3rd contract resale again or direct.

[PadensAtTheCastle]

We’ve been going to wdw for years and finally made the DVC plunge with 270 at AKV and then additonis with 250 at BWV. This will give us our 2 1 bedroom trips for a few years. However we already know as our boys get older we will be moving to 2 bedrooms. We are planning on getting a third contract for another 150-200 in a year or 2. We are debating if we should do resale again or direct. My DH prefers resale since we do not finance and the upfront cost is less or our money goes farther with pp. But I’m curious if we are missing out on direct perks. We might use the annual pass option, we plan 2 big trips and those in May and November so we won’t change dates for mm nights. We’ve never done a lounge so I don’t know if that’s worth it. And we are not cruise people so wouldn’t do the exchange.

Is direct for our situation with it?
We are thinking the third would be a mk resort.

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

Resale. Get more points/bang for the buck.

 

[davidhr]

I think it’s good to have options, so some direct points are always good. If you’re going to be getting the AP a few years, it makes the direct price more reasonable.

 

[intamin]

If the resort you want for MK is Poly or LSL then direct makes sense. If those 2 aren't the resorts you actually want then direct doesnt make sense.

 

[PadensAtTheCastle]

If the resort you want for MK is Poly or LSL then direct makes sense. If those 2 aren't the resorts you actually want then direct doesnt make sense.

I’m wanting VGF or BLT but my more budget concession other half is leaning towards boulder ridge. I like the wilderness feel but I think I want the monorail verse a boat. I also don’t want another 2042. Boardwalk was a honeymoon dream come true so with the short deed but br is not. As for ccv, I’m not a fan of the small rooms.

 

[airjay75]

A few thoughts.

If your November dates include Thanksgiving weekend, those are blackout dates for the Sorcerer's Pass, so you wouldn't benefit as much from that (although if you do the waterpark add-on, there aren't any blackout dates for waterparks if you have the Sorcerer's Pass)

I haven't looked at the points charts or availability tables for 2 BRs at AKV or BWV, but if your current points at each of those resorts are not enough for 2 BRs, you might just want to think about more resale points at either of those resorts such that you have enough for what you want. All the 2 BRs at BWV are lock-offs, so I assume you would have to own points there to reliably secure those rooms. Of course, you can do bank/borrow every other year strategies too.

I know you said you don't like the size of CCV, but would the 2 BRs be enough space for you? The points chart for 2 BRs at CCV are pretty nice for a MK area resort - depending on view and time of year, they often take less points than 1 BRs at PVB or VGF. CCV is one of the most economical resorts to buy resale IMO given the combination of price/point, dues, and length of contract. BLT is pretty good too - if you want resort view rooms at BLT, you gotta own there because there aren't very many. If you're ok with preferred view, owning isn't as important.

If you want PVB, I'd buy direct, but the points chart there is pretty steep. Might not be a bad move to wait until LSL opens and compare with PVB. I think they'll likely both be in active sales for a short time.

 

[PadensAtTheCastle]

A few thoughts.

If your November dates include Thanksgiving weekend, those are blackout dates for the Sorcerer's Pass, so you wouldn't benefit as much from that (although if you do the waterpark add-on, there aren't any blackout dates for waterparks if you have the Sorcerer's Pass)

I haven't looked at the points charts or availability tables for 2 BRs at AKV or BWV, but if your current points at each of those resorts are not enough for 2 BRs, you might just want to think about more resale points at either of those resorts such that you have enough for what you want. All the 2 BRs at BWV are lock-offs, so I assume you would have to own points there to reliably secure those rooms. Of course, you can do bank/borrow every other year strategies too.

I know you said you don't like the size of CCV, but would the 2 BRs be enough space for you? The points chart for 2 BRs at CCV are pretty nice for a MK area resort - depending on view and time of year, they often take less points than 1 BRs at PVB or VGF. CCV is one of the most economical resorts to buy resale IMO given the combination of price/point, dues, and length of contract. BLT is pretty good too - if you want resort view rooms at BLT, you gotta own there because there aren't very many. If you're ok with preferred view, owning isn't as important.

If you want PVB, I'd buy direct, but the points chart there is pretty steep. Might not be a bad move to wait until LSL opens and compare with PVB. I think they'll likely both be in active sales for a short time.

