Starting My Research, so many questions!

[SomePixiedust]

I have been combing through these boards (thank you DVC vets) and watching videos to decide if DVC is right for us. So far I am considering a 100 point direct buy from Disney for either CCV or Aulani. I will stay away from Riviera due to the resale restrictions. I doubt I will ever go to Aulani but if it is the better deal (or possibly only choice other than Riviera) when we are ready to purchase, I have no problem using that as the avenue to get direct points. We travel at all different times of year, so the home resort really isn't important. Booking at 7 months is fine, we currently book our cash resorts based on the best deal, so would use points the same way. We go when we can get something we're happy with. I would want more than 100 points so would plan to purchase something resale in the future. So some of my questions to start are:

If I purchase direct, is my UY the date that I sign with DVC.

If I purchase resale later on, is it best to find something with the same UY. I'm fine with a different resort than what I would purchase direct. What are the obstacles of purchasing a different UY or if I purchase the same UY in a different resort, how does using all the points work? Do they just get added together? (I understand the 7/11 month rule regarding home resort vs. not home resort) If I were to look to book something 6 months out, all points would be available for all resorts so is it simple enough to book.

How does borrowing and banking work? It seems like there are deadlines for that?

How many names can be on a deed? I would like to have my adult DD on it so she can control some of her own bookings and also get the perks without needing me to be there.

I know I will have many more questions, but thank you all for the information you have already put out there. You make it so much easier to navigate through this.

 

[Sandisw]

UY doesn’t have to do with when you purchase, It plays a role in banking deadlines, and when you can find one that starts just before your typical time of travel, it helps to give you more flexibility if you have to cancel or change. It has nothing to do with when you book,

I know you mention traveling lots of different times, but if there are specific seasons that are more likely than not, try to choose a UY that works well for that. I traveled mostly in summer as I was a teacher' so we went with a June UY.

There are going to be times of the year, that 7 month booking will Prove difficult, especially for studios so keep that in mind. October until mid January is very busy, and at 7 months, sometimes things are booked up pretty well. Nothing is impossible, but assume that stays then could be SSR or OKW., if you bought Aulani.

You can have up to 6 owners on a deed.

In terms of banking, you have until the end of the 8 month of your UY to bank points you won’t use. Calendar year doesn’t play a role in this. It also doesn’t play a role when borrowing points, which only happens when you booked a reservation,

Everything is based on UY of the trip and which points you can use.
For example, if I wanted to travel in April 2020, it would fall in my Jun 2019 UY..which goes from June 1st, 2019 to May 31st, 2020.

I would call and book this trip at my home resort in May 2019..11 months out, and pay for it with banked points from 2018..UY before the trip...2019 UY points..UY of the trip...and borrow points from my 2020 UY points to finish the reservation if I need them..UY after the trip!

 

[SomePixiedust]

UY doesn’t have to do with when you purchase, It plays a role in banking deadlines, and when you can find one that starts just before your typical time of travel, it helps to give you more flexibility if you have to cancel or change. It has nothing to do with when you book,

I know you mention traveling lots of different times, but if there are specific seasons that are more likely than not, try to choose a UY that works well for that. I traveled mostly in summer as I was a teacher' so we went with a June UY.

There are going to be times of the year, that 7 month booking will Prove difficult, especially for studios so keep that in mind. October until mid January is very busy, and at 7 months, sometimes things are booked up pretty well. Nothing is impossible, but assume that stays then could be SSR or OKW., if you bought Aulani.

You can have up to 6 owners on a deed.

In terms of banking, you have until the end of the 8 month of your UY to bank points you won’t use. Calendar year doesn’t play a role in this. It also doesn’t play a role when borrowing points, which only happens when you booked a reservation,

Everything is based on UY of the trip and which points you can use.
For example, if I wanted to travel in April 2020, it would fall in my Jun 2019 UY..which goes from June 1st, 2019 to May 31st, 2020.

I would call and book this trip at my home resort in May 2019..11 months out, and pay for it with banked points from 2018..UY before the trip...2019 UY points..UY of the trip...and borrow points from my 2020 UY points to finish the reservation if I need them..UY after the trip!

Thank you so much for your response!! So when I purchase, do I get to choose my UY? and if so, if I purchase direct from DIsney in August and choose an Oct UY for example, does that mean that my first allotment of points will be available this October? I am really hoping to be able to purchase at CCV but I don't know if it will still be available come August/Sept when I will be ready to purchase. Although we do travel randomly, I would like the security of being able to book at 11 months if I really wanted to.

 

[Sandisw]

With CCV, it depends if they still have points by then. In terms of direct, when you buy, you get current UY points. So, I’d you bought in August with an October UY, your first set of points would be Oct 2019 UY points as that would be the current UY in August.

Because you would be beyond the banking window for those points, Disney will bank them for you. With an Oct UY, it just means that ever Oct 1st, your points become current UY points.

UY has nothing to do with when you can book. You can always book a trip 11 months in advance from any check in date. Your UY will just determine which points you can use for the trip.

