Questions about DVC contract strategies

[AstroBlasters]

Life's too short to spend all that money and be disappointed, just buy at the Poly and be happy.

Follow this advice.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Hi, it's me!

I don't care a lot about where we stay as long as its never Boardwalk again. It's all WDW bubble in the end though!

<Astroblasters waives goodbye from his Boardwalk Balcony>

 

[Genie+]

We typically stay there 9 nights every June or July by renting, and that comes in under 200 points.

We first stayed there because I have 3 daughters, and the two bathroom plan in the studios looked very attractive. It has turned out to be a huge factor. Everyone fell in love with the resort, and nobody wants to stay anywhere else.

We actually tried a split stay this summer by doing 3 night at BCV before moving over to the Poly. The location and pool was nice, but the smaller room and bathroom made us feel cramped

Rank	Resort	SQ FT	Capacity	Beds
1	Hilton Head	455	4	1 Queen, 1 Double Sofa
2	Polynesian	447	5	1 Queen, 1 Queen Sofa, 1 Single Pull Down
3	Riviera	423	5	1 Queen, 1 Queen Pull Down, 1 Single Pull Down
4	Old Key West	390	4	2 Queens
5	Grand Californian	379	4	1 Queen, 1 Queen Sofa
6	Grand Floridian	374	5	1 Queen, 1 Queen Sofa, 1 Single Pull Down

Grand Floridian now also has Big Pine Key, and the 5th sleeper there is often left out of these discussions. It is not like the under TV pulldowns in most of the other rooms. It is a convertible sofa that flips down into a very comfortable twin bed (full thickness mattress).

VGF has 2 types of studio. The original Deluxe DVC studios are very similar to Poly with the pulldown and the second rainfall shower bathroom. Big Pine Key is all studios and they are referred to as ‘Resort Villas’, because they closely match the styling of the cash hotel rooms. The don’t have the second rainfall bathroom, but are a bit fancier in design and have 2 Queen beds and a Twin bed. The kitchenette is missing the little DVC sink, but otherwise the rest of the kitchen stuff is there. The bathroom is separated into 2 parts: the toilet and bathtub/shower, and a big vanity area with 2 sinks (both areas have a door. Plus there is another large vanity table outside the bathroom. And you get bathrobes in the closet

I love Poly! And I love VGF but I only own VGF. The reason I’m mentioning Big Pine Key studios is because the beds. This 5th sleeper is fine for an adult sized person, while the other 5th sleepers are thin mattress, narrow 30” and much shorter. It’s worth taking a look, especially if the kids outgrow the other kind of pulldowns. VGF is similar point-wise to PVB (like Poly is 1 or 2 points more in summer, but then 1 or 2 points less other times of year).

 

[MartyParty]

We typically stay there 9 nights every June or July by renting, and that comes in under 200 points.

We first stayed there because I have 3 daughters, and the two bathroom plan in the studios looked very attractive. It has turned out to be a huge factor. Everyone fell in love with the resort, and nobody wants to stay anywhere else.

We actually tried a split stay this summer by doing 3 night at BCV before moving over to the Poly. The location and pool was nice, but the smaller room and bathroom made us feel cramped.

Hello Takeitforgranite.

I had a similar plan and bought 190 Poly points in 2016. My plan was similar to yours with DW and two daughters. Not sure your daughter’s ages but as ours got older the studios just didn’t work for us.

But like us you can always add on later. Perhaps 150 direct now then resale later. But as long as we’re talking Poly nothing wrong with starting with resale points.

Good luck…

 

[muppets3d]

Hi, it's me!

I don't care a lot about where we stay as long as its never Boardwalk again. It's all WDW bubble in the end though!

The main issue with OP is they need to shoehorn 5 people into 200 points, which means either very short trips or studios. Not all studios sleep 5.

 

[airjay75]

Buy Poly. And, if you can swing it, I’d buy direct. If you factor in all incentives and credit card cash back, you can get 200 Poly points to around $200 pp. With resale prices in the $160s, that is just not a big enough difference for me to miss out on the direct benefits including the ability to use those points at the restricted resorts and all future resorts. I wish I loved Poly as much as it sounds like your family does - if I did, I’d probably have 300 points there and be ready to buy more.

 

[tx911]

<Astroblasters waives goodbye from his Boardwalk Balcony>

Damn that's a good view!

