Our next purchase... I keep waffling!

[ookitarepanda]

We bought 100 points at RIV direct in Feb 2020 and have used those points to stay at RIV, BLT, OKW, BWV... It's fabulous and I definitely don't regret purchasing at RIV specifically even with the restrictions; however, it does make me feel like I should be direct for my next purchase, so that I could tack on some additional points to a RIV stay if needed (at 7-month), and I wouldn't be able to do that if I bought a resale. Maybe I'm totally wrong on that thought process, let me know.

What I'm looking at next is what other resort I'd like to have the 11-month advantage at, something between another 50-100 points. My thought process is that RIV is close to the boardwalk stuff, and when we've stayed there it's easy to get to DHS and EPCOT. So if I were to add somewhere it would be somewhere close to MK. So that leads me to VGF, BLT, Poly, or WL.

I've taken out WL from my list because it doesn't really have the same convenience to MK (walking, boating, monorailing). I've also taken out Poly because we have a group of 5 adults (me/wife, my parents, my brother) and the dedicated 2-bedroom has been awesome for us, also the walking choices at VGF and BLT are awesome. Sometimes my wife and I will go without the rest of the family and stay in a tower studio or something which is pretty fun, too, but doesn't use up as many points. So I'm trying to decide between VGF and BLT because I know having the 11-month booking window would help to get the standard view rooms.

If I buy direct, then VGF would be $207 right now and BLT would be $245. While the choice on contract $ would be obvious, I had to examine what the purchase power really is. We typically go in October around my fall break.

• If you had 300 points at BLT, that would be $73,500 and at a rate of 45 points per night (2023 charts, standard view) would get you an average 6.667 nights per year in a 2-bed for 38 years. Ratio of $290.13 per night over its lifetime (not including dues).
• If you had 300 points at VGF, that would be $62,100 and at a rate of 61 points per night (2023 charts, standard view) would get you an average of 4.918 nights per year in a 2-bed for 42 years. Ratio of $300.64 per night over its lifetime (not including dues).

So technically it has better spending power at BLT even though the contract is shorter. Right now dues at BLT are $7.08 and dues at VGF are $7.01, but I have no idea how much dues are going to change between the two of them for the next 40 years.

Things I like about BLT:

• We typically don't spend as much time in the resort as we would in the parks, so I don't mind the Contemporary being a bit more hotel-y than resort-y. Recent renovations.
• Steakhouse 71, Contempo Cafe, Top of the World
• First stop on monorail means choice of seats on the way to MK, but does mean a longer wait going around the other resorts. End of the day is quick drop-off. Walking path is pretty short
• The points go a little further here than VGF. RIV's points are exactly the average between BLT's point-per-night cost and VGF's, so BLT takes fewer points than what I'm already used to.

Things I like about VGF:

• Theming is a lot more resort-like than hotel-like, and the new stuff is new!
• Victoria & Albert (I went a bajillion years ago), and people talk hype about Citrico's and Narcoosee's though I haven't been yet
• Boat access as another means of getting to MK
• The points themselves cost less when buying direct, so I could use them to book elsewhere too (I have a goal of trying all of them)

Sway me, Disboards!

 

[peabody58]

My 2 cents - wait and save for the new Poly2 Tower. But then I'm done with my addontis with my fall BWV 100pt direct.

Direst/Resale - your money, your call. Advantages to both. Either way have fun, life it short.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Small contracts are expensive, big contracts have sweet incentives. I'd buy 200 VGF and then sell the 100 RIV.

 

[Sandisw]

RIV is my favorite but VGF runs second. I do own at both (along with SSR). Since you do have RIV already, and it gives you home resort advantage there, I would go with VGF. Now that the walkway is built, I think it has the same big advantage that BLT has in terms of easy access to/from MK if you want to walk. It also has the boat which can be a nice ride in and of itself!

I much prefer the VGF complex to BLT, especially for the pool options. Price is the same as RIV...honestly, I think its better than BLT, unless you much prefer BLT. We used to own there, and after staying at both, VGF wins, hands down for us....well, after RIV....but that is our typical split stay...1 night VGF, 2 nights RIV...or 2 and 2 at each.

