Torn with purchasing

[floridavet]

We have been hemming and hawing over whether to join the DVC family. I often get analysis paralysis and the more I research the more likely I am to convince myself to not do something. So I'd love so opinions.

Background is that we have two boys under 10 and are hoping for a third kiddo. We live a little over an hour from Disney and have been AP holders more often than not over the last 15 years. Our trips range from daytrips to 3 nights. We vary where we stay but never the value resorts.

If we were to add, we are torn between direct (saw Riviera tonight but do love VGF) or AKL resale. I've agonized over the pro and cons of both. The lack of discounts don't bother me (as I have an AP already) but I do like the idea of staying at Riviera and potentially the new Disneyland tower if I go direct. We also have a trip to Disney at the end of April and I realize if I go resale I am unlikely to have it close in time to use points for that trip. Renting points for that trip makes up a good chunk of the difference between direct and resale.
I acknowledge that we are not doing this for financial reasons. We will likely spend more in the long term doing this, as we will stay more nights than we would have to use our points and will likely foot the bill for family gatherings. The goal would be to go every year a couple of nights here and there or to bank and do a 2 BR every couple of years.
My one concern is, while we are planners and would have no problem planning a trip 11 months in advance, we also like to have some degree of spontaneity and plan something 2-3 months out. What is the realistic possibility of getting something in that time frame during the spring/summer if we weren't picky about where we went? My wife is worried about the complete loss of spontaneity.

 

[NVDISFamily]

Disneyland tower

VDH will really change the game for Disneyland Resort and if you want in 99% odds are that direct points will be the way to go. Our VGC points are resale so we cant use them there but we plan on trying to get in at 7months from time to time with our direct WDW points.

Riviera is awesome. We came at it with no bias to any of the resorts and CCV (Wilderness Lodge) won our hearts for the MK area resorts and Riviera was a winner for our more central (EPCOT/HS and closer to AK) area resort so that’s where most of our points are.

Seems like you are wisely not looking at this as an investment. It’s a great way to pay well less than rack rates for premium (ish) accommodations in the Disney “bubble” (still kind of learning what that is). I’m not 100% sure if the math is the same at WDW as it is for VGC, but the savings on booking larger rooms like a 2BR suite/villa are huge with DVC vs rack rates. We also bought in with one of our goals to help make magic for family and friends with visits to the park ever other year or so.

Good luck with your decision making process.

 

[RoseGold]

You need to read over this thread where Hades froze over and I convinced someone local like you to buy direct. If you aren't in LOVE with Riv or VGF, I would be thinking Poly2.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/dvc-newbie-availability-direct-vs-resale.3883760/

DVC absolutely has spontaneity if you know the rules well enough.

The other option would be to buy resale now and then maybe trade it out for direct, if you like Poly 2 or BLT3 or whatever better in the future.

 

[NVDISFamily]

BLT3

What was BLT2….?

Poly 2 is exciting and if I had unlimited buckets of cash it would tempt me quite a bit to grab a few points there to “cheat” on CCV for some more MK area points.

 

[wkndr4Disney1]

Since you live an hour away, you might have the ability to plan a spontaneous staycation. Your best bets would be OKW (Old Key West) or SS (Saratoga Springs) for last-minute staycations. I've gotten lucky at those two resorts. Although lately, I've seen more availability at VGF and Polynesian. I own at Riviera, and I love it! My son is under 6 yo and loves riding the skyliner, so the easy access to Hollywood studios and Epcot via skyliner is great. Once you own you do have the ability to purchase points that DVC purchased on right of Refusal. I purchased Vero Beach at 140p/p. I've tried the resale route but that didn't work for me due to impatience and needing to use the points right away. When purchasing resale you'll find that the process takes almost 2.5 months. Most of that time is waiting for a response from DVC on whether seller can sell points at price that was offered. When I purchased additional points 3 weeks ago they were in my account within ~30 mins.

I would say purchase direct for at least 150 points to gain all the extra benefits that dvc offers then purchase resale if you have more patience than me and are not in an immediate rush to book vacations.

As for the resort, I would go with Riviera (totally biased though) based on all the fun activities like large chessboard outside, bocce ball. However if you like to take the smaller intimate boats to MK I would go with VGF as Riviera does not offer any water access transportation.

Good luck!

