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

[bananapepper]

I will say that if you have a car when you go to WDW, then that makes AKV a much more desirable option than without a car for us. While the buses were more frequent than many of the other resorts, the fact that I could not get to any park without using a bus was annoying. If I'd had a car, then I wouldn't have cared.

When we drove to WDW a few years ago and stayed BLT, having a car was amazing when going to any park except MK obviously. We drove to all of them except MK. Getting in a nice, air conditioned car and not being reliant on the Disney buses was pretty great. This was a summer trip, thus the mentioning of air conditioning.

We are going to fly and don’t want to rent a car

 

[Mumof4mice]

We like to be close to parks that we most often end the evening at (MK and Epcot). At the end of a long day, a short commute back to the resort is awesome. PVB wins over AKV hands down for post-fireworks exit. If you "rope drop the exit", you can jump on the first monorail out that's usually waiting on the platform. Alternately, get on a ferry (huge capacity), take lovely photos while waiting the short 5-10 minutes or so for it to fill, and you're back at the TTC in no time. From the DVC longhouses, TTC and the main lobby are almost the same walking distance.

For room configuration, our preference is 2BR>2 connecting studios>1BR. With the vast majority of PVB studios connecting, I consider the chance of not getting connecting studios negligible. Even if it did happen for 1-2 nights, it's not a disaster. I imaging 1BRs would work very well for families with 1 child that sleeps in the murphy, leaving the fold-out bed closed. With more than 2 children overflowing everywhere, we prefer to have the extra bathrooms and beds over the washer/dryer.

We bought three contracts (PVB, BLT, VGF) before our first visit to WDW. No regret, super happy with them!

If you're simply looking for a nice room in prime location, you're pretty safe making a decision without having actually stayed at a resort. Distance by Googlemap and available travel options are objective facts. Theming, room configuration and amenities depend on personal taste and your family's needs. If they are important to you, you should probably at least walk through the resorts before making your purchase decision. With the stock market corrections, resales prices are likely to drop. There is no hurry to buy.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[bananapepper]

We like to be close to parks that we most often end the evening at (MK and Epcot). At the end of a long day, a short commute back to the resort is awesome. PVB wins over AKV hands down for post-fireworks exit. If you "rope drop the exit", you can jump on the first monorail out that's usually waiting on the platform. Alternately, get on a ferry (huge capacity), take lovely photos while waiting the short 5-10 minutes or so for it to fill, and you're back at the TTC in no time. From the DVC longhouses, TTC and the main lobby are almost the same walking distance.

For room configuration, our preference is 2BR>2 connecting studios>1BR. With the vast majority of PVB studios connecting, I consider the chance of not getting connecting studios negligible. Even if it did happen for 1-2 nights, it's not a disaster. I imaging 1BRs would work very well for families with 1 child that sleeps in the murphy, leaving the fold-out bed closed. With more than 2 children overflowing everywhere, we prefer to have the extra bathrooms and beds over the washer/dryer.

We bought three contracts (PVB, BLT, VGF) before our first visit to WDW. No regret, super happy with them!

If you're simply looking for a nice room in prime location, you're pretty safe making a decision without having actually stayed at a resort. Distance by Googlemap and available travel options are objective facts. Theming, room configuration and amenities depend on personal taste and your family's needs. If they are important to you, you should probably at least walk through the resorts before making your purchase decision. With the stock market corrections, resales prices are likely to drop. There is no hurry to buy.

Good luck with your decision!

I agree I like two connecting studios over a one bedroom. My kids don't sleep well together so by the time you pull out the sofa, pull out the murphy bed, and lay an inflatable mattress down, you've basically used up all that extra living space anyway. I feel like we'd be a lot less crowded in two connecting studios with just the murphys out and the couches and such all left as living space. I also don't plan on cooking while on vacation beyond basic things like sandwiches, oatmeal, bagels, toast, and cereal which a fridge/microwave/toaster set up is more than sufficient for. The laundry is the biggest drawback, but at least there are free facilities to use if we need them.

 

[twodogs]

Since the stay in question is one year away, I would try to go down and stay a night or two at the Poly (so it is not $6000 wasted without knowing) to make sure. I personally can‘t see making that type of financial commitment without ever staying in a resort. Maybe you could rent points for this short stay to save even more money?

