How to navigate buying?

[arisafari]

We are having trouble deciding what to do. We want 2 weeks end of Jan/early Feb in a 2 bedroom at OKW or Saratoga because we love their vibe and pools.

We also love Beach Club and Riviera but Beach Club expires so soon and Riviera never has parking when we visit and has a less than stellar kid's pool, so I'm pretty sure we'll probably stick with one of the others. Unless there's a way to extend Beach Club (we're new so I don't know if this is a "thing". Also, does anyone know if the Riviera plans more parking? The DVC woman there said she doesn't know.

My question is, we want benefits but with as many points that we have to buy for OKW or Saratoga (about 400) should we buy 150 direct and the rest resale? As long as UY is the same, we shouldn't have a problem booking, right?

Edit: Is it possible to occasionally snag a 2 bedroom at Beach Club 7 months out on the dates above? I imagine it would be more points but is it doable at all?

 

[erionm]

Also, does anyone know if the Riviera plans more parking?

Unlikely.

 

[Ruttangel]

Edit: Is it possible to occasionally snag a 2 bedroom at Beach Club 7 months out on the dates above? I imagine it would be more points but is it doable at all?

BCV is v hard to get a full 2 week slot. That seems really unlikely even in quiet time of the year. Maybe you could get a few days and split with other resort

 

[WxKristin]

I agree with buying 150 points direct and the rest resale to save a few thousand dollars. And yes, if it is the same use year it should be the same membership number.

Watching availability you can generally get dates at Beach Club at 7 mo out depending on the room size (2 bedroom more likely studio, for example). But you do need to book right at the 7 mo opening.

 

[harmon54]

To throw a wrinkle in your analysis - I would agree you only need 150 direct but watch for crazy direct deals they are sometimes offering now - the most dollars off is for at least 200 points so may want to get the discount if offered. Not being offered right now at SSR or OKW but not sure when you are buying. But most people will tell you to get your resale purchase first because then Disney will match your use year. It is hard to find your use year sometimes if buy direct first.

 

[DVChris]

Are you familiar with resale restrictions at Riviera and any future resort? If you want to be able to stay at Riviera (and any future resort), you may want to consider having more direct points.

 

[WxKristin]

If I were considering buying direct right now, I would probably hit up the BLT offer or VGF (when they make this available). As said above, the best price breaks are generally around 200+ points direct. The other (small) benefit to doing resale first is the price per point direct is usually slightly better for existing members.

 

[Artemis Fowl]

We are having trouble deciding what to do. We want 2 weeks end of Jan/early Feb in a 2 bedroom at OKW or Saratoga because we love their vibe and pools.

We also love Beach Club and Riviera but Beach Club expires so soon and Riviera never has parking when we visit and has a less than stellar kid's pool, so I'm pretty sure we'll probably stick with one of the others. Unless there's a way to extend Beach Club (we're new so I don't know if this is a "thing". Also, does anyone know if the Riviera plans more parking? The DVC woman there said she doesn't know.

My question is, we want benefits but with as many points that we have to buy for OKW or Saratoga (about 400) should we buy 150 direct and the rest resale? As long as UY is the same, we shouldn't have a problem booking, right?

Edit: Is it possible to occasionally snag a 2 bedroom at Beach Club 7 months out on the dates above? I imagine it would be more points but is it doable at all?

I own resale at BLT and Poly. I wanted to be able to stay at RIV and after awhile figured out I could just rent out some BLT and Poly points to pay for me to rent points at RIV. It wasn't much work. The point is, I feel like I found a way to navigate around my resale restriction at RIV AND the 11/7 booking window problem. Someone paid me $19/point to get their 11month booking at BLT. I turned around and used that money to get my RIV reservation. And, I actually paid less per point to rent the RIV reservation than I earned renting out my BLT points so I effectively got a discount compared to using my own points (had they been eligible). I think you could always plan on doing the same for times you want to stay in a 2BR at Beach Club, so long as you have a resort people want to rent at.

For a while I was trying to figure out if it was possible to barter stays to get around the 7 month timeline, turns out cash is a very good lubricant for that transaction.