Grand Floridian at $200 a point?

[psac]

I also think the $120-130 range seems reasonable. I think the number of points to book will be crazy high, way more than BLT. (Compare GF to CR cash booking rates.)

 

[jarestel]

Not sure what the plus of owing at GF would be as we already own BLT which is a walk away from MK and a monorail ride from Narcoses...er, GF

Besides the fact that the GF is a nicer resort, there probably wouldn't be any other significant reasons.

 

[Tinkerdreams]

I talked to my guide about a month ago. They stated that GF would probably launch at what BLT is currently selling for $165 and then go up to somewhere between $185 and $200/point. Since there are going to be approximately 150 units, this resort will sell fast

I would love to own there but decided just to add on. Expected points for GF will be just slightly higher than BLT according to the guide.

 

[wendow]

We are new to DVC stuff but we attended a presentation less than a week ago when at WDW and the guy who talked with us said he'd expect GF to open "somewhere around $200/point".

 

[Dean]

We are new to DVC stuff but we attended a presentation less than a week ago when at WDW and the guy who talked with us said he'd expect GF to open "somewhere around $200/point".

Was he trying to get you to go ahead and buy?

 

[CMOORE185]

We are new to DVC stuff but we attended a presentation less than a week ago when at WDW and the guy who talked with us said he'd expect GF to open "somewhere around $200/point".

If I were a gambling man I think with incentives it will start out between $160 and $180 per point.

 

[Golden Rose]

GF was one of our favorite resorts before we purchased DVC several years ago. (Our favorites are AK, GF, BC, and BW, and we now own at 2 of the 4 and have considered adding on at both of the others. We've also talked about adding on at Aulani, but we aren't going to do it until we've visited at least once to see what we think of it, and we have a toddler at the moment. We'll see what's available in a couple of years on the resale market for Aulani. But I digress.)

I'm not quite sure where our willingness to purchase GFV stops... $200 is too much; incentives that take it down to the $120 level make it a certainty. If concierge level is going to be made available somehow, our willingness to pay more and add on more points increases.

We've always intended to have AKV, an epcot resort, and a MK resort in our DVC portfolio. I'm not a huge fan of BLT, but DH really likes it, so if prices are too high on GFV, we may end up doing a BLT resale purchase instead. Right now we're just waiting to see what it will be priced at, and hoping for $140ish rather than $200ish.

 

[wendow]

Was he trying to get you to go ahead and buy?

Not GF. He was trying to sell us on BLT but I was just asking questions about GF.

 

[Dean]

Not GF. He was trying to sell us on BLT but I was just asking questions about GF.

That's what I figured, trying to get you to go ahead and buy. IMO, $200 is an unrealistic starting point. I also will be surprised if the per room points are not the same or about the same as BLT for a comparable room and view. The dues may be a little higher due to the smaller number of villas and required nature of the GF style. The answer is the same for BLT and GF, it makes no sense to buy either as a full ownership unless you feel that paying more money to reserve at that resort much of the time is worth it. Add ons can be a different situation depending on circumstances. And it makes no sense to buy a full contract retail unless you want BLT or GF much of the time. Obviously there will always be specialty situations which is why one needs to look at their own circumstance to make a final decision. Lastly, it makes no sense to buy retail for the purpose of financing or the cash type exchange options (like DCL).

I don't ever recall DVC raising the price on a new offering compared to the then current sales situation. They have raised prices a few months before and a couple of months after. I think it's entirely possible the current price for BLT will get us to GF sales though I think a single increase of around $5-10 a point is more likely.

 

[wendow]

That's what I figured, trying to get you to go ahead and buy. IMO, $200 is an unrealistic starting point. I also will be surprised if the per room points are not the same or about the same as BLT for a comparable room and view. The dues may be a little higher due to the smaller number of villas and required nature of the GF style. The answer is the same for BLT and GF, it makes no sense to buy either as a full ownership unless you feel that paying more money to reserve at that resort much of the time is worth it. Add ons can be a different situation depending on circumstances. And it makes no sense to buy a full contract retail unless you want BLT or GF much of the time. Obviously there will always be specialty situations which is why one needs to look at their own circumstance to make a final decision. Lastly, it makes no sense to buy retail for the purpose of financing or the cash type exchange options (like DCL).

