For those who bought Direct in the last 4 years, which benefits were worthwhile?

[Girlstar30]

Oh and also in the end 25 point contracts always sell for more per point than larger so there is that benefit too

That is so crazy to me, I would think people would think 25 points was too little but obviously not!

 

[Girlstar30]

This is dangerous...I highly recommend selling first or go in knowing that there's a very good chance you won't end up selling at all. We took advantage of the VGF deal in 2023. We got more than we needed with the intentions of selling our resale contracts. The plan was to sell once we weren't in a stripped position but we just keep using all of the points. It's really hard to cut back once you get used to having the extra points!

Well that didnt take a lot of convincing, I will keep my blt loll

 

[Girlstar30]

DH had his first Mickey Bar at a MM event. It was like I was with a toddler

Are Disney world mickey bars rock hard like DL? Almost broke a tooth last time I purchased

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

While I would recommend bite size contracts over financing, you need to remember that you are often paying $10-30 more per point when you don't qualify for any incentives, vs buying 150 all at once.

 

[Girlstar30]

While I would recommend bite size contracts over financing, you need to remember that you are often paying $10-30 more per point when you don't qualify for any incentives, vs buying 150 all at once.

Def would need to do some math before considering!

 

[kanerf]

Well I bought direct at Riviera because you kinda of have too in order to use these points any where else. I got them at a good cost though, soon after the resort opened. I added on some resale there later because I really like the resort and don't mind having to stay there with the resale points. I qualified for Blue a long time ago, so not worried about that. I also added on direct at AK when they were have a fire sale there.

 

[Steelers0854]

Seriously better than financing. I am tempted to get started

Not an accountant, but you can deduct the interest you do pay as you get a 10-98. Im not paying this over more than a year or two, so the interest is negligible and what I do pay I can deduct on our taxes. I make large payments on each contract each month, so again the interest I pay will be small, plus I get the flexibility to use my cash for anything I may need or want and can always float the minimum monthly payment if i have unexpected expenses which is about $250. And my cash is earning 4% while i do all of this. Plus i secure a price im comfortable with, with benefits as they are today. I see very little downsides.

 

[Girlstar30]

Not an accountant, but you can deduct the interest you do pay as you get a 10-98. Im not paying this over more than a year or two, so the interest is negligible and what I do pay I can deduct on our taxes. I make large payments on each contract each month, so again the interest I pay will be small, plus I get the flexibility to use my cash for anything I may need or want and can always float the minimum monthly payment if i have unexpected expenses which is about $250. And my cash is earning 4% while i do all of this. Plus i secure a price im comfortable with, with benefits as they are today. I see very little downsides.

As far as direct goes, im still hoping to get a better incentive deal than whats going on right now, that would really help me pull the trigger!

 

[MicheyMouse]

How long do you usually have to register for a Moonlight Magic event? I’m guessing the registration window closes somewhat quickly?

 

[JulieBeeRN]

DH had his first Mickey Bar at a MM event. It was like I was with a toddler

My husband still asks if he gets free Mickey Bars at MNSSHP. Dude, that was one time and it was called a BOO BASH.

 

[intamin]

How long do you usually have to register for a Moonlight Magic event? I’m guessing the registration window closes somewhat quickly?

If youre not on before the 11am EST time they recommend, just give up. At 11am, everyone who was on before then is put into a randomized order. After that, its just luck.

 

[Cfabar1]

I never saw any point in buying direct until buying VGF for $160’s in 2023, probably worth similar now, buying RIV and seeing an instant 50% loss is a tough one though

We never thought we would buy Direct... then this became our way in the club and we bought 150 points not even a question...

I love knowing that I can take at best a 10% hit or so as opposed to more like a 30%+ hit...

 

[PolyRob]

Do you know what approx closing costs would be on a 25 point or 50 pt contract direct from Disney?

It's around $400 for closing the Florida resorts. I don't think contract size changes that.

Closing costs vary by the total purchase price. There are fixed costs (i.e. document prep fee) and then the parts that change based on how many points you buy and the value of the overall contract (i.e. insurance).

This is PVB as an example on the DVC website:

100 points = $694.63



200 points = $1,103.68



300 points = $1,508.85



If you were to purchase three separate 100 point contracts you're paying $2,083.89. If you were to purchase one 300 point contract you're paying $1,508.85. The doc prep fee is $250 so that additional $500 is most of the difference.

 

[pinkxray]

We have only had our direct points for 2 years? (Whenever they sold the last of VGF points)
We were resale only for a few years before that.

The biggest draw for me is having access to all the new resorts. While I love my home resort, we like to try new resorts too. I loved trying Riviera and we are staying at the cabins at FW later this month. We haven’t made it to Disneyland yet, but I hope to stay at the VDL one day.

I do appreciate the small discount on merchandise and dining. I especially love that I can use the DVC dining discount along with discounted Disney gift cards I have purchased, where as I can’t do that with the Disney visa discount.

I enjoy the Aulani direct perks such as the meet up and free popcorn, plus the sparkling bracelets.

