Thinking of purchasing but not through WDW

[LaLalovesWDW]

Hi everyone! Not sure this is the right place to ask, but I am thinking of purchasing some DVC points but wanted to know if there were either benefits or consequences to purchasing outside of the "official" WDW vehicles? Im not even sure how to exactly ask, but I was looking on Timeshare Store and just thought about think like discounts, APs, special Disney benefits, etc. Do you still get those if you purchase through a 3rd party?

 

[psac]

Hi everyone! Not sure this is the right place to ask, but I am thinking of purchasing some DVC points but wanted to know if there were either benefits or consequences to purchasing outside of the "official" WDW vehicles? Im not even sure how to exactly ask, but I was looking on Timeshare Store and just thought about think like discounts, APs, special Disney benefits, etc. Do you still get those if you purchase through a 3rd party?

Yes, the only restriction is that you CAN'T use the points to book anything other than the DVC rooms. Meaning, no cruises, Adventures by Disney, etc. Honestly, all of those other things require WAY more points than they should, and are much cheaper booking out of pocket. So the things they restrict you from are things you shouldn't do anyway.

We've bought two resale contracts, one from the Timeshare Store, and the other from Fidelity, and have zero regrets. Much better than buying direct from Disney. Overall, buying resale is a much slower process, expect it could take as long as three to four months after you agree to buy something, but it will be incredibly cheaper.

Make sure you do all your research on Use Years, Points, Right of First Refusal, etc.

Good luck!

 

[LaLalovesWDW]

Yes, the only restriction is that you CAN'T use the points to book anything other than the DVC rooms. Meaning, no cruises, Adventures by Disney, etc. Honestly, all of those other things require WAY more points than they should, and are much cheaper booking out of pocket. So the things they restrict you from are things you shouldn't do anyway.

We've bought two resale contracts, one from the Timeshare Store, and the other from Fidelity, and have zero regrets. Much better than buying direct from Disney.

Make sure you do all your research on Use Years, Points, Right of First Refusal, etc.

Good luck!

Thank you much!! Yes, I just started reading up on all of that. Still don't quite get it, but I do like the prices from what Ive seen so far!

 

[hakepb]

Resale cannot use the Disney Collection, but they can currently trade via the World. Passport collection (RCI)
http://dvcnews.com/index.php/dvc-program/buying-dvc/buying-resale

FYI, DVC is a real estate interest in DVC resorts. Any/all other perks can be removed at any time. It is possible that Disney may expand the direct vs resale difference, but hey cannot take away your legal right to book at he are sort you purchased .

 

[maggiegirl]

I Agree! If you are not set on a particular newer resort that WDW is selling direct, then go for Resale. I picked up 2 contracts for 340 points total for less than half the cost of direct purchase. It is an astronomical difference that cannot be ignored!

 

[DVC Doctor]

Make sure to focus on location first and price second. Too many new buyers think they are beating the system by buying VB cheap only to find the mega large annual dues is the real kicker. Also don't buy SSR if you want to stay at VGF most of the time.

 

[MouseMomx2]

Yes, the only restriction is that you CAN'T use the points to book anything other than the DVC rooms.

This is not true. You will still have access to the RCI system, as other posters have mentioned. Through RCI you can trade to other timeshares in the system, pending availability.

You will not be able to use them at non-DVC Disney resorts, for DCL cruises, for the Adventure Collection or for the Concierge Collection. As psac said, all of these options give you significantly less value, per point, than DVC resorts. We have purchased three contracts through Disney (back in the '90s) and four via resale (just a few years ago) and don't feel restricted on the resale points at all.

IMO, DVC's direct prices are far too high and I would only purchase resale at this point.

 

[LaLalovesWDW]

So glad I asked here... you guys are amazing!! Im probably one of the few who actually like SSR and OKW, so I thinking of a small contract there and a small one at AKV. I wonder why there are some many at AKV for sale??

 

[lovin'fl]

So glad I asked here... you guys are amazing!! Im probably one of the few who actually like SSR and OKW, so I thinking of a small contract there and a small one at AKV. I wonder why there are some many at AKV for sale??

