We just purchased, but now I wonder- Why pay more for points, when they are the same value everywhere? $188pp vs. $60 for the same thing?

[AdventureswithAmirah]

Resale + "last minute travelers" might still be a good combination.

FWIW, I live ~2 hours drive from Disneyland. We use other timeshare, near DL, rather frequently for short visits (1 or 2 night stays). Most of these are booked w/in days or weeks of the visit while stalking inventory online. Once you get into the game of stalking inventory as a pastime, you'll find last minute inventory as other owners cancel reservations. Sometimes I find DVC's Grand Cal using the same game: "Just browsing inventory ... oh, look! A night or two just sitting there ... we should go!"

Only you would know if "stalking inventory online" is a game or work in your view. For me, clearly a game.

I've been stalking travel deals for years, so that shouldn't be a problem. . When we went to Disneyland Paris a few years ago, I found us non-stop flights to Paris for only $450 per person! We weren't even planning on going to Paris at that time (we were planning a trip to Scotland or Ireland), but I surprised my husband when he came home that day and said "Forget Ireland....guess where we are going?" He was so happy because we had been looking for flights to Paris for ten years and they were always $800-$2,000 per person. The fact that they were direct flights was an even bigger bonus. I think we will definitely find a greater value in a resale, especially if we don't care about the resort we purchase at and will always use our points in the 7 month window. We take trips that are 1-3 nights all the time, so I can see there are a few spots open even as I look now. Do you have a resale site you recommend (and a dvc rental site, as well)? Thanks!

 

[bwvBound]

I've been stalking travel deals for years, so that shouldn't be a problem. . When we went to Disneyland Paris a few years ago, I found us non-stop flights to Paris for only $450 per person! We weren't even planning on going to Paris at that time (we were planning a trip to Scotland or Ireland), but I surprised my husband when he came home that day and said "Forget Ireland....guess where we are going?" He was so happy because we had been looking for flights to Paris for ten years and they were always $800-$2,000 per person. The fact that they were direct flights was an even bigger bonus. I think we will definitely find a greater value in a resale, especially if we don't care about the resort we purchase at and will always use our points in the 7 month window. We take trips that are 1-3 nights all the time, so I can see there are a few spots open even as I look now. Do you have a resale site you recommend (and a dvc rental site, as well)? Thanks!

Paris? Heh, heh. We've visited on a "surprise" trip, too. Great score, well done!

I used the board's sponsor to snag a Grand Cal resale, years back. We didn't go through with it ... but they had a contract in our hands efficiently when we toyed with that direction. I also enjoy using the "point calculator" on David's Vacation Club (rentals) website . Both companies have excellent reputations!

 

[kniquy]

you mention a few things in your post which need some further comment/consideration.

because we plan on using the points for either a 3 yr large family vacay or as needed for last minute vacations.

Using DVC for an every 3 year trip is very risky. If you bank and borrow point and then for some reason have to cancel then you run the risk of losing a ton of points = wasted money. DVC does not lend itself to last minute plans, at least not a last minute week long stay. You could look last minute and fine a room here and there around property and if you are thinking last minute you will not find studios, usually you will see 1BR, 2BR or cabin or bungalows.

but is there any reason to not buy additional points to top these off with resale points?

Once you own a direct contract with perks there really is no reason to buy further points direct. Unless you have to stay the the new DVC 2.0 resorts, meaning Riviera or any other future resorts. Resale points are no longer valid for use at new resorts so only your direct points could be used. Not a big deal because you do have 14 other resorts to use those resale points at.

Some of the resale points are $60 per point!

well those $60 per point resorts also come with a hefty maintenance fee and they are off property. So any savings had buy buying in cheap will be eaten up with MF. The most economical on property resort is SSR with a fairly low buy in and the lowest MF. But to keep things simple i would only add on at OKW and try to find an extended contract.

We live in Florida and already stay on property about 10 times per year, but we usually use our military or pass holder rate.

If you already receive these great discounts with AP or military -- does buying DVC even save you anything? I honestly don't know the answer to that question but you really need to look at what those discounts provide -- can you certainly figure out the financials to see if buying DVC is really necessary for your needs. The benefit of just booking and using your discounts would be the ability to cancel and not lose money.

It sounds like you may want to cancel your purchase. Then really look at the resale market as it will save you money or for the same money direct give you the ability to buy more points. Really people buy direct for the perks - AP and shopping discounts -- both of which you get from being a FL resident and AP holder. So no real benefits to spending the extra money buying direct.

