What would you do? Add-on or leave well enough alone?

[SkampyOne]

I realize asking a bunch of enablers this question might be dumb, but I also value how straightforward y'all are & not shy about sharing a tough message if warranted, so here goes:

I'm currently a resale owner of a small 2042 contract, which I figured would work well since I'll be in my 70s by then and may not be up to a full Disney vacation. I typically travel solo, booking studios for 1-2 nights throughout the year - a mix of plan ahead and fairly last minute. Family & friends may join from time to time, but my spouse & kids won't want this after I'm gone so it will be resold at some point, not kept to expiration. I'm budget-minded and actually have no complaints about staying at SSR & OKW both for their points chart and availability.

The current incentives have me VERY tempted to add on at VGF for blue card membership - specifically for MM, lounge access, and unrestricted points. As a current FL resident, I am able to qualify for the cheaper AP with shopping & food discounts so that is not a factor, though I suppose it's quite possible that down the line, we move out of state and then that would become important. It also means that for the time being, I can also fairly easily make day trips, though having made several stays, I greatly prefer being able to stay longer and enjoy evening fireworks. These would primarily be SAPs because as much as I love the rooms and location, I like other point charts better

Life through me a bit of a curveball in the form of a layoff, but thanks to a very generous severance and careful planning, I have a solid emergency fund and so while this may not be the "smartest" thing to do right now, it's doable, especially since I also qualify for a no-fee My Chase Plan (by June 30) and would plan to leverage interest and earnings from savings account & CDs to help pay this off without the need to finance any of it, keeping to the actual purchase price (though I *think* I would do 2 x 75 point contracts for better resale options down the line and pay the extra closing fee).

Is the blue card worth it? Is this just FOMO? As many have pointed out, this is likely the lowest direct prices will go and I definitely don't want to be caught down the line if the membership minimum goes up further.

WWYD?

 

[Sandisw]

Blue card? No…For unrestricted points. Yes.

 

[bobbiwoz]

You are happy with what you have, so, I would say don’t buy more points. If you do, they probably will appreciate in value, so there’s that possibility. Good luck and enjoy whatever you do do!

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

In your situation, given your age paired with the recent layoff and the fact you're somewhat ambivalent on the resort, I would wait.

 

[MyDogTink]

What about buying direct and selling your current resale contract now?

 

[lilsonicfan]

I wouldn't do it, but can see why you and so many people are tempted.
You're taking on a contract for 40 years, approx. That's 40 years of paying $1,200 in dues annually not taking into account any increases. The initial outlay is $27,450 before magical beginnings. That's a lot of money if you've recently been laid off.

On the other hand, if the plan was to perhaps sell the small resale contract and let's say it's 100 points and you could sell for $95pp, I guess you're at least narrowing the gap.

 

[SkampyOne]

In your situation, given your age paired with the recent layoff and the fact you're somewhat ambivalent on the resort, I would wait.

So funnily enough, even if I was doing resale, I probably would have looked for VGF for the dues. Right now most resale contracts are selling for more than direct! Maybe I'm not totally sold on the "buy where you want to stay" because I'm really not fussy and have yet to stay at my home resort! But yeah, the other two points are still valid...

 

[SkampyOne]

I wouldn't do it, but can see why you and so many people are tempted.
You're taking on a contract for 40 years, approx. That's 40 years of paying $1,200 in dues annually not taking into account any increases. The initial outlay is $27,450 before magical beginnings. That's a lot of money if you've recently been laid off.

On the other hand, if the plan was to perhaps sell the small resale contract and let's say it's 100 points and you could sell for $95pp, I guess you're at least narrowing the gap.

Ooooh the plan actually hadn't been to sell the resale but to have this as a second contract, but that's very interesting... It wouldn't be 40 years of dues because we would sell before then AND I figure there would still be enough on the contract to make it interesting for resale because it's on the monorail and would likely have at least 15 years left, if not more.

 

[limace]

You don’t seem to have a driving need to stay at the new resorts so I don’t think point restriction matters to you. You don’t need the AP discount. You expect to eventually sell. You get true merch discount with a florida AP already.

I wouldn’t do it. Instead, I’d use some of the money you save buying afterhours tickets and special event tickets-way less competition for those than for MM and people seem to typically have a more satisfying experience.

 

[Nursemanit]

No - the rental market has been imploding so I would keep what you have and rent points when extra are needed.

 

[DanCali]

Others have suggested selling your current 2042 small contract (we don't know what it is, but let's assume it's 100 points and it fetches $9-$10K) and then buying VGF.

