Anyone regret buying before staying? Leaning Poly now...

[quandrea]

I don’t think anyone can answer this for you. You know what you’re looking for in a resort and when your family travels versus what we’re all looking for when we travel.

However, you asked, so here is my take on it. We are a family of 4, but my kids are 8 and 6 (close in ages to yours). We own at BLT, VGF, and RIV. I will admit that theming isn’t important to us at all. Location and/or feeling upscale (for Disney) are important to us. The extra bathroom at BLT and AKV is hard to beat. If you want to stretch points but love theming, I’d say to buy at AKV. If you want to be close to MK, I’d honestly look at BLT for the 1BRs over Poly, but that’s a personal preference. BLT isn’t great for theming, but the location is hard to beat. We’re staying in a 1BR at BLT this summer with the kids. The nice thing about BLT 1BRs is that there is a sofa bed and a fold out single bed in the 1BRs and 2BRs in addition to the extra full bathroom. We’re staying in a 1BR for 36 points/night at BLT this summer. It is 23 points/night per studio at Poly which would be 46 points for 2 studios. That’s and extra 10 points per night for Poly. Not worth it IMO, but it’s just my opinion.

Really excellent points.

 

[Clarabelle1987]

We are in a very similar boat as you. We are a young family of 5 who recently bought Polynesian points without ever staying, but have visited multiple times and LOVE the theming and dining. We also really like AKL too, but ultimately chose Poly for a few reasons. We like the longer length of contract, generally lower dues, location, great current resale price, and opportunity for connecting studios. At some point we will want more room, and will either try for connecting studios or stay at a 1 or 2 bedroom elsewhere. Typically the 1 or 2 bedrooms are easier to book at 7 months than studios. Ultimately it came down to if we could only stay at our home resort, would we be happy with our decision and the answer for us is yes. Will that change as we start using the contract? Hopefully not Good luck to you!!

 

[TexasChick123]

I get your financial concerns on paying $6K versus using that money to buy a contract, but make sure it’s for you before you buy. There are some resorts that owners love which we don’t care for and vice versa. We started looking into DVC when Poly was the only actively selling direct resort. VGF has just sold out a few months before. For us, studios only was an automatic no. However, we have stayed at Poly since we bought in. While it was nice, we prefer VGF for the same studio cost. In contrast, our good friends who travel with us prefer Poly to VGF, so it really just depends on your preference. No resort preference is “right” or “wrong”. I bought all my WDW DVC contracts sight unseen except BWV which was the only one we ended up selling to buy RIV. Go figure...

We are in a very similar boat as you. We are a young family of 5 who recently bought Polynesian points without ever staying, but have visited multiple times and LOVE the theming and dining. We also really like AKL too, but ultimately chose Poly for a few reasons. We like the longer length of contract, generally lower dues, location, great current resale price, and opportunity for connecting studios. At some point we will want more room, and will either try for connecting studios or stay at a 1 or 2 bedroom elsewhere. Typically the 1 or 2 bedrooms are easier to book at 7 months than studios. Ultimately it came down to if we could only stay at our home resort, would we be happy with our decision and the answer for us is yes. Will that change as we start using the contract? Hopefully not Good luck to you!!

If I had to only stay at any of my 3 home resorts going forward, I’d be ok with that, and I agree that’s very important.

 

[DisneyYannuzzFam]

We just bid on a Poly resale contract and have never stayed there. We have been to the resort multiple times for dining. We also debated between AKV, BLT, and Poly. Eventually chose Poly, we are a family of four, and have only ever stayed in studios. Our fear at AKV was that we have never been there before and distance and bus only options made us nervous. We LOVE the Epcot resorts but DH was adamant that he would never agree to a resort that expired in 2042. Eventually Poly will be walking distance to Epcot transportation center and MK. It all played a part in the decision and we went back and forth between resorts for a long time. We didn't pull the trigger until we slept on it for awhile and didn't have any regrets about choosing Poly for our home resort.

