DVC Resale Poly - Worth it to start with a small contract?

[dizneyfan93]

Since our trip to WDW a year ago and after doing the DVC presentation I've been fascinated with the prospect of owning a contract at some point in the future. While my wife and I would love to go to Disney every year we agree that every 2 even 3 years makes the most sense for us at this point in our lives.

I'm looking at resale contacts 50 - 75 pts. at the Polynesian. We love this resort! For us this would be enough points for us to bank & borrow and have trips every 2nd - 3rd year with the plan of adding additional points later on to get to be able to go more often and/or have the option to book rooms bigger than a studio.

We have plenty of cash on hand, minimal 0% interest loans for some home improvements and no real debt. We've got solid retirement plans both personal and at our jobs and aren't huge spenders on ourselves.

From everything I've researched, by buying a contract it will lock us into lower rates over the life of our trips to Disney. I really dislike the thought that we would pay cash for a trip or two in the next couple of years which could've been used towards the DVC contract. If we're planning to visit the contract will pay itself off after a short amount of time.

Let me know what you think on this concept and if I'm going in the right direction. We are thinking about kids in the near future too, but I'd also argue this would be a saver to take them on future vacations as well.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Buying a small resale I think is a great idea, it will let you see how DVC works and then if you choose to buy direct after you will get member pricing which is cheaper.
With that said, small Poly contracts will be a much higher price per point than other resorts and closer to the cost per point for buying 150pts direct. Also, be sure to look at the point charts to be sure that 50-75 pts is enough for the room type, time of year and length of stay that you want.

 

[intamin]

Personally I'd probably buy direct if I was going for such a small contract. Buying direct will give you access to all resorts but also the contract will be loaded. Right now Poly is actually on sale so you're not going to be able to buy any cheaper from Disney in the future. Resale Poly on a small contract will likely be stripped and have a high price tag relatively compared to buying direct. You may not care that much about the benefits down the line but it doesn't really hurt to only have to buy 75 more points from Disney to get them either.

 

[airjay75]

I think those are great thoughts. If you really want to just “dip your toes” into DVC, a small resale contract definitely makes sense. But, if you thought you were all in on DVC, and Poly is one of your favorite resorts, it is a pretty good time to pick up 150 points direct. If you wait a few years, Poly will likely be “sold out” and direct pricing will be much more expensive. But, when I was at the stage of life that kids were likely coming in the near future, I probably could never have convinced myself to buy into DVC.

 

[pzw90]

Personally I'd probably buy direct if I was going for such a small contract. Buying direct will give you access to all resorts but also the contract will be loaded. Right now Poly is actually on sale so you're not going to be able to buy any cheaper from Disney in the future. Resale Poly on a small contract will likely be stripped and have a high price tag relatively compared to buying direct. You may not care that much about the benefits down the line but it doesn't really hurt to only have to buy 75 more points from Disney to get them either.

The minimum as a new buyer is 100 points though, so may be larger than they are looking for at the moment

 

[maui22]

I think you have a solid plan. When PVB opened, we checked the point charts for our normal times of year. Then, we decide to buy enough to bank/borrow for a week trip every other year. (We already owned at other resorts, but Polynesian has ties to both DW and I).

Back then, point charts were slightly different and the options were only longhouse studio or bungalow. We bought a small 65 point contract so we could go every other year using bank/borrow as you describe.

Well, we fell in love with Island Tower and we're temporarily at 425 points at PVB (resale and direct).

Dipping your toes in the water is a very smart decision. As others wrote, checkout the point charts for when you want to stay and the room types you want. That's the best way to know for sure the size of a contract to start with.

 

[intamin]

The minimum as a new buyer is 100 points though, so may be larger than they are looking for at the moment

Woops forgot about the minimums for a new member after all the recent news about the 25 point minimum add ons for all resorts but that's a fair point.

 

[dizneyfan93]

Buying a small resale I think is a great idea, it will let you see how DVC works and then if you choose to buy direct after you will get member pricing which is cheaper.
With that said, small Poly contracts will be a much higher price per point than other resorts and closer to the cost per point for buying 150pts direct. Also, be sure to look at the point charts to be sure that 50-75 pts is enough for the room type, time of year and length of stay that you want.

Yes for sure. We love Disney but can't make the full jump right now.

 

[dizneyfan93]

The minimum as a new buyer is 100 points though, so may be larger than they are looking for at the moment

Yep! I'd love more points but buying a smaller contract to spread out initially makes most sense for us. I just can't justify a huge cash purchase or potentially financing right now.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Yep! I'd love more points but buying a smaller contract to spread out initially makes most sense for us. I just can't justify a huge cash purchase or potentially financing right now.

Makes perfect sense. Is Poly the only place you really want to stay?

 

[dizneyfan93]

I think those are great thoughts. If you really want to just “dip your toes” into DVC, a small resale contract definitely makes sense. But, if you thought you were all in on DVC, and Poly is one of your favorite resorts, it is a pretty good time to pick up 150 points direct. If you wait a few years, Poly will likely be “sold out” and direct pricing will be much more expensive. But, when I was at the stage of life that kids were likely coming in the near future, I probably could never have convinced myself to buy into DVC.

Unfortunately direct at $235 right now is out of my budget range

 

[airjay75]

Unfortunately direct at $235 right now is out of my budget range

I understand completely - will just note for you that, after you factor in all the incentives including developer credit, magical beginnings, and credit card cash back, you can probably get the price down to under $200/point. The problem is, you have to buy 150 points to get magical beginnings, which is one of the largest discounts you can get when buying direct, and that means more money than a small point purchase even if the cost/point isn’t that different.

 

[dizneyfan93]

I think you have a solid plan. When PVB opened, we checked the point charts for our normal times of year. Then, we decide to buy enough to bank/borrow for a week trip every other year. (We already owned at other resorts, but Polynesian has ties to both DW and I).

Back then, point charts were slightly different and the options were only longhouse studio or bungalow. We bought a small 65 point contract so we could go every other year using bank/borrow as you describe.

Well, we fell in love with Island Tower and we're temporarily at 425 points at PVB (resale and direct).

Dipping your toes in the water is a very smart decision. As others wrote, checkout the point charts for when you want to stay and the room types you want. That's the best way to know for sure the size of a contract to start with.

Sounds like what we want to do! Did you have much trouble doing the banking/borrowing early on? I imagine if you're on top of things and plan well it should be no problem.

 

[dizneyfan93]

I understand completely - will just note for you that, after you factor in all the incentives including developer credit, magical beginnings, and credit card cash back, you can probably get the price down to under $200/point. The problem is, you have to buy 150 points to get magical beginnings, which is one of the largest discounts you can get when buying direct, and that means more money than a small point purchase even if the cost/point isn’t that different.

Totally reasonable thinking. Even at 200/point I don't think I could justify it vs a smaller contract resale at say even $185