(Newbie) Interested In Purchasing DVC

[AnthonyAllShore]

Me and my family (wife, 10 year old and 2 year old) are real deal Disney resort / park fans. We live on Long Island and go to Disney about twice a year. We like trying new resorts, but we seem to be more focused on the Grand Floridian. My big quick questions;
1. Can you still "buy into" The Grand Floridian?
2. From what I understand, DVC benefits the more expensive resorts long term?
3. I only want to initially purchase 150 points upfront. I would pay outright (I dont want to finance). I just want to make sure that I am allowed to add on points in the future?
4. How long are the DVC contracts good for?
5. Is there a special website to pick out DVC Resorts? (I am curious to look at availability)

 

[UrsulaWantsYourSoul]

Others will chime in here very shortly. But if you were looking to buy grand Floridian you are looking at a very good time. They are in the process of converting one of the hotel side buildings into DVC which will go on sale shortly. that is especially good if you are interested in studios as there will now be 200 more of them (and still access to larger rooms as it will be the same association).
http://dvcfan.com/2021/09/30/disney...-dvc-villas-coming-to-grand-floridian-resort/

 

[Sandisw]

Right now, VGF sales are suspended if you want to go direct. You can find contracts on the resale market.

VGF ends in 2064. Other resorts expire at different times. Once you are an owner, you will be able to add on more points at a lower amount.

Going twice a year means that you are a good candidate for DVC and may find buying direct worth it as you would be eligible for any special AP or discount they would offer to owners who are eligible…buying resale eliminates that perk.

With the new VGF sales starting sometime in the near future…many of think in the next few months…its a great time to see how that shakes out.

Good luck!

 

[chalee94]

Me and my family (wife, 10 year old and 2 year old) are real deal Disney resort / park fans. We live on Long Island and go to Disney about twice a year. We like trying new resorts, but we seem to be more focused on the Grand Floridian. My big quick questions;
5. Is there a special website to pick out DVC Resorts? (I am curious to look at availability)

You have to be a DVC owner to see availability on the DVC website. You should know that during many times of the year, you will need to book at 11 months out. For some periods of the year, it's fine to book at 8-10 months out.

But at 7 months out, any DVC owner can book VGF if there is still availability, so planning is very important.

 

[Sandisw]

To add, as mentioned, there is no official way to look at availability because things change rapidly…and we don’t allow owners to post it on these boards,

The trends are that mid September to mid January is a high demand DVC time and most owners book right at 11 months at their home resort.

Changing elsewhere at 7 months is tough. Summer is a less busy time so getting other resorts is easier,

Studios at near park resorts go faster and 1bedrooms are usually the last to go because they cost almost double the points per night, but sleep the same guests…they are more because they offer the full kitchen, laundry and much more square footage.

Advice is to buy a home resort you are happy to stay at if you can’t trade out to others. And, with resale, you can no longer use points bought that way at RIV, or any future resort DVD builds.

 

[Wedgeout]

You are in luck. Just hold on a bit longer because the “new and refreshed accommodations” are in your future at the Grand Floridian.

 

[BamaGuy44]

Me and my family (wife, 10 year old and 2 year old) are real deal Disney resort / park fans. We live on Long Island and go to Disney about twice a year. We like trying new resorts, but we seem to be more focused on the Grand Floridian. My big quick questions;
1. Can you still "buy into" The Grand Floridian?
2. From what I understand, DVC benefits the more expensive resorts long term?
3. I only want to initially purchase 150 points upfront. I would pay outright (I dont want to finance). I just want to make sure that I am allowed to add on points in the future?
4. How long are the DVC contracts good for?
5. Is there a special website to pick out DVC Resorts? (I am curious to look at availability)

DVC is good for people who visit Disney regularly, tend to plan their trips months in advance, and want to stay in the Deluxe resorts. I'm fairly new to the DVC game but I'll try to answer your questions. I wish I had bought back when my son was young like your kids!

1. Currently no, not direct from Disney. But soon they will opening up a new section of GF that will be available for purchase. You can still buy resale. "Resale vs Direct" is something you'll want to research before you buy. Both have pros and cons and the correct way is different for everyone. Basically resale is much cheaper but the process takes weeks to months to complete, and resale points have various restrictions on them that are a huge deal to some, not to others. Direct is more expensive, but is almost an instant transaction, and the points have no restrictions.

2. Yes, DVC benefits people who want to stay at the expensive Deluxe resorts. It allows you to prepay for your future trips at a fixed price. The price in "points" for rooms will stay relatively flat, but the price in dollars will go up very quickly.

3. Yes, you can add on more points any time you want, at whichever resort you want. You'll want to look into how use years work with multiple contracts.

4. The length of the contract varies by resort. 50 years after the resort was opened. GF expires in 2064. Expiration dates range from 2042 up to 2070 for Riviera.

5. You can't use the official website until you're a member. But Google "DVC Availability Tool". That site will give you a good idea of what's available on a given date.

Hope this helps and good luck in your research and your future trips!

 

[RoseGold]

I found this chart a helpful starting point:

https://www.dvcresalemarket.com/blog/best-economical-dvc-resorts-to-purchase-fall-2021/
I wouldn't do anything but gather information for now. VGF2 pricing is going to swing the DVC market one way or another. If it opens low, I think you need to be ready to buy. But to be ready, you need to have done your research and really be wiling to commit to this.

 

[havoc315]

Me and my family (wife, 10 year old and 2 year old) are real deal Disney resort / park fans. We live on Long Island and go to Disney about twice a year. We like trying new resorts, but we seem to be more focused on the Grand Floridian. My big quick questions;
1. Can you still "buy into" The Grand Floridian?
2. From what I understand, DVC benefits the more expensive resorts long term?
3. I only want to initially purchase 150 points upfront. I would pay outright (I dont want to finance). I just want to make sure that I am allowed to add on points in the future?
4. How long are the DVC contracts good for?
5. Is there a special website to pick out DVC Resorts? (I am curious to look at availability)

1. Currently suspended, but they will be opening up new sales again within the next few months. Pricing is unknown, but may actually be better than recent direct pricing.
2. Not sure what you mean. It's important to remember that while Disney markets DVC as the "equivalent of a Deluxe Resort," that's not fully true. Unlike Deluxe Resorts, DVC doesn't include the same degree of housekeeping. Studios are often smaller than regular DVC resort rooms. (THough the Grand Floridian expansion is basically adding regular resort rooms as being "DVC.")
3. You can add in the future with purchase of additional GFV points directly, you can add by buying re-sale, you can add at other resorts.
4. All GF contracts expire in 2064, no matter when purchased.
5. Availability of using your points? Or availability of buying resorts? You can find the various resorts on every website, including the official Disney Vacation Club website. You can buy direct points at any of them, except currently GFV (which is temporarily suspended). Because it's the newest resort with tons of points still to sell, there are discounts on Riviera. And because it's been hard to sell out, Aulani has discounts. But you can buy any DVC resort.

Then there is the availability of booking your resort -- This is another way it differs dramatically from booking a regular deluxe resort. You can usually book a regular deluxe resort just a few weeks/months in advance. With DVC, you need to book 7-11 months in advance. Once you are less than 7 months from your trip, availability starts to shrink very quickly. For example, if you were looking for Memorial Day weekend right now, 4 1/2 months away, you'd find no availability at most resorts. You really have to book in that 7-11 month window in advance. If you wanted to book Easter, 3 months from now -- Pretty sure you won't find a single available DVC room at any resort.