Questions about purchasing DVC

[disneylover81]

A little background… I have been considering purchasing DVC for the last 6 years, but never committed because of the upfront cost. Feels like so much money. I’m 40 now and have a 2 year old grandson, who we just brought to WDW for his first trip last month. So now I’ve got the DVC buying bug again and am thinking really hard about it and am 90% sure I’m ready to commit. I know my husband and I will want to keep going to Disney regularly for the rest of our lives, which is mostly every other year or so, depending on what’s going on or if we have a trip planned to another destination. My son is 23 and quit going to Disney with us years ago because he said he had outgrown it, but since he’s a father now, he’s had a change of heart. My daughter is 16 and still likes to go and is trying to convert her boyfriend into being a fan so that he will start coming with us on our trips. I’ve gotten excited at the thought of being able to bring my grandson as he grows up. It’s reliving seeing the magic from a child all over again.

I’m a Magic Kingdom girl all the way! It’s my favorite park so I’m very interested in purchasing GFV direct, maybe just starting out at 150-175 points. I finally got to stay at GF in the main building last year for my 40th birthday and fell in love with the resort. The pools were amazing, the location was perfect, plus with the monorail and that great walkway to MK. It just can’t be beat.

My questions are:
1. I’m worried 150-175 points may not be enough. We tend to travel in mid-July for my birthday, but my son said he would rather travel when the weather is not so hot. We did enjoy our late April trip this year, but it was still too hot for my son. We stayed for 8 days because it was my husband and my 20th anniversary and our grandson’s 2nd birthday, but he thinks that was too long. So probably in the future we would stay 5 nights and maybe try to go in early October every now and then for the cooler weather. There would be 7 of us if we all went together so I’m sure we would want 2 studio rooms. We don’t cook on vacation so no need for a full kitchen. 3 of us would go every year (4 of us if the boyfriend goes), but my son would probably only want to go every 2-3 years with his family (3 of them). Does this sound like enough points to start out with? I have looked at the point chart and I can see GFV points are kind of high compared to other resorts. I’m working on figuring up how many points we need for what we want to do, but I know y’all are experts on points !
2. The current incentive for GFV isn’t as much as RIV or Aulani offers, but it ends on June 1st. Does anyone think there will be a better incentive after this one expires? I wonder should I wait until June 2nd to see what the offer will be or am I risking the chance they will raise the per point cost?
3. The use year really confuses me. If I will typically vacation in late April/early May, mid-July or early October, what use year would I want?
4. If I buy GFV direct now and later want to add on a resale for GFV, do the points combine into one big point bank or do they remain separate from each other? From what I can understand they do combine, but they need to have the same use year. Is that accurate? Eventually I’d like to have enough points to be able to take a second 4-5 day trip each year, just my husband and I.
5. Will the annual passes ever be offered again? If I am going to work my way up to visiting 2 times a year, I think this is worth it for at least my husband and I.
6. If my son wants to split the cost with me, do we both need to be named on the contract? And how do I make sure my children will inherit the remainder of our contract if we pass before it runs out?

I’m sure I will have more questions later as I think of them. I’m really in a time crunch, if I need to purchase by June 1st.

 

[disneyfan123]

1) Buy as many as you can afford and don’t plan on always staying in the lowest point room. Have some cushion so if you have to book a more expensive room you can. You can always bank unused points but if you don’t have enough points to book whatever is available you will not be happy. If you are going every other year 175 points should be more than enough. You can always add on late (addonitis is real! Bought our first contract a year ago and added on at VGF2 in March as the price was too good to pass up).

2) No one knows what future incentives could be, and we are in some very uncertain times economically, but I wouldn’t expect the incentives for VGF to get better.

3) There’s a thread around here somewhere that does a deep dive on use year; it shouldn’t be hard to find but I’m too lazy to find it and link it! Sorry it’s late…but you would be best served with a February, March or December use year if you go in April/May/July.

4) Not sure about the points; I have a SSR and VGF contract, and while they are under the same contract number, they are still separated in my account. If you buy a second contract at the same resort it may be all together but someone else would need to chime in as I’m not sure.

