First time at Disney, considering DVC

[Momtoapug]

Hello,
It's our first Disney trip and its magic.
Our only child is four. We are 35 years old.
We tend to spend on more lush accommodations when we travel as we have the attitude that if we are going to make a big trip, we may as well do it big.
We are staying at the villas at grand Floridian. We have passed through some others and are very glad we chose this resort due to my physical disability I have limited mobility and the least amount of walking I can do the better. Contemporary would probably be even easier but it's not our style. We love the quiet and calm style of VGF.
We are considering doing the tour and purchasing some points....
Any basics we should know?
Example, if we want to come each year, at what point would we "break even"?
If we want a one BR Villa at VGF how many points should we buy at a minimum?
Is it easier or just as hard or even harder to book a week? How far in advance do we have to book?
What are the downsides to owning the time share?
Thank you!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

1. Break-even depends on a lot of things.

2. If you want a 1BR at VGF, you need to buy points at the VGF -- right now, Disney is selling points at the Polynesian, and at Aulani in Hawaii. You can get VGF via the resale market. How many points depends on what time of year you travel, as point requirements vary by season.

3. Booking a week in a 1BR isn't that rough. Studios at VGF are harder to book.

4. To get your first choice, book at 11 months at your "home resort," i.e. the resort in which you bought points.

5. Downsides: Account for annual dues. It can be tough to book on short notice in many seasons.

I would also advise:

• Do not buy while on-site on a first visit. You're in the bubble and it's emotional. Especially when you want a sold-out resort, they are going to try to push the resorts they are selling (Polynesian) and tell horror stories about resale.
• Learn about the differences between direct purchase and resale.
• Pay cash if at all possible.
• Learn about home resort booking, banking, borrowing, the 11/7 month windows, and Use Year in detail before signing anything.

 

[mustinjourney]

one week in a 1 bR villa standard view at VGF will run you anywhere from 247 to 463 points depending on when you go. If you go in September like you are right now, it is 247 points for the week. Summer is 340 points a week.

Lake views run between 296 and 551 points.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/GF-Points.htm#gfvillas2017

 

[mustinjourney]

You likely won't be able buy points direct from disney for VGF -- occasionally they have some available, but it is hit or miss...with a lot more miss than hits.

So if you want VGF, you'll have to go resale.

Keep in mind resale process takes a while to complete and get access to your points -- about 10-12 weeks if everything goes smoothly.

Your break-even point can be fairly quick -- just depends on how much you end up paying for the contract.

If you do go resale -- look for contracts with banked points. You're essentially getting these for free.

For a contract with full current UY points, I would aim for $125-$135 right now. You'll get a lot of rejections -- but someone will eventually bite.

 

[mustinjourney]

Read all the stuff on this link...

http://www.disboards.com/threads/dvc-resource-center.3516203/

 

[mco65]

I remember our first DVC experience. It was not our First visit to Disney, more like our 5th or 6th. My wife was ready to sign on the dotted line but i asked her to wait till the next day and if she was still eager to sign then i would.. Next morning she was over the excitement and thought we should wait even longer.. Long story short, we never purchased.. Sometimes I wish we had but to be honest, i don't think we would have broken even yet.. we go almost every year but always stay at moderates.. If we had purchased, we would likely only be going ever other year assuming that's what our points would allow..

From what i can tell, most of the DVC owners don't have many regrets.. I am sure some do but there just seems to be more that are happy with their purchase...

 

[disneynutz]

Enjoy your vacation and try to walk through the different DVC resorts. Don't bother with a DVC sales appointment. When you get home start the learning process, get the pixie dust out of your eyes, do the numbers and then decide what to do.

Bill

 

[ziravan]

I bought direct at Poly, which they are selling, and it has the same transportation advantages as VGF (monorail, resort ferry), plus the added convenience of being a 2 minute walk to the EPCOT monorail.

If I were a guide and your hook was mobility issues, I could make a strong case for Poly, and that's what they're selling.

