Yes unfortunately I started the reply and then came back before I found that out lol. I still would go direct though because that way they could combine with RIV if needed at 7 months for a preferred view.
Exactly. It really depends on which season you're planning for and where you truly want to stay. It's a good idea to visit BLT and CR. I know you mentioned Poly seems busy and crowded, but CR's 4th floor where the airbridge connects to BLT has constant noise from Chef Mickey's, monorail security, and monorail boarding above on the 5th floor. BLT is somewhat tucked away like the original villa building at VGF, but you can say the same about the island tower at PVB. All the monorail resort lobbies tend to be chaotic at times.
It's rough because Oct is the hardest UY for BLT because it only makes up 5% of all contracts followed by April with 6%. If @airjay75 wants to consider other UYs and a second membership he may have a better chance at finding a contract priced like that.
Darn UY always making things difficult
Yeah it's annoying! I think the best deal I saw on a BLT with an Oct UY was a "red hot deal" back in January. It was loaded and in the 130s. All of the lower priced contracts tend to have no current UY points so when I do my Disney math (to justify more expensive direct contracts
) it pushes them back into the 130s.
And, just on that point, I think I understand that all of the monorail resorts can be a bit crazy at times - I don't think I expect any of them to provide the relaxed, calm vibe we get at RIV. I think BLT's separate pool (although I realize everyone says it isn't the greatest pool) has sounded appealing. You don't get that at Poly or VGF. But, we did actually tour PIT before our RIV purchase and the tower itself is certainly lovely. I think I might be back to booking at least part of our welcome home stay at Poly. You have really given me some more to think about here from a longer-term financial perspective, and I think I really need to hit the brakes on a BLT resale purchase. A direct Poly purchase may make much more sense over the long-term, even if we end up having a preference for staying at BLT.
Loaded for 115 at BLT….is unlikely. You will occasionally find a 115 contract. It’s not the usual rate though. Finding a loaded 115 contract, especially one that is not in the February use year, is going to be a needle in a haystack. 125 or more is a lot more likely.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought PIT guests had access to all 3 pools and the 2 splashpads but if you stayed in the longhouses or bungalows you only had access to 2 pools and the 1 splashpad?
Yes it would be better to break them up into 50 pointers as they sell for more and typically go faster as well as the buyer is not having to come up with as much.
At least according to google, everyone staying at Poly, regardless of tower or not, has access to all pools. I also wasn't terribly impressed by the pool with the Moana splash pad they put in right next to the tower. My kids would want to walk right past that and move on to the volcano pool with the more exciting waterslide and full splash pad area. The BLT pool at least has a full waterslide. There is also a gym at the island tower and my understanding is that all Poly guests can access that too. I think the only areas non-tower guests can't access are the garden terraces in the tower itself. When we toured, you had to have a key card to use the tower elevators, but not to get into the tower itself.
No! I don't need another option to consider. Haha. In all seriousness, if I did that, do you know if they would do it at the pricing that was available at the end of the last incentive period (which is what I got on my 300 points)?
Yes the volcano pool is much better!! When we were doing our walkthrough that is when I had heard about the pool situation but I could have been wrong as it was the one for existing DVC members to show up and tour. There were a bunch of us and I can't hear half the time either lol.
Although, as I think about this a little more, I've always thought that a better option in the future if I decide I want more RIV points is to go resale. I've sort of thought, 300 seems like a good amount to keep for the very long run - enough for me and my wife to make our own trips once the kids are not so interested. If I needed more for 4-5 years, seems like buying/selling resale contracts might be the better move since you lose so much buying direct and then selling. Poly points, on the other hand, aren't going to lose so much value so if I decide to offload those in 10-15 years, would seem the better move. So many things to think about.
In theory, I would like to use the gym while on vacation, but kids are so young, that has been very hard to do thus far. But, it is a consideration for me since that might get a bit easier to do as they get older. I don't mind walking to a gym - would be most concerned about size and/or crowding. Poly gym didn't seem particularly big to me given that it wasn't just for tower guests.
