Second contract

[muppets3d]

Honestly if you are okay with 1 bedroom or larger villas, you can pretty much own wherever and get in at 7 months (keep in mind restrictions applied to resale points). Studios are really the rooms that go within the owner's priority window.

 

[Girlstar30]

I love your plan! How often do you visit WDW?

Well our first year is coming to a close so we are still figuring out what we like! Our first trip we went crazy and stayed at WDW an entire month because we wanted to stay at many different resorts and try them out!

We discovered on that trip we do not want to be at one resort less than 6 nights. We still like to do three different resorts or at least two per trip. We get bored at the same resort for more than a week.

We like long trips to WDW. A month was too long. 3 weeks would have been perfect. We stayed in one and two bedrooms that trip. Since we are local to vgc we did some 1-2 night staycations in between.

Guess what, our points are gone I thought id want to go twice a year but I find myself wanting more Now were talking about going for christmas when we just got back in september Not much availability but you never know, maybe someone will cancel A little afraid to book travel right now with govt shutdown however so I hesitate


If we do go for xmas then we will probably do 10 days in december and cut our april trip to 11 days in one bedrooms then we will be out points again.

So we're buying Poly direct for an aulani trip later next year. We kind of got over vgc for now and want to try Disneyland hotel.

In my ideal world id have four trips a year at WDW. My wife thinks different and doesnt feel the need to go so much, but she is very go with the flow and likes it too.

But realistically, def two times i want to go a year and id love three. But im sure we also want to go other places so some years it will just be once i guess sadly. We def need the 150 more points as we max out the otup as well in each contract which is almost like a 75 point ADDITIONAL contract.

After the four contracts I must stop, we cant afford more AND to pay for trips comfortably and not be house poor We like to live comfortably and spend money on other things too

I will be totally fine with 740 points (plus 72 otup) and if I need a trip in between ill look into swan and dolphin

 

[Girlstar30]

Id like to add that it is very addicting and please do the math of all your annual dues and contract prices and income and expenses and make sure you can afford everything comfortably. I spend way more than id ever thought id spend at Disney in my life with DVC and I do factor in a 5% increase of dues in each of my contracts annually. May be more, may be less but all we can do is guess and be fine with 3% additional.

 

[airjay75]

Well, I totally agree with all of the advice about waiting, but I'm not the one to dish that out. It's not what I did. I decided I loved RIV and that's what I wanted. So I bought a lot of direct RIV points - 600, to be exact. I bought that many because I know we will eventually become a 2 BR family and, where we live, spring break is always the week before Easter, so I wanted enough points for the long run to secure 2 BR villas during that week on a yearly basis. In the meantime, I'll use them for multiple 1 BR stays.

But, as I got into this, I learned the resale market and wanted more. Originally, I thought I wanted BLT, really wanted it. But, a CCV contract came on the market in my UY that was just a really good deal, and so I decided to snag it up. Then, another one came along, and I liked the number of points, but it was listed high. One night (probably after a few glasses of wine), I decided to throw in a really low offer. And, to my surprise, it was accepted. So, I now own 350 CCV points. And I've never even set foot in WL . So, yeah, I bought primarily off of economics for those purchases. But, as I've noted before, I think the economics of CCV make a lot of sense for SAP, and I justified it to myself by calculating how much I'd lose if I change my mind and have to sell it in a year (assuming resale prices stay stable, I wouldn't lose anything other than about the cost of dues).

Not really recommending my path, just sharing it.

On Poly, no way I'd buy resale right now when direct is not that much more (don't just look at $/point - you need to compare all the incentives you can get with direct and the fact you can pay with credit card for cash back as well as potentially multiple sets of closing costs with resale). Personally, I toured the Poly Island Tower twice before opting for more RIV points over Poly points. But, plenty of folks love the Poly. And, if you just want direct points for the benefits and you don't care where you use them, Poly is not a bad option given that it will likely retain it's value much more so than RIV. That said, 1 BR villas at Poly do cost a lot of points, so you'd need quite a few there to take advantage of home resort priority without banking or borrowing.

SSR. I think we've shared a lot of thoughts about it already. I think it is a solid SAP option, but personally, if the upfront pricetag isn't an issue, I'd go for CCV or BLT over SSR as SAP+. Points that make a lot of economic sense on paper, but that would also allow you some home resort priority advantages (e.g., during December, which I know you've expressed interest in).

 

[PolyRob]

If you're going to have an odd number of contracts it makes transferring harder than having two or four with the one transfer in/out rule. We have three memberships and I cant wait to have four so we can transfer twice.

This is not fully accurate.

Adding contracts deeded the same way at different resorts in the same UY does not create new memberships. You would have to actively purchase a different UY or deed a direct contract in one of your current UYs a different way in order to create a fourth, separate membership.

You can have 10 contracts across 10 resorts and only have one membership.

 

[Girlstar30]

This is not fully accurate.

Adding contracts deeded the same way at different resorts in the same UY does not create new memberships. You would have to actively purchase a different UY or deed a direct contract in one of your current UYs a different way in order to create a fourth, separate membership.

You can have 10 contracts across 10 resorts and only have one membership.

Youre right i was just posting my situation and I should have specified what that was, which is 3 different memberships because of the way it was titled and different uy's. It doesnt have to be this complicated

 

[melissa70]

Just how difficult is it to book with the 11 month advantage for week one or two in December? I’ve been reading that it’s one of the most popular times in WDW!!

 

[cruisehopeful]

Just how difficult is it to book with the 11 month advantage for week one or two in December? I’ve been reading that it’s one of the most popular times in WDW!!

