How would you buy in?

[intamin]

My friends are paying $456 for a 3 day park hopper this January. Two of those trips a year and you are close to break even with Sorcerer.

So if one gets in shorter but more frequent trips, 3 is all it takes!!

Yeah it really has more to do with the number of trips you take, if you do 2 trips of 5 days or more you break even, if you do do 3 trips of 3 days like you said you also come out ahead. Disney charges only an extra 15-20 dollars per day on days past like day 6 so the majority of the cost comes from the beginning of the trip.

Anyways, OP if you really are impartial to Riviera, I wouldn’t buy direct. I say this as someone who owns I’d say a good chunk of Riviera. I also would not buy Aulani unless you want to stay there regularly especially in June which is it’s busiest month because of the dues. LOL seems like talking down on all of my home resorts but I just say this because these home resorts don’t make sense for everyone.

If you care about being near MK, there’s a strong argument to be made for BLT or CCV. CCV especially if you plan to go during Christmas and enjoy the woodsy vibes. BLT if you want to be able to walk to MK of have a TPV ofcasionally for special occasions.

Now on the other hand if you want to be around Epcot for the foreseeable future then there’s an argument for Riviera especially if you want to be able to hold onto the contract past 2042. You could buy BWV/BCV resale but at the same time even though it technically doesn’t have resale restrictions, in a way it kind of does. Using those BC/BW points anywhere but BCV/BWV is a waste. How much it matters to you to be within walking distance is up to you. I still book BW with my resale points since I’m not picky about the view and don’t feel the need to own there. It’d be like using Grand Cal points at Saratoga and paying a premium for nothing.

I like owning multiple home resorts to diversify my portfolio by location so if I were you and wanted both Epcot and MK home resort priority, personally I’d do 150 direct RIV, 150 of resale BLT/CCV and you can bank/borrow to avoid split trips if you’d like. If not interested in Epcot area resort, maybe 300 of resale BLT/CCV split into multiple contracrs of course.

 

[MerlinandtheMouse]

Everyone has given incredibly helpful advice and you’re probably overwhelmed now haha but if you haven’t had enough here’s one more:

I think a mix of resale and direct is the best of both worlds. As many have already said, the buy-in cost isn’t actually the bulk of the expense of DVC so even though the intitial sting of direct is painful, in the long term it doesn’t make as much of a difference as it seems.

Personally, I have found tremendous value in the perks of being a direct owner. Someone above mentioned the amount of savings on merchandise and dining really adds up over time. And having the AP has really changed the way we vacation for the better. We went mini golfing one evening our last trip and decided to walk from there to the Boardwalk by the time we got there it was like 7.30pm and on a whim we decided to go to Epcot for the last hour and a half. There was a ILL left for Guardians and did that and Soarin and had a few F&W snacks along the way and it was the best. You don’t feel guilty or wasteful for spending only a few hours in the parks like I used to with a regular park ticket.

So my advice is 150 resale/150 direct and I think having 2 home resorts is really great for variety. You can also bank and borrow so it’s more like having 300pts every other year at each resort. CCV is so beautiful and quite difficult to get around the holidays so having home resort advantage would be helpful there.

And this probably isn’t everyone’s advice, but if you are potentially thinking about Poly or RIV as a direct buy and BLT or CCV as resale, I’d say do RIV direct (unless you really don’t care for it!) since it’s the only one of these options in the Epcot area and the price/pt will very likely be better than whatever they start the poly tower at. You can also take a chance (very high chance imo) that buying Poly resale will get you access to the tower as it’s reported to be the same association so you don’t really even need Poly direct. But I might wait on that particular purchase for a few more months until it’s in official writing just to be sure. And not to put pressure, because I totally agree don’t rush into your decisions, but direct pricing is going to increase at the end of January so taking the next few weeks to really figure it out could be helpful if you decide direct is part of your journey. Good luck, have fun and don’t stress too much just getting into DVC is going to be the best decision you’ve made!

 

[intamin]

Everyone has given incredibly helpful advice and you’re probably overwhelmed now haha but if you haven’t had enough here’s one more:

I think a mix of resale and direct is the best of both worlds. As many have already said, the buy-in cost isn’t actually the bulk of the expense of DVC so even though the intitial sting of direct is painful, in the long term it doesn’t make as much of a difference as it seems.

