Thinking (Seriously!) about Buying a DVC Resale...

[Frederic Civish]

I haven't found the bus to be a problem. SOMETIMES the bus gets delayed, but that can happen and does happen at any resort. We just spent 8 days at Jambo and, frankly, the worst bus problem we had was one time when I wanted to go to Epcot, and the bus didn't show up for 45 minutes. They have a board where they list bus arrival times, and the time kept being reset until later. When the bus finally did show up, there were THREE Epcot buses, one after the other. The 3rd bus just bypassed the stop and went on ahead while the other two loaded up. But that was the only glitch.

 

[CarolynFH]

AKL Kidani Savanna view is probably my 2nd favorite after BWV Boardwalk view. Did you know you park your car at Kidani underneath the building? And you can park near the elevator nearest your room.

 

[cometdad2010]

It is not because it is wrapped in dues.

Good to know! I wondered if that was a direct-only perk or not. Obviously I’m not counting on any of the perks... I’ve read enough to know the only thing guaranteed are the points and annual dues!

 

[6bowmans]

The UY doesn't quite matter so much to us. Other than this October vacation, none of our other travel dates are set in stone... I'm thinking January will be when we usually go, just because of the lower points availability. If that's not an option, September will probably be our second choice... with that spread, I can't really go wrong with any use year.

With your likely travel dates September through January, I would say that September is your best use year. If you have to cancel a January trip, you still have time to bank the points. I would avoid February, March, and April use years.

 

[Henwen88]

Transportation really isn’t much of a concern with us. We fly in, but I always rent a car— I get carsick easily, so bus/monorail/even Minne Vans aren’t a great option. It’s a pain to pay for parking, but we just budget that in.

AKV (Kidani) will be great for you then - the parking is underneath the hotel. We try to request a room near an elevator (they have names like Rafiki, Timon, etc), and very quick walk to car. Really nice when it's melting hot in summertime to have car in shade. (And I really didn't have an issue with the buses from here - much quicker than the other resorts who share buses - and I'm including BWV and BCV in that too).
OKW and SSR are also nice with parking in front of your individual villa.
BLT isn't bad, but sometimes difficult to find a spot, with BCV being similar (very close to the villas).
BWV can be sketchy from what I've read here, but we haven't stayed there yet with a car.

 

[Ophthodoc1]

What regrets did you have about buying DVC? What (if anything) should I watch out for? I'm reading every article I find, and scrolling through the forums, so I can make as informed a decision as possible. What advice would you give me?

Thanks!

Hi there, definitely agree with others - “buy where you want to stay.” If you are going to want to stay at SSR & if you want a great value I don’t think you can go wrong. I have toured this resort and while it’s not my favorite, it certainly is a lovely and sprawling resort which feels decidedly “un-Disney.” Honestly in this case I think thats a good thing.

Similar boat here. Considering a resale contract but of course I would like the most expensive place on property. I like GF and want to stay there. I’ll lever get more than or or two noncontiguous nights if I don’t own there.

I Could purchase 250 points resale right now through the DVC store (April use year), roughly for $46,000, or through Disney for about 1/3 more.

My biggest questions - is April use year important to me for some reason? Or why is any use year important if I want to switch up when I go? And more importantly, will I miss the DVC benefits

So So So grateful for all the folks at DIS who helped me understand these concepts more. I really enjoy all the content and it is as much entertainment for me and my husband as it is informative. Thanks to everyone involved and I wish you the best of holidays.

- Greg

 

[Sandisw]

Hi there, definitely agree with others - “buy where you want to stay.” If you are going to want to stay at SSR & if you want a great value I don’t think you can go wrong. I have toured this resort and while it’s not my favorite, it certainly is a lovely and sprawling resort which feels decidedly “un-Disney.” Honestly in this case I think thats a good thing.

Similar boat here. Considering a resale contract but of course I would like the most expensive place on property. I like GF and want to stay there. I’ll lever get more than or or two noncontiguous nights if I don’t own there.

I Could purchase 250 points resale right now through the DVC store (April use year), roughly for $46,000, or through Disney for about 1/3 more.

My biggest questions - is April use year important to me for some reason? Or why is any use year important if I want to switch up when I go? And more importantly, will I miss the DVC benefits

So So So grateful for all the folks at DIS who helped me understand these concepts more. I really enjoy all the content and it is as much entertainment for me and my husband as it is informative. Thanks to everyone involved and I wish you the best of holidays.

- Greg

UY plays a role in giving you extra insurance if you ever have to change or cancel a trip. No UY will be perfect for all. When you travel within the first 8 months of a UY. If you had to cancel or change a trip, you’d still be able to bank points if canceled 31 days or more. If you had borrowed points and cancel, it still leaves you time to reuse those points before they expire.

With April, it works well for trips through December. It leaves Jan to March as risky. If you would regulate vacation those months, then you’d want a different one just in case.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Except you have to get a bus first which is the issue with AKV.

Even my parents had read about it before our stay. We went in thinking "how bad could it be". It was terrible.