Oct UY is a good one for travel through June and makes travel during July thorough September risky. It’s not that you can’t travel then, but if you had to cancel, you wouldn’t have a lot of time to rebook the trip and since you’d be beyond the banking window, the points would expire Sept 30th.

 

[SomePixiedust]

Thank you! That all makes sense now. I was having a little trouble understanding the value of the UY, but I get it now. Definitely gives me something to think about. I'm really hoping that CCV is still available but I know it could be gone, leaving me with Aulani for direct purchase.

 

[MB_Ellie]

You can actually purchase any resort direct from Disney, including the older ones that are "sold out." The only difference is that there may be a waitlist to get those points. Just wanted to share in case you felt like you were restricted to Aulani, Copper Creek, and Riviera!

 

[SomePixiedust]

You can actually purchase any resort direct from Disney, including the older ones that are "sold out." The only difference is that there may be a waitlist to get those points. Just wanted to share in case you felt like you were restricted to Aulani, Copper Creek, and Riviera!

I didn't realize that! Thank you. I'm sure it varies, but are the waitlists typically a very long wait?

 

[MB_Ellie]

I didn't realize that! Thank you. I'm sure it varies, but are the waitlists typically a very long wait?

It does vary; sometimes it can be days or weeks. Sometimes it can be longer.

 

[fixerupper]

Also the prices direct vary by location.
It won't let me post a link though, but you can google it.

 

[MB_Ellie]

Also the prices direct vary by location.
It won't let me post a link though, but you can google it.

This article has the list of direct prices. https://dvcfan.com/2019/10/23/rumored-dvc-sold-out-price-increase/

 

[jwinky]

It does vary; sometimes it can be days or weeks. Sometimes it can be longer.

I was waitlisted for SSR and only waited 1 week. My guide was excellent in finding my contract with requested UY. We were able to sign right before the new UY started, so I got my 2019 points included.

I saw another posting here when researching that had their BWV waitlist last for months. I think if you have a good DVC guide they try to find that home resort you want. If they only pushing for AUL or RIV, then you might want to ask for another guide.

 

[SomePixiedust]

Thank you all for the help and advice! I am going to be there in a few weeks and will do a tour. Hopefully I will get a good guide. I don't plan to purchase on this trip but will be returning in a few months and hope to purchase then.

 

[ELMC]

Thank you all for the help and advice! I am going to be there in a few weeks and will do a tour. Hopefully I will get a good guide. I don't plan to purchase on this trip but will be returning in a few months and hope to purchase then.

This sounds like a good plan. I would also suggest that you take the questions and answers you have discussed with your salesperson and put them out here on the boards. If nothing else it will give you another source of information.

One quick thing I wanted to mention quickly that hasn't been addressed is the choice of resorts. As others mentioned, you can buy any of the "sold out" resorts so your choices aren't just RIV, CCV, or AUL. But putting that aside for a moment, I would like to challenge your thinking on AUL vs. RIV a bit. You say that you won't buy RIV because of the resale restrictions. I get that. The resale restrictions will undoubtedly have a negative impact on resale value, and I think it is a good idea to at least think about resale value when making this purchase because, well, you never know what can happen.

However...

Despite the resale restrictions, forecasts for RIV resale value still has it as the better choice than AUL relative to purchase price. While resale restrictions might deflate resale values, we already know that AUL resale values are incredibly depressed for a large number of reasons. You can easily buy an AUL resale contract for HALF of what a direct contract would cost. So my point is, the resale restrictions, while annoying, aren't nearly as bad as the immediate depreciation you experience as soon as you buy an AUL contract direct. Add to that the fact that RIV gives you an on-property 11 month booking location and to me it's RIV every day of the week.

Good luck with your research and your decision!

 

[SomePixiedust]

This sounds like a good plan. I would also suggest that you take the questions and answers you have discussed with your salesperson and put them out here on the boards. If nothing else it will give you another source of information.

One quick thing I wanted to mention quickly that hasn't been addressed is the choice of resorts. As others mentioned, you can buy any of the "sold out" resorts so your choices aren't just RIV, CCV, or AUL. But putting that aside for a moment, I would like to challenge your thinking on AUL vs. RIV a bit. You say that you won't buy RIV because of the resale restrictions. I get that. The resale restrictions will undoubtedly have a negative impact on resale value, and I think it is a good idea to at least think about resale value when making this purchase because, well, you never know what can happen.

However...

Despite the resale restrictions, forecasts for RIV resale value still has it as the better choice than AUL relative to purchase price. While resale restrictions might deflate resale values, we already know that AUL resale values are incredibly depressed for a large number of reasons. You can easily buy an AUL resale contract for HALF of what a direct contract would cost. So my point is, the resale restrictions, while annoying, aren't nearly as bad as the immediate depreciation you experience as soon as you buy an AUL contract direct. Add to that the fact that RIV gives you an on-property 11 month booking location and to me it's RIV every day of the week.

Good luck with your research and your decision!

Thank you for another perspective! Definitely more to think about. Not having the security of being able to book on site at 11 months by purchasing AUL has definitely been a con that has been weighing on us, that was why we were happy to hear that there is a possibility to purchase "sold out" resorts. Fortunately we are in a situation where we have several short trips this year giving us the opportunities to do our research, come home and bounce it around with the family and back on these boards, then go back with more questions.

