Advice For Someone Considering DVC Now

[BLLB]

Good friends, with littles, are considering DVC. We have owned for 20+ years. We bought resale, when there were no restrictions. How would you advise regarding direct/resale?

All of you provided me with lots of guidance when we purchased. Thank you!

 

[SugarSweetLee]

I think there are a lot of factors that come in to play that your friends need to consider. What is their vacation style? How often do they want to go to Disney? For how many park days at a time or per year? What resort(s) do they want to stay at?

 

[Genie+]

I’m a little biased on direct after buying last year. We’ve really enjoyed the member perks. There is a good case to make for active pricing during strong incentives. It’s higher price than resale but it’s also longer contracts, and home priority is a big plus for recent active resorts like CCV, RIV and VGF. Our blue card has been very useful already. It’s nice to have that for many years to come.

But if they’re on the fence about how much DVC they want in their life, starting with a smaller resale contract is also a good option. That’s how we started (at BW ) and that worked well. We got to try more of DVC and that made us more certain about buying more points. Being existing members saved us an extra $1k when buying direct and that automatically matched our UY, making things easier than looking for UY resale.

I’d talk them through all the pros/cons of SSR or BLT resale, vs RIV or Poly2 direct. DVC is intricate and hard to digest at once so that’s a good start at explaining the differences in strategies. .

 

[BLLB]

I think there are a lot of factors that come in to play that your friends need to consider. What is their vacation style? How often do they want to go to Disney? For how many park days at a time or per year? What resort(s) do they want to stay at?

They have been every year for the last several years. Both kids are just starting school. They have only stayed at value resorts. I encouraged them to rent points and stay where they might want to buy (except new Poly, of course).

My initial thought was if they bought X number of points direct (let's say Riviera), would it make sense to buy additional Riviera points resale?

I know things are different now, from when we purchased and I have not paid close enough attention.

 

[Massachusetts]

My initial thought was if they bought X number of points direct (let's say Riviera), would it make sense to buy additional Riviera points resale?

Definitely be cautious of RIV resale with people new to DVC. RIV resale points CAN ONLY be used at RIV. And the same restriction would be placed on a direct RIV contract once it is sold diminishing potential resale value.

 

[Memorymakerfor4]

The few times people have asked us about DVC, I have advised them not to even consider buying if they've never stayed at a DVC property so I agree with you that they should rent points for a stay before deciding anything. Then they can weigh options. Me personally, the only way I would consider resale RIV ( or another restricted resort) is if I know I plan to sell it after a period of time as it's already taken the restriction hit. We love to stay at different resorts so being locked in at one place long term isn't for me.

 

[Genie+]

My initial thought was if they bought X number of points direct (let's say Riviera), would it make sense to buy Riviera points resale?

A few RIV owners around here did just that. They’d get the blue card and unrestricted points with 150pts RIV direct. Some rounds of incentives have been very generous. RIV resale can save about $30-$50pp, and if the owner knows they’ll at least want to stay at RIV half the time they can use the resale points there and save the direct points for trading out and for new restricted resorts.

If the plan is to hold the RIV direct for a long time, then the restrictions hardly matter. The restrictions don’t bother them at all while they still own. But if there’s a chance they might want to sell in a decade or so? That’s a harder decision. Poly2 might be more tempting in that case, since resale will still be tradable to OG resorts and that’s likely to keep resale value higher than restricted resorts. It’s speculation though, but if that concerned me I’d keep my eye out on both Poly2 and RIV rounds of incentives and strike when the price makes sense.

 

[SugarSweetLee]

They have been every year for the last several years. Both kids are just starting school. They have only stayed at value resorts. I encouraged them to rent points and stay where they might want to buy (except new Poly, of course).

My initial thought was if they bought X number of points direct (let's say Riviera), would it make sense to buy additional Riviera points resale?

I know things are different now, from when we purchased and I have not paid close enough attention.

I think Riviera resale points make the most sense if they already own Riviera direct and want to upgrade room type (like move up from studios to 1-bedrooms), but it's probably not something I'd think about at the stage they're in right now, which is considering whether DVC makes financial sense at all. The biggest advantage to direct that might affect them is if they travel to Disney for more than 10ish days total or 2-3 trips per year, as they will have access to buy the lower-priced Sorcerer annual pass that is otherwise restricted to FL residents. The other major direct perk, being able to book at any of the current or future resorts with their points, may not matter as much to them if they're used to and happy with value resorts. Starting with considering something like an Animal Kingdom or Copper Creek resale contract could be a better bet.

 

[BLLB]

Definitely be cautious of RIV resale with people new to DVC. RIV resale points CAN ONLY be used at RIV. At the same restriction would be placed on a direct RIV contract once it is sold diminishing potential resale value.

