Where to buy small point direct add-on

[Wendysofftoneverland]

Currently own 50 SSR and 25 direct VGF. We love SSR, but as former RV owners, love Ft. Wilderness and my parents only want to stay there, so we want to up the amount of direct points we have so we can stay at the cabins. Sadly, dues there are so high that we can't justify buying there, since parents only come with us every 2 or 3 years. So should we wait and buy Poly points? We'd be buying no more than 60 points, so we wouldn't qualify for incentives. My husband is fine with buying SSR, especially since it is less money up front and he will be 80 when it expires anyways. I tend to look at per point over the life of the contract, and Poly, even at $250, would win. Other factors: we also love HHI and VB. Epcot is our favorite park, but we typically split our time between there and MK parties. Kids are aged 5 and 8, so still in the Disney stroller age but we usually have a car. Should we consider Riviera? I worry about restrictions, in case we don't do Disney as much as kids get older. Is Poly best, because it gives that MK option, and SSR is easy to book at 7 months? If Ft. Wilderness wasn't a restricted resort, we'd just pick up some more SSR resale.

 

[tidefan]

What about OKW direct?

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

What about OKW direct?

I thought it was the same price as SSR but with higher dues.

 

[tidefan]

I thought it was the same price as SSR but with higher dues.

There are OKW incentives right now. You can look at dvcfan.com or dvcnews.com to find those.

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

There are OKW incentives right now. You can look at dvcfan.com or dvcnews.com to find those.

From what I am seeing, it looks like incentives start at 100 points. We weren't planning on adding that many unless we sell our SSR resale. I guess there is an argument for that, if we buy 125 and get a blue card.

 

[Sandisw]

With Epcot being a favorite, I can see a vote for RIV. I know you are a bit worried about the value, but given that you are buying at full base price, all will lose down the line.

I think RIV will maintain higher value than SSR, even with restrictions, but most likely not PVB tower,

However, if you ever wanted to downsize, you could make RIV the last contract you own and sell the others.

So, I think that either PVB or RIV would be a good choice.

 

[AstroBlasters]

From what I am seeing, it looks like incentives start at 100 points. We weren't planning on adding that many unless we sell our SSR resale. I guess there is an argument for that, if we buy 125 and get a blue card.

If you want CFW then you will need some direct points.

 

[CastAStone]

Currently own 50 SSR and 25 direct VGF. We love SSR, but as former RV owners, love Ft. Wilderness and my parents only want to stay there, so we want to up the amount of direct points we have so we can stay at the cabins. Sadly, dues there are so high that we can't justify buying there, since parents only come with us every 2 or 3 years. So should we wait and buy Poly points? We'd be buying no more than 60 points, so we wouldn't qualify for incentives. My husband is fine with buying SSR, especially since it is less money up front and he will be 80 when it expires anyways. I tend to look at per point over the life of the contract, and Poly, even at $250, would win. Other factors: we also love HHI and VB. Epcot is our favorite park, but we typically split our time between there and MK parties. Kids are aged 5 and 8, so still in the Disney stroller age but we usually have a car. Should we consider Riviera? I worry about restrictions, in case we don't do Disney as much as kids get older. Is Poly best, because it gives that MK option, and SSR is easy to book at 7 months? If Ft. Wilderness wasn't a restricted resort, we'd just pick up some more SSR resale.

Are any of your current points old enough to be grandfathered/ used at Cabins at Fort wilderness?

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

Are any of your current points old enough to be grandfathered/ used at Cabins at Fort wilderness

No grandfathered resale points, but we can use our 25 VGF points there.

Contemplating a cash stay for next year (available online for the dates we want for about $580 plus tax per night), then we could bank/borrow the VGF for a 4 night stay in the cabin every 3rd year (our Ft. W trips are usually just 4 or 5 days anyways). We were so set on a small direct add-on but the SSR resale prices are such a deal compared to direct, when more than half the time we are staying at a O14 resort anyways.