Don't forget MK and the Epcot/HS areas are each likely to encompass a half of your trip each. With AK getting a day from one of the two categories.

I think it's important to warn anyone who hasn't stayed their. Basically outside of OKW/SSR the rest of the resorts you will get fairly quick/easy access for half your trip.

That still is just your experience and it can happen at any resort with any of the transporation other than walking. Our bus service at AKV has always been very good and we have many stays there.

 

[SG131]

Hi there, definitely agree with others - “buy where you want to stay.” If you are going to want to stay at SSR & if you want a great value I don’t think you can go wrong. I have toured this resort and while it’s not my favorite, it certainly is a lovely and sprawling resort which feels decidedly “un-Disney.” Honestly in this case I think thats a good thing.

Similar boat here. Considering a resale contract but of course I would like the most expensive place on property. I like GF and want to stay there. I’ll lever get more than or or two noncontiguous nights if I don’t own there.

I Could purchase 250 points resale right now through the DVC store (April use year), roughly for $46,000, or through Disney for about 1/3 more.

My biggest questions - is April use year important to me for some reason? Or why is any use year important if I want to switch up when I go? And more importantly, will I miss the DVC benefits

So So So grateful for all the folks at DIS who helped me understand these concepts more. I really enjoy all the content and it is as much entertainment for me and my husband as it is informative. Thanks to everyone involved and I wish you the best of holidays.

- Greg

My first contract is an April use year. It works fine for us, the only issue I had was trying to match use years when adding on. I quickly found out that April is not as common. I now have two use years which I think will be ok since I plan on using the contracts separately, but can be an issue for some.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

And more importantly, will I miss the DVC benefits

So, when you say the resale would be $46k or direct 1/3 more, that's $15k. You are unlikely to ever recoup the economic value of that extra $15k in benefits that can be assigned monetary value - the AP discount, AP Gold, maybe hitting a Moonlight Magic, and incremental discounts on food and merch.

The Gold AP is not available unless you are DVC or Florida resident, but the savings on a Platinum pass or Plat Plus is $220 for a DVC member. Even assuming 5 passes per year ($1100/year) you're at 10+ years of that expense to equate to your premium of purchase. Throw in a couple Moonlight Magics and give them a value of $100 each, and you're still not racking up the money value of $15k, which buys a lot of beer.

Trading for cruises or Disney Collection are not benefits of value. You can easily rent VGF points for cash, use that $15k to book a cash room somewhere or cruise, or use cruise trade programs via DVC brokers to cruise with resale points (and spend some of that $15k on shore excursions!). If you decide you cannot live without staying regularly at RIV or Reflections, $15k is a pretty nice start on contract at either resort assuming $200pp.

Emotional value is something only you can guess at. When booking or checking in, no one gives a rip what color your card is.

 

[sethschroeder]

That still is just your experience and it can happen at any resort with any of the transporation other than walking. Our bus service at AKV has always been very good and we have many stays there.

Thats fine but when even my parents say they read and hear about it and they basically never look up anything about WDW and then I experience 9 days worth of terrible bus service I am going to push out the word.

You likely won't agree that bus service in general is an issue? Even though its brought up in general on these boards as well. Hence having a resort you don't need to worry about busses the whole time you are there is a huge positive.

That all goes out the window if you plan on always having a vehicle and driving to parks.

 

[Ophthodoc1]

So, when you say the resale would be $46k or direct 1/3 more, that's $15k. You are unlikely to ever recoup the economic value of that extra $15k in benefits that can be assigned monetary value - the AP discount, AP Gold, maybe hitting a Moonlight Magic, and incremental discounts on food and merch.

The Gold AP is not available unless you are DVC or Florida resident, but the savings on a Platinum pass or Plat Plus is $220 for a DVC member. Even assuming 5 passes per year ($1100/year) you're at 10+ years of that expense to equate to your premium of purchase. Throw in a couple Moonlight Magics and give them a value of $100 each, and you're still not racking up the money value of $15k, which buys a lot of beer.

Trading for cruises or Disney Collection are not benefits of value. You can easily rent VGF points for cash, use that $15k to book a cash room somewhere or cruise, or use cruise trade programs via DVC brokers to cruise with resale points (and spend some of that $15k on shore excursions!). If you decide you cannot live without staying regularly at RIV or Reflections, $15k is a pretty nice start on contract...

ALL GREAT POINTS and ones I’ve definitely considered. I think the biggest one I’d miss is the midnight magic events, but again hard to really quantify how many of those I would actually be able to attend (or want to attend given the off hours) the older I get.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

ALL GREAT POINTS and ones I’ve definitely considered. I think the biggest one I’d miss is the midnight magic events, but again hard to really quantify how many of those I would actually be able to attend (or want to attend given the off hours) the older I get.

Or how long they offer them. They are a fairly new recent thing, and may be discontinued if they think the cost-benefit isn't working.

 

[zavandor]

Or how long they offer them. They are a fairly new recent thing, and may be discontinued if they think the cost-benefit isn't working.

