I am seriously considering buying DVC Points. I have 1st timer questions...

[AnthonyAllShore]

I have been putting things off because I have been trying to decide how much to buy. I am in a position to purchase (not finance), but it is considered to be a serious purchase for me. I have been looking at The Grand Floridian II for a home resort. I have been looking for anywhere between 150 and 300 points. At this point I am thinking I will go more conservative and go with 150 points. It falls within a price range that I am comfortable with at this point.
My questions;

1. It seems like 150 points at The Grand Floridian almost always falls into the $32,000 range. Am I missing something? They seem to just juggle the numbers around, but ultimately they always seem to get right back to that amount.
2. I have seen something about perks you only get if you buy direct. Would 150 points qualify for the "perks" today and probably qualify me for the foreseeable future?
3. Are there any deals out there I should know about? We are going on our first DCL in about 25 days. Do they offer any deals for current trips or trips coming up?
4. Any recommendations that you think I should know about?


Thanks in advance!

 

[Cupcake232]

I have been putting things off because I have been trying to decide how much to buy. I am in a position to purchase (not finance), but it is considered to be a serious purchase for me. I have been looking at The Grand Floridian II for a home resort. I have been looking for anywhere between 150 and 300 points. At this point I am thinking I will go more conservative and go with 150 points. It falls within a price range that I am comfortable with at this point.
My questions;

1. It seems like 150 points at The Grand Floridian almost always falls into the $32,000 range. Am I missing something? They seem to just juggle the numbers around, but ultimately they always seem to get right back to that amount.
2. I have seen something about perks you only get if you buy direct. Would 150 points qualify for the "perks" today and probably qualify me for the foreseeable future?
3. Are there any deals out there I should know about? We are going on our first DCL in about 25 days. Do they offer any deals for current trips or trips coming up?
4. Any recommendations that you think I should know about?


Thanks in advance!

Hi Anthony!

Yes, 150 direct purchase points would qualify for you for the member extras!

 

[intamin]

I have been putting things off because I have been trying to decide how much to buy. I am in a position to purchase (not finance), but it is considered to be a serious purchase for me. I have been looking at The Grand Floridian II for a home resort. I have been looking for anywhere between 150 and 300 points. At this point I am thinking I will go more conservative and go with 150 points. It falls within a price range that I am comfortable with at this point.
My questions;

1. It seems like 150 points at The Grand Floridian almost always falls into the $32,000 range. Am I missing something? They seem to just juggle the numbers around, but ultimately they always seem to get right back to that amount.
2. I have seen something about perks you only get if you buy direct. Would 150 points qualify for the "perks" today and probably qualify me for the foreseeable future?
3. Are there any deals out there I should know about? We are going on our first DCL in about 25 days. Do they offer any deals for current trips or trips coming up?
4. Any recommendations that you think I should know about?


Thanks in advance!

1. The price tends to go up every few months as they sell more and more, the most recent price increase was on Dec. 4th when the per point price rose from 207 to 217, essentially increasing the price of a 150 pt contract by 1500.

2. You will keep your perks so long as you own a 150 pt direct contract at this time.

3. If you mention you have a trip in the coming week or get back from a trip and buy it saves 500 dollars; I think the caveat may be you have to buy a 200 point contract? Someone correct me on this if I’m wrong

4. Have you considered resale already and done your homework regarding all of that?

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

I would strongly consider resale. You can save thousands of dollars. If you are talking closer to 300 points than 150, you can save tens of thousands of dollars. Right now the “perks” amount to a small food and beverage & merchandise discount and some special events. The Sorceror’s Pass annual pass perk is gone at this point and has been for years. The only other direct benefit is the ability to book at Riviera and **maybe** the exclusive ability to book at future resorts if those resorts are also restricted like the Riviera.

By way of example, you could buy a 150 point GF contract resale right now for $24k plus about $750ish in closing costs: https://www.fidelityrealestate.com/...b/disneys-grand-floridian-resort-spa/6033467/

A 150 point gf contract direct will run you about $33,000 with closing costs. That is a $9,000 difference.

