What might I be missing?

[kellygreenjenny]

Hi - looking for some perspectives and possibly clarifications on my thoughts as DH and I consider our dvc options.... We are definitely going to buy VGF for at least 150 pts. I know myself and having full member benefits will be important to me no matter where the bulk of our points come from...also, though, we need to be reasonable about how much of our budget we allocate to Disney vacations and I can already see how I could easily want to buy more points as poly 2 and the FW cabins come online, much less other future resorts. So, we are debating if we should buy 150 VGF now and at same time use the MB incentive to help buy 150 resale AKL/SS points for a total of 300 pts to use for the next five years or so...or buy 175 or 200 pts at VGF now, keep the 2023 points to "pad" our total points by doing a rolling banking process of 25-50 pts each year, and then buy more points in 3 or 4 years after we see what poly 2 and cabins will be. As far as I can tell if my math is right, the per point price would be about the same for any of the options I'm looking at, within less than about an .85 cent spread.

We would stay in studios in April or July, so as long as we have about 175 total pts we should get in one full week per year, and possibly another shorter trip to a less point pricey resort.

I'm leaning towards 200pys at VGF...it's less total points but I would have unrestricted 200 pts which I think would be really valuable? This is so overwhelming... I don't want to spend this much money the wrong way. Any thoughts/suggestions?

 

[Cfabar1]

How many years would you want to keep DVC? Do you intend to use it in a significant way after 2042?

\Would you be comfortable doing "split stays" or want to stay at the same resort every time you are going?

If you go once a year, I'm confused why you would want to buy at 2 different home resorts. I think I'd keep things easy for myself and have only 1 home resort in that instance - for now. Then as you add points, if you find "must stay" properties, you could buy in and alternate banking and borrowing between the resorts from year to year to ensure you have a full week of home resort advantage at each resort.

I think my advice would change based on those questions.

 

[kellygreenjenny]

How many years would you want to keep DVC? Do you intend to use it in a significant way after 2042?

\Would you be comfortable doing "split stays" or want to stay at the same resort every time you are going?

If you go once a year, I'm confused why you would want to buy at 2 different home resorts. I think I'd keep things easy for myself and have only 1 home resort in that instance - for now. Then as you add points, if you find "must stay" properties, you could buy in and alternate banking and borrowing between the resorts from year to year to ensure you have a full week of home resort advantage at each resort.

I think my advice would change based on those questions.

I didn't even think of banking/borrowing to alternate resorts! I can't believe that hadn't occured to me, but this is exactly why this forum is so helpful, thank you! We would prefer not to do split stays if we can avoid it, but would like to get to 1 bedrooms in a few years so that is why I'm wanting to work towards 300 points eventually - thinking we would do 7 month available 1 beds then, and possibly work in a second trip some years if not.

 

[Cfabar1]

I didn't even think of banking/borrowing to alternate resorts! I can't believe that hadn't occured to me, but this is exactly why this forum is so helpful, thank you! We would prefer not to do split stays if we can avoid it, but would like to get to 1 bedrooms in a few years so that is why I'm wanting to work towards 300 points eventually - thinking we would do 7 month available 1 beds then, and possibly work in a second trip some years if not.

My suggestion then would be buy your VGF Direct Contract now at 150-175 points. That will guarantee you a week in a standard studio at 11 months most weeks of the year.

Then, as you find more resorts that speak to you, you can add on where you really want to be. It will keep things cleaner - especially with so many unknowns about the new Poly Tower, the Cabins, etc. Plus, if after all of that you find that you really do WANT AKV or SSR to be a home resort, those points will still be for sale (and if I had to guess, probably a little less expensive than they are today, but no promises).

Also, depending on your flexibility with travel schedules (you mentioned April and July), I would recommend doing MB if you can get a use year that gives you the 2022 points (i.e. August, September, October, December). Depending on your specific trips, maybe even a February use year could work too giving up the 2023 points. Based on what you described in terms of travel plans, 175 points would be enough - since that's enough for a week at VGF in a SV in April and way more than enough for July. Have you been to Orlando in July?

Since VGF is one of the heaviest use of points resorts, you know you could always go stay at a resort that costs less points at 7 months if you wanted and have even more points leftover. That's why I would recommend, in your instance, to take the rebate check.

 

[Sandisw]

RIV and VGF are our top two resorts and I think that the current deals at VGF are really strong. They not only give you access to the membership extras when they exist, but also the flexibility to stay at current and future resorts.

We tried to own restricted resale along with our unrestricted points and ran into issues because RIV is our top choice and it was frustrating when we wanted to switch up something (larger room) and couldn't use the BLT resale ones. We sold after a year.

