Questions about purchasing DVC

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

If your grandson loves the water you may want to think about adding BC resale points as well as VGF. IMO it has the best pool in all of Disney. Also while the 2042 contract expry may be concerning for some, I would rather have 20 years of amazing memories with your grandchild in a place he would love than more in a lesser park. Epcot and HS may be better parks for your daughter once she gets to be a bit older.

The points chart at BC is also really cheap compared to some other places. It isn’t the fanciest hotel in the world but it’s home to us.

And I freely admit that I am a hotel snob.

 

[RoseGold]

BC has pretty sad views. Parking lot, trees, maybe the quiet pool if you are lucky.

BW has BW view category, a pretty solid pool, and the legacy charts.

 

[disneylover81]

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!

Congrats on taking the plunge!! Do you typically stay at Poly or OKW most? I wouldn't mind buying at a cheaper resort for the cost savings, if I knew I wouldn't have trouble booking at a MK resort, even at 7 months out. It just seems I keep reading to buy where you want to stay or you'll regret it. I am sure spring/summer months tend to be booked up. I would love to go during Christmas time one year, but it takes a lot of points and it seems hard to book. There are so many variables to consider, it's overwhelming. Plus we all want to go to Aulani at least once also, so I wonder how hard that is to book at 7 months.

Thanks for the tip about the banking deadlines. I haven't even thought about that. September travel is probably a great time to go, plus it takes the least amount of points!!!

I think it's going to be worth it once I just bite the bullet and go for it!

 

[disneylover81]

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!

Thank you for letting me know about the 10 day detail. I think I am at the point now, that I need to contact a guide and just talk it all out and decide what's my best option.

I always thought Wilderness Lodge was going to be my favorite, and it was, until I stayed at GF. We used the walkway from MK to GF every night at park close and it was great not having to wait on transportation. I haven't stayed at RIV - we did ride the skyliner there last month, but my husband said he wasn't impressed with their lobby or pool. He did enjoy the bar area by the pool though. I think I would like RIV as far as the resort, but we aren't big EPCOT people, but we do love HS. One day I may just have to book there and see how we feel about it.

 

[RoseGold]

A factor to consider is the opening incentives for existing members. VGF2 had them for less than a month, and they were bananas.

Poly2 is a resort that could really tick all your boxes, with pool and MK and views and brand new. If you owned something, anything, you could buy into Poly2 when it drops in 2024 and sell the resale points, or don't. If Poly2 follows the pattern, those incentives will be good.

So, you could buy 100 points SSR, book into what pops up on the monorail for your next trip or two, and then trade it all in for shiny new Poly2 direct points.

I would say a con is the chart, but I would expect Poly2 to be close to VGF's chart, for a new building.

 

[disneylover81]

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...

Thank you. I must say you really know your stuff. Have you owned DVC for many, many years? Are all of your contracts direct or resale or a mixture of both? I guess I do need to look at resale also, but I am just worried about not getting all the benefits that direct offers, whatever that may be. I do want the best bang for my buck and I worked hard to save up for this purchase. I don't want to make the wrong move.

I do remember reading about BLT's extra bathroom, which you are right is a big plus with 4 people in a room. How do you feel about BLT's pool area? Is it good for small children? I know for a lot of people, the pool doesn't matter, but my grandson loves water so I want to know I can book where there's a great pool or toddler splash pad for him.

I am probably dumb, but I don't know what you mean by "walk it". Can you explain that to me?

We haven't stayed or ever even stepped foot at AKL before, but I will look at it.

 

[sndral]

…
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)?