I don't ever recall DVC raising the price on a new offering compared to the then current sales situation. They have raised prices a few months before and a couple of months after. I think it's entirely possible the current price for BLT will get us to GF sales though I think a single increase of around $5-10 a point is more likely.

I think you are right, Dean. Thinking back on our conversation with him, he kept emphasizing how BLT is 97% sold and they will cap sales at 98% and that GF will probably open at $200/point. So, he was clearly trying to put a sense of urgency in our minds that we need to go ahead and buy BLT before it's sold out and our only option is GF.

We are definitely trying to figure out if DVC ownership makes sense for our family but we will not buy direct from Disney. We only attended the presentation to get an idea of how it all worked. The sales guy, of course, discouraged us from buying resales. I'm just trying to figure out if we need to buy in or if it makes more sense for us to just continue renting points. The point rental is a huge savings over rack rates but even after a few trips, that is going to significantly add up since we'll need a 2br.

 

[Dean]

I think you are right, Dean. Thinking back on our conversation with him, he kept emphasizing how BLT is 97% sold and they will cap sales at 98% and that GF will probably open at $200/point. So, he was clearly trying to put a sense of urgency in our minds that we need to go ahead and buy BLT before it's sold out and our only option is GF.

We are definitely trying to figure out if DVC ownership makes sense for our family but we will not buy direct from Disney. We only attended the presentation to get an idea of how it all worked. The sales guy, of course, discouraged us from buying resales. I'm just trying to figure out if we need to buy in or if it makes more sense for us to just continue renting points. The point rental is a huge savings over rack rates but even after a few trips, that is going to significantly add up since we'll need a 2br.

Over time and for DVC trips only, you should save by owning if used for DVC only. What you'll lose is the ability to walk away and the ability to essentially utilize multiple home resort booking windows. But you'll save some money, how much depends on your usage and what you buy. Personally I'd rather have control and save more even if I had less resort choices. Just buy something at WDW if that's your goal. $$$ wise it's better to buy low and try to trade up (SSR for example) than the reverse (BLT). Of course off property may be even cheaper, give you far more and better non DVC options and possibly even allow you to trade in to DVC at times. Also, owning less DVC points that you need overall could give you both some savings and more home resort options by renting part of the time.

I'd suggest you forget rack rates unless you are likely to pay those prices anyway. They really don't have a lot of meaning otherwise and DON'T serve as a good benchmark for your savings.

 

[wendow]

Over time and for DVC trips only, you should save by owning if used for DVC only. What you'll lose is the ability to walk away and the ability to essentially utilize multiple home resort booking windows. But you'll save some money, how much depends on your usage and what you buy. Personally I'd rather have control and save more even if I had less resort choices. Just buy something at WDW if that's your goal. $$$ wise it's better to buy low and try to trade up (SSR for example) than the reverse (BLT). Of course off property may be even cheaper, give you far more and better non DVC options and possibly even allow you to trade in to DVC at times. Also, owning less DVC points that you need overall could give you both some savings and more home resort options by renting part of the time.

I'd suggest you forget rack rates unless you are likely to pay those prices anyway. They really don't have a lot of meaning otherwise and DON'T serve as a good benchmark for your savings.

Thanks for your thoughts. What you recommend is the same conclusion I am coming to also. I really want to stay at BLT but cannot see spending the money when we could buy SSR for so much less and just try at 7mos and be flexible (which we can be as we home school). What I am not sure about is how often we need to travel to WDW or some other DVC resort to make it worth it. There is no way we can take a big vacation like this every year. EOY is much more realistic for us. I have been watching for the smaller contracts thinking about just trying to have *some* points to offset the cost of renting but wow, those contracts get snatched up fast.

 

[Dean]

Thanks for your thoughts. What you recommend is the same conclusion I am coming to also. I really want to stay at BLT but cannot see spending the money when we could buy SSR for so much less and just try at 7mos and be flexible (which we can be as we home school). What I am not sure about is how often we need to travel to WDW or some other DVC resort to make it worth it. There is no way we can take a big vacation like this every year. EOY is much more realistic for us. I have been watching for the smaller contracts thinking about just trying to have *some* points to offset the cost of renting but wow, those contracts get snatched up fast.