5) No one knows anything about this, but my guess is that nothing will be announced until after the lawsuit in California gets sorted out.

6) If your son is going to be using the contract then he needs to be on the deed. Just make sure you have a good understanding, and a written contract between you two, of how sharing the points will work.

 

[RoseGold]

I wouldn’t buy points planning to go with a teenager. And do you really want to stay in a hotel with a teenager and her boyfriend anyway? She will be in college or at her first job with minimal vacation in just a couple years.

Does your son want you to take his kid? It sounds like you are creating excuses to buy points for a grandkid for a trip his parents don’t want. If you really want to test this, price out tickets right now. If you’re on the fence, that will do it.

I don’t see why direct is on the table for you at all. If you’re concerned about buy in cost, the obvious choice is SSR resale. If you change your mind, you sell. Or BLT. The low point rooms book fast and you need BLT points to book them.

And buy in is only part of it. The VGF point chart is incredibly high. Legacy properties have much lower point requirements. You need to plan a vacation that actually will happen and look carefully at the charts. The charts do the heavy lifting for RIV and VGF.

 

[CarolMN]

There’s a thread around here somewhere that does a deep dive on use year; it shouldn’t be hard to find but I’m too lazy to find it and link it! Sorry it’s late…but you would be best served with a February, March or December use year if you go in April/May/July.

Understanding Use Year

@disneylover81 - My advice would be to look for April, March or February use years. Any of those would work for the times you typically travel. Good luck with your decision.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

I wouldn’t buy points planning to go with a teenager. And do you really want to stay in a hotel with a teenager and her boyfriend anyway? She will be in college or at her first job with minimal vacation in just a couple years.

Does your son want you to take his kid? It sounds like you are creating excuses to buy points for a grandkid for a trip his parents don’t want. If you really want to test this, price out tickets right now. If you’re on the fence, that will do it.

I don’t see why direct is on the table for you at all. If you’re concerned about buy in cost, the obvious choice is SSR resale. If you change your mind, you sell. Or BLT. The low point rooms book fast and you need BLT points to book them.

And buy in is only part of it. The VGF point chart is incredibly high. Legacy properties have much lower point requirements. You need to plan a vacation that actually will happen and look carefully at the charts. The charts do the heavy lifting for RIV and VGF.

If OP loves VGF and wants to stay there why limit herself to always doing the 7m game. The advice given 99% of the time on this board is to buy where you want to stay. Direct vs resale is a separate conversation, but if she understands the cost of VGF and is comfortable with it more power to her. And if she doesn’t want the hassle of buying resale and incentives are good enough then buy direct to maintain maximum flexibility and be done with it.

Having said that I wouldn’t want to be in a studio with a teenager/college aged kid and potentially her boyfriend. My mom would be willing to share a room if necessary with my husband (we have been together for 25 years at this point) but still doesn't share with my sister’s husband. And even with my family if all 5 of us are going it’s a 2BD for sure.

I would price out a 1BD or 2 studios at least if she is coming with you, and potentially a 2 BD or 3 studios if adding on your son and grandkid.

 

[RoseGold]

If OP loves VGF and wants to stay there why limit herself to always doing the 7m game

OP said they loved MK and were concerned about cost. Buying direct at the most expensive in points resort is not cost-effective. Resale BLT could also be booked at 11 months.

If OP is buying for a couple, or a couple and one kid, a small BLT studio for much less points makes more sense to me then the most point heavy property at WDW.

 

[RoseGold]

The estate and joint ownership questions are legal questions. I wouldn’t own joint real estate with anyone I’m not married to. The other solutions to this are to buy this as a trust or an LLC, which is common. This is a question for your estate attorney.

If your son wants to buy in, I’d let him buy his own contract. I’d rather cleanly rent some points now and then than tangle up complicated timeshares. I’d buy a contract you are confident in with or without his assistance.

