Direct 150pts - Copper Creek vs Polynesian vs combo?

[elsa15]

Hi everyone

So first of all let me start off by saying I will probably be here many times with many questions until we actually get ourselves sorted!

My husband & I will be joining DVC in 2025, however we really should’ve taken the plunge years ago as all this extra time just means we are going back & forth over what we want to do.

We definitely want an MK resort & and Epcot area resort. We also want the direct perks (more because of FOMO). We travel in May, June, Sept & October time from the UK and need around 10-14 nights per year.

Our plan is buy 150 direct points, and then 100 resale at Boardwalk. This should give us 1 week at MK resort followed by 1 week at BW per year.

My heart is set on Poly, my husbands is set on Copper Creek.

Poly currently cheaper (obv may increase), better location imo, I enjoy the more summer vacation style vibes & to me just what a dream to own at one of the OG classic Disney hotels. However my husbands issue is that lobby always feels crowded/loud/busy, the new points chart isn’t great, he thinks new tower and pools etc will be extra busy too for a while, and technically less time on the contract compared to CC. Also we would only be looking to book Lake View rooms here so points a bit thin on certain dates.

CC we generally both like (well he loves), seems relatively quieter, more expensive per point but slightly longer contract and points stretch that bit farther so easily into 8-9 days vs probs 6-7 at poly. Issue for me is it feels a bit away from everything (appreciate it is the wilderness lodge obv) I like Poly & Boardwalk as you can easily access other hotel areas or have other transportation very close by, just more of an atmosphere. I do love the CC pool area though, and would be lovely if we ever did a Christmas trip which could be on the cards. Not a fan of the rooms but I believe they are due a light refurb next year so will be good to see the results of that!

150 Poly points (currently) - $33,000
150 CC points (currently) - $37,500

We had discussed possibly splitting the contract, so having 100 Poly points & 50 Copper Creek points and banking one each year. So one year having 200 to use at Poly along with 100 BW, then next year having 100 to use at CC along with our 100 at Boardwalk.
The only thing that puts me off this is it then means owning little points at 3 resorts which sounds like a hassle? If we ended up skipping a year it may be complicated, or if we wanted to do a special family trip for only say 6 days in one of the grand villas it may be difficult to organise with the different contracts if that makes sense?
We are also losing any incentives on the Poly points so total for a combo contract would be $35,000

I guess no one can make the decision for us, but just wanted to hear anyone’s thoughts on this? Is it a hassle having the points split when they’re both small amounts? Is there a reason we should pick one over the other? Any other general DVC advice whilst we mull this all over?

 

[Chili327]

CC we generally both like (well he loves), seems relatively quieter, more expensive per point but slightly longer contract

Id say you can easily overcome this if/when incentives happen. If you have time to wait it out.
I’d start to think about which one you could be able to do at 7 months.

 

[byurick]

If it were me I'd buy the BW resale contract first so you can get current member pricing on the direct points (which are usually better than new member prices).

 

[pzw90]

If it were me I'd buy the BW resale contract first so you can get current member pricing on the direct points (which are usually better than new member prices).

Also you can pick the UY you want this way. Then when you buy direct they will match the UY you have. You can always push them to give you the one you want instead of the one they are pushing

 

[Tatebeck]

I personally think that this is a no brainer situation for Polynesian points if you are set on buying 150 direct.

Poly currently has a cheaper direct price, what most members would probably call a better location, and holds a higher resale value just in case.

Because of those differences, you can almost buy direct Poly AND resale CCV for the price of direct CCV. I would buy Poly and add a smaller CCV later if you want access to it.

I agree with the others though and would buy the BWV resale first to get the best price on Poly as well

 

[Road_Dog]

Also you can pick the UY you want this way. Then when you buy direct they will match the UY you have. You can always push them to give you the one you want instead of the one they are pushing

It's pretty easy to ask for the UY you want when buying direct. At least for Poly, as a new member, they told me it was going to be June and I said that would be a dealbreaker--I needed October, and they gladly changed it for me. Now that might be different for Copper Creek if only because it's not currently on sale. I'm not 100% sure how a direct purchase works with a property not on sale (if they are buying someone else's contract on resale market and flipping it to a new member direct, so the UY has to match up, or if they can simply create points/UY out of thin air).

To OP, I was in your situation too only a few weeks ago. My wife and I wanted a MK resort. Financially, BLT was the best (resale). Our hearts wanted Poly, and Copper Creek seemed like a great choice for an 11-month booking spot. Many told me that it's quite easy to book Poly longhouse studios at 7-months, so a part of me considered Copper Creek just so I could book there around Christmas time and switch to Poly at 7-months any other time of the year. But the heart wants what it wants--we went with Poly and are super happy knowing we can absolutely get where we want at Poly at 11-months.

