Is Poly right for us?

[huxbnw]

Hello:

We love Disney and have a special love for the theme and location of the Poly. The question is whether it's worth paying the premium to by at the Poly through DVC instead of a resale for another resort.

We have a family of 5 with kids ages 7, 4 and 2. All love Disney. We really like the idea of being on the monorail while the kids are young.

Our plan is to go once a year or every other year. Perhaps a cruise or two, which I know is only available if we buy through Disney. How many points is sufficient for these purposes? We are OK without a 1BR but might get used to that accommodation in the future. I guess we can always buy more points.

In 2017 we have a strong desire to bring my sister's family for Christmas week to Disney. They can't really afford it without some help--especially for Christmas week. So it would be a big family adventure. We would have two families of 5 with kids 10 and under.

Currently I can buy Poly with August use year. Does this mean that for December 2017 I could use the August 2016 and 2017 points, and also bank the August 2018 points as well?

Thanks so much!!!

 

[BillPA]

You need to do more research, there are no 1 or 2 bedroom units at Poly DVC. Using points for a cruise is not such a good use of points. With that in mind, look at a resale. You can get so much more for so much less.

 

[huxbnw]

Sorry if I was unclear. I understand there are no 1 or 2 BR at the Poly. I was referring to the opportunity to book at other resorts in 1 and 2 BR. The question is--given our love of the Poly, the access to the monorail and general location--whether the premium is worthwhile to buy at the Poly. Very subjective I know.

 

[Mmw37]

I'm a new owner, but did a ton of research first so I'll give it a go.

1) Should you buy Poly? Only if you'll stay there at least 75% of the time, and only if you foresee a family of 5 being comfortable in a studio 5-10 years down the road. Otherwise you're better off buying elsewhere and staying at Poly every few trips as availability allows. It might be just fine if you see yourselves keeping it for couples trips after the kids are grown, and only wanting 1BRs for a few trips when the kids are older, but if you're purchasing mainly for family use another resort is probably a better fit. Have you looked into BLT?

2) General rule is that cruises are a poor use of points. Such a poor use that you will fare better by renting out your points through a vendor and using the proceeds to pay cash for the cruise. This effectively negates this "perk" of buying direct.

3) Dec 2017 would be in your 2017 u/y if you buy August. If purchased direct you will get full 2016 points, and yes you can bank those and borrow from 2018 for the trip.

4) Is August a u/y that works for your family's normal travel times, or is it just what the guide was pushing? Make sure that you don't plan to regularly travel in May/June/July before purchasing an August contract.

5) If you're planning to travel during Christmas 2017, you may want to get the ball rolling soon. 11 mo window will open in a few weeks. I don't think this has been needed at Poly often, but it is a holiday week. If you decide to buy resale elsewhere it can take a few months from offer to points in account, so you may be cutting even the 7 mo window close by the time you research all of the options.

Have fun figuring it all out, I did! I probably changed my mind 83 times before finally making my first resale purchase. It's a process!

 

[Dean]

Hello:

We love Disney and have a special love for the theme and location of the Poly. The question is whether it's worth paying the premium to by at the Poly through DVC instead of a resale for another resort.

We have a family of 5 with kids ages 7, 4 and 2. All love Disney. We really like the idea of being on the monorail while the kids are young.

Our plan is to go once a year or every other year. Perhaps a cruise or two, which I know is only available if we buy through Disney. How many points is sufficient for these purposes? We are OK without a 1BR but might get used to that accommodation in the future. I guess we can always buy more points.

In 2017 we have a strong desire to bring my sister's family for Christmas week to Disney. They can't really afford it without some help--especially for Christmas week. So it would be a big family adventure. We would have two families of 5 with kids 10 and under.

Currently I can buy Poly with August use year. Does this mean that for December 2017 I could use the August 2016 and 2017 points, and also bank the August 2018 points as well?

Thanks so much!!!

