Land or World?

[DizzyKnee]

I sure would appreciate the input from the almighty DIS Board DVC pros.

We live in California and have two adult children. Waiting on our kids to find their soulmates and get busy on grand kids. In the meantime, the four of us are still Disney loyalists and enjoy both Land and World. Of course, Disneyland is most convenient and truly is our favorite but we love Disney World, as well. Since we can utilize Disneyland more, we are looking at VGC. We'd like to purchase approximately 300 points to start and bank and borrow along the way. We might stay 3 nights one year at VGC and a week the next year at Disney World. We do have a ton of flexibility when it comes to the time of visit so we probably won't use points during the peak periods to try and make the most efficient use of points. We would anticipate our stays at Disney World to be longer due to travel and just the sheer amount of Disney glory to experience.

1. VGC is a small resort with very limited availability. What is the best use year to take advantage of Choice and Adventure Seasons?

2. In Orlando, what type of availability would we find 7 months out? I imagine availability during the holiday weeks would be almost nonexistent but what about November, September, January, April?

3. Because we'd plan on staying longer in Disney World, should we look at this in reverse and purchase something like BLT as our home resort? Would we be able to bag 2 or 3 nights at VGC just 7 months out?

4. On buying direct vs. resale, are any of the perks provided when buying direct really that over the top? It appears as if Disney is really trying to limit access on certain things to those that have bought resale. For instance, if I buy resale at BLT, will I have access to the Top of the World Lounge? Is it worth it to buy the smallest possible contract direct from Disney to get those perks?

5. Instead of purchasing 1 master contract, should I look at 2 positions? Maybe 100 for VGC and 200 at BLT?

6. Let's say I don't want to use my points for one year but still want to vacation somewhere that year, do I rent my points out at $16 each and utilize that money to go somewhere or is there an exchange where I swap?

I really appreciate your expertise. There's just a ton to think about and it's not peanuts.

Thanks!
DizzyKnees

 

[FireflyTrance]

I own VGC and have had a fair amount of luck booking WDW rooms at 7 months out. 1 bedrooms are easier to get than studios. VGC is more expensive to buy, so if your plan is to go to WDW some of the time, you might want to look into buying two contracts, one at VGC and one at WDW. They may be opening a DVC Resort at the Disneyland Hotel, so you could also wait and see it that ends up happening.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

In Orlando, what type of availability would we find 7 months out? I imagine availability during the holiday weeks would be almost nonexistent but what about November, September, January, April?

Depends on unit size, but you need to know that November is part of DVC's very high demand season in Orlando, and 7 month selection of studios and 2BRs tends to be sparse.

Because we'd plan on staying longer in Disney World, should we look at this in reverse and purchase something like BLT as our home resort? Would we be able to bag 2 or 3 nights at VGC just 7 months out?

Not reliably. You would be working with waitlists more often than not, especially if you have designs on studios.

Let's say I don't want to use my points for one year but still want to vacation somewhere that year, do I rent my points out at $16 each and utilize that money to go somewhere or is there an exchange where I swap?

Resale and direct points can be used via RCI, but trade value varies a lot as do planning timelines. Renting for cash is the most flexible option for this purpose.

FWIW: Why 300 points if you're looking for 2-3 nights on a DLR year, but "longer" (how much?) on the WDW side?

 

[DizzyKnee]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think with 300 points we could use a little at DLR each year and then back and borrow for a bigger (2 bdrm) and longer (7 night) trip to WDW every other year. It looks like BLT is super convenient but DVC resorts look convenient around Epcot, as well. We've stayed off resort in Orlando at Bonnet Creek and at various Marriott locations. The "commute" back to your room after a long day is brutal. Furthermore, it's nice to go chill for an hour or two and return to a park. So, access to the theme parks in WDW is a big seller for me.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think with 300 points we could use a little at DLR each year and then back and borrow for a bigger (2 bdrm) and longer (7 night) trip to WDW every other year. It looks like BLT is super convenient but DVC resorts look convenient around Epcot, as well. We've stayed off resort in Orlando at Bonnet Creek and at various Marriott locations. The "commute" back to your room after a long day is brutal. Furthermore, it's nice to go chill for an hour or two and return to a park. So, access to the theme parks in WDW is a big seller for me.

If you buy a large VGC contract and want to use those points September-December, you are going to struggle mightily to get BLT or BCV/BWV. If you would want any of these, you'd need 11 month booking.

Booking at 7 months in November, you are likely to be booking Saratoga or OKW, with some possibility of having to waitlist even at those very large resorts.

 

[cruisehopeful]

Something else to consider is that if you buy VGC only, you'll be in a good position to trade with an owner for a stay somewhere else. When I owned VGC, I was frequently asked if I would trade or rent my points. It's very high demand. The other thing you can do is rent a WDW reservation from another owner and rent your VGC points out if you find that you can't make the reservation that you want for WDW.

