First timer, help me choose? Aulani/Vero/Poly?

[NeutralNovice]

Hi all, so I've been thinking for a long time about getting DVC and I think I am almost ready to pull the trigger!

I am having some trouble on deciding which resort to pick but I've narrowed it down. I was going to present my situation to get some insight from the community!

I live in CA. My travel interests are pretty narrow. I like Cruises (non-Disney since I like casinos and get free offers from reg lines), Hawaii, Theme Parks (Disney, Cedar Point, etc), and Las Vegas. For this purpose, of course, I am just looking at Hawaii and WDW as options.

I probably won't visit a WDW Resort on a yearly basis... I would say I'd probably go once every 2-4 years. And for Hawaii, maybe once every 1-2 years so that location would be more frequented overall. Furthermore, I much prefer to travel during off-peak seasons. I avoid peak season travel as much as possible.

I am a long term planner by heart so I am usually planning big vacations (6+days) at least 7-12 months out so I should be able to take easy advantage of the 7-month limitation for non-home resort bookings.

The reason why I am putting Vero Beach as an option is that they seem to command the best resale price per point. I understand their dues are rather significantly higher than other resorts and that the deed is short but if I am able to get a subsidized contract, based on my calculations, over the course of 20 years, I would save more over the other resorts... my only caveat would be that I would be stuck to 7-month out reservations.

One of my questions is: How easy is it to get a booking right at the 7-month point, at either Aulani or a WDW resort? I would imagine that getting something at WDW would be easier considering the number of resorts but for Aulani, not sure.

What do you guys think?

Also, I am posting a picture of the calculations I made in a spreadsheet. I was wondering if someone could look it over to see if it makes sense? To standardize the price comparison, i just assumed a 6% yearly increase in dues. I know that it is variable from resort to resort but I just wanted to estimate it on the higher end. Kind of crazy that by year 20, the dues can very well triple. But my naivete might be going about this the wrong way lol so please correct me!

 

[RoseGold]

I probably won't visit a WDW Resort on a yearly basis... I would say I'd probably go once every 2-4 years. And for Hawaii, maybe once every 1-2 years so that location would be more frequented overall.

I wouldn't buy at all, if this is your travel plan. I'd just rent points or pay cash. DVC math will never hold up to an AoA suite or a Wyndham week, and buying isn't far off renting.

VB points are some of the most expensive in the system. I wouldn't buy them to use somewhere else. If you want sleep around points, I'd stick to the usual top suspects and work hard on making offers until you get right one. There's A LOT on the market right now, and getting a good buy can flip the math. My pick would be BLT, because it sounds like you would be able to use the cheap booking category.

https://www.dvcresalemarket.com/blog/best-economical-dvc-resorts-to-purchase-fall-2021/
VB has a challenging history. It wouldn't surprise me if Disney just decided to sell any of the non-WDW properties. Doesn't mean they are going to, but if you are buying in, you need to know the risks and possibilities.

 

[gregskellington]

Do you want to stay at Vero? If not, I shudder to recommend buying it to stay other places. The dues are already crazy and who knows where they will go. Both Aulani and WDW have periods where 7 month booking isn't bad, and periods where it is.

There are a lot of ways to look at what's valuable or economical with DVC. To me, Poly and SSR are some of the most economical when you factor in length of contract, PPP, and dues. You use Vero for 19 more years and it becomes worth exactly $0. You use Poly or SSR for 20 years (you also paid much less for dues that whole time) and it's still got a lot of juice left in it.

 

[DarthDadMan]

Definitely either Aulani or Poly depending on your Aulani room choice. The dues arent worth it for Vero if you don't plan to go often during peak season. My opinion would be to go Poly since you avoid Hawaii during peak season.. especially if you're ok with Aulani oceanview. Poly is all studios, so generally you can get in pretty easily at 7 months, in my experience. Cost-wise, Poly is the better long-term buy, in my opinion.

 

[NeutralNovice]

I wouldn't buy at all, if this is your travel plan. I'd just rent points or pay cash. DVC math will never hold up to an AoA suite or a Wyndham week, and buying isn't far off renting.
....

Thank you for your reply!! Sorry, I'm still fairly new to this but what is an AoA suite? My mind is blanking lol. For me when I go to WDW, since it's a rarer occurrence, I'd prefer to stay in the Disney Deluxe Bubble so I can take advantage of the perks that come with it. I'm hoping that those extra hours for Deluxe-only guests persists, at least when I go later this year.

Regarding making offers, I'm gonna need to read up a bit on that. I don't know the best practices to get a lower offer. Thank you for the link!

Do you want to stay at Vero? If not, I shudder to recommend buying it to stay other places. The dues are already crazy and who knows where they will go. Both Aulani and WDW have periods where 7 month booking isn't bad, and periods where it is.
....

No, I don't see myself staying at Vero at all. I was just thinking that getting them might be a cost advantage. For example, there is currently an offer, with subsidized dues for 230 points. The initial payment is really good but it will catch up with the other resorts by Year 20. I do plan to pay this off in full and not take out a loan.

Definitely either Aulani or Poly depending on your Aulani room choice. The dues arent worth it for Vero if you don't plan to go often during peak season. My opinion would be to go Poly since you avoid Hawaii during peak season.. especially if you're ok with Aulani oceanview. Poly is all studios, so generally you can get in pretty easily at 7 months, in my experience. Cost-wise, Poly is the better long-term buy, in my opinion.

For Aulani, or any resort really, I am indifferent to what view I get with the exception of exposure to lots of noise. Gah this is such a hard choice. Based on what everyone is saying here, I'll be avoiding Vero. Do you perhaps have another resort that I might be sleeping on that I should consider?

 

[DarthDadMan]

For Aulani, or any resort really, I am indifferent to what view I get with the exception of exposure to lots of noise. Gah this is such a hard choice. Based on what everyone is saying here, I'll be avoiding Vero. Do you perhaps have another resort that I might be sleeping on that I should consider?

You might be sleeping on just about any other of the resorts haha. It really all just depends on your interests. Members here can give you suggestions based on their opinion, but it's just that, their opinion, and everyone has a different one. I think most people that choose a specific resort choose it because they fell in love with the place and wanted to call that resort their home. If staying somewhere that is hard to get studios at 7 months, then I think most would suggest you look into buying there. That would be your Beach Club, Grand Floridian, Bay Lake Tower, Copper Creek, Boardwalk. Again, that's if you're looking studios, and Beach Club and Boardwalk are especially hard during Epcot festivals. Animal Kingdom Villas Value and club level rooms you need to book 11 months out too. Since you're ok with booking well ahead of time, I would probably go with something in the "hard studio to book at 7 months" category. Or if you wanted to hold off for a bit, you could rent one time and visit each of them. That could be fun. I'd also throw Polynesian into that list, though not as hard to get a room, but a great economical choice behind Copper Creek.

 

[MICKIMINI]

Aulani also has subsidized contracts out there in resale land. It may take you forever to find the UY and points you are looking for. If you plan to stay there occasionally, that seems to be a logical choice even if it is not subsidized. Maybe buy a second contract at Poly with the same UY? Good luck!