I am surprised that they still exist. With the restrictions, resale is now an objectively inferior product. They don't really need to spend a lot of marketing budget to pay for expensive free parties. I think they'll go the way of the dodo in 2021.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Thats fine but when even my parents say they read and hear about it and they basically never look up anything about WDW and then I experience 9 days worth of terrible bus service I am going to push out the word.

You likely won't agree that bus service in general is an issue? Even though its brought up in general on these boards as well. Hence having a resort you don't need to worry about busses the whole time you are there is a huge positive.

That all goes out the window if you plan on always having a vehicle and driving to parks.

I'd guess you could find posts of issues with walking on the boards too.

Buses will be the most prone to issues because of the roadways and other vehicles on the roads and the fact that they do not travel on a fixed track with controlled interference.
Boats will have issues.
Monorails have issues.
Skyway has issues.

It does not mean that the transporation at AKV is worse than other locations. I've personally had the worst and longest issues with the monorail when it goes down and then attempting to recover from that. Twice. Does that mean that the majority of guests have the same issue? No. If you search you will find plenty of posts about that as well too.

 

[cometdad2010]

I am surprised that they still exist. With the restrictions, resale is now an objectively inferior product. They don't really need to spend a lot of marketing budget to pay for expensive free parties. I think they'll go the way of the dodo in 2021.

Just out of curiosity, why do you say “...resale is now an objectively inferior product?” Aside from the extra perks — AP discounts, food discounts, etc. (all of which aren’t contractual any way) -- is there anything I’m missing out on? I’m strongly leaning toward resale, but I want to make an informed decision.

 

[SG131]

Just out of curiosity, why do you say “...resale is now an objectively inferior product?” Aside from the extra perks — AP discounts, food discounts, etc. (all of which aren’t contractual any way) -- is there anything I’m missing out on? I’m strongly leaning toward resale, but I want to make an informed decision.

No you’re not missing anything other than not being able to use your points at future dvc resorts. I don’t think it’s an inferior product, I bought resale after the latest benefit cut and I don’t feel like I’m missing anywhere near enough to justify the cost difference. I bought where I wanted to stay so I’m not worried about not using my points at the new resorts. And when the dust settles 10 years from now and we start to see how all the new rules affect booking, there’s a decent chance it will be tough to get a room at those new resorts at 7 months anyway.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Just out of curiosity, why do you say “...resale is now an objectively inferior product?” Aside from the extra perks — AP discounts, food discounts, etc. (all of which aren’t contractual any way) -- is there anything I’m missing out on? I’m strongly leaning toward resale, but I want to make an informed decision.

I do not see anything that you are missing out on and I would disagree with the statement you quoted. I do think that the Moonlight Magics will not continue on indefinitely though not because they have a massively superior product to sell direct but because they are very expensive and booking them is difficult for a membership the size of DVC.

 

[cometdad2010]

Hi there, definitely agree with others - “buy where you want to stay.” If you are going to want to stay at SSR & if you want a great value I don’t think you can go wrong. I have toured this resort and while it’s not my favorite, it certainly is a lovely and sprawling resort which feels decidedly “un-Disney.” Honestly in this case I think thats a good thing.

Similar boat here. Considering a resale contract but of course I would like the most expensive place on property. I like GF and want to stay there. I’ll lever get more than or or two noncontiguous nights if I don’t own there.

I Could purchase 250 points resale right now through the DVC store (April use year), roughly for $46,000, or through Disney for about 1/3 more.

My biggest questions - is April use year important to me for some reason? Or why is any use year important if I want to switch up when I go? And more importantly, will I miss the DVC benefits

So So So grateful for all the folks at DIS who helped me understand these concepts more. I really enjoy all the content and it is as much entertainment for me and my husband as it is informative. Thanks to everyone involved and I wish you the best of holidays.

- Greg

Greg, did you check out the availability chart post mentioned on this thread? Unless you’re looking for a studio, I think Grand Floridian wasn’t that impossible to book at the 7-month mark, depending on the time of year. For a $20k savings, it may be worth buying with a less expensive resort as your home.
Or — correct me if I’m wrong — I’m still trying to figure out all the nuances of DVC — I think you could purchase a large point contract at a less expensive resort (for example, 200 points at SSR) and then a smaller point contract at GF, and transfer between the two year-to-year but have the benefit of both home resorts. That way, you‘d have more points for less money, but still be able to book GF at the 11-month mark.

 

[cometdad2010]

No you’re not missing anything other than not being able to use your points at future dvc resorts. I don’t think it’s an inferior product, I bought resale after the latest benefit cut and I don’t feel like I’m missing anywhere near enough to justify the cost difference. I bought where I wanted to stay so I’m not worried about not using my points at the new resorts. And when the dust settles 10 years from now and we start to see how all the new rules affect booking, there’s a decent chance it will be tough to get a room at those new resorts at 7 months anyway.

Thanks! Yeah, I’m a little bummed with the Jan 2019 restrictions on future resorts, but not enough to dissuade me from resale. I figure I could always get a small contract direct if it ever became that much of an issue. Also, with the refurbishments continuing at the classic 14, it’s not like they’re falling into disrepair — the dues make sure of that!