Looking to maybe join Disney Vacation Club

[Spivey378]

What can you afford? I am starting with resale because it is what I can afford. I plan to add on direct in increments that I can afford. I hate that they raised the minimum to 150 pts.

This sounds like a great plan!

 

[rubybutt]

Before buying, you also have to take into account the extra costs of a visit that seem to be going up year after year more than inflation:

Airfare - Getting cheap flights to Orlando seems to be a thing of the past
Ground Transportation - You will need to get to and from the airport at a cost since Magical Express is gone
Tickets - Prices have gone up and now you have to pay for Fast Passes which used to be included. I only see these going higher. DVC used to have decent ticket deals outside of AP but these seem to be gone.
Food - Getting less and less inside the resorts now at higher costs.
Annual Maintenance Fees - These will almost always go up.

We owned DVC and sold for a gain, but the nickle and diming got worse and worse each year and it seems to be accelerating. You will feel committed to go each year and it forces you to plan 11 or 7 months out all the time. We now like the flexibility of not having to go to Disney, and shopping for deals when we do go.

nickle diming or as others call it: inflation.

 

[crisi]

nickle diming or as others call it: inflation.

Its both. Disney is subject to inflation like everyone else. But there is also a lot more nickel and diming than there was a decade or two ago. And Disney's cost increases tend to exceed inflation.

 

[Mike9865]

Thanks again everyone!

I have another question - do you think it is a good idea to get a Disney Visa card and pay for the points that way rather than cash or other financing? I'm hopeful you get 6 months of 0% interest when buying points. The website says "select Disney vacation packages" for the 0%. I'd also get a $300 statement credit and Reward Dollars.

I would then pay it off over the course of the 6 months.

Yes DVC qualifies for 0% over 6 months. If your approved credit limit is below the purchase price, you can spread the payments over 8 weeks I believe. Charge $5k, pay it off. Repeat.

 

[brazzledazzler]

You don't need to wait for your specific guide to return your call. If you're ready to purchase, call and talk to whoever is available.

I'm afraid I have to disagree. If you want a certain UY, I think a guide with who you have a relationship is best. I had a bad experience going with a guide who wasn't our guide. I complained to DVC about them. Thread attached below:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/dvc-guide-out-of-office-ready-to-purchase.3844609/

Lastly, hold your ground on the UY and get the double points. They initially told me Dec UY wasn't available. So I told them if that was the case I was no longer interested in buying. They then put me on hold, spoke to their manager and voila I got what I was looking for. Not saying that will always be the case but it was for me.

Again, getting a December UY for a sold-out resort may be challenging on a day in November. Please don't assume that if they can't give it to you, they are holding back. There are multiple threads in which people had problems with Fall UYs for Riviera in active sales.

The OP in this thread had problems, I believe:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/current-uy-points-purchasing-direct.3851482/#post-63347986
Saying that we bought direct points in July for a September UY at Riviera and still got pushback for choosing that UY. In the end, our guide made it happen and it's been fantastic.

 

[brazzledazzler]

Those are all valid points about buying direct. But is all that worth the SIGNIFICANT cost savings of buying resale? We saved $20,000 on the 200 point BCV contract we bought by buying resale. The 5 week delay (from the time we put our offer in until the points were in my account) in having those points available to book was easily worth that money. That's just my opinion, obviously, and others might view having point immediately to book is worth $20,000.

If I was buying BCV (or any 2042 resort), I think buying resale is 100% the way to go. However, everyone puts value on different aspects of the direct/resale transaction and experience. Definitely, for $20,000 in savings, that's the way to go! You have a lovely home at BCV!

 

[brazzledazzler]

Thanks again everyone!

I have another question - do you think it is a good idea to get a Disney Visa card and pay for the points that way rather than cash or other financing? I'm hopeful you get 6 months of 0% interest when buying points. The website says "select Disney vacation packages" for the 0%. I'd also get a $300 statement credit and Reward Dollars.

I would then pay it off over the course of the 6 months.

We did that and got almost $1,000 in Disney "bucks" to now use for dues (boring!) or future trips (much more fun)! It's mostly going to fun our dining experiences

I think the Disney Visa was worth it. However, if you don't have the Disney Visa now... you may be waiting a few weeks to get it. I got our's a month before we planned on purchasing. It took a while for them to approve (they have to call you and talk to you) and then mail out the card.

 

[RoseGold]

It took a while for them to approve (they have to call you and talk to you) and then mail out the card.

I got my Disney Visa in 2019 in under a week and didn't talk to anyone. I already have other Chase cards and accounts, so maybe that mattered.

 

[Spivey378]

Committing now. I'll post the details shortly!

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

Keep us posted if you got 2020/2021 points and December use year!

 

[brazzledazzler]

Committing now. I'll post the details shortly!

Best of luck

Yes! Keep us posted. We’re all vested in your point status!

 

[Spivey378]

Hi everyone!

We did not get a December Use Year, unfortunately. They did not have any in inventory.

So we bought 250 points at Copper Creek with an October Use Year. So we went even bigger! My original plan was to do 150 points direct and another 100 or so resale. However, 250 points wasn’t much more expensive than my original plan with the incentive and the perks of playing with the Disney card. So I just did the 250 to be done with it.

