Island Tower at Polynesian Villas & Bungalows

[ClipperDerek]

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it), they have to make some “valuable” differences between direct and resale membership. Otherwise, why would anyone ever buy direct? The value maybe nominal but all the little perks add up to convince some to buy direct. FOMO is a powerful motivator. DVD recognizes that and funds these commercial spaces for specifically that reason.

Thanks for the reminder how this lounge works. Probably I knew it once and forgot. Still I think this kind of differentiation leaves a bad taste in owner’s mouth, especially when it’s your home resort. So I do hope they don’t do this kind of thing at Poly Tower.

 

[hockeydad21]

Thanks for the reminder how this lounge works. Probably I knew it once and forgot. Still I think this kind of differentiation leaves a bad taste in owner’s mouth, especially when it’s your home resort. So I do hope they don’t do this kind of thing at Poly Tower.

I’m actually ok with only direct (DVC-Y) owners being allowed to use it. I only own 1 contract and it’s resale at Poly, and I fully understood my ownership limitations before I bought. No big deal if I never get to go up to Top of the World Lounge or get to watch fireworks from a portal/lounge at Poly Tower. If that’s the price I pay for saving over $15k off of my contract, then so be it. My kids and wife will just have to suffer by watching the fireworks on the beach at a premier WDW resort while having the time of their lives. Tragic lives us resale peasants live!

 

[peder]

The 2-Bedroom Penthouse is a big disappointment for me. If you're going to make a major change-up and create a new category, why would you not create a category with two king beds? I would have made the room sleep 7, with 2 king beds in their own bedrooms, and in the living room, I would have had 1 queen pulldown and 1 twin pulldown.

 

[Cabius]

I’m actually ok with only direct (DVC-Y) owners being allowed to use it. I only own 1 contract and it’s resale at Poly, and I fully understood my ownership limitations before I bought. No big deal if I never get to go up to Top of the World Lounge or get to watch fireworks from a portal/lounge at Poly Tower. If that’s the price I pay for saving over $15k off of my contract, then so be it. My kids and wife will just have to suffer by watching the fireworks on the beach at a premier WDW resort while having the time of their lives. Tragic lives us resale peasants live!

$15k will buy a LOT of fireworks dessert parties!

 

[Mikey15]

Wouldn't VGF (2064) and RIV (2070) have been a bigger issues with the lifetime of points? That was closer to 15%.
PVB is 2066 so only 4 years fewer than RIV.

A fair point. VGF2 went on sale in 2022 (42 years remaining vs 48, -12.5%) and sold out in 2023 (41 vs 47, -12.8%).

If only some UY get 2024 points, the PIT UY that start with 2025 will be 41 vs 45-46 for Riv (46 if ‘24 points available for same UY), -8.9% to -10.9%. By 2026 that first year issue won’t be there, and PIT will still be selling while Riv likely winding down. Then it’ll be 40 vs 44, -9.1%. The percentage does increase over time but I think Riv will be sold out before it gets to the difference that VGF & Riv had.

 

[maui22]

A fair point. VGF2 went on sale in 2022 (42 years remaining vs 48, -12.5%) and sold out in 2023 (41 vs 47, -12.8%).

If only some UY get 2024 points, the PIT UY that start with 2025 will be 41 vs 45-46 for Riv (46 if ‘24 points available for same UY), -8.9% to -10.9%. By 2026 that first year issue won’t be there, and PIT will still be selling while Riv likely winding down. Then it’ll be 40 vs 44, -9.1%. The percentage does increase over time but I think Riv will be sold out before it gets to the difference that VGF & Riv had.

Funny how times change. When BWV opened, it had less than 46 years remaining. BCV opened 7/1/02, so those who bought were already under 40 years remaining.

 

[mkatsy]

$15k will buy a LOT of fireworks dessert parties!

Invest the $15K and buy a fireworks party every year with the interest

 

[AstroBlasters]

The 2-Bedroom Penthouse is a big disappointment for me. If you're going to make a major change-up and create a new category, why would you not create a category with two king beds? I would have made the room sleep 7, with 2 king beds in their own bedrooms, and in the living room, I would have had 1 queen pulldown and 1 twin pulldown.

They already have the bungalows and that pretty much looks like you described.

I like the layout of the 2Bd PENTHOUSE much better for our family of four. Each kid gets their own bed in one room, the parents get their own bed in the primary, and you have amazing views in an elevated living space. Seems perfect.

 

[AstroBlasters]

$15k will buy a LOT of fireworks dessert parties!

I don’t think the spread on 150 points will be $15k when PolyT goes on sale.

$6k maybe ($160pp resale vs $200pp direct with incentives)…. so amortize that out over the 41 year life of the contract….

So, $146 a year + $300 for a 5% tbill = $446/yr…. now what value do you get from discounts on food, merch, possibly APs, and access to restricted resorts, lounges, and limited events….

 

[peder]

They already have the bungalows and that pretty much looks like you described.

I like the layout of the 2Bd PENTHOUSE much better for our family of four. Each kid gets their own bed in one room, the parents get their own bed in the primary, and you have amazing views in an elevated living space. Seems perfect.

The gap for us is for multi-generational trips. I hated putting my parents and in-laws on the full-size beds in the 2-bedroom in the Riviera (they say it's a queen, but folks on FB groups have measured and the two "queen" beds actually have full-size bed dimensions). Basically there's no way for us to bring a larger group of family using our DVC interest.

We'll probably do Evermore if we plan another large Disney trip, where every bedroom has either cool bunkbeds for the kids or king beds for adults.