Good luck!

 

[kanerf]

I also would hold out for Poly2. You could buy a resale now and then sell it back before buying Poly 2. Of course it will depend on the per night cost at Poly 2 and the per point cost it comes in at. Since we will not know anything more until late next year you should think about that resale option to get some points to use. I just bought two small contracts at BLT myself.

 

[CarolMN]

Are you really likely to keep the contracts until the end? FWIW, I think one can really only look ahead 5-10 years, at the most. IMO, VGF will command a higher resale price than BLT. YMMV.

BLT has the less expensive standard views, which is a plus if you will regularly book at 11 months. It has 3 full bathrooms in the 2 bedrooms, which could be huge with 5 adults. The walk to the MK is shorter than the one from VGF, but not as scenic/pleasant. You also can take a boat to the WL and Fort Wilderness resorts. Also, it will probably be quite a bit less difficult to get a 2 bedroom at 11 months at BLT, than at VGF, due to the large number of studios that make up VGF.

So BLT does seem to make the most sense for you. However many of the same reasons applied to us, and we bought VGV. I'm not sorry. The heart wants what the heart wants, and sometimes, it's not just about the $$.

Good luck with your decision. You are going to get a lot of opinions and I'm not sure how helpful they are going to be.

 

[UrsulaWantsYourSoul]

My favorite kind of waffling .

 

[808blessing]

^+1

 

[Paul Stupin]

View attachment 669180

My favorite kind of waffling .

Delicious!

 

[RoseGold]

50-100 points won't get you far in 2BRs. I'd buy a bigger contract with SAP. Even BC isn't impossible to book 2BR at 7 months.

I don't see why you would want to buy direct at all, but if you did I would wait for Poly Tower.

The BLT 2BR is awesome value and there are good resale deals out there. I also think it's possible to see some kind of direct fire sale when VGF2 sells out, and I would bet on BLT.

 

[havoc315]

-First off:
Cross dining differences off the list for both choices. It's just too easy to take the monorail between resorts, so it becomes one big dining hub. It's not like you would just wander into Citrico's nightly. The 1 night you might eat there, it's almost as easy to take a monorail from BLT as it is to just walk from GFV.

-Second -- "Buying power" -- is more than just number of nights. Yes, 300 points at VGF might only buy you 5 nights vs 6 nights at BLT. But for the same price, you could get 30 nights at POP (or whatever). VGF rooms are larger than BLT rooms, and most people would find them nicer than the BLT rooms. So it's not that the VGF rooms has less buying power, just a lower number of nights because the rooms are more expensive. And as you noted, the buying power is identical at the 7-month window. So part of the question is, how often do you plan on using the points at the 7-month mark? If you're planning on mostly using the home resort advantage, how does the point chart affect your final price and your vacation planning? Standard 2 BR at GFV for tonight is 53 points, at BLT it is 42 points. You could opt to keep the same nightly-buying power by purchasing more points.... And you can calculate how that would affect the price. Buyng more points at GFV may be cheaper or even with buying fewer points at BLT, depending exactly how many you need to buy.

Personally, I'd go with GFV. Contract is slightly longer, the resort is nicer (IMHO), and the "buying power" is the same at the 7-month mark. And it's probably going to become impossible to get a 2-bedroom at GFV if you aren't a home resort owner. (Now, truly personally, I might add direct points at Poly when the tower goes on sale).

 

[ffindis]

For a $10 a night difference over the life of the contract, I would definitely buy where you enjoy staying more! I love BLT but I love VGF a bit more. I feel like I just love staying at the resort when I am at VGF. At BLT I am rushing more to get wherever I am going, but they are both lovely places, have a great location and you really can't go wrong either way. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[DVC Doctor]

There is no wrong choice

BLT and BCV always seems to have the highest rental demand
VGF is most like RIV and is super elegant
Poly2 is probably worth the wait but that could be 12-18 months if you love that theming

Based on your first post, I would go with VGF as it is the cheaper to buy option direct from Disney as BLT is definitely NOT worth $38pp more than VGF