I tried to split the contract in two and get membership level contracts but they wouldn’t let me. I’m not sure if I pushed it if it would have made a difference.

Finally, we have our first stay December 17-21 at a Riviera Studio!

We are waiting for the contact to be sent and then we will be all set.

Thanks for all the great advice and wisdom! We are very excited to join the Club!

 

[Mike9865]

Hi everyone!

We did not get a December Use Year, unfortunately. They did not have any in inventory.

So we bought 250 points at Copper Creek with an October Use Year. So we went even bigger! My original plan was to do 150 points direct and another 100 or so resale. However, 250 points wasn’t much more expensive than my original plan with the incentive and the perks of playing with the Disney card. So I just did the 250 to be done with it.

I tried to split the contract in two and get membership level contracts but they wouldn’t let me. I’m not sure if I pushed it if it would have made a difference.

Finally, we have our first stay December 17-21 at a Riviera Studio!

We are waiting for the contact to be sent and then we will be all set.

Thanks for all the great advice and wisdom! We are very excited to join the Club!

Congratulations! With sold out resorts it is entirely possible that a UY is sold out. I wouldn't stress that. If you were buying riviera I would suggest you revisit the issue.

I bought all points in one contract. So I can't offer advice there. Hopefully someone else can.

We will be at Riviera at the same time! Will have to meet for a coffee!

Congrats again.

 

[eandt]

Thanks again everyone!

I have another question - do you think it is a good idea to get a Disney Visa card and pay for the points that way rather than cash or other financing? I'm hopeful you get 6 months of 0% interest when buying points. The website says "select Disney vacation packages" for the 0%. I'd also get a $300 statement credit and Reward Dollars.

I would then pay it off over the course of the 6 months.

We did this and when all was said and done we ended up with about $850 in rewards and statement credits in addition to the 6 months no interest to pay it off.

 

[eandt]

I'm afraid I have to disagree. If you want a certain UY, I think a guide with who you have a relationship is best. I had a bad experience going with a guide who wasn't our guide. I complained to DVC about them. Thread attached below:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/dvc-guide-out-of-office-ready-to-purchase.3844609/


Again, getting a December UY for a sold-out resort may be challenging on a day in November. Please don't assume that if they can't give it to you, they are holding back. There are multiple threads in which people had problems with Fall UYs for Riviera in active sales.

The OP in this thread had problems, I believe:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/current-uy-points-purchasing-direct.3851482/#post-63347986
Saying that we bought direct points in July for a September UY at Riviera and still got pushback for choosing that UY. In the end, our guide made it happen and it's been fantastic.

We bought Oct UY in June and our guide said they weren't selling that UY and asked why we wanted it. He told us that he would have to get approval through management to get it for us, a couple minutes later we had it. Stay the course.

 

[CarolynFH]

Hi everyone!

We did not get a December Use Year, unfortunately. They did not have any in inventory.

So we bought 250 points at Copper Creek with an October Use Year. So we went even bigger! My original plan was to do 150 points direct and another 100 or so resale. However, 250 points wasn’t much more expensive than my original plan with the incentive and the perks of playing with the Disney card. So I just did the 250 to be done with it.

I tried to split the contract in two and get membership level contracts but they wouldn’t let me. I’m not sure if I pushed it if it would have made a difference.

Finally, we have our first stay December 17-21 at a Riviera Studio!

We are waiting for the contact to be sent and then we will be all set.

Thanks for all the great advice and wisdom! We are very excited to join the Club!

Congratulations and best wishes that your purchase brings your family much joy, as DVC has brought ours.

 

[Carol_]

Hi everyone!

We did not get a December Use Year, unfortunately. They did not have any in inventory.

So we bought 250 points at Copper Creek with an October Use Year. So we went even bigger! My original plan was to do 150 points direct and another 100 or so resale. However, 250 points wasn’t much more expensive than my original plan with the incentive and the perks of playing with the Disney card. So I just did the 250 to be done with it.

I tried to split the contract in two and get membership level contracts but they wouldn’t let me. I’m not sure if I pushed it if it would have made a difference.

Finally, we have our first stay December 17-21 at a Riviera Studio!

We are waiting for the contact to be sent and then we will be all set.

Thanks for all the great advice and wisdom! We are very excited to join the Club!

Welcome Home! See you at Geyser Point!

 

[DVCSunDevil]

nickle diming or as others call it: inflation.

Nickel and diming is not the same as inflation. Inflation would be the cost of a current item going up overtime, like the cost of a park ticket going up each year. Charging for things they have never charged for before, like paying to ride the rides once inside the park, is nickel and diming.

 

[Spivey378]

Congratulations! With sold out resorts it is entirely possible that a UY is sold out. I wouldn't stress that. If you were buying riviera I would suggest you revisit the issue.

I bought all points in one contract. So I can't offer advice there. Hopefully someone else can.

We will be at Riviera at the same time! Will have to meet for a coffee!

Congrats again.

That would be great! Keep in touch!

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

Welcome home! Riviera is our home, and we're hoping to get into a one-bedroom at CC next December 7-11. Have so much fun!