I am also on the west coast and I used to own VGC. I just think it's a better choice if you want to stay there often. I don't like to plan 11 months out, so it wasn't a good long term plan for me, but for those who do, I recommend buying there. If you are hoping to grab a couple nights a few months out - super unlikely to happen.

 

[Sandisw]

Since your stays are going to be shorter at VGC, maybe consider getting a contract at both VGC and a WDW resort,

This way, you can book VGC when you need, and have points for WDW to secure an 11 month booking and then at the 7 month mark, be able to add to the WDW trip using your VGC points.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

rent a WDW reservation from another owner and rent your VGC points out if you find that you can't make the reservation that you want for WDW.

Serious caveats here. If at 7 months they cannot book at WDW, they need to have flexible dates to rent something else that will be within home resort. If they cannot get it at 7, neither can another owner and they are at the mercy of confirmed reservations.

 

[bwvBound]

FWIW, we live in San Diego and have owned DVC since 2004 at SSR. We also own other timeshare, notably Worldmark the Club, which has two locations w/in walking distance of Disneyland Resort.

We use our DVC SSR points as “sleep around points” and have had great success, over the years, booking all across the system inside the 7 month window, mostly in 1BR units. VGC is difficult ... but we are quite comfortable walking from either of our nearby Worldmark locations if we don’t get a reservation there.

If you absolutely must be at VGC, you‘ll likely be happy owning at least some of your points there. Or ... consider a 2nd timeshare product ... like Worldmark.

 

[iflyjetzzz]

The big difference between World and Land is that non-Disney hotels/timeshares are close by at Land. At World, all non-Disney properties are a distance away.
We have stayed at several different non-Disney hotels at Land and it's not a problem going between the hotels and parks during the day. At World, not so much.

I consider DVC to be far more valuable at World than at Land.

 

[KPeterso]

My personal thoughts on this... I also live on the west coast. I have VGC points for VGC use only (so expensive now), and then also points at AKV and SSR that I use as "sleep around points" at WDW. I go in September and March and really have never had issues getting into the various resorts. As a matter of fact, I still have not stayed at my SSR home that I have owned since 2007.

 

[jerseyduke]

I sure would appreciate the input from the almighty DIS Board DVC pros.

We live in California and have two adult children. Waiting on our kids to find their soulmates and get busy on grand kids. In the meantime, the four of us are still Disney loyalists and enjoy both Land and World. Of course, Disneyland is most convenient and truly is our favorite but we love Disney World, as well. Since we can utilize Disneyland more, we are looking at VGC. We'd like to purchase approximately 300 points to start and bank and borrow along the way. We might stay 3 nights one year at VGC and a week the next year at Disney World. We do have a ton of flexibility when it comes to the time of visit so we probably won't use points during the peak periods to try and make the most efficient use of points. We would anticipate our stays at Disney World to be longer due to travel and just the sheer amount of Disney glory to experience.

1. VGC is a small resort with very limited availability. What is the best use year to take advantage of Choice and Adventure Seasons?

The 2 are not related really. And as of 2021 there are now 7 seasons.

-What you need to know is that if you travel about the same time of year, it is better for you to travel EARLY in your uy. Do not plan on travelling the majority of the time in December and buy a February UY.


3. Because we'd plan on staying longer in Disney World, should we look at this in reverse and purchase something like BLT as our home resort? Would we be able to bag 2 or 3 nights at VGC just 7 months out?

-Probably not, but it is possible.

4. On buying direct vs. resale, are any of the perks provided when buying direct really that over the top? It appears as if Disney is really trying to limit access on certain things to those that have bought resale. For instance, if I buy resale at BLT, will I have access to the Top of the World Lounge? Is it worth it to buy the smallest possible contract direct from Disney to get those perks?

-The annual pass discount is the only thing worth anything. Moonlight Magic events are nice, but you can just do disney after hours with the THOUSANDS you will save buying resale.

5. Instead of purchasing 1 master contract, should I look at 2 positions? Maybe 100 for VGC and 200 at BLT?

-Absolutely, I wouldnt do it 300 at VGC. Get the same UY to combine points easier at the 7 month mark.

6. Let's say I don't want to use my points for one year but still want to vacation somewhere that year, do I rent my points out at $16 each and utilize that money to go somewhere or is there an exchange where I swap?

You can exchange thru RCI. Depending on what your points are, you may not get that much per point, most brokers seem to pay about 13.50 per point now, but that is just book keeping.


Thanks!
DizzyKnees

Also, are you aware that Disney just submitted plans for DVC at the Disneyland hotel? Of course it is not even approved yet, and years away, just something of which to be aware.