Questions before buying DVC

[ArtOfAnimationGotMe]

Hey there!

OK, so me and my family ( of three) stayed at Art of Animation for our first Disney trip november 2019.
I’ve listened to and watched the dis-dvc-show and other the Dis shows, so I pretto much know them by heart.

Well, the dvc-bug bit me.

Now, I live in Scandinavia, so, a Disney trip cost a LOT of money, but I think that I have persuaded myself (or maybe I’ve been Brain-washed by the Dvc-show) into buying into DVC.

Now, to the hard part:
Wich resort should I buy into?
My first thought were Saratoga springs because it is resonable priced and the annual dues arent bad.

But I have now instead almost made a decision that the resort is animal Kingdom. Reasonably priced per point etc. And, if I can get them, the value studios... cheapest accomodation. I can then stay about 9-10 nights per year in a value studio.

But I think I would want to stay at the polynesian and other dvc resorts to. But they are quite expensive to buy.

all properties look great.

100 or 150 points?
100 points is about enough for one week Every year, but 150 is ”sweeter”, but a lot more expensive. About 5-6000 more, and 50% more annual fee. BUT it gives more flexibility for staying at more expensive resorts. And, for inviting friends to stay once in awhile.

But, at first I thought about 75 points, just to get into it. And it’s not too much money.

Maybe 100 would be the most reasonable choice.
But it would be ”fun” with more points (see, my brain is trying to push me towards 150 points)

What are your thoughts?
Buy 100 and then add-on later if I like to?

Question ”2”.
I really want to use my points at aulani sometime.

Lets say I buy 100 points and they enter my account 1st October (October use year), I bank them, use the points I get 2021, and borrow points från October 2022.

When can I make the reservation for aulani and when can I stay there? (Month and year)?
When Will all those points ”expire”?
Can I use them for, let’s say november-december 2021?

I’m confused...

 

[MICKIMINI]

Congrats on your decision to buy DVC! AKV is Disney at its best and the type of resort you can just hang out at and love it IMO. It is a bus ride to everything else but that's not a negative to me. Resale prices are reasonable at AKV and I would buy the max you can afford - the 150 you mentioned. One of the great joys of membership is knowing you can invite friends or take a longer trips. You can book home resort at 11 months and other resorts at 7 months (new resales can't book at RIV) prior to your date of travel. You can make reservations as soon as you close the deal and get your membership info from DVC. If you buy a contract with banked points you are ahead of the game and I would highly recommend this strategy. Good luck!

 

[Cyberc1978]

Welcome to the DIS - I'm from Scandinavia too

For starters - I dont recommend buying any resort without having stayed or as a minimum have visited first.

Basically the recommendation is to buy where you like to stay or at least dont mind staying. With that said it also depends on WHEN you plan to go. Late September - mid January is called fall frenzy and during that time you will most likely have to stay at your home resort. Outside that time you will have a much better chance of using whatever points you own as SAP (Sleep around points)

One thing to point out about AKV - Don't buy AKV with the expectation of staying in a value studio or Club level studio. They are VERY hard to get, and you will get lucky and be able to book them some times but not everytime (by a long shot)

For AKV you should plan on getting a standard view studio and buy enough points for that.

If you should buy 75, 100 or 150 points all depends on the size of your wallet 75 points will demand a higher price per point due to the small contract, the 100 points contract are in the middle price wise and the 150 points in the lower end compared to the 75 point contract.

IF the intention is to stay during the first part of the year and stay away from Fall Frenzy I'd buy SSR or AKV. AKV only if you wish to have a shot at the value or club level rooms. Id buy 130+ points whatever is the cheapest you can find.

IF you wish to stay during both fall frenzy and outside I'd buy at a resort I like staying at. I would also buy 2 x 75'ish point contracts as that would give me more flexibility regarding the resorts I can book 11 months out. It will come with a higher pricetag due to the higher price per point and twice the closing costs but IF you need to sell the selling price will also be higher.

Regarding the Use year. A contract with an October use year will in 2020 have points available from 10/01-2020 - 09/30-2021, that means your points are good for a vacation during that time. a use year do not follow the calendar year. If you dont use your points during that time they will expire. If you bank your 2020 points then they can be used for a vacation from 10/01-2021 - 09/30-2022. Points can only be banked once meaning points that have been banked from 2020 to 2021 will expire at the end of your 2021 use year (9/30-2021) If you have banked your points to the following use year you will be able to use the banked points, the points from that use year plus be able to borrow points. That means that you can potentially use 3 years worth of points.


If you want to stay at Aulani you can use your points to book 7 months out from the day of checkin assuming you dont own at Aulani. A basic misunderstanding is that your use year have to be started before you can book, it doesn't. As long as you have points available in your account you can book 7 months our or 11 months out for your home resort.

 

[ArtOfAnimationGotMe]

Hello, and Thank you for your responses

Well, as you know, fellow scandinavian, Our Winters are cold and dark, so I think most of our trips will be in november. Some Will be in late march-late april.