 

[jolynne28]

Lots of good advice here. I'm not sure how old your kids are, but we're a family of 5 as well, so I'd also add that you might grow out of studios and find yourself wanting a 1 or even 2 bedroom as your daughters get older. Also, new incentives come out early next week, so if the gulf between direct and resale isn't too far I'd definitely consider direct for the benefits as others have mentioned.

 

[Takeitforgranite]

My girls are all teenagers. They are used to one room hotels, but they aren’t exactly becoming less spoiled.

How often does WDW change/offer incentives for DVC? The only direct benefit that jumps out at me is the Sorcerer pass. That could save us $2500 per round of APs.

 

[airjay75]

My girls are all teenagers. They are used to one room hotels, but they aren’t exactly becoming less spoiled.

How often does WDW change/offer incentives for DVC? The only direct benefit that jumps out at me is the Sorcerer pass. That could save us $2500 per round of APs.

Every few months. Current round of incentives end this Monday (7/14) with new ones coming out Wednesday. That said, I think it’s fair to say that the trendline is almost always to make it more expensive, with few exceptions. I would be very surprised if pricing/incentives on Poly get better.

 

[Takeitforgranite]

Hi, it's me!

I don't care a lot about where we stay as long as its never Boardwalk again. It's all WDW bubble in the end though!

My wife and both tend to stick with something we know we like - WDW, Poly, restaurants, each other.

We have stayed at All-Stars, Pop, Port Orleans, OKW, BC. Until our girls came into our lives (all at once), we were content with All-Stars if it meant going to WDW more often. Becoming a family of 5 changed our options.

There were things we liked and disliked about all of them, but we definitely can’t see ourselves staying at OKW again. It was too spread out for us.

I actually had a request in for BW and Poly for this, but decided to change to BC and Poly.

 

[VGCgroupie]

My wife and both tend to stick with something we know we like - WDW, Poly, restaurants, each other.

We have stayed at All-Stars, Pop, Port Orleans, OKW, BC. Until our girls came into our lives (all at once), we were content with All-Stars if it meant going to WDW more often. Becoming a family of 5 changed our options.

There were things we liked and disliked about all of them, but we definitely can’t see ourselves staying at OKW again. It was too spread out for us.

I actually had a request in for BW and Poly for this, but decided to change to BC and Poly.

For sure eliminate SSR as well if you didnt like OKW.

 

[Mouseforward]

This would be so much easier of you had stereotypical boys , I would say CFW for the win you only need 150 points (31k direct) , plenty of room stick the 3 boys in the bedroom. But as much as I loved the cabins growing up, my sisters were not that happy. I could not get them to stay there now. That and the maintenance fees are higher per point, but you need fewer points for the week so $1782 per year for 150.

You can cut it down to three options:

1.VGF 200- Largest studio (BPK) , 2 real queen beds(BPK) and a large single sleeper, plenty of available studios, Spa / shopping and great food (about 33k resale) ( lower MF $1526)
2.Poly 200- 2nd largest studio, 2 showers plenty of available studios IMO mediocre one theme food options, but you can walk to VGF (about 32k resale) (44k direct) ( lower MF $1526)
3.RIV 200- 3rd largest studio, - easy access to Epcot - , resale is restricted so you should buy direct (43k) actually has the highest MF (1,812 year)

Easy ones to cut out
BLT/CCV/AK - will not hold 5
OKW/SSR - will not hold 5 and you said you don't like spread out

My family really wants quick Epcot access, so I got RIV direct. It also has the cheaper 1br of the three, so in May/Dec for example you could alternate between a studio and a 1br each year and stay under 200 points. I got 250pt and alternate between a studio and a 2br.

Unless you are going to be in WDW for more than 8 park days a year , the direct benefit of AP passes is not worth it. And they can take away that benefit at any time. So I would go resale for Poly or VGF.

Poly and VGF would be my choice if MK area is a priority and between them it is really personal choice in theme and style. You would be able to swap between the two @ 7 months in less popular times.

 

[juliebee]

Unless you are going to be in WDW for more than 8 park days a year , the direct benefit of AP passes is not worth it. And they can take away that benefit at any time.

But if you strategize, you could get annual passes that span two trips. Say middle of July 2025 and then end of June 2026. Then purchase those every other year. Direct DVC would really reduce the costs on the AP.

 

[Mouseforward]

But if you strategize, you could get annual passes that span two trips. Say middle of July 2025 and then end of June 2026. Then purchase those every other year. Direct DVC would really reduce the costs on the AP.