For us, we have been taking our kids to Disney since they were 4 and 6 years old, and they are now almost 15 and 13. Our needs when they were younger are much different than they are now. We thought of buying DVC many times, but we could not figure out what resort or even room configuration would work the best over the long term (among several other reasons we did not buy DVC which are unrelated to what you are asking about). When the kids were little, we really needed separate space so they could go to sleep earlier than us (so a 1 bedroom was needed). We also traveled with my parents at times (so a 2 bedroom was needed). We cooked when they were little more than we do now since they were picky, and we didn’t want to spend so much on food in the parks that they might not eat. We wanted to be near MK since that was the main draw when they were little. Laundry was super important because we tended to do longer trips since we didn’t mind taking them out of school for a week.

Now that they are teens, separate sleeping surfaces are key (even though they are only 2 years apart and are the same gender). More bathrooms are important because there is a lot of time spent in showers and getting ready etc. I don’t cook that much now because they can eat pretty much anything. We usually go on much shorter but more frequent trips now (long weekends) because they don’t want to miss school, so laundry is less important. But we also tend to have to go at “high season” and holidays because they don’t want to miss school (so look at those points charts with that in mind for the future). Now they want to be near the EPCOT area because they like the freedom to go to the Boardwalk by themselves, and those parks have more that appeals to them than MK.

Pool area amenities can also figure in, as the pools that are great for little kids won’t be the same as older kids (ours love BC now, but I would have been insane there with young kids since you can’t easily see them many times).

We used to think we would always need at least a 1 bedroom to have separation from the kids. Funny, now we just book one hotel room (and hope for a pull down bed so we can split the kids sleeping surfaces from each other) because we all tend to crash at the same time these days after a long park day (they can stay at the parks later and be on our schedule, which they couldn’t do when they were younger).

I guess my post is rambling and not any concrete advice, but I did want to give you some things to think about as the kids age. I know it is so hard to know what will be important later on versus now, but something to ponder. Also, DVC does give flexibility to book at other resorts, of course, when your needs change, or you can sell your contract as your needs change. Good luck; you will make a great decision and have gotten great advice on this thread!

 

[Dizzydizney]

Do you plan on buying resale or direct? Just want to make sure you are aware of member extras and the restrictions for resale buyers.

When Poly was bringing marketed we were really excited ( fond memories staying when kids were younger) until we found out studios only. Have you carefully examined the points charts for the resorts you are thinking of? Two studios at Poly in July for five nights (not including a Friday or Saturday which is a few more points) would be 230 points for standard view. I’ve seen Poly on resale for between $136-$155, depending on contract size and how many points remain. dues are $6.79 per point. So you get 4 showers, two toilets, 2 kitchenettes and plenty of sleep surfaces. You don’t say if you have boys and girls or boys only or girls only. Sharing rooms with each other and mom and dad is okay when younger, not too much fun as everyone gets older. We did end up staying there one night and was a bit disappointed. We were far removed from the lobby, the room seemed dark, and the kitchenette, in my opinion, was probably the smallest I’ve seen (have stayed at all DVCs except OKW and VGF). We did have a lake view and a lovely view of MK fireworks. And they have gas grills there!!! Someone else already talked about the monorail, so I won’t repeat what was already said.

Animal Kingdom would be 195 points for the same time in a standard view two bedroom. I’ve seen AKV on resale for between $106-$119. Dues are $7.67 a point. So you would get a large master bedroom with an awesome bathroom with a hot tub, shower and a toilet you can close off, a nice size living room with a pull out couch and a big sleeper chair, big eating area, full kitchen, another full bath near the entry (tub/shower combo) lots of closet space, washer/dryer, plus the second bedroom with another full bath. Depending on if you choose a Lockoff...the Lockoff will actually be a studio with kitchenette, a bed and pull out couch...the dedicated will have two beds and no kitchenette, but both will have a full bathroom. I am pretty sure a Kidani is the better choice vs Jambo for the extra bathroom? Oh and the community hall at Kidani is the best. Biggest drawback is having to take the bus everywhere. It can get tedious during busy times. I ended up driving to Animal kingdom park one morning because of bus issues. It’s actually pretty easy to park at the parks except MK. I would never park there.

I know you didn’t seem interested in BLT. But just throwing this out there. It would be 240 points for the same timeframe in a 2 bedroom standard view. Resales runs between $133-$155. Dues are $6.58 pp. Room configuration is the same as animal kingdom. But the location is amazing. And rooftop viewing of fireworks. I don’t like the pool too much, but the Contemporary pool is just a short walk. Is does lack theme, but seeing the MK and monorail while waiting for the elevator or walking across the bridge to the Contemporary is enough for me. There is a great community hall too.

