First-timer considering buying VDH

[intamin]

Lots of places have March Spring Breaks…. I’m not sure why the recommendation for an April Use Year…

I'm not sure who recommended an April use year? I was just going off of what OP asked about a March/April UY

It's true that our spring break is typically mid-March (never April). We went to WDW last year during this week, but have not done DLR during March yet (other than a planned/cancelled March 2020 trip).

Since 2021 our trips have been:

Jan - 2 trips DLR
March - 1 trip WDW
June - 2 trips DLR
Aug/Sept - 1 trip WDW
October - 1 trip DLR

A lot of future DL travel will probably be timed with special events/new rides opening, etc. I could see us doing OBB again on a future October break and we are considering Star Wars nights this spring. I was also ready to book NYE again after our recent trip since we had so much fun (although I know that is a lot of points!).

Based on this I would go for an October use year. The majority of your trips are Jan-June which October would cover. The only time it wouldn't cover is the August/September trip.

 

[shosh1530]

I'm not sure who recommended an April use year? I was just going off of what OP asked about a March/April UY

Based on this I would go for an October use year. The majority of your trips are Jan-June which October would cover. The only time it wouldn't cover is the August/September trip.

This makes sense. Our school year here starts early (beginning of August, sometimes late July), so we rarely travel August/September. This year was a rare exception as we were doing the Galactic Starcruiser before it closed.

I'm learning so much from everyone's responses. Thank you!!

 

[PiratesOfTheSea]

Cost per point is basically the total you are paying for points divided by the total amount of points left + dues/taxes. For example:

VDH:
$226*150 = $33900 buy in
50*150 = 7500 points total
$33900/7500 = $4.52 + $9.06 (dues) + $2.78 (TOT) = $16.36pp

VGC (assuming it has full 2023 UY points):
36*150 = 5400 points remaining
$16.36pp - $8.04 (dues) = $8.32 * 5400 = $44928 buy in
$44928/150 = $299.52

Looking at VDH's point chart, if your spring break falls in the first half of March, they cost a lot fewer points than at VGC. Keep in mind that VDH is primarily studios too, there are supposedly fewer 1BR and 2BRs at VDH vs VGC, though you would at least have access to the VGC inventory at 7-months.

 

[shosh1530]

Cost per point is basically the total you are paying for points divided by the total amount of points left + dues/taxes. For example:

VDH:
$226*150 = $33900 buy in
50*150 = 7500 points total
$33900/7500 = $4.52 + $9.06 (dues) + $2.78 (TOT) = $16.36pp

VGC (assuming it has full 2023 UY points):
36*150 = 5400 points remaining
$16.36pp - $8.04 (dues) = $8.32 * 5400 = $44928 buy in
$44928/150 = $299.52

Thanks for spelling this out for me!

Looking at VDH's point chart, if your spring break falls in the first half of March, they cost a lot fewer points than at VGC. Keep in mind that VDH is primarily studios too, there are supposedly fewer 1BR and 2BRs at VDH vs VGC, though you would at least have access to the VGC inventory at 7-months.

Your comment prompted me to do more comparisons between VDH and VGC. Pricing out 3 possible trip dates we'd be interested in 2024 (2 and 3 night stays) it looks like VGC would cost anywhere from 19-47% more in points for both studios and 1 bdrms.

It also made me realize I'd need a lot more points if we are realistically booking 1 bdrms during our usual travel periods. This is a big drawback for us since we can book/request standard rooms at both resorts that sleep 5 when paying cash (and have pretty good luck getting discounted pricing in the past).

 

[intamin]

Thanks for spelling this out for me!


Your comment prompted me to do more comparisons between VDH and VGC. Pricing out 3 possible trip dates we'd be interested in 2024 (2 and 3 night stays) it looks like VGC would cost anywhere from 19-47% more in points for both studios and 1 bdrms.

It also made me realize I'd need a lot more points if we are realistically booking 1 bdrms during our usual travel periods. This is a big drawback for us since we can book/request standard rooms at both resorts that sleep 5 when paying cash (and have pretty good luck getting discounted pricing in the past).

Yeahhh it's quite a large jump going from studio to 1BR. The difference in points between a studio and a 1BR is larger than than the difference between a 1BR and a 2BR.

I think most of us bought in with the intention of staying in studios and then tried a 1BR and added on. After that you just kind of go like well, I'm only a few points away from a 2BR. Before you know it you're staying in Grand Villas

 

[NorCalFanatic]

Yeahhh it's quite a large jump going from studio to 1BR. The difference in points between a studio and a 1BR is larger than than the difference between a 1BR and a 2BR.

I think most of us bought in with the intention of staying in studios and then tried a 1BR and added on. After that you just kind of go like well, I'm only a few points away from a 2BR. Before you know it you're staying in Grand Villas

We bought VDH with the intention of mostly a 1BR, but after just staying in a 2BR we're looking at adding on more as soon as a resale contract pops up in our price range.

 

[Rex1993]

It's awesome that you're on this site before purchasing! I wish I had done more research before pulling the trigger the first time. I honestly don't think use year matters as much as everyone says. We have the dreaded August use year and it works fine for us eventhough we always have a June trip. We also tend to have trips in February and October. I'm super biased because it's basically VGC or nothing for us when at Disneyland so I'd echo the sentiment that you should buy where you want to stay. We do not have problems getting VGC during the home window but inside of 7 months it's definitely tough. We like staying in 2 bedrooms so the supply is quite limited.

It seems like so many people complain about the tired rooms at VGC but the reno is around the corner and I think those who are complaining now are being a bit nitpicky. I could care less about older carpets because I’m looking out the window.

 

[Heroes_or_Villains]

We bought a VGC resale contract last year and then added on 150 points direct at VDH this year when the purchase window opened up. It took me 6 months of research before I felt comfortable enough with the mechanics of DVC to make a decision on what I really wanted that would benefit my family for the foreseeable future.

We are a couple in our late 30s and just had a baby (bought into DVC before we had our baby). When I was planning our purchase I knew that we would primarily want to stay in 1bdrm's with enough points to periodically do a 2bdrm so that we could take friends. We also selected a September use year because I knew we would primarily want to travel to DLR once during the holidays, January, and March/April for Spring Break.

There is a woman named Jen Lefforge on YouTube who did some great content on DVC and I'd highly recommend spending some time watching her background videos. She explains the basics and use years, math for resale vs direct. She was super helpful to me while I was trying to figure out what would work best for us.

Good luck on your search!