Was this a sales tactic or must I buy ASAP?

[luv2sleep]

What kind of incentives do they offer on the cruise? Right now they are offerring an extra free 20 points if you purchase under 200. At 200 it's an extra 40 and at 300 an extra 60. I think this ends May/June.

 

[disneynutz]

What kind of incentives do they offer on the cruise? Right now they are offerring an extra free 20 points if you purchase under 200. At 200 it's an extra 40 and at 300 an extra 60. I think this ends May/June.

The points aren't free, they raised the price to cover the cost.

The current sales gimmick is 20 extra points for each 100 that you "buy" up to 1000 points and it ends on 6/15.

 

[Joey7295]

I think you should know that if you plan to go to Aulani in the summer, you will need Aulani points. It was completely booked up all summer at 7 months.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I think you should know that if you plan to go to Aulani in the summer, you will need Aulani points. It was completely booked up all summer at 7 months.

I noticed that too, and that seems completely backwards to me. I don't want to go to Hawaii in summer...I want to go there when it's -20 here at home!

 

[luv2sleep]

I think you should know that if you plan to go to Aulani in the summer, you will need Aulani points. It was completely booked up all summer at 7 months.

I was just wondering about that. Thank you for posting this. I would need Aulani points then.

VGC resale points are $130 each right now. I was surprised they were so high.

 

[disneynutz]

I think you should know that if you plan to go to Aulani in the summer, you will need Aulani points. It was completely booked up all summer at 7 months.

Only a small number of DVC units are available to DVC Members. As additional units are sold, additional units will be added to the DVC inventory. DVC units not added to the DVC inventory belongs to Disney for cash guests.

Bill

 

[ccgirl]

Have you looked at other timeshares in Hawaii other than Aulani? The price is so much less. If you are going to purchase at VGC maybe a non-DVC timshare in Hawaii may be a better financial move? Just a suggestion.

 

[luv2sleep]

Have you looked at other timeshares in Hawaii other than Aulani? The price is so much less. If you are going to purchase at VGC maybe a non-DVC timshare in Hawaii may be a better financial move? Just a suggestion.

That's a good suggestion. Thank you.

 

[malamida]

good thoughts. thanks to everyone for the insights

 

[G'sMaman]

Lot’s of great advice here, so let me add a little bit of a different perspective based on my experience. We too live in California so we visit Hawaii frequently. Oahu was definitely not somewhere I ever saw myself buying a timeshare since we really enjoy Kauai and Maui. However, a visit to Aulani earlier this year changed that. We loved our stay there! And not just me and my husband, but our 4 DD and my parents as well. Truly something for everyone. For us, there really is no other resort quite like it in Hawaii and we have stayed at the Hyatts, Hiltons, Westins, the Four Seasons and the St. Regis at the various islands. Not to say Aulani is perfect (that’s another thread), it certainly isn’t, but it’s right for us. Yes, you could save a lot of money buying other non-Disney resorts, but Aulani isn’t just another hotel. They really make an effort to inject some culture into your stay and the number of activities throughout the week is pretty impressive. Yes, it is a Disney version of Hawaiian culture, but at some of the other resorts, it can feel like you’re in a Mediterranean inspired hotel with a few Hawaiian accents that happens to be in Hawaii.

We own both resale and direct so I am not against resale at all. However, we decided to go direct with Aulani for a few reasons. First, we wanted the booking advantage for reserving a standard/island view room (a lot fewer points than ocean view) if we wanted. It seems the lower points options are usually the first to go. Second, we like that we can use the points towards stays at DL. Not the best use of points, but certainly an alternative if you don’t feel like renting your points. Third, with the special they’re running (buy 100 get an additional 20 pts) you can effectively reduce the cost per point to $102.50 or less if you buy a June use year or later and rent out your 2011 points for at least $10 a pt. (which by the way is very easy to do with David’s rental service). As someone mentioned, you will get last year’s points and only be obligated to pay your mf starting from the purchase date so effectively you’ve saved some money there. Finally, I looked into Aulani resales, but the few I came across weren’t my use year or not in the amount I wanted, plus the closing cost because it’s a Hawaiian timeshare is about $900 regardless of the size of the contract so that’s certainly something to factor in as well. The closing cost when you buy direct was about $150 I believe.

Now for the downside, the actual buy in amount is nothing compared to how much you will spend in mf over the life of the contract. You need to really make sure it’s something you’re comfortable paying and that Aulani is a place you will visit over the long haul. The other point to consider is that the resale price is almost certain to go down, so if you can wait a few years then you could pick up a pretty good deal, maybe even with the lower, original mf. On the other hand, you can almost be certain that the price for buying direct will go up so if you have the cash on hand and want direct points, it probably makes sense to buy now with the special offer. If buying direct doesn’t make a difference and you’re not in a hurry, then waiting is not a bad option. As a side note, it’s very unlikely that they will offer incentives for buying VGC direct since it’s a sold out resort with a long waiting list. We were on the list last year for over 4 months before we finally bought resale.