 

[Philsfan77]

I've been stalking travel deals for years, so that shouldn't be a problem. . When we went to Disneyland Paris a few years ago, I found us non-stop flights to Paris for only $450 per person! We weren't even planning on going to Paris at that time (we were planning a trip to Scotland or Ireland), but I surprised my husband when he came home that day and said "Forget Ireland....guess where we are going?" He was so happy because we had been looking for flights to Paris for ten years and they were always $800-$2,000 per person. The fact that they were direct flights was an even bigger bonus. I think we will definitely find a greater value in a resale, especially if we don't care about the resort we purchase at and will always use our points in the 7 month window. We take trips that are 1-3 nights all the time, so I can see there are a few spots open even as I look now. Do you have a resale site you recommend (and a dvc rental site, as well)? Thanks!

DVCStore and DVCResale both seem to be pretty reputable for resale (i've never used either, but thats just based on seeing other posts on these boards).

Davids seems to be the most reputable for rentals.

 

[kristenrice]

I'll just toss a quick $0.02 in for why someone might buy direct. Although I probably wouldn't do it NOW, back in 2011, we bought a 50-point add-on contract at HHI to use for an every-three-year trip AT HHI. Disney was selling HHI for $80/pt and the resale prices were in the $55/pt range. After about 4 months of waiting for a 50-75 point contract with a FEB UY to come available, I gave up. On a 50 point contract, I payed about $1250 more than I might have if I have waited for a resale contract, but the thing is...the resale contract never became available. You can't buy resale if what you need is not available. I have no regrets about buying direct and for a small add-on, I would probably consider doing it again. At today's prices, Disney needs to consider financing ALL add-ons and not just the 50 point minimums. If I could add on another 25 points with that easy peasy Disney financing, I would probably be on the phone with my guide today.

 

[AdventureswithAmirah]

This doesn't seem like the fiscally right decision for you guys, and i'd cancel and explore the resale market. Even if you wanted OKW again you'd save a lot of money. If you never intended to stay there, i'd buy where you and your family would want to stay every 3 years via resale for that big trip (even then, i'm not sure you'd get the most bang for your buck versus just paying cash or renting the points you need for those big trips).

Impromptu trips can be tough to swing via DVC unless you're ok staying at Saratoga Springs, as that seems to be the only resort regularly available for last minute trips.

As for why people buy direct...I can only speak to myself. We bought at CCV in large part because that is where we want to stay, and based on research knew we would need the 11 month booking window for there. The difference in resale prices at the time, and cost to buy direct was roughly $20PP so not a huge difference (now that CCV is $210 a point we would have something to consider). We also wanted the ability to be able to stay at Riviera and any future new DVC resorts down the road, which we wouldn't have been able to do without buying direct, and we also wanted to annual pass discount which factored into our decision.

WE bought direct basically because we didn't have all of the information. Once we found out that you can buy the same thing at resale prices I started researching if the "perks" were really worth it, and unfortunately found out that they were not. I really thought I must be missing something about the pricing if all points are created equal, but the truth is, all the points are actually the same (for those of us in the 7 month window). They offered us CCV or Riviera points, but when I asked what the least expensive pts. were, they told us OKW at $155 per point.

 

[Philsfan77]

WE bought direct basically because we didn't have all of the information. Once we found out that you can buy the same thing at resale prices I started researching if the "perks" were really worth it, and unfortunately found out that they were not. I really thought I must be missing something about the pricing if all points are created equal, but the truth is, all the points are actually the same (for those of us in the 7 month window). They offered us CCV or Riviera points, but when I asked what the least expensive pts. were, they told us OKW at $155 per point.

If you are within your 10 day window...you can still get out at least

 

[katandmouse]

I’ll just add my experience to second what everyone’s been saying. I started looking into DVC with my sister. DH and I ended up buying (resale) for our family vacations every other year in 1 or 2 br units, so basically we bought to use it as a timeshare. My sister is an AP holder who goes multiple times a year, but found that DVC rooms won’t necessarily save her money compared to AP discounts, and the extra discounts (dining, shopping, etc) are all very similar to AP discounts. The biggest DVC perk/savings is the Gold AP. So she did not buy DVC. (Now they did raise the AP prices, but for now she’s still renewing.)

DVC marketing is really good at their job and I’ve even been toying with buying a 75 point direct add on to qualify for perks, but every time I really run the numbers and think it through, sadly it does not work out.

For FL residents and also military, I think those would offer better deals for you.

 

[Matty B13]

DVC marketing is really good at their job and I’ve even been toying with buying a 75 point direct add on to qualify for perks, but every time I really run the numbers and think it through, sadly it does not work out.

For FL residents and also military, I think those would offer better deals for you.

Just read the threads about the "4th of July" debacle and you will run away from that idea.

