Poly Tower or Grand Floridian

[intamin]

We had same difficult question - because we waited too long (I'll explain momentarily), we decided to wait for Poly, but I'm having some regret.

So we just got back from a cruise (2 nights at WDW afterwards) this past weekend. We intended to see what deals were offered onboard, but we got busy the first day or two at sea, then had a couple ports. Then, unfortunately, my wife got sick, so I ended up not going and talking to the guide until the last full day on the ship. With my wife still not feeling well, we just weren't that enthusiastic in discussing it, and it was the last day. We could have done the paperwork at WDW after we got back over the weekend, but we just weren't into pulling the trigger yet. My wife couldn't get excited at that point for VGF either.

For us, we're looking at one more contract basically. We are currently at 318 points, all direct (118 at Copper Creek and 200 at Riviera). For the foreseeable future, I think 500 is about our limit when looking at the annual dues. $4,000 annually just on dues is already a bit to stomach, but at least it's in the range of what we'd pay for a week at a deluxe WDW hotel. Also, for background, we've financed our purchases through DVC and would do so for this purchase (we have our reasons). Because we live in Delaware, we have to sign our contracts at WDW (or on a cruise). They can't send it to us to do in DE because DVC isn't registered to issue financing in DE.

So, because we waited until the last day and just couldn't fully evaluate how we felt adding on and felt too rushed at that point, we decided to wait. The deal was pretty good though, so I regret it a bit knowing it's unlikely we'll get anything like it again. The price for 150 points at VGF would have been $183/pt, before Magical Beginnings. If we took the $22/pt check, it would have effectively taken it down to $161/pt. At that price, we probably would have been in good shape to have sold our contracts in a couple years if we wanted Poly.

It's definitely a tough decision, and not knowing how much more expensive Poly will be with incentives (possibly $40-$50 more per point if there aren't good deals), not knowing which association it will be, or even what the rooms will be like, it's just really tough.

I doubt any of that is helpful - but just sharing.

If you really wanted to I'm sure there are other companies who can finance in DE and you wouldn't have to finance through DVC necessarily if you really wanted to but regardless I hope your wife's feeling better now!

 

[intamin]

What I do believe is that when more and more restrictive resorts are out there, owners will end up having hybrid memberships that give them the best of all worlds.

I can see people picking 3-4 resale restricted resorts and just doing that down the line. You may not have full access to all of the resorts but how many of us really utilize ALL of the resorts regularly? If someone were to just bank and split stay 2 resorts at a time and alternate you would still get a nice variety. Most of us have a few favorites we'd rather stay at again and again and if someone really wanted to try these other resorts they could always just rent the stay the few times they do go.

 

[tom1944]

I can see people picking 3-4 resale restricted resorts and just doing that down the line. You may not have full access to all of the resorts but how many of us really utilize ALL of the resorts regularly? If someone were to just bank and split stay 2 resorts at a time and alternate you would still get a nice variety. Most of us have a few favorites we'd rather stay at again and again and if someone really wanted to try these other resorts they could always just rent the stay the few times they do go.

I agree

Owning resale at Riviera and Poly2 if it is a separate association would work for a lot of people.

 

[Anthony Vito]

If you really wanted to I'm sure there are other companies who can finance in DE and you wouldn't have to finance through DVC necessarily if you really wanted to but regardless I hope your wife's feeling better now!

Oh, I'm sure we could, although DVC actually probably has the better interest rates than just about anywhere else these days. With 20% down, 9% interest isn't terrible considering the current interest rate environment (also isn't on credit reports and doesn't even require a credit check any more since we already own, so that's beneficial too).

I think we could still get the deal, which had the $1500 additional Welcome Home credit that was offered because we were on the cruise (we have a trip booked for January too, so that would probably make us eligible as well).

Honestly, we'd probably normally prefer to have the points than the Magical Beginnings, this was the one instance where not doubling up the points wouldn't have bothered us as much, since we're not doing as many WDW trips this coming year as normal, and with the Oct UY, it was the better timing. *Sigh*

 

[Mai Ku Tiki]

We had same difficult question - because we waited too long (I'll explain momentarily), we decided to wait for Poly, but I'm having some regret.