And the Poly Lake View rooms are one of our favorite places. But.

But.

VGF isn't Poly. And Poly isn't VGF.

A mantra on the boards here is this: buy where you want to stay.

I strongly advise not to talk to a guide who wants to sell you Poly and can wear you down on the similar mobility profile of Poly if you've fallen in love with VGF.

I researched for 6 months before buying my first contract, resale, at my first love, BCV.

I researched for 3 months (and missed the initial member $5 discount because I was still researching - no regrets) before I bought Poly

Come back home and do some research. If it's right for you, it still will be after the pixie dust fades a bit.

 

[ziravan]

DVC busy seasons starts next week (start of F&W and runs through 2nd weekend of Jan.) - Fall Frenzy.

DVC books out at 11 months during that time, studios first, then 3br, 2br and last 1brs.

If you think you might want to travel then (F&W, Halloween, thanksgiving, Christmas), you'll need to own where you want to stay and book at 11 months.

If you can't book at 11 months for Fall Frenzy, and you want to stay then, DVC might not be right for you. In my experience on the boards, the inability to get what you want during Fall Frenzy is the single biggest cause of frustration over ownership.

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

If you love VGF, as we do, I would suggest buying enough points so that you have the option for a Lake View. VGF is a small resort and sometimes the standard views will be gone.

 

[Momtoapug]

Wow, thank you all so much for the great advice!
I will drive through some other resorts and research at home I really appreciate the good advice!

 

[ToddyLu]

We purchased after several trips, when we knew WDW was where we wanted to vacation. It is the only place we vacation really. We do not have children. We have loved every second of ownership.

You need to take your time. Please visit all the resorts. They all have advantages and disadvantages. Please check the resale market. Once you have checked in to this....STOP...READ THE INFO ON THE DIS...then when you think you are ready.....STOP...READ MORE INFO ON HE DIS.,,,follow the threads learn the nuances of ownership. DVC is an expensive timeshare. You only get lodging. No free dining and a few discounts which are NOT guaranteed. You really need to research this...

Disney is magical, always, even on our upcoming trip in 43 days which will be our 20th trip. Another good source for info is DVCNews.com. You can also purchase an online booklet on DVC from PassPorter that is very good and easy to understand.

Your upfront research will make you educated and then you can make the most of an expensive purchase.

I remember offering a table and chairs to some strangers at AK Jambo one day. They had just purchased points. The wife was excited that they had been able to get a savanna view...she didn't realize that they could have had a value studio for half the point cost. In talking to her she didn't know much about their purchase. It was crazy and a bit sad. I gave her these same sites and told her it was a wonderful purchase for us and that 3 years later I was still learning about it.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

I personally think it is worth taking the tour but if you stay strong and make it clear you only want to buy VGF. We have VGF and SSR has our home resorts. I also have mobility issues and am in a wheelchair. VGF is great for me Poly is not. I found the resort very inaccessible for me. Some of the flooring is cobbled.

We bought at SSR direct after staying at moderates for a while. We have never regreted it and added on 3 times since then. We also love Wilderness Lodge and are interested in the new offering there.

Good advice on this board. You can decide if resale or direct is right for your family. Everybody is different. We bought all ours direct but nothing wrong with resale. Just our preference. Good luck!

 

[crisi]

While long term DVC members don't tend to burn out on Disney - some people will. The first trip will be magical - and then the subsequent trips become less magical - expectations aren't met, you've done all that before...until one day its "Disney, again?"

(Although Disney is a awesome vacation destination for someone with mobility issues - I'd imagine a ski vacation isn't high on your list).

Also, with a four year old, you'll be heading into having to work around school (unless you homeschool). You might get by with pulling during elementary school, but it gets harder and harder to pull kids from school. Right now, you have almost no crowds - September is a slow month after Labor Day. Heavier crowds can change the nature of a trip - some people love it, some can't stand it.

