thinking of buying resale - questions

[jl131]

ok, so my wife & I took the tour last month and i think got a little caught up in the moment and almost bought. after we got back i started researching resale and it seems like a no-brainer over buying from disney, but i'm still a little unclear about a few things.

1. I know there can be differences in the contract end date and there are different timelines for booking (although I'm not totally clear on that part) - but other than that is there any difference based on which resort you buy into? Particularly just making sure if i buy into saratoga for example, am i restricted from staying anywhere else?

2. Other than merch discounts, cruises & the high-end properties, is there anything else you lose with resale vs. buying direct through Disney?

3. I think I know the answer to this - if I was thinking about a trip in December this year, it's too late for DVC if I dont even have a contract yet, correct?

4. The only impact of the month on the contract is for purposes of time to book, right? so if i think april will be my most common month to travel, what month should i look for in a contract?

thanks in advance for any input.

 

[disneynutz]

Your questions are common, page down in the threads and you will find answers to all of your questions, but I can get you started.
1 - The resort you buy allows booking at 11 months, all others 7 months. You should buy where you love to stay, not what is the least expensive.
2 - Currently there is a discount on AP's and access to DVC events, some free, some you pay for.
3 - To late.
4 - Pick a UY where the first 8 months covers the majority of your vacations.

Bill

 

[_auroraborealis_]

3. Heck, it's too late if you had a contract and started planning now. December is a very busy month for DVC.

 

[BillPA]

If you buy resale, you do NOT get discounts on APs and many perks are not available. This changed 4/4/16

 

[jl131]

thanks for the responses

 

[supersnoop]

4. The only impact of the month on the contract is for purposes of time to book, right? so if i think april will be my most common month to travel, what month should i look for in a contract?

Just to be clear, the use year is not related to booking. It's related to the time you stay at the resort. The 7 and 11 month booking window is based on your home resort. The bucket that the points come from is based on when you stay.

 

[Dean]

ok, so my wife & I took the tour last month and i think got a little caught up in the moment and almost bought. after we got back i started researching resale and it seems like a no-brainer over buying from disney, but i'm still a little unclear about a few things.

1. I know there can be differences in the contract end date and there are different timelines for booking (although I'm not totally clear on that part) - but other than that is there any difference based on which resort you buy into? Particularly just making sure if i buy into saratoga for example, am i restricted from staying anywhere else?

2. Other than merch discounts, cruises & the high-end properties, is there anything else you lose with resale vs. buying direct through Disney?

3. I think I know the answer to this - if I was thinking about a trip in December this year, it's too late for DVC if I dont even have a contract yet, correct?

4. The only impact of the month on the contract is for purposes of time to book, right? so if i think april will be my most common month to travel, what month should i look for in a contract?

thanks in advance for any input.

To add.
1. There are no differences using for DVC reservations at 7 months out, all you have access to between 7 & 11 months is your home resort. Thus it can be important for where you own but often isn't depending on how/where you want to use it.
2. The ONLY thing of value you lose is the discounts which might or might not be important to you. Worst case scenario is you buy resale and do a 25 point retail add on. Just note this could change in the future.
3. Agreed, too late to expect to get it done and a reservation. You might consider a private rental to solidify your choices.
4. As noted, it doesn't have much for when you are making the reservation but can be very important in relationship to the timing of the trip itself. A UY that starts as close as possible to most of your trips without starting after will be the best BY FAR. For those where this isn't a help for them, they are taking MORE risk than the rest.

 

[CarolMN]

Here's a thread explaining more about use year:

Understanding Use Year

Good luck with your research.

P.S. If you buy directly from Disney (and thus end up paying a lot more than if you purchase resale), the sales guide can often arrange for your first reservation even if the time & villa type you want is already all booked up. If you go that route, make the sale contingent on getting the December reservation you want. This is a courtesy that is not provided to those who purchase resale.

 

[mustinjourney]

P.S. If you buy directly from Disney (and thus end up paying a lot more than if you purchase resale), the sales guide can often arrange for your first reservation even if the time & villa type you want is already all booked up. If you go that route, make the sale contingent on getting the December reservation you want. This is a courtesy that is not provided to those who purchase resale.

I was about to say the same thing.

One note -- if you buy resale, and then do the add-on -- they might not assist you in the first reservation since the direct purchase wasn't your first purchase. I just tried and they told me they couldn't do it since it was not my first contract.

So if this first booking in December is something that interests you -- you could always start the resale process -- then call and get the direct purchase (make sure your names are the same for all documents). That way you have the direct purchase as your first purchase, they could help you out with the booking process, and then you can get more points via resale at a lower price.

 

[Dean]

I was about to say the same thing.

One note -- if you buy resale, and then do the add-on -- they might not assist you in the first reservation since the direct purchase wasn't your first purchase. I just tried and they told me they couldn't do it since it was not my first contract.

So if this first booking in December is something that interests you -- you could always start the resale process -- then call and get the direct purchase (make sure your names are the same for all documents). That way you have the direct purchase as your first purchase, they could help you out with the booking process, and then you can get more points via resale at a lower price.

You would risk not having the contracts combined by that approach.

 

[mustinjourney]

why wouldn't they get combined if you used the same names and had the same UY?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Even with strings being pulled, it may be rough to get blood from a turnip. I don't know how much availability even a guide can pull for December 4 months out or less.

 

[intertile]

just to add on...November to the first week in January is one of those time you want to book at between 10-11 months out, and in some cases like VGF studios at exactly 11 months out.

One other note to expand regarding the resorts. Saratoga Springs is one of the largest resorts, and can almost always be booked at the 7 month period. therefore your better off buying at another resort and using Saratoga Springs as your backup. unless your only concern is cost.

 

[Dean]

why wouldn't they get combined if you used the same names and had the same UY?

There's no requirement they do so and it has happened in the past where they were not even when titled the same and they wouldn't fix it after the fact. It's actually one of the ways they could push people to retail and away from resale. It's just not guaranteed. IMO, one of the riskiest times to do this is to have 2 sales in the works at the same time.