Was this a mistake??

[tjkraz]

I'm not saying that VGC is the right resort for you, but here's some additional food for thought.

VGC is by far the smallest DVC resort. If you hope to vacation at the Grand Californian in the future, owning there (and booking more than 7 months out) will be critical during periods of high demand.

It's also entirely possible that VGC's resale value will be higher than most WDW properties given the contract end date and small supply of points available.

Your salesperson was exactly correct that Home resort is meaningless to you now. Any additional dollars paid to own elsewhere could be money down the drain UNLESS you someday begin planning more than 7 months out AND want to visit Walt Disney World AND end up buying points in the resort that is actually your preferred destination.

It's up to you to decide whether it's wise to consider owning elsewhere at a higher price point (or shorter ownership duration, or higher annual dues) on the off-chance that such changes may someday work to your benefit.

I agree that buying for the trading opportunities is not necessarily wise. If Hilton Head, Vero and Hawaii are appealing to you, that works in DVC's favor. But again those are destinations where you need to plan well in advance in order to secure a room during periods of peak demand.

 

[karriemouse]

I'm not saying it was a mistake but I am in the 'cancel now and do lots of research' camp. Simply knowing how many points you will need if your vacationing habits are variable needs a lots of consideration!

Is DVC a good deal if you want to 'trade out'? No. The best use of DVC is to stay at DVC.

If you are sure you want to buy (and we have 130 points over two home resorts so I do believe that DVC is great if it suits you!) and you cannot ever see yourselves booking more than 6 months out then look at resales and buy the cheapest possible contract with the lowest maintenance fees for the number of points you want. You will for sure get something cheaper than VGC.

If your vacationing habits may change then buy where you may want to stay - or you will be disappointed when you can't ever book it.

 

[jspahn]

What I really recommend is she gift me the points she's buying at the VGC and then buy more points for herself where she really wants to.

Hmmmm I'd love to be able to be that generous, but its just not in the cards. Maybe if we win the lottery this week....


Thank you all again, you have given me a lot of food for thought.

It seems we have 3 options:
1. keep VGC
2. cancel VGC and buy into a home resort in WDW.
3. cancel alltogether and not join DVC.

In terms of resale down the road (not that we plan on reselling, but you never know) it is intersting that more than one of you have expressed the opinion that VGC will hold the value better than the florida properties.

We did think about buying into beach club or boardwalk (my favs!!) as a resale, but then they are only good till 2042, as opposed to 2060 with Grand Californian.
I would be torn on buying the resort I love via resale (BW or BC) for a shorter term or buying into one I could be happy with (AK or BLT)for a longer term, instead of keeping VGC.

And then we have the 3rd option of us not joining DVC at all. If us being able to plan only 2-3 months out is going to mean that basically we will never get the resort we want (at WDW or even any partner resort), then whats the point of having the DVC?

sigh

DH and I have a lot to discuss when he gets home.

 

[tjkraz]

If you are sure you want to buy...and you cannot ever see yourselves booking more than 6 months out then look at resales and buy the cheapest possible contract with the lowest maintenance fees for the number of points you want. You will for sure get something cheaper than VGC.

Depends upon how you qualify "cheaper."

The up-front purchase may be lower, but there are sacrifices in terms of contract duration and dues. VGC is running about $95-97 per point now with the second lowest dues in the program.

Only BLT has cheaper dues and the same duration, but will definitely cost more.

SSR will cost less up-front via resale, but you lose 6 years and have higher dues for 40+ years.

AKV may cost less via resale but you lose 3 years and have higher dues.

BWV/BCV/VWL, etc will cost less but all have higher dues and you lose 18 years.

VGC may cost a few dollars less via resale but with it being so new, it may take months before a contract appears that has the ideal number of points and Use Year, and has all of the current year's points intact.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

There is also an assumption being made that the home resort booking window remains at 7+ months.
It is possible that could change...

MG

 

[sweetdana]

I think cancel. Buy SSR resale for like 69 - 71$ a point and get 11 month window in FL where you would want to stay.

The fees are 2nd or 3rd lowest and the price per point is one of the lowest and the exp is 2nd or 3rd longest.

Do not but in CA, unless you can go there.
If you decide you want to go for spring break, next year (or in 5 yrs) at least you can get it in the state you want.

You are paying more for CA then FL by buying direct. You could even find a contract with 2009 and 2010 points on it.

 

[sweetdana]

... To add to that I am a fellow SSR owner. I own there not because it is my fav, but because I cannot make ressies 11 or even usually 7 months out. It is one of the most cost effective resorts. If I make a ressie more than 7 months out.. l can make at SSR and move into the 7 month window later. But if as usual I cannot make .. I take what is there.