So we just got back from a cruise (2 nights at WDW afterwards) this past weekend. We intended to see what deals were offered onboard, but we got busy the first day or two at sea, then had a couple ports. Then, unfortunately, my wife got sick, so I ended up not going and talking to the guide until the last full day on the ship. With my wife still not feeling well, we just weren't that enthusiastic in discussing it, and it was the last day. We could have done the paperwork at WDW after we got back over the weekend, but we just weren't into pulling the trigger yet. My wife couldn't get excited at that point for VGF either.

For us, we're looking at one more contract basically. We are currently at 318 points, all direct (118 at Copper Creek and 200 at Riviera). For the foreseeable future, I think 500 is about our limit when looking at the annual dues. $4,000 annually just on dues is already a bit to stomach, but at least it's in the range of what we'd pay for a week at a deluxe WDW hotel. Also, for background, we've financed our purchases through DVC and would do so for this purchase (we have our reasons). Because we live in Delaware, we have to sign our contracts at WDW (or on a cruise). They can't send it to us to do in DE because DVC isn't registered to issue financing in DE.

So, because we waited until the last day and just couldn't fully evaluate how we felt adding on and felt too rushed at that point, we decided to wait. The deal was pretty good though, so I regret it a bit knowing it's unlikely we'll get anything like it again. The price for 150 points at VGF would have been $183/pt, before Magical Beginnings. If we took the $22/pt check, it would have effectively taken it down to $161/pt. At that price, we probably would have been in good shape to have sold our contracts in a couple years if we wanted Poly.

It's definitely a tough decision, and not knowing how much more expensive Poly will be with incentives (possibly $40-$50 more per point if there aren't good deals), not knowing which association it will be, or even what the rooms will be like, it's just really tough.

I doubt any of that is helpful - but just sharing.

Not knowing about POLY2 is a HEADACHE!
But, IMO, nothing is a "deal" if it isn't the right time for someone & their family.

I'm much older & have bought/sold DVC several times over the decades. I'm grateful I've been able to. But I'm also happy that I made my decisions when the time was right for me & my family, regardless of the next shiny object DVC & Disney dangled to tempt me.

I do understand that my views are only mine. But the decreased availability this year has me thinking.
I understand the impact of Covid, etc... But most folks, in the many years we've owned, didn't need to be on the phone at 8am 11 mos to the day to get their preferred HOME ressie (except for 2 holiday weeks) & 7 mos wasn't really hard to get either.

As more & more points are sold, here & internationally, I honestly do question whether even "buying where you want to stay" gets us the resort, size unit & dates we need going forward, so we may have to compromise anyway.
Life changes, schedules change, availability changes & suddenly we need more pts bc we're forced to go in a different season or book a larger unit with higher point values than what we originally expected. As to dues, IMO, the ONE THING guaranteed is they will continue to increase as properties age, maintainenance costs increase & owners have continued expectation of on-trend updates.

My DVC has given me great fun & joy thru the years, and the cost made sense to us- largely due to being able to use our points when, where & how we wanted to vacation.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[tom1944]

Not knowing about POLY2 is a HEADACHE!
But, IMO, nothing is a "deal" if it isn't the right time for someone & their family.

I'm much older & have bought/sold DVC several times over the decades. I'm grateful I've been able to. But I'm also happy that I made my decisions when the time was right for me & my family, regardless of the next shiny object DVC & Disney dangled to tempt me.

I do understand that my views are only mine. But the decreased availability this year has me thinking.
I understand the impact of Covid, etc... But most folks, in the many years we've owned, didn't need to be on the phone at 8am 11 mos to the day to get their preferred HOME ressie (except for 2 holiday weeks) & 7 mos wasn't really hard to get either.

