Adding on at Aulani or GFV - which makes more sense?

[Golden Rose]

We have just over 300 points split between BWV and AKV, and for some years it has been fine, and for some years it hasn't been enough. (It depends on how much WDW we do compared to other vacations.) Now that we're looking at staying at some of the resorts with much higher weekly point costs, we've decided it makes sense for us to add on points.

We had hoped to stay at each of the resorts we're considering before buying the points, which is why we haven't purchased yet, but we're starting to book next years travel and we just don't have the points to do it since we're hoping to stay (not coincidentally) at Aulani and GFV.

Before I had kids, I went to Hawaii pretty often. We love kids, and we've gone back and forth about buying a timeshare there for a decade. We didn't want to do it while the kids were young, but we've decided we're tired of waiting, so we've decided DD will be fine at age 3. We're likely to be there at least every 3 years (probably more often), so Aulani points would probably get used almost exclusively at Aulani.

We go to WDW every year, sometimes twice a year, occasionally we've even done 3 times a year. This is why we bought DVC to begin with, and we've been very happy with it. Before we bought DVC, GF was one of our favorite resorts, if not our very favorite, so I think we'll like GFV. We're at a stage where we're doing a lot of MK, so I really want to stay at a monorail resort, and since the GF was my favorite monorail resort, it makes sense to stay there and possibly own there.

So here's the issues. We really don't need more than 500 points total. We're not selling either of the contracts we have, we're very happy with both. Really small contracts don't make sense at either Aulani or GFV, because of the high point costs at both resorts, so I want to add on a minimum of 100 points.

We're aware we're probably going to be stuck buying direct, and we're ok with it. Yes, we'd rather buy resale, and if we got lucky, we might even be able to find a subsidized Aulani contract, but we're not going to count on being able to find one.

We almost always get 2 bedroom villas. Is it likely to be harder to get a 2 bedroom ocean view at Aulani or a 2 bedroom lake view at GFV at 7 months? This is probably the most important question. Where do we need the 11 month booking advantage?

Which is likely to hold its value better, if down the road we decide to sell?

 

[SuperRob]

We have just over 300 points split between BWV and AKV, and for some years it has been fine, and for some years it hasn't been enough. (It depends on how much WDW we do compared to other vacations.) Now that we're looking at staying at some of the resorts with much higher weekly point costs, we've decided it makes sense for us to add on points.

We had hoped to stay at each of the resorts we're considering before buying the points, which is why we haven't purchased yet, but we're starting to book next years travel and we just don't have the points to do it since we're hoping to stay (not coincidentally) at Aulani and GFV.

Before I had kids, I went to Hawaii pretty often. We love kids, and we've gone back and forth about buying a timeshare there for a decade. We didn't want to do it while the kids were young, but we've decided we're tired of waiting, so we've decided DD will be fine at age 3. We're likely to be there at least every 3 years (probably more often), so Aulani points would probably get used almost exclusively at Aulani.

We go to WDW every year, sometimes twice a year, occasionally we've even done 3 times a year. This is why we bought DVC to begin with, and we've been very happy with it. Before we bought DVC, GF was one of our favorite resorts, if not our very favorite, so I think we'll like GFV. We're at a stage where we're doing a lot of MK, so I really want to stay at a monorail resort, and since the GF was my favorite monorail resort, it makes sense to stay there and possibly own there.

So here's the issues. We really don't need more than 500 points total. We're not selling either of the contracts we have, we're very happy with both. Really small contracts don't make sense at either Aulani or GFV, because of the high point costs at both resorts, so I want to add on a minimum of 100 points.

We're aware we're probably going to be stuck buying direct, and we're ok with it. Yes, we'd rather buy resale, and if we got lucky, we might even be able to find a subsidized Aulani contract, but we're not going to count on being able to find one.

We almost always get 2 bedroom villas. Is it likely to be harder to get a 2 bedroom ocean view at Aulani or a 2 bedroom lake view at GFV at 7 months? This is probably the most important question. Where do we need the 11 month booking advantage?

Which is likely to hold its value better, if down the road we decide to sell?

A 100-point contract when you want a two-bedroom at VGF will not stretch very far. You might get a better value on your Aulani points, but then there's the dues issue.

This is a tough call. They both have merits and issues. I've stayed at the GF and it's amazing. My wife and I will definitely stay at the villas at some point, hopefully for our 2016 anniversary. Aulani, however, was spectacular. Yes, it doesn't have the benefit of being next door to the Magic Kingdom, but that means it has to stand on it's own, and it certainly does that. But airfare to Oahu is not a trivial matter. VGF will be luxurious, I'm sure, but you'll pay a premium for it.

If it were my money, I'd consider selling one of my contracts and picking up as many points at VGF as I could. If that's not an option, I'd go with Aulani and hope that seven-month booking for VGF isn't too bad. For a 2-bd, it might be tough.