 

[karriemouse]

Depends upon how you qualify "cheaper."

Couldn't agree more - which is why I think the OP needs to work out what they want from DVC before they decide how to buy in.

 

[paults]

There is also an assumption being made that the home resort booking window remains at 7+ months.
It is possible that could change...

MG

I agree, ALSO DISNEY has the right in the future to limit using our pts at our home resort. I don't think it will happen BUT it could. If your happy vacationing at VGC all the time then keep the contract. I would cancel and look for a resale at BWV, there are some now going at $72 a pt and up. Or whatever WDW DVC you like.

Just a side note if you do the 200 pts by Disney get 2 ( 100pt contracts) they will be easier to sell if you need to sell one.

 

[thelionqueen]

You do have a few things to ponder, but try to do so based on YOUR needs not on anyone's needs who post here. I'm not trying to offend anyone, but everyone has a reason for doing what they do.

In some instances I would strongly suggest to buy where you want to stay. In other instances, yours for example, it seems like the salesperson advice was good advice.

If you can only book 3 months in advance for now, that doesn't mean it will be that way in the future. I've had no problems of any kind getting exactly what I want at 7 months (only an owner for less than 2 years).

No one can tell what the future of DVC will hold, what will change and what will remain the same.

I will tell you that we debated for a very long time and made offers on a couple of resales (both ROFR's) and none of them seemed exactly right.

When we bought BLT & GCV there was no doubt whatsoever at all that what we did was PERFECT for us! I would say to have a long talk and go with your gut. Best of luck on whatever you decide!!

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

Buying VGC while living in GA is insane.

Spend some time looking into DVC.

Here is another thought...even though MFs are high...check out the Hilton Head resort. We love going to Hilton Head almost as much as we enjoy going to Disney.

We live about 7 hours from Hilton Head and think its a great quick get away, and it is very difficult to get in the Summer. That would be important if you could actually reserve Hilton Head more than 7 months out.

IF I lived in Atlanta, I would definitely consider Hilton Head.

Otherwise, I would go for Saratoga Springs, or go for BWV or BCV and find a way to reserve earlier. There is definitely something to be said for being where you want to be, and oh my that Boardwalk view is spectacular.

 

[thelionqueen]

So someone who lives in CA and buys BCV is also insane by that methodology correct? I know a whole lotta insane people then

I completely disagree with this comment. It may be "insane" for this poster, and not for another. Everyone buys DVC and which "home" for their own reasons. Please don't let someone's comment influence you in any way. Best of luck..keep us posted?

 

[dizfan]

Hmmmm I'd love to be able to be that generous, but its just not in the cards. Maybe if we win the lottery this week....


Thank you all again, you have given me a lot of food for thought.

It seems we have 3 options:
1. keep VGC
2. cancel VGC and buy into a home resort in WDW.
3. cancel alltogether and not join DVC.

In terms of resale down the road (not that we plan on reselling, but you never know) it is intersting that more than one of you have expressed the opinion that VGC will hold the value better than the florida properties.

We did think about buying into beach club or boardwalk (my favs!!) as a resale, but then they are only good till 2042, as opposed to 2060 with Grand Californian.
I would be torn on buying the resort I love via resale (BW or BC) for a shorter term or buying into one I could be happy with (AK or BLT)for a longer term, instead of keeping VGC.

And then we have the 3rd option of us not joining DVC at all. If us being able to plan only 2-3 months out is going to mean that basically we will never get the resort we want (at WDW or even any partner resort), then whats the point of having the DVC?
sigh

DH and I have a lot to discuss when he gets home.

We haven't been DVC members very long, but the impression we have is that at 2-3 months out the resorts that may be available at WDW are OKW and SSR (because they are larger resorts). If you would be disappointed staying at one of these resorts, I would not buy DVC right now.

You may want to look at the DVC Resort Ability Threads to get an idea of what resorts/rooms are available 2-3 months from now. Keep in mind, many members don't post updates here, so they aren't 100% accurate, but it does give a hint of availability 2-3 months from now.
http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=168

Perhaps cancel the contract and try staying at one of these resort for a few days in the future. It may surprise you. If not, then you only spent a few days there and have not spent thousands on a timeshare.

If you would be happy with booking at 2-3 months out and staying anywhere on property, I would buy DVC resale instead of through Disney. SSR contracts have been at a good price and have low dues. I think it would be significantly cheaper to go this route than your VGC contract.

 

[ToddyLu]

As a new owner (bought June 09) I still do not think I new enough about DVC when we bought. I had read through the forums for a few months and knew it was a good decision for us. DH would not hear of us buying anywhere but AKV. It didn't matter to me location wise...heck I wanted to just own at Disney. I know it really doesn't matter where you own if you are booking on such short notice. I just can't imagine owning at VGC if you are always going to go to WDW. But points are points. I would not have been able to buy at VB or HH...I wanted WDW.

