Tons of Qs from Prospective Buyer

[JimMIA]

If I buy 100 pts at WDW let's say could I then use 25 of my Grand California points to book the first day and then 50 of my WDW pts for the rest of the trip at the 11 month point?

NO. It doesn't matter who you buy the points through. What matters is home resort. In the 11-7 month period, you can only use home-resort points to book at your home resort. At 7 months, you can use points from anywhere.

So, in your example, to book at Grand California prior to 7 months out, you would need GCV points for the whole stay.

You could, of course, book what you could with GCV points in the 11 month window and hope for the best at 7 months. But that would be risky, IMHO.

 

[Sydnie]

So in your expert opinions is it better just to buy at Disneyland through a second party? What are the advantages at buying through Disney anyway? And it it worth it to buy like 100 pts secondhand at Grand CA and then buy 50 at Saratoga through Disney just to get the Disney perks? I am not sure what these fabled perks are really

 

[Deb & Bill]

That's just weasel-speak. They said that because they don't have any Grand California points to sell you. ...

Tell it like it is, Jim. I love it.

 

[papamouse1]

Oo I like the idea of doing a bare bones purchase through Disney and then a WDW resale. I could go on the waiting list for Grand California and buy only 50 points there, and that would let me book 11 months out, right? If I buy 100 pts at WDW let's say could I then use 25 of my Grand California points to book the first day and then 50 of my WDW pts for the rest of the trip at the 11 month point?

Simple answer is no. Your points are always tied to their resort for the 11-month window and cannot be used at any other resort at 11-months, so you can't tie points together to change their 11-month window.

Also, a 50 pt contract at VGC may not work for you folks, since you have 5 in your family (unless you are willing to stay in a studio which will be crowded for 5). If you banked your points and only stayed every other year, that gives you 100 pts. The very cheapest off-season rate for a 1BR at VGC takes 239 pts. So you might want to make your VGC contract a little more depending on how often you wil go there and whether you are willing to stay in Studio.

One thing my family does to stretch our points sometimes is we will stay in a studio first 2-3 days, then move to 1BR or 2BR last part of trip for more room and washing machine

 

[Deb & Bill]

...Also, a 50 pt contract at VGC may not work for you folks, since you have 5 in your family (unless you are willing to stay in a studio which will be crowded for 5). ...

You can't have five in a studio unless one is under the age of three.

 

[Breyean]

I'm on the Disney wait list for VGC. There are a LOT more than 20 people on it. My guide said I was on the first page and that there's now 2 pages. Of course, a lot depends on your UY, but he told me there were about 6 others ahead of me just for my UY.

Plus, in the 2 months I've been on the list, there hasn't been any significant movement. Last time I spoke with my guide, about 2 weeks ago, the same person who was on the top of the list from back in February was still there. Things might have changed in the past 2 weeks, but seeing another poster here today passed ROFR at VCG today (and with my UY) at $85 pp makes me think Disney still isn't making a big commitment to procuring points to sell to those on the list.

So, I'm currently waiting out ROFR on a resale for VCG (submitted 6/23) at $74. I decided to be proactive and not wait around for Disney. With my luck, they'll decide to buy back my contract, and then resell me the points at their price of $120! But at least I'm doing what I can to get into VGC as one of my home resorts.

 

[papamouse1]

You can't have five in a studio unless one is under the age of three.

Umm yes you are correct. I was thinking about the sleeper chair, but it's not in the Studio.... Which actually makes my point about a 50pt contract even more valid... Can't do much with 50 pts at VGC when you can't rent studio

 

[papamouse1]

I'm on the Disney wait list for VGC. There are a LOT more than 20 people on it. My guide said I was on the first page and that there's now 2 pages. Of course, a lot depends on your UY, but he told me there were about 6 others ahead of me just for my UY.

Plus, in the 2 months I've been on the list, there hasn't been any significant movement. Last time I spoke with my guide, about 2 weeks ago, the same person who was on the top of the list from back in February was still there. Things might have changed in the past 2 weeks, but seeing another poster here today passed ROFR at VCG today (and with my UY) at $85 pp makes me think Disney still isn't making a big commitment to procuring points to sell to those on the list.