I have a bad feeling that the Gold AP's might be next on the hit list with this management team.

 

[MickyLynn]

Buying direct lets you book in the new resorts. Buying the new resorts direct severely restricts your resale. The OKW direct is a compromise position. You get the old, the new, the 15 year extension, the lounge access, and a reasonable price. If you are a worrier, you are paying for some peace of mind.

 

[MICKIMINI]

Since you will plan the large family vacation in advance why not rent points at your desired resort 11 months out. It's way cheaper than direct and you get the DVC owner's benefits such as free parking. I'm an owner and rent excess points when I have them...works great for both parties!

 

[plygph]

All of my points are from the resale market, we have never felt or treated like a second class DVC'er as all of our member cards look alike. But I had a lot more money in my pocket once the deals closed then had I gone direct.

BLT/SSR/AUL

We love DVC, but I like others here do find getting last minutes trips more difficult.

For us it has worked out well we have been to Hawaii twice, third trip booked. Without DVC I am not sure that could have happened so we do feel we have gotten value for our money. If we had to sell them today we would be able to get our investment back.

As far RCI I don't ever plan to use them, as I think the exchange rates are to costly vs booking direct.

We got into this through resale and have no regrets.

By the way OKW is one of the most overlooked resorts it offers the largest rooms I mean they are huge. If you want to buy DVC resale is the way and look at all of the resale companies out there not just one.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Write an Excel spreadsheet and do a quick analysis of relative costs. You have the initial cost of the DVC, plus add in annual dues (those will dwarf the initial cost over time BTW). Figure in some interest rate on the dues, and then compare that to the cost of the room you would have stayed in if you didn't buy DVC. Remember to figure in a "Disney" interest rate on the room rack rate (i.e. higher than standard inflation most likely).

What you will find, what I found in fact, is that if you typically go more than once a year DVC will pay off a lot faster than if you go every other year. Every third year probably won't pay off at all. Buying direct will probably not ever pay off for even every-other-year unless you also figure in discounts you get with direct. Ignore the special events you get with direct - almost nobody can plan around those reliably enough to even assign a value to it.

UNLESS...
You buy enough points to plan on going every year, then rent out the points on the years you don't go. That will probably pay for your dues and then some unless you really do go every year (but then you are getting the value out of DVC that way). It's pretty easy to figure that into the spreadsheet too. Just visit one of the reputable rental sites to see what you can get for the points if you rent them - depends on where you own.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Indeed, SSR is the "common wisdom" for last minute visits ... however ... stalking can still bring surprises. While staying at OKW for the DVC Member Event last Oct, we booked two nights in BWV Std View Studio for later the same month (just weeks out). Breakage is out there!

There are times when you can't even get SSR or OKW at five months out.

 

[bwvBound]

There are times when you can't even get SSR or OKW at five months out.

Unless you are stalking.

 

[Madame]

Unless you are stalking.

Yes & it’s much easier to stalk if you have the points for a 1bd. Buying resale equals more points for the same price which allows way more ability to stalk effectively.

I stalked 6 nights at CCV and replaced that with 6 nights BWV standard just today. Both 1 bds. We go Aug 1-7 & I started looking to book mid June. There were even 3 nights in a BCV 1bd. Studio stalking I find frustrating.

 

[Matty B13]

The one caviat about buying enough points for a 1 bedroom unit, is that even if you save over buying direct, the maintenance fees for the extra points will eat up the savings quickly.

 

[Madame]

The one caviat about buying enough points for a 1 bedroom unit, is that even if you save over buying direct, the maintenance fees for the extra points will eat up the savings quickly.

But if DVC has their way and messes with the points charts, one might need all those points just to get a studio.

 

[Matty B13]

But if DVC has their way and messes with the points charts, one might need all those points just to get a studio.

But they would never do that........

 

[suemom2kay]

You've gotten some great advice here. And I agree with others, rescind your contract.

Now to answer, why would you buy more expensive points...

My favorite resort is Beach Club. We like to go to WDW in the Fall (Food & Wine). I just bought resale and paid $140 pp. I could have gotten SSR for a lot closer to $100. But, we LOVE walking to Epcot and walking/boating to HS. If I bought at SSR, we would not be walking/boating to our two favorite resorts in the Fall. FWIW, Beach Club is going for $225pp direct. So we saved a LOT of dough buying resale. We can buy a LOT of AP's for the money we saved. We do plan on buying direct (if they don't further increase the minimum number of points) eventually but we will probably buy at CCV for a longer life of direct contract and we also enjoy Wilderness Lodge. These plans are not a reality at this time... just thoughts. We'll see how we feel about it when it really comes time to sign on the dotted line.