I would suggest you cancel the contract just to have two 110 point contracts. I can see looking at the resales all the time that smaller contracts do not come up often becasue they are bought before they even are posted.

You just do not seem settled about this and I think that is the first sign to pull back and rethink. DH and I had no regreats and no hesitation when we bought nor after...

Best of Luck to you and let us know your final decision..

Welcome Home!!

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

So someone who lives in CA and buys BCV is also insane by that methodology correct? I know a whole lotta insane people then

I completely disagree with this comment. It may be "insane" for this poster, and not for another. Everyone buys DVC and which "home" for their own reasons. Please don't let someone's comment influence you in any way. Best of luck..keep us posted?

From what I understand, WDW is a larger resort than DLR. Plus, the poster stated that she primarily bought to go to wdw. In that situation, then yes, I would say buying at DLR is insane.

I would also say that if your primary reason to buy DVC was to go to Disneyland, then buying at the Beach Club would be insane. If you just want points to go to Disneyland...then either buy at VGC or find the absolutely least expensive DVC. Beach Club is not that resort.

Forgive me for using a word as strong as insane. I guess the point that I was really trying to make is that a flight to California costs several hundred dollars and takes several hours. I've been to California, but I haven't been lately.

 

[jspahn]

I just wanted to thank everyone for thier advice, and give you an update.

After spending a few hours running various scenarios (resale purchase, new purchase at BLT, AKV, and our current VGC) DH an I have decided that DVC is probably not the best option for us at this time.

We do not plan vacations in advance, and I would be disappointed if I was always stuck at SSR or OKW.
We also dont always stay at deluxe resorts, many times we would be happy at a moderate. So cost wise, the DVC didnt feel as efficient, especially if our vacation habits change. IE, we dont spend 12 nights in WDW every year for the next 15 or 20 years.

Logically, the best choice for us is to cancel right now. I have sent my email off to the cancel request people, sadly.

Thank again everyone! Perhaps you'll see me again, renting from some of you to see what the DVC experiance is like later in the year.

 

[Dean]

IMO buying with most planning around 3-4 months out is a mistake no matter what time of year one visits. I'd cancel and get more comfortable with the options.

 

[Deb & Bill]

It's better to cancel now and take your time thinking it over than regretting what you bought when all you can do is sell it. Good luck with your future stays at WDW and DL.

 

[Lil' Grumpy]

good for you! ....i think taking the time to reflect

on this big/important investment.....kept you from making a
big mistake. however, i think....maybe you might want to
consider .....a dvc saving account until you are ready?

[ we are new owners, & did not buy..in 2002. as it turn out,
it was right for us. i also agreed with the "lionqueen" 's advice.
it made the most sense to me, because when everyone posted
why they pick one place over another, nobody had the same
reasons we decided on. ]

fyi....i am not thrill with this purchase as much as my wife is.
& brought alot points to boot. on our first try, @ 9am + the
11mos window, there were no rooms & my wife was told she could
try next year. needless to say, i got involved @ this junction.

some posters mentioned future changes. i think that is likely too!
i know i am going to be pushing for stronger restrictions,
maybe things like limiting to 2 resorts. as far as i am concern
...we are members, and paid all this money....there is no way
those renting points & non-members should be bumping us out
of a room @ the 11 month window. then who should get the best
rooms- members or non-members? i think only members @ a
resort should be able to make room requests.

this is crazy that these things are not in place & i am very unhappy
with the things we were told not being true. ( then reading how a
non-member ...has 2 revs.....& we were unable to get one?! ) i am
not against...disney taking a corrective measure...refunding all
our money...& us "getting out." especially since we haven't use it
yet.



maybe by the time you are ready, the current problems will be
solved... like specific restrictions for non -members @ the
smaller dvc locations.

 

[bumbershoot]

Glad you made a decision, but I'm sorry you're cancelling.

So someone who lives in CA and buys BCV is also insane by that methodology correct? I know a whole lotta insane people then

That's what I was thinking, too!

We'll go to DLR far more frequently than we will go to WDW, but we bought at BLT. We don't care where we wind up (we'd be happy with OKW as the looks of the place make my eyes happy), sometimes we might book 11 months out, other times not, etc etc. We did have to buy from disney b/c we did need to finance at the time; otherwise we would have considered buying resale.

From what I understand, WDW is a larger resort than DLR. Plus, the poster stated that she primarily bought to go to wdw. In that situation, then yes, I would say buying at DLR is insane.

She said that they wouldn't be planning 11 months out. Therefore it does not matter where she bought, because she would never be using the 11 months option.