 

[tidefan]

I think RIV will maintain higher value than SSR, even with restrictions, but most likely not PVB tower,

I don’t know about that. RIV resale will only ever be good at RIV. If I am buying points, unless I really really, really really loved Riviera, I would never want a Riviera resale contract.

Now with SSR, I can use those points at Aulani, which to me is a game changer…

 

[Sandisw]

I don’t know about that. RIV resale will only ever be good at RIV. If I am buying points, unless I really really, really really loved Riviera, I would never want a Riviera resale contract.

Now with SSR, I can use those points at Aulani, which to me is a game changer…

Well, it currently sells for more than SSR and I expect it to continue. Once you can only buy RiV resale, its price will stabilize.

But this person was asking about buying direct points and not resale…those points are good everywhere,

So if one buys direct, and wants to sell, I think a RIV will sell for more than SSR.

 

[tidefan]

Well, it currently sells for more than SSR and I expect it to continue. Once you can only buy RiV resale, its price will stabilize.

But this person was asking about buying direct points and not resale…those points are good everywhere,

So if one buys direct, and wants to sell, I think a RIV will sell for more than SSR.

I’ll respectfully disagree, but who knows!

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

RIV resale is a wildcard, but I think the actual RIV resale product will be worse and worse over time— each time a RIV (or VDH or CFW) contract goes from direct to resale, the points can only ever be used at that resort—meanwhile, everybody else who still has direct points can trade in at 7mo, so the more contracts/points that are RIV only, the more difficult it is going to be to book at 6 months and 29 days and each day thereafter. What if something comes up after the banking deadline? With direct and SAP resale points, you can often find something somewhere…but you only have one option with RIV/VDH/CFW resale. The risk is magnified for people who bank and borrow to travel every 2/3 years.

On the other hand, some people REALLY love RIV and only want to be there (and believe they can plan all WDW trips 8+ months out), so they will have to buy RIV (and due to all the points locked into the resort, perhaps it may eventually need to own there to have a decent shot at longer stays at all?)—but I wonder how many people will be sufficiently diehard RIV fans that they will want to own it resale when they can own Crescent Lake 2.0. Even today with less than 20 years left, BWV resale is priced about the same and BCV is priced higher.

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

RIV resale is a wildcard, but I think the actual RIV resale product will be worse and worse over time— each time a RIV (or VDH or CFW) contract goes from direct to resale, the points can only ever be used at that resort—meanwhile, everybody else who still has direct points can trade in at 7mo, so the more contracts/points that are RIV only, the more difficult it is going to be to book at 6 months and 29 days and each day thereafter. What if something comes up after the banking deadline? With direct and SAP resale points, you can often find something somewhere…but you only have one option with RIV/VDH/CFW resale. The risk is magnified for people who bank and borrow to travel every 2/3 years.

On the other hand, some people REALLY love RIV and only want to be there (and believe they can plan all WDW trips 8+ months out), so they will have to buy RIV (and due to all the points locked into the resort, perhaps it may eventually need to own there to have a decent shot at longer stays at all?)—but I wonder how many people will be sufficiently diehard RIV fans that they will want to own it resale when they can own Crescent Lake 2.0. Even today with less than 20 years left, BWV resale is priced about the same and BCV is priced higher.

I think we'd need to stay at RIV before buying there, even if we intended to use RIV direct as SAP half the time. As I started reading your post, I thought, maybe I should pay cash for next year's Ft. W trip and then pick up some cheap CFW resale points for the 2027 trip and beyond, but you bring up a great point about what happens if something comes up after the banking deadline. Last year, we had to change a Universal trip when someone got covid, but if that would happen with CFW points, we wouldn't have nearly that amount of flexibility 6 days before check in. Poly might be the safest choice for direct.

 

[Cfabar1]

I'll offer an unpopular and contrarian opinion - just something to consider.

