Good reason to buy direct?

[bwvBound]

Personally, I don't think DVC does premium any more. OKW was built sturdy with good furniture. Then they renovated it poorly. VWL was just renovated and the renovations look like the standard mediocre hotel on the side of the interstate (except for the really poor quality tv stand with the stupid table/bed). BLT was built poorly with poor quality furnishings. And as technologically cute as the tv in the bathroom mirror might seem, it's really a poor use of money.

I don't think we are getting quality with DVC any more. Just cute. And cute shouldn't be so expensive.

I agree DVC isn't 'premium' but it does have one key advantage: "location, location, location."

 

[Lorilais_mommie]

IMO this would be a bad reason to buy DVC and a worse reason to buy retail. Just realize you're buying a timeshare to stay at, don't put too much stock in Disney and definitely not go in assuming it'll all be perfect or warm and fuzzy. If the numbers, limitations and restrictions work for you, that's good but don't buy if they don't and esp not for the emotional feeling.

I think you misunderstood.. I was saying that there is an over all magic.. It doesn't matter if your at dvc,parks, or the resorts. You will still feel the magic.
Or just give me my room key and I'll make my own magic! Done this many times.. I've never expected the Disney resorts to supply to magic, just the room..

We are NOT buying bc of the emotional feeling.. Trust me! We would have bought in long time ago if we were..
I'm just saying I don't want to buy into a resort I'd be unhappy with Knowing every time we walked into it, I'd be wishing we could stay somewhere else.


Disclaimer: this are our opinions, and after 3-4 years of trying to like these resorts, it just hasn't happened..

The reasons we dislike SSR and AKV.
Main ones being locations and transportation.. (DH and I don't like driving on vacation)

SSR is next to Downtown Disney. And all the hassles that goes with that.
We are not big fans of DTD, and having every bus ride we have ever taken from that resort be sooooo crowd didn't help..
Not to mention we are not pleased with the themes, views, sounding areas, pools.
Proximity of restaurants is another biggie

AKV
altho like watching the animals
Once again not please with bus rides, pools, smell..
Proximity of other restaurants again.

 

[RobynPrincess]

We bought resale AKL and then added on direct with disney for VGF, we don't regret it for a second, though I try not to think about the fact it cost the same amount to add on 125 points as it did to buy the resale 320 points....

 

[Dean]

I think you misunderstood.. I was saying that there is an over all magic.. It doesn't matter if your at dvc,parks, or the resorts. You will still feel the magic.
Or just give me my room key and I'll make my own magic! Done this many times.. I've never expected the Disney resorts to supply to magic, just the room..

We are NOT buying bc of the emotional feeling.. Trust me! We would have bought in long time ago if we were..
I'm just saying I don't want to buy into a resort I'd be unhappy with Knowing every time we walked into it, I'd be wishing we could stay somewhere else.


Disclaimer: this are our opinions, and after 3-4 years of trying to like these resorts, it just hasn't happened..

The reasons we dislike SSR and AKV.
Main ones being locations and transportation.. (DH and I don't like driving on vacation)

SSR is next to Downtown Disney. And all the hassles that goes with that.
We are not big fans of DTD, and having every bus ride we have ever taken from that resort be sooooo crowd didn't help..
Not to mention we are not pleased with the themes, views, sounding areas, pools.
Proximity of restaurants is another biggie

AKV
altho like watching the animals
Once again not please with bus rides, pools, smell..
Proximity of other restaurants again.

Thanks for clarifying. If you're set on VGF all the time and it makes sense on paper, you still need to realizes there are risks. Unless you buy a fixed week, getting reservations even at 11 months out is likely to be an issue, esp for standard view. I still get the impression that you've backed yourself into a VGF corner in spite of your insistence otherwise. It'll be interesting to see how you feel about things 3-4 yrs down the road. Good luck with your purchase.

 

[disneynutz]

I think you misunderstood.. I was saying that there is an over all magic.. It doesn't matter if your at dvc,parks, or the resorts. You will still feel the magic.
Or just give me my room key and I'll make my own magic! Done this many times.. I've never expected the Disney resorts to supply to magic, just the room..

We are NOT buying bc of the emotional feeling.. Trust me! We would have bought in long time ago if we were..
I'm just saying I don't want to buy into a resort I'd be unhappy with Knowing every time we walked into it, I'd be wishing we could stay somewhere else.


Disclaimer: this are our opinions, and after 3-4 years of trying to like these resorts, it just hasn't happened..