There's no telling what will hold it's value better. Given that VGF is THE flagship resort for Disney, I'd expect them to aggressively pursue ROFR on any sales at that location, but no one outside DVD knows for sure.

 

[wdrl]

Given the relative sizes of the two resorts, I believe that VGF, which is much smaller, will hold its "value" better than Aulani. Just look at the resale prices for the VGC (the smallest DVC resort) and you'll see that it is selling for near its initial offering price from 2009.

With only 100 vacation homes -- as compared to 459 for Aulani -- VGF should be harder to book at seven months. Also, it would not surprise me if anyone wanting to book VGF during peak DVC times (like December) will need to have the Home Resort advantage.

With Aulani, its size will probably allow you to find something at 7 months, especially if you remain flexible. Its only been open for a couple of years and I don't think we have a feel for how quickly the resort fills up throughout the year. However, I have heard that June is a high-demand month, probably due to the Aulani point chart changing from the Choice Season to the more expensive Magic Season around that time.

We just added on 100 points at Aulani so that we can book an Ocean View studio for a week every other year. We opted to buy at Aulani rather than adding on at BLT, AKV, or even VGF because we want the ability to book Aulani at 11 months. By having that 11 month window and locking in our Aulani dates, it gives us more flexibility -- and more time -- in looking for airfares, making plans for island hopping, etc.

How many days to you hope to stay at Aulani? 100 points won't give you many days in a two-bedroom villa even if you plan on going every three years. At most you'll get about 4 nights in an Ocean View every three years, or 5 in a Pool View (which, by the way, are very nice accommodations). VGF might be a bit cheaper, but not by much.

We, too, live in the Houston area (Missouri City) and its about an 8 hour nonstop flight from IAH to HNL. I know some people complain about the length of the flights to Hawaii. The way I look at it I use to sit in long business meetings for 8 hours and I managed to survive. And besides, when I walked out of the business meeting I wasn't walking into the paradise that is Hawaii.

Good luck on your decision!

 

[Golden Rose]

Selling our existing points to buy at another resort isn't really an option we want to explore. We regularly use our 11 month booking window at BWV for October and for Boardwalk view, so there is no way we would sell it. AKV we're really not interested in selling because we want to do concierge occasionally, and we like to stay there often as it is DS's favorite.

We might go for 125 points instead of 100, but I am hesitant to buy too many more points until I see how (not) far they go for us at the more point intensive resorts, and how hard it is for us to use the rest of our points to extend our stays occasionally.

We looking at going to Aulani in 2014, and our current plan is to stay at Aulani for 4 or 5 nights and stay at another resort for about the same amount of time. I used to have family in Hawaii, so I used to go often, and have been to most of the major islands (Oahu, Maui, Big Island, Molokai, Kauai.) We're not sure if we're going to island hop with a 3 year old, or just spend a few days on Waikiki this trip, but eventually our Hawaii trips will be half Aulani and half another island. (Assuming we love Aulani enough to return, which I admit I'm assuming right now.)

I realize the points go even less far with VGF. We don't mind split stays, and in fact right now almost have to do them, because DS is so much in love with AKV that we almost have to stay there for part of the time every trip, and we're so not in love with the transportation from the resort that we almost have to stay elsewhere for a few days as well. We're thinking that VGF for a few days and AKV for a few days is about perfect for some of our trips. (BWV is perfect for our F & W trips, though...)

I'm not looking forward to the flight to Hawaii with a toddler, but she's driven with us to WDW three times already, and done fine. That's 16 hours in a car, although, admittedly she gets breaks where she gets to get out and run around. (We're really not worried about our 8 year old - he's flown multiple times, including to Europe, with us, and he does well.)

I just hope Houston continues to have direct flights!

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I know some people who purchased into Aulani and although the are generally happy with it, sometimes they wish they had waited and perhaps gotten a different home resort, like GF. She was telling me of some "rules" that aren't typical and I'm guessing because it's in Hawaii. I do know their fees are a lot higher than what we pay. I don't understand the multiple contracts and multiple resorts but I do remember when buying into DVC it seemed more "sensible" to have all your points at the same place, if possible. We considered buying more points at another resort but upon further questioning about making a reservation, it didn't help us any. Keep in mind the airfare, especially to Hawaii. It's not cheap and the way airlines and airfare has been, it's not about to get any cheaper.

 

[Golden Rose]

We've decided to go with 150 points at GF. We're going to call our guide tomorrow. Based on the number of points required, we decided to go with a few more points than we were really planning on originally.

In what feels like another lifetime ago, we used to go to Hawaii pretty much every year. We have not been in 9 years, since we entered the having kids phase of our life. Next year is the first year we're going to try to take the kids. I hope we'll be able to get into Aulani for part of our vacation, since we certainly won't add on there unless we stay there and fall in love with it.