Thank you so much! Did not know that twist! Yikes!

 

[Deanna Lamz]

If your friends are looking at DVC, I’d definitely recommend resale if they want to save some cash. Direct has perks, but resale usually gives you better value, especially with all the restrictions on direct purchases now. Just make sure they’re cool with the older points and the potential for availability issues.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Small resale contract first to see how they like it. Then they will get member pricing on direct if they want more points and decide they want direct.

 

[byurick]

I think there's a lot to be said about buying a small resale contract first so you can learn the ins and outs of how it really works. Then if they decide they want direct points or another resale they will have gone in with less risk. That's what I did and am glad I chose that path.

 

[CarolynFH]

I agree with recommending that they try renting a DVC stay first, at a resort they'd consider a possible home resort. And I'd also advise them that if they decide to buy, be sure to buy a home resort that they won't mind staying at if they can't swap at 7 months. IOW, buying at SSR is fine, as long as you won't mind staying there; and don't buy VB with the idea of always using those points to stay at WDW.

 

[MICKIMINI]

Buy a smallish resale (100 or so points) at a non 2042 resort. AKV has a great point chart. Buy it fully loaded with banked points in a good UY for them. Under $100 per point should be doable. EVERYTHING is negotiable with resale, so you can help them figure it all out. I like the pay full price and the seller pays for two years worth of points (they already paid for them) and ask them to cover closing costs. A huge win if they go for it.

The reason not to buy a 50 pointer initially is that the 100 should be cheaper per point and banked points will give them a real advantage to their first trip. Closing costs will be pretty much the same, so they are getting a better deal. Rather than spending $500 a night to test it out, deduct that $500 a night from their 10K purchase. It will be paid for in no time and being a smallish resale, can be easily flipped down the road if they decide to buy direct.

28 year OKW veteran here. We've bought and sold many contracts. Resale prices are as low as they have been since covid so can reap the benefits and be owners IMO. Good luck to them!

 

[Simba's Mom]

The biggest thing I'd tell people is that unless you're "planners", willing to book at least 7 months out, it's most likely not for you. Last year, DH's brother called us and wanted to know if we could get them a reservation at our home resort for about 4-6 weeks away. When we told them that 7 months would be they're chance, they said that they never plan vacations that far out.

 

[CarolynFH]

The biggest thing I'd tell people is that unless you're "planners", willing to book at least 7 months out, it's most likely not for you. Last year, DH's brother called us and wanted to know if we could get them a reservation at our home resort for about 4-6 weeks away. When we told them that 7 months would be they're chance, they said that they never plan vacations that far out.

This is a very important point and needs to be emphasized!

 

[byurick]

The biggest thing I'd tell people is that unless you're "planners", willing to book at least 7 months out, it's most likely not for you. Last year, DH's brother called us and wanted to know if we could get them a reservation at our home resort for about 4-6 weeks away. When we told them that 7 months would be they're chance, they said that they never plan vacations that far out.

You can still make DVC beneficial you just need to be more flexible. 4-6 weeks is a little tight but certainly less than 7 months out is workable. I booked an August family trip at SSR this summer in the middle of June no problem and even found decently priced flights for us all (5 people).

 

[mikeuno]

DVC membership will certainly change the way you plan your future (i.e. 7 months) trips to WDW!

 

[Tatebeck]

You just have to book something for yourself at 11 months, even if you aren't sure you will use it. Worst case you can change it to something else in the future, but you will be able to use at least some of those early bookings eventually

 

[tx911]

A few RIV owners around here did just that. They’d get the blue card and unrestricted points with 150pts RIV direct. Some rounds of incentives have been very generous. RIV resale can save about $30-$50pp, and if the owner knows they’ll at least want to stay at RIV half the time they can use the resale points there and save the direct points for trading out and for new restricted resorts.

If the plan is to hold the RIV direct for a long time, then the restrictions hardly matter. The restrictions don’t bother them at all while they still own. But if there’s a chance they might want to sell in a decade or so? That’s a harder decision. Poly2 might be more tempting in that case, since resale will still be tradable to OG resorts and that’s likely to keep resale value higher than restricted resorts. It’s speculation though, but if that concerned me I’d keep my eye out on both Poly2 and RIV rounds of incentives and strike when the price makes sense.

If they really know they want DVC for the long haul, I'll put in another plug for 150 pts direct. The perks (esp Moonlight Magic and Sorcerer's pass, also DVC lounges in parks) are really nice to have. Plus you know you can bring all of your points to bear on whichever resort you choose to stay in, now or in the future.

If they want to get their feet wet, either rent or buy resale at a place they really like, eg CCV.