It could be because AKV is a large resort....like SSR and OKW. Also might be due to location which many folks aren't fond of. We own there and love it...we too
bought resale at half price of direct. We have OKW and HHI too. And just added on BWV (direct for the first time because we wanted just 55 points and needed same use year...tough to find small BWV and BCV resales let alone with specific use year). Anyway, if going for first contract I would definitely suggest resale and SSR is the best deal going (or OKW extended expiration). Happy hunting for your DVC.

 

[DizBub]

I think the reason there are so many resales at AKV is because people buy on vacation while sniffing pixie dust and quickly are in over their heads. Or they decide that they don't need to own AKV to stay there regularly, sell and buy at a resort that requires the 11 month window.

Actually owning at AKV can be quite desirable if you want the value rooms (nice!) and/or Concierge rooms. Both can be hard for non-owners to get at 7 months especially at popular times. Best bang of your buck will be SSR. We like to stay there too.

 

[graychef]

Another important factor you might consider is the expiration date of each contract. Most of the resorts expire in 2042. SSR expires in 2054, AKV in 2057, BLT in 2060, etc. Those added years may or may not mean anything to you. Look into that along with the other great advice above.

 

[DisneyDiana]

I am making sure to tell new folks that while you often hear AKV is easy to get at 7 mos. so you don't have to buy there, this is true if you are just as happy with Kidani as you are Jambo. We like Jambo much better and have found lately that at busy DVC times Jambo is often already booked at 7 mos. just want to give people a heads up with that. We own at AKV for this reason.

 

[Lorilais_mommie]

I am making sure to tell new folks that while you often hear AKV is easy to get at 7 mos. so you don't have to buy there, this is true if you are just as happy with Kidani as you are Jambo. We like Jambo much better and have found lately that at busy DVC times Jambo is often already booked at 7 mos. just want to give people a heads up with that. We own at AKV for this reason.

Just wanted to add something I posted in another thread -

Avatar land is due to open at AK in the next few years.. According to the plans, the imagineers are working on some night time entertainment to help ease the other parks..

"Also as part of the expansion, Disney will introduce all-new entertainment experiences, including a new nighttime spectacular where live music, floating lanterns, water screens and animal imagery all combine for a show to end the day in Animal Kingdom." With three new avatar movies being planned, and Disney adding on.. I think AKL will be difficult to get a room at 7mo.

Jumbo house will most likely be impossible!

 

[Lorilais_mommie]

So glad I asked here... you guys are amazing!! Im probably one of the few who actually like SSR and OKW, so I thinking of a small contract there and a small one at AKV. I wonder why there are some many at AKV for sale??

Small contracts can end up costing you A LOT more on the resale.. They can be hard to get the UY and amount of points you want.. I spent 3 mo. Looking for an oct. UY with 100-120 points... Only two came up in three mo. We ended up putting In an offer on the high end per point for an AKL b/c we wanted a matching UY. (Waiting of ROFR) Id buy a larger resale contract at one of the resorts you want... Not only will it save money, but it will save tons of time as well.. You won't have to worry about find the right UY and point amount..

 

[Dean]

Small contracts can end up costing you A LOT more on the resale.. They can be hard to get the UY and amount of points you want.. I spent 3 mo. Looking for an oct. UY with 100-120 points... Only two came up in three mo. We ended up putting In an offer on the high end per point for an AKL b/c we wanted a matching UY. (Waiting of ROFR) Id buy a larger resale contract at one of the resorts you want... Not only will it save money, but it will save tons of time as well.. You won't have to worry about find the right UY and point amount..

For a new purchase it's not nearly so restrictive because you have more UY options plus most people are more flexible on the number of points. Were one to have bought resale first, the process can be much easier and simpler for the retail/resale combo as well. Even a 25 pt contract is usual less resale than retail but I'd agree the savings for that small aren't enough to fool with.

 

[disneynutz]

IMO the key is to buy based on where you want to call home, not where others do. Until you have stayed at all of the resorts a couple of times, you will never know for sure. AKV is a nice resort but after staying there a few times the novelty of animals might wear off or you start feeling bad because the animals are kept in captivity just for you to look at.

The same can be true for all resorts, they might look good on paper but staying there might change your mind.

If you do change your mind latter on, you can always sell and buy a different resort, that may be why the resale business is so popular.

