Hard time deciding how many points we truly need.

[ClaraOswald]

I can't see us financing a contract. But I do like the idea of paying it 0% interest for 6 months. I'm honestly not sure what our credit limit is on our Disney Visa so I will have to check. If you do the 6 months thing, do you still get the cash back for all of it?

 

[Brian Noble]

You might be better off financing with the strong incentives they have now, using MB with the 2025 points, renting out the 2026 and 2027 points.

This is a pretty clever idea but it does not come without risk. The current economic environment is at least uncertain, and maybe worse than that. If things go south during those two years, that's going to impact the price you can get for rentals---and potentially by a lot.

is a much more financially prudent move to “window shop” and push off purchasing an unnecessary luxury item until you are 100% sure

I'm generally pretty conservative when it comes to purchases, so take this for what it is worth, but...I think this is wise.

I'm honestly not sure what our credit limit is on our Disney Visa so I will have to check.

If you have other Chase cards, you can move (some of) your credit limit between them. It is super easy to do. And, if you don't have others, they are not that hard to get!

 

[ClaraOswald]

The cost difference is significant.

I feel like the per point price is definitely way different.

But in the long run, I think VDH would cost more in dues (even if kept for the same amount of years as our VGC) and obviously in TOT.

So I feel like the price difference would end up evening out, at least.

Love riding your posts, Clara.

Throwing this out there in case it helps. We are typically not 11-month planners when it comes to Disneyland visits. We also, sadly, do not have VGC points but even if we did we'd have to kick into another planning gear to use those points. Having said that about us, it sounds like you all might be 11-month planners. If that's the case, VGC (and more points there) would serve you well.

As VDH will have more rooms, I feel like it will accommodate our er lack thereof timeliness! : )

We are definitely "book at 11 months" people. At least for right now. I suppose I have no idea what the future holds though. And that's what makes it all tricky.

 

[ClaraOswald]

I bet there are people who think it's funny the way I'm going over every detail and thinking so much on this (eventual) purchase of more points. But to us, $30,000 is a huge amount of money so there is a lot to consider. I'm envious of people who are able to add on points all the time but sadly, that just isn't us.

 

[atthebeachclub]

It’s smart to be patient and prudent. If VDH is more expensive point wise when you travel, I would not give it a second thought and would focus on VGC.

I noted that VDH’s low point seasons mostly coincided with my favored travel times, so the ToT hit isn’t as bad and it keeps the dues lower just having just over blue card status points. But if that isn’t you, it may not be a wise buy. $30k is a lot of money for me, too. If I knew I had to finance longer than a few months (while selling a previous contract) I probably wouldn’t do it either.

 

[AstroBlasters]

I feel like the per point price is definitely way different.

But in the long run, I think VDH would cost more in dues (even if kept for the same amount of years as our VGC) and obviously in TOT.

So I feel like the price difference would end up evening out, at least.



We are definitely "book at 11 months" people. At least for right now. I suppose I have no idea what the future holds though. And that's what makes it all tricky.

I have been able to use Aulani resale points to backfill a VGC 1BD reservation at the 7m mark a few times …. so maybe your extra BRV points will give you enough of a cushion to where to current VGC points work just fine.

 

[AstroBlasters]

This is a pretty clever idea but it does not come without risk. The current economic environment is at least uncertain, and maybe worse than that. If things go south during those two years, that's going to impact the price you can get for rentals---and potentially by a lot.


I'm generally pretty conservative when it comes to purchases, so take this for what it is worth, but...I think this is wise.


If you have other Chase cards, you can move (some of) your credit limit between them. It is super easy to do. And, if you don't have others, they are not that hard to get!

Agreed. Definitely a proposition with risk, which is why I wanted to come back in and make a more level headed comment.

 

[ClaraOswald]

It’s smart to be patient and prudent. If VDH is more expensive point wise when you travel, I would not give it a second thought and would focus on VGC.

I noted that VDH’s low point seasons mostly coincided with my favored travel times, so the ToT hit isn’t as bad and it keeps the dues lower just having just over blue card status points. But if that isn’t you, it may not be a wise buy. $30k is a lot of money for me, too. If I knew I had to finance longer than a few months (while selling a previous contract) I probably wouldn’t do it either.

Which times of the year are your favored times?

 

[atthebeachclub]

Which times of the year are your favored times?

January and August. Mostly January though.

 

[ClaraOswald]

We like to do WDW in January. But our more recent winter (non-Christmasy) trips to Disneyland have been February. I honestly can't remember why we like February over January. Though I think there might be marathons or something there now in Jan?

 

[atthebeachclub]

VGC is cheaper in February than VDH!

 

[ClaraOswald]

VGC is cheaper in February than VDH!

Yep. Same with our other favorite time - June.

Of course, if we bought 150 VDH and only used it every other year, at most...we'd still have plenty.

