Just got back and thinking about DVC again...

[holtrp]

We just got back from a week at DL, US & Knotts (stayed offsite at HoJo) and we're thinking about buying 160-220 points at Aulani. Our kids are 4-5 and we agree we want to get at least a 1 bedroom from now on. We live in Alaska, so we were thinking 7-10 days in Hawaii every year or every other year will never get old. We both agree we could commit to that. Plus, it would be nice to have the flexibility to go back to California / Florida in 4-5 years. Maybe they will open another DVC property in Anaheim by then? It seems like the 7 month window at GC is pretty much a non starter.

I have read most of the stuff on the internet about the pros and cons of DVC. We have been mulling it over for the past few years and I think it would be a good fit for our family. Just wondering if anyone has any other advice or things they wish they would have thought of before purchasing?

I think as long as you don't really over pay on a resale it would be hard to totally get burned. Seems like they sell reasonably quickly.

 

[disneynutz]

I don't think that people get burned buying resale, go with a well known broker, do your homework and realize that Disney has taken away some perks to punish resale buyers.

If you love Aulani and plan on using your posts mostly there then go for it. My issue with Aulani is that you are buying just Aulani and booking elsewhere at 7 months.

If you buy BWV as an example, at 11 months you get BWV, WDW, the boardwalk, a couple of hundred places to eat, DS, and 4 parks.

Bill

 

[Dean]

We just got back from a week at DL, US & Knotts (stayed offsite at HoJo) and we're thinking about buying 160-220 points at Aulani. Our kids are 4-5 and we agree we want to get at least a 1 bedroom from now on. We live in Alaska, so we were thinking 7-10 days in Hawaii every year or every other year will never get old. We both agree we could commit to that. Plus, it would be nice to have the flexibility to go back to California / Florida in 4-5 years. Maybe they will open another DVC property in Anaheim by then? It seems like the 7 month window at GC is pretty much a non starter.

I have read most of the stuff on the internet about the pros and cons of DVC. We have been mulling it over for the past few years and I think it would be a good fit for our family. Just wondering if anyone has any other advice or things they wish they would have thought of before purchasing?

I think as long as you don't really over pay on a resale it would be hard to totally get burned. Seems like they sell reasonably quickly.

If you have enough experience to know you want to go back to HI every 1 to 2 years, that's a reasonable choice but you're not likely to get DL routinely that way. Do realize there are other ways to get to HI and many of those are cheaper and offer other and possibly better options overall. If DVC makes sense for you anyway (pay cash, use only DVC, OK with the inherent compromises, plan 7-11 months out) then doing this resale might be very reasonable. I would look for a subsided contract if HI is indeed your choice but it will be more up front. If you're fairly flexible overall I might look at VGC rather than HI as a home resort.

 

[ziravan]

Unless you're interested in Aulani during prime summer every year, I'd look at VGC with the idea of booking Aulani at 7 months.

Aulani is much bigger and will have 7 month availability even slightly off season.

That gives you the best of both worlds: DL booking at 11 months and HI when you want.

Biggest resale perks removed, in my opinion, were AP discounts and member events, neither which will routinely apply to you.

I'd take a hard look at VGC.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Check out the resale prices at Aulani and compare them to the direct prices. There might not be much of a difference. Then you will get the perks if they are important to you.

And I agree with ziravan. You may want to check out resales for Grand Californian Villas since they are small and hard to book at seven months out. You can still use those points at Aulani and Florida.

 

[mustinjourney]

I agree with the others -- it sounds like you might want to consider VGC resale so you have the option to actually stay there. Aulani appears to have a lot more availability.

 

[shaunacb]

We are in a similar boat, live in western Canada, planning HI or Disneyland at least annually, and only WDW every 3-5 years. Had a tough time deciding on home resort, researched for months, and ended up going with the best of both worlds buying resale recently. (By the way, resale at Aulani is way less expensive than direct.) Half our points are VGC, and half are AUL. We don't need the home booking advantage at Aulani, but they were cheap points (<$100) and found a subsidized dues contract (which makes it actually more economical than SSR!). Have different use years, but hoping that will be OK as I will generally use VGC only at VGC (bank and borrow), and use AUL for everything else. Considering swapping my VGC use year out to match AUL, but I think it would be a lot of hassle and cost (broker commission, more closing costs, and maybe FIRPTA) for a small benefit of being able to use the points together for a single night. I think I can get around it by just booking days separately on each contract and asking MS to link the two reservations. My two cents!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I think the "DVC member perks!!!1!" are pretty low-value for AUL owners who largely use them at AUL.