The reasons we dislike SSR and AKV.
Main ones being locations and transportation.. (DH and I don't like driving on vacation)

SSR is next to Downtown Disney. And all the hassles that goes with that.
We are not big fans of DTD, and having every bus ride we have ever taken from that resort be sooooo crowd didn't help..
Not to mention we are not pleased with the themes, views, sounding areas, pools.
Proximity of restaurants is another biggie

AKV
altho like watching the animals
Once again not please with bus rides, pools, smell..
Proximity of other restaurants again.

Seems like you have thought this all through and I hope that you realize that most of our comments are for the benefit of other readers and not just directed at you.

Here are our VGF observations as an owner and after staying there. The DVC building is on the edge of the GF property and it's a walk to the GF amenities.

The VGF CM's are trying to put on the dog like the GF CM's but they are under trained and inexperienced.

The building is very, very small and availability may be a major issue.

The finishes, appliances, and furnishings are high end and will cost the owners more in dues than other resorts. The TV in the mirror already doesn't work as expected and the bubble bathtub may become a maintenance headache. Some how the dues rate tends to increase after DVD takes the resort off of their active sales list.

The views from the rooms are okay but not great, especially the standard views. The lake views have a view of the water but there really isn't much activity on that portion of the lake. The Electrical Water Pageant puts on their show for the GF and the Poly, not the VGF building.

It is a beautiful building and if you like the look and feel of the GF, you will love the VGF building.

Good luck on your purchase, put pressure on your Guide to make your first reservation and to wave some of your escrow fees.

Bill

 

[nabi]

(snip) And as technologically cute as the tv in the bathroom mirror might seem, it's really a poor use of money. I don't think we are getting quality with DVC any more. Just cute. And cute shouldn't be so expensive.

TV, meh. Tile work, OH YEAH!!! Shower glass and fixtures, SUPERB!! Location, Yippee!!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

The reasons we dislike SSR and AKV.
Main ones being locations and transportation.. (DH and I don't like driving on vacation)

SSR is next to Downtown Disney. And all the hassles that goes with that.
We are not big fans of DTD, and having every bus ride we have ever taken from that resort be sooooo crowd didn't help..
Not to mention we are not pleased with the themes, views, sounding areas, pools.
Proximity of restaurants is another biggie

AKV
altho like watching the animals
Once again not please with bus rides, pools, smell..
Proximity of other restaurants again.

You've talked yourself into VGF - and that's ok. So kind of like Bill I'm going to point out my experiences with GF/VGF/monorail resorts.

IMO Transportation is not any better at GF than the two previously mentioned - actually I think it's worse except to get to the MK. Even then you must rely on boats and monorails to MK and don't have the advantage of walking like you do from BLT. In Dec it was one hour for me to get to the MK - because of monorail issues. And you're pretty much stuck since the boats share with the Poly and can't handle the capacity unless they bring in the larger ones - but that takes time. It also shares buses to DHS and AK. And again - only monorail to Epcot which isn't quick because of first needing the resort monorail and then needing to transfer to the Epcot. I honestly find transportation to be the most frustrating from the monorail resorts and have never understood the comments that it's better.

I'm also a little unsure of your restaurant proximity but that may just mean proximity to restaurants you prefer. I don't love the GF restaurants - far prefer the AKL ones - but do like CR and Poly restaurants. And SSR has all the DTD restaurants just a quick boat ride away.

Availability at VGF is also a valid point. It's small and with the studios sleeping 5 it's going to be very difficult at certain times of the year IMO. I swear it seemed that virtually everyone who added on a few points there plan to go for a few days in December.

And FYI - I do like GF/VGF. But it's still operating within the same system as all other resorts and has many of the same issues.

 

[LadyLuck24]

I think an essential question that hasn't been asked here is: is it impossible to book VGF at 7 months? It sounds like much of the reason for paying a premium to buy direct at VGC is to have the 11 month booking advantage. I'm sure for some rooms/views this is necessary. But if you have flexibility in your dates & room types, you must be able to get VGF at 7 months if you book right away when that window opens, right? If that's the case, why the need to buy direct at VGF?

This is something I've been thinking about myself because I LOVE the Poly & would love to buy in there, but I know it's going to be ridiculously expensive. If I could buy resale anywhere else (I have stayed at 4 DVCs and love them all--I think they all have their pluses and minuses), then book at the Poly at the 7 month window, why would I ever pay so much to buy direct?

Another way to put this is: if you paid a premium to buy direct at VGF (or BLT when it opened, or Poly when it eventually starts selling), does it bother you that people who may have paid $79/point for a resale contract at SSR are also able to stay there?