Personally, I have found tremendous value in the perks of being a direct owner. Someone above mentioned the amount of savings on merchandise and dining really adds up over time. And having the AP has really changed the way we vacation for the better. We went mini golfing one evening our last trip and decided to walk from there to the Boardwalk by the time we got there it was like 7.30pm and on a whim we decided to go to Epcot for the last hour and a half. There was a ILL left for Guardians and did that and Soarin and had a few F&W snacks along the way and it was the best. You don’t feel guilty or wasteful for spending only a few hours in the parks like I used to with a regular park ticket.

So my advice is 150 resale/150 direct and I think having 2 home resorts is really great for variety. You can also bank and borrow so it’s more like having 300pts every other year at each resort. CCV is so beautiful and quite difficult to get around the holidays so having home resort advantage would be helpful there.

And this probably isn’t everyone’s advice, but if you are potentially thinking about Poly or RIV as a direct buy and BLT or CCV as resale, I’d say do RIV direct (unless you really don’t care for it!) since it’s the only one of these options in the Epcot area and the price/pt will very likely be better than whatever they start the poly tower at. You can also take a chance (very high chance imo) that buying Poly resale will get you access to the tower as it’s reported to be the same association so you don’t really even need Poly direct. But I might wait on that particular purchase for a few more months until it’s in official writing just to be sure. And not to put pressure, because I totally agree don’t rush into your decisions, but direct pricing is going to increase at the end of January so taking the next few weeks to really figure it out could be helpful if you decide direct is part of your journey. Good luck, have fun and don’t stress too much just getting into DVC is going to be the best decision you’ve made!

are you me? Our buying strategy is the same LOL.

 

[Bearval]

Hey y’all, I’m looking for some thought partners on buying into DVC and figured you fine folks would be the ones to talk to. So, the situation:

I’m likely going to have about 50k to use for something fun and figured this would be my best chance to finally hop on the DVC train. We are a larger family (2 adults, 4 kids), so we’d need to do two separate studios or 2bdrm villas primarily. I’m thinking I’d need somewhere in the ballpark of 300-350 points to be comfortable and have the flexibility to take the vacations we want to take annually.

I really like the idea of having more years per dollar even though I obviously pay more in dues over the life of the deed that way. For that reason I’m primarily thinking of Poly, BLT, Copper Creek or Riviera.

I’m also torn between buying the 300-350 points resale in one pop or buying 150 points direct somewhere and then incrementally supplementing with resale points over the years. Obviously the upside there is that I get the direct perks, and the downside is that I’m limited to long weekend trips with my football team of a family until I have the money to pick up a resale contract or two.

Anyway, I’m just curious to hear any suggestions, warnings, or general thoughts on this situation. I appreciate anyone that takes the time to way in. Thanks!

I would buy BLT resale to use as SAP and home resort stays due to the low MFs and the 2060 expiration date. I don't feel the current "membership extras" justify the higher costs to buy direct to get a "blue " card at this time. I would split the 300-350 points into 2 or 3 separate contracts just incase your vacation plans change and you decide not to go to disney every year. This way you could sell some of your points and then bank and borrow to just go once every two or three years.

 

[MerlinandtheMouse]

are you me? Our buying strategy is the same LOL.

Hahah I read your post after I posted mine and was like huh you said exactly what I was saying but better now I look like an unnecessarily wordy copycat

 

[sethschroeder]

benefits are of nominal value

6 in the family, alter trips by a week to use an AP for two trips taking a year off, and you are saving $4k every two years.

Heck even if you only get it the first go around that cuts into the price difference then you just hope for ticket discounts in the future as well which always have been a thing basically.

 

[sethschroeder]

If going once per year, it may not make sense to buy the annual passes as tickets may be cheaper unless you are going to to the parks every day you are there.

Well no because you can still get two trips on one set of APs as long as you just slightly change dates of the stay to get it inside the year mark.

2nd week of July one year and 4th week of June next year as an example.

You will come out a ways ahead then on AP vs tickets.

 

[sethschroeder]

2 adults, 4 kids

So a 2br

Unless your kids can legally stay in a room all by themselves and you trust them then it's a 2br as there is no guarentee on connecting rooms and the only one that even has connecting for studios is Poly from what I understand.

 

[sethschroeder]

I do love the wilderness lodge vibe. I like the Contemporary in general, but have never stepped foot in the tower so idk

BLT rooms are ugly IMO

There are youtube and 3d walk throughs of all DVC rooms. If you have issues finding them let us know.

 

[Pickles516]

Everyone has given incredibly helpful advice and you’re probably overwhelmed now haha but if you haven’t had enough here’s one more:

I think a mix of resale and direct is the best of both worlds. As many have already said, the buy-in cost isn’t actually the bulk of the expense of DVC so even though the intitial sting of direct is painful, in the long term it doesn’t make as much of a difference as it seems.

