DVC at The Polynesian?

[suebeelin]

I'm actually torn btwn poly and my usual 1bd. It's such a nice room and an equally nice resort.

But my son, who sleeps so poorly (but better than ever at age 6), kept waking up at 5:30am (going to sleep btwn 9-10pm bc of wishes) because we all shared a room. And no, he does not nap. This is despite the wonderful blackout shades at the poly and 3 white noise machines strategically placed around the room. Any noise wakes him up.

I might try poly a few days then switch to a 1bd for my sanitys sake on our next trip. If your kid has no sleeping issues then a studio at poly probably wouldnt be a problem . We were able to cook with the microwave and I did laundry once at moorea during our 7 day trip there.

My son, however, was behaving terribly due to his lack of sleep. We got back a few days ago and he's still recovering. No more studios for more than 3 nights for us!

 

[Dean]

It's true that you don't always know which resort you'll end up liking until you stay there. I didn't think I would like VGF and ended up liking it, and thought I would really like BLT and ended up not really liking that one as much.

To a degree this is true of all of us as our experiences and the resorts change. However it's esp true of new potential members. Almost none have sufficient info to make the best decision in terms of home resort. The chance they'll buy based more on emotion than anything else is very high. It's human nature to have the sense that buying the older resort or resale or shorter RTU is getting a lessor product but for timeshares they're all used by the time you buy and use it anyway, even as an owner it's just a rental car. Thus I feel it's almost always better to underbuy and wish one had done differently than to do the same at a higher price option. It's also far more expensive to buy that higher price option and use a significant portion of the points at or after the 7 month window. Some system have starter packages for a yrs worth of points but just renting and trying a couple of options can help a lot and is likely better in some ways than a trial package would be but not in others. Sometimes they get to looking at specific options that are unique or cheaper (AKV concierge and value as examples) but in reality most new buyers aren't going to use those enough to justify that being the driving force on the purchase decision. Of course a certain % will accidentally chose the option that ends up being right for them but it'll be more by luck than anything else. There will be exceptions and those will be situation like long term visitors with some DVC experience, second generation or other family exposures where they already know DVC but don't own. I'm about to the point of feeling basically every new member should buy low (both in points and resort), try the system and then adjust if needed unless they have significant previous DVC experience. I think the ideal situation is where one can justify buying a smaller but full sized contract and then doing an add on later to adjust if needed. I do realize the concept that if buying in is reasonable (use for DVC resorts only, pay cash, no consumer debt and the like); that it may not be good vs bad choice but rather a good vs better choice and to not let perfect be the enemy of good though I think they're often as a crutch than a valid reason.

 

[freediverdude]

Yea it's a shame that Disney doesn't offer all or most of the resorts for sale to new buyers, along with touring them all before purchase, at least the ones at WDW. But I guess that wouldn't get them a same day sale before vacationers leave to go home. There are some resorts that I've never stepped foot in yet, even with all my 15 years or so of visiting WDW and staying at most of the resorts, so how am I to know whether I might have liked those better? I've never stepped foot inside the Wilderness Lodge, not even the lobby, and I've only walked by the Boardwalk, never been inside. Also never seen Kidani either.

 

[Dean]

Yea it's a shame that Disney doesn't offer all or most of the resorts for sale to new buyers, along with touring them all before purchase, at least the ones at WDW. But I guess that wouldn't get them a same day sale before vacationers leave to go home. There are some resorts that I've never stepped foot in yet, even with all my 15 years or so of visiting WDW and staying at most of the resorts, so how am I to know whether I might have liked those better? I've never stepped foot inside the Wilderness Lodge, not even the lobby, and I've only walked by the Boardwalk, never been inside. Also never seen Kidani either.

That's not their job. Their job is to sell the points they have and really mostly the new resorts. It is possible to investigate the resort if one wants and they really should before committing large sums.

 

[OutNChiTown]

It looks like there are rooms in August of 2016 (within the 7 month window) for both studio Standard View and Studio Lake View. September is completely open for both of these room types as well. Tho, September is right at the 7 month cusp. The only reason I say this is, Although September and January are both Adventure Season, I believe that September is a busier time than January. I, personally, would take my chances with an SSR or AKV contract. The savings are considerable. Not to mention, after a few PVB stays, you might want to try out one of the rooms at VGF or BLT. That'll cut in to your 11 month window either way. I agree with the statement "buy where you want to stay". But, with a lot of flexibility like you're saying, I think the chances are good that you'll be able to pull a ressie during inside of that two month window.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Remember, too, that more inventory has been declared at the PVB than has been sold. That makes more available at seven months out. They might hold out declaring more inventory until they sell a lot more.

OP, if you ever want something larger than a studio, all you have at PVB is the bungalow. That only has two real beds. An OKW two bedroom at least has one king and two queen beds before you have to use the fold out beds.

 

[Axelskater]

Since it is new, PVB is now selling at a premium. From a financial standpoint, especially since you have flexibility in your booking dates, it likely makes more sense to buy into an undervalued resort such as SSR which combines low buy-in cost and, more importantly, low maintenance. As others have said, it's not hard to make reservations at the 7-month mark. In the future, you are likely to see the points cost of PVB to come down in price relative to those of SSR. Then, if availability becomes more difficult, sell SSR and purchase PVB.

I just came back from a stay at a lake view studio on the second floor and I would prefer to stay in a quieter room next time. The ferry horn and 7:00 am beach raking are LOUD! On the positive side, the theming at the resort is among the best. On the other hand, I have become used to 1 bdrm villas with king beds and the limited room options deter a return visit. If you are accustomed to a king bed, one of you will probably end up in the murphy bed.

 

[zavandor]

Remember, too, that more inventory has been declared at the PVB than has been sold. That makes more available at seven months out. They might hold out declaring more inventory until they sell a lot more.

It's strange, I expected that as well, but it's not what's happening... They've sold 20% of the resort and they've already declared more inventory, bringing the total declared from 40% to 60%. No idea why.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

It's strange, I expected that as well, but it's not what's happening... They've sold 20% of the resort and they've already declared more inventory, bringing the total declared from 40% to 60%. No idea why.

Guess: Encourage more 7-month non-home booking, and upsell existing DVC members into new contract add-ons at PVB. They may be projecting more success hitting 98% occupancy by having points availability than even with 35% discount via CRO.

 

[JodyTG]

I would definitely be in the add-on category after staying at PVB in November, but my husband is too in love with at least a one bedroom.

 

[Deb & Bill]

When it finally gets sold out, there will be a lot of points trying to book the studios, but sold for the bungalows. I can't imagine someone buying enough points for a week in a bungalow. Maybe they did, but I sure wouldn't.