Is Direct Worth It?

[eticketplease]

But would you say this is only applicable if you actually want to stay at VGF? Like, if we were really wanting to stay at BWV or a different resort, then maybe resale would be more appropriate? Or do you think VGF is just that great of a deal? (we are not current members so I'm waiting to see what non-member pricing is Thursday.....)

This really depends on how your family gets value from a contract.

If you want to stay at BWV every time then by all means buy there as that location is most valuable to you and you would have the 11 month window which helps with getting standard view and during Food and Wine.

If you value contract length/dues then VGF might be more valuable to you.

Do you ever wish to stay at RVA resort? If yes you must have direct points or a resale RVA contract.

If you buy at VGF or any resort directly, you can use then use them at other resorts (including RVA) at 7 months and will generally be able to either stay longer or in larger accommodations assuming you can get in.

If you are a family of 5 or less and have enough points you can generally book a one bedroom which are usually the last to get booked at all resorts.

Remember if you don't own at a particular resort you most likely will not be able to get into a standard/value room.

Take a look at at David's Vacation Club rental calculator and select points and plug in the dates you would most likely travel.

For an example we own at VGF so we would have access to rooms at 11 months and are travelling 12/24/22 through 12/31/22.

A standard studio would be 234 points and if rooms were available we could switch to BWV at the 7 month mark to a Pool/Garden View (David's lists this as Preferred) and it would cost 198 points instead. You could then bank those 36 points until next year or try to extend your trip based on availability at the resorts

 

[dvc lover 1970]

no, direct is not worth it anymore. Buy resale and save.

 

[BeachClub2014]

Yes, buying direct is "worth it" for many families, ours included.

 

[hglenn]

Boy... this process is clear as mud! LOL. . so many personal decisions to be considered. Length of contract and "value" are important to me. Not sure I really care about staying at RIV but I've never seen it.... so that could change at a later time. We really love BWV. The location and the theming there is our speed. We also really like OKW, honestly, when we aren't doing a lot of parks. Again, very much our environment.... But OKW is going so high on resale and then the dues... We have a very low BWV contract in ROFR right now. Ideally, that would get passed and then I wouldn't feel so bad about having such a "short-term" contract. If it gets taken, we are trying to figure out our Plan B.

 

[Sandisw]

But would you say this is only applicable if you actually want to stay at VGF? Like, if we were really wanting to stay at BWV or a different resort, then maybe resale would be more appropriate? Or do you think VGF is just that great of a deal? (we are not current members so I'm waiting to see what non-member pricing is Thursday.....)

I am a big believer in buy at the resort you want to be at…and if there isn’t one that fits that, choose one that works well if trading at 7 months isn’t always possible,

The big benefits of owning direct points is the ability to use them at RIV and any future resorts that are built. Resale leaves that off the table.

Right now, there are two additional DVC buildings coming. DLT and Poly tower. While we don’t know for sure, there is a possibility those will be excluded from resale and one should at least think about it.

If you buy at least 150, you are eligible for whatever membership perks are there. Right now, that gives you merchandise and food discounts, special events, and access to the Epcot lounge. It would also make you eligible for the DVC Socerer pass, assuming it returns.

Resale leaves you out of all that, IMO, I’d decide first if any or all of those make a difference to you.

I would have a hard time buying BWV right now because of thr short expiration date but if it is where I want to be and would be disappointed if I couldn’t stay, I’d buy anyway. I bought RIV resale points because it’s my top resort and I stay there as part of my trips each and every time.

But, VGF right now is a great deal for buying points direct, as long as you would be okay staying there, depending on what happens at 7 months.

It’s a near park resort and popular. But, it will cost more than resale. Only you can decide if that difference is worth that extra,

I bought restricted points in 2020 and sold them a year later…even though I had plenty of points that are can be used at RIV…because I like knowing that no matter what resort is available, I can book it with all the points I have.

So, direct is worth the extra it costs for that alone, not to mention the extra benefits I get for being a blue card holder. And, I do think the AP will be back at some point and DVC owners will get some level of pass or benefit.

Now, there are plenty that don’t care about any of that, and the savings you get resale is more important.

Good luck!

 

[hglenn]

I am a big believer in buy at the resort you want to be at…and if there isn’t one that fits that, choose one that works well if trading at 7 months isn’t always possible,

The big benefits of owning direct points is the ability to use them at RIV and any future resorts that are built. Resale leaves that off the table.

Right now, there are two additional DVC buildings coming. DLT and Poly tower. While we don’t know for sure, there is a possibility those will be excluded from resale and one should at least think about it.

If you buy at least 150, you are eligible for whatever membership perks are there. Right now, that gives you merchandise and food discounts, special events, and access to the Epcot lounge. It would also make you eligible for the DVC Socerer pass, assuming it returns.

Resale leaves you out of all that, IMO, I’d decide first if any or all of those make a difference to you.

I would have a hard time buying BWV right now because of thr short expiration date but if it is where I want to be and would be disappointed if I couldn’t stay, I’d buy anyway. I bought RIV resale points because it’s my top resort and I stay there as part of my trips each and every time.