Personally, I have found tremendous value in the perks of being a direct owner. Someone above mentioned the amount of savings on merchandise and dining really adds up over time. And having the AP has really changed the way we vacation for the better. We went mini golfing one evening our last trip and decided to walk from there to the Boardwalk by the time we got there it was like 7.30pm and on a whim we decided to go to Epcot for the last hour and a half. There was a ILL left for Guardians and did that and Soarin and had a few F&W snacks along the way and it was the best. You don’t feel guilty or wasteful for spending only a few hours in the parks like I used to with a regular park ticket.

So my advice is 150 resale/150 direct and I think having 2 home resorts is really great for variety. You can also bank and borrow so it’s more like having 300pts every other year at each resort. CCV is so beautiful and quite difficult to get around the holidays so having home resort advantage would be helpful there.

And this probably isn’t everyone’s advice, but if you are potentially thinking about Poly or RIV as a direct buy and BLT or CCV as resale, I’d say do RIV direct (unless you really don’t care for it!) since it’s the only one of these options in the Epcot area and the price/pt will very likely be better than whatever they start the poly tower at. You can also take a chance (very high chance imo) that buying Poly resale will get you access to the tower as it’s reported to be the same association so you don’t really even need Poly direct. But I might wait on that particular purchase for a few more months until it’s in official writing just to be sure. And not to put pressure, because I totally agree don’t rush into your decisions, but direct pricing is going to increase at the end of January so taking the next few weeks to really figure it out could be helpful if you decide direct is part of your journey. Good luck, have fun and don’t stress too much just getting into DVC is going to be the best decision you’ve made!

I didn’t even consider that I could bank/borrow alternately between two home resorts instead of doing a split stay every year. Geez I’m shot lol

 

[intamin]

I didn’t even consider that I could bank/borrow alternately between two home resorts instead of doing a split stay every year. Geez I’m shot lol

IMO when you’re limited to essentially WDW resorts, variety is a good thing. Unless you’re absolutely obsessed with one particular resort, I’d have 2 home resorts to give myself more flexibility.

Maybe one year you’ll be there during Christmas time and want to be within walking distance to Magic Kingdom for the Christmas Party or New Year’s fireworks? Maybe next year you want to go to Food and Wine and just take the skyliner back? etc.

 

[LittleBitGoofy]

My friends are paying $456 for a 3 day park hopper this January. Two of those trips a year and you are close to break even with Sorcerer.

So if one gets in shorter but more frequent trips, 3 is all it takes!!

Yep, it's a noticeable price advantage if you are doing several shorter trips. We are planning 2-3 trips of 3-5 nights and even with two short trips it works out to be a good bit less with the Sorcerer than date tickets with hoppers. Last time we did 3-day hoppers in May it was just over $500 for each of us. Sorcerer on renewal is low 800s.

Of course the downside is you may start planning more trips (hence our creep from two a year to three trips) because by then your park visits are "free!"

 

[DVCsloth]

I would probably start with 150 at Riviera. But I already own there and know that I love it. You can always add on later.
I also do believe that Riviera will hold a pretty decent value when it is sold out.

 

[karen4546]

$50000 fun money ? I am not sure if I would put it all into DVC but if that is all you are considering, I would look at the point charts to see the 2/3 bedroom villas point requirements FIRST.

Next, I would look at where I want to stay and make a top three.

Then, I would see what the incentives are for direct purchase and buy in at one of my top three if available (not a 2042 exp though).

Finally, buy in direct at 150-220 pts and buy at one of my other top 3 resale but MATCH my use year.

We have about $15-20,000/ yr in entertainment money (dining, movies, DVC dues, flights, etc). It all depends on if money carries over. Like during Covid, we could not travel and so that money carried over- we took several more trips, a cruise and bought a resale contract with the extra $ but with the rising prices of flights, our budget does not go as far as it did in the past.

so now that we have three contracts, of course the dues are more and so our budget for other entertainment is less - but we rarely dine out except on vacation.

 

[Chili327]

If I were you, I'd wait until the Poly tower opened and buy all my points direct there. You wouldn't have to stay there every time if the point chart is high. The annual dues are not bad. Booking somewhere else (including Riviera) at 7 months will be much easier if you don't have resale points.

It's up to you, but in the end I find 1 resort, 1 use year, 1 type of contract (in this case, direct), much less hassle and headache.