 

[Spinster Travel]

I was like you; had thought about buying in for years and then really got serious in 2020 and took the plunge with my first contract. I bought 120 Poly points knowing it wasn't likely all I'd need/want, but knew it was enough to get in and start using the points to get an idea of how many more I'd eventually need. Since then I've added on a 25 point OKW direct contract and am in ROFR for another 25 point OKW contract. I'll admit that I spend a couple of months (during the height of the RONA lockdown) putting dates/points into a spreadsheet for hypothetical vacations to figure out how many starter points would be worth it. Your family and vacation needs ARE going to change, so what you need now will be different when your daughter is in college so jumping in now with your propsed 175-200 points is fine; then you can always add on later.

Do spend some time looking at Use Year - many people only look at when the points are allocated to choose their UY and don't take into consideration the banking deadlines. The banking deadlines are what helped me decide my UY. For example; I have a September UY so my deadline to bank points is April 30th. I almost never travel to WDW from May-August (and if I was going to, I'd almost certainly know those plans by 4/30) so I picked the September UY. I get my points allocated to me 9/1 which is in time for the Food and Wine Festival which is good for me.

If you buy points now and add on later; they will be a different contract #, but as long as it is the same UY you will keep the same membership number. As you book vacations, you will see a dropdown for you to pick which contract you want to use for each trip (assuming there are points available from that contract to use).

Good luck! It's sooo worth it!

 

[Sandisw]

Just want to say that I don’t think the incentives will get better, but one thing you can do is contact a guide and start the process just before the incentives end.

You have 10 days to cancel so if the incentives are better, they will allow you to update the deal and if not, you are locked into the ones today.

VGF is a great resort and our 2nd favorite to RIV. For staying in the MK area it is a great choice and the walkway now is a wonderful thing.

I would say April UY would be the best one for the times you listed for travel. The best thing is to travel in the first 8 months to give you a little extra protection if you have to change or cancel.

Good luck!

 

[RoseGold]

Just to show the power of the chart, I picked a random 6 nights in July. VGF is 120 points. BLT standard is 106. That's 13% more expensive.

Obviously, AKL at 86 points will be even cheaper. (AKL value at 60 is impossible to book, but AKL 1BR value at 132 is available sometimes.) This means the overall stay costs much less because you have to buy less points. When resale AKL/BLT/VGF are all so close in cost, this chart can really matter to the overall cost. Also, BLT has the excellent value 1BR with the extra bathroom, which might actually work well for your family's needs. For that week, that room is 208, which I think is one of the best values in the system. This room is booked and walked and you must have BLT points to get it. If your dates are flexible, the 1BR AKL value is sometimes available, and if you try you should be able to walk it. For 132, that room doesn't cost more than VGF.

I found this chart helpful for considering costs:
https://www.dvcresalemarket.com/blog/best-economical-dvc-resorts-to-purchase-spring-2022/

I love VGF, I own VGF. But if cost is a concern, I think there are better choices, maybe even with options that work better. Maybe look at a video on the AKL club level...

 

[wnielsen1]

A little background… I have been considering purchasing DVC for the last 6 years, but never committed because of the upfront cost. Feels like so much money. I’m 40 now and have a 2 year old grandson, who we just brought to WDW for his first trip last month. So now I’ve got the DVC buying bug again and am thinking really hard about it and am 90% sure I’m ready to commit. I know my husband and I will want to keep going to Disney regularly for the rest of our lives, which is mostly every other year or so, depending on what’s going on or if we have a trip planned to another destination. My son is 23 and quit going to Disney with us years ago because he said he had outgrown it, but since he’s a father now, he’s had a change of heart. My daughter is 16 and still likes to go and is trying to convert her boyfriend into being a fan so that he will start coming with us on our trips. I’ve gotten excited at the thought of being able to bring my grandson as he grows up. It’s reliving seeing the magic from a child all over again.

I’m a Magic Kingdom girl all the way! It’s my favorite park so I’m very interested in purchasing GFV direct, maybe just starting out at 150-175 points. I finally got to stay at GF in the main building last year for my 40th birthday and fell in love with the resort. The pools were amazing, the location was perfect, plus with the monorail and that great walkway to MK. It just can’t be beat.

