Direct Aulani Add On Crazy?

[MissScarlet]

We went to Aulani for the first time this year, and are interested in a small Aulani add on so we can try to get lower point rooms every 3 years. We live on the west coast, are in our thirties, originally bought a small OKW resale, and have owned for 10 years.
I have been watching resale emails, app notifications, ect. for almost a year and have not seen a small contract in our use year. Since all the resale contracts are much larger we would end up with a lot more dues in the long run. We started the paperwork for a small direct add on before the price increase, but it seems crazy to pay so much more than the resale prices. Smaller contracts do seem to hold more value... but we are also a little intimidated by all the point reallocation/resale restriction changes recently.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Cyberc1978]

IMO buying only for the lower point rooms and I guess that is the hotel rooms is a bad idea. There are 8 of those rooms, and I expect that they are in very high demand due to the lower point cost. Have in mind the view is of the parking lot or the garage.

The resale prices for Aulani may be going down due to the new restrictions because even before the restrictions there was a risk of being shut out of a WDW resort during some of the time of the year.

Have you tried pricing out the number of points you want direct and then see how many points you can get for the same amount of money going resale? I might be worth it to you going resale as you get more points.

Its correct that smaller contracts holds the value, if that also goes for Aulani I dont know but for WDW its correct.

IMO I would only buy Aulani if you tend to use the points there and only during the more high demand time at Aulani. Otherwise I would buy a WDW(SSR) resort and just use the points for sleeping around.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Also, I think Aulani will end up with massive reallocation if/when Atlantis is built. It is going to trash a good number of the OV catgeory.

Definitely buy points for at least Standard Studios, ideally a level up. Hotel Rooms are nearly nonexistent at 8 total points units, and Standard is a very small catgeory. The vast majority of units are OV or Island Gardens.

 

[Airb330]

Also, I think Aulani will end up with massive reallocation if/when Atlantis is built. It is going to trash a good number of the OV catgeory.

Definitely buy points for at least Standard Studios, ideally a level up. Hotel Rooms are nearly nonexistent at 8 total points units, and Standard is a very small catgeory. The vast majority of units are OV or Island Gardens.

Those rooms shouldn't be "Ocean View" as it is now anyways. It isn't that many rooms so I don't think a reallocation due to this will cause that much pain.

Agree about not buying for the hotel rooms. Honestly I'd buy enough to stay in at least an island view just in case.

OP-I'd look for resale, small contracts do come up.

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

Buying resale versus direct is a trade off between time and money. With direct, you get your points today, but at a premium price. With resale, it takes time. Time looking for the right contract in your Use Year. Time going through ROFR and closing. And if the contract has been stripped, more time until you get some points. In exchange for the extra time, you get a big discount.

It sounds like you have plenty of time, so I would advise waiting for resale.
Getting more resale points at WDW is also a good plan, since Aulani seems to have availability at the 7 month mark many times of the year. You might test this yourself with the Resort Availability Tool for the times that interest you.

Once you understand the trade-offs, you can make a good decision for your family. There is no one size fits all solution..

 

[CaliAdventurer]

Perhaps a solution would be to buy a bigger contract for the same price as that small contract direct. Aulani is point intensive and totally worth it. I have booked the hotel rooms for friends but that was on the day and until walking is prohibited, it’s far from a sure thing.

I have stayed at all room types and views and IG is my favorite view.

 

[Drewferin]

Doesn't Hawaii charge a hefty tax on selling a DVC stake? I think I've read this someplace.

 

[MouseOfCards]

Agree with others - if you can wait, get more points via the resale route. You'll give yourself alot more options instead of competing with others for those smaller rooms. Staying at Aulani is expensive, but soooo enjoyable!

 

[Bruin_mouse]

You're not crazy, I asked a very similar question and got some great comments that helped me to decide on resale:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/75-points-direct-vs-resale.3673433/

 

[Littlelulu01]

Doesn't Hawaii charge a hefty tax on selling a DVC stake? I think I've read this someplace.

The state of Hawaii charges a good chunk to the seller but not the buyer. Seller can apply for a refund and only pay tax on actual profit.

Aulani used to have much lower closing fees when purchased directly from Disney and horribly high via resellers but according to dvc site it looks like they’ve really upped their closing costs too. The numbers on their website cost calculator might be overestimated though and it might have fees in there you wouldn’t pay for a cash purchase which I assume you would be doing on a smaller contract.

I’d say that a direct contract is worth less than half the purchase price immediately after your purchase but there’s some things to consider on resale with new restrictions, mainly the inability to use the aulani points for any new resorts. Could be a big issue down the road trying to use any aulani resale points at wdw.

I was certain my aulani points would only be used for aulani stays but we’ve only had one stay so far. 8 nights in a two bedroom island garden view. It did face the proposed Atlantis but until that’s built (who knows when) it’s a bonus beautiful ocean view for I/G view points and a huge point savings over ov for now at least. I’m going to try out a hotel room in December. There’s already holes in the hotel availability but I was able to get in.

Aulani has had some major point changes already. Their current seasons don’t always match Hawaii high seasons due to the unique makeup of Aulani guests which could change over time.

Id never have contemplated direct Aulani purchase in the past but given the new restrictions and a small contract I’d definitely contact a guide and get exact $ amount to close the deal, factor in any extra uy points you might get and then also figure in the exact resale costs for a small point resale.

Let us know what guide says about the total price for direct as I’m curious. The extra direct on a small contract today might be well worth it down the road assuming you pay cash and keep it for years to come.

Another thing to look at is aulani subsidized. They’re not too hard to find if you search all the resale sites but they do go quick. We saved $2/point mfs this year on our subsidized points.

 

[disneynutz]

Nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there. There is a reason that Aulani is still selling direct after 8 years which should be a red flag. When Atlantis gets built, the views will be affected and the lagoon is shared with them. When you compare what you get with a non WDW resort and a WDW resort, spending that kind of money and dues just doesn't seem like money well spent.

Bill