But, VGF right now is a great deal for buying points direct, as long as you would be okay staying there, depending on what happens at 7 months.

It’s a near park resort and popular. But, it will cost more than resale. Only you can decide if that difference is worth that extra,

I bought restricted points in 2020 and sold them a year later…even though I had plenty of points that are can be used at RIV…because I like knowing that no matter what resort is available, I can book it with all the points I have.

So, direct is worth the extra it costs for that alone, not to mention the extra benefits I get for being a blue card holder. And, I do think the AP will be back at some point and DVC owners will get some level of pass or benefit.

Now, there are plenty that don’t care about any of that, and the savings you get resale is more important.

Good luck!

Thank you for that!! Such great points. I think another thing against resale right now is the ROFR process. I'm seeing some folks are on their 4th try of attempting to get something to pass. Assuming it's 3-4 weeks for each one, that's a long time to wait - particularly if you are trying to just get entry to being a member. Perhaps it's less of a factor for add-on? Regardless, I'm not good at waiting so this process is dreadful for me... (albeit - probably a good lesson... )

I'm going to see what the VGF is come Thursday. Regardless, I'll wait until I see if my current one passes ROFR (send 3/18). If VGF is a decent deal, then we may spring for that to get us going. I'm not sure I care too much about the restrictions but it's really hard to know when you don't know what you don't know... like how we'll decide to use our points, if we'll fall in love with RIV when we visit, etc.... I would def buy RIV or VGF over BWV if I buy direct. I've done a pretty extensive spreadsheet on points for the life of the contract and BWV is almost $2 higher than almost all of the other resorts we've considered - including VGF. Right now, if my BWV contract gets ROFR'd then I'm leaning towards 150 pts direct and then doing a second contract at SSR for the point value...

 

[Ruttangel]

I'm going to see what the VGF is come Thursday. Regardless, I'll wait until I see if my current one passes ROFR (send 3/18). If VGF is a decent deal, then we may spring for that to get us going.

We already know the pricing, just take additional incentives off the attached
So, $202pp for 125 points
https://dvcexplorer.com/fin/nm/GrandFloridian_Member_DeveloperCredit_CashOnly.pdf

 

[Sandisw]

We already know the pricing, just take additional incentives off the attached
So, $202pp for 125 points
https://dvcexplorer.com/fin/nm/GrandFloridian_Member_DeveloperCredit_CashOnly.pdf

This is for current members only though. We are still waiting for new buyers pricing.

 

[eticketplease]

Thank you for that!! Such great points. I think another thing against resale right now is the ROFR process. I'm seeing some folks are on their 4th try of attempting to get something to pass. Assuming it's 3-4 weeks for each one, that's a long time to wait - particularly if you are trying to just get entry to being a member. Perhaps it's less of a factor for add-on? Regardless, I'm not good at waiting so this process is dreadful for me... (albeit - probably a good lesson... )

I'm going to see what the VGF is come Thursday. Regardless, I'll wait until I see if my current one passes ROFR (send 3/18). If VGF is a decent deal, then we may spring for that to get us going. I'm not sure I care too much about the restrictions but it's really hard to know when you don't know what you don't know... like how we'll decide to use our points, if we'll fall in love with RIV when we visit, etc.... I would def buy RIV or VGF over BWV if I buy direct. I've done a pretty extensive spreadsheet on points for the life of the contract and BWV is almost $2 higher than almost all of the other resorts we've considered - including VGF. Right now, if my BWV contract gets ROFR'd then I'm leaning towards 150 pts direct and then doing a second contract at SSR for the point value...

Another variable to throw in is Use Year.
If you are after a less common use year and you see it on resale you may want to go for it first.
DVD can then give you points in your use year when adding on direct assuming they have them for a sold out resort.

This is a little outdated but since BWV is sold out it still should be pretty accurate for that resort.

https://dvcnews.com/dvc-program/own...ty-of-disney-vacation-club-points-by-use-year

 

[kilik64]

This is a little outdated but since BWV is sold out it still should be pretty accurate for that resort.

No it should be pretty accurate still, numbers were ran just over a year ago.

Should stay pretty accurate as well, DVC cant change the use year of points right? If they ROFR something they can combine points together of the same use year to resell em in whatever amount they want, but they cant change the actual use year right? Hence why sometimes you can call to buy a sold out resort and they dont have any of the use year you want in stock.

 

[hglenn]

Another variable to throw in is Use Year.
If you are after a less common use year and you see it on resale you may want to go for it first.
DVD can then give you points in your use year when adding on direct assuming they have them for a sold out resort.

This is a little outdated but since BWV is sold out it still should be pretty accurate for that resort.

https://dvcnews.com/dvc-program/own...ty-of-disney-vacation-club-points-by-use-year

I don't know if use year is important to us, really. We were thinking Aug only because we do plan to always go during F&W but other than that, we want to go as often as we can and don't really have a defined time. We are not opposed taking our kids out of school outside of sports seasons.