 

[Sunnyore]

I don’t think you have to worry about spontaneous trip over at WDW during spring/summer if you’re not picky about where you want to stay. Usually the larger resorts will still have some kind of availability. I’m over by the west coast and so I’m severely limited by just having 1 DVC resort, not to mention a tiny one. So I can’t wait for VDH to open hopefully next year. You didn’t mention how many points Ure looking to buy/will need. I would suggest getting a mixture of direct and resale points since you want to stay at Riviera and VDH etc at some point. If you buy direct first, then you have to buy the min 150 pts currently, but if buy a resale first, you can add on direct as low as 25/50 points depending on resort and if financing or not. You said you don’t care about the benefits so you can just buy however many points to satisfy your needs to stay at any of the newer resorts in the future. I can tell you right now I’m currently waiting for 1 contract to close and another to just had contract added to my membership and I already missed my opportunity to book the rooms I really want for my trip next May. I will most likely just have to book a different room type or a different resort though. If you’re not picky about which resort, you’ll probably be able to find something for April’s trip even if going though resale.

 

[DL1WDW2]

Have you actually pretend trip planned the amount of points using the pricing and the points needed for a sample to answer your question?
Factor one year as a family trip and then combing the use year points you would need to bank and borrow (3years) .
Also look hard at the floor plans and bedding.
I originally purchased thinking BLT perfect for grandchildren and then they grew and are teens that need a separate sleep space
Big point price difference now means fewer days to vacation ( don’t want to buy more points / One time Use Year points help a little).
And now I am seeing the pictures of the 1&2 bedrooms and Don’t really like the floor plan as much as the Studio.
So think about the Today but also factor the future .
In retrospect and as I have learned more about the increases in the maintenance fees and the point chart updates that they manipulate .
Its more than just buying points . These increases every year decreases my vacation value . I also wish I had known about the Guaranteed Week that actually can turn into a locked in value benefit With alternative ways to create your plannings in different ways
You might want that week when family visits but they allow you to opt out for the years you would not want to stay a whole week.
Also need to think about the future when your children are involved in so much school activity .
I can’t believe the planning when we look at the Band Camps in the middle of summer squeezing out actual vacation days.
I guess membersusually offer words of wisdom but the most often words include I wish I had joined earlier and wish I had purchased more points too! And we are finding location is more important than ever because the 11/7. Month windows are tight and casual last minute trip planning is also almost not available…How would I salvage that trip planning with choices . The location and the amenities are important to think about too.


We are also hearing rumors that DVC wants to create changes to the membership with possibility of different levels of deluxe offerings versus basic offerings in that membership benefits and perks.
The need for more money is relentless apparently.

I do think it is important to look at the options available when weather turns that vacation to visit the entire property into limited hanging around the resort or take a bus instead of monorail and SkyLiner .

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

If money is not an issue you should be okay. I have never purchased and come down several times a year and am glad I did not. Things that happened over the years to consider : hurricanes , kids grew up (happens fast ) , covid, kids sport schedules , kids college school schedules , changes in Disney policies to consider. For me life is complicated enough to have to worry about vacation points. I like to pick a resort pay go home and be free. I can see it working for some families just consider everything.

 

[Nursemanit]

3 kids will put you quickly into needing more than one studio. The problem is 1br doesn't get you anywhere as the king bed/murphy will still not be great. You may find that 2 studios are better and frequently fewer points. Poly 1 has the best chance of joining studios and great resale prices right now. But I would wait to see what happens with the poly tower as if they are separate associations poly 1 resale may become an even better deal.

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

Okay. I am very excited for you! If you can swing it, I would buy Riviera AND Grand direct and insist on a June use year since you know you need summer travel. Grand resale spread isn’t that big of a deal from resale at the moment, and if all points are direct, you could pool them all for 2-bedrooms or Grand Villas for treating big family trips every so often, while still using the points at future resorts that may have restrictions. (Then I would price out a small AK resale, LOL. That spread on resale is better, IMO, and AK/SS/OKW usually have last-minute availability for your short staycations.)

We have freakishly tall boy/girl -10 and LOVE the one-bedrooms. Our son loves the TV trundle, and our daughter happily shared the queen Murphy bed with our niece and cousin. If you have a 3rd baby, I believe you can put them with you until they hit 3? Check on that. I will tell you, there’s plenty of room at Riviera to stash a pack and play for napping in the master or the bathroom vestibule of the master so the baby can sleep in a quiet, dark cave, away from the noise of the living room. The Riviera studios are lovely and large, but once you get spoiled with laundry, privacy with a king bedroom, and that extra living space, studios don’t scratch the itch!

We treated my sister, BIL and niece to the Riviera 2-bedroom and LOVED it. Riviera’s is 1246 sq/ft versus Grand’s 1232. We had such a great trip being together — but with enough space we weren’t cramping anyone’s privacy, and still got to retreat to our separate areas to sleep and use bathrooms apart from each other. We can’t wait to get more points to treat again. It really was a special trip.