I think that's a reasonable idea too, but it really comes down to your financial situation and how many points you need. If your current "small" contract is just 100 points (couldn't find an actual number) you could further mitigate the financial impact by doing a "swap to VGF" in the following manner:

• Buy VGF 150 points. Cost after MB and closing costs: ~$25,000 (give or take with #of contracts and title insurance)
• Sell 50 VGF points resale a few weeks later: nets around $8000 after broker fees.
• Sell/liquidate current (100 point?) SAP contract: nets $9K-$10K

The total out of pocket cost of the example I gave (after selling what you own and the 50 VGF points) may be only around $7-$8K. You'd be giving up the blue card, which most people here think you don't really need, but you'd be trading 2042 restricted SAP points for 2064 unrestricted "monorail"/SAP points. Whatever you will spend for something like this, you will probably have as much in extra equity value in the 100-point VGF contract vs. your existing (100 point?) 2042 contract. And this will also save you a bit in annual dues each year...

 

[myth2001]

If I am in your position, weighting the enjoyment this add on will bring you vs the risk.
I would not do it, the points you already have now is sufficient for your needs.

 

[RoseGold]

Let's quantify this discussion.

Even OKW is about $200/point, vs resale SSR at about $100/point right now. That's a 100 point spread x 150 points = 15,000$

You have to decide whether unrestricted points and MM are worth $15,000 to you, and how much investing that $15,000 into real investments is worth to you.

If you must have a Blue Card, I actually think there's a good argument to buy into DL tower in your scenario, because it will hold resale value IMO. I'd much rather be buying DL than VGF or OKW in this price range. I would view it as a $15,000 I may get back, as opposed to buying WDW direct. Maybe your crystal ball is different than mine. If you are doing this, I would make this part of your estate plan before you buy, for obvious reasons, like probate. There are lots of ways to do this, like holding it in a trust or an LLC.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/an-argument-for-vdl-as-direct-points-at-wdw.3916825/

As a local, I do think there could be other value to you in the future, like wine tastings and such. They aren't doing this now, but it is possible: https://www.disboards.com/threads/deciding-between-copper-creek-or-saratoga.3915603/post-64728506 I also think unrestricted points could have value last minute, which might be helpful for one-off stays like you are booking. This hasn't really had the inventory to matter yet, but it could in the future. Plebs like me can't even see the RIV+ resorts to book it last minute.

If none of this matters to you, or doesn't $15,000 matter, then just stick with good ole' SSR.

 

[SkampyOne]

Others have suggested selling your current 2042 small contract (we don't know what it is, but let's assume it's 100 points and it fetches $9-$10K) and then buying VGF.

I think that's a reasonable idea too, but it really comes down to your financial situation and how many points you need. If your current "small" contract is just 100 points (couldn't find an actual number) you could further mitigate the financial impact by doing a "swap to VGF" in the following manner:

• Buy VGF 150 points. Cost after MB and closing costs: ~$25,000 (give or take with #of contracts and title insurance)
• Sell 50 VGF points resale a few weeks later: nets around $8000 after broker fees.
• Sell/liquidate current (100 point?) SAP contract: nets $9K-$10K

The total out of pocket cost of the example I gave (after selling what you own and the 50 VGF points) may be only around $7-$8K. You'd be giving up the blue card, which most people here think you don't really need, but you'd be trading 2042 restricted SAP points for 2064 unrestricted "monorail"/SAP points. Whatever you will spend for something like this, you will probably have as much in extra equity value in the 100-point VGF contract vs. your existing (100 point?) 2042 contract. And this will also save you a bit in annual dues each year...

Mind blown... Y'all don't disappoint with your amazing & creative ideas! I really like this set of options... Would maybe lean toward keeping both to see how things pan out for the first few years and then can divest if needed as I was planning on splitting my VGF into 2 x 75 anyway. Not sure why it didn't dawn on me that unrestricted points would still be valid at RIV and elsewhere, even if I didn't still hold a blue card... Would probably still keep my 100 points at BWV because the heart wants what the heart wants and that 11-month booking window is too good to pass up. But again, the option is there.

 

[SkampyOne]

Let's quantify this discussion.

Even OKW is about $200/point, vs resale SSR at about $100/point right now. That's a 100 point spread x 150 points = 15,000$

You have to decide whether unrestricted points and MM are worth $15,000 to you, and how much investing that $15,000 into real investments is worth to you.