I didn’t mean for this to be so long. But getting back to your original question, we first bought BWV when it first opened and stayed on a cash reservation. DH went on the tour without me (didn’t know it was a DVC resort). We bought BLT without seeing the real thing. We saw the mock up rooms that had set up at SSR. And saw them building it. Absolutely no regrets, and added to that 3 times....difference being we did actually tour replicas of the rooms. We also bought Riviera before it opened, but again toured the mock up rooms. Just returned from a week there and no regrets there either.

I absolutely understand what you mean about spending$6,000 for a vacation. It does make sense to think about DVC. But....watch some more you tubes and whatnot and read some other blogs ... there are others. Take the good and bad of each, roll it around in your head for a while. I always need to put everything down on paper. It is a big investment.

Best wishes to you!

Edited to add: @twodogs makes a lot of good points. I think I rambled more though. But we are different. It’s usually just the two of us and we NEED a one bedroom.

 

[TCRAIG]

As PP said, all 350 except maybe 2 studios connect so it’s not something I’m worried about. Especially at 11 months. Maybe last minute booking I’d be worried.

I’d be more concerned with having to secure and manage 2 reservations than about not getting connecting rooms at Poly. ..and I think you will find - as many longtime DVC owners will tell you - that DVC will change the way you ‘do’ Disney...less rope drop all day commandos and more relaxing at the resort...that’s where a 1 or 2 bedroom will really payoff. With Poly, that’s just not an option...I like having the option of different villa size.

 

[motherof5]

For the weeks I looked at, two studios was cheaper than a 2 bedroom at AK.

This has happened to us and we have done split stay between 2 studios and 2 bedroom. 2 bedroom worth it so you don't have to go out each day for dinner

 

[_auroraborealis_]

As PP said, all 350 except maybe 2 studios connect so it’s not something I’m worried about. Especially at 11 months. Maybe last minute booking I’d be worried.

Units are not assigned at booking so when you book makes no difference for connecting or not.

 

[RescueRanger]

My 2 cents. We have stayed at just about every DVC there is. We own at AKV and bought sight unseen 10 years ago. It is our favorite and we stay there 90% of the time. Not because we have to but because we want to. We prefer Kidani because the rooms are larger and the bus stops there first before Jambo. I hear many complaints about transportation and only using busses. Let me tell you, AKV is far superior to the others because they don’t share busses with other resorts. Poly and BLT share busses, GFV and WL share busses. The EPCOT resorts share busses. If you look at charts that have been done on travel time, AKV is actually faster than alot of the other resorts because there are less stops. So don’t let that sway you. Nothing beats sitting on your balcony, sipping an adult beverage, and watching the giraffe play.

 

[MrsP833]

I do like GFV but the amount of points I’d need to stay there a week is a lot! I also just don’t think the theme is as fun for kids as the poly or AK.

Honestly, that's why we didn't go with GFV either. So. Many. Points.

Also, for what it's worth, I kind of think theme matters more to adults than kids. BLT has a pretty lame pool (IMO); however, my kids loved it. They are happy with water and a slide. They've also stayed at WL and GF, which I would argue have way nicer pools than BLT and Contemporary, but they still had a blast.

I chose our home resort based on value as well as proximity to my favorite park. I love being on the monorail loop and having the option to walk to MK.

Tough choices, but I'm sure you'll be happy wherever you decide. Guaranteed vacations at WDW for years to come...can't go wrong with that!

 

[Asnell]

In the end, you're buying points and a home resort, rather than a specific room. That means that you still have flexibility in where you actually stay. Your family's needs *will* change as your children grow, and that may mean you actually stay at many different places over the years you use your DVC points.

The desirability/trade value of the points you're buying are an important factor in your decision. If you feel confident you can get into other attractive properties at 7 months, then by all means buy into the resort that's harder to get into. Poly has a great location and high desirability. Buying Poly doesn't mean you will only stay at Poly in the future. Would you be happy if half of your trips were stays at Poly?

 

[TraderSamWDW]

My first thought is about your not liking CCV but being interested in AKL. Both WL and AKL were done by the same architect (Peter Dominick) and to me, are in many ways the 2 most similar resorts on property.

Just curious as to where you heard connecting rooms is almost always granted. I have no knowledge around that topic, but I do know that in order for it to happen 2 rooms that are connecting both have to be being vacated on that same day. Unless Disney has some crazy room assigning algorithm. I am sure they do it as much as possible when it is requested, just not so sure I would bank on it because it may be simply impossible at times. (Unless they make it a booking category). I think you may be over estimating this possibility.