Of course, none of us know what the future holds in terms of resorts, but we do know at least two...which you mention...and having points that will work there, IMO, is the big plus.

I would go with direct points for now, and keep resale on the back burner until you at least have a chance to see the new resorts of Poly tower and FW cabins. While there has been no official announcement regarding restrictions, my guess is that at least the cabins will be restricted from resale and I am more confident than not so will the tower!

Good luck!

 

[kellygreenjenny]

Thank you all for your thoughts - very helpful,.and it helped me think through what we really want bottom line - so we just emailed our guide to buy 175 pts at VGF, and I'm going to stop haunting the resale sites for a bit

 

[AstroBlasters]

Thank you all for your thoughts - very helpful,.and it helped me think through what we really want bottom line - so we just emailed our guide to buy 175 pts at VGF, and I'm going to stop haunting the resale sites for a bit

Why wouldn’t you buy 200 to get the larger incentives?

 

[Curiousporpoise]

I would also look at the VGF point charts and see how many points you actually need to stay during the times you plan to travel. I would make a final point decision based on how many points I would need to travel in a use year. You can always bank/borrow to make these trips happen as well.

 

[Epcot Forever Forever]

Why wouldn’t you buy 200 to get the larger incentives?

$3,850 plus $175 a year is still a lot of money to shell out for points if you don’t think you need them! It’s still $154/point.

 

[AstroBlasters]

$3,850 plus $175 a year is still a lot of money to shell out for points if you don’t think you need them! It’s still $154/point.

The OP said they wanted to get to 300 points eventually. People should also be careful about adjusting points charts.

Given the “bonus points”, incentives, and magical beginnings the OP could likely never buy the additional 25 direct points (+5 delta bonus points) for as low a price again.

GF also has the lowest dues in all of WDW.

I think it’s crazy to not but the additional 25 points.

 

[kellygreenjenny]

The OP said they wanted to get to 300 points eventually. People should also be careful about adjusting points charts.

Given the “bonus points”, incentives, and magical beginnings the OP could likely never buy the additional 25 direct points (+5 delta bonus points) for as low a price again.

GF also has the lowest dues in all of WDW.

I think it’s crazy to not but the additional 25 points.

Thanks all -.my main thought on stopping at 175 pts is that, based on the GF point charts, I don't think we will ever try to get enough points for a 1 bed at VGF, as beautiful as they are.l, because we really want to be able to do more than one visit per year in addition to staying in a 1-bed, so we will likely try for the less-spendy resorts most years. Also, i think we will be looking to get future points at the new cabins and/or an Epcot area resort which, if direct, will also be expensive,.so I'm thinking it is best to just buy the necessary points for our one week stay per year for now. At least that's how we are thinking about it right now

 

[Straulin]

175 is a good spot for VGF.

We bought 175 VGF earlier this year. It is our second contract, but the 175 points will get you a week in a studio most of the year.

We immediately booked a trip Sunday - Friday in a 1 br at Boulder a ridge using this year’s points. So it is still enough points at older resorts to be able to get a nice 1br stay as well.

 

[RoseGold]

You don't need expensive direct VGF points to stay in studios in April or July. And you don't need a Blue Card right this second.

The thing missing from this whole discussion is VGF. If you don't love VGF, ESPECIALLY the cheap new flip, I wouldn't buy VGF points. I would wait for Poly2. I own VGF1 and my stay in the resort studios was horrible. I would be beyond angry if I had bought direct into that noisy mess, where doors don't even fit.

Buy 100 SSR points and wait. That's goes a long way to studios, and if you love Poly2, buy Poly2 and sell the SSR. Buying direct VGF points is a big commitment. SSR points are not. SSR and VGF direct are only equal buys if you think money in the market is worthless, which I do not.

 

[kellygreenjenny]

You are right, I've never addressed VGF itself, but we love VGF. I prefer it over poly actually even though DH gives the preference to poly and CC. we would never pay cash prices, even discounted, for a GF room though - the current DVC incentives made it too irresistible for us to finally take the purchasing step. i do love other resorts, including SSR, but I could happily stay VGF every visit - what I don't love is the fear that if I buy resale in other resorts, I won't be allowed to book into poly 2, the cabins, etc. Who knows what those point charts will be, but at least this way I can have points that are unrestricted and enough to cover our current travel pattern, and then add on to get to 300 (or maybe 350/400) in the future when we are ready.

 

[Sandisw]

You don't need expensive direct VGF points to stay in studios in April or July. And you don't need a Blue Card right this second.

