Question about buying a fixed week

[robotsneedlove2]

I recently took the DVC tour, and I expressed the desire to buy a fixed week, week 49 in standard view for 130 points. The guide said that it was a bad idea, and it was a better idea to just buy the points.

He said that since that week has already passed, I wouldn’t receive any 2016 points. By just buying the points with an October UY I would receive the 2016 points.

I had my heart set on a fixed week. While I don’t expect to always use the fixed week, going to Disney during December will always be one of my favorite times to travel.

Question 1 – was my guide right? If I buy the fixed week, do I lose out on 2016 points?

Question 2 – If I can’t have my fixed week, should I just buy resale? I love the Poly, and think it will be hard to book once it is sold out. (We are a family of 3, and the studios are the perfect size for our small family.)

 

[_auroraborealis_]

If you think you will regularly use that week, week 49 as a fixed week is a solid idea. It is hard to say if that week becomes difficult as an 11-month booking from where we are at now. A fixed week is insurance to that.

I am pretty sure Disney could give you the 2016 points if they felt like it as part of making the sale. They usually couch the provision of current year's points as a "special offer!" although it's not. A fixed week comes with a point value, and there is no reason they couldn't give you the equivalent points that I'm aware of.

There aren't a lot of Poly resale contracts right now. It is a question of if the size and UY of those available work for you. Poly is one of the cases where buying direct still may make sense if you really do want to stay at Poly 75% of the time. Closing and closing costs are faster/cheaper direct.

 

[Brian Noble]

One thing to consider: as your young one grows (and, if by chance your family does too) you may find that the studio is no longer a preferred option. Likewise, there will almost certainly be a time when traveling in early December with a school-aged student is difficult. That will change when your young one leaves the nest, opening December up again, and it might even make studios attractive again. However, my better half and I still prefer 1BRs even when it is just the two of us.

That said, if you really want the fixed week, I think I'd get it even if you didn't get the 2016 points, though as the PP suggests, they might be able to work that out for you.

 

[supersnoop]

Tell your guide to double-check with his supervisor to see if the allocated points would still be available.

If you were simply past the booking period, I bet they could work it out for you. But since you're past the actual date, it might actually be impossible.

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

I have a fixed week at VGF that I bought resale. Some observations...
1) I wish I had bought a fixed week at VGF in December when I bought my initial contract. (But I was not offered one. My guide did not mention it.) December is a bear to book, even at 11 months. I am not sure this is true for Poly, but it very well may be once the resort is sold out. Also, if I were buying Poly, I would get a Lake View for sure.
2) I bought a July fixed week resale, and I paid less than I would have paid with no fixed week, because the fixed week feature is not well understood in the retail market, AND people in the retail market may not put the same value on that particular week as you do.
3) While fixed weeks give you a guaranteed time slot in perhaps a time of year that is hard to book, they are somewhat less flexible that you might think. You MUST book for 7 days. You MUST check in on Sunday and check out on Sunday (7 nights - starting on Sunday). If you need to come Tuesday to Tuesday, you can't use your fixed week privilege to do so. If you can come for only 5 days, you can't use your fixed week privilege to do so. However, chances are good for you to get the 5 days because you will still have home resort privileges at 11 months.
4) On the topic of flexibility, you MUST book the selection you picked to use your fixed week. If you bought a studio standard view, and later you have grandchildren added to the family and you really wish you had a 2 BR, you cannot use your fixed week. (But you can turn it back to Disney that year and use the points.)
5) Fixed weeks cost more points. My VGF contract costs 186 points for a fixed week around July 4th, but if I booked it as a non-fixed week, it would only cost me 169 points. However, if I release my fixed week back to Disney, I get 186 points to use however I want. So there is an incentive for me not to use the fixed week as a fixed week. I get more points to use elsewhere.
6) I do not understand the part about the Guide will not give you 2016 points if you get a fixed week. I would tell your guide that you want a second opinion from another guide, and see what he says. It may have to do with use year, but I have a July fixed week with a December use year, and I do not know if the original purchasor got current year points or not. In general, you should always get current year points. It is possible, I suppose, that the fixed week is tied to a December use year, so the 2016 points are already in use, and you would not get more points until next December, whereas if he could sell you a Jan or Feb use year, you would get 2016 points now and additional points in Jan or Feb 2017, so it seems like he is giving you something special. Do some research on which use year works best for your travel pattern and insist on that. Use year can save your bacon if you have to cancel your reservation.

 

[kniquy]

You do also have to consider that if you do buy a fixed week in December with only 130 point contract, if you choose to go other times of the year you will be short points to go for an entire week. In other seasons you need 169 points for a week in a standard or 199 in a lake view. I would forgo the fixed week simply because it limits you at other times of the year by lacking points. If you want to buy poly only then search out some resales -- there are a few and can be a little savings compared to direct but you are also stripped of any member benefits so when you are talking about the difference between a $150 resale with higher closing costs vs $171 per point with all the benefits and slightly lower closing cost -- it almost makes sense to go direct. It really depends on what you can afford.

