DVC/VGC Resale Question

[ImTempest]

My husband and I are wanting to purchase DVC, and after following these boards for awhile we're leaning towards a resale purchase, but all the ins and outs can be tricky. Since we live in California, we know we would do best by purchasing VGC, although we will be heading to WDW every now and again. A resale purchase would allow us to purchase more points and pay cash BUT...I have concerns about being able to use the points here on the West Coast. There are not a lot of units, and a lot of people booking. If we purchase resale and there are no DVC rooms for the dates we want to go (picking non-popular dates to go would be very difficult, as we have a school-age child), I know Disney doesn't allow the points to be used at Paradise Pier or the Disneyland Hotel, but would I be able to use the points for a room at the regular part of the Grand Californian? Until Disney builds the Disneyland Hotel DVC, that would provide a solution we could use. Has anyone used resale points to stay at the regular Grand Californian rooms?

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Rooms at the hotel portion of GCH are part of the Disney collection so if you purchase resale it has the same restrictions as PP and DH and you wouldn't be able to use your points there.

For awhile after building VGC they stopped allowing the hotel rooms to be booked even with direct purchase points but began allowing it again several months ago.

 

[Breyean]

We used points last year to stay at PPH, but this year the points/night at the hotels at DLR really jumped by a lot. So we look at it now only as a really desperation alternative.

 

[hjgaus]

My husband and I are wanting to purchase DVC, and after following these boards for awhile we're leaning towards a resale purchase, but all the ins and outs can be tricky. Since we live in California, we know we would do best by purchasing VGC, although we will be heading to WDW every now and again. A resale purchase would allow us to purchase more points and pay cash BUT...I have concerns about being able to use the points here on the West Coast. There are not a lot of units, and a lot of people booking. If we purchase resale and there are no DVC rooms for the dates we want to go (picking non-popular dates to go would be very difficult, as we have a school-age child), I know Disney doesn't allow the points to be used at Paradise Pier or the Disneyland Hotel, but would I be able to use the points for a room at the regular part of the Grand Californian? Until Disney builds the Disneyland Hotel DVC, that would provide a solution we could use. Has anyone used resale points to stay at the regular Grand Californian rooms?

This is the reason I suggest to locals (especially So Cal locals) to try and purchase direct from Disney. We have used our points @ all 3 DL Hotels for usually 1 night stays when I can't get into the villas & make use of early morning hour for on property guests! You can get 2 early mornings for the price of 1 night of points! THIS IS your advantage of living in California & being a DVC owner! I will NEVER regret to owning this DVC property even if we only live 20 minutes away! However you decide to purchase DVC you won't regret it! Our PAP's for DL will expire next April so we will be going to WDW December 2013 & 2014! If you haven't heard yet DVCer's will get a pretty decent discount on WDW PAP's so now we will switch it up and go to Florida for our winter breaks during those years! Welcome home .... soon neighbor!!

 

[sechelt]

I think the big question is, how far in advance will you be making your reservations? If you're able to plan 9 -11 months in advance, you shouldn't have a problem booking VGC. Summer 2013 is wide open right now, except for D23 weekend, so the resale contract should work fine. However, if you want to do more last minute type of travel, then you'd be better off with a direct buy, to get the extra perk of booking the other hotels. Even in off season, VGC can fill up pretty quickly at the 7 month mark.

 

[ELMC]

I'm a big resale kinda guy. But in this case, you might want to consider the lack of available resale contracts for VGC and the small gap in price between direct and resale contracts. That being said, I think direct contract purchasers are being put on a wait list, so this might come down to buying whatever is available.

One alternative would be renting VGC points from an owner here on the DIS.

 

[jessicaerv]

I'm a big resale kinda guy. But in this case, you might want to consider the lack of available resale contracts for VGC and the small gap in price between direct and resale contracts. That being said, I think direct contract purchasers are being put on a wait list, so this might come down to buying whatever is available.

One alternative would be renting VGC points from an owner here on the DIS.

"Small gap" is relative. Direct price is $130/pt I was told as recently as 2 weeks ago by MS; resale is hovering around $100/pt. That could add up pretty quickly.

