Hard time deciding how many points we truly need.

[VGCgroupie]

I originally was going to buy a fixed week. After calling member services, I changed my mind. Two man reasons:

I noted they seemed to struggle more on the resale market than regular contracts. I think buyers don’t understand the value proposition.

When I talked with Member Services about the fixed week, they very clearly didn’t understand it. I didn’t want to have to deal with the headache of potentially explaining it to Member Services when I called.

I think the idea of a fixed week is great, but the member service misunderstandings really cooled my excitement to own one.

I did get one guy who was confused when I chatted in. MS is really hit or miss these days.

 

[Wedgeout]

Throwing a FW into your points pool is like getting yourself another UY or membership. (Plus, I’m not a Sunday-Sunday traveler).

 

[tx911]

Throwing a FW into your points pool is like getting yourself another UY or membership. (Plus, I’m not a Sunday-Sunday traveler).

Another hot take

 

[airjay75]

If I were a studio person, I could see having gone with a FW for my RIV points purchases. Feels like a decent hedge for potential future resale purposes. But, that is also something I'd get no use out of personally because I just don't plan to stay in studios. And a FW 1 BR or 2 BR villa? A 300-600 point FW contract? I think those would still be difficult to sell at a restricted resort because that is just so many points that could only be used at that resort. The better hedge for resale purposes there seemed to be making sure I break my points up into smaller point contracts.

 

[tx911]

If I were a studio person, I could see having gone with a FW for my RIV points purchases. Feels like a decent hedge for potential future resale purposes. But, that is also something I'd get no use out of personally because I just don't plan to stay in studios. And a FW 1 BR or 2 BR villa? A 300-600 point FW contract? I think those would still be difficult to sell at a restricted resort because that is just so many points that could only be used at that resort. The better hedge for resale purposes there seemed to be making sure I break my points up into smaller point contracts.

I'm actually often ok with studios, but I never stay Sunday to Sunday, and very often go for 5 or 6 nights instead of 7. So the juice isn't worth the squeeze for me, but I can see the value in it for some. Hopefully it will give them some extra value if they choose to sell as well.

 

[Brian Noble]

I suspect at least some resale buyers don't actually understand that Fixed Weeks are easy to opt out of, and so they are only a value-add. In the worst case, they are identical to a contract at the same resort without fixed week rights. But, if for some reason you think you have to use the week, then the market is limited.

I also have a sneaking suspicion that odd-numbered contracts also have a little bit of a headwind. Things that are not multiples of 25 (or, at the very least multiples of 5) are "odd ducks" on the market.

I bought a fixed week primarily as a hedge against availability problems. I expect to almost never use it as written, but figured it only gave me more options. I did not buy it for potential resale value. If I'd been doing that, I probably would have avoided RIV entirely.

 

[ClaraOswald]

How do you get these tickets, so cool

The tickets are part of the Disneyland 70th celebration commemorating the original attractions. So you go to select areas, tap your magic band (required for this) and it gives you a ticket. There are a handful of stations around the park each featuring different attractions.

There are also a spot in Fantasyland that doesn't give tickets but has little moving displays (not sure what to call them.)

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/disneyland/original-attractions-quest/

 

[PolyRob]

Throwing a FW into your points pool is like getting yourself another UY or membership. (Plus, I’m not a Sunday-Sunday traveler).

I suspect at least some resale buyers don't actually understand that Fixed Weeks are easy to opt out of, and so they are only a value-add. In the worst case, they are identical to a contract at the same resort without fixed week rights. But, if for some reason you think you have to use the week, then the market is limited.

I also have a sneaking suspicion that odd-numbered contracts also have a little bit of a headwind. Things that are not multiples of 25 (or, at the very least multiples of 5) are "odd ducks" on the market.

I bought a fixed week primarily as a hedge against availability problems. I expect to almost never use it as written, but figured it only gave me more options. I did not buy it for potential resale value. If I'd been doing that, I probably would have avoided RIV entirely.

Agreed, a FW scares a lot of people because they don't know how it works. You can bank or borrow one point and opt out of your FW for the year. You can book something on current UY allotment and opt out. So simple to use without contacting MS. If you're buying ~150 points and can get a ~150 FW for a time period you travel there is no real loss. It only matters if you want to split up into smaller contracts.

I really, really wish they were available for VGF BPK when it first went on sale. I would have purchased week 49 and 50 in a resort studio standard view.

If I were a studio person, I could see having gone with a FW for my RIV points purchases. Feels like a decent hedge for potential future resale purposes. But, that is also something I'd get no use out of personally because I just don't plan to stay in studios. And a FW 1 BR or 2 BR villa? A 300-600 point FW contract? I think those would still be difficult to sell at a restricted resort because that is just so many points that could only be used at that resort. The better hedge for resale purposes there seemed to be making sure I break my points up into smaller point contracts.

I understand this. I personally would not want a contract larger than 150 points either. I like one-bedrooms, but a FW in a one-bedroom is too large for me especially when one-bedrooms tend to sit open.

 

[Brian Noble]

Mine is also for a studio. Will I use it? Probably not---I too am a 1BR person. But, the size of the contract was in the ballpark of what I was looking for, and I viewed it strictly as a positive. That's particularly true becuase I was not going to mess around with breaking the purchase into multiple contracts.

As an aside: In the post-$500-transfer world, I'm no longer sure smaler contracts are that much better as a seller.

 

[AstroBlasters]

I looked at that fixed week chart earlier in the thread and it looks like we'd have to do a fixed week on a studio since all the 1-bedroom weeks are more points than we want. So I don't see us doing that.

But IF you want 160 points anyways then it costs you nothing more to find a FW that has around that point number….

 

[PolyRob]

Mine is also for a studio. Will I use it? Probably not---I too am a 1BR person. But, the size of the contract was in the ballpark of what I was looking for, and I viewed it strictly as a positive. That's particularly true becuase I was not going to mess around with breaking the purchase into multiple contracts.

As an aside: In the post-$500-transfer world, I'm no longer sure smaler contracts are that much better as a seller.

I do think if there is a 50 point vs a 150 point on the market and someone only needs 50 points and has $7.5k vs $22.5k that $500 won't make a big difference, but I do understand what you're saying.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Throwing a FW into your points pool is like getting yourself another UY or membership. (Plus, I’m not a Sunday-Sunday traveler).

Yeahhh not sure I agree with this at all. I have a FW and its nothing like having another UY.

 

[Wedgeout]

Yeahhh not sure I agree with this at all. I have a FW and its nothing like having another UY.

Worse?…just kidding. I’m sure it’s unique in its own way. Not sure I could manage it if I also had regular point contracts. Am I doing the FW next year? Yes? No? Do I pool my points this time? Stay this time at the home resort a different time of year? (I’d go nuts ).

 

[Brian Noble]

Not sure I could manage it if I also had regular point contracts.

It's really pretty easy. It works exactly like any other contract, wtih one exception: If you have not used any of the points in a particular Use Year for that contract by about 11 1/2 months prior to the designated check-in date, Member Services books your Fixed Week for you. You can later cancel it, just like any other reservation, and then you get the points back to use as you wish.

 

[tx911]

It's really pretty easy. It works exactly like any other contract, wtih one exception: If you have not used any of the points in a particular Use Year for that contract by about 11 1/2 months prior to the designated check-in date, Member Services books your Fixed Week for you. You can later cancel it, just like any other reservation, and then you get the points back to use as you wish.

It would be awesome if they would allow you to cancel or modify it online, as with other reservations.

 

[VGCgroupie]

It would be awesome if they would allow you to cancel or modify it online, as with other reservations.

I feel like this will be something they implement in the future.