Feeling pressure due to looming price increases

[disneydietitian]

I've been researching for a while and I know the direct prices for at least Riviera and Aulani are going up in early Feb. I'm assuming most if not all will get an increase? I know prices increase all the time but did anyone else feel like you were pressured because of this? Did you regret not going ahead and buying? Direct vs. resale is something we are debating just because my daughter loves RIV and doesn't want to be shut out of there or future resorts if we are talking about leaving this to the kids. We may end up with resale just because of the savings for now but I hate the thought of missing today's prices if we do end up going direct....
Also, we have never stayed in a DVC/Deluxe resort and I would love to rent points to try it out. At the same time, that probably couldn't happen until June and the other part of that is that I don't want to spend the money.....when I could be putting it toward a contract.
Just wondering if anyone else had recommendations based on their experiences. Thanks!

 

[Disneybuckeye]

Buy resale and do not worry about direct prices.

 

[Sandisw]

Right now, the price increase amounts to an extra $900 on the 150 minimum.

DVC is too much money to rush into it so if you are not ready yet in deciding, I would not buy either based on that.

At the end of the month, if you feel like you are closer to a decision and direct is still an option, you can lock in the old price for 10 days and still csncel if you start the contract before the increase, But, 10 days may not be enough.

We bought RIV for that exact reasons. Our adult children liked it…and I now love it…and wanted to own so they could stay there and future resorts.

SSR and OKW went up last June/July so I don’t think we will see those increase before that time again.

 

[defrogger]

Direct vs Resale can be a tough decision. Part of the decision is which resort you buy into. If you like Rivera, i would only buy direct because i would want to be able to stay at other resorts. Also there are some resorts that the price difference between direct and resale are somewhat close, so i would go direct there as well. Then theres the opposite and there is an $80/point difference between resale and direct, so go resale there.

In the end i bought 150 direct and the rest resale. This way i had the blue card, can stay at future resorts with the 150 points, and got a nice discount on resale for the rest.

There is definitly some pressure put on you when you know price is going up, but as mentioned above, its under $1000 difference, granted thats allot of money, but DVC is a long term purchase over the next 20 to 48 years, so $1000 isnt allot over that long period of time.
So dont rush it.
Granted if you were planning on purchasing 400 points then the price difference gets bigger and the pressures back on

One thing to note, allot of people say rent points first to make sure you like, but the people that like it always regret renting and would of rather put the money towards purchasing DVC. If youve stayed at moderate resorts at Disney and liked that, you will love the DVC resorts.

 

[nuhusky123]

This is a big purchase and given you have never stayed at a dvc I really recommend you hit the pause button.

rent points and stay at a resort

i say this because although you are at a deluxe resort there are some nuances to being in a dvc room vs a regular hotel. biggest thing is you don’t get your room cleaned daily. Not a big deal but you really should see what dvc is before you spend $30,000 for 150 points

yes this means you miss out on saving a little bit of money but it also means more peace of mind. If you love your rented stay you will be thrilled to own. If the rented stay doesn’t do it for you, you got a nice vacation but not stuck with a massive weight around your neck

gfv will be going on the market soon and you might even find out you want to own there instead.

most of the time I’m all about to go go but here because you have yet to know what dvc is I advise slowing down

 

[ivieanne]

If you're thinking about it and want to get information on price increases, it may help to start a conversation with a guide. They wont help you determine direct or resale, but they can at least provide the up front information on direct to help guide your decision.

I received a call this weekend to let me know that some of the 'sold out' resorts were going to have an increase because I had previously reached out about BWV. He told me BWV was going up $20pp, but we did not discuss what other resorts were getting the increase that is coming 1/19.

But I agree, if it feels like a lot and like there is pressure, it's probably not the right time anyway.

We're going on a trip in 2 weeks with my mom, who is interested in DVC and doing a 4 way split stay (which sounds terrible) but it's purely a resort research trip for her since she has not stayed at any of the DVC resorts other than Riviera. She is spending money that could easily go into a contract, but wants to make sure she's buying the right contract for her and wants to experience the resorts first. So I totally understand that aspect as well!

 

[RoseGold]

Slow down. Prices changing by a few hundred dollars doesn't even matter in this overall discussion. The math for DVC will never stack up to value rooms. Absolutely no way I would be buying into five figures of hotels without staying in one first. DVC is not going anywhere. They will be glad to take your money a year from now or five years from now, or whenever "future" hotel opens.

If your daughter wants to buy a RIV contract, she will be able to do it a decade from now, or two.

 

[zavandor]

If you delay and end up buying after the price increase, you might pay a few hundreds more.
If you buy the wrong resort or even realize you shouldn't have bought DVC at all, it's a several thousands potential mistake.
I think it's simply a matter of math and risk management, it's not worth to rush a decision. Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[UofMGuy423]

If you've never stayed at a DVC resort before, I would suggest at least staying in one first to see if you feel it's worth staying at (vs. value or moderate). The reason I bought Direct is that I love Riviera, wanted a Blue Card and unrestricted points. I'd also rented for 15-years and only stay at deluxe resorts, so it absolutely made sense for us and I knew exactly what I was buying into.

 

[Squirrel29]

I'm looking at buying direct RIV. Price increase isn't a big factor into when I buy. I would be more concerned if RIV was close to being sold out. But it isn't even close to 50% sold so you can take your time and make a informed decision and not rush into it.

 

[Pluto1976]

If one has never stayed at a DVC resort in a DVC room let alone at the DVC resort they are thinking of buying into, it would be advisable to do so before committing to a large purchase. The RIV will be on sale for awhile and the price increases are somewhat negligible when viewed in the context of the total purchase. Perhaps add some expediency to a rented stay at RIV to make sure the family likes the vibe there. Not sure if you have visited there before and only looking at Disney's website pictures and virtual tours does not replace actually walking the property or staying there.