Personally, I’d rather take that extra $9,000 and buy even more points.

Heck, you could buy a 175 point contract from the board sponsor and get an even better deal per point ($159) and still be paying thousands less than you if you bought direct for 150: https://www.dvcresalemarket.com/listings/grand-floridian/gf21765/

 

[EYL]

I have been putting things off because I have been trying to decide how much to buy. I am in a position to purchase (not finance), but it is considered to be a serious purchase for me. I have been looking at The Grand Floridian II for a home resort. I have been looking for anywhere between 150 and 300 points. At this point I am thinking I will go more conservative and go with 150 points. It falls within a price range that I am comfortable with at this point.
My questions;

1. It seems like 150 points at The Grand Floridian almost always falls into the $32,000 range. Am I missing something? They seem to just juggle the numbers around, but ultimately they always seem to get right back to that amount.
2. I have seen something about perks you only get if you buy direct. Would 150 points qualify for the "perks" today and probably qualify me for the foreseeable future?
3. Are there any deals out there I should know about? We are going on our first DCL in about 25 days. Do they offer any deals for current trips or trips coming up?
4. Any recommendations that you think I should know about?


Thanks in advance!

We were on DCL in 2018 and attended the "DVC Sales event" and each adult got a $50 on board credit. We attended a personal meeting with a guide and got an additional $50/adult. We decided not to buy at that time (we decided to buy resale 2 months later). While disembarking, we met up with a family who said that they got the same OBC's that we did and an additional $500 OBC for buying, plus the "land incentives". While YMMV, you may want to wait to buy on DCL to see if you can "negotiate" since the incentives will not change until March.

One thing that I was concerned about is that while in Florida and on land, there is a 10-day rescission period. I'm not sure what it would be if you buy in international waters... You might want to find out about this (or maybe someone on the board knows) before signing anything.

 

[D-Trick]

Historically speaking, the slim majority consensus on the DISboards has always been to buy resale first, then purchase direct later if still desired. Even when the minimum for Membership Extras went up to 150 points, a lot of us here felt that that perks on offer still did not justify the higher cost.

A reminder: unlike purchasing your first contract direct which requires at least 150 minimum, with resale you can purchase any contract available with no minimums and get your foot in the door. So, you could find and purchase a resale contract for as low as 25 points, and then be eligible for the lower existing member pricing at any active selling resort should you decide to go direct to get 150 for the unrestricted points and Membership Extra benefits.

 

[Cfabar1]

Yes….

Historically speaking, the slim majority consensus on the DISboards has always been to buy resale first, then purchase direct later if still desired. Even when the minimum for Membership Extras went up to 150 points, a lot of us here felt that that perks on offer still did not justify the higher cost.

A reminder: unlike purchasing your first contract direct which requires at least 150 minimum, with resale you can purchase any contract available with no minimums and get your foot in the door. So, you could find and purchase a resale contract for as low as 25 points, and then be eligible for the lower existing member pricing at any active selling resort should you decide to go direct to get 150 for the unrestricted points and Membership Extra benefits.

This!!!

With the cost difference… buy a small resale contract. Why?

1. You get to pick your use year
2. You’ll qualify for existing owner pricing for if/when you choose to get direct.
3. The membership advantages are extremely limited - a few special events that you can pay extra to attend, a “lounge” at EPCOT that serves a free glass of coke… how many cokes would you need to buy to get that deal? For those of us who are under 30, the resort incentives may make it worthwhile, but if you buy where you stay… who cares about being locked out of future resorts? I may buy 150 direct points at some point, but I would never imagine buying more than 150 direct points… No need….

 

[AstroBlasters]

IMO, you are acting prudently to start with a contract that you can comfortably afford. You can always add on more points (wether direct through Disney or by purchasing a resale contract) later.

 

[AstroBlasters]

For all of the resale talk on here, there are some important things that I think should be asked:

1) Does the OP want to stay at RIV as well? How about VDH?

2) How old is the OP? Do they want access to BW or BC post 2042?

3) When is the OP trying to plan a trip for? Resale contracts can take 3+ months to finalize.