 

[ImTempest]

Exactly, Jessica. For every 100 points of a contract, that's $3K more if purchased direct - and that is a big chunk of money to me. We would be planning for the 11-month mark at VGC. We know we want to go every year in October for the Halloween festivities and party, and then back again in December for the Christmas parade and decor. We have it planned to bank whatever we don't use, for a WDW or Aulani trip every few years. We don't intend to use points for a cruise or Adventures by Disney, so resale is perfect - if they have enough rooms. I think that's a big problem here on the West Coast. If my home resort is at WDW and there are no rooms available there, I have a lot of very wonderful options. At DLR, I would have no options, and it's making me very nervous. I had a nightmare the other night that I bought in and was unable to make a reservation - ever!

 

[sechelt]

Exactly, Jessica. For every 100 points of a contract, that's $3K more if purchased direct - and that is a big chunk of money to me. We would be planning for the 11-month mark at VGC. We know we want to go every year in October for the Halloween festivities and party, and then back again in December for the Christmas parade and decor. We have it planned to bank whatever we don't use, for a WDW or Aulani trip every few years. We don't intend to use points for a cruise or Adventures by Disney, so resale is perfect - if they have enough rooms. I think that's a big problem here on the West Coast. If my home resort is at WDW and there are no rooms available there, I have a lot of very wonderful options. At DLR, I would have no options, and it's making me very nervous. I had a nightmare the other night that I bought in and was unable to make a reservation - ever!

All the more reason to make VGC your home resort. Do you understand about the 11 and 7 month booking windows? You can only book your home resort at 11 months and all the others must wait until 7 months. So if you were to choose a WDW resort as your home, you immediately reduce your chances of getting a choice reservation at VGC. But if VGC is your home, you'd have lots of nice resorts to choose from at WDW at 7 months.

I'm a VGC owner and have booked 4 vacations at various times of year. Three have been studios and one a 2 bdrm. All were booked right at the 11 month window when there was lots of availability. You won't regret purchasing here. You just need to get past the direct or resale question.

 

[Brownieone]

All the more reason to make VGC your home resort. Do you understand about the 11 and 7 month booking windows? You can only book your home resort at 11 months and all the others must wait until 7 months. So if you were to choose a WDW resort as your home, you immediately reduce your chances of getting a choice reservation at VGC. But if VGC is your home, you'd have lots of nice resorts to choose from at WDW at 7 months.

I'm a VGC owner and have booked 4 vacations at various times of year. Three have been studios and one a 2 bdrm. All were booked right at the 11 month window when there was lots of availability. You won't regret purchasing here. You just need to get past the direct or resale question.

I agree. I'd buy VGC and use those points to go to WDW when you want. So many more resorts there that could be available at the 7 month window (even BLT in many instances right at 7 month). In CA, right now there is only one resort.

 

[ELMC]

"Small gap" is relative. Direct price is $130/pt I was told as recently as 2 weeks ago by MS; resale is hovering around $100/pt. That could add up pretty quickly.

Right, it's relative. Every other resort besides VGC and AUL can be found for 50% off or more. So $30 off of $130 is a relatively small price gap. Add to that the difference between direct and resale closing costs and the fact that many VGC resale contracts do not have a full compliment of points and the difference is much less than you would think. There is much more to pricing contracts than just factoring in the price per point. All I'm saying is that you need to make sure you are accurately valuing contracts when comparing direct vs. Resale for VGC.

 

[ELMC]

Rooms at the hotel portion of GCH are part of the Disney collection so if you purchase resale it has the same restrictions as PP and DH and you wouldn't be able to use your points there.

For awhile after building VGC they stopped allowing the hotel rooms to be booked even with direct purchase points but began allowing it again several months ago.

This is another great example of the fact that the "perks" currently available to direct purchasers are not guaranteed and can be modified or changed at any time. So although it makes sense for you to think about purchasing direct so that you could use the points at the California Disney Collection hotels, think about how you would feel if they took that option away from you.

Again I'll say that I'm a big fan of purchasing resale. I'm just advocating that prospective buyers learn as much as possible about all the nuances of buying before making a choice.