 

[bananapepper]

We are in a very similar boat as you. We are a young family of 5 who recently bought Polynesian points without ever staying, but have visited multiple times and LOVE the theming and dining. We also really like AKL too, but ultimately chose Poly for a few reasons. We like the longer length of contract, generally lower dues, location, great current resale price, and opportunity for connecting studios. At some point we will want more room, and will either try for connecting studios or stay at a 1 or 2 bedroom elsewhere. Typically the 1 or 2 bedrooms are easier to book at 7 months than studios. Ultimately it came down to if we could only stay at our home resort, would we be happy with our decision and the answer for us is yes. Will that change as we start using the contract? Hopefully not Good luck to you!!

Did you find it really crowded with 5 in a room? The baby will still be in a pNp when we go. I do like that we at least have the option to sleep 5 in a studio if we ever wanted to go crazy and stay two weeks one summer or something!

 

[bananapepper]

We just bid on a Poly resale contract and have never stayed there. We have been to the resort multiple times for dining. We also debated between AKV, BLT, and Poly. Eventually chose Poly, we are a family of four, and have only ever stayed in studios. Our fear at AKV was that we have never been there before and distance and bus only options made us nervous. We LOVE the Epcot resorts but DH was adamant that he would never agree to a resort that expired in 2042. Eventually Poly will be walking distance to Epcot transportation center and MK. It all played a part in the decision and we went back and forth between resorts for a long time. We didn't pull the trigger until we slept on it for awhile and didn't have any regrets about choosing Poly for our home resort.

I agree with your husband. That’s why those aren’t even in the running for us. I feel like if we decided to sell our points in 15 years for some reason, the value would be almost worthless for those resorts. They’d only have 7 years left on the contract. The others would still have 20+ years and therefore hold their value a lot better.

 

[bananapepper]

Is AKL or two connecting poly studios harder to get at 7 months for spring/summer?

 

[poofyo101]

Is AKL or two connecting poly studios harder to get at 7 months for spring/summer?

Would say equal. but just my gut feeling

 

[DisneyYannuzzFam]

Is AKL or two connecting poly studios harder to get at 7 months for spring/summer?

https://www.disboards.com/threads/p...tember-2019-2-bd-added.3689931/#post-59393046
This helped our decision alot. Looks like 2 bedroom Savannah view at 7 months at Kidani in Ma/June is open and is the 3rd most available resort at 7 months. Now it could change but so could anything .

 

[Clarabelle1987]

Did you find it really crowded with 5 in a room? The baby will still be in a pNp when we go. I do like that we at least have the option to sleep 5 in a studio if we ever wanted to go crazy and stay two weeks one summer or something!

Since we are new members we actually haven’t stayed at Poly as a family of 5 yet. We have stayed at Port Orleans Riverside and AKL though. Both were tight with the pNp, but honestly not bad. Bedtimes can be challenging, but once my kids get past the excitement of the first night it gets easier Since Poly has some of the largest studios I think that would be even more manageable. I’m sure for some families it is easier than others, but all we have known so far are studios.

 

[bananapepper]

https://www.disboards.com/threads/p...tember-2019-2-bd-added.3689931/#post-59393046
This helped our decision alot. Looks like 2 bedroom Savannah view at 7 months at Kidani in Ma/June is open and is the 3rd most available resort at 7 months. Now it could change but so could anything .

Thank you!!

 

[DisneyYannuzzFam]

Thank you!!

Also check out the DVC Show with Pete Werner on YouTube. They do a 7 DVC resorts in 7 weeks and AKV, Poly, and BLT are done. They have SOOO much information.

Good luck

 

[_auroraborealis_]

1BR units are the easiest bookings in DVC

 

[bookwormde]

One cautionary note is that how you vacation using DVC will likely change and be different than you anticipate. Options like split stays, more eating in the villa, having a washer/dryer in the room, different park priorities, length of stay, impact of mostly summer visits as kids get older and so forth will cause changes in thinking from visit to visit.

 

[Deb & Bill]

One thing to remember, two studios that connect are only a request and right now you'll only find them at the Polynesian. No other resort has connecting studios. So if you book two studios in another resort, you and your husband would need to split up with the kids since they would have to be 18 to be without you on the reservation. And each studio would be a separate reservation. If you go with a BLT or KV one bedroom, you'll have two bathrooms, a king bed, a queen sleeper sofa and a twin sleeper chair.

 

[Rick195275]

The issue is that will cost us 6k which I feel is such a waste since that could have gone towards the DVC purchase

Which resort did you buy if you don’t mind my asking?