 

[holtrp]

Thank you for all the replies. We will probably think about it for a while longer. I have always wanted to do VGC, but just don't think we would use it enough. We plan on visiting DL parks maybe 2-3 times in the next 10 years. That said, I will need to take a closer look at timeshares in Hawaii. We have always just been so pleased with our stays with the mouse, I feel like we are taking a real risk going elsewhere as far as quality goes.

For comparison, DVC at Aulani is 85 per point resale / 171 direct and VGC is around 140 resale and I don't think you can even wait list for them now. I understand that there is always going to be people buying VGC and those points will likely always have a strong market, but I also feel like Hawaii isn't going out of style any time soon and points there are heavily discounted already. They could easily open another DVC in California in the next 10 years that would dilute VGC value also, in fact, I would almost expect it with the expansion in DL and another 4 star hotel in the works.

 

[holtrp]

Buying both VGC and Aulani might make the most sense for us. I have stayed at PP, DLH and Harbor street multiple times but after every trip I always wish I would have booked at GC. That building is simply fantastic. Maybe we do Aulani now, then step into VGC in the next couple years when we are ready to do the parks more frequently.

 

[ziravan]

Buying both VGC and Aulani might make the most sense for us. I have stayed at PP, DLH and Harbor street multiple times but after every trip I always wish I would have booked at GC. That building is simply fantastic. Maybe we do Aulani now, then step into VGC in the next couple years when we are ready to do the parks more frequently.

So long as you fully vet the possibilities, I think you'll ultimate make a great choice for you and your family.

Good luck!

 

[MouseOfCards]

Agree with a PP; if you like Aulani, look for a contract with subsidized dues, which can make ownership cheaper than any other DVC, including SSR. Keep in mind that Aulani is more paperwork, usually needs more time to close, and typically charges higher closing costs than other DVC's. Also, Hawaii will require you to get your closing docs notorized. And many Aulani owners are foreigners (e.g. from Japan), so make sure who pays the FIRPTA and HARPTA processing fees is clearly disclosed (or negotiate this) in the contract.

You're right, there is a huge difference in price between Aulani and VGC; you will definitely get more points for the same money at Aulani. If you don't plan to go to DL often and won't need VGC during the busy times or for studios, then nothing wrong with waiting to see if DVC opens another CA resort in a few years.

Best wishes whichever route you take! (BTW, did you stay at VGC during your DL trip?)

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

With the DVC offer being reg $171 and 50% off that price I would get a contract from Disney

 

[holtrp]

Agree with a PP; if you like Aulani, look for a contract with subsidized dues, which can make ownership cheaper than any other DVC, including SSR. Keep in mind that Aulani is more paperwork, usually needs more time to close, and typically charges higher closing costs than other DVC's. Also, Hawaii will require you to get your closing docs notorized. And many Aulani owners are foreigners (e.g. from Japan), so make sure who pays the FIRPTA and HARPTA processing fees is clearly disclosed (or negotiate this) in the contract.

You're right, there is a huge difference in price between Aulani and VGC; you will definitely get more points for the same money at Aulani. If you don't plan to go to DL often and won't need VGC during the busy times or for studios, then nothing wrong with waiting to see if DVC opens another CA resort in a few years.

Best wishes whichever route you take! (BTW, did you stay at VGC during your DL trip?)

We went to Napa Rose for dinner and had some drinks there. My wife had a spa appointment. We always try to spend a little time there on each trip. I absolutely love that hotel. We sat in the lobby for almost an hour listening to the piano just people watching. I have seen some of the rooms and I don't think they are anything special. But being that close to the park with a nice swimming pool would be worth it for me, especially after we saw the police breaking up a domestic dispute at Best Western and passing people sleeping at the bus stop on Harbor every day we entered / left the park.

As for Aulani, we are still on the fence. We were close to making an offer on subsidized points, but when we sat down and started talking about all the vacations we want to take outside of Disney in the next 10-20 years, we had to pause. We also can't really agree on Disney over even the next 10 years. My spouse really likes to get an immersive experience on vacation, and so do I, before we had kids that is. Anymore, I am much more willing to do a more touristy Disney vacation, because I know exactly what we are getting, opposed to my spouse who doesn't want to commit to doing Disney trips that frequently.

I am sure if I work on her long enough, we will buy it. For now, I think we'll just rent points for our spring trip.

Thanks for all the input guys. Any suggestions on convincing spouses or other considerations?