Any timeshare is a compromise but a major general rule for exchanging, which really is what the 7 month reservations involves, is that it's always better to be trading up than laterally or down. However, you don't want to be in a situation where you're continually frustrated as well. It wouldn't make sense to buy SSR to stay most trips at BLT or BCV or BWV standard or BW view or to try to get AKV concierge. I think most people who buy in want to stay at their home resort once or twice early on then they want to try most or all of the resorts. Or maybe you want a 3 BR every 3-4 years for a family trip, you may have to have the 11 month priority for that for most resorts. Every person simply has to look at their needs, budget, and known preferences and make a decision.

 

[wendow]

Any timeshare is a compromise but a major general rule for exchanging, which really is what the 7 month reservations involves, is that it's always better to be trading up than laterally or down. However, you don't want to be in a situation where you're continually frustrated as well. It wouldn't make sense to buy SSR to stay most trips at BLT or BCV or BWV standard or BW view or to try to get AKV concierge. I think most people who buy in want to stay at their home resort once or twice early on then they want to try most or all of the resorts. Or maybe you want a 3 BR every 3-4 years for a family trip, you may have to have the 11 month priority for that for most resorts. Every person simply has to look at their needs, budget, and known preferences and make a decision.

Thanks Dean. I appreciate your thoughts as you've given me more to think about.

 

[Dean]

Thanks Dean. I appreciate your thoughts as you've given me more to think about.

That is my goal and makes the efforts worth it.

 

[jennypenny]

What I haven't seen mentioned (unless I missed it--quite possible ) is the extended expiration date. When we first bought BCV, we paid $83 direct in 2003 which gave us 39 years of use. What do we think GFV's expiration will be? 2062? 2067? That's 49 or 54 years. So you have to factor in inflation, an extra 20% in duration, and the fact that it's attached to WDW's flagship resort. If BCV opened now I don't think anyone would be surprised at a $150-160 opening price, so $200 for GFV seems right to me.

I'm still not sure if we'll buy. We're going to add on, but we're waiting to see what GFV looks like. If the water view is a nice as it seems (and guaranteed) I might be tempted to pay that price.

 

[lilpooh108]

I'd suggest you forget rack rates unless you are likely to pay those prices anyway. They really don't have a lot of meaning otherwise and DON'T serve as a good benchmark for your savings.

I second this. As a mom w/young kids...we budget according to how much we were likely to spend w/o DVC for accommodations that would be acceptable to us (Disney or not). The low end of our calculation would be 2 connecting hotel rooms....the high end would be a 1-2 bedroom rental. Using that as our "bar," I figure out what's really affordable for us.

 

[Nancy F]

I dont have any insider knowledge, but my gut is telling me the initial asking price is going to be less then BLT is currently at, but much higher then any other resort at its initial launching price.

For sure, DVD loves the fact that the impressions are $200, but in reality very few will pay that much, the ones who can probably don't care to signup for a timeshare as a cost savings tool.

If I were a gambling man (and as a finance guy, i'm not) I could see it at $140 a point (give or take) with people thinking its a bargain. I wouldnt be shocked at $120, which could be why they are pushing AKL now so they wont have to decrease that pricing once they open GFV.

Again, that is significantly higher than any other resort opening price. They tend to ask the premium prices after they have sold a significant number of points, which I believe is a strategy to recoup initial costs as fast as possible to reduce the risk of the project going downhill.

Disaster would be to start out at 200 and be forced to lower it into the 120 range to sell because of the wide impression that its a dud, that would not only impact this resort, but all future resorts going forward as there would be a precedent for waiting until after the resort launches to get best pricing.

Start low and jack it up very quickly based on demand is the strategy I would recommend.

I agree.
Nancy

 

[bakenatj]

Anybody wanna take wagers?

Start:

$170

-$20 for Direct Purchase (existing members)
-$15 new Purchasers

+10% bonus points when purchased on DAY OF (100 points +)

Takers?

I hope you are right Wilson, I really want to do an add on there. I will purchase at that price, but if they try and go higher I will sit out and wait for resale.

 

[Husurdady]

I talked to my guide today after watching the Savanna webcast and inquired about timing on GFV sales. Guide indicated that it was unclear, likely in Spring, although "DVC seems to be trying to get AKV sold first" and that "GFV is going to start around $200." Not sure if this was just an attempt to get me to jump on the AKV offer, but figure I'd share it with the group.

Sounds like that will be [parden the pun cubbie fan] in the ball park.
Disney was selling OKW for 100.00$ per point. And I saw where 50pts resale was sold today at $74.00 per point.