I Don’t think I can visit before buying, because I would like to start using DVC right after purchase.

Aaaaand I’m eager to get a DVC-login.

Question 3:
Can I book friends, and let them stay there, without being there myself? Let’s say I would like to give them a couple of nights?

 

[GoingSince1990]

Question 3:
Can I book friends, and let them stay there, without being there myself? Let’s say I would like to give them a couple of nights?

Absolutely. You can make reservations for anyone you like. Many DVC owners rent out their unused points to strangers, both on this board and through the various brokers that facilitate this.

 

[CarolMN]

.........(snip)…….......Question 3:
Can I book friends, and let them stay there, without being there myself? Let’s say I would like to give them a couple of nights?

Yes. Members do this all the time.

 

[Cyberc1978]

Hello, and Thank you for your responses

Well, as you know, fellow scandinavian, Our Winters are cold and dark, so I think most of our trips will be in november. Some Will be in late march-late april.

I Don’t think I can visit before buying, because I would like to start using DVC right after purchase.

Aaaaand I’m eager to get a DVC-login.

Question 3:
Can I book friends, and let them stay there, without being there myself? Let’s say I would like to give them a couple of nights?

Yes they are dark and cold, but I still tend to stay, in February, May and September

If staying in November, you really need to buy where you want to stay. One way to accomplice that is to buy 100 pointa contract at a place you like and then buy the rest of your points at another location as SAP. The 100 points you can either use every year, not all resorts will give you 7 days but some will or you can stay every other year and bank the points from the year you didn't go. That way you will have 200 points every other year at your home resort. The year you dont in november you can use your SAP for late march/april.

You can buy sight unseen, but again its not advisable.

Yes friends and family can stay without you, you just put the reservation under their name.

 

[ArtOfAnimationGotMe]

Hmm. Thanks all!
The more I read about DVC, the more I want it.
I think my budget is 10 000. Give or take, so I’ll just have to keep my eyes on the resale market.

right now, AKL is the way to go I think. Poly would be great, but with my budget...

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Just know that in November you must book 11 months out and expect to stay at your home resort.

 

[Sandisw]

Definitely choose a resort you are comfortable staying at if you can’t try the others each trip,

I will say that November will be harder at 7 months to switch than those early Spring trips...based on my own experience.

Sounds like AKV sounds like a good staring point. Oct UY is a great one for your times of travel, but I think Aug and Sept UY works for you as well,

Resale prices are negotiable too. So, if you see a contract that fits your needs but is a little out not budget, don’t be afraid to offer less. Many owners will negotiate. I sold in October for $5/less than asking. If you get a no, just keep trying!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Don't buy your points planning to stay in the cheapest booking category they have, like the value studios at AKV-JH. They are few in number and owners often walk their reservation to get them (they start reserving their studios days/weeks/months ahead of the 11 months booking time and keep modifying the reservation).

Buy a resort you think you wouldn't mind staying in if you couldn't change your reservation to a non-home resort at seven months out. From mid-Sept through the Marathon in January it can be hard to book at seven months.

 

[TraderSamWDW]

100 points does not seem to be enough for 1 week a year to me. I think it is a little on the light side if you are talking 7 nights. Although you could make it work. There are only a few room choices that its good for, and you can not get those regularly. (AK - value. Standard might fly until you stay in a Savanna view then do not want to go back) BLT standard is hard to get as is boardwalk standard.

I myself raise an eyebrow being that you just made your first trip to Disney a few months ago.

Have you at least visited all the resorts? I would, or at least most of them.

But the bottom line is buy where you want to (or at least will be happy) staying.

Think about the points you need. If you buy 100 resale, and need some more, you will most likely end up buying 25 more direct. How much will that cost, vs 150 resale from the start?

Also, do not over complicate UY. If possible you want to travel early in your UY.
You do not get your points, they are always there. Simply answer "In what UY is my trip?" if it is in your 2026 UY, then you can bank 2025 points, borrow 2027 points and of course use current points.
Next question is what day is 11 months before my first day? Thats when you can book that trip, and the points are there.

If you can make a reservation in your 2026 UY, you can access your 2027 points. If your UY is October, and you go 10/1/2026 - the very first day of your 2026 UY, you can book that 11 months earlier (11/1/2025) and your 2027 points are available to borrow should you need to.

Do not rush it.

Take your time, ask questions.

DVC contracts will be available to purchase next week and next month, and as I get told by a friend 'Don't worry, they aren't going to move the parks' - you got time.

 

[ArtOfAnimationGotMe]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to answer my questions.
I realise it might sound strange thinking about buying into DVC unseen after just one visit to Disney. But that’s how I work.
Of I should go and see them first, thats about 4000 dollars, staying in a value resort, with airfare, so I’d rather out that amount into points instead.

What if... all the good contracts are gone, when I want to buy. (That’s how my mind works).

I think I can stretch to 125 points initially.
I Will probably only go once every-other-year, so then the points will probably be enough. But 100 points first, will be alot easier, when trying to convince the rest of the family, if the initial buy-in is a little less money.