I myself see potential resale value as irrelevant, or at least semi-irrelevant. Poly has a higher resale value that AK, but thats true right now, so you are also paying more now. Unless you nail what resort will appreciate the most in value (or depreciate the least), its not that big of an issue. (I assume you are buying resale) As long as you stay away from Riviera (not because its a bad resort, but because its resale restrictions may hurt its resale potential) and the 2042 resorts resale potential will probably be 6 of 1, half a dozen of the other.

The current global climate, and potential for recession is probably a much more significant factor in resale potential.

Barring anything bad happening there, If you buy AK and hate it, sell it. Probably just out the closing costs and dues but you did get a vacation for that price, so its probably a wash or minor loss. And thats if you hate it and only go once.

Kids will probably love the savanna view.

 

[rkstocke5609]

First, decide whether you want an MK resort, an Epcot resort, or the others. Once that is decided it’s all about looking at the point charts. There is A LOT to be learned here. Keep in mind, the resort is only part of the equation, you have to study the point charts to determine how many points you will need. For instance, GF & PVB were subject to significant point inflation to previous resorts (point cost per night). When I was looking at the decision I recognized that I would likely be traveling at holidays due to kid in school. I calculated out what I would need point wise for the location that offered the best flexibility for me. Then, you want to purchase where you would never mind staying. That is a personal decision. For me, that point cost value and resort choice was VWL. Then, buy more points than you think you need. I bought 210, when originally I was thinking 175. As a result I can flip from studios to 1BR’s every other trip. I’ve stayed at PVB, SSR, Kidani , VGC (2x) in addition to the Lodge. For me, I hated the distance from the DVC element of Poly to the monorail, so I always took the ferry. Don’t let the monorail be your reason for buying there. Also, don’t forget you will be soaked by rain getting to your longhouse, not so at the lodge.

 

[bumbershoot]

We bought ccv sight unseen and worst is we have never been to wdw before. We are a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids). We have only been to Disneyland prior to purchasing dvc

Always fun to find a DVC twin. Except I didn’t buy GC, since I don’t like it.

Driving around Disney is a pain.

Oof I so disagree. Turn off the GPS and follow the signs. So easy.

I was ever so bummed at my lack of adequate budgeting and the high high rental prices for Princess last week (I usually get a week for about 120 and this time it was 400) that I had to rely on buses.

Especially at 11 months. Maybe last minute booking I’d be worried.

Doesn’t make a difference for assigned rooms. They assign it inside a week from the stay.

Nothing beats sitting on your balcony, sipping an adult beverage, and watching the giraffe play.

Fortunate! I wouldn’t know. Three Savannah stays and I’ve gotten ostriches. Woo.

Just curious as to where you heard connecting rooms is almost always granted. I have no knowledge around that topic, but I do know that in order for it to happen 2 rooms that are connecting both have to be being vacated on that same day. Unless Disney has some crazy room assigning algorithm. I am sure they do it as much as possible when it is requested, just not so sure I would bank on it because it may be simply impossible at times

Agreed.

It’s not like every room connects. And different people are constantly in and out. So if AB connect and CD and EF and so on, and the way things are assigned works out that your group (with two adults so you CAN be split) gets B and C, you’re not connecting. If you get A and the other is C, it’s further. Or A and Z. Etc.

To rely on the conditions of every other booking in the preceding and following days being perfectly aligned so that you get connecting rooms is...eh, not something I’d buy an expensive resort on.

 

[bananapepper]

Always fun to find a DVC twin. Except I didn’t buy GC, since I don’t like it.



Oof I so disagree. Turn off the GPS and follow the signs. So easy.

I was ever so bummed at my lack of adequate budgeting and the high high rental prices for Princess last week (I usually get a week for about 120 and this time it was 400) that I had to rely on buses.



Doesn’t make a difference for assigned rooms. They assign it inside a week from the stay.



Fortunate! I wouldn’t know. Three Savannah stays and I’ve gotten ostriches. Woo.



Agreed.

It’s not like every room connects. And different people are constantly in and out. So if AB connect and CD and EF and so on, and the way things are assigned works out that your group (with two adults so you CAN be split) gets B and C, you’re not connecting. If you get A and the other is C, it’s further. Or A and Z. Etc.

To rely on the conditions of every other booking in the preceding and following days being perfectly aligned so that you get connecting rooms is...eh, not something I’d buy an expensive resort on.