No, you currently must own 150 direct points to get DVC discounts. In the past the minimum number of direct points to qualify for benefits has been lower - once as low as 25 points - but currently it’s 150.
Buying DVC is a long term commitment, but you don’t have to jump in all at once. When I first took the plunge I bought 160 points (resale & long enough ago that they have grandfathered membership benefits & I can use them at Riviera) even though I knew I probably would ‘need’ more points in the future. I used those points w/ banking & borrowing to try out DVC for a couple of years to see if it was the right fit for me, it was, so I added on.
My favorite resort is VGF & I own both resale and direct points there. I personally don’t like BLT, the studios are tiny, to me the BLT building is just a rather bland tower w/ disappointing grounds and you are correct, the pool is sub par. Others love BLT and don’t like VGF, if you feel strongly about which resort you like, then buy that resort, and don’t settle for a just ok resort to save a couple hundred bucks at initial buy in. Long term the maintenance fees & cost of Disney tickets/meals/etc. will be far more than that initial buy in.
BTW, I actually prefer the standard view villas in the original VGF building over the lake view, here’s a photo from one of my standard view’s, although not all have fireworks views it’s a treat when you get one that does

 

[disneylover81]

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.

Thank you.

I know I will want to add on for sure. Disney is my happy place so even if my kids didn't go, I know I still want to as much as I can. I am mostly buying for me, but I do love the idea of my little grandbaby growing up going too. I missed that opportunity with my son. He was 11 the first time we were able to afford to bring him so he missed out on all the "magic". We were teenage parents so we made lots of financial mistakes when we first got married.

I am glad to know about this 10 day right to cancel now. That does ease my worries a little of something better coming along, although I don't expect it to be better incentives next month.

March or April seems to be the consensus from all the feedback I have gotten.

So if my son is not on the contract as a purchaser, he won't get any discount benefits at all? I was thinking I should buy the minimum contract and let him buy an add on, but then our points won't combine right if we aren't both named on both?

 

[Sandisw]

Thank you.

I know I will want to add on for sure. Disney is my happy place so even if my kids didn't go, I know I still want to as much as I can. I am mostly buying for me, but I do love the idea of my little grandbaby growing up going too. I missed that opportunity with my son. He was 11 the first time we were able to afford to bring him so he missed out on all the "magic". We were teenage parents so we made lots of financial mistakes when we first got married.

I am glad to know about this 10 day right to cancel now. That does ease my worries a little of something better coming along, although I don't expect it to be better incentives next month.

March or April seems to be the consensus from all the feedback I have gotten.

So if my son is not on the contract as a purchaser, he won't get any discount benefits at all? I was thinking I should buy the minimum contract and let him buy an add on, but then our points won't combine right if we aren't both named on both?

All contracts have to be titled the same to be part of the same membership. So, in order for him to get discounts and add on to your membership, he would need to be an owner and the add on would need to be in your name as well.

It was why we added the adult kids. They are now all eligible for discounts, even if we are not there..and they have gone a few times so far and enjoyed them.

 

[wnielsen1]

So if my son is not on the contract as a purchaser, he won't get any discount benefits at all? I was thinking I should buy the minimum contract and let him buy an add on, but then our points won't combine right if we aren't both named on both?

Correct, the deeds have to match exactly. If he is not on the first contract, he would need to have 150+ direct points to get the benefits. So, it would not technically be an add-on, because he would not be a current member.

 

[disneylover81]

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.

I do love a good TPV, I always request a castle view on an upper floor anytime I book. That honestly is the biggest downside I see to VGF, besides the high points cost. We haven't stayed at Poly before either, we do love 'Ohana and their pool looks good though. I also think we would be locked into Studios there since those bungalows require major points, which is fine. I think I will look at BLT and see what I think. BW could be good and does have very low points. It's almost like you need some kind of contract at each resort so you have the best options. lol

 

[disneylover81]

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.

That's an amazing gift from y'all. That's exactly the kind of thing I want to leave my kids, if they decided they wanted it and would use it. I don't want it to go to waste. So when you added them, it was done at the time of purchase and they were named on it?

 

[disneylover81]

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!

That's good to know. I would like to stay at other MK resorts besides VGF just for a change. I was under the impression that if you don't book at your home resort at 11 mon, it's a struggle to book a lot of places at 7 mon. Honestly, more often than not my future trips will just be my husband and I so we won't need more than a studio, it's just the times we have our kids join us that I want to make sure we are prepared for, whatever time of year it is.