It's very busy for DVC because the points aren't too high and all the holiday stuff is in force. People walk reservations with home resort advantage. The larger resorts should be easier such as SSR and AKL. If you are looking at Poly, I think that's easy to book at 11 months. Did you previously say that you only like one bedrooms? If so, be sure to look at the point charts for those dates. Poly one bedroom points are no joke. They are among the most ridiculous out there and I say that as a Poly owner. If you are just happy to be onsite, I think SSR is a solid choice. The sheer number of rooms makes it easier to book there. If you want 2 bathrooms in your one bedroom, look at AKL.

 

[Wedgeout]

Keep looking and dreaming. I waited until got my membership. 3 months later contract #2. A call in direct. Contract #3 came three years after that direct, with absolutely buying what I wanted & didn’t care if it was financially frowned upon. That one was destined to be in my dashboard from its ground breaking.

 

[typeamom72]

How do you like owning at AKL? Do you ever try to book the first or second week of December?

We love owning at AKL! Absolutely no regrets. And, I haven’t tried booking for Christmas yet, but we booked for Halloween week with no problem AND modified the reservation to a value one bedroom about four months prior to the trip (gotta love that luck!). I am slightly obsessed with checking our reservations to see what else is available. It’s also the reason I am so aware of point charts - I almost never see anything I’m willing to spend so many more points on.

 

[Sandisw]

Just how difficult is it to book with the 11 month advantage for week one or two in December? I’ve been reading that it’s one of the most popular times in WDW!!

First week in December is the busiest booking time for DVC with Xmas week being the second, and the second week in December being the third.

If you are traveling during that time, I’d want a home resort that I want to be at. I would not want to rely on 7 month bookings to get a resort I wanted.

 

[melissa70]

What do you all think of the Poly original studios? I’m not usually a studio lover but I do love the original theming of the Polynesian . Also I have a wishful eye on the bungalows! Someday!

 

[atthebeachclub]

Original Poly studios are decent. They sort of need a refresh now (in my opinion) but that will happen in time. The three separate sleeping surfaces is good. I don’t love the weird slatted bathroom door on the needlessly large bathroom, and the separate shower does nothing for me. But it’s a reasonable studio and close to the TTC. They eat more points than I believe they should, but they’re fine. I like their decks.

 

[Wedgeout]

What do you all think of the Poly original studios? I’m not usually a studio lover but I do love the original theming of the Polynesian . Also I have a wishful eye on the bungalows! Someday!

They are great for studios. Good size & really feel part of the Polynesian Village there.

 

[cruisehopeful]

Contract #3 came three years after that direct, with absolutely buying what I wanted & didn’t care if it was financially frowned upon. That one was destined to be in my dashboard from its ground breaking.

This is the most valuable feedback. If you end up buying your second or third choice, you'll eventually end up flipping your contracts. Saving money is exciting, but this is a decades long commitment. Think of it like a marriage. Do you want to marry the person that you have always loved and always will love? Or, do you want to marry the second best choice because it makes financial sense? Don't get caught up in the money.

What do you all think of the Poly original studios? I’m not usually a studio lover but I do love the original theming of the Polynesian . Also I have a wishful eye on the bungalows! Someday!

They are nice and also very dark inside. I had a great view from mine (paid for the better view and requested high floor) this past summer. It was a long walk to the Grand Ceremonial House in the hot humid weather and I probably won't stay in that location again. It has a split bathroom which helps with getting ready in the morning. The kitchenette was suitable for leftovers. I intended to get coffee from Kona in the mornings, but heck no. It was way too far of a walk for a cup of coffee.

 

[intamin]

Hello everyone! I know I haven’t even closed on my first contract yet but believe it or not. I’m already thinking of a second one. The best advice I have gotten was to stay where you love because the more I read the more I see how difficult it may be to get what you want when you want it without at least an 11 month advantage. So those of you who have more than one contract, which I see there are many of you lol, did you choose resort where you absolutely wanted to stay or did you choose what was better economically just to have more points on hand? I keep going back and forth between Poly and SSR. I would love to hear all of your thoughts

I think the big thing is just making sure you don't rush into something again before doing all your research. Like someone said do you really need more points at this time?

If you're dead set on getting points, I'd ask you what problem are you trying to solve? Are you trying to get into bigger accommodations/stay longer at your current home resort? Are you trying to get into another resort? After referencing the DVC availability tables, is that resort hard to book at 7 months for the room type and season you're going for? if not, is there another resort you're trying to get into and repeat that until you find somewhere you like so you get at least some booking advantage. If booking advantage means nothing to you and only buy in cost and dues matters to you then I'd just look up the most economic resorts thread by @ehh and go with that.

Personally I bought more where I want to stay. If I'm spending this much money, I'm going to buy exactly what I want.

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

Wait, what did you end up buying? Last I knew you were abandoning BR resale. What direction did you go?

I'm still in the camp of 2nd home resort being where you want to be. And this is no shade on SS/OKW. I actually really like the studios as SS and the 1/2B at OKW. My husband uses a scooter, so Skyliner access and proximity to parks is a consideration for us. We will do boats and buses, but if we can just walk/Skyliner somewhere, that's better for us. I REALLY dislike the layout of the 1/2B at SS/BR/BW/BC with the tight foyer and myriad of doors. The newer resorts area really well thought out, at least in my opinion, FWIW.

BLT the studios are supposed to be very small, but the 1/2Bs are supposed to be great. The refurbishment looks great and I want to try it out soon. Same with AK Jambo.

I think all the advice you have gotten has been wise except that you DO want to travel a peak week, so that negates SAP, to me anyway.

I also agree, if you lean Poly, buy it direct. I check resale contracts all the time, and the delta between the two isn't enough to justify not getting the perks.