The AKV would be our November maybe December trip and our 270 is enough for a 2 bedroom there. The additional contract would be for a split stay with our BWV points. Since 2 bedrooms are only lockoffs, our points could get us 4-5 nights for any of the view options. So the next contract would need to be enough for 4-5 nights at an mk resort.
I feel like DVC is both looking financially but there’s also the emotional pull and I just can’t get emotionally behind ccv. I know it makes more sense economical sense than VGF. But I love BLT and VGF location, remodels and room size more than ccv. But ccv is beautiful and from what I’ve gathered better pools than BLT or VGF.

 

[airjay75]

The AKV would be our November maybe December trip and our 270 is enough for a 2 bedroom there. The additional contract would be for a split stay with our BWV points. Since 2 bedrooms are only lockoffs, our points could get us 4-5 nights for any of the view options. So the next contract would need to be enough for 4-5 nights at an mk resort.
I feel like DVC is both looking financially but there’s also the emotional pull and I just can’t get emotionally behind ccv. I know it makes more sense economical sense than VGF. But I love BLT and VGF location, remodels and room size more than ccv. But ccv is beautiful and from what I’ve gathered better pools than BLT or VGF.

Well, I think VGF and BLT are great choices too, and if that's what you want, and are ok with the points charts there, are both great choices too.

 

[AstroBlasters]

I’d get enough resale points for a 2BD @ AKV and then you can book there at 11m and waitlist or book a 2BD somewhere else at 7m pretty seamlessly.

 

[Add-On-Itis]

I’d get enough resale points for a 2BD @ AKV and then you can book there at 11m and waitlist or book a 2BD somewhere else at 7m pretty seamlessly.

The AKV would be our November maybe December trip and our 270 is enough for a 2 bedroom there. The additional contract would be for a split stay with our BWV points. Since 2 bedrooms are only lockoffs, our points could get us 4-5 nights for any of the view options. So the next contract would need to be enough for 4-5 nights at an mk resort.
I feel like DVC is both looking financially but there’s also the emotional pull and I just can’t get emotionally behind ccv. I know it makes more sense economical sense than VGF. But I love BLT and VGF location, remodels and room size more than ccv. But ccv is beautiful and from what I’ve gathered better pools than BLT or VGF.

Astro, he said he have enough AKV for 2 bedroom already.

OP, not sure when you november trip is. but if it’s not during a blackout then direct might be worth it for the annual pass. You’ll save some money and won’t have FOMO

 

[AstroBlasters]

Astro, he said he have enough AKV for 2 bedroom already.

OP, not sure when you november trip is. but if it’s not during a blackout then direct might be worth it for the annual pass. You’ll save some money and won’t have FOMO

I read it as they have enough for 2x 1 bedroom trips, but want enough for 2 bedrooms.

 

[muppets3d]

It's important to realize that none of our membership extras are guaranteed. Moonlight magic, access to the Sorcerer Pass, lounges, etc., could all go away in 5 minutes and we'd have no recourse.

Being able to buy the Sorcerer's Pass if the blackout dates work for your travel habits represents a decent savings every year. For a family large enough to need 2 bedroom villas, that amount of savings could make the price difference between direct and resale easy to justify in just a few years.

Access to the Sorcerer's Pass and the ability to book Riviera and successive resorts are the reasons I'd buy direct. Moonlight magic and the lounges are bonuses, but I certainly didn't buy direct so I could get a bag of cheez-its and a Coke at EPCOT. Moonlight magic events are lots of fun but unless your travel dates coincide with one they don't mean much, and even if you are on property then there's no guarantee you'll even get tickets. Every time registration opens for the events, people post here and on social media disappointed that they missed out.

The bigger issue is in a year or two, it's likely there won't be a MK resort in active sales (The Polynesian Tower may be sold out by then) so buying direct will be extremely expensive. DVC hikes the price of sold out resorts and ends most if not all promotions on them except in rare cases (like the current Copper Creek incentive). That is at least, unless you consider Lakeshore Lodge a MK resort - that resort should be selling by then.

I plan to own my points until I physically cannot travel any more, which hopefully will be many decades in the future. So I purchased most of my points direct. That way as more restricted resorts come online, I can use my points at them. The only points I own that are restricted are for a 2042 resort and I only use those points there, so it doesn't matter that they're restricted.