My questions are:
1. I’m worried 150-175 points may not be enough. We tend to travel in mid-July for my birthday, but my son said he would rather travel when the weather is not so hot. We did enjoy our late April trip this year, but it was still too hot for my son. We stayed for 8 days because it was my husband and my 20th anniversary and our grandson’s 2nd birthday, but he thinks that was too long. So probably in the future we would stay 5 nights and maybe try to go in early October every now and then for the cooler weather. There would be 7 of us if we all went together so I’m sure we would want 2 studio rooms. We don’t cook on vacation so no need for a full kitchen. 3 of us would go every year (4 of us if the boyfriend goes), but my son would probably only want to go every 2-3 years with his family (3 of them). Does this sound like enough points to start out with? I have looked at the point chart and I can see GFV points are kind of high compared to other resorts. I’m working on figuring up how many points we need for what we want to do, but I know y’all are experts on points !
2. The current incentive for GFV isn’t as much as RIV or Aulani offers, but it ends on June 1st. Does anyone think there will be a better incentive after this one expires? I wonder should I wait until June 2nd to see what the offer will be or am I risking the chance they will raise the per point cost?
3. The use year really confuses me. If I will typically vacation in late April/early May, mid-July or early October, what use year would I want?
4. If I buy GFV direct now and later want to add on a resale for GFV, do the points combine into one big point bank or do they remain separate from each other? From what I can understand they do combine, but they need to have the same use year. Is that accurate? Eventually I’d like to have enough points to be able to take a second 4-5 day trip each year, just my husband and I.
5. Will the annual passes ever be offered again? If I am going to work my way up to visiting 2 times a year, I think this is worth it for at least my husband and I.
6. If my son wants to split the cost with me, do we both need to be named on the contract? And how do I make sure my children will inherit the remainder of our contract if we pass before it runs out?

I’m sure I will have more questions later as I think of them. I’m really in a time crunch, if I need to purchase by June 1st.

1. Buy what you can and if you need to add-on later, do so.
2. Nobody knows what incentives will be but you have a 10 day right to cancel, so buy now and if the incentives go up early June, have them rewrite your contract.
3. March or April
4. Yes, but they need the same UY
5. Nobody knows. Probably once park attendance eases.
6. If you are both comfortable, put your son on the contract. Then he'll receive all of the direct purchaser benefits such as discounts, etc.

 

[disneylover81]

1) Buy as many as you can afford and don’t plan on always staying in the lowest point room. Have some cushion so if you have to book a more expensive room you can. You can always bank unused points but if you don’t have enough points to book whatever is available you will not be happy. If you are going every other year 175 points should be more than enough. You can always add on late (addonitis is real! Bought our first contract a year ago and added on at VGF2 in March as the price was too good to pass up).

2) No one knows what future incentives could be, and we are in some very uncertain times economically, but I wouldn’t expect the incentives for VGF to get better.

3) There’s a thread around here somewhere that does a deep dive on use year; it shouldn’t be hard to find but I’m too lazy to find it and link it! Sorry it’s late…but you would be best served with a February, March or December use year if you go in April/May/July.

4) Not sure about the points; I have a SSR and VGF contract, and while they are under the same contract number, they are still separated in my account. If you buy a second contract at the same resort it may be all together but someone else would need to chime in as I’m not sure.

5) No one knows anything about this, but my guess is that nothing will be announced until after the lawsuit in California gets sorted out.

6) If your son is going to be using the contract then he needs to be on the deed. Just make sure you have a good understanding, and a written contract between you two, of how sharing the points will work.

Thanks for the feedback. I don’t plan on staying in the lowest cost room, it’ll at least be lake view. I like a room with a view. I’m kinda sad that the only GFV rooms with a theme park view are the new resort studios. I know I will buy more points probably sooner than later, I’m just trying to start off at a good amount.

I had looked into the use year thread a little, but not a deep dive. I will get to looking more.

My son won’t care if he’s on the deed or not and he probably won’t even go to Disney if I don’t go at the same time. I’m the only one in my whole family that’s absolutely Disney crazy. I just wondered the best way to handle it to ensure if I ever die that my kids will “inherit” my contract.