 

[kilik64]

I don't know if use year is important to us, really. We were thinking Aug only because we do plan to always go during F&W but other than that, we want to go as often as we can and don't really have a defined time. We are not opposed taking our kids out of school outside of sports seasons.

I think people tend to overthink use year. What could be a great use year now might not be 10+ years later. Just know how your use year works is the main thing and plan accordingly as best you can to avoid issues of a missed banking deadline or having points go into holding at a bad time, etc.

 

[HappyDisneyWife]

But would you say this is only applicable if you actually want to stay at VGF? Like, if we were really wanting to stay at BWV or a different resort, then maybe resale would be more appropriate? Or do you think VGF is just that great of a deal? (we are not current members so I'm waiting to see what non-member pricing is Thursday.....)

I was specifically answering the OP’s question, as they are interested in the VGF & already own there.

If you don’t want to stay at VGF, I wouldn’t recommend buying it direct or resale right now. But as I said-

I think buying DVC direct in general vs. direct VGF is a very different question. I still think many resorts are better to be purchased resale, but VGF pricing is way too close to resale to make the hassle worth it, in my opinion.

& I, personally, would never buy direct at a resort I didn’t want to stay at, but other people do. I think the gap btw other resorts resale vs direct pricing isn’t worth it to buy direct (to me) & on the flip side isn’t worth it to buy resale for VGF (if wanting VGF).

I think several other posters have done a great job answering your Q

Everyone has their reasons, and what is right for one person, may not make sense for someone else. Only you can decide. For me- I like to buy where we WANT to stay, but still factor in points charts & cost when making final decisions. We own at multiple resorts and enjoy that. Almost all of our points were purchased resale, and I am happy we saved all that money! However, I’m also finding out how important unrestricted points are to me, and that is definitely a factor in us wanting to buy VGF direct right now.

Final note regarding BWV-
I was in that exact same camp 1 yr ago. I wanted BCV, and like everyone else- I hated the expiration date! But I finally decided that it’s where I want to stay (for certain trips) & we have been disappointed when we couldn’t book there @ the 7 month mark, so like @Sandisw advised, we did buy it… resale. (I would never consider buying it direct.) Costs have risen quite a bit since then, which may make it harder to justify- but again, only you can decide what’s right for you. DVC is a luxury purchase, so I think the buyer ought to be very happy with whatever they decide

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Yup. The delta between resale and direct was narrow enough that direct was worth the premium in order to have unrestricted points. Over time, the bulk of the purchase is in annual dues anyway.

Having done both, I also really love the simplicity and flexibility with buying direct. We're currently selling our one resale contract to offset our most recent direct purchase. Not that I would entirely discount buying resale again, for instance I'll see how DLT is priced and whether VGC comes down in price before making a decision (of course, buying direct at VGC isn't an option anyway).

 

[Ruttangel]

Should stay pretty accurate as well, DVC cant change the use year of points right?

They changed the rules a couple of years back so that they can now change UY, not sure how often they do that so the data would still be pretty accurate

 

[Sandisw]

I think people tend to overthink use year. What could be a great use year now might not be 10+ years later. Just know how your use year works is the main thing and plan accordingly as best you can to avoid issues of a missed banking deadline or having points go into holding at a bad time, etc.

Exactly. No one UY will work for the entire year. However, if you do have a set travel period you know you are most likely travel, then it is wise to be strategic if you can. We started with a June UY because we traveled in summer...I taught...but new most likely we would do fall trips when I was retired and leave Spring as less likely.

I did end up adding on a Dec UY when I started wanting to go Memorial Day weekend...which is horrible time with a June UY...

But, there is at least a benefit of not choosing the worst UY for your travel....ie: don't choose February if you always go November/December!

 

[MSUDisney]

Thank you to everyone for taking the time to reply. With the 50 points direct at AKL I just purchased I was assigned March UY to match my VGF resale contract. I am waiting to talk with my guide today to possibly change the AKL UY. We intend to use the points for travel during Feb or March. To me a September UY makes more sense vs the March. Thoughts? Plus if I change to September UY I would get 2021 points.

 

[BamaGuy44]

Thank you to everyone for taking the time to reply. With the 50 points direct at AKL I just purchased I was assigned March UY to match my VGF resale contract. I am waiting to talk with my guide today to possibly change the AKL UY. We intend to use the points for travel during Feb or March. To me a September UY makes more sense vs the March. Thoughts? Plus if I change to September UY I would get 2021 points.

If the Sep UY works better and they'll switch it, the 2021 points would definitely be nice. But I think if you get a different use year it will be a separate membership and you'd be subject to the 150 point minimum.

 

[eticketplease]

But I think if you get a different use year it will be a separate membership and you'd be subject to the 150 point minimum.

This is correct. Unfortunately it would be a new membership and require the current 150 minimum point purchase.

 

[MSUDisney]

If the Sep UY works better and they'll switch it, the 2021 points would definitely be nice. But I think if you get a different use year it will be a separate membership and you'd be subject to the 150 point minimum.

Yes, the 150 point requirement is correct. Our guide said we could do it and then called back shortly after to say we would need to buy 150 to switch it.