As more & more points are sold, here & internationally, I honestly do question whether even "buying where you want to stay" gets us the resort, size unit & dates we need going forward, so we may have to compromise anyway.
Life changes, schedules change, availability changes & suddenly we need more pts bc we're forced to go in a different season or book a larger unit with higher point values than what we originally expected. As to dues, IMO, the ONE THING guaranteed is they will continue to increase as properties age, maintainenance costs increase & owners have continued expectation of on-trend updates.

My DVC has given me great fun & joy thru the years, and the cost made sense to us- largely due to being able to use our points when, where & how we wanted to vacation.
Just my 2 cents.

I am new so cannot speak to the historical trend but trying to decide which home resort because I want to stay in a standard room there may not be easy.

 

[PolyRob]

The flip side is that studios are very popular, and there are likely many people who booked 1br because the studios were booked up already, so increasing the inventory of studios could, potentially, open up 1br availability.

Getting back on topic, I thought the initial sale price for owners when BPK opened was great (I ended up paying $186/point), however, if I had the opportunity to take advantage of the current sale (no $$, and I'm Canadian, so can't get MB), I'd jump on it. If you really want PVB2, you could always sell your VGF points when it goes on sale, and break even at least.

It is very true that studios are popular and book up first, but adding 202 resort studios to the 47 deluxe studios makes the association 249 studios vs 47 one bedrooms so it's very unbalanced. VGF rooms require a lot of points so people that purchased VGF1 with intentions of securing deluxe studios for one of these weeks could maybe get 2 or 3 nights max in a one bedroom without banking or borrowing if they were lucky. If studio sized VGF1 owners added 150 at VGF2 as their families grew they are in the sweet spot for a whole week in a one bedroom at that time.

To confirm your point, this is us, We added 300 points for use in the 1 and 2 bedroom units.

This makes a lot of sense and I did the same thing in 2022! Now I am calculating how many days I want in a one bedroom+ per year for this final sale before it's too late. The VGF2 poll you created shows most members only purchased BPK contracts because they have access to the original building.

 

[paults]

If I was buying more points it would be at VGF, love the area.

 

[Sandisw]

It is very true that studios are popular and book up first, but adding 202 resort studios to the 47 deluxe studios makes the association 249 studios vs 47 one bedrooms so it's very unbalanced. VGF rooms require a lot of points so people that purchased VGF1 with intentions of securing deluxe studios for one of these weeks could maybe get 2 or 3 nights max in a one bedroom without banking or borrowing if they were lucky. If studio sized VGF1 owners added 150 at VGF2 as their families grew they are in the sweet spot for a whole week in a one bedroom at that time.


This makes a lot of sense and I did the same thing in 2022! Now I am calculating how many days I want in a one bedroom+ per year for this final sale before it's too late. The VGF2 poll you created shows most members only purchased BPK contracts because they have access to the original building.

Which is why I believe DVD did not try to create it as a new association.

Poly tower should end up with all toom types and be able to function on its own, like all the other DVC resorts have that were the same.

So, the decision of what to do with the tower is much different and why I think DVD didn’t commit to one way or the other yet…at least officially.

My hope is that with the raising of VGF to $230, and RIV being left, for now, thst might be a hint we might see more info soon..like before the point charts for 2025 are released.

Don’t think it moves the needle in one direction or the other..but maybe it’s a start to giving us details!

 

[PolyRob]

I actually think this is huge. After the newness wears off, I think those RIV contracts are going to be very hard to resell because of the restrictions, which means that they should have a lower resale value moving forward. I have two resale contracts that I own--neither are RIV. But if I were to buy another, I'd avoid RIV and other restricted contracts--unless I wanted a small contract just for RIV--because in many cases it makes booking all that much harder.

This is why I am in a hard position. I do enjoy Poly overall and would want to have access to the tower. It just wouldn't be during peak DVC times so I may not necessarily need a contract there. I can get unrestricted VGF which is my favorite DVC at a great price and book scraps at any resort later. I don't visit DL enough to warrant an entire DLH contract, but I would like the option to get a few nights.