Bill

 

[Dean]

IMO the key is to buy based on where you want to call home, not where others do. Until you have stayed at all of the resorts a couple of times, you will never know for sure. AKV is a nice resort but after staying there a few times the novelty of animals might wear off or you start feeling bad because the animals are kept in captivity just for you to look at.

The same can be true for all resorts, they might look good on paper but staying there might change your mind.

If you do change your mind latter on, you can always sell and buy a different resort, that may be why the resale business is so popular.

Bill

Bill, I'd agree this is ideal but it's likely prohibitive to get this much experience before buying for most potential buyers, even many current members don't have that much experience. But it is the principal behind one of the main reasons I try to push many to underbuy both the resort and number of points (except very small). Better to make a $10K mistake than a $30K one which is almost exactly the difference between a decent sized SSR contract vs VGF. Your post also illustrates the need to for people to get a certain amount of info to make a semi informed decision, something most people seen unwilling to do even the ones that investigate on DIS. Ultimately none of us will have the perfect bank of info except maybe in retrospect and then it's too late.

 

[disneynutz]

Bill, I'd agree this is ideal but it's likely prohibitive to get this much experience before buying for most potential buyers, even many current members don't have that much experience. But it is the principal behind one of the main reasons I try to push many to underbuy both the resort and number of points (except very small). Better to make a $10K mistake than a $30K one which is almost exactly the difference between a decent sized SSR contract vs VGF. Your post also illustrates the need to for people to get a certain amount of info to make a semi informed decision, something most people seen unwilling to do even the ones that investigate on DIS. Ultimately none of us will have the perfect bank of info except maybe in retrospect and then it's too late.

You talking about me?

The last time we sold some AKV contracts, we took a $10,000 hit. Of course the resale market went up right after we sold but so does the stock market.

All I know and what I try to instill in new buyers is that over the years we made some costly mistakes and our vacations at WDW have completely changed.

We thought that we knew which resorts we would fall in love with, we were wrong. BWV, VWL, and VGF are at the top of our love list and we still own BCV, BLT, and AKV.

We thought that we would spend days in the parks, now we spend days at the resorts.

Live and learn.

Bill

 

[HokieGCC]

One thing you might want to do is on your next trip take a day to travel to each the the DVC resorts and check each one out. Use the Disney transportation so you can see how good/bad it is. For such a large purchase you may really want to think about the resort - and think long term.

We have found after going to Disney for years and years we have really figured out what resorts we like the most and why. For example in our opinion Beach Club is the best of all. It is a combination of a lot of things - (1) you can walk to two parks, (2) the great pool, (3) the food options which include a very short walk to Epcot World Showcase, (4) the boardwalk, and (5) the general environment. Our second favorite is the Boardwalk (we own here) for similar reasons.

For me, the resorts where you have to take a bus to any and everything are to be avoided. This is just me though.

The Disney room I remember being "the best" was one where we had the room directly above the little store at the Beach Club on the second floor. We had a large balcony with a lake/boardwalk view. To get a cup of coffee or snack was like walking downstairs in our own house ... never even had to use an elevator the whole trip. The only bus rides were to the MK.

One other thing to mention - DVC members get a good discount on season passes. A season pass is a great way to go if you think by chance you will be at Disney more than once in a year (we make two treks there ... May and Jan).

So, learn everything about DVC before buying. In the meantime you can still go to Disney whenever you want w/o DVC.

 

[Dean]

You talking about me?

The last time we sold some AKV contracts, we took a $10,000 hit. Of course the resale market went up right after we sold but so does the stock market.

All I know and what I try to instill in new buyers is that over the years we made some costly mistakes and our vacations at WDW have completely changed.

We thought that we knew which resorts we would fall in love with, we were wrong. BWV, VWL, and VGF are at the top of our love list and we still own BCV, BLT, and AKV.

We thought that we would spend days in the parks, now we spend days at the resorts.

Live and learn.

Bill

Obviously there are some variables. It sounds like you sold retail contracts right after the big dip associated with at the combo of the economy and the resale limitations. IF you look at that as a sell AKV and buy VGF, that's quite a swing. Your experience of changing preferences is an important one for new buyers, those with mid level experience but even those of us who have a lot of experience. We've all made mistakes over the years that cost us money but I'd sure like to help folks minimize that situation as much as possible, esp given that the majority of people in this country are broke, most avoidably due to their own choices.