We recently did a Disney cruise and did everything dvc related, but don’t remember if you need the dvc-y for any of those.

Haven’t been to a lounge but plan on trying them on our Nov. trip.

One day I hope to take advantage of sorcerers passes.

I’d say the biggest thing for me is not being locked out of any resorts. There is already Riviera and the cabins, and now probably Lakeshore Lodge. I’m still young enough to hopefully still be going in 2042, so it concerns me what happens with BCV and BWV. Whatever they do build there will have restrictions and I don’t want to be locked out of any of these beautiful resorts.

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

1) Bought Riviera direct because it's where we wanted to be.
2) Wanted unrestricted points for future resorts and to pass to our kids
3) AP
4) Discount
5) Not a perk, but it's still a shocking surprise how easily those direct points load in your dashboard when you buy direct. I am so impatient, that's probably what helps suck me back down the direct rabbit hole.

Now we have "enough" direct points, and I would like to think we could add on resale at CC, but something tells me direct LSL may win out. I'll have to see what it looks like with incentives.

I also like the idea of VDH direct as a base of operations on the West Coast en route to Aulani, but I need to stay there first to decide. I think it could be an awesome SAP+, but I'm not plunking down 20k sight unseen when we've never been out there. So VDH having resale restrictions and so niche, that would be direct for us at this point so we could use it at WDW as part of our larger pool of direct points.

 

[BeachClub2014]

I never saw any point in buying direct until buying VGF for $160’s in 2023, probably worth similar now, buying RIV and seeing an instant 50% loss is a tough one though

This becomes a true statement if someone who purchases RIV directly immediately sells it at an actual loss, which would have been a bad investment. Otherwise, it's a "paper loss" and one I don't spend much time fretting over.

Every DVC timeshare, if held long enough, will be worth zero dollars. For many people, the value of the purchase is derived from its use, rather than its potential resale value in a fluctuating market. A direct buyer of points receives the same value (in points) from their purchase annually, provided they hold their contract until expiration.

We have bought both direct and resale points over the last 25 years of membership. We purchased RIV directly because we loved the resort and didn't want restricted points.

 

[dontae]

I never saw any point in buying direct until buying VGF for $160’s in 2023, probably worth similar now, buying RIV and seeing an instant 50% loss is a tough one though

I’ve used the following perks and here are some honest reviews

• Moonlight Magic at DHS, so excited for this but no DVC merchandise, strange entertainment (crazy DJ) and very long queues for rare characters, eg 55 mins for Jawas. I just felt no one was a crazy DVC fan like us, still had a good time but felt a bit flat afterwards
• Lounge access, great the first year, last summer Epcot closed theirs and no alternate offered, Disney Springs one was nice but it’s in Disney Springs and I usually avoid that. I can’t buy MMB so will have to watch lots of guests queue jump me this summer
• Discounts have been good but comparable with AP/Visa but nice to see 40% off some restaurants in the summer, I just booked Tiffins which I’ve never been to, seems rude not to with that discount

Its nice to be official but have a serious think if it’s worth it, I don’t need AP’s so maybe that helps some but dont overvalue direct perks!

"Its nice to be official but have a serious think if it’s worth it"
In fact it is extremely difficult to calculate the financial worth. To justify direct purchase requires other motivating criteria because financial value just does not compute.

 

[EPCOT Terran]

Has anyone ever done the math for how much it would cost to rent/pay cash for their expected stays outside their home resort over the course of their contract? For anyone buying resale today, there are restrictions on using the points at one or more of the other resorts. Many people have mentioned “using my points anywhere” (including me) as a motivation for buying direct (particularly at Riviera). But I have to admit I haven’t done the math on that “benefit” of direct.

 

[intamin]

This becomes a true statement if someone who purchases RIV directly immediately sells it at an actual loss, which would have been a bad investment. Otherwise, it's a "paper loss" and one I don't spend much time fretting over.

Every DVC timeshare, if held long enough, will be worth zero dollars. For many people, the value of the purchase is derived from its use, rather than its potential resale value in a fluctuating market. A direct buyer of points receives the same value (in points) from their purchase annually, provided they hold their contract until expiration.

We have bought both direct and resale points over the last 25 years of membership. We purchased RIV directly because we loved the resort and didn't want restricted points.

Can't agree with this more. Value is in the eye of the beholder. Some people value resale price, others value knowing they have access to an Epcot area resort after 2042. At the end of the day just choose something you and your family know you will enjoy.

 

[achinforsomebacon]

Most benefits besides the AP have little $$ value but still make the trips more enjoyable.

In no particular order:
AP
Discounts
Lounges (it's silly but the kids love these and it's nice getting a break in AC with drinks and snacks)
Welcome home weeks - not everyone can take advantage of this but we got really lucky last year and hit both Aulani and DL at the right time. It was a nice perk and we got to share it with non-DVC friends at DL.
Future resorts - not a big deal now since I don't need to stay at RIV or CFW but could see this being important in the future.
MMB