GF is gorgeous, huge rooms, great dining (albeit a little bit of an exposed walk if not at BPK,) and will definitely retain its value. If you know you like the styling there, enjoy it!

It’s good you know you’re not making the jump from Value to Deluxe. You’re already Moderate+, and as the kids get bigger, and adding a possible 3rd baby and all their crap to the mix, regular hotel rooms SUCK, and prices are getting outrageous! I priced one night the weekend of Thanksgiving for next year, and it’s high everywhere. I honestly do think DVC saves you money pretty quickly, especially if you’re not buying airfare. That’s huge! Being able to fix simple food/snacks for the kids, washing sweaty, dripped-on clothes and bathing suits after gross days in the heat is HUGE. I do a load of laundry every night and only pack three outfits per person. So much easier.

As a semi-local, as the kids age, they’ll want to bring friends. A two-bedroom is lovely for that, and you’ll appreciate the space and not looking at a torn-up living area every day. With DVC, you go more often and are WAY less rushed. I am a total Type A planner/commando, and even my husband remarked our last trip in April he loved the best because we did the parks 2nd shift and loafed poolside all morning before heading out.

I think it’s great to have a MK base and Epcot/HS base. After Ian, and knowing you want summer/storm season, you can weigh the options of convenience of Skyliner and everything under one roof for inclement weather — with the inconvenience of the Skyliner going down in stormy weather and only doing buses.

MK in Ian, I am sure, was good while you were allowed to venture out to common areas, but may not have been as convenient when in true lockdown, away from food and characters entertaining the kids.

I will say, we bought when the kids were 5 & 6, before kindergarten. We envisioned pulling them out of school every fall to enjoy Halloween and Christmas parties and decorations and cooler weather and cheaper early December points.

Yeah, not so much. This is our last year missing a week of school for vacation in December. The kids are in sports, have swim meets and basketball games from October-February, they miss too much in school to keep up without being totally stressed out, and we’re now locked into only going peak point weeks for vacation in February, April, and probably Thanksgiving since that’s only missing 2 days of school.

Points go fast those prime weeks. People are correct when they talk about needs changing with age. BLT is always touted for strollers to MK, but that’s a blip in time for the kids. Poly studios-only may get old quick when the boys turn into human trash cans and you’re spending a fortune for them to get overpriced nuggets and pizza hourly. Then having a full kitchen to heat up frozen nuggets and pizza at a quarter of the cost is a life saver! LOL.

Having space to hang out on pouring rain or sick kid day is a godsend. You’ll love DVC.

 

[RichVIII]

The spontaneity comes with how you enjoy you will enjoy things differently. There is less pressure to do it all in each trip. With DVC, we often go more often and enjoy new things in new ways. I hate to say, even as out of staters my daughter has been to Disney. Each time is different and DVC has created that opportunity. I am glad we added on fairly quickly a while ago since have more points allow for even more flexibility. Finding a 1BR sometimes is easier at tougher resorts, without more points we wouldn’t be able to do that. As we have started to enjoy larger rooms, we want them all the time. We relax more at the resort and truly enjoy the space. While I wish we had more of a “mix“ of resorts, I am glad we have a sizable set of points 3 contracts at one resort since it gives us a lot more flexibility. I look at GFV as a great opportunity to be walkable to MK but also a quick hop to many other amazing resorts. RR is also great but nothing is walkable and restrictions (which you will get lots of opinions on). If you can swing it, buy and start enjoying. ALSO if you buy direct, break up your contract into smaller ones if if you need/want to sell or even downsize it is easier since smaller contracts sell for more and faster. Enjoy!

 

[floridavet]

Ended up going a completely different direction.
We decided against direct for now, because I was a little bit hesitant about how things will go in the next few years with DVC.
Ended up stalking the resales for a few weeks and put in an offer for a 100 point Poly contract at 150/point and got it.
Signed the papers and paid the deposit this week and they said they would ship it off to RoFR next week when they get confirmation from Mason that the deposit was paid.

 

[bobbiwoz]

@floridavet

 

[RoseGold]

I think that's an AWESOME pick. You can get a hold of how the system works with how you travel, and who knows, maybe you'll get Poly2 as well.

If you decide you want to buy in to BLT3 or whatever, you're already a member and can do that later. If you decide DVC in general isn't working for you, you just sell. All good.

 

[floridavet]

I think that's an AWESOME pick. You can get a hold of how the system works with how you travel, and who knows, maybe you'll get Poly2 as well.

If you decide you want to buy in to BLT3 or whatever, you're already a member and can do that later. If you decide DVC in general isn't working for you, you just sell. All good.

That was my thoughts…buying in at lower points so if we love it, I can get a 150 point direct contact later.