 

[AstroBlasters]

The gap for us is for multi-generational trips. I hated putting my parents and in-laws on the full-size beds in the 2-bedroom in the Riviera (they say it's a queen, but folks on FB groups have measured and the two "queen" beds actually have full-size bed dimensions). Basically there's no way for us to bring a larger group of family using our DVC interest.

We'll probably do Evermore if we plan another large Disney trip, where every bedroom has either cool bunkbeds for the kids or king beds for adults.

We’ve done the Grand Villas for the multi-generational trips with one set of grand parents.

If there were 2 sets of grand parents then we’d probably just get 2x2 bedrooms.

 

[CastAStone]

Funny how times change. When BWV opened, it had less than 46 years remaining. BCV opened 7/1/02, so those who bought were already under 40 years remaining.

I mean how many years are left on Aulani?

Overall I think the value of years 45-50 is negligible, something like 2% of the total buy in value of the contract for all of those years combined. Because of the beauty of compounding interest, I would only have to invest a fairly trivial amount of money now to have the funds to rent that hotel room in 2069 or whenever.

The first 10-15 years dominate the value of a contract.

 

[AstroBlasters]

I mean how many years are left on Aulani?

Overall I think the value of years 45-50 is negligible, something like 2% of the total buy in value of the contract for all of those years combined. Because of the beauty of compounding interest, I would only have to invest a fairly trivial amount of money now to have the funds to rent that hotel room in 2069 or whenever.

The first 10-15 years dominate the value of a contract.

Jan 2062

 

[hockeydad21]

I don’t think the spread on 150 points will be $15k when PolyT goes on sale.

$6k maybe ($160pp resale vs $200pp direct with incentives)…. so amortize that out over the 41 year life of the contract….

So, $146 a year + $300 for a 5% tbill = $446/yr…. now what value do you get from discounts on food, merch, possibly APs, and access to restricted resorts, lounges, and limited events….

I was referencing my 330 point resale contract. It’ll be at least $15k savings once poly tower goes on sale.

 

[AstroBlasters]

I was referencing my 330 point resale contract. It’ll be at least $15k savings once poly tower goes on sale.

Understood. But someone could get 150 direct and 180 resale if they wanted to save some money and get the direct benefits.

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

Understood. But someone could get 150 direct and 180 resale if they wanted to save some money and get the direct benefits.

I think you made a compelling case for up to a $40-50/pt gap between direct and resale (a) if you don’t already have a Y card and (b) up to the first 150 points (or slightly more if there’s a good incentive threshold). It’s a lot harder to justify more than a $20-25 spread if you already have the Y card in my opinion, unless you’re buying VDH or RIV (where resale has way less utility), or need to be able to use your direct points there (or somewhere else in the future)…but if you’re buying direct points primarily as SAP, why wouldn’t you buy them somewhere cheaper than PVB?

 

[AstroBlasters]

I think you made a compelling case for up to a $40-50/pt gap between direct and resale (a) if you don’t already have a Y card and (b) up to the first 150 points (or slightly more if there’s a good incentive threshold). It’s a lot harder to justify more than a $20-25 spread if you already have the Y card in my opinion, unless you’re buying VDH or RIV (where resale has way less utility), or need to be able to use your direct points there (or somewhere else in the future)…but if you’re buying direct points primarily as SAP, why wouldn’t you buy them somewhere cheaper than PVB?

Completely agree. Huge difference if you are looking at PolyT as an add on to a membership that already has DVC-Y vs new member or resale only.

Additionally, the restricted nature of the points probably impact West Coast based DVCers differently because of VDH and future DLFwd DVCs.

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

Completely agree. Huge difference if you are looking at PolyT as an add on to a membership that already has DVC-Y vs new member or resale only.

Additionally, the restricted nature of the points probably impact West Coast based DVCers differently because of VDH and future DLFwd DVCs.

Literally around the exact time you were posting this I was trying to explain to my Disney Math challenged husband why direct points have more value for us (DLR is our main resort):
Me: So direct points are more valuable because we can use them at VDH.
DH: But we like VGC better…
Me: Yes, but there are many more rooms at VDH and it’s easier to get a studio.
DH: So shouldn’t we just buy VGC?
Me: Maybe, but it doesn’t help because we can almost never plan DLR trips more than 8m in advance.
DH: So direct points double our chances to get a room on shorter notice?
Me: Probably more than double, for now, and eventually there will be a 3rd DVC property, which will likely also be restricted and then we’ll have even more options!

Then we detoured into a long conversation about VGC and fall visits and if anybody asks, you all are my witnesses that my husband agreed we should buy VGC points as soon as our kids quit the recreational sports that mess up planning out weekends in the fall.

 

[GGGT]

................................

Then we detoured into a long conversation about VGC and fall visits and if anybody asks, you all are my witnesses that my husband agreed we should buy VGC points as soon as our kids quit the recreational sports that mess up planning out weekends in the fall.

Audio or it didn't happen.

 

[zavandor]

I mean how many years are left on Aulani?

Overall I think the value of years 45-50 is negligible, something like 2% of the total buy in value of the contract for all of those years combined. Because of the beauty of compounding interest, I would only have to invest a fairly trivial amount of money now to have the funds to rent that hotel room in 2069 or whenever.

The first 10-15 years dominate the value of a contract.

I agree wholeheartedly with this.
Proof is OKW. Extended contracts sell for around $8 more than non extended ones. This means that 15 extra years just 20 years from now are worth half a dollar each.
That's why I think all the calculations about the cheapest resort for SAP that split the buy in cost by the total number of years are a bit rubbish. The newest resorts appear much more economical than they really are just because they have 10 or 15 extra years far in the future. Who knows even if our planet will be still inhabitable in 40 years, let alone DVC value by then.