Purchasing first DVC contract - VGF vs. PVB?

[Disney5377]

Hi all,

Looking for some input as my husband and I look to make our first DVC contract purchase. We're looking at some resale sites and are trying to decide between VGF and Poly. We're going to start small, we have our eyes on a few 50 or 100 pt contracts at comparable prices per point that we're trying to decide between. All things being equal, any input on which would be a better home resort? We LOVE Poly and would likely want to stay there most of the time, but also would love to try VGF in the future. Is the 11 month booking window more beneficial at one of these resorts over the other? If I'm mostly traveling during slower periods, how is the 7 month availability for these resorts? We originally thought Poly for sure, but are finding some better deals at VGF, I just don't want to shoot ourselves in the foot if we go VGF and are never able to find 7 month availability at Poly.

Thanks in advance for any insight!

 

[Sandisw]

PVB tends to be available at 7 months most of the time so the home resort advantage at VGF has always been much more important.

The addition of the new resort studios is going to change that if studios is what you want. While we don’t know for sure yet, there is a really good chance that adding 202 new rooms will make it easier to those rooms at 7 months.

Remember, DVC slow times are not the same as park slow times. Mid September to mid January is very busy for DVC bookings so there may not be lots of options at 7 months to trade if going then.

The biggest piece to add, since you do mention Poly being your favorite, is that the decision about whether or not resale points, including PVB, will be eligible to book the new Poly tower being built, has not yet been made,

So, there is a possibility that PvB resale points bought now would be restricted. We may not know for sure until next year…so bear this in mind.

I am personally not a fan of the location of PVB villas because you have to walk out in the open to get places and in the rain, that’s not fun.

But, the new resort studios at BPK at VGF, have the same issue..just not as far….but the original VGF building does have a way to get to the main building under cover.

VGF is our second favorite resort after RIV and it’s a wonderful place. I think both are great choices.

 

[havoc315]

The downside of PVB is it's really just studios. So if you're fine with that, it's a great choice.

In terms of timing, it's a better time to buy VGF. "Non-sold-out" resorts are always priced better (both direct and resale) than "sold-out" resorts. So the expansion of VGF creates a buying opportunity. You can get a direct contract at VGF for just slightly more than a re-sale contract at PVB right now.
Historically, GFV re-sale contracts are much more expensive than PVB -- But now, they are about the same, given that GFV is back to being for-sale.

So all else being equal, GFV is the "better deal" right now. But I'd still focus primarily on buying where you want to stay. I'd only use the "better deal" as a tie breaker.

 

[RoseGold]

If you love Poly, I'd buy Poly. Especially the Lake View, which is so few points to upgrade it can be tough to book.

 

[Spinster Travel]

I own at the Poly and love it! The studios are perfect for me so the Poly is a great fit. If you don't care about possibly being locked out of the new Poly tower than Poly is a great option. Either resort is lovely! Good luck!

 

[Jlo85]

Hi all,

Looking for some input as my husband and I look to make our first DVC contract purchase. We're looking at some resale sites and are trying to decide between VGF and Poly. We're going to start small, we have our eyes on a few 50 or 100 pt contracts at comparable prices per point that we're trying to decide between. All things being equal, any input on which would be a better home resort? We LOVE Poly and would likely want to stay there most of the time, but also would love to try VGF in the future. Is the 11 month booking window more beneficial at one of these resorts over the other? If I'm mostly traveling during slower periods, how is the 7 month availability for these resorts? We originally thought Poly for sure, but are finding some better deals at VGF, I just don't want to shoot ourselves in the foot if we go VGF and are never able to find 7 month availability at Poly.

Thanks in advance for any insight!

Are you planning to travel at the same time each year? Are you flying? You should check the availability charts to see what the 7 month availability is for when you want to travel.

In general, VGF has lower availability, but it’s also a more expensive contract.

 

[Disney5377]

Thanks for the input all... still very much torn on this. Now wondering if VGF direct might actually make the most sense given the current incentives, to avoid any potential resale restrictions if they decide to deed the new Poly tower as a 'new' resort (rather than deeding it in the current poly condo complex). Looking at availability charts it does seem that VGF is more valuable as a home resort and that may pay off in the long run... but I do love Poly.

Are you planning to travel at the same time each year? Are you flying? You should check the availability charts to see what the 7 month availability is for when you want to travel.

In general, VGF has lower availability, but it’s also a more expensive contract.

We don't really have a set travel time, we just got back from a trip last week and would likely do end of August/beginning of September again, but would be open to other time frames as well - flying from the northeast.