 

[RoseGold]

For views, random 6 nights in July, BLT theme park view and Poly lake view, which I think are the best views, are 150/156. Both better values than VGF lake view 148 IMO. Poly is risky for you, because you might be locked into studios, depending on how Poly2 goes. And Poly is not impossible to waitlist or book at 7 months. It's worth noting that the BLT views are mapped and strict. Anything below certain floors is value. You should be able to see a view from most room types.

I'd go take a tour on youtube of the BLT theme park view.

There's also Boardwalk view, impossible to book without BW points, 104. BW points are more expensive, but you could make up for that if you use priority to get this good chart pricing -- and with less buy-in cost and less overall points. If BW and the BW view appeals to you, that might be worth considering. Especially for 50% more points for VGF.

 

[Sandisw]

Thanks for the feedback. I don’t plan on staying in the lowest cost room, it’ll at least be lake view. I like a room with a view. I’m kinda sad that the only GFV rooms with a theme park view are the new resort studios. I know I will buy more points probably sooner than later, I’m just trying to start off at a good amount.

I had looked into the use year thread a little, but not a deep dive. I will get to looking more.

My son won’t care if he’s on the deed or not and he probably won’t even go to Disney if I don’t go at the same time. I’m the only one in my whole family that’s absolutely Disney crazy. I just wondered the best way to handle it to ensure if I ever die that my kids will “inherit” my contract.

We did add our adult children to some of our contracts once they were grown and out of college.

We paid for it all but they all decided they enjoy Disney enough to want to be owners. We also have things set in that dues will be covered for an additional 10 years after we pass. This way, it doesn’t cost any of them money until that time passes. And if they all want to sell sooner they can.

But we were comfortable with doing it.

 

[disneylover81]

I wouldn’t buy points planning to go with a teenager. And do you really want to stay in a hotel with a teenager and her boyfriend anyway? She will be in college or at her first job with minimal vacation in just a couple years.

Does your son want you to take his kid? It sounds like you are creating excuses to buy points for a grandkid for a trip his parents don’t want. If you really want to test this, price out tickets right now. If you’re on the fence, that will do it.

I don’t see why direct is on the table for you at all. If you’re concerned about buy in cost, the obvious choice is SSR resale. If you change your mind, you sell. Or BLT. The low point rooms book fast and you need BLT points to book them.

And buy in is only part of it. The VGF point chart is incredibly high. Legacy properties have much lower point requirements. You need to plan a vacation that actually will happen and look carefully at the charts. The charts do the heavy lifting for RIV and VGF.

I don't always plan on going with my teenager, it is mostly going to be my husband and I and occasionally my daughter. I don't mind sharing a room with her, as we are very close and have lots of fun together. I know my time left with her is limited before she moves out and starts living her own life. She only has one year of high school left

My son knows I would not take his kid unless he is going too, or at least until he is older. My son told me he plans on bringing his son every couple years as he grows up, which is the reason we talked about splitting the cost of the contract. I can pay for all of it myself, he just wanted to help since he knew he would use it too. My son is very generous that way and we also have a very close relationship.

The buy in cost is a lot, I would think for anyone. Back when I first looked into DVC, we were not in as good of a financial state as we are now, so we waited. But I always knew in the back of my mind this was my goal. As for resale, I am not opposed to it, but from what I keep reading, the benefits can be limited, so it seems to me at least having one direct contract is important.

 

[disneylover81]

Understanding Use Year

@disneylover81 - My advice would be to look for April, March or February use years. Any of those would work for the times you typically travel. Good luck with your decision.

Thank you.

 

[disneylover81]

If OP loves VGF and wants to stay there why limit herself to always doing the 7m game. The advice given 99% of the time on this board is to buy where you want to stay. Direct vs resale is a separate conversation, but if she understands the cost of VGF and is comfortable with it more power to her. And if she doesn’t want the hassle of buying resale and incentives are good enough then buy direct to maintain maximum flexibility and be done with it.