I agree with Bill, you need to do more research. I would not buy for a one time trip, just rent for that trip privately. I'd be stronger in my wording for cruises than Bill, it's a horrible use of points from the standpoint of buying to do so to the point where no one should ever do so unless there's a major change in the system. You'll save money by buying less points and paying OOP for the cruises as well as having a safer and easier transaction. The best UY is the one that falls just before your usual travel date. IMO the UY is often far more important than any points lost. Once you understand enough about such a timeshare, the answers should be fairly automatic for you. Assuming the right answer is a 1 BR and the monorail is truly important to you, BLT is likely the best option. I'd only buy the Poly if one is planning to spend almost all of the points there. Personally I don't think it'll be that difficult getting the Poly at 7 months out long term anyway for a studio, might be tough for a 1 BR though LOL. At EOY you're only looking at a few trips anyway based on being on the monorail while the kids are young. The number of points will vary based on the rest of your decisions but you're in the roughly 200 point range for a week most years with many being in a 1 BR and some in a studio, maybe more if you truly decide to buy to cover the single larger trip. If you did decide to go retail and Poly and did opt for the cruise option, you'll need another couple of hundred points in all likelihood depending on specifics. So double the points and at the higher retail price to have the option on top of the low returned value for the points barely recouping the maint fees.

 

[ziravan]

I own at Poly.

We have 2 kids and we have BCV points for when we want a larger room.

I wouldn't buy Poly for a family of 5.

For the next several years, Poly should be avail at 7 months outside of Fall Frenzy (F&W through Jan Marathon).

Instead of 150 Poly points, I'd look for 200 resale elsewhere and maybe 50 at Poly, for roughly the same price.

Use the 50 with bank and borrow for the times you want to stay at Poly during peak times and use the 200 elsewhere for bigger accommodations.

 

[huxbnw]

Thanks everyone for the advice. Seems like buying all points at the Poly may not make sense.

Can someone explain the strategy behind the choice of use year. We plan to travel to Disney at various times of the year. Next year December, other years in February/March when kids are young, but also in Seltdmber/October/November in the future. I doubt we will do much in the summer. What should we be looking for?

I don't fully understand the cost/benefit of buying points at different locations. Say I bought 100 at Poly and 100 at BLT. Does this mean I can buy at either at the 11-month window? Can I use the full 200 points for either location at the 11-month window?

Thanks for your help.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I don't fully understand the cost/benefit of buying points at different locations. Say I bought 100 at Poly and 100 at BLT. Does this mean I can buy at either at the 11-month window? Can I use the full 200 points for either location at the 11-month window?

No, you cannot combine points from two home resorts at 11 months. You could use the 100 Poly points at 11 months at Poly, and the 100 BLT points at BLT at 11 months.

FWIW, in October-December, you will primarily be booking and staying at home resort. Some will point out with appropriate leverage of the waitlist you can sometimes change during this period, but with kids 7, 4 and 2 I don't know if you're going to want to be playing waitlist bingo and ending up with possible awkward split-stays. I know I don't do that, and I only have two and they're now slightly older.

In February/March it is easier to stay somewhere other than home resort at 7 months.

FWIW, i agree with Dean. With a family of 5, BLT is going to be the most appealing 1BR if you like monorail, because it's cheaper in resale than VGF, and has sleep surfaces for 5, plus 2 bathrooms. The Epcot resort 1BRs do not have sleep surfaces for 5 (you have to BYO 5th) and only 1 bath.

 

[CarolMN]

Check this thread out for more info on use year selection:

Understanding Use Year

 

[Mmw37]

August or September are good choices if you won't be traveling in summer. If you often go at the same time you'd want to choose that month or the month before, but if your trips are spread out you just want to avoid regularly traveling in the last 4 months of your u/y.

Think of it as trip insurance. With an August u/y you have to bank current points by 4/1 if you want to roll them over. If you have a trip planned in July and have to cancel for some reason in June, you're stuck with points that expire on 7/31. If your u/y was December for that same trip you would just cancel and bank.

 

[Dean]

Thanks everyone for the advice. Seems like buying all points at the Poly may not make sense.

Can someone explain the strategy behind the choice of use year. We plan to travel to Disney at various times of the year. Next year December, other years in February/March when kids are young, but also in Seltdmber/October/November in the future. I doubt we will do much in the summer. What should we be looking for?

I don't fully understand the cost/benefit of buying points at different locations. Say I bought 100 at Poly and 100 at BLT. Does this mean I can buy at either at the 11-month window? Can I use the full 200 points for either location at the 11-month window?

Thanks for your help.

The referenced thread will give you the nuts and bolts. As described there likely isn't a great UY for your situation but realize you will have more risk than if there was due to changes and cancelations over the years. The single best UY if you travel equally during those 5 months is Sept if you won't travel the Sept Holiday and August if you would. But it's unlikely you'd travel equally during those times so the bulk of your travel time the next few years should drive your UY choice.