 

[Jlo85]

Thanks for the input all... still very much torn on this. Now wondering if VGF direct might actually make the most sense given the current incentives, to avoid any potential resale restrictions if they decide to deed the new Poly tower as a 'new' resort (rather than deeding it in the current poly condo complex). Looking at availability charts it does seem that VGF is more valuable as a home resort and that may pay off in the long run... but I do love Poly.

I mean, financially, it probably would be a better deal to wait for Poly opening. Incentives are generally best when a resort first opens. I think the low-point VGF incentives right now are only like $2/point. Not really much to ride home about.

Also, note that direct you're looking at a minimum buy-in of 150 points. If you want to just get your feet wet with 50 or 100 points, you're going to want to go resale. And you're probably only going to be able to afford studios anyways.

 

[Yankee626]

Your not going to get much reservation time at those resorts with 50-100pts. Did you look at the Point charts? Your looking at 2-3 days a year max in a studio.

 

[Disney5377]

Your not going to get much reservation time at those resorts with 50-100pts. Did you look at the Point charts? Your looking at 2-3 days a year max in a studio.

Yes, I did. With banking/borrowing we would be able to get what we want in the short term while trying to figure out if we want to make a bigger investment. Hesitant to go bigger than that on resale as our initial investment due to the restrictions. If we were going bigger we'd likely go direct to ensure no restrictions on future resorts.

 

[RoseGold]

I don't see the point of a 50 point contract at all. Closing flips all the math. Just rent points if you don't want to commit.

 

[Her Dotness]

You don't mention if you've rented points and stayed at either or both.

If not, I suggest doing that a few times before buying in. You'll get a much better sense not only of what DVC stays are like but which resort is preferable.

As RoseGold points out and I heartily agree, there's not much usefulness financially or otherwise to a 50-point contract except as an add-on to a larger one eventually. Even a 100-point contract won't get you much at VGF.

Try out renting for a while, holding off on buying in until you can manage 200 points to give you a decent cushion for weeklong stays in case point costs increase, which can happen. We bought into VGF at the direct minimum (then 100) and had to buy more points a couple years later for that reason.

 

[Disney5377]

You don't mention if you've rented points and stayed at either or both.

If not, I suggest doing that a few times before buying in. You'll get a much better sense not only of what DVC stays are like but which resort is preferable.

As RoseGold points out and I heartily agree, there's not much usefulness financially or otherwise to a 50-point contract except as an add-on to a larger one eventually.

Haven't rented points but have stayed at the Poly quite a few times, most recent being last week. Haven't stayed at GF but have spent time there and very familiar with the resort.

The closing costs I was quoted for the 50 pt resale we were eyeing were pretty low, and we have already charted out approximate price per point per year for various contracts, including some 50 pt ones, so I'd have to disagree that it flips the math. But I do hear what you're saying which is why we're also considering doing a minimum direct purchase. Small contracts were appealing to us to start to be able to pay in cash and not finance since we don't have boat loads of cash laying around.

We are a family of math/accounting nerds so we've got a good grasp on the financial aspects but was mainly looking for insight as to typical availability and value in terms of properties (whether one tends to hold more value as a home resort over others) since we'd be totally new to DVC.

 

[Her Dotness]

For holding value, I'd go with VGF. The Grand will always sell well should you need/want to do that, I think.

I still recommend renting points to try each resort before buying in. We found the DVC experience somewhat different. While we like the cheap stays we now have, it was something of a culture shock no longer having daily housekeeping and the little Deluxe niceties like turndown service.

Much though DVCers tout the value, DVC is not akin to a Deluxe resort hotel room if you enjoy being pampered. Yes, the rooms are similarly nicely appointed, but DVC resorts are much more self-service.

As for availability, it's quite true that fall will be harder to book unless you hop onto it at or very near your 11-month window if you prefer certain resorts. We've even found SSR, long rumored to be available for a week's stay any time of year, can be quite a challenge in November or December.

The monorail resorts can be especially dicey due to the MK holiday parties, so booking crunches may affect those more in September and October.

 

[sashinska]

The main point of DVC is to save money over the years on luxury Disney accommodations. Financing the contract negates all the savings so I would advice against it. In terms of value, VGF is probably the best option. As other mentioned Poly does not have 1 bedroom units and it is immediately a no go for many families. I am a math nerd myself and spent weeks calculating and recalculating all the costs including dues etc. In the end we went with direct VGF purchase.

 

[Disney5377]

For holding value, I'd go with VGF. The Grand will always sell well should you need/want to do that, I think.