 

[zavandor]

It's pretty easy to ask for the UY you want when buying direct. At least for Poly, as a new member, they told me it was going to be June and I said that would be a dealbreaker--I needed October, and they gladly changed it for me. Now that might be different for Copper Creek if only because it's not currently on sale. I'm not 100% sure how a direct purchase works with a property not on sale (if they are buying someone else's contract on resale market and flipping it to a new member direct, so the UY has to match up, or if they can simply create points/UY out of thin air).

They changed a few years ago, DVC can now change the UY of the points they own freely (and units can have points belonging in different UY). So no issue there.

 

[D-Trick]

Don't underestimate Addon-itis. It will hit you-- that's a fact.

So I would maybe buy both BWV and CCV resale (saving significant amount of $/£ on the latter), and then add direct later once you've had experience with ownership to know if you really need the Membership Extras.

 

[Genie+]

I would start with the BWV resale. That’s actually what we did lol. It’s much easier in that order and should make things cheaper as well. We decided we wanted more points and thought it best to balance the EP resort with an MK resort resale. As we were looking, Direct offered a fantastic price on VGF and the timing couldn’t have been better. It saved us over $8k on 150pts and put VGF direct in resale pricing territory.

Personally I think buying Direct during a strong incentives period is the best overall value for DVC, as long as you plan to use the contract for a long time and don’t already have full access to perks. It’s likely Poly comes out with a great deal at some point over the next year or so. Buying resale first should get a better discount. I doubt CCV direct will have a Flash Sale anytime soon while Poly direct is very likely to offer deep discount soonish.

Would direct prices for 150pts like this change DH’s mind:

CCV $37.5k

Poly $28k

There is no certainty but I think very likely we could see that within 18 months.

A decent plan would be BWV resale and later matching UY with Direct when Poly direct incentives offers deep discount.

 

[DanCali]

The only thing that puts me off this is it then means owning little points at 3 resorts which sounds like a hassle?

I am among those who believe Poly incentives are likely to get better over time. Disney is currently selling to those who would pay the highest prices. At some point, they will run out of those buyers and have to do better on price.

In the meantime, you can start with your resale purchase so you can get member pricing (more favorable) on your direct purchase.

The Poly vs. CCV is not something I can comment on too much since that's a personal choice. And you haven't mentioned if you have kids but to us the studios that sleep 5 are a strong preference so the two teenage kids can sleep in separate beds. CCV may get those extra murphy twin beds at some point, but for now the studios there sleep 4 (why we opted for a small resale BRV even with 2042 expiration).

But no, I don't think owning at 3 resorts (or 7) is too much of a hassle

 

[MICKIMINI]

Having just toured Poly Tower last week and we stayed in a longhouse, I would go for that, however I would buy 160 points to cover potential changes in the charts. It has happened before and will likely happen again, so you want to be covered by at least 10 points or more. The longhouse studio villas are lovely and have two bathrooms (though one toilet) and are large by studio standards. New Tower villas are amazing, especially the bathrooms! Everything to love there. While CCR and BRV is a gorgeous location, I would opt for being directly on the monorail. It's all about location. Additionally, it is easier to get those locations at 7 months than Poly Tower which I imagine will be nearly impossible unless you get really lucky stalking. I would suggest a fixed week at Poly Tower, however it seems that you travel during different seasons. Early May and September are cheapest. October being on the higher side. You can use your FW as regular points.

BWV are another great choice, however I would again opt for more points. Asking prices as you go a bit higher than 100 are more competitive and closing costs are just a bit more. You don't want to stress at 11 months that you can only book part of your trip rather than all of your trip, right? With banking, you can always push them into the next year perpetually or use them for a longer stay. The minute you get your contract you will be wondering why you didn't buy more - promise!

30 year DVC Member! Enjoy!

 

[AstroBlasters]

+1

1) BW and CCV resale FIRST
2) Add on direct Poly when incentives perk up

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

What is the makeup of your travel group? Do you prefer studios or want maybe bigger rooms to do laundry/groceries? I don't think you can go wrong with either CC or Poly, and we were actually really leaning towards CC for the Christmas availability, but at the end of the day, transportation killed us for CC. DH uses a scooter, we hate the buses, and boats seemed a bit of a crapshoot. Also, I was reading CC/BR share buses with Fort Wilderness, and that just seemed like a lot of detours before getting where you want to go.