I first put in an offer on an animal kingdom contract which was taken and then went with bay lake tower which is where I own. Would have been happy owning at either and have stayed at almost all of the Florida properties at this point! Hopefully trying Aluani next

 

[bananapepper]

One thing to remember, two studios that connect are only a request and right now you'll only find them at the Polynesian. No other resort has connecting studios. So if you book two studios in another resort, you and your husband would need to split up with the kids since they would have to be 18 to be without you on the reservation. And each studio would be a separate reservation. If you go with a BLT or KV one bedroom, you'll have two bathrooms, a king bed, a queen sleeper sofa and a twin sleeper chair.

I'd only request connecting studios at Poly. I've heard they are virtually guaranteed, especially if you book at 11 months. Virtually all of their studios connect so it's not a difficult request.

And that's the main reason I don't like most 1 bedroom options. Most one bedrooms are three sleeping surfaces for 5 people. My kids do not sleep well together. They kick and toss and turn. And because of their sex/age difference, it makes it even trickier. Oldest is a boy, followed by a girl three years later, followed by another boy 3.5 years after that. I don't think my older two will be as comfortable sharing a bed when they get older, and the two boys are 6.5 years apart so that's a little weird too.

 

[PixiePlns]

Thinking long term, my kids are 11 and 15 (almost 16). Although we loved MK when they were younger, now even my teens love the Epcot area & HS the best. The resale at any of the Epcot resorts has stayed steady if you would like to do resale there. We just purchased at Riviera (direct) since we love the area and the Skyliner makes it a very quick trip (without much walking) to get to our 2 favorite parks. We decided to purchase this year for similar reasons. I did get a free dining bounce back booking for this year, but looking to spend another $6000 when it could be applied to DVC just made more sense. Although we haven't yet stayed at Riviera, before our purchase, we did visit the resort, toured the rooms and felt its location was the best fit for our family. Its a tough choice, but the long term (since it is a long term purchase) is something you really need to consider when buying. Although I love the Poly, knowing that someday I'll need the space for my kids (and probably their kids) is why I went with Riviera. We also considered the contract length being so long, we won't have to worry about what happens at the end of the contract. I'll be the first to admit I'm not a fan of the resale restrictions, but Riviera fit many of the things we were looking for exactly.

 

[soniam]

We are looking for our first contract at BWV and have never stayed there. It was between that or Beach Club, which we have stayed at, but not in DVC. We only have 3 of us, and our son will go to high school soon. We want at EPCOT, because we plan to do the festivals more as we become empty nesters. I know that the contract expires sooner, but we would still save money. If we didn't buy DVC, we would just pay out of pocket to stay near EPCOT for those trips anyway. Plus, we are older and may buy at a later original and/or a newer one at some point.

We rented at Copper Creek last March. I would have been disappointed if I had bought there for a studio without having stayed there. The hotel is great, but the DVC studios are pretty small. Plus, I don't feel the location is very ideal.

We thought about Poly, because it's my favorite hotel. We have stayed non-DVC twice. However, I feel it's not ideal for our future uses, maybe in the next few years, but not after 5+ years. I could see it or BLT being very convenient for years to come for your family's age though. AKL is beautiful, but I looking at the charts, it seems that you can get stuff there more easily than some others at 7 months. I would definitely look into BLT, because the points may be a better use for you. However, both Poly and BLT could really work for you. Look online to find pics and room sizes/layouts.

 

[quandrea]

I'd only request connecting studios at Poly. I've heard they are virtually guaranteed, especially if you book at 11 months. Virtually all of their studios connect so it's not a difficult request.

And that's the main reason I don't like most 1 bedroom options. Most one bedrooms are three sleeping surfaces for 5 people. My kids do not sleep well together. They kick and toss and turn. And because of their sex/age difference, it makes it even trickier. Oldest is a boy, followed by a girl three years later, followed by another boy 3.5 years after that. I don't think my older two will be as comfortable sharing a bed when they get older, and the two boys are 6.5 years apart so that's a little weird too.

We have three kids—a girl, nearly 16 and boy girl twins 10. We bring a travel cot, which the kids fight over. That way each gets their own bed. Their favourite resort is Boardwalk, which doesn’t even have a fifth sleeping surface!