I think this definitely sounds misleading, can you explain better how resale would have trouble at 7months? (excluding riviera)

 

[mamaofsix]

I think this definitely sounds misleading, can you explain better how resale would have trouble at 7months? (excluding riviera)

I meant Riviera, likely the cabins at FW, or any other resort that comes after it. That is, if the "resale contracts can only book legacy resorts" rule remains true.

 

[mamaofsix]

My friends are paying $456 for a 3 day park hopper this January. Two of those trips a year and you are close to break even with Sorcerer.

So if one gets in shorter but more frequent trips, 3 is all it takes!!

I would add that not everyone gets hoppers or even likes to hop, so basic tickets might be a better metric for figuring out a break even point for AP's.

 

[tidefan]

So, I'll be the contrarian on this post.

First, to me one of the biggest questions is how will you get to WDW? Will you drive? If so, will you have your car with you? If you do drive all the time and have your car, to me, the calculus changes.

Personal experience for us is that we always drive and have our car (we are more or less about 8 1/2 hours away). I've found that we tend to use our car as transportation around (to parks, Disney Springs, Publix, etc.) way more than Disney transportation. As to that, it's nice to be at a resort that is what I call "Car Friendly", in other words, you can get to your car fairly easily from your room. Certain resorts lend themselves to this and certain resorts do not.

For instance, take Animal Kingdom Villas. At Jambo, you have to park a good bit in the front, then into the lobby, followed by what can be a very long trek to your room whereas at Kidani, you can park under the building and take an elevator up close to your room. I also find that SSR, OKW, BLT, GFV (original building), and Poly have good parking situations. IMHO, the parking at RIV, Beach Club, CCV, BRV, and especially BWV is more challenging when using your car.

Here is where my contrarian view comes in. I would buy resale SSR. To us, points are points. We don't have to stay at any particular place (save BLT at Labor Day for MNSSHP) so IMHO, I'd rather have as many points as I can. Also, the SSR dues aren't terrible. I would ask yourself, are you the type that has to have a certain resort every time, or do you like mixing it up like we do. To us, all the resorts are great, so I am more in the "buy where you don't mind staying" camp. SSR points are good until 2054, so there is still a good bit of time left on the contracts.

Lastly, and I know this may not be everyone's opinion, but it is ours, that since the major refurbishments, I'd stack up the SSR rooms against any on property. It gets a bad rap because it's so big, but we stayed there this past October for the first time since 2019 and were very pleasantly surprised on just how much the rooms had changed. In fact, we switched our May BLT reservation to a SSR reservation (and we like BLT a lot). And then there is this to consider, if you want to go to Aulani one year and get a 2-bedroom (which I highly suggest), you'll need over 400 points...

Now, this may not be your situation, as everyone's is different, but hopefully gives you another perspective to think about.

 

[NVDISFamily]

You have a lot of options and I'm sure I'm going to repeat a lot of what has been said already but here are some thoughts -

Sometimes timing is important and I see two somewhat divergent trends in the coming months. If the fed does do what I think will happen and drop rates back down close to zero to try and boost the economy this could increase the value of resale contracts as rates go lower and the economy is flooded with more cash. Perhaps even additional rounds of stimulus and/or child credits could also be in the future and also likely to boost the resale market. On the other hand, Disney is going to have a lot of points for sale at multiple resorts in 2024 and you may get lucky and see a firesale at one or more of them. If you could get Poly 2 or even the cabins at Fort Wilderness for 160ish a point would that tempt you to make the plunge and go direct?

It sounds like you are willing to buy a good chunk of points but given your family size and also because I think it's a way better way to travel I'd do my homework / estimates trying to lock in the 2 BRs. We prefer a 1BR or 2BR even for just the 4 of us (but that 4 often becomes 5 or more if the Grandparents join).

If you get 250 and 250 at two resorts by going some direct at a higher cost and some resale at a lower you could always do the bank/borrow rotation and have 500 every other year at a few resorts. I'm very much a fan of trying to commit and building up big piles of points at specific resorts but I'm also a fan of SAP. I do see the wisdom of buying a ton of SAP at SSR or another less expensive resort. CCV could be a good choice or also AKV. For us, we are happy with our "cheap" direct SAP at Riviera we scored in 2022 for around 162 a point.

Highly recommend renting some points or booking a confirmed reservation and checking out the resorts. Make a friend with a direct guide and have them give you a VIP tour of what you are interested in. We did that before making the plunge in 2022 and it was well worth it If you need a guide we would be happy to help you with recommendations.

 

[Sandisw]

I would add that not everyone gets hoppers or even likes to hop, so basic tickets might be a better metric for figuring out a break even point for AP's.

Even without hopper, 3 short trips will cover the pass.