CC studios are kind of small and sleep four, not five. I personally love the galley kitchen though in the bigger rooms, and if they nail the 1B/2B like BR's refurbishment, it's going to be amazing.

One last point is food. WL food options are just oh-kay, IMO, whereas Poly has a ton of options and GF right nearby and the monorail.

If you're not planning to do WL/CC/BR Thanksgiving-NYD, I'm not sure if you need the home field advantage there.

But, if you're into OG studios at Poly, you probably don't need to own there, either. If you want the tower, probably need to own Poly points, especially for F&W/marathon in the fall to coincide with BW.

I'm thinking you can get CC in May/June as a waitlist?

Just throwing it out there. If you have teenagers, Poly 1B/2B are expensive points but have the extra bathrooms. CC points go further, and if Reflections/CFW get the walking path to Fort Wilderness, that may be gorgeous.

 

[Steelers0854]

We started our DVC journey later than we should have, last year, with a 100 point CC resale purchase. We are so happy we did and just did a 150 point direct for the Poly. CC is our favorite resort, we love the atmosphere and the food (Whispering Canyon is one of our favorite places on property and Geyser Point is also fabulous). We also really love the boat and bus options from there. You didnt mention what size rooms you would like to stay in. CC doesn’t have the greatest Studio inventory especially when compared to the Poly (which is 5 times the inventory compared to CC), so booking there could be problematic, even more so if you don’t own direct.

We were in the same boat on the benefits and it’s why we decided to own direct. We kick ourselves not not buying in when we could have a few years ago for just 75 points direct, and we didnt want to chance any day them making another decision to up the requirements. Writing on the wall to me is they are making the Direct Benefits more and more enticing each year (new lounges, restrictions on booking new properties etc). We love the Poly, we love the location and were ready to pull the trigger and not wait out a potential of a better deal that may or may not happen.

That said, i agree with some of the other posters. Buy resale now, get your Boardwalk points, then you have way more options because your are already members. The 100/50 spilt purchase you mentioned can only be done direct if you are already members. You will have more options, you can pick a good use year for you all on the resale market and then your direct purchase can match that same use year.

 

[elsa15]

Wow thank you so much for all your replies & advice - really appreciate it. We’ve definitely got a lot to think about.

For some more background - we are a couple in our late 20s, no kids as yet but perhaps one day so definitely good to keep in mind about the larger studios. We also have my mum, dad & sister who regularly come to Florida with us so yes we’re hoping to slowly build up a nice collection of points to book bigger rooms every few years to treat the fam. This is just our initial “set up” plan I guess.

Great tip about trying to sort out our resale first. We are visiting Orlando in May 2025 and that is when we were planning to get the ball rolling with everything & signing up direct whilst there, so it may be a bit tight as we do need to wait til early 2025 before even starting resale but will adjust our plans now to try and see if we can make it work. But appreciate it’ll take some time to find the right contract and get that all settled.
Obviously by May the direct prices will be completely different anyway, and it may be an idea to start off with CC and BW resale anyway for a couple of years.

One question about Poly if anyone can help - my husbands biggest issue is worrying that the lobby/general area is busy 24/7 (he loves nothing more than just sitting in a quiet lobby in the afternoons taking it all in) and that the lake view rooms which we would probably lean towards for our bookings are noisy from the ferries and TTC area etc. Any advice on this for anyone who has stayed?

 

[Disneybuckeye]

Wow thank you so much for all your replies & advice - really appreciate it. We’ve definitely got a lot to think about.

For some more background - we are a couple in our late 20s, no kids as yet but perhaps one day so definitely good to keep in mind about the larger studios. We also have my mum, dad & sister who regularly come to Florida with us so yes we’re hoping to slowly build up a nice collection of points to book bigger rooms every few years to treat the fam. This is just our initial “set up” plan I guess.

Great tip about trying to sort out our resale first. We are visiting Orlando in May 2025 and that is when we were planning to get the ball rolling with everything & signing up direct whilst there, so it may be a bit tight as we do need to wait til early 2025 before even starting resale but will adjust our plans now to try and see if we can make it work. But appreciate it’ll take some time to find the right contract and get that all settled.
Obviously by May the direct prices will be completely different anyway, and it may be an idea to start off with CC and BW resale anyway for a couple of years.