The thing missing from this whole discussion is VGF. If you don't love VGF, ESPECIALLY the cheap new flip, I wouldn't buy VGF points. I would wait for Poly2. I own VGF1 and my stay in the resort studios was horrible. I would be beyond angry if I had bought direct into that noisy mess, where doors don't even fit.

Buy 100 SSR points and wait. That's goes a long way to studios, and if you love Poly2, buy Poly2 and sell the SSR. Buying direct VGF points is a big commitment. SSR points are not. SSR and VGF direct are only equal buys if you think money in the market is worthless, which I do not.

Buying SSR now and having to sell it next year will when Poly tower and cabins go for sale is going to be a loss, not to mention it’s not just as simply to say “sell”.

The current price of VGF direct is a strong one for unrestricted points, and access to the membership extras when they exist.

Even if one doesn’t need the AP, you do get the shopping and dining discounts without needing any minimum, like with Disney Visa. May not add up to a lot, but it’s a plus.

 

[Epcot Forever Forever]

You are right, I've never addressed VGF itself, but we love VGF. I prefer it over poly actually even though DH gives the preference to poly and CC. we would never pay cash prices, even discounted, for a GF room though - the current DVC incentives made it too irresistible for us to finally take the purchasing step. i do love other resorts, including SSR, but I could happily stay VGF every visit - what I don't love is the fear that if I buy resale in other resorts, I won't be allowed to book into poly 2, the cabins, etc. Who knows what those point charts will be, but at least this way I can have points that are unrestricted and enough to cover our current travel pattern, and then add on to get to 300 (or maybe 350/400) in the future when we are ready.

You can book those things, you’ll just need to pay cash, rent points, or trade points. If you do that once or twice a decade you’ll still have come out way ahead by buying resale. If you do it every year or two you’ll want to get direct.

 

[RoseGold]

Buying SSR now and having to sell it next year will when Poly tower and cabins go for sale is going to be a loss, not to mention it’s not just as simply to say “sell”.

So rent points a year or stay at the Swolphin a year. Heck, stay at the Waldorf, it was under $200 for my August dates. DVC can't compete with that.

The current price of VGF direct is a strong one for unrestricted points, and access to the membership extras when they exist.

Even if one doesn’t need the AP, you do get the shopping and dining discounts without needing any minimum, like with Disney Visa. May not add up to a lot, but it’s a plus.

Maybe if OP were in love with VGF, but that doesn't sound like what is happening. I'd still wait for Poly2 if you aren't in love with VGF, especially the sad flip at VGF2.

If I were buying direct, it would be Poly2, which will likely be a 50 year contract. At this point, VGF2 is only 40 years.

 

[Sandisw]

So rent points a year or stay at the Swolphin a year. Heck, stay at the Waldorf, it was under $200 for my August dates. DVC can't compete with that.

Maybe if OP were in love with VGF, but that doesn't sound like what is happening. I'd still wait for Poly2 if you aren't in love with VGF, especially the sad flip at VGF2.

If I were buying direct, it would be Poly2, which will likely be a 50 year contract. At this point, VGF2 is only 40 years.

OP does like VGF...again, not sure why VGF would be a bad choice when its price is very good right now. Sure, you can stay off site but its not the same thing. If people wanted to stay at those places, like you do, then they don't need to buy DVC at all...

And, yes, I know that people can choose to do it, or people can buy restricted points and then rent theirs, pay cash, etc. but that comes with strings and is not the same as owning a product that does it all. Sometimes, convenience is worth it in the long run.

I'd rather buy direct, given today's incentives, to have the flexibility for now and in the future, then buy resale, or waste $1k to $2k for one trip to delay my purchase a year, when the resort I am choosing is somewhere I am comfortable staying at if I can't trade out.

 

[Cfabar1]

So rent points a year or stay at the Swolphin a year. Heck, stay at the Waldorf, it was under $200 for my August dates. DVC can't compete with that.

I often stay at the Swolphin, DVC is a totally different product.

Maybe if OP were in love with VGF, but that doesn't sound like what is happening. I'd still wait for Poly2 if you aren't in love with VGF, especially the sad flip at VGF2.

A lot of people like the VGF2 rooms, given that there are now 2 real beds.

If I were buying direct, it would be Poly2, which will likely be a 50 year contract. At this point, VGF2 is only 40 years.

But the unknowns about Poly2 in terms of pricing and association create a lot of unknowns.

I think the OP purchasing 175 points at VGF was the perfect way to go. It gives them some flexibility down the road, and they can get the Poly points, or Cabins, or something else for the rest of them down the road.