I want to add on, but need help with he best option Please!

[amee]

We have had 200 OKW since 2000 June UY, which we use at OKW for the most part, but occasionally elsewhere. We got a chance to stay a BLT and VGF before Covid and loved both stays. We would love to purchase a small contract that we can use to stay in a studio once every other year, in addition to our OKW stay once per year. Our original contract is a Blue Card (but it was a resale back in the day). We also live in Washington State. We have only gone to DL once on points, as it has just been to hard to book at 7 months.

Here is where i am undecided and would love opinions!

*Do we go resale and try for a 75 point contract so we can go every other year?
*Is Direct better so that we can combine points at the 7 month mark if we want?
*I realize Riviera is out with any resale. But i feel like we have a Riviera option with our original points.
*DGC is impossible at 7 months so i am assuming that the DL Tower will be too....so wondering if ability there would really help at all.
*Can you purchase anything less than 125 if you already own?
* I saw an earlier thread that premised that over the course of the life of a small contract the cost of buying direct was about $125 per year additionally. Obviously direct is easier than stalking a resale. Just wondering if anyone else has thoughts there.

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[eandt]

Not an owner yet so might not be your best source of info but it is my understanding that the 125 minimum is for new owners only. As a current owner you could add on as few as 25 points at most if not all resorts. We are torn between direct and resale and find that there are some "hidden" values that aren't often mentioned when comparing the prices of each such as direct contracts being fully loaded as opposed to many resale contracts being partially or fully stripped. The convenience of direct buy is starting to mean something to me as well as we have offered on at least 5-6 resale contracts in the past few weeks but have struck out. The waiting on the resale also seems to be a source of added stress to many buyers who post here. If we were already owners I would imagine that stress would be lessened idk. I would be interested in the true difference in cost over the life of the contract taking all of the factors into consideration, I know its not just a $ amount between per point cost between direct and resale.

 

[MICKIMINI]

Honestly, you have blue card "benefits" so why buy direct? If you buy OKW in the same UY, you can combine with your original 200 points and it will show up as an additional contract. I saw a 100 point OKW today for $99 per point so about $9900 plus about $500 closing and about $800 MF's which is about a $6500 savings over direct! Big money IMO!

We own OKW, HHI, BRV and are in ROFR for SSR. All our contracts are located on our DVC account and I can select which contracts I want to use and the order in which I use them. No issue there!

11 month priority is what you want for a "new" contract, so why not buy one of those other resorts you really like since you already have OKW? 100 vs 75 might turn out about the same in resale since the price will likely be less per point and closing costs about the same. If you decide on resale watch for contracts that hang around for a couple weeks as you might have a better chance of negotiation. The ROFR threads here are very helpful.

Good luck!

 

[DVCsloth]

Maybe a small add on at the DL Tower when it goes on sale might be worth looking in to.

 

[What-r-ya Goofy?]

I realize Riviera is out with any resale.

I keep reading similar comments being made in other posts lately, and perhaps it's unintended, but just to clarify, a direct purchase is not the only way to be able to reserve at Riviera. A resale purchase of a Riviera contract will allow you to stay there as well. You also will have an 11 month home resort reservation advantage at Riviera. You simply won't be able to use those points to reserve at any other DVC resort.

 

[princesscinderella]

*Do we go resale and try for a 75 point contract so we can go every other year?
*Is Direct better so that we can combine points at the 7 month mark if we want?

As long as you buy resale for any of the existing resorts except RIV you will be able to use all your points at the 7 month mark for the existing 14 DVC resorts, direct is not necessary. A RIV resale contract is the only one that currently locks you into only being able to use points there.

I definitely vote resale you will save a lot and can use your grandfathered in OKW points for stays at RIV or any future resorts. Now you just have to decide which other DVC resort you want to have the 11 month advantage for. I vote for a monorail resort

 

[DVC Doctor]

I would suggest a resale from BLT or VGF of 100 points or less

 

[PurdueTodd]

If studio stays are what you’re looking for, have you considered Poly?? Restaraunt choices are good, walking distance to Grand Floridian as well. Can’t beet the view.
What other requirements are you looking for? I’d definitely be looking at resale.

 

[Yinn]

We have had 200 OKW since 2000 June UY, which we use at OKW for the most part, but occasionally elsewhere. We got a chance to stay a BLT and VGF before Covid and loved both stays. We would love to purchase a small contract that we can use to stay in a studio once every other year, in addition to our OKW stay once per year. Our original contract is a Blue Card (but it was a resale back in the day). We also live in Washington State. We have only gone to DL once on points, as it has just been to hard to book at 7 months.

Here is where i am undecided and would love opinions!

*Do we go resale and try for a 75 point contract so we can go every other year?
*Is Direct better so that we can combine points at the 7 month mark if we want?
*I realize Riviera is out with any resale. But i feel like we have a Riviera option with our original points.
*DGC is impossible at 7 months so i am assuming that the DL Tower will be too....so wondering if ability there would really help at all.
*Can you purchase anything less than 125 if you already own?
* I saw an earlier thread that premised that over the course of the life of a small contract the cost of buying direct was about $125 per year additionally. Obviously direct is easier than stalking a resale. Just wondering if anyone else has thoughts there.

Thanks so much for your help!

With 200 grandfather'd points, I feel resale is the best option for you. I have a mix of both and haven't had much issue with combining points, but that's because we don't stay at Riviera regularly. If that's your primary purpose for buying additional points then that might be worth a direct purchase.

 

[amee]

Thank you so much for all of these helpful responses. I have been leaning toward a resale because of cost, but i understand the frustration of being shut out as you try to get one. That makes sense too.
I will ask this question here, but i know i may have to make a separate thread too.....

If i buy resale, does it make sense to get the same UY? My current is June. We would likely stay at the new resort either in early December (after Thanksgiving, before Christmas) or in February.......
Or does it make more sense to try to get a UY 11 months ahead of our preferred time to travel, esp if we went with VGF, since there are so few?

 

[amee]

Not an owner yet so might not be your best source of info but it is my understanding that the 125 minimum is for new owners only. As a current owner you could add on as few as 25 points at most if not all resorts. We are torn between direct and resale and find that there are some "hidden" values that aren't often mentioned when comparing the prices of each such as direct contracts being fully loaded as opposed to many resale contracts being partially or fully stripped. The convenience of direct buy is starting to mean something to me as well as we have offered on at least 5-6 resale contracts in the past few weeks but have struck out. The waiting on the resale also seems to be a source of added stress to many buyers who post here. If we were already owners I would imagine that stress would be lessened idk. I would be interested in the true difference in cost over the life of the contract taking all of the factors into consideration, I know its not just a $ amount between per point cost between direct and resale.

I totally get the frustration. I have followed a few small contracts and am shocked how fast they go!

 

[chalee94]

If i buy resale, does it make sense to get the same UY? My current is June. We would likely stay at the new resort either in early December (after Thanksgiving, before Christmas) or in February.......
Or does it make more sense to try to get a UY 11 months ahead of our preferred time to travel, esp if we went with VGF, since there are so few?

As long as you plan to use the new contract for separate trips (and at different times of the year), then it's fine to have separate UYs. For Nov-Feb trips, Sept and Oct are great UYs.

But if you have 2 UY months, the contracts will be more difficult to use together (it will be as though you were two separate members) and you will need to keep track of the separate banking windows.

 

[princesscinderella]

If you ever wanted to take a big trip or get a larger room if you have two separate UY it makes it harder to accomplish it. You’d have to either transfer points or make separate reservations and combine them.

 

[amee]

Thank you! Super Helpful!!!