 

[Deb & Bill]

I think an essential question that hasn't been asked here is: is it impossible to book VGF at 7 months? It sounds like much of the reason for paying a premium to buy direct at VGC is to have the 11 month booking advantage. I'm sure for some rooms/views this is necessary. But if you have flexibility in your dates & room types, you must be able to get VGF at 7 months if you book right away when that window opens, right? If that's the case, why the need to buy direct at VGF?

This is something I've been thinking about myself because I LOVE the Poly & would love to buy in there, but I know it's going to be ridiculously expensive. If I could buy resale anywhere else (I have stayed at 4 DVCs and love them all--I think they all have their pluses and minuses), then book at the Poly at the 7 month window, why would I ever pay so much to buy direct?

Another way to put this is: if you paid a premium to buy direct at VGF (or BLT when it opened, or Poly when it eventually starts selling), does it bother you that people who may have paid $79/point for a resale contract at SSR are also able to stay there?

It is smaller than VWL and BCV. So, it could be difficult to book. But the villas require a larger number of points per night than any other resort, so that might help. But owners at GFV more than likely are going to stay there.

 

[Dean]

I think an essential question that hasn't been asked here is: is it impossible to book VGF at 7 months? It sounds like much of the reason for paying a premium to buy direct at VGC is to have the 11 month booking advantage. I'm sure for some rooms/views this is necessary. But if you have flexibility in your dates & room types, you must be able to get VGF at 7 months if you book right away when that window opens, right? If that's the case, why the need to buy direct at VGF?

This is something I've been thinking about myself because I LOVE the Poly & would love to buy in there, but I know it's going to be ridiculously expensive. If I could buy resale anywhere else (I have stayed at 4 DVCs and love them all--I think they all have their pluses and minuses), then book at the Poly at the 7 month window, why would I ever pay so much to buy direct?

Another way to put this is: if you paid a premium to buy direct at VGF (or BLT when it opened, or Poly when it eventually starts selling), does it bother you that people who may have paid $79/point for a resale contract at SSR are also able to stay there?

I don't see any reason for one to be upset if a non VGF owner were able to reserve there or an exchanger eventually. I do think many of us have eluded to your first question and I personally feel it will not be possible consistently to reserve there other than possibly lower times May and Sept maybe.

 

[DizBub]

Another way to put this is: if you paid a premium to buy direct at VGF (or BLT when it opened, or Poly when it eventually starts selling), does it bother you that people who may have paid $79/point for a resale contract at SSR are also able to stay there?

It doesn't bother me at all. I have used my direct BLT points to stay at SSR and OKW and been very happy to do it.

 

[Sur]

We recently stayed at OKW on points from another resort also.....enjoyed it very much. We wanted the larger room, two beds and lower points, not to mention a change is nice!

 

[nkereina]

We have not yet pulled the trigger on DVC, still in the research/consideration stages. But one thing I have determined for us is that we are and can be flexible on when we travel and where we stay. We've been at all different times of year and with the exception of the summer months, don't really prefer one month over the other. We've also stayed at several resorts and while we have our favorites, they all suit our needs and there isn't one we really dislike. Because of this, we are really considering buying resale at SSR not only for the cheaper per point perk, but also for the cheaper annual dues. Annual dues will likely only increase over time, and depending on how many points you buy, can vary greatly from one resort to another. We can justify this since we are flexible with our resort bookings and travel dates, which is why we are considering going against the "buy where you want to stay" mantra.

Since you have kids and an affinity for GFV, its a little different for you. If money isn't a huge concern then I guess it ultimately doesn't matter, but I know we'd be cringing a bit with a high monthly payment for annual dues when we could have potentially gotten it for less.

 

[bakerworld]

~
Another way to put this is: if you paid a premium to buy direct at VGF (or BLT when it opened, or Poly when it eventually starts selling), does it bother you that people who may have paid $79/point for a resale contract at SSR are also able to stay there?

Not at all - no matter the pt cost, a member is a member. It's the upside of joining a 'club' vs a traditional TS.

 

[1oldguitarman]

There has been a lot of excellent & varied advice on this thread ... I can only add my thoughts based on 13 years of membership and purchasing both direct and resale.