 

[luv2sleep]

Lot’s of great advice here, so let me add a little bit of a different perspective based on my experience. We too live in California so we visit Hawaii frequently. Oahu was definitely not somewhere I ever saw myself buying a timeshare since we really enjoy Kauai and Maui. However, a visit to Aulani earlier this year changed that. We loved our stay there! And not just me and my husband, but our 4 DD and my parents as well. Truly something for everyone. For us, there really is no other resort quite like it in Hawaii and we have stayed at the Hyatts, Hiltons, Westins, the Four Seasons and the St. Regis at the various islands. Not to say Aulani is perfect (that’s another thread), it certainly isn’t, but it’s right for us. Yes, you could save a lot of money buying other non-Disney resorts, but Aulani isn’t just another hotel. They really make an effort to inject some culture into your stay and the number of activities throughout the week is pretty impressive. Yes, it is a Disney version of Hawaiian culture, but at some of the other resorts, it can feel like you’re in a Mediterranean inspired hotel with a few Hawaiian accents that happens to be in Hawaii.

We own both resale and direct so I am not against resale at all. However, we decided to go direct with Aulani for a few reasons. First, we wanted the booking advantage for reserving a standard/island view room (a lot fewer points than ocean view) if we wanted. It seems the lower points options are usually the first to go. Second, we like that we can use the points towards stays at DL. Not the best use of points, but certainly an alternative if you don’t feel like renting your points. Third, with the special they’re running (buy 100 get an additional 20 pts) you can effectively reduce the cost per point to $102.50 or less if you buy a June use year or later and rent out your 2011 points for at least $10 a pt. (which by the way is very easy to do with David’s rental service). As someone mentioned, you will get last year’s points and only be obligated to pay your mf starting from the purchase date so effectively you’ve saved some money there. Finally, I looked into Aulani resales, but the few I came across weren’t my use year or not in the amount I wanted, plus the closing cost because it’s a Hawaiian timeshare is about $900 regardless of the size of the contract so that’s certainly something to factor in as well. The closing cost when you buy direct was about $150 I believe.

Now for the downside, the actual buy in amount is nothing compared to how much you will spend in mf over the life of the contract. You need to really make sure it’s something you’re comfortable paying and that Aulani is a place you will visit over the long haul. The other point to consider is that the resale price is almost certain to go down, so if you can wait a few years then you could pick up a pretty good deal, maybe even with the lower, original mf. On the other hand, you can almost be certain that the price for buying direct will go up so if you have the cash on hand and want direct points, it probably makes sense to buy now with the special offer. If buying direct doesn’t make a difference and you’re not in a hurry, then waiting is not a bad option. As a side note, it’s very unlikely that they will offer incentives for buying VGC direct since it’s a sold out resort with a long waiting list. We were on the list last year for over 4 months before we finally bought resale.

Thank you! Great info! Yesterday I pretty much decided to go ahead and buy Aulani direct. However, it was recommended that I wait until the cruise and that there would likely be some type of incentive offered even then. Do you recommend taking advantage of this offer instead and not waiting?

 

[G'sMaman]

Thank you! Great info! Yesterday I pretty much decided to go ahead and buy Aulani direct. However, it was recommended that I wait until the cruise and that there would likely be some type of incentive offered even then. Do you recommend taking advantage of this offer instead and not waiting?

It depends on what use year you want, when your cruise is, and how many points you want to buy. Others may disagree, but I would be inclined to buy now. We like a June use year and to get 2011 points you need to buy before May 31. For example, if your cruise is in December, it's unlikely you're going to get any 2011 points because you would already be in the 2012 use year for most points. Kind of confusing, but hopefully it makes sense. We like a June use year because most of our travel occurs either in the summer or x-mas so it gives us flexibility to cancel if we need to before our banking deadline.

The thing about offers on the cruise ships is that they are unpredictable. Sometimes they are pretty good, and other times not so much. How many points were you thinking of buying? For example, you would need an offer that gives you $2,600 in incentives on a 100 point contract to match the current offer and that is unlikely. That being said, the incentives on the cruises improve dramatically the more points you buy. So, as you can see the answer depends.

 

[luv2sleep]

It depends on what use year you want, when your cruise is, and how many points you want to buy. Others may disagree, but I would be inclined to buy now. We like a June use year and to get 2011 points you need to buy before May 31. For example, if your cruise is in December, it's unlikely you're going to get any 2011 points because you would already be in the 2012 use year for most points. Kind of confusing, but hopefully it makes sense. We like a June use year because most of our travel occurs either in the summer or x-mas so it gives us flexibility to cancel if we need to before our banking deadline.

