Considering buying at VB or Aulani

[mommy2allyandaveri]

We would mostly use them at WDW. For those that own at VB, HH, or Aulani, have you had trouble getting a reservation at WDW at the 7 month mark? pre covid and current covid situation. Thanks

 

[Carlnne]

I own at VB. While I have never had trouble getting Disney resorts at 7 months I have usually only tried for SSR and at odd times. I do think it will become tougher for now due to the high amount of points that will need to be used in the next year. For the most part tho- I dont reccommend buying VB unless that is the resort you want to stay at. The maintenance fees per year are crazy- this year jumped higher than others. Do some more research first before you dive in.

 

[chalee94]

We would mostly use them at WDW. For those that own at VB, HH, or Aulani, have you had trouble getting a reservation at WDW at the 7 month mark? pre covid and current covid situation. Thanks

PreCOVID, it was a bad idea since you are paying higher annual dues which will quickly offset the benefit of the lower upfront cost. Finding something onsite at 7 months was tough during the fall but doable in most other times of the year.

Right now, availability will likely get tighter over the next several years as all those points that were unused during the pandemic due to fear of travel and unused during the pandemic due to resorts actually being closed down (GCV in CA and Aulani) will be looking to book the same, fixed number of villas.

It's up to you, but if you are going to use the points at WDW and are just happy to be onsite, buy a resale at SSR if you are looking for the best value. Book SSR at 11 months out and if you get something else at 7 months, even better...

 

[RoseGold]

If you want to stay at WDW, I would get WDW points. Availability will vary wildly based on what you are booking and when you are traveling, and you definitely can get "stuck" at your home resort.

The main reason I would stick to WDW points is because of the crazy high dues at the beach resorts. Those dues make these points some of the most expensive in the system, and they show no sign of stopping.
https://www.dvcresalemarket.com/blog/best-economical-dvc-resort-to-purchase-fall-2020/

 

[Sandisw]

I agree with others, So much better to own at WDW if the plan is to stay there, It won’t take long for the dues to eat up the savings for purchase price and now you are stuck with having to wait until 7 months to book something.

Depending on when you travel, it might be tough. You could be forced into a split stay, or forced into a room size you don’t need, etc,

 

[TeamRiley]

Buy a subsidized contract at Aulani. By far the least expensive way to go across all of DVC.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Hawaii is a weird place to own a timeshare. The taxes and fees that will assess on points is not worth it if you are not committed to going to Aulani.

 

[gskywalker]

So my response is with a caveat, I am a newer DVC member. I have been one for a year and a half, so there are those who are a lot more experienced than I. Where my expertise does lie is in finance. While Aulani isn't great if you are looking for bookings before the 7month window, ie care about cheapest point, difficult to get rooms, however if you are looking for cheap points it can work out great. I just sent a deal for ROFR for Aulani because I ran the numbers and there is no better deal as long as you low ball the price. The dues are higher compared to many and of course there is the unknown later on with dues, being able to book resorts etc. but with the low price to buy in, longer term(2062) and the investment of the saved funds it is almost impossible for the other resorts to compare for price.

I am buying 150 points at $70(perfect amount of points for us as an add on). A savings of $35-$40 per point compared to the other cheaper point resorts. At $35 it means that I save $5300(closing and initial purchase savings). That $5300, invested at a modest 6% return, would bring in $27100 over 28 years(2/3 the purchase cost, so 2/3 the years, ignore if not interested in the calculation variables), so it would come to $180.67 per point. All of that money can go towards higher dues than other resorts(although AUL is basically on Par with OKW and AKV, only SS is significantly cheaper). It would take a lot of dues increases in comparison to the other resorts to use up $180.67 per point over the years. Likely the only one that will be significantly cheaper would be SS and SS has a shorter term by 8 years which holds a sizeable value to me.

