on rented points and checked out various resorts that I hadn't yet seen. If that's something you can do, it's worth it. You have all the other answers, I also had planned on buying a cheap SSR contract, but then I stayed there, and I hated it. So, the comments of buy someplace you like is a decent one. This thread has big charts of what is typically open at 7 months. It helped me a lot. http://www.disboards.com/threads/pr...-some-1-bedrooms-vgc-update-10-21-15.3419112/
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!









Top