Hybrid Membership: Boardwalk Plus what Direct?

[AstroBlasters]

I have considered all Boardwalk, but I am thinking we might want a monorail resort for the MK parties? Have others gone all in on Boardwalk and bought some points there direct? The direct to resale price difference in cost gives me pause.

We are BW and GF for our WDW contracts.

You really need to check out the resorts to see what the vibe is, how the rooms are laid out, dining options, modes of transportation, etc.

 

[CarolynFH]

I have considered all Boardwalk, but I am thinking we might want a monorail resort for the MK parties? Have others gone all in on Boardwalk and bought some points there direct? The direct to resale price difference in cost gives me pause.

I wouldn’t buy BWV direct nowadays either. But when deciding how many points to buy at any resort, remember that to book BWV at 11 months you need all BWV points, and to book Poly at 11 months you need all Poly points, etc. You can’t combine points from different resorts until 7 months. So if you’re hoping for a BWV studio during Fall Frenzy (mid-September through Marathon Weekend in January), you need to buy enough BWV points for that. And if you want a monorail resort for MK Halloween or Christmas party season, it will be best if you buy enough points at that resort to book at 11 months.

 

[D-Trick]

Thanks for check, I am aware of the 2042 expiration. I am okay with it, because the way I calculated the value we'll be in the black way before 2042 comes around.

I definitely don't object to buying where you want to stay. The Epcot area resorts are definitely magicial-- especially with the Barbershop Quartet entertaining the Boardwalk and the Atlantic Dance Hall playing throwback jams.

What other DVC resorts have you stayed at? I ask because I seem to feel the magic of wherever I am staying at the time-- whether it's having savannah animals outside my balcony, walking to Magic Kingdom from BLT, the quiet serenity of OKW, walking to LBV from Grandstand, etc.. In other words, I'm happy anywhere on property and all the things I think I'd be bothered by seems to go by the wayside once I'm in vacation mode. I still own 3 WDW resorts, but now most of my points are sub-AUL contracts despite never having set foot there as I use them as sleep around points.

 

[supercarrie]

I wouldn’t buy BWV direct nowadays either. But when deciding how many points to buy at any resort, remember that to book BWV at 11 months you need all BWV points, and to book Poly at 11 months you need all Poly points, etc. You can’t combine points from different resorts until 7 months. So if you’re hoping for a BWV studio during Fall Frenzy (mid-September through Marathon Weekend in January), you need to buy enough BWV points for that. And if you want a monorail resort for MK Halloween or Christmas party season, it will be best if you buy enough points at that resort to book at 11 months.

This is good advice. Remember that you can also bank and borrow to obtain additional points at 11 months and could do this in opposite years for each resort.

We went in with a similar plan - Team #Hybrid here! We own BLT and Riviera. We followed the general advice here and bought our BLT resale first and then bought Riviera direct just a couple months after when the incentives were particularly strong. Disney happily matched our use year.

BTW - there is a well known podcast (NOT www.dvcfan.com) which routinely claims you need to own your resale contract for one year in order to gain access to member pricing. This is simply not true (we received member pricing after just a couple months of being a member). The preferred financing arrangement/no credit check is what actually requires a year of ownership. I say this in the off chance you come across this myth during your research and worry (like I did, lol).

I'd buy where you want to stay, but if you truly like them all, I'd go Polynesian to have both an Epcot and MK resort and receive some incentives on the purchase. There is no chance I'd buy BLT direct at $275 per point, when you can get it resale for $120-125 per point. Use your October trip to visit the different resorts and get a feel for them. Having stayed at nearly all of them prior to becoming a member, I like them all, which made deciding on a home resort a challenge.

 

[PolyRob]

I have considered all Boardwalk, but I am thinking we might want a monorail resort for the MK parties? Have others gone all in on Boardwalk and bought some points there direct? The direct to resale price difference in cost gives me pause.

Knowing what UY you want and when you plan to travel and what size accommodations would really be helpful in deciding.

For example you mentioned an October BLT stay. If you want resort view studios in the MK area during the fall you most certainty want home resort advantage in a MK resort. BWV skews predominantly Dec UY. Buying a Dec BWV UY would be a bad idea if you always wanted to travel in October. An Oct UY could be a good choice, but that has a much smaller number of resale contracts at BWV. I wouldn't buy a BWV resale contract based on price alone. UY is an important factor.