I still recommend renting points to try each resort before buying in. We found the DVC experience somewhat different. While we like the cheap stays we now have, it was something of a culture shock no longer having daily housekeeping and the little Deluxe niceties like turndown service.

Much though DVCers tout the value, DVC is not akin to a Deluxe resort cash stay if you enjoy being pampered. Yes, the rooms are similarly nicely appointed, but DVC resorts are much more self-service.

Thanks, I get that. We have stayed at BWV in the past just through a direct cash booking so I have stayed at DVC properties (just not at Poly or VGF). Though honestly post-covid, even non-DVC rooms at the Deluxe resorts don't get daily housekeeping or turndown, so we wouldn't be missing it that much. We're looking more for the location and quality of the resort as a whole.

The main point of DVC is to save money over the years on luxury Disney accommodations. Financing the contract negates all the savings so I would advice against it. In terms of value, VGF is probably the best option. As other mentioned Poly does not have 1 bedroom units and it is immediately a no go for many families. I am a math nerd myself and spent weeks calculating and recalculating all the costs including dues etc. In the end we went with direct VGF purchase.

Totally with you on the financing point! And our calculations are leading us to direct VGF as well, so glad you agree, I feel validated in my analysis!

 

[Jlo85]

If you assume ~$700 closing, it’s an extra $7/pp for a 100 point contract or extra $14/pp for a 50 point. Because these are long contracts, it’s like $0.30/pp a year extra. It’s a bit extra, but I don’t think that’s a bad idea, especially if you haven’t stayed at the resort. For example, some have complained about the VGF having thin walls. Also, the studios are quite small. Don’t want to buy a huge contract and find that something *irks* you.

 

[FlynnRiderSwitch]

PVB tends to be available at 7 months most of the time so the home resort advantage at VGF has always been much more important.

The addition of the new resort studios is going to change that if studios is what you want. While we don’t know for sure yet, there is a really good chance that adding 202 new rooms will make it easier to those rooms at 7 months.

Remember, DVC slow times are not the same as park slow times. Mid September to mid January is very busy for DVC bookings so there may not be lots of options at 7 months to trade if going then.

The biggest piece to add, since you do mention Poly being your favorite, is that the decision about whether or not resale points, including PVB, will be eligible to book the new Poly tower being built, has not yet been made,

So, there is a possibility that PvB resale points bought now would be restricted. We may not know for sure until next year…so bear this in mind.

I am personally not a fan of the location of PVB villas because you have to walk out in the open to get places and in the rain, that’s not fun.

But, the new resort studios at BPK at VGF, have the same issue..just not as far….but the original VGF building does have a way to get to the main building under cover.

VGF is our second favorite resort after RIV and it’s a wonderful place. I think both are great choices.

I have heard nothing but great things about RIV, would love to stay there and see for myself but only way now is to buy a second contract there. Only drawback for me is that my family does not like the Skyliners, I LOVE them and the privacy they give you and it almost like going on a park ride before you enter the parks. How are the pools and restaurants at RIV?

 

[Salf777]

We own at VGF and also bought a small BLT contract for sleep around points. Honestly our only love was VGF. Bought the BLT because we got a great deal and we’re bored one weekend during Covid and just started making low ball offers and one was accepted. We just returned from 6 nights in the VGF resort studio and love them. It’s just myself and my wife so we don’t require the larger kitchenettes. Between the beverage cooler , microwave and we call for a toaster we’re good. The room has an amazing layout and feels so much larger and brighter to us. We have never stayed at BLT and now actually looking at more points at VGF and selling the BLT.
My whole point is listen to what everyone says and buy where you want to stay. Had we done so we would have more points at VGF and not selling a BLT now. As I newbie I asked all these questions about buying Somewhere else for better value or use points elsewhere and everyone said buy where you want to stay. Several years later I find that things happen and sometimes the best laid plans don’t work out. So having the points where we wanted to stay ended up making our vacations special

 

[Disney5377]

Thanks all, we ended up biting the bullet and doing a cash purchase of 150 VGF direct just this past weekend! We're so excited to finally be owners and already have a trip planned for the spring at Poly (unfortunately couldn't get VGF for our first DVC trip since we weren't far enough out to take advantage of the 11 month window). Ultimately, we love Poly and wanted to go direct so we are not potentially foreclosed from the new Poly tower depending on how they decide to deed it, but between the two we just couldn't justify the cost of Poly direct right now with the current VGF price and incentives. I really appreciate all of the responses and the insight, super helpful as we considered our options and we look forward to calling VGF 'home'!