Our experience has been:
a) purchased 200 VWL, 100 BCV and 150 AKV points during each of their construction phases DIRECT from DVC and have NOT regretted it once. The benefits (even if only perceived by me) far outweighed the resale options at the time
b) purchased 200 Boardwalk points 3 years ago via resale because we could NOT get ourselves into Boardwalk during our favorite travel times (Food & Wine, New Year's) with the 7-month booking window. Saved a ton of money and have not regretted the resale purchase
c) currently purchasing 160 AKV points resale to add on to existing points (DVC's ROFR decision pending) ... will save a ton of money again
d) have not considered buying cheaper (OKW, Vero, SSR) resales at our non-favorite resorts because we have experienced trouble with the 7-month window on numerous occasions


My wife and I are in our 60's, retired, 3 kids (42, 38, 31) and 5 grandkids. We've averaged 40 nights a year on property since joining in 2001 and continually find new restaurants, experiences and simply relaxation in WDW. In the 13 years of DVC membership, the way we spend our time at WDW has changed, but has become even more enjoyable.

The financial analysis of a few years ago indicated "break-even" on a DVC investment somewhere in the 8-to-10 year range, depending on your resort, maintenance fees, etc. You've seen some good, rational financial advice already. Most of it points you towards resale or simply staying at GF and not being a DVC member. I'm currently into the "break-even" on most of my points ... and have future vacations into 2042-2057. For me, the emotional value, the memories and joy of future-planned vacations has been well worth the original purchases that were direct. NO REGRETS!

May your decision, whichever way you go, bring you and your family years of wonderful memories, times together and joy of life! (...and it's hard to factor that into a purely financial choice)

 

[chrisaman]

What we did is bought resale at vgc a smaller contract. We are planning to wait for the next economy downturn and then we will start looking to upgrade our point total with a resort like VGF. I recommend buy resale some where cheaper. Then wait for the normal 5-8 year economic down swing when prices go down. However, it is hard to wait. I agree

 

[Lorilais_mommie]

What we did is bought resale at vgc a smaller contract. We are planning to wait for the next economy downturn and then we will start looking to upgrade our point total with a resort like VGF. I recommend buy resale some where cheaper. Then wait for the normal 5-8 year economic down swing when prices go down. However, it is hard to wait. I agree

The main reason we are not wanting to wait is we Currently have planned trips that are going to happen with or without DVC..
Our trips: 2014 DL, 2015 DCL (not w/ points) & WDWx2, 2016 WDWx2, and 2017 WDW possibly extend family trip..

That's At least 5 GF stays worth of money we could put towards DVC instead of giving it to Disney and then still having to buy resale.

(We understand these can go away at any time so we did not add them into our spreadsheet)
Not to mention no discounts in AP we would buy, or possibly cash discount for the DCL (if it's a better deal then what we currently have) OBB offer
And if we buy before April 30th.. We could also save with the DL AP discount currently offered. Saving us $200 each.. Vs. Buying day tickets

 

[chrisaman]

The main reason we are not wanting to wait is we Currently have planned trips that are going to happen with or without DVC..
Our trips: 2014 DL, 2015 DCL (not w/ points) & WDWx2, 2016 WDWx2, and 2017 WDW possibly extend family trip..

That's At least 5 GF stays worth of money we could put towards DVC instead of giving it to Disney and then still having to buy resale.

(We understand these can go away at any time so we did not add them into our spreadsheet)
Not to mention no discounts in AP we would buy, or possibly cash discount for the DCL (if it's a better deal then what we currently have) OBB offer
And if we buy before April 30th.. We could also save with the DL AP discount currently offered. Saving us $200 each.. Vs. Buying day tickets

Ultimately it comes down to what you would be happy with. For me, I am a cheap skate and would never be able to get over not going the cheapest route that would give me what I want. Not everyone is like me and would be more happy with the speed and convenience of going direct. Do what makes you the most happy.

 

[carcam51]

minor issue but you can still trade DVC resale pts through RCI or buena vista trading co. for other timeshares. no disney hotels and no disney cruises, but don't go so far as to say no trading out at all

Thank you for this information - I did not realize you could not use DVC resale pts the same way as if you bought direct. This is huge for me. We have not become members yet, but this could be a deal breaker for us since we do like to cruise. Grant it, we probably wouldn't use points all that often, but we like having the option to do so...so, if I'm understanding correctly, if we want to use points to cruise we need to buy direct, correct?

 

[PacoDF]

Thank you for this information - I did not realize you could not use DVC resale pts the same way as if you bought direct. This is huge for me. We have not become members yet, but this could be a deal breaker for us since we do like to cruise. Grant it, we probably wouldn't use points all that often, but we like having the option to do so...so, if I'm understanding correctly, if we want to use points to cruise we need to buy direct, correct?

Correct. Most of DVC member would rent out points and use that cash to pay for DCL and that would be cheapier than trade points into DCL directly tru Disney.