 

[jcolvin5]

I bet there are people who think it's funny the way I'm going over every detail and thinking so much on this (eventual) purchase of more points. But to us, $30,000 is a huge amount of money so there is a lot to consider. I'm envious of people who are able to add on points all the time but sadly, that just isn't us.

Not in the least!

A good chunk of my day is spent strategizing (aka daydreaming) about our DVC portfolio for the future. It's a whole network of things going on in my head about DVC when I should be focusing on other things...I don't know, like work

 

[Genie+]

I suppose I have no idea what the future holds though. And that's what makes it all tricky.

Yes this is the trickiest part - trying to figure out the best choice for the long haul. It’s just really hard to predict. What I expected about our future use turned out different after actually getting to experience different rooms/resorts ourselves, plus our family’s habits continue to evolve. It’s a moving target

I’m at a crossroads myself. Like you said, it’s a large sum of money. And it’s tied to a much larger amount of future money spent since DVC ends up a fraction of those trip expenses. So I can understand the scrutinizing and trying to get it right.

I feel like if we’re going to spend over $20k then Direct may be the best option because a long unrestricted contract with all the bells whistles covers a wide range of use. There’s a strong possibility it ends up the most cost effective… depending on how we actually use it over all those years.

But our need for adding on points isn’t for more nights. It’s for larger units, specifically 1BRs. So then maybe we’re a good case for most economical Resale points for using at 7 months. But it’s not a safe bet either. Maybe we change room size again, or want to book restricted resorts, or eventually need blue card benefits covering more of our points, etc. Not an easy decision!

 

[eticketplease]

I can't see us financing a contract. But I do like the idea of paying it 0% interest for 6 months. I'm honestly not sure what our credit limit is on our Disney Visa so I will have to check. If you do the 6 months thing, do you still get the cash back for all of it?

Yes, you will get one percent or 2% back in Disney dollars depending on which version of the card that you have as well as the 0% for six months.

Then, instead of transferring the points to a redemption card, you can simply choose to use pay yourself back and wipe off a portion of that contract with the rewards you earned.

 

[MartyParty]

Yes this is the trickiest part - trying to figure out the best choice for the long haul. It’s just really hard to predict. What I expected about our future use turned out different after actually getting to experience different rooms/resorts ourselves, plus our family’s habits continue to evolve. It’s a moving target

I’m at a crossroads myself. Like you said, it’s a large sum of money. And it’s tied to a much larger amount of future money spent since DVC ends up a fraction of those trip expenses. So I can understand the scrutinizing and trying to get it right.

I feel like if we’re going to spend over $20k then Direct may be the best option because a long unrestricted contract with all the bells whistles covers a wide range of use. There’s a strong possibility it ends up the most cost effective… depending on how we actually use it over all those years.

But our need for adding on points isn’t for more nights. It’s for larger units, specifically 1BRs. So then maybe we’re a good case for most economical Resale points for using at 7 months. But it’s not a safe bet either. Maybe we change room size again, or want to book restricted resorts, or eventually need blue card benefits covering more of our points, etc. Not an easy decision!

Perhaps this is for another thread. Speaking of predicting the future, I read a recent article where Netflix was considering buying Disney instead of WB. They backed off due to various reasons. Got me to thinking. We all behave as if DVC will exist in its current state till the contracts expire but perhaps if Disney is bought out that wouldn't be the case.

It's impossible to predict.

 

[Genie+]

Perhaps this is for another thread. Speaking of predicting the future, I read a recent article where Netflix was considering buying Disney instead of WB. They backed off due to various reasons. Got me to thinking. We all behave as if DVC will exist in its current state till the contracts expire but perhaps if Disney is bought out that wouldn't be the case.

It's impossible to predict.

That’s a great point. One way or another it’s always going to require a leap of faith lol. All we can do is try to make our best guess.

 

[ClaraOswald]

So I figured I'd use this post to talk a little about our VDH "tour."

At the beginning of our VGC stay, I stopped into the DVC office there and asked if we need to schedule a tour. We were told we could just stop by the DVC office at the Disneyland Hotel or someone from the grand could drive us over in a golf cart. I wanted to make the walk over so one afternoon before going to our room for break, we walked down to the Disneyland hotel. An employee that looked to be getting ready to leave offered to walk us over to the VDH tower since the person who normally would was out at the time. So he led us to the desk at the tower and handed us off to the guy working there - Keith. Keith then called for someone to give us a tour and said it would be about 10 minutes. So we just hung out in the lobby area and waited. A guide named Rob arrived and got all of our info and then took us up to see some rooms.

We explained that our son wasn't very tolerant of this stuff so we'd need to make it quick and he was nice about that. He showed us a Sleeping Beauty studio and a Tiana studio first. They were both very cute and bright. Then we showed us a 1 bedroom on a higher floor. I really liked the layout a lot. I liked how open it was instead of having the kitchen having an island or being U-shaped. I also really loved the bathrooms. Two sinks in the primary was a smart idea. Though not super thrilled with the frosted glass for the room with the toilet.