 

[PolyRob]

I agree! Adding BPK to VGF1 is the opposite of adding Poly tower to PVB1. DVD just needs to decide which is more beneficial.

I am eagerly awaiting any news!

 

[thelionqueen]

Did you try for a 2BR at 11 months out? We are only 8 months out from your days at this point.

Not exactly at 11 months no but around 10. Regardless, as a BCV owner I’ve gotten pretty much what I want before 7 months opens up. I’ve never had to book at 11 or worry about it prior to 7m before this year

 

[thelionqueen]

This is why I am in a hard position. I do enjoy Poly overall and would want to have access to the tower. It just wouldn't be during peak DVC times so I may not necessarily need a contract there. I can get unrestricted VGF which is my favorite DVC at a great price and book scraps at any resort later. I don't visit DL enough to warrant an entire DLH contract, but I would like the option to get a few nights.

Sounds like you know what you should do…

 

[PolyRob]

Sounds like you know what you should do…

This is true, thank you!

 

[TheDailyMoo]

If you know you like VGF, I'd definitely buy in there as a great known quantity. If you're meh on it but just don't want to miss out on the deal, I'd hold off and trust that something better will come along. It may not be a deal like what's out now, but after 40 years of vacation, an extra chunk of change won't matter when you're staying at your "home," whether it's Poly 2.0 or elsewhere.

I've been having this debate as well and you definitely are saying what I'm sort of thinking. I just closed on my first resale and we feel we want to double our points now with direct and as much as this deal is probably the best it's going to get, we really do love the Poly vibe and are going to grit our teeth and probably wait it out. But who knows if that's the right call. Maybe Poly 2 doesn't turn out to be a banger after all. Who knows.

It just wouldn't be during peak DVC times so I may not necessarily need a contract there. I can get unrestricted VGF which is my favorite DVC at a great price and book scraps at any resort later.

This would make all the difference knowing if Poly 2 could be had at 7 months during our summer off peak travel. If only there was a way to know! lol

 

[tidefan]

I honestly think people really overthink this. Granted, we've owned for a number of years so we don't have the perspective of a new buyer, but honestly, we've stayed at every DVC resort that is currently open and they are all great and they all have their strong points. Heck, after the recent refurb, Saratoga is downright nice.

Now, is it nice to walk back to say BCV after Food and Wine, or walk back with your candy haul to BLT after MNSSHP? Sure, but for the average stay, all the DVC properties are great.

 

[thelionqueen]

This is true, thank you!

So when are you signing the contract?
Honestly it’s a sure bet vs waiting for (quite possibly) a much worse deal. Plenty of time to have great vacations at your fave in the interim

 

[thelionqueen]

I honestly think people really overthink this. Granted, we've owned for a number of years so we don't have the perspective of a new buyer, but honestly, we've stayed at every DVC resort that is currently open and they are all great and they all have their strong points. Heck, after the recent refurb, Saratoga is downright nice.

Now, is it nice to walk back to say BCV after Food and Wine, or walk back with your candy haul to BLT after MNSSHP? Sure, but for the average stay, all the DVC properties are great.

I agree, they’re all great in their own way.. but..
It totally hits different when watching fireworks than being in your room 10 minutes later, and hearing “Wrlcome home” at your actual home resort . Silly I know, but I love it!

 

[TheDailyMoo]

I honestly think people really overthink this.

I overthink if driving to a cheaper gas station will be worth the gas I have to spend to get there so I can save a few dollars. I'm leaving my driveway doing a cost benefit analysis looking like that window scene from A Beautiful Mind!

 

[tidefan]

I agree, they’re all great in their own way.. but..
It totally hits different when watching fireworks than being in your room 10 minutes later, and hearing “Wrlcome home” at your actual home resort . Silly I know, but I love it!

No doubt!

I'm just saying not to sweat it if you decide, say to book a trip at 5 months out and "all" you can get is SSR. You will still have a great time. In fact, the only resort that I would say is heads and shoulders above the others is Aulani, but that is such a different animal.