So take the long term into consideration.

 

[disneynutz]

I personally think it is worth taking the tour but if you stay strong and make it clear you only want to buy VGF. We have VGF and SSR has our home resorts. I also have mobility issues and am in a wheelchair. VGF is great for me Poly is not. I found the resort very inaccessible for me. Some of the flooring is cobbled.

We bought at SSR direct after staying at moderates for a while. We have never regreted it and added on 3 times since then. We also love Wilderness Lodge and are interested in the new offering there.

Good advice on this board. You can decide if resale or direct is right for your family. Everybody is different. We bought all ours direct but nothing wrong with resale. Just our preference. Good luck!

Taking the tour, you run the risk of drinking the kool-aid and leaving with a contract at a resort you don't really want. Disney has spent millions creating a sales program that has the ability to psychologically make you want to buy. Remember the posts, I didn't really want XX resort but my guide was so nice!

Taking a tour after the education phase allows the potential buyer to knows what's real and what's a sales pitch. The issue then is that taking up a guides time for a 2 hour session when you don't intend to buy direct is not something that I would feel good about. At the sales center after we had been owners for a year. asked to talk to a guide, told them that we would not be buying then, we had a couple of questions and we were told to come back for the member tour. At the polly last December we told a guide that we had some questions and when we told them that we were owners, the guide told us to come back for the member tour. That tells me that they only want to spend their time with newbies ready to buy.

Bill

 

[Monykalyn]

Recommend joining Timeshare Users Group (TUG) as well. Lots of info on timeshares including a forum devoted to DVC.

 

[Deb & Bill]

And if you want a one bedroom, you don't want the Polynesian because they only have studios and bungalows. And the bungalows require a whole lot of points. If your primary location is WDW, don't buy Aulani, Vero Beach or Hilton Head Island. You'll have to wait until seven months out to book and there are times of the year when booking at seven months out can be really hard.

Plan on using your DVC points for DVC only. Not for Disney hotels, not for Disney cruises, not for trips to Europe. You get the best use of DVC points using them for DVC stays.

Good luck

 

[Eddie]

While long term DVC members don't tend to burn out on Disney - some people will. The first trip will be magical - and then the subsequent trips become less magical - expectations aren't met, you've done all that before...until one day its "Disney, again?"

This is a good point. Luckily I am not a Disney fan wife and daughter are bigtime I am pretty sure they could live there. Daughter does hope to do a internship there when she is done with college. She is a great artistic, photography talents and would love to work for them in some aspect.

The biggest thing you can do is do all the research possible and then do SOME MORE!!! We have been owners not sure 7 or 8 years and have done very well with DVC. Used to stay at POFG and really liked it but the way room rates go up we have been more then happy. But I did take my time we went on the tour 1 year but did not buy until a year later.

They go to parks, I play golf in the morning and will frequently meet them for lunches I enjoy the restaurants and evening fireworks. Not many do fireworks better then Disney. Have stayed everywhere but GF and all resorts have there + and - but are all nice and like various aspects of all the resorts and it is always a great vacation.

Again do as much RESEARCH as you can there is never too much. Don't worry about waiting a year. Direct they will always be selling something or resale is always there. Make sure to check out the new DVC restrictions on those who purchase resale only they have made over time. I am sorry I do not have a thread limk but you can find that easy enough.

Good luck with whatever you decide!!!

 

[Dean]

Wow, thank you all so much for the great advice!
I will drive through some other resorts and research at home I really appreciate the good advice!

Since this is your first trip to Disney, you really won't have enough info to make an informed decision. I'd spend a good 6 months of so searching but also consider the next trip on rented points. That way you'll get more of a fell for how DVC works. It's really not a true deluxe product in many ways and those who want that and are willing to pay for it are often not satisfied with a timeshare. Just take your time and educate yourself, missing a trip or 2 on points you own will cost you very little and could save you tons of both $$$ and aggravation.