I wish our son had been in a better mood because I really just walked around the room fairly quickly. I wish I had sat down on the couch and just tried to imagine myself staying there. I think I'll just keep watching videos and looking at the virtual tour on the Disney website.

The guide was super nice. He was really interested in hearing how we came into DVC and why we picked BRV. I think he was surprised at first that we didn't pick Copper Creek. After looking at the rooms we went back downstairs and chatted a bit more. I asked to get the 70th post cards since I had gotten the ones from California Adventure and our hotel. So he gave me those. But then he gave me a few prints (can't remember what they were at the moment) as well as the Zootopia postcards. We also got another snowflake ornament.

I asked if we can have him become our guide now and he said we would just need to respond to his email asking and then it would get sent off to the higher ups. He actually knows our current guide since he also used to work out in Florida. But I explained I'd prefer a west coast guide and someone I've met face to face. So going forward, Rob will be our guide. He was really great and honestly, I'll feel a bit bad if we end up only buying resale. Ha!

Overall, it was a nice little tour. I wish we had time to check out the pool areas and whatnot but that's okay. We'll be back at VGC in June so if we want, we can always wander back over to the common areas again. Of course, if it's hot and we're tired, we probably won't.

Another thing - one night we did walk over and take the monorail into the park just to see how that was. It took a little longer than I thought but not bad. I think we'd be more likely to take it back in the evening if we were at VDH. But it was still nice to take it in that day instead of trying to maneuver through the parade crowds.

 

[UrsulaWantsYourSoul]

So I figured I'd use this post to talk a little about our VDH "tour."

At the beginning of our VGC stay, I stopped into the DVC office there and asked if we need to schedule a tour. We were told we could just stop by the DVC office at the Disneyland Hotel or someone from the grand could drive us over in a golf cart. I wanted to make the walk over so one afternoon before going to our room for break, we walked down to the Disneyland hotel. An employee that looked to be getting ready to leave offered to walk us over to the VDH tower since the person who normally would was out at the time. So he led us to the desk at the tower and handed us off to the guy working there - Keith. Keith then called for someone to give us a tour and said it would be about 10 minutes. So we just hung out in the lobby area and waited. A guide named Rob arrived and got all of our info and then took us up to see some rooms.

We explained that our son wasn't very tolerant of this stuff so we'd need to make it quick and he was nice about that. He showed us a Sleeping Beauty studio and a Tiana studio first. They were both very cute and bright. Then we showed us a 1 bedroom on a higher floor. I really liked the layout a lot. I liked how open it was instead of having the kitchen having an island or being U-shaped. I also really loved the bathrooms. Two sinks in the primary was a smart idea. Though not super thrilled with the frosted glass for the room with the toilet.

I wish our son had been in a better mood because I really just walked around the room fairly quickly. I wish I had sat down on the couch and just tried to imagine myself staying there. I think I'll just keep watching videos and looking at the virtual tour on the Disney website.

The guide was super nice. He was really interested in hearing how we came into DVC and why we picked BRV. I think he was surprised at first that we didn't pick Copper Creek. After looking at the rooms we went back downstairs and chatted a bit more. I asked to get the 70th post cards since I had gotten the ones from California Adventure and our hotel. So he gave me those. But then he gave me a few prints (can't remember what they were at the moment) as well as the Zootopia postcards. We also got another snowflake ornament.

I asked if we can have him become our guide now and he said we would just need to respond to his email asking and then it would get sent off to the higher ups. He actually knows our current guide since he also used to work out in Florida. But I explained I'd prefer a west coast guide and someone I've met face to face. So going forward, Rob will be our guide. He was really great and honestly, I'll feel a bit bad if we end up only buying resale. Ha!

Overall, it was a nice little tour. I wish we had time to check out the pool areas and whatnot but that's okay. We'll be back at VGC in June so if we want, we can always wander back over to the common areas again. Of course, if it's hot and we're tired, we probably won't.

Another thing - one night we did walk over and take the monorail into the park just to see how that was. It took a little longer than I thought but not bad. I think we'd be more likely to take it back in the evening if we were at VDH. But it was still nice to take it in that day instead of trying to maneuver through the parade crowds.

Rob Gleason? That’s our guide too - really nice guy and was able to get us VGC direct points. The VDH 1 bedroom is so lovely and the view from the tour one is great - high floor overlooking the monorail pool.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Rob Gleason? That’s our guide too - really nice guy and was able to get us VGC direct points. The VDH 1 bedroom is so lovely and the view from the tour one is great - high floor overlooking the monorail pool.

Yep...that's him!

I didn't even go out on the balcony because the glass partition combined with being high up was a bit much for me. Honestly wish it just had regular spindles/railing.