 

[sechelt]

I agree. I'd buy VGC and use those points to go to WDW when you want. So many more resorts there that could be available at the 7 month window (even BLT in many instances right at 7 month). In CA, right now there is only one resort.

I really sense hesitancy from you about resale and, you know, there's nothing wrong with buying direct if that's what makes you more comfortable. Sometimes that's what it boils down to. It's not always about $ and it really doesn't matter what people here on the forum tell you. I've purchased both resale and direct for my own personal reasons, some people swear only buy resale and others would only buy direct. No matter what, it may come down to a matter of what's available. VGC tends to be a bit scarce on the resale market and the resort is, technically, sold out for a direct buy. Good luck with your decision.

 

[maburke]

Exactly, Jessica. For every 100 points of a contract, that's $3K more if purchased direct - and that is a big chunk of money to me. We would be planning for the 11-month mark at VGC. We know we want to go every year in October for the Halloween festivities and party, and then back again in December for the Christmas parade and decor. We have it planned to bank whatever we don't use, for a WDW or Aulani trip every few years. We don't intend to use points for a cruise or Adventures by Disney, so resale is perfect - if they have enough rooms. I think that's a big problem here on the West Coast. If my home resort is at WDW and there are no rooms available there, I have a lot of very wonderful options. At DLR, I would have no options, and it's making me very nervous. I had a nightmare the other night that I bought in and was unable to make a reservation - ever!

If you would be planning for the 11-month mark, then go resale. I've done both for VGC. I've been able to get what I want down to the 8-month mark at VGC, sometimes with a night on the waitlist here or there. For the extra $30/point, you could pay cash for another property if ever you find yourself locked out with a late request.

 

[Breyean]

If you would be planning for the 11-month mark, then go resale. I've done both for VGC. I've been able to get what I want down to the 8-month mark at VGC, sometimes with a night on the waitlist here or there. For the extra $30/point, you could pay cash for another property if ever you find yourself locked out with a late request.

This is true. I've booked two stays at VGC this year for the 4th of July week and the week before Christmas, both only a few months out, well after the 7 month window opened. Even though we own there, we are more than happy to use our OKW points for these types of trips whenever we can.

Online booking has made finding those types of stays easier, esp if your dates are sort of flexible, and in our case, we can just drive there so we don't have to match up airfare.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Exactly, Jessica. For every 100 points of a contract, that's $3K more if purchased direct - and that is a big chunk of money to me. We would be planning for the 11-month mark at VGC. We know we want to go every year in October for the Halloween festivities and party, and then back again in December for the Christmas parade and decor. We have it planned to bank whatever we don't use, for a WDW or Aulani trip every few years. We don't intend to use points for a cruise or Adventures by Disney, so resale is perfect - if they have enough rooms. I think that's a big problem here on the West Coast. If my home resort is at WDW and there are no rooms available there, I have a lot of very wonderful options. At DLR, I would have no options, and it's making me very nervous. I had a nightmare the other night that I bought in and was unable to make a reservation - ever!

Since you plan on booking 11 months out then you'll be fine. VGC does not lend itself to last minute trips and that would be when you would be looking to book at one of the hotels but it doesn't sound like you are intending to try and use it that way.

 

[ImTempest]

Thank you to all the VGC owners posting - I'm feeling so much better about being able to book, which has been one of the big hold-ups to purchasing. Not having access to the online system to see what's available (not an owner YET!) has left a hole in the knowledge I've learned so far from everyone on these boards. I feel comfortable being able to ask a question here and get answers based on the experience of actual owners, and how everything works for all of you. Thanks again!

 

[nunzia]

I also own ast VGC and if you can find a resale contract that fits you, then I'm sure it would work for you. Every VGC resale I see always has "sale pending' by it. I have 4 VGC contracts and am on the waiting list for another direct with Disney (5 months and counting). Resale wouldn't work for me since I have a specific amount of points and use year needed, plus I want all my contracts 'equal' for inheritance purposes. I never thought I'd need the Disney Collection option either, but when a son and his family wanted to join us on a trip 2 months out I was happy to be able to get him a rom at DLH (couldn't get hotel rooms at VGC with points at that time and this was before the DLH points became so outrageous) So..never say never about how you might want to use the points.