I do that personally , second week in May, 1st week in Dec, 1st week of May. I do non Disney on the off year. But it is limiting for folks with kids since many are restricted to one week in summer around summer camp and other commitments. Also most of the families with kids in the pre teen group are doing Universal for at least 2 days now.

 

[Takeitforgranite]

This would be so much easier of you had stereotypical boys , I would say CFW for the win you only need 150 points (31k direct) , plenty of room stick the 3 boys in the bedroom. But as much as I loved the cabins growing up, my sisters were not that happy. I could not get them to stay there now. That and the maintenance fees are higher per point, but you need fewer points for the week so $1782 per year for 150.

You can cut it down to three options:

1.VGF 200- Largest studio (BPK) , 2 real queen beds(BPK) and a large single sleeper, plenty of available studios, Spa / shopping and great food (about 33k resale) ( lower MF $1526)
2.Poly 200- 2nd largest studio, 2 showers plenty of available studios IMO mediocre one theme food options, but you can walk to VGF (about 32k resale) (44k direct) ( lower MF $1526)
3.RIV 200- 3rd largest studio, - easy access to Epcot - , resale is restricted so you should buy direct (43k) actually has the highest MF (1,812 year)

Easy ones to cut out
BLT/CCV/AK - will not hold 5
OKW/SSR - will not hold 5 and you said you don't like spread out

My family really wants quick Epcot access, so I got RIV direct. It also has the cheaper 1br of the three, so in May/Dec for example you could alternate between a studio and a 1br each year and stay under 200 points. I got 250pt and alternate between a studio and a 2br.

Unless you are going to be in WDW for more than 8 park days a year , the direct benefit of AP passes is not worth it. And they can take away that benefit at any time. So I would go resale for Poly or VGF.

Poly and VGF would be my choice if MK area is a priority and between them it is really personal choice in theme and style. You would be able to swap between the two @ 7 months in less popular times.

Great info. Yeah, if I follow my own criteria, I just end up with VGF and Poly, anyway. We prefer MK, and that’s where we go more than any other park. My wife has always said that VGF is kind of a bucket list thing. Even though the price is about the same, as far as renting points, we have never stayed there. I am a little concerned that the kids may not like it as much, and the shared bus situation makes it less appealing.

We will definitely stay there eventually. I was going to save that trip for maybe just the two of us one day. But, I’m not to rule it out as a potential DVC home resort.

 

[Takeitforgranite]

But if you strategize, you could get annual passes that span two trips. Say middle of July 2025 and then end of June 2026. Then purchase those every other year. Direct DVC would really reduce the costs on the AP.

That’s what we do. We had to start a little earlier this time (late June) and will squeeze in our trip next summer in early/mid June. We have a “low budget” trip planned for fall as well.

I never really thought renewing AP worked for non FL residents. There just wasn’t enough of a discount to renew after your trip ends, if it was going to be months before you could come back.

 

[Takeitforgranite]

How did everyone decide how many DVC points to buy?

Was it as simple as “We are going to need ___ points a year”?

Did anyone consider the ability to borrow and bank points when buying?

I can’t help but think about the savings if you consider the ability to move points knowing that, every few years, you probably won’t be able to take a trip or you have to take a shorter trip than usual.

 

[eticketplease]

Great info. Yeah, if I follow my own criteria, I just end up with VGF and Poly, anyway. We prefer MK, and that’s where we go more than any other park. My wife has always said that VGF is kind of a bucket list thing. Even though the price is about the same, as far as renting points, we have never stayed there. I am a little concerned that the kids may not like it as much, and the shared bus situation makes it less appealing.

We will definitely stay there eventually. I was going to save that trip for maybe just the two of us one day. But, I’m not to rule it out as a potential DVC home resort.

The bus is shared with Poly so not sure that would affect a decision on buying VGF or not imo

 

[eticketplease]

How did everyone decide how many DVC points to buy?

Was it as simple as “We are going to need ___ points a year”?

Did anyone consider the ability to borrow and bank points when buying?

I can’t help but think about the savings if you consider the ability to move points knowing that, every few years, you probably won’t be able to take a trip or you have to take a shorter trip than usual.

I look at the most expensive time of the year for the resort and the accommodation type I would normally book. Then I look at the points per week in the more expensive view as I’m not always booking at 11 months out. This gives me some wiggle room.

Then I do what @VGCgroupie does and call my guide to add more points lol