So, I'm currently waiting out ROFR on a resale for VCG (submitted 6/23) at $74. I decided to be proactive and not wait around for Disney. With my luck, they'll decide to buy back my contract, and then resell me the points at their price of $120! But at least I'm doing what I can to get into VGC as one of my home resorts.

Crazy thing is it actually was easier to get a place to stay at DL BEFORE they built the Villas. When we first bought we were exclusively going to DL, but of course being a part of "Un-DIS" nation, we had no idea we could buy at any other resort than SSR which they convinced us was great! We never had a problem booking at DL because you could stay at all 3 hotels , and since GC hotel has a huge inventory of rooms, there was more rooms available compared to now when you only have such a small amount of villas replacing all those GC rooms.

 

[JimMIA]

So in your expert opinions is it better just to buy at Disneyland through a second party? What are the advantages at buying through Disney anyway? And it it worth it to buy like 100 pts secondhand at Grand CA and then buy 50 at Saratoga through Disney just to get the Disney perks? I am not sure what these fabled perks are really

Forget the frills and perks. Focus on what your points will buy you in DVC villa stays -- that's where the real value of DVC is, and if you can't make it there, you can't make it anywhere.

For a one-bedroom, at the times you said you might travel, 100 points at GC will get you two nights...maybe three. 50 points at SSR might get you only one night in a one-bedroom.

I would look at the points charts (linked at the top of this page) and estimate how many points you would need where. Buying resale, figure $95 per point at GC and $60 at SSR. Then see if the anticipated outlay is realistic for your budget.

 

[juncker]

As for points, you can always add on. I'd just start with about a smaller 150-200 point resale contract for VGC to start. You can decide later if you want more. Add and delete smaller contracts if you need more points later. Smaller contracts are easier to sell. The only thing that I would do if I went this route would be to keep my use year for each contract the same. It gets confusing to manage the points otherwise. Good Luck!

 

[Sydnie]

Oh gosh this is all so confusing I swear I went to college and everything but my eyes are bleeding from trying to figure all this stuff out. And I am a planner so I need to research about a million hours for any major purchase.

Can you finance if you buy through The Timeshare Store? Believe it or not I don't have $20k under my couch cushions

 

[papamouse1]

It's pretty much impossible to finance any used timeshare purchase. That is one of the key reasons to focus on buying direct.

 

[nunzia]

So in your expert opinions is it better just to buy at Disneyland through a second party? What are the advantages at buying through Disney anyway? And it it worth it to buy like 100 pts secondhand at Grand CA and then buy 50 at Saratoga through Disney just to get the Disney perks? I am not sure what these fabled perks are really

another confusing twist..OK..Dinsey has a minimum to buy direct from them..it varies but was 160 for a long time, but have seen rumors of 100 but I don't at what resorts. Say you first bought 100 resale at VGC..that would get you into Disney's system and then you would be able to do an add of 50 at SSR. You would NOT first be able to buy 50 at SSR since you aren't in the system yet. You can only buy 50 points as an add on..not a master contract.
Now..IF you went this route..100 resale first at VGC then 50 SSR add on, you would still not be able to use the 100 VGC resale points for Cruise, ABD, non DVC Disney hotels..they can't be combined, since Disney would know which points were bought resale and which direct. You could only use the 50 SSR points for cruise, etc (which would get you nothing) Basically you should decide if the extras (which can be taken away from any of us at any time)are worth anything to you. If not, go resale and go forth happily. If the extras mean alot to you then suck it up and get on the ever growing VGC waitlist or buy at Aulani and take your chances at 7 months or spend extra Aulani direct points at stay at DLH or PP. Phew
I am so glad I had a last minute panic when I heard my user year was the last selling at VGC and bought those extra 50 points..I knew this would happen and although it seemed unlikely at first, when sales were dragging, it caught up.
Also, there have been rumors that a 4th DLH tower may be built for DVC. Or maybe they can convert some of the new Grand rooms into villas? I can't see Disney passing up extra income from those who only want VGC.

