Boardwalk Direct?

[Howy]

We have a resale contract at the Poly just before the pandemic and live out of country so we haven't had a chance to use it. We also haven't had the experience of booking other resorts at 7 months. We would have gotten direct if we felt we could afford it at the time. Since then we have seen the direct point minimum go up twice. So we feel we want to get in direct before we need to purchase more points and be priced out, and also more points than we will need between two contracts.
We are thinking we would like a Epcot resort but not Riviera, so we were leaning towards Boardwalk. Then we saw there is a 2042 end date. We did the math and those points direct with dues would cost roughly $18.15 per point vs AK at roughly $13.50 per point direct. We understand it's still cheaper than booking cash. My question is would you spend the extra money to get the 11 month booking, or is it easier to book than I think? We would not want an entire week at AK, as we like to be at the parks and may not always have a car. We would mainly be going the end of Jan and beginning of Feb or end of Oct beginning of Nov.
Any insight would be appreciated.

 

[CarolMN]

If you want to stay at the BWV at the end of October or the beginning of November, you will need to book during the home resort priority period - preferably the instant the 11 month window opens. This is especially true for studios & 2 bedroom villas, any size standard or Boardwalk view and the Grand Villas. The end of January - mid-February are often available at 7 months, but best to plan on Preferred Pool/Garden views. You may be able to get 1 bedroom standard and/or Boardwalk villas for this time frame.

 

[RoseGold]

I would slow down. You haven't even gotten to use your Poly and you're talking about loading yourself up with a direct contract with a giant upcharge over resale -- that expires in 2042.

I think there is an argument for BW resale mathematically if you really plan on making the most out of its legacy chart, and by that I mean consistently using that 11 month window until the clock runs out. But I struggle with that argument for direct. I mean $18 is A LOT. You can rent points for that, heck you could rent Beach Club! And then you have none of the risk or the depreciation or tied up five figures of money.

If you are die hard, love BW must stay there, then sure, it's your money. But this is a heck of a decision to lock yourself into. At least when you buy resale, you can (historically) get out of it without losing much if you change your mind. That's not true when you buy direct. It's like driving a new Porsche off the lot.

https://www.dvcresalemarket.com/blog/best-economical-dvc-resorts-to-purchase-spring-2021/

 

[havoc315]

Then we saw there is a 2042 end date. We did the math and those points direct with dues would cost roughly $18.15 per point vs AK at roughly $13.50 per point direct. We understand it's still cheaper than booking cash. .

Not necessarily cheaper than cash at that point. Partially depends what unit size you book. Depends what discounts are available.

Really, the three comparisons are:
DVC -- $18.15 per point
Cash -- Which could be equivalent of $15 per point if there are good discounts, if it's a 1 br, etc. Could be as high as $25+ per point.
Point rentals: Between $16-$21 per point.

Basically, it's hard to justify making direct purchases at the 2042 resorts. Any "savings" versus cash or point rental is very minor.

 

[KTownRaider]

My two cents- I'm sympathetic with your situation as I don't see any silver bullet solution. BWV has a TON going for it. Awesome location with two parks within walking distance and an incredible point chart that looks better and better as each year passes. Buying BWV at $225 direct for a 2042 date however, would be a no go for me. Looking at your profile, it would appear in you'll be in you mid 60's when the contract expires- and hopefully still enjoying a good quality of life. Assuming you'd still enjoy visiting WDW and the blue card perks that go along with your direct BWV purchase, that would present an unenviable choice of making a new direct purchase somewhere, or being satisfied with your current resale poly contract that expires in 2066. Disney will always charge a premium, and direct pricing never goes down. Maybe you'd be able to afford 2042 direct pricing or maybe not. I'd personally would rather not have to face that decision.

AKL has a better 2054 expiration, but 7 month availability generally hasn't been a problem (outside of the post pandemic glut). It would make sense to buy here for your blue card, but the value of that 11 month window would be significantly diluted (compared to BWV).

Ideally, if I'm buying one contract direct for a blue card- I'm trying to find a balance of the a longer expiration date and where the 11 month window really provides some value. Personally, I own direct at BLT and plan to own it into my mid 80s when it expires. Resale contracts may come and go in my DVC portfolio, but my BLT will always be my constant.

In your situation, you've stated that Riviera is out of consideration and BWV resale does you no good toward the blue card. BCV would also be out as it's direct cost is higher than BWV with the same 2042 expiration.

This sounds messy, but I would seriously consider buying more Poly direct if I were in your situation. For $3,125 more (BVW vs Poly direct pricing difference for 125 pts), this would lock in your blue card till 2066 and relieve you of having to make another direct buying decision in 20 years. Then I would sell your Poly resale contract. If you bought it pre pandemic, you should be able to make a tidy profit on it now while the resale market is still hot. And then, I would turn around and use those funds for a BWV resale contract. Messy, I know, but I think that would best set you up for the long term based on the information you provided. Seriously- good luck in whatever you decide!

 

[Howy]

If you want to stay at the BWV at the end of October or the beginning of November, you will need to book during the home resort priority period - preferably the instant the 11 month window opens. This is especially true for studios & 2 bedroom villas, any size standard or Boardwalk view and the Grand Villas. The end of January - mid-February are often available at 7 months, but best to plan on Preferred Pool/Garden views. You may be able to get 1 bedroom standard and/or Boardwalk villas for this time frame.

Thank you, that's does help.

 

[VdoesDisney]

My two cents- I'm sympathetic with your situation as I don't see any silver bullet solution. BWV has a TON going for it. Awesome location with two parks within walking distance

This sounds messy, but I would seriously consider buying more Poly direct if I were in your situation. For $3,125 more (BVW vs Poly direct pricing difference for 125 pts), this would lock in your blue card till 2066 and relieve you of having to make another direct buying decision in 20 years. Then I would sell your Poly resale contract. If you bought it pre pandemic, you should be able to make a tidy profit on it now while the resale market is still hot. And then, I would turn around and use those funds for a BWV resale contract. Messy, I know, but I think that would best set you up for the long term based on the information you provided. Seriously- good luck in whatever you decide!

I completely agree with this comment, I just bought BWV resale and plan to use it every single year for F&W, the math worked out but barely. I would never buy BWV direct. If you want a direct contract and you also want BWV your best bet is to own something else direct and BWV resale, I would also suggest you buy a different direct contract, sell your poly resale, and buy BWV resale.