We will also be doing a cruise on one of these trips. Would anyone know if there are any cons to booking while on a cruise? I've heard people say book on a cruise because the deals are great, but if we're looking to buy a sold out resort, will we get a guide on the ship that will work for that for us? Just more to bounce around .If we get someone at one of the resorts that we feel good about, I wouldn't want to miss out on that opportunity. Or do we wait til the cruise (currently our last "scheduled" trip) and if we don't like what we're hearing reach out to a guide that we might have dealt with prior and were happy with? Such first world problems

 

[Philsfan77]

As you're looking at direct prices, for the best current deal, also be sure to check the current maintenance fees. Aulani might not be as expensive as some of the other resorts direct, but the maintenance fees are some of the highest in DVC..so any initial savings, will probably be wiped out in dues.

SSR is probably the best value buy right now of the WDW resorts in terms of current cost, years left and current maintenance fees.

 

[Sandisw]

Thank you for another perspective! Definitely more to think about. Not having the security of being able to book on site at 11 months by purchasing AUL has definitely been a con that has been weighing on us, that was why we were happy to hear that there is a possibility to purchase "sold out" resorts. Fortunately we are in a situation where we have several short trips this year giving us the opportunities to do our research, come home and bounce it around with the family and back on these boards, then go back with more questions.

We will also be doing a cruise on one of these trips. Would anyone know if there are any cons to booking while on a cruise? I've heard people say book on a cruise because the deals are great, but if we're looking to buy a sold out resort, will we get a guide on the ship that will work for that for us? Just more to bounce around .If we get someone at one of the resorts that we feel good about, I wouldn't want to miss out on that opportunity. Or do we wait til the cruise (currently our last "scheduled" trip) and if we don't like what we're hearing reach out to a guide that we might have dealt with prior and were happy with? Such first world problems

I think all guides will work to get you the points at a sold out resort...if they have them available...if you tell them that is all you want,

Granted, some may try a little harder to convince you to go with current resorts being marketed like RIV or AUL..but if you tell them you aren’t interested, they will work to see if they can get you what you want,

With sold out resorts, at any given time, they may or may not have what you want. It’s not like one guide has the ability to find points that another guide can’t, So, cruise ship guides would have the same ability to check as other ones!

I bought on a cruise once and I may have gotten a small discount that I hadn’t heard about before, but this was about 7 or 8 years ago so not sure that is still the case. It could also have been because my DD is a CM.

 

[SomePixiedust]

As you're looking at direct prices, for the best current deal, also be sure to check the current maintenance fees. Aulani might not be as expensive as some of the other resorts direct, but the maintenance fees are some of the highest in DVC..so any initial savings, will probably be wiped out in dues.

SSR is probably the best value buy right now of the WDW resorts in terms of current cost, years left and current maintenance fees.

Thanks for your response! Definitely things we are considering.

 

[SomePixiedust]

I think all guides will work to get you the points at a sold out resort...if they have them available...if you tell them that is all you want,

Granted, some may try a little harder to convince you to go with current resorts being marketed like RIV or AUL..but if you tell them you aren’t interested, they will work to see if they can get you what you want,

With sold out resorts, at any given time, they may or may not have what you want. It’s not like one guide has the ability to find points that another guide can’t, So, cruise ship guides would have the same ability to check as other ones!

I bought on a cruise once and I may have gotten a small discount that I hadn’t heard about before, but this was about 7 or 8 years ago so not sure that is still the case. It could also have been because my DD is a CM.

I figured all the guides are basically shopping in the same pool but possibly some are a little more aggressive in searching so to speak. Fortunately we are good with waiting it out to see. Hopefully we will hit it right with a sold out resort or after a period of time if we haven't found something, we can shop what's available immediately direct. I'd like to purchase by the end of the year so hopefully we will find our comfort spot. This gives us time to get comfortable with either AUL with the high maintenance fees and no ability to book 11 mos out in Orlando or RIV with the poor resale restrictions.... unless of course CCV turns out to still be available in a few months. Once we tackle this, then we will deal with purchasing a resale with the same UY to add to it

 

[Deb & Bill]

Don't buy a resort you never plan to stay at. You lose the opportunity to book your stay at 11 months out and have to wait until seven months out with everyone else. It will be hard to book from mid-Sept through the Marathon in January. Buy the resort you think you will like to stay at if you can never swap our your 11 month home resort reservation with a non-home resort reservation.

 

[CraigInPA]

With the whole array of DVC resorts open to you in the resale market, and pretty much all available direct with perhaps a small wait list (Grand Californian and Grand Floridian may still have no availability as the wait lists on those are YEARS long), you should be considering where you prefer to stay. Between 7 and 11 months, you will have home resort priority, which means you will be able to book before owners at 14 other resorts. Depending upon the season and type of room you want, this could be a very critical choice. For example, booking a studio at CCV at Christmas is something that has to be done exactly at 11 months. Booking studios during the peak October through mid-January is tough if you aren't booking during the 7-11 month period. The common advice is to "buy where you don't mind staying" or "buy where you want to stay".