Having said that I wouldn’t want to be in a studio with a teenager/college aged kid and potentially her boyfriend. My mom would be willing to share a room if necessary with my husband (we have been together for 25 years at this point) but still doesn't share with my sister’s husband. And even with my family if all 5 of us are going it’s a 2BD for sure.

I would price out a 1BD or 2 studios at least if she is coming with you, and potentially a 2 BD or 3 studios if adding on your son and grandkid.

Thank you. I do worry about the 7m time limit and not being able to book at a MK resort, which is a main reason for buying direct to start with. Everyone I know calls me a hotel snob because I won't settle for a value/moderate resort, even though all we do is sleep there. We stayed in moderates for our first few trips, but once I stayed in a deluxe, I don't think I could ever go back, with the exception of my last trip, I let my family convince me to stay at Gran Destino and although it was a nice resort, I felt like I settled and I could never do it again. I just wasn't happy there at all.

I don't mind sharing a room with my daughter or her boyfriend, we are all very close, and it's only for 5 nights. If we were taking super long trips, then that would be a different scenario. I am not against a 1 BD at all either, I think I would need to use 250-300 points at GFV. If we all went together, it would take 350-400 points for a 2 BD, so definitely we could do that going every other year.

 

[disneylover81]

OP said they loved MK and were concerned about cost. Buying direct at the most expensive in points resort is not cost-effective. Resale BLT could also be booked at 11 months.

If OP is buying for a couple, or a couple and one kid, a small BLT studio for much less points makes more sense to me then the most point heavy property at WDW.

Thanks for the reply. I really haven't looked at BLT because I thought it was higher per point direct. I am pretty certain I want my first contract to be direct. I've never stayed there, but it seems like I read the pool wasn't that great or themed for small children. My grandson LOVES water. I have a pool and he screams every time they make him get out. I know GF has a great water area for kids is another reason why I am so focused on it. I will check out BLT's pool area though and see what they have.

I guess another question I might have is if I bought GFV resale first, but then wanted to buy direct after, could I buy a smaller contract than the 150 point minimum and still get all the member benefits, if ever they come back (mainly the annual pass)?

 

[disneylover81]

The estate and joint ownership questions are legal questions. I wouldn’t own joint real estate with anyone I’m not married to. The other solutions to this are to buy this as a trust or an LLC, which is common. This is a question for your estate attorney.

If your son wants to buy in, I’d let him buy his own contract. I’d rather cleanly rent some points now and then than tangle up complicated timeshares. I’d buy a contract you are confident in with or without his assistance.

Thanks for the advice. I will definitely check into this.

I don't have to have my son help me buy in, he just offered since he would use it too.

 

[RoseGold]

I'd at least look at the BLT theme park view. I think it's a better view than VGF lake view for roughly the same points. THAT is a room I would sit on my balcony and admire the view. The 1BR has an extra bathroom, which could matter to you.

It's one of my bucket list DVC rooms, but my club level waitlist filled this time, so it will have to wait.

And it's worth noting that it's not hard at all to book Poly in the summer or off peak. Even lake view if dates are flexible. You can get in a MK resort with any points (except RIV resale). The new resort studios might make this even easier. The Poly pools and location are fantastic, but you don't need Poly points for that.

If you bought resale first, you can add on at the minimum (I think 50 points at VGF?) but you'd have to add whatever the current value is to get blue card. It's worth noting that they would let you split it as an existing member. Say, 75 point, 75 point, or three 50 points, which they wouldn't let you do a new member. The first contract would have to be 150. People do this because it is much easier to sell smaller contracts, and they want to be able to sell to scale back without selling everything. So, you could buy 100 points BLT resale now, and then buy 75+75 Poly2 in a couple years (assuming current rules) or just 75 Poly2, with no Blue Card.

IMO, it's possible DVC could fire sale BLT after VGF sells out. It's overpriced direct, and they have to be sitting on a lot of it.

If you're really a hotel snob, Poly2 might be your ticket. Those views and a brand new building might be better than all of these choices. At least if you bought resale, you can just sell it and upgrade!