One question about Poly if anyone can help - my husbands biggest issue is worrying that the lobby/general area is busy 24/7 (he loves nothing more than just sitting in a quiet lobby in the afternoons taking it all in) and that the lake view rooms which we would probably lean towards for our bookings are noisy from the ferries and TTC area etc. Any advice on this for anyone who has stayed?

We own at BWV, BR, and new Poly points owners. Have also stayed at many DVC resorts. The main lobbies are all busy most of the time, especially in the afternoon.

BR has a separate building first floor that is usually pretty empty, but is a ways from CC.

Poly tower I believe will have a lobby area on the first floor that may not be as busy.

BWV has a back patio area with comfy chairs that sometime is not horribly busy, but people walk through.

I would encourage you to visit during your tip and see what you think.

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

I hear your husband on the crazy lobbies. We own at Riviera and really enjoy the quiet there. We thought we'd love GF since it's so fancy and the landmark hotel lobby -- and hated it. Too freaking crazy. OKW is sooo peaceful. We really enjoyed our time there. BC/BW are not crazy, but they do have a constant stream of people. AKJ is one of my favorites -- so grand, but calming.

I guess I'd have DH look at the Poly tower lobby and the samosa garden viewing cubbies that are open air overlooking the water when you come in May? See if that lobby is okay for him that way. If not, I think I'd go CC. The points go further, and the WL lobby (and BR lobby!) ARE amazing and calm. I love the 2nd and 3rd level fireplaces and leather chairs. I sat fireside at BR one night while touring resorts and could have just sat there for hours and hours.

I don't necessarily go with happy wife, happy life, because my DH can be a big grump, which makes my trip not as fun. When he's content, he feels super generous -- and added on Riviera points when we got upgraded to a 1B from our studio booking (Covid times, never happened again.)

Anyway, point being, I agree with PP to grab BW resale first since you both agree that's a priority home base for you. Take him on a tour of OG Poly GCH *and* the new Poly Island Tower (PIT, LOL) and those little garden cut-outs, do a dinner reservation at Wailulu when it's open, do a monorail crawl at night so he can see if he likes the hubbub/convenience of being in the thick of things -- or if he's melting down with the crush of humanity.

I truly don't think you can go wrong with CC or Poly. PIT will get you the conveniences and extra bathrooms for traveling with extended family, and who doesn't like being right on the monorail line?

However, if your extended family gets overstimulated like your husband and wants to vacation on vacation and not hit the parks hard 24/7, CC is so gorgeous and relaxing. I love their organized foyer for the 1B/2B, and tour their 3B -- it's amazing!

Having BW sewn up will be great for the location and F&W, but do take into account there are no dedicated 2Bs there if you want to all be with extended family in one suite; it's a lockoff situation of a studio/1B. That may be totally preferred for how you want to travel -- together, but with some privacy and a door. We like the dedicated 2B with extended family and feel like the bedrooms on either far wall with the common area in between is a perfect situation of togetherness for meals/relaxing but still private for early birds/night owls.

In favor of PIT, they'll have those Duo studios that sleep two. While I wouldn't want to put anyone in there for a long time, it's nice to have an option like that for the grandparents or SIL/BIL if you have different flights or they're not joining you for the whole two weeks.

If you're thinking of kids at some point, that's pretty much a guaranteed decade of MK-focused trips. Poly/PIT may swing you in favor of that direction for ease of napping/strollers/location.

If you want to buy BW and hold out for Reflections at FW, that may be a different compromise of woodsy peace. IDK if you want to wait that long though on something that isn't confirmed yet, despite the cranes and scrims being up, LOL.

 

[Genie+]

One question about Poly if anyone can help - my husbands biggest issue is worrying that the lobby/general area is busy 24/7 (he loves nothing more than just sitting in a quiet lobby in the afternoons taking it all in) and that the lake view rooms which we would probably lean towards for our bookings are noisy from the ferries and TTC area etc. Any advice on this for anyone who has stayed?

The general area can be hectic but we found it mellow more often than not. Dinner time 5-8pm seemed the worst of it. More importantly, it had very little impact to our stay as the rest of the resort remained very tranquil. It was busy going to ADRs at dinner, though short lived since no longer an issue once seated. Poly is filled with quiet beautiful nooks and crannies to relax too. The vibe with the torches at night is spectacular. I think alot of the ‘too busy’ perspective comes from people visiting Poly, not staying at Poly. Maybe it’s 2 different things really.

As far as Lake View, we stayed last December and the horns didn’t bother us at all when our balcony doors were closed.

I’ve learned with DVC nothing can replace our own personal experiences. The more we try the more of my own preconceptions are getting overturned. It’s a fun process!