That's interesting advice and I need to look into it. I really haven't even looked at Poly2 yet so I am a little behind. I am about to right now though.

I don't think I am a hotel snob, I just like what I like and don't want to stay in a value, unlike everyone else in my social group. lol

 

[Spinster Travel]

Congrats on taking the plunge!! Do you typically stay at Poly or OKW most? I wouldn't mind buying at a cheaper resort for the cost savings, if I knew I wouldn't have trouble booking at a MK resort, even at 7 months out. It just seems I keep reading to buy where you want to stay or you'll regret it. I am sure spring/summer months tend to be booked up. I would love to go during Christmas time one year, but it takes a lot of points and it seems hard to book. There are so many variables to consider, it's overwhelming. Plus we all want to go to Aulani at least once also, so I wonder how hard that is to book at 7 months.

Thanks for the tip about the banking deadlines. I haven't even thought about that. September travel is probably a great time to go, plus it takes the least amount of points!!!

I think it's going to be worth it once I just bite the bullet and go for it!

In the two years I've been a member, I've stayed at Poly, OKW, Boardwalk, Beach Club and Saratoga. The Poly trip was booked at the 11 month mark - that's why I made sure my larger initial purchase was Poly and was for enough points for me to stay there. All of the other trips were smaller 2-3 night stays and booked well past the 7 month opening for non-home resorts. I love OKW so my extra points there were to add to my portfolio at a cheaper rate, but also knowing that I'd run the risk of being "stuck" at OKW or Saratoga (which is normally the only resort with good availability options as you inch closer and closer. I fully intend to add on at least 100-200 points at Poly2 depending on incentives and the announcment of whether or not it is its own association. At the end of the day "buy where you want to stay" is still paramount

 

[disneylover81]

If your grandson loves the water you may want to think about adding BC resale points as well as VGF. IMO it has the best pool in all of Disney. Also while the 2042 contract expry may be concerning for some, I would rather have 20 years of amazing memories with your grandchild in a place he would love than more in a lesser park. Epcot and HS may be better parks for your daughter once she gets to be a bit older.

The points chart at BC is also really cheap compared to some other places. It isn’t the fanciest hotel in the world but it’s home to us.

And I freely admit that I am a hotel snob.

That's a good point. I have not stayed at BC before, but I have seen their fantastic pool. I tend to agree about the 20 years of memories. I want him to know that we had the best time taking him on great trips while he grew up. Having a grandkid is a whole new experience for us, plus now we have more money than we did as our kids grew up so that makes me feel good to be able to splurge a little more. I always sacrificed to save up money to make sure I took my kids on vacation and made memories with them. My husband lived his whole entire childhood and his parents never took them on one single vacation. That breaks my heart. We never made it to Disney until my son was 11, but he grew up going to the beach a lot (which he still loves), we've been to Gatlinburg, and we went on a few cruises, then I got the Disney bug so he's been a few times before he stopped going once he turned 18 . . . my daughter is like me, she loves Disney, her favorites are MK & HS, she likes AK too, EPCOT is her least favorite. Sometimes we don't even go to EPCOT at all on our trips, but we always go to the other 3 parks for sure.

I am glad I am not the only hotel snob. hahaha

 

[disneylover81]

A factor to consider is the opening incentives for existing members. VGF2 had them for less than a month, and they were bananas.

Poly2 is a resort that could really tick all your boxes, with pool and MK and views and brand new. If you owned something, anything, you could buy into Poly2 when it drops in 2024 and sell the resale points, or don't. If Poly2 follows the pattern, those incentives will be good.

So, you could buy 100 points SSR, book into what pops up on the monorail for your next trip or two, and then trade it all in for shiny new Poly2 direct points.

I would say a con is the chart, but I would expect Poly2 to be close to VGF's chart, for a new building.

That is a thing to consider. You have given me so much to think about. I'm pulling up Poly2 now to see what I can find out. If I bought resale, there isn't ever trouble selling it quickly is there? Is it something that affects my taxes when I file? No biggie, just wondering.