Again, my understanding is that all 360 studios connect except two. I do not plan on staying during popular DVC times anyway, so it is not something I am concerned about. It is very very unusual for a request for connecting rooms to be denied from my reading on the issue.

 

[TraderSamWDW]

Again, my understanding is that all 360 studios connect except two. I do not plan on staying during popular DVC times anyway, so it is not something I am concerned about. It is very very unusual for a request for connecting rooms to be denied from my reading on the issue.

There are no "non popular" dvc times. The system is designed to be 95 plus percent occupied at all times. There are low demand times, which take longer to book, but don't go thinking that the poly DVC studios are 75 percent full some times. In fact, in that regard, the poly probably runs at the highest occupancy rate out of any dvc resort because of the bungalows.
There are, say 180 a and b studio pairings that connect (360 rooms) someone must be checking out of the A room and its associated B room the exact day you are checking in for you to get it. Plus their has to be no one else making the same request.

It may be that it's not an issue. But do not think your going in"off times" makes a difference. In that regard it makes zero difference. The poly studios will be 100 percent full almost 365 days a year.
4 million point.
3 million points of studio inventory
A very popular resort where cash rooms go as well

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Again, my understanding is that all 360 studios connect except two. I do not plan on staying during popular DVC times anyway, so it is not something I am concerned about. It is very very unusual for a request for connecting rooms to be denied from my reading on the issue.

Your understanding is correct.

A connecting room request at PVB is probably the most "guaranteed" request that can be made. It is good to remember though that it is still a request and there have been reports of it not happening and you'd need to split up if it did happen to your family. You should be willing to accept that before considering buying there. However if it did happen it also could be a possibility to change rooms after a day or two. Technically there would be a cleaning fee to do that but it isn't always charged.

(Fyi - we've had two stays at PVB where we requested connecting rooms and received them both times. Once Lakeview and the other standard view).

 

[princessfionasmom]

We bought into Bay Lake before it even opened but we knew we’d be coming back and we were at the same point in our lives. We were done having kids, knew we’d be going back again and again and we really loved the deluxe resorts. Proximity to MK is what sold me on the place and being on the monorail. We have now stayed at all the WDW DVC resorts and as much as I love the point savings using studios, laundry in the 1 bed and up is pretty awesome. We don’t really cook but I do like having the kitchen space with the full size fridge. My kids are teens now but when they were smaller throwing in a load before we headed to bed or the parK was sooooo nice. If you’re hanging around the resort, there is a laundry room and I think they all now have machines you can track online to see if your machines are done. If you go with Poly, I think you would be fine in two studios, they are very spacious. We don’t have points at Poly but we love staying there and will probably add some on there at some point. You could start out with a small 100 pt contract and thru borrowng and/or banking points do your first stay and see if you want to add more at that resort or maybe add on somewhere else. We have BLT and CCV points and alternate using them.
Like you said, 6K is a lot to put out for one vaca when it could put a big dent in pay for your many years of vacas. Good luck!

 

[Minniemoo15]

We bought Poly without having ever stayed there. We had visited several times, but it’s not the same as staying - we definitely took a leap of faith. The low dues, location, years remaining, theming and reasonable resale price made it really attractive.

We are currently at Poly for our first stay as DVC members. We are thrilled to find that we love it! We have connecting rooms with my parents and it is wonderful. The rooms and balconies are much much larger than the BCV/AKV studios we are used to. The split bathrooms are lovely.

I really thought for our next trip, that we would be trying to change at the 7 month mark back to our beloved BCV... but so far everyone agrees that the Poly is where we want to be again next year. So thankful it all worked out and we get to own here!

 

[Jedimom33]

We bought at BWV without having stayed there, but we wanted an EPCOT resort. We believed in the idea of buying where you want to stay....just in case. While we love BWV and wouldn't mind always staying there, we've probably only stayed there half the time, and other times, not had big issues getting what we want elsewhere...although we don't want studios....so we've found 1 bedrooms pretty easy to get at other places, and 2 bedrooms. Have stayed at Poly twice, and LOVED that resort, just wish they had something other than studios and bungalows, but it's a great resort over all. Bought when the younglings were 4 and 7, and travel habits and needs have definitely changed as they are now 12 and 15. So , what you want now, may not be what you want later. I want extra bathrooms! AKV kidani and BLT are great for that. or 2 bedrooms....just buy where you want to stay, but enough points to stay elsewhere if need be, and possibly allow for extra points for upgraded views if standard is n/a. We have had some issues with getting standard rooms elsewhere. Good luck!!!