I am thinking about rebuying??

SeanK

Mouseketeer
Joined
Apr 1, 2006
Hello Everyone,

I use to be a DVC owner for many years, back in 2012 I sold my DVC so I could purchase my first rental property, Since then I have worked very hard and now I am in a position to buy some points in more then one property.

I am want to do this the most economical way to maximize my points for the minimal amount and figured the good people of Dis boards could help me in this Journey.

From what I see if you buy resale you don't get all the options you use to but I think their in a way around that buy adding on points, I am wondering if there are any tips or pointers people have for an old dog when it comes to getting back into the DVC game?

Sean Kearney
Halifax
 
Since you joined, buying resale limits you in two ways. First, any points bought today will be restricted from use at RIV, VDH, and most likely all future resorts, which could include the new FW cabins becoming DVC and the new Poly tower.

Second, you will no longer be eligible for discounts or special events, including the Moonlight Magic, Epcot Lounge, and TOTWL....

To get the discounts, you currently need 150 points direct...if you buy those, those points will also be good at the restricted resorts....any resale, even if you own direct, will continue to be restricted.

In terms of where to buy? If WDW is the place you want to go, my go to is always SSR if you don't mind staying there if you can't trade out at 7 months...if you have a preference, I think the extra money to get a resort you would enjoy is worth it.

The price for VGF and RIV direct right now is not too bad. The one thing about RIV is that resale buyers who purchase there can not use it anywhere but RIV...so some have stayed away from it. IT is our top resort so we own both resale and direct.

Good luck!
 
We became DVC members last month with a 150 point contract at Riviera (to get the "blue card" benefits Sandisw mentioned above). We knew about the per point discount offer that runs until the end of this month but we did not realize that they were also giving us a full year of 2022 points even though we were buying well into 2023. That was a nice unexpected bonus. From reading the comments on the Disboards as well as the buying guide on disneytouristblog.com, we decided to start with the 150 point direct contract (the blue card benefits are important enough to us) and then we'll add on additional points via resale or via direct discounts they sometimes offer existing members. Good luck formulating your plan and congratulations!
 
I can attest that even if you get a Use Year that expires soon after you buy in, you'll get the prior points when buying direct.

We bought in in January 2017, UY of Feb 1, and had use of the 2016 and 2017 points to book our November 2017 stay.
 


DVC has limitations that maybe weren't so obvious when you owned. Booking is competitive and can be brutal or impossible for some room categories. There are many rooms that will require home points to book. We have no idea what you are booking or when you are traveling.

Assuming points are points to you, as they are to me, cost efficiency is math. Price difference is currently huge between resale and direct. To me, the cost effective options right now are VDH direct ($200/point) or SSR resale ($100/point). You have to decide whether a longer contract and staying at RIV+ is worth double the price to you. To most, it probably is not.

In pure math, the most cost effective option would be to buy SSR points at ~$100/point, get a loaded contract. Book an 11 point summer OKW studio. But then you're at OKW.

DVC in general has escalated in price, and point charts have continued to inflate. Even with cheap points, the newer resorts cost more and more. I don't think it's the home run that it was even in the recent past. There is also a whole lot of competition that wasn't there before. For my August trip, the Waldorf is $250 a night, which gives DVC a run. For my August dates, there are dozens of very nice hotels around $200, many closer to $100. The popular Wyndham is $150. Dolphin is $215, which has all the perks of staying at an on-site deluxe. DVC math will never work against a $215 Dolphin room.
 
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Another big difference is that now availability at 7 months is much worst than in 2012. My first stay in 2012 as a new DVC owner was two weeks in a AKV value studio booked at 7 months. Sure, it was in September, but no way you can do that now, any time of the year.
Covid caused a lot of cancellations and delayed vacation, so this has compounded the problem limiting availability even more in the last 2 years. Hopefully it'll improve, but be aware you might need even greater flexibility to make 7 months booking working.

Also, the point charts have changed, so if you were used to travel during the Fall, then you'll need more points. But great news if you travel in August or May.
 