If you like the Cabins, and that's a place you need to be able to stay, and are buying direct anyways, I'd buy the cabins.

Yes I know the dues are high...

But...

You don't know where the dues may or may not stabilize to over time....

You don't know how easy it is going to be to access that resort over time at 7 months... Right now it seems like it will be easy, but seriously, who knows where this may go...

You're buying a small contract, so the high dues won't have as huge an impact of having others... You mentioned buying a VB contract, that would cost you WAY more direct annualized than the cabins will for example over the life of the contract...

I would rarely recommend buying CFW to anyone, but you said that you're traveling with family that will ONLY stay there, so I'd buy CFW to have the 11 month window, and know it may cost a little more than arbitraging your DVC membership in a different way, but you'll get what you want or have a much better shot of it....

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

I'll offer an unpopular and contrarian opinion - just something to consider.

If you like the Cabins, and that's a place you need to be able to stay, and are buying direct anyways, I'd buy the cabins.

Yes I know the dues are high...

But...

You don't know where the dues may or may not stabilize to over time....

You don't know how easy it is going to be to access that resort over time at 7 months... Right now it seems like it will be easy, but seriously, who knows where this may go...

You're buying a small contract, so the high dues won't have as huge an impact of having others... You mentioned buying a VB contract, that would cost you WAY more direct annualized than the cabins will for example over the life of the contract...

I would rarely recommend buying CFW to anyone, but you said that you're traveling with family that will ONLY stay there, so I'd buy CFW to have the 11 month window, and know it may cost a little more than arbitraging your DVC membership in a different way, but you'll get what you want or have a much better shot of it....

So 50 pts direct cabin pts for an every other year 4-5 night stay; SSR resale points if we want more points to use at SSR, HHI, VB, or SAP, but keep the point buckets completely separate and never use CFW points anywhere else? That is an idea, though I'm a little wary because the family members that love Ft. Wilderness are senior citizens and we'd still have the high CFW dues after they are no longer traveling with us. I wonder what CFW points will end up going for on the resale market. Probably too soon to determine, especially with the uncertainty about the trust.

 

[TinkAgainU]

Have you calculated the amount of points you'd need at the Cabins every two or three years (however often you/they go)? They currently show a minimum of 50 points direct, but if sales slow, maybe that will change? If you could do 35 points for example, then 25 at one of the lower annual fee resorts that might help. I'm assuming you're keeping all those little contracts in the same Use Year (which is definitely a benefit to buying direct for ease of purchase). You could book say 3 or 4 nites at 11 months, then use your Waitlists right at 7 months to try for another day before or after (adding one day might be very doable) from a different contract. You did not mention Why they only will stay there, but if to bring a pet with them, that might change too? Just assuming Copper Creek or Boulder Ridge are not acceptable to the folks (you can get those Direct too)...

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

Have you calculated the amount of points you'd need at the Cabins every two or three years (however often you/they go)? They currently show a minimum of 50 points direct, but if sales slow, maybe that will change? If you could do 35 points for example, then 25 at one of the lower annual fee resorts that might help. I'm assuming you're keeping all those little contracts in the same Use Year (which is definitely a benefit to buying direct for ease of purchase). You could book say 3 or 4 nites at 11 months, then use your Waitlists right at 7 months to try for another day before or after (adding one day might be very doable) from a different contract. You did not mention Why they only will stay there, but if to bring a pet with them, that might change too?

Looks like our usual travel period is 22 pts. per night. No pets, but they just prefer hanging around a campground rather than going to amusement parks. On years when they don't go to Florida with us, we all go to a Pigeon Forge, TN campground together. The kids get their amusement park time, the grandparents get their relaxing vacation and we get together time as the extended family, too. We used to stay at AoA together, but they don't even care if they go to the parks at all anymore, so Ft. Wilderness gives them more to do.

Edited to add: if they could rent a golf cart at Boulder Ridge or Copper Creek and drive it around Ft. Wilderness, then they would go for that idea