If you must have a Blue Card, I actually think there's a good argument to buy into DL tower in your scenario, because it will hold resale value IMO. I'd much rather be buying DL than VGF or OKW in this price range. I would view it as a $15,000 I may get back, as opposed to buying WDW direct. Maybe your crystal ball is different than mine. If you are doing this, I would make this part of your estate plan before you buy, for obvious reasons, like probate. There are lots of ways to do this, like holding it in a trust or an LLC.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/an-argument-for-vdl-as-direct-points-at-wdw.3916825/

As a local, I do think there could be other value to you in the future, like wine tastings and such. They aren't doing this now, but it is possible: https://www.disboards.com/threads/deciding-between-copper-creek-or-saratoga.3915603/post-64728506 I also think unrestricted points could have value last minute, which might be helpful for one-off stays like you are booking. This hasn't really had the inventory to matter yet, but it could in the future. Plebs like me can't even see the RIV+ resorts to book it last minute.

If none of this matters to you, or doesn't $15,000 matter, then just stick with good ole' SSR.

Appreciate the threads - read them in full and actually think they've reinforced my original plan to either dive in to VGF direct or leave well enough alone! Too many valid points about why own DL points if I only plan to use them on the east coast. Even if I were to buy resale to add more points, it would probably be VGF - I did the math and it still made more sense than SSR resale. OKW never entered the discussion for purchase but I certainly don't mind sleeping there

And since VGF direct is currently cheaper than VGF resale AND I would get the unrestricted points (I've booked the elusive AK value studio multiple times so who knows - I might get lucky with RIV tower!!!) and access to whatever Disney throws at members, it *seems* to make sense to do this now instead of waiting until all ducks are lined up. If I've learned anything over the past few years, it's that life is short and you need to enjoy while you can because tomorrow is not promised.

 

[Disney_escape]

I realize asking a bunch of enablers this question might be dumb, but I also value how straightforward y'all are & not shy about sharing a tough message if warranted, so here goes:

I'm currently a resale owner of a small 2042 contract, which I figured would work well since I'll be in my 70s by then and may not be up to a full Disney vacation. I typically travel solo, booking studios for 1-2 nights throughout the year - a mix of plan ahead and fairly last minute. Family & friends may join from time to time, but my spouse & kids won't want this after I'm gone so it will be resold at some point, not kept to expiration. I'm budget-minded and actually have no complaints about staying at SSR & OKW both for their points chart and availability.

The current incentives have me VERY tempted to add on at VGF for blue card membership - specifically for MM, lounge access, and unrestricted points. As a current FL resident, I am able to qualify for the cheaper AP with shopping & food discounts so that is not a factor, though I suppose it's quite possible that down the line, we move out of state and then that would become important. It also means that for the time being, I can also fairly easily make day trips, though having made several stays, I greatly prefer being able to stay longer and enjoy evening fireworks. These would primarily be SAPs because as much as I love the rooms and location, I like other point charts better

Life through me a bit of a curveball in the form of a layoff, but thanks to a very generous severance and careful planning, I have a solid emergency fund and so while this may not be the "smartest" thing to do right now, it's doable, especially since I also qualify for a no-fee My Chase Plan (by June 30) and would plan to leverage interest and earnings from savings account & CDs to help pay this off without the need to finance any of it, keeping to the actual purchase price (though I *think* I would do 2 x 75 point contracts for better resale options down the line and pay the extra closing fee).

Is the blue card worth it? Is this just FOMO? As many have pointed out, this is likely the lowest direct prices will go and I definitely don't want to be caught down the line if the membership minimum goes up further.

WWYD?

Having unrestricted points with a longer contract definitely worth it. My Mom is late 70's and has been going to Disney since the mid 1970s and still enjoys going. If the total amount of points is too much, sell the current 2042 contract while the value is still in it (years left) and buy the VGF. When you are older you may wish to stay in the higher point locations.

 

[Sunnyore]

This sounds like FOMO to me. Financially this doesn’t sound like an optimal time for you to buy more points that you don’t necessarily need. Saying that though, DVC is very much an emotional purchase too. If you think more time at Disney world would give you additional joy and happiness (night time fireworks etc) then maybe. I was in a similar position as someone that travels to Disney often solo and just bought in 150pt that I didn’t really need at VDH due to the incentives. I know I will be able to use the points though and with the 2 years to pay it off it didn’t really impact me too much financially. Disney is one of my happy place so no regrets. If you do decide to buy in though maybe split the points into smaller contracts so you have the flexibility to sell some if need be in the future. People always talk about how the direct benefits aren’t that great but I loved my Moonlight Magic experience. You also live in FL where they seem to have more members events that you can attend. I enjoy the lounges and my current favorite thing to do is eat lunch at the Starview Station outdoor patio area. I wouldn’t go into debt for direct membership but if you can swing it financially without much problem then for me personally it’s really elevated my DVC membership. Good luck in your decision!