Best of luck!

 

[Brian Noble]

Direct vs. resale is something we are debating just because my daughter loves RIV and doesn't want to be shut out of there or future resorts if we are talking about leaving this to the kids.

This is a potentially significant expense for something that is X years in the future. That's especially true if your daughter is not currently in a position (age, life stage, resources) to be able to travel to WDW on her own regularly. My kids would like to go to DVC every year too, but they are still getting started in their professional lives and DVC (or, for that matter, annual WDW trips) are probably a bit beyond their means.

Even if they were given a DVC contract, they'd still have to pay dues, buy tickets, and figure out food. Later? Maybe, it depends on how things unfold for them. Probably, but not certainly.

DVC is too much money to rush into it so if you are not ready yet in deciding, I would not buy either based on that.

Quoted for truth.

 

[Transferteck]

I agree with everyone that has responded and I won’t repeat all the good advice listed above. I will add my own with a different take. I suggest buying now. You will get to have memories the 1st day and after the last 20 months none of us are guaranteed tomorrow. Worst case scenario you can sell it when you are done with it.

 

[disneydietitian]

If one has never stayed at a DVC resort in a DVC room let alone at the DVC resort they are thinking of buying into, it would be advisable to do so before committing to a large purchase. The RIV will be on sale for awhile and the price increases are somewhat negligible when viewed in the context of the total purchase. Perhaps add some expediency to a rented stay at RIV to make sure the family likes the vibe there. Not sure if you have visited there before and only looking at Disney's website pictures and virtual tours does not replace actually walking the property or staying there.

Best of luck!

We ate at Topolino's Terrace last year for our 20th anniversary and walked around some so we did get a feel for it, but didn't see any rooms, of course.

 

[disneydietitian]

Thank you all so much for your thoughtful comments!

 

[eandt]

Direct vs Resale can be a tough decision. Part of the decision is which resort you buy into. If you like Rivera, i would only buy direct because i would want to be able to stay at other resorts. Also there are some resorts that the price difference between direct and resale are somewhat close, so i would go direct there as well. Then theres the opposite and there is an $80/point difference between resale and direct, so go resale there.

In the end i bought 150 direct and the rest resale. This way i had the blue card, can stay at future resorts with the 150 points, and got a nice discount on resale for the rest.

There is definitly some pressure put on you when you know price is going up, but as mentioned above, its under $1000 difference, granted thats allot of money, but DVC is a long term purchase over the next 20 to 48 years, so $1000 isnt allot over that long period of time.
So dont rush it.
Granted if you were planning on purchasing 400 points then the price difference gets bigger and the pressures back on

One thing to note, allot of people say rent points first to make sure you like, but the people that like it always regret renting and would of rather put the money towards purchasing DVC. If youve stayed at moderate resorts at Disney and liked that, you will love the DVC resorts.

We rented points before we purchased and it was those stays that did convince us to buy our own points (Direct at AKV) and has us considering a small add on already at one of the BW area resorts. A little different scenario with us though as we had ccnsidered DVC years before, did some research, took a couple of tours but decided at that time we didn't think it was for us.

Then we happened to put out feelers on renting points on a whim and had a great owner contact us about a reservation that she couldn't use at the last minute, we were able to use it, she was able to make a few bucks, we got a great deal and more importantly it exposed us to DVC and convinced us that this is how we wanted to roll. So We had no regrets with renting (actually rented 2x's from this owner) as barring the rentals we wouldn't be owners ourselves. I am not sure but I think when we went on our tours years ago (or perhaps I read it here) that DVC offered to convert some or all of our cash stay toward a DVC contract, not sure if that is accurate or still the case if it was.

 

[disneydietitian]

We rented points before we purchased and it was those stays that did convince us to buy our own points (Direct at AKV) and has us considering a small add on already at one of the BW area resorts. A little different scenario with us though as we had ccnsidered DVC years before, did some research, took a couple of tours but decided at that time we didn't think it was for us.

Then we happened to put out feelers on renting points on a whim and had a great owner contact us about a reservation that she couldn't use at the last minute, we were able to use it, she was able to make a few bucks, we got a great deal and more importantly it exposed us to DVC and convinced us that this is how we wanted to roll. So We had no regrets with renting (actually rented 2x's from this owner) as barring the rentals we wouldn't be owners ourselves. I am not sure but I think when we went on our tours years ago (or perhaps I read it here) that DVC offered to convert some or all of our cash stay toward a DVC contract, not sure if that is accurate or still the case if it was.

Thank you for the information! How do you like owning at AKV?

 

[rubybutt]

How about during your next stay make it a cash stay. Someone please correct me, but I think if you buy while staying you can change the stay to a points stay.

 

[eandt]

Thank you for the information! How do you like owning at AKV?

We just bought in June of 2021 and only ended up staying 1 night at AKV before we moved to BWV/BCV for the rest of our stay. The main purpose of the trip was Food and Wine so we wanted the ability to walk to Epcot each day. We stayed one other night at AKV on a previous rented point trip and so far what we have seen and had the time to enjoy of the resort we love it. We have not stayed at Kidani yet so cant speak for that. As far as atomosphere AK and Polynesian are our favorites. Location of BWV/BCV has us considering adding a few points on there.

 

[zavandor]

How about during your next stay make it a cash stay. Someone please correct me, but I think if you buy while staying you can change the stay to a points stay.

There used to be a sale incentive that one could apply the cost of their current hotel stay toward the purchase of DVC, but it has been discontinued more than 10 years ago.