It's true DVC direct will match to your current UY if you buy resale first, but if you're buying something right now in a 2024 UY (June, August, September, October, or December) you will get 2024 UY points from Disney and you could sell them right back with Magical Beginnings for $20 a point. On a 150 point contract (150 point minimum for benefits and Magical Beginnings) that’s 3k. You will never save 3k waiting for a resale contract to close to then get member pricing on direct points if you miss the UY deadline making offers and closing. You will at most save around $600 on PVB at the 150 point tier.

 

[Sandisw]

I have considered all Boardwalk, but I am thinking we might want a monorail resort for the MK parties? Have others gone all in on Boardwalk and bought some points there direct? The direct to resale price difference in cost gives me pause.

Just to make sure you know that any resale points, even if you buy direct ones later will not be good at RIV, VDH, CFaw, and presumably all future resorts.

Only the direct points will be valid. And, points at two different resorts can’t be combined until 7 months but you will end up with points you can use at each during their home resort priority.

 

[pinkxray]

I am an MK resort person. I love all 3 monorail resorts plus Copper Creek. About to stay at the FW cabins this summer, but would never buy there. I’d say my favorite monorail resort is VGF, which is where we own. My very close 2nd, almost tied is BLT. For my family trips BLT is always the winner. My DH and kids much prefer BLT. The rooms are great and point chart is so much better than the VGF and Poly.

We own 210 pts at VGF direct and I’m currently saving to buy BLT resale. However, if I was in your spot the only direct points I would consider would be Poly. The sold out resorts are just too expensive. Are you looking to stay in studios or larger rooms? The poly tower point chart is pretty high, too high for us unless we had a short stay. But if you are staying in studios, poly is a good option.

I know you said you don’t want to miss out on membership perks, which I understand as we started with resale and really wanted a blue card too. However, I knew I wanted VGF or BLT direct. I bought SSR resale and used it to try new resorts until VGF2 was announced. The chances you happen to be traveling when membership magic happens, or can get tickets is slim. Yes, you can save on the annual pass but you can save thousands on buying BLT resale vs Poly direct. There are some amazing deals on BLT right now, so if I wasn’t interested in Poly direct, I would probably look for a great BLT deal and wait until DVC had a an option that worked for me.

 

[sethschroeder]

Have a trip to WDW that you want in the next year? Direct will get you points right away plus they can even possibly get you a room that would otherwise be sold out for points (Welcome Home Visit).

Okay with waiting for your next WDW or at least flexible on timing/location with where you stay on your points? Resale as you will then get a discount on the direct contract.

I have considered all Boardwalk, but I am thinking we might want a monorail resort for the MK parties? Have others gone all in on Boardwalk and bought some points there direct? The direct to resale price difference in cost gives me pause.

We own Boardwalk resale and Riviera direct. We love the Epcot area but still have done a stay at VGF over the summer (only reinforced we like Epcot area more). You can get rooms to the MK resorts at various times throughout the year you just won't find it as easily during "DVC busy period" which is October-December.

What MK parties are you talking about though? Halloween?

Personally getting on a busy after a party isn't that big of a deal to me. Why I like walking resorts is for the rest of the day.

 

[BuzzLightyr]

Love the idea of BW resale plus some direct.

I would research all the resorts, and their point charts. I would wait until the next round of incentives to pull the trigger on direct points. The current incentives don't seem very attractive.

From time to time, there are deals to be had direct. VGF and OKW were the deals to be had in the summer of 2023 and 2024. Who knows where the next one will be.

Direct SAP can be great. Point chart at the cabins at Fort wilderness are great. The dues there are not, so it makes sense to use other points there. Many of the MK resorts are expensive point wise so 7 month availability can be reasonable.

 

[Cyberc1978]

I would buy the resale first. This will give you access to the member pricing.

As for which resort, since you love BW, I would lean towards PVB direct. It has a similar destination vibe that BW does. It also has flexible (boat, resort monorail, express monorail from nearby TTC, ferry from TTC) transportation to MK. Plus, short walk to TTC for Epcot access.

Edit: wrote this while sitting in a 1BR BW room overlooking the pool.

I have to disagree. I think bordwalk is a lovely resort, that’s why l own there but Poly is not anything like BWV.

I haven’t stayed at PIT yet, maybe I’ll see it differently when I have.