25 points direct?
Can you buy 25 points direct, when first buying resale?

As an international buyer, do you know if my bank Will help me transfer the money, or do I send a cheque?

 

[Cyberc1978]

25 points direct?
Can you buy 25 points direct, when first buying resale?

As an international buyer, do you know if my bank Will help me transfer the money, or do I send a cheque?

You can buy 25 points direct but NOT as a new first time buyer, then the requirement is 50 points (I think, someone correct me if i'm wrong). if you can find a 25 points resale contract you can buy that as a first time buyer.

This means you need to buy a resale contract first and after your membership is up and running you can buy the 25 points add on. Have in mind DVC is not "allowed" (read: dont want to) sell you a contract if you are located in Scandinavian. This only applies if they need to send you the contract etc. If you want to add on while staying in the US you can do that (thats what I did)

Yes your bank will "help" meaning they will provide the platform for you to enter all the wire details for the transfer. Depending on your country you can send a cheque but it will take a loooooong time to arrive because it will be send with snail mail. Some countries in Scandinavian dont have cheques anymore due to them being so old and no one is using them, I think its an 80' or 90' thing Some or most brokers allow you to put the initial deposit on a creditcard and then the balance as a wire transfer.

If you dont mind me asking where in Scandinavian are you from? - Myself i'm from Denmark.

 

[Sandisw]

You can buy 25 points direct but NOT as a new first time buyer, then the requirement is 50 points (I think, someone correct me if i'm wrong). if you can find a 25 points resale contract you can buy that as a first time buyer.

This means you need to buy a resale contract first and after your membership is up and running you can buy the 25 points add on. Have in mind DVC is not "allowed" (read: dont want to) sell you a contract if you are located in Scandinavian. This only applies if they need to send you the contract etc. If you want to add on while staying in the US you can do that (thats what I did)

Yes your bank will "help" meaning they will provide the platform for you to enter all the wire details for the transfer. Depending on your country you can send a cheque but it will take a loooooong time to arrive because it will be send with snail mail. Some countries in Scandinavian dont have cheques anymore due to them being so old and no one is using them, I think its an 80' or 90' thing Some or most brokers allow you to put the initial deposit on a creditcard and then the balance as a wire transfer.

If you dont mind me asking where in Scandinavian are you from? - Myself i'm from Denmark.

Anyone can buy a small resale contract and become a member, so if you find one for 25 points, it gets you in!

In terms of direct, the minimum is now 100 points...at least for CCV and RIV for sure...they may sell a new buyer 50 points at the older resorts but not sure,

To qualify for benefits, one has to reach the 100 point threshold direct right now, But it doesn’t have to be bought at once, A resale buyer could add on 50 points this year and then 50 points in a few years and become a blue card members...assuming the threshold stays at 100.

Of course, drawback with that is that Disney could raise the 100 to a higher amount before you get there.

 

[ArtOfAnimationGotMe]

Thank you all,
The mind works in mysterious ways.



Now i’m thinking of first buying AKL 75-100 points and then Poly 50 points later on...

That way, I can book poly at the 11 month mark, and borrow points from next UY, if I need to. AND have some ”cheaper” points to use at AKL.



I’m really trying to convince myself buying points.



AKL: 100 points 103 dollar per point = 11500

PVB: 50 points 145 dollar per point = 8220

PVB: 100 points 137 dollar per point = 14225

PVB: 110 points 135 dollar per point = 15385

 

[Sandisw]

Thank you all,
The mind works in mysterious ways.



Now i’m thinking of first buying AKL 75-100 points and then Poly 50 points later on...

That way, I can book poly at the 11 month mark, and borrow points from next UY, if I need to. AND have some ”cheaper” points to use at AKL.



I’m really trying to convince myself buying points.



AKL: 100 points 103 dollar per point = 11500

PVB: 50 points 145 dollar per point = 8220

PVB: 100 points 137 dollar per point = 14225

PVB: 110 points 135 dollar per point = 15385

Just to be sure you know that your AKV points won’t be good at Poly at 11 months, even if you own Poly points.

Being an owner of both does not allow you to combine until 7 months.

 

[ArtOfAnimationGotMe]

Thank you.

I will use the 7 month-mark if I book anything that is not my home resort.

I think I’ll be happy at AKL, but PVB sure seems nice too. OKW seems nice too. And Beach Club... Oh, it’s so hard to decide.



I’m from Sweden, by the way.



What about renting out points? Can I do that as an international? How does that work?

I assume I have to Pay taxes. How do I do that?

Do I have to get a us bank account or such?



I hope I Don’t need to rent out points, but maybe I cant go and use my points sometimes...

 

[eMoneyBug]

Just rent

 

[Cyberc1978]

You can rent your point just as anyone else can. You can use the DIS or anywhere else. You dont need a US bank account.

AKV is a nice resort and there you have to stay for your November vaca. In march-April you will find it much easier to switch to Poly or somewhere else. If you want to stay at Beach Club you NEED to switch at 08.00EST on the day of the 7 months mark.