 

[Alice-in-wonder]

My first contract was 50 pts SSR direct buy from Disney. That was the smallest amount I was allowed to get from my guide. Since then, I have added on more points at BLT through Disney directly. The incentives were good at the time. You may still be able to get your foot in the door, so to speak, by buying a small contract directly from Disney.

 

[Lynne M]

So in your expert opinions is it better just to buy at Disneyland through a second party? What are the advantages at buying through Disney anyway? And it it worth it to buy like 100 pts secondhand at Grand CA and then buy 50 at Saratoga through Disney just to get the Disney perks? I am not sure what these fabled perks are really

Here's what you miss out on by not buying direct from DVC. This is from the member site:

Under the new policy, Members who purchase from anyone other than Disney Vacation Development, Inc., on or after March 21, 2011, will not be eligible to use those Vacation Points to make reservations within the Concierge Collection, the Disney Collection or the Adventurer Collection. Those Vacation Points will instead be valid only for reservations at Disney Vacation Club resorts, as well as for RCI® exchanges, Club Cordial and Club Intrawest.

.

In short, it means that you can't use your points at non-DVC Disney resorts, for Disney cruises, for ABD, and some other resorts. You wouldn't be missing anything. All of these options are a poor value and subject to change at any time. Any and all can be severely restricted or taken away altogether, even if you do pay the much higher price to buy through Disney.

It's important to understand what you're getting when you buy DVC. You're getting the right to stay at your home resort, subject to availability, through the end of your contract. Everything else is subject to change.

The single best piece of advice I can give you is to buy only the points you need for your DVC resort stays. It's tempting to see DVC as a one-size-fits-all answer to all of your vacation needs (especially since Disney markets it that way). It's great for stays at DVC resorts, but can be overpriced and very frustrating to use for exchanging.

 

[Sandisw]

Here's what you miss out on by not buying direct from DVC. This is from the member site:

.

In short, it means that you can't use your points at non-DVC Disney resorts, for Disney cruises, for ABD, and some other resorts. You wouldn't be missing anything. All of these options are a poor value and subject to change at any time. Any and all can be severely restricted or taken away altogether, even if you do pay the much higher price to buy through Disney.

It's important to understand what you're getting when you buy DVC. You're getting the right to stay at your home resort, subject to availability, through the end of your contract. Everything else is subject to change.

The single best piece of advice I can give you is to buy only the points you need for your DVC resort stays. It's tempting to see DVC as a one-size-fits-all answer to all of your vacation needs (especially since Disney markets it that way). It's great for stays at DVC resorts, but can be overpriced and very frustrating to use for exchanging.

Well said and probably the best advice any prospective buyer can get!!

 

[nunzia]

My first contract was 50 pts SSR direct buy from Disney. That was the smallest amount I was allowed to get from my guide. Since then, I have added on more points at BLT through Disney directly. The incentives were good at the time. You may still be able to get your foot in the door, so to speak, by buying a small contract directly from Disney.

wow..50 points master contract..that is a real desperation move on Disney's part, but good for you!

 

[chunkygal]

You would not be able, probably, to buy enough points to do a cruise. Especially for 5. In my humble opinion, I would buy enough for a 2 bedroom and buy resale. You are going to soon want the privacy as your kids get older. Think about the cost of flights for 5 to Hawaii. It will definitely add cost to your trip. We are currently staying at the Marriott ko olin a neat the new aulani that looks awesome. My husband is in the military, so we can shop at the base for food,but food in hawaii as well as need for rental car all adds to your expense.

My advice is that it is like a new car, be st value is used and let someone else take the depreciation.

As far as using it for other vacations, it is difficult and while I have been on vacation before we have checked out other rbi resorts"...not disney y standards. We have marriott timeshare, also. Much. More flexible program with many more properties o f quality.

Buy to use with Disney.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[RunnerMomO]

I spoke to a CM and they are heavily pushing Aulani (which makes sense since it's their new property.) Their reasoning is that when you are booking something geographically further away (Hawaii vs just driving down south) you are going to want to book more in advance.

Hmmm, decisions decisions.

But keep in mind, higher annual maintenance fee on a larger place like Aulani.

 

[Kelnick]

I bought just 110pt Oct. 2010 SSR, I will be using this for the first time this Oct.