 

[disneynutz]

DVD likes to make buyers think that they are getting free points along with their purchase when in fact they are getting what they bought. If you want a Dec contract, you are in your 2016 UY so they won't give you 2015 points. If you buy Feb UY, you get 2015 points now and in Feb, 2016 points.

Bill

 

[robotsneedlove2]

Thanks for all the feedback! I appreciate everyone taking time to respond.

130 points is what I feel comfortable buying right now. We enjoyed our standard view room, but admit if we ever had to stay in a parking lot view room, we would be disappointed. (Hmm, I should review the lake view point chart.)

At some point in the future, or when traveling with a larger group we may want to book larger accommodations. I’ll figure that out when we come to it. (But why buy Poly points if you want to stay in 1 bedroom?) I’m 99.9% sure our family won’t be growing in size and the studios have plenty of room for 3.

About a fixed week, I don’t expect to even use it 50% of the time. I hope that we would use it more when we’re empty nesters, which is 15+ years down the road.

I’m not interested in buying Poly resale. If I decided to do resale I would look at BLT or SSR.

 

[supersnoop]

You do also have to consider that if you do buy a fixed week in December with only 130 point contract, if you choose to go other times of the year you will be short points to go for an entire week. In other seasons you need 169 points for a week in a standard or 199 in a lake view. I would forgo the fixed week simply because it limits you at other times of the year by lacking points. If you want to buy poly only then search out some resales -- there are a few and can be a little savings compared to direct but you are also stripped of any member benefits so when you are talking about the difference between a $150 resale with higher closing costs vs $171 per point with all the benefits and slightly lower closing cost -- it almost makes sense to go direct. It really depends on what you can afford.

So, buy a fixed week and add in a few extra points.

 

[supersnoop]

DVD likes to make buyers think that they are getting free points along with their purchase when in fact they are getting what they bought. If you want a Dec contract, you are in your 2016 UY so they won't give you 2015 points. If you buy Feb UY, you get 2015 points now and in Feb, 2016 points.

Bill

I think you're a year off, Bill. Nobody is in their 2015 use year anymore.

 

[disneynutz]

I think you're a year off, Bill. Nobody is in their 2015 use year anymore.

I'm going back to bed, too cold and winter like to think!

 

[ziravan]

I own a Poly fixed week and it's the only way we would have bought.

I do think that Poly will be oversold on 25% bungalow points that will be used to book studios, especially in the first 2 weeks of December. Add in that is when a good chunk of the rental demand will be, and it's a monorail resort and those rooms will go quick once Poly is sold out.

Another consideration is the current rebate excludes fixed weeks. But. If that doesn't bother you, get the fixed week.

If I understand it correctly, the "extra points" is semantics at this point. Since you are in Dec, 2016, a Dec UY will give you 2016 which is the current years' points.

If you got a UY starting in February 2017 and they "gifted" you 2016 points, then you'd still start off with 2016 points.

I think you'll regret having to compete for Dec reservations in 10 yrs if you don't have a fixed week.

Ask your guide to sell you a fixed week or recommend a guide who will.

We have no regrets.

 

[Dean]

I recently took the DVC tour, and I expressed the desire to buy a fixed week, week 49 in standard view for 130 points. The guide said that it was a bad idea, and it was a better idea to just buy the points.

He said that since that week has already passed, I wouldn’t receive any 2016 points. By just buying the points with an October UY I would receive the 2016 points.

I had my heart set on a fixed week. While I don’t expect to always use the fixed week, going to Disney during December will always be one of my favorite times to travel.

Question 1 – was my guide right? If I buy the fixed week, do I lose out on 2016 points?

Question 2 – If I can’t have my fixed week, should I just buy resale? I love the Poly, and think it will be hard to book once it is sold out. (We are a family of 3, and the studios are the perfect size for our small family.)

IMO a fixed week is the best choice all else fairly equal even if it's not a week you'll travel all the time. I feel it's far more important than breaking it up into smaller contract chunks. As noted, you can always buy more. I'd also suggest checking with DVC as I suspect you'd still get the points just not the fixed week for the current UY which I see as a plus anyway because it gives you the flexibility to use the points to replace the week going forward and to save the extra 10% on the points.

 

[ScubaCat]

One other thought - I believe a fixed week is guaranteed even if there is a point chart reallocation. If they decide the bungalows are too many points and studios are too few, they could adjust the cost of the studios upward a little. With the fixed week, you'd not be affected by that either (as far as utilizing the fixed week is concerned).