The numbers work out which is what I am most interested in. Also I like that I can expect the deal not to be taken by ROFR which is important to me after 4 contracts(3 BLT, 1 AKV) being taken over the last 2 months. For yourself and others there are lots of other variables that will make or break whether it is the right move for you. There are a lot of justifiable reasons not to buy Aulani and maybe later on I will regret this move.... but I don't think so based on the numbers. I just care about the numbers because mostly we will be happy to book at 7 months. Would we love to stay in some of the tougher to get rooms and resorts? Sure but not for the significant increased cost. We would rather just get lucky on those rooms like we did a couple of weeks ago when we stayed at AK for the first time in a Value Studio with our OKW points.

 

[TeamRiley]

Hawaii is a weird place to own a timeshare. The taxes and fees that will assess on points is not worth it if you are not committed to going to Aulani.

The taxes and fees are only assessed if you actually stay at Aulani. They are also assessed at all other hotels in Hawaii

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The taxes and fees are only assessed if you actually stay at Aulani. They are also assessed at all other hotels in Hawaii

Property taxes are a big issue and they are included in dues. The property taxes on Aulani are about to skyrocket.

 

[TeamRiley]

Property taxes are a big issue and they are included in dues. The property taxes on Aulani are about to skyrocket.

Why do you say that? Hawaii traditionally has the lowest property tax rate in the nation.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Why do you say that? Hawaii traditionally has the lowest property tax rate in the nation.

Because the last year has been brutal on their tax revenues and there are limited ways to make it up.

 

[chalee94]

Because the last year has been brutal on their tax revenues and there are limited ways to make it up.

Yep. The state government likes taxes but the local residents don't like paying taxes. One very popular solution has been to soak the timeshare owners, since they don't vote in Hawaii.

 

[TeamRiley]

Yep. The state government likes taxes but the local residents don't like paying taxes. One very popular solution has been to soak the timeshare owners, since they don't vote in Hawaii.

True, but that is the case everywhere. Nothing unique to Hawaii. I do not think the fees at Aulani are going to be significantly impacted. Some for sure, but they will not skyrocket.

 

[Deb & Bill]

You are missing out on the month 7-11 months out when you buy a non-WDW resort to use at WDW. Everyone else has already had a four month headstart on you to book something. Buy something at WDW unless you plan to go regularly to Hawaii or Vero Beach. There are times of the year when you won't be able to get much of anything at seven months out.

 

[ElizabethG]

I agree with the posters that say to buy at WDW if you are planning to stay at WDW. SSR is the best price with decent dues.
However, if there is a particular resort you like, you should still consider it. I always book my stays at 11 months out. If I want to try a new resort and I am able to, great. But, I love my home resorts and most often choose to stay there.

 

[kristenrice]

Ultimately, it's your decision. The math might work in your favor to buy a VB or AUL contract to use at WDW, but I would suggest that you seriously consider how you will feel when you cannot find availability. Once you wait until the 7 month mark, if nothing is available, what will you do? Your use year will come into play because the longer you have to wait to find something, the closer you could be coming to your banking deadline. This is not to say that buying "off-site" to use at WDW won't work, but (especially in the case of AUL) it may not work ALL of the time over the length of the contract. Make sure that you will have a backup plan that you are OK with if you cannot get a 7-month reservation. When you buy at WDW, that backup plan is usually to stay at your home resort. If you buy at Aulani, you may find yourself going to Hawaii a lot!

 

[TeamRiley]

If it is your only contract, buy where you want to stay. If it is for extra points, Aulani.

 

[Disneybuckeye]

I would not even consider it for our travel patterns. We go each year for fall frenzy and usually for the race. We have BWV points and I usually book a two bedroom pool garden view. Since I am not trying for BW view or standard I have no stress about getting what I want at 8am at 11 months. I could not handle the stress of trying to pull that off at 7 months.

It is a personal decision and there are plusses to both low cost versus buy were you want to be

 

[mariam1]

My husband is crazy about Oahu and although I explained to him that we can use our AKL and BLT points there, his heart is still set on buying AUL points. my problem is that the price is so high now, I am not even sure if we can get a descent deal at Aulani anymore. Does anyone have an idea what is the current average cost per point at Aulani?