The thing about offers on the cruise ships is that they are unpredictable. Sometimes they are pretty good, and other times not so much. How many points were you thinking of buying? For example, you would need an offer that gives you $2,600 in incentives on a 100 point contract to match the current offer and that is unlikely. That being said, the incentives on the cruises improve dramatically the more points you buy. So, as you can see the answer depends.

Thank you for your help! I want to buy 200 points and I want a June use year too. If I cruise in October is there a chance that a June use year won't be an option? And, yes, those 2011 points without paying much by the way of MF on them is extrememly enticing. Hummmm. What to do, what to do.

 

[G'sMaman]

Thank you for your help! I want to buy 200 points and I want a June use year too. If I cruise in October is there a chance that a June use year won't be an option? And, yes, those 2011 points without paying much by the way of MF on them is extrememly enticing. Hummmm. What to do, what to do.

It's unlikely June won't be available, but its always a possibility. Hate to sound like a DVC salesperson. . Just to throw a wrench in the mix, have you thought of 100 VGC and 100 Aulani? With banking and borrowing you could have 2 great options. You would also be able to combine all points for any resort at the 7 month mark provided both contracts are the same use year.

 

[luv2sleep]

It's unlikely June won't be available, but its always a possibility. Hate to sound like a DVC salesperson. . Just to throw a wrench in the mix, have you thought of 100 VGC and 100 Aulani? With banking and borrowing you could have 2 great options. You would also be able to combine all points for any resort at the 7 month mark provided both contracts are the same use year.

I had considered that but then realized that I don't need VGC points because I'm unlikely to plan a local stay 11 months out. Also, there's no incentive associated with them. If I add on in the future I would consider buying some. I would rather use the bulk of the points on a home resort booking at Aulani so I can book a one bedroom or better view if I need to.

 

[ELMC]

Thank you for your help! I want to buy 200 points and I want a June use year too. If I cruise in October is there a chance that a June use year won't be an option? And, yes, those 2011 points without paying much by the way of MF on them is extrememly enticing. Hummmm. What to do, what to do.

One thing to consider is that if you buy a Jun UY in October, then you will only get points for your 2012 use year, which will have started four months prior. If you buy now, you will get 2011 points and then on June 1, 2012 you will get another set of points. The difference in waiting four months to buy is that you lose 200 points with an approximate value of $2,000. Something to think about.

 

[luv2sleep]

One thing to consider is that if you buy a Jun UY in October, then you will only get points for your 2012 use year, which will have started four months prior. If you buy now, you will get 2011 points and then on June 1, 2012 you will get another set of points. The difference in waiting four months to buy is that you lose 200 points with an approximate value of $2,000. Something to think about.

Just had a long talk with the guide about this. He said that's only for people who are adding on. He says for new people it doesn't work that way. he says he could 'only go back not more than 6 months' and give me a December UY. Then in Dec I'd get more points. I don't really understand because that's not what I've read on the various boards.

 

[ELMC]

Just had a long talk with the guide about this. He said that's only for people who are adding on. He says for new people it doesn't work that way. he says he could 'only go back not more than 6 months' and give me a December UY. Then in Dec I'd get more points. I don't really understand because that's not what I've read on the various boards.

Hmmm...that's the first I'm hearing of this, but I could be wrong. When I met with a salesperson he said it could be structured that way. But it wouldn't be the first time there was an inconsistent delivery of information from the salespeople.

I'm curious to hear what other people's experiences are.

 

[disneynutz]

Disney will sell you what ever UY you want. They may have a internal reason to push certain years but if you tell them that you want a certain year and they refuse, tell them that you will have to buy resale. We have done this a couple of times and magically they get "special" permission to sell us what we want.

Bill

 

[G'sMaman]

Just had a long talk with the guide about this. He said that's only for people who are adding on. He says for new people it doesn't work that way. he says he could 'only go back not more than 6 months' and give me a December UY. Then in Dec I'd get more points. I don't really understand because that's not what I've read on the various boards.

You are correct! I just talked to my guide and he confirmed what you said. Very interesting. You learn something new all the time. After May 31st, they will be selling February use year points to new prospects. The other point I was going to make is that the special they're running right now may not actually be a good deal if you want 200 as opposed to 240 points. I know that there are people who say you can never have enough points, but you will have to pay the mf on those extra 40 points for the next 50 years and it can really add up. If you don't buy in 100 point increments, then the special bonus doesn't kick in and that means the offer may not be better than a cruise incentive. So much to think about!