 

[zavandor]

No one knows what will happen with the Poly when it'll be sold out, so everyone is speculating... me too.
I think Poly will be hard to get at 7 months in certain periods (early December, runDisney events, major holidays). But I think at 11 months there shouldn't be big issues like with the VGF studios or BWV standards. Even if the predictions about the bungalows will turn out to be true, there are still a lot of studios in the resort.

 

[ziravan]

No one knows what will happen with the Poly when it'll be sold out, so everyone is speculating... me too.
I think Poly will be hard to get at 7 months in certain periods (early December, runDisney events, major holidays). But I think at 11 months there shouldn't be big issues like with the VGF studios or BWV standards. Even if the predictions about the bungalows will turn out to be true, there are still a lot of studios in the resort.

There are a lot of studios. But. There'll also be 25% more owners than studios.

And this is a monorail resort a 5 minutes walk from both the MK and EPCOT monorail.

During Fall Frenzy (start of F&W through Jan Marathon weekend), there's going to be pressure even in the home window. Even now, with the resort 55% sold and 75% avail, there's booking pressure on the 7 month window during first 2 weeks of Dec. In addition to owners trying to book those two prime DVC weeks, that's where the vast majority of rental activity will be concentrated.

Enough to buy a fixed week? Maybe not.

But. How is that going to change over 50 yrs? When DVC membership doubles its current size? And doubles again? If current trends hold, "buy where you want to stay" really means "buy where you want to stay during Fall Frenzy".

And if current trends that'll put pressure on booking Fall Frenzy changes? That's the beauty of a fixed week. If the guarantee isn't needed, no harm, no foul.

But if it is? You won't know until it's too late. Ask VGF owners walking 11 month bookings for a studio the first 2 weeks of Dec if a fixed week would have been a better deal...

 

[pangyal]

One other thought - I believe a fixed week is guaranteed even if there is a point chart reallocation. If they decide the bungalows are too many points and studios are too few, they could adjust the cost of the studios upward a little. With the fixed week, you'd not be affected by that either (as far as utilizing the fixed week is concerned).

This is true, yes. Fixed weeks are exempt from reallocations. They are also exempt from any possible fluctuations with regards to the seasonal price differences (for example, if your week landed partially in a higher point category some years).

 

[zavandor]

They are exempt for reallocations if you keep the fixed week reservation. But that one costs 10% more points to begin with, respect to booking with points. So if the reallocation is for less than 10% of the points, you still are better (if there is availability) to forego the fixed week and book with points. And also the opposite is true: if the reallocation lower the cost of the week you buy, you have even more incentive to forego the fixed reservation

 

[BK2014]

Fixed weeks cost more points. My VGF contract costs 186 points for a fixed week around July 4th, but if I booked it as a non-fixed week, it would only cost me 169 points. However, if I release my fixed week back to Disney, I get 186 points to use however I want. So there is an incentive for me not to use the fixed week as a fixed week. I get more points to use elsewhere.

So, if I am reading this correctly, in any given year you can just opt to use your fixed week, release the fixed week to Disney and instead use the 186 points as if you had them on a non-fixed week contract? Under a fixed-week contract you not only have a guaranteed room-type in a guaranteed week every year, but also the option of operating as a non-fixed week contract? I guess if that is correct, I don't understand why more people don't buy fixed week contracts. Am I missing something?

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

So, if I am reading this correctly, in any given year you can just opt to use your fixed week, release the fixed week to Disney and instead use the 186 points as if you had them on a non-fixed week contract? Under a fixed-week contract you not only have a guaranteed room-type in a guaranteed week every year, but also the option of operating as a non-fixed week contract? I guess if that is correct, I don't understand why more people don't buy fixed week contracts. Am I missing something?

That is correct.

For us, we don't want to go at a fixed time so the option of the fixed week is not very useful. And if we did use it I'd rather not be paying the extra 10% in points if I didn't have to. A big plus for me for DVC was that it's a point system, not a traditional fixed week. Now yes, you can release it but then what's the point of the fixed week if you weren't going to use it the majority of the time or even 1/2 of the time? Some will say that it will garner a greater price on the resale market but so far there's been no evidence albeit only a few have shown up. In the case of people who bought fixed weeks for the larger villas I think it's been a detriment to sell - they would have had easier resale if they had split up their initial purchase. I've seen several that sat on the brokers websites for a very long time. VGF studios in early December are so far the only rooms that I could see having it as that resort is small and there were a lot of existing owners that bought a small amount of points and expressed they wanted to use them for stays in December so it's been a difficult time to book. But, there's other resorts that I'd be happy to stay at too so again, no need to own an early Dec fixed week there.

In a different situation, if you did always go the same week I can see it making more sense, but for the most part you can make a smaller initial purchase and still get the same room without the 10% premium. There's a few other situations where the justification could be there but that's individual situations and I don't see it as an option that always makes sense - or even one makes sense the majority of the time. The benefit just depends on the situation.