Are you buying these points to use for your own vacations or are you planning to rent them out for some cash flow?
Maintenance Fees are higher now than in 2012, so do take a look at the MF costs of the resorts you’re interested in.
Point charts for the newer DVC resorts are much higher than the earlier resorts, so if you want to stay at the VGF or Riv, for example, it’ll take more points than a stay at an older resort.
When you sold in 2012 you likely made a profit, although we can’t predict the future, I would not assume that you’ll make a profit if you buy now & sell in the future, particularly w/ the 2042 resorts which only have 19 years left. DVC’s introduction of resale restrictions & it’s impact on future resale prices is still a huge unknown & makes the 2023 version of DVC resale less valuable than the 2012 version of resale - how much less is an open question.
 
Magical beginnings is a recent program that has been beneficial to a lot of folks in the past few weeks. If you buy direct with a use year that hasn’t hit yet this year, you will get 2022 points. Through Magical Beginnings promotion, Disney will buy those points back, thus reducing your out of pocket cost.

Recently folks have reported Disney will immediately buy back those points for up to $22 per point. (Not sure what the current amount is or if it varies based upon resort.)
 
Magical beginnings is a recent program that has been beneficial to a lot of folks in the past few weeks. If you buy direct with a use year that hasn’t hit yet this year, you will get 2022 points. Through Magical Beginnings promotion, Disney will buy those points back, thus reducing your out of pocket cost.

Recently folks have reported Disney will immediately buy back those points for up to $22 per point. (Not sure what the current amount is or if it varies based upon resort.)
We just used Magical Beginnings @$22/pt. for an Oct UY GF contract. It was seamless and they are offering it publicly now on the website. It definitely moved the needle for us to buy in Direct.
 
DVC has limitations that maybe weren't so obvious when you owned. Booking is competitive and can be brutal or impossible for some room categories. There are many rooms that will require home points to book. We have no idea what you are booking or when you are traveling.

Assuming points are points to you, as they are to me, cost efficiency is math. Price difference is currently huge between resale and direct. To me, the cost effective options right now are VDH direct ($200/point) or SSR resale ($100/point). You have to decide whether a longer contract and staying at RIV+ is worth double the price to you. To most, it probably is not.

In pure math, the most cost effective option would be to buy SSR points at ~$100/point, get a loaded contract. Book an 11 point summer OKW studio. But then you're at OKW.

DVC in general has escalated in price, and point charts have continued to inflate. Even with cheap points, the newer resorts cost more and more. I don't think it's the home run that it was even in the recent past. There is also a whole lot of competition that wasn't there before. For my August trip, the Waldorf is $250 a night, which gives DVC a run. For my August dates, there are dozens of very nice hotels around $200, many closer to $100. The popular Wyndham is $150. Dolphin is $215, which has all the perks of staying at an on-site deluxe. DVC math will never work against a $215 Dolphin room.
But the DVC math does work if you don’t like the Dolphin.
 
This thread is about math. Dolphin is an equivalent property by any objective measure, much better than the 11 point OKW room IMO.

It’s about math with DVC though and comparing to off site options is not the same. It’s just not unless someone wants to be at those places.

DVC is never going to work against a value resort either…
 
It’s about math with DVC though and comparing to off site options is not the same. It’s just not unless someone wants to be at those places.

DVC is never going to work against a value resort either…
Dolphin is not an off-site option, it is considered a deluxe on-site for perks, as opposed to value. It's much closer than a massive component of DVC (AKL, SSR, OKW).

In many ways, Marriott is a superior hotelier. I understand the bias here is DVC, but the obvious competitor is Dolphin. When you are doing math, it is the obvious comparison.
 
Dolphin is not an off-site option, it is considered a deluxe on-site for perks, as opposed to value. It's much closer than a massive component of DVC (AKL, SSR, OKW).

In many ways, Marriott is a superior hotelier. I understand the bias here is DVC, but the obvious competitor is Dolphin. When you are doing math, it is the obvious comparison.

I just don’t think it can play a role unless it is a viable option for someone to choose from if they don’t buy DVC.

So, if someone won’t stay at the Marriot, then not sure why one uses its rates. Just like renting…we would never rent so using those figures only works if one actually thinks they’d do it…if not, cash rates with a discount is more comparable.

It’s still all personal based on everyone’s circumstances which is why DVC math can work when you actually compare against options you would go with without DVC.
 
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