Help me make sense of my first DVC purchase

[gear02]

Need a second (or third, fourth, etc.) opinion as I make a DVC purchase decision. I'm on the west coast and I will probably go to DL on weekend trips much more often than WDW. I have a family of 4 but I probably will go to DL with a group of 8 people most of the time (my extended family). My choices are:

1. Buy a resale 100 pt contract for Aulani at about $120-125 a point
2. Buy a resale 110 pt contract for VGC at about $275 a point
3. Buy direct at Disneyland Tower when it goes on sale.

Here's how I'm thinking - please correct any miscalculations:

The Aulani contract is tempting as it's 100pts for a reasonable price. My parents live in Honolulu and I am going to Aulani this December so I will have more regular use for Aulani than any WDW hotels. However, my parents aren't going to be around for 40 years and we will probably go to Hawaii much less once they're no longer around (or move away). It will be extremely hard to get a weekend stay at VGC with Aulani points so it's not really worth it. But I can rent these points out very easily.

Buying resale into VGC is very expensive but at least it'll guarantee me to stay at VGC and they do have 1 or 2 bedroom suites (would have to borrow/bank to get the points for the weekend stay). Did I mention this is very expensive? Is it even worth using these points at WDW when I do want to go once in a while?

I could buy direct for DLT - I get the full benefits of DVC and I will have a place to stay in Disneyland tower. The downside is that it's mostly studios and it's going to be more expensive than resale VGC - 150 points at $250 at least, and we don't know the full points chart for DLT.

My priority is to get into DVC the least expensive way possible, but I also prioritize access to Disneyland. I don't really care about the limitations of DVC benefits for resale contracts. I aim to pay cash.

What would you do? How do you think about this?

 

[Sandisw]

It is very difficult to get in VGC if you do not own there. So, if the plan is regular visits to DL more often, it’s either VGC or DLT

Because DLT will most likely be restricted from resale VGC, but direct DLT will allow you access to both..it might make sense to wait.

 

[Curiousporpoise]

I’m on the West Coast and thought about these options as well. VGC is incredibly hard to get into, and if you don’t purchase resale VGC, you’re not getting in. You might be able to book single days here and there, and if you live close enough it might be worth it.

I follow a few VGC/Aulani Facebook pages, and they recommended buying a small 50-100 point contract at Aulani so that you will have access to DVC Member pricing on the Villas at Disneyland once it becomes available - as it might pay for itself with the lower DVC Member discount.

I searched for months, and the cost of a small contract at a higher price per point wasn’t worth it. I’m in the process of buying a larger point contract at a lower price point at Aulani. I think Aulani is one of the cheapest ways to purchase DVC, but you won’t have access to the Villas at Disneyland with these resale points.

I think the Villas at Disneyland pricing/sales will come out in the winter or early spring. You might want to wait and see how that looks before purchasing anything.

 

[Sunnyore]

As they are going to announce VDH probably fairly soon, you should wait to see what the actual prices will be. I remember people thought when VGF2 was going to be pricey but it’s actually reasonable at $207. I do like what the other poster suggested which is to buy a small contract resale contract to get your DVC membership and then you qualify to buy a smaller point contract direct when VDH starts selling. With VGC prices, people mainly use those points specifically for VGC. Aulani sounds like a good one for your to have with family there but it won’t help you get to disneyland resorts. I’m personally waiting myself to buy some at VDH but will be purchasing a small point contract so the price isn’t as big of factor for me. So if I was in your shoes I may be looking at a small Aulani or VGC contract and add on VDH when they drop. And if VDH pricing is great, then you can buy however many points you need to fit your trips.

 

[RoseGold]

The problem is that none of these choices play well with each other. If you buy Aulani points, no way you will get a VGC weekend. If you pony up for an expensive VGC contract, it would be silly to use those really expensive points anywhere but VGC.

100 points won't get you far at either of these properties with 2BRs.

DL has lots of off-site locations with suites that probably meet your needs better and don't lock you into a timeshare. The Aulani people come in hot when you badmouth it, but if I were spending that kind of money, it wouldn't be at Aulani. There are tons of nice hotels, or you can rent whatever you want in Aulani from another DVC owner.

All of this is bookable with cash, which is the only way to meet all your needs.

 

[gear02]

The problem is that none of these choices play well with each other. If you buy Aulani points, no way you will get a VGC weekend. If you pony up for an expensive VGC contract, it would be silly to use those really expensive points anywhere but VGC.

100 points won't get you far at either of these properties with 2BRs.

DL has lots of off-site locations with suites that probably meet your needs better and don't lock you into a timeshare. The Aulani people come in hot when you badmouth it, but if I were spending that kind of money, it wouldn't be at Aulani. There are tons of nice hotels, or you can rent whatever you want in Aulani from another DVC owner.

All of this is bookable with cash, which is the only way to meet all your needs.

Yeah it's an interesting situation. The plan is that we probably will use the points every two years and bank/borrow as needed to get our 2BRs wherever we go. Aulani is just a way for us to get cheaper sleep around points, and also helps us in case we want to stay at Christmas.

This is our first DVC contract and I didn't feel right to spend $30k on the first one. But found a Aulani contract for $100 a point with a lot of banked points so I'm taking a shot at that. The idea is that I'll have the points and if I need something in DLT, I'll either rent, or see what they have on sale when it goes live.

Thanks everyone for your input!

 

[RoseGold]

But found a Aulani contract for $100 a point with a lot of banked points so I'm taking a shot at that. The idea is that I'll have the points and if I need something in DLT, I'll either rent, or see what they have on sale when it goes live.

I'd never buy any timeshare in Hawaii, based on the way it has treated timeshare owners historically and all the hoops. Aulani in particular has struggled deeply as a timeshare and is still being sold by Disney. That isn't a contract I want to be selling in a few years. I think it would be generous to call Aulani's past troubled. I would be reading a lot about that before putting five figures in it.

 

[redboat45]

I would bet that DLT will be cheaper than resale GCV. I'd wait honestly although since you have family in HI buying at Aulani wouldn't be horrible and you could always sell it when your parents are no longer in HI.

 

[gear02]

So just an update in case anyone is interested. I put in an offer for Aulani and I got it for $100/pt. However, we decided that Aulani wasn't the right fit because what we really wanted was to stay at Disneyland which means either DLT or VGC. We decided to dive into the deep end and get some VGC points because we wanted the villas since we'd usually go to DL for weekend trips with multiple families. Put in an offer at $270/pt and we're starting the paperwork! It's a lot, but I think it's worth it given the demand and the proximity to the park (plus DLT is mostly studios).

Very excited - hopefully things will close and we'll get to use the points soon! I'm also hoping to get some sleep around points direct at Aulani when we go visit (something small like a 25 point contract).

Thanks everyone for your input and help!