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

A couple of thoughts.
We bought VGF back in 2015. We started with 250 points, figuring that we could stay in a 1BR for 5 days or a studio for 10 days. At that point, we had 2 adult children, no grandchildren. We did not know if our adult children would come regularly.

It turns out our adult children loved VGF. They would be happy staying there even if they did not go to the Theme Parks. We quickly determined we would need enough points for 2BR. We added on resale, and have recently added on direct for VGF 2.

We now have 2 grandkids, and we love taking family trips to Disney. After Covid we had a bunch of points built up, so we did a family stay in a 3BR at Kidani.

We like going at off-peak times, but with the grandchildren now in school age, our big trips have to be in spring break time or summer. We still get in a fall trip for just us.

All I can say is that it has been a great experience for our family.

 

[disneylover81]

No, you currently must own 150 direct points to get DVC discounts. In the past the minimum number of direct points to qualify for benefits has been lower - once as low as 25 points - but currently it’s 150.
Buying DVC is a long term commitment, but you don’t have to jump in all at once. When I first took the plunge I bought 160 points (resale & long enough ago that they have grandfathered membership benefits & I can use them at Riviera) even though I knew I probably would ‘need’ more points in the future. I used those points w/ banking & borrowing to try out DVC for a couple of years to see if it was the right fit for me, it was, so I added on.
My favorite resort is VGF & I own both resale and direct points there. I personally don’t like BLT, the studios are tiny, to me the BLT building is just a rather bland tower w/ disappointing grounds and you are correct, the pool is sub par. Others love BLT and don’t like VGF, if you feel strongly about which resort you like, then buy that resort, and don’t settle for a just ok resort to save a couple hundred bucks at initial buy in. Long term the maintenance fees & cost of Disney tickets/meals/etc. will be far more than that initial buy in.
BTW, I actually prefer the standard view villas in the original VGF building over the lake view, here’s a photo from one of my standard view’s, although not all have fireworks views it’s a treat when you get one that does
View attachment 671835

Thanks for clarifying that. That's an amazing view. I know I haven't stayed at all the resorts and I tend to be a repeat booker when I find one that I like, I took a chance on WL once and we fell in love with it, had the perfect TPV room, even though it was considered nature view, so it only cost us like $300 a night. It was like winning the lottery for us. We loved the boat ride to MK, so we stayed there 3 times in a row. Then I made it to my dream resort GF (actually booked Main building TPV at CR right before they announced the refurb last year, so we got moved to GF TPV, for the CR price . . . and then we got even better pixie dust and were upgraded to the main building with the most amazing MK view I have ever seen.) It was the best 40th birthday gift I could imagine! I am still so grateful for it.

It does seem at a lot of resorts, either you love one or you don't. And everyone is different. Pools are important to my family for sure. So I do know we want a great one!

 

[sndral]

That is a thing to consider. You have given me so much to think about. I'm pulling up Poly2 now to see what I can find out. If I bought resale, there isn't ever trouble selling it quickly is there? Is it something that affects my taxes when I file? No biggie, just wondering.

The resale market is generally like all real estate markets, right now it seems to be shifting from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market. See this article https://dvcnews.com/dvc-program/fin...00-for-all-walt-disney-world-resorts-combined
I‘m no tax expert, but my understanding is that if you make a profit when you sell, then yes you have to report the gain to the IRS. Likewise if you rent your points out you have to report that income.

 

[RoseGold]

SSR is the most bought and sold timeshare in the world. Historically, it’s no big deal to sell it. I mean, maybe WDW is closed for Covid 23, who knows.

Costs would be closing, loss/gain, and the commission to the broker. Capital gains tax on gain, probably doesn’t matter with the closing and broker cost. This would be worth it to me to get the existing buyer incentives. And if you buy with a lot of points, you should get plenty of value for a couple years or even hold it when you see how booking works. You should be able to get a good deal now buying resale.