Where to start with DVC?

[IamWildcard]

I thought it was easy to buy into DVC... until I started realizing the gazillion different options. What resort? How many points? What UY? Direct or resale? .....
I keep reading through the forums and there is a lot of good input. But I really would like to start at the beginning. Does anyone have any good resources for where I should start my journey? Of course, I'd also appreciate your comments and experiences, it's interesting to see what other people have done.

I go at least once a year, typically with a bunch of friends. To save money, we usually stay at Port Orleans French Quarter, but we absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE the boardwalk area. We were able to stay at the Beach/Yacht club once before and would love to go back there. From what I read, it's hard to get something there. Since I went to the DVC presentation I have an offer right now to get the number of points that I would purchase for free for 2018, and then in April we would get the next batch of points. Certainly, a nice offer, but then again, if I am able to save a lot of money by purchasing resale, that would also be worth considering it. I am not sure at what point it would make sense to get an annual pass, but if we go once a year for 5-7 days, that's another thing to consider.
My friends are also considering getting into DVC so we could pool our points and trying to get a 2 bedroom - ideally at the Beachclub or Boardwalk.
I don't need to get into DVC tomorrow, but I also read a lot about potential price hikes with the new resorts and attractions going live in 2019. So if it makes sense to purchase now to get in, I am certainly willing to do so.

Appreciate anyone's input. Thanks.

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

This thread is a great place to start.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/the-dvc-resource-center-updated-january-2018.3655476/

If after reading it, things aren’t making sense, come back and ask.

Your points will be assigned a certain Use Year. See the above link for details.
When you buy Direct, you get the points for the current Use Year. When the start of your Use Year rolls around, you get another batch of points. This happens anytime you buy Direct. It is not a special deal. It will be available any time up you buy.
It may be best to consider which Use Year works best for your travel patterns and get that.

If you purchase resale, it is possible, but not likely, that you will get current year points, and then get the upcoming Use Year points as well. This is because people will typically use the points for a last vacation before they sell. Or they may rent out a bunch of points, hoping that absence of the points will not impact the sales price too much. So it is much more common to see Resales that are stripped of their points. But you can find ones that are not stripped if you are not in a big hurry.

The main reasons to go the Resale route are:
1) To get your favorite resort (such as Beach Club or Boardwalk) when Disney has already finished selling it. Disney may have some points there that they obtained through the ROFR process or through foreclosure, so it is possible to get these resorts Direct, but Disney charges very high prices for this.
2) You can potentially save money. Typically resale will save 30% to 40% over the cost of Direct points. But you would have to consider the value of the stripped points, if applicable.

 

[IamWildcard]

Thanks for the link, that contains a lot of information, but is truly a great place to start.
TGIF & the weekend is here, now I can start reading up on it

 

[kniquy]

Does anyone have any good resources for where I should start my journey?

Writing a pro con list is helpful -- what you must have at your resort for room size, location etc. Really look at each resort -- youtube has many videos which cover the rooms as well as tours of the resort themselves. Key things to consider are that some studios can accommodate 5 others only 4, some 1BR have bedding for 5 but others accommodate 5 but you have to bring an air mattress for that 5th person.

Scour the points charts -- figure out what time of year you plan on traveling and how your point needs change with times of year and room sizes. I love the Davids DVC calculator -- you put in your travel dates and at a glance gives you the points requirements for all the resorts.

My friends are also considering getting into DVC so we could pool our points and trying to get a 2 bedroom - ideally at the Beachclub or Boardwalk.

Pooling points isn't that simple. If this is what you are really considering then you need to read up on the limitations with points transfers and booking with transferred points. Buy DVC for what you want not what others want/need- do not make a long term plan of needing your friends points to make trips happen. Your needs and their needs/situations will change.

Keep in mind the expiration of the resorts -- looking at BW or BC both have early expiration of 2042 -- think about how old you will be at that point. One thing to consider is if or when you need to sell your contract -- BW and BC are selling very high right now resale, but as we get closer to expiration those prices will fall. Think about this -- if you buy now and need to sell in 15 years, your contract will only have about 8 years left and will likely sell at a lower cost than what you purchased. But if you look at a 2057 and beyond resort, if you need sell in 15 years -- those contracts would have 24+ years left and would likely sell for higher (recouping more of your initial buy in). Just something to keep in mind in the whole purchase decision. You could wait until Rivera opens next year -- that might be an appealing option with its transportation, style of resort and length in contract.

 

[js]

I would suggest reading up a lot on the dis as well as tug2.net, which is a Timeshare Board with a wealth of information,
tug2.net is for timeshares how disboards is for Disney. It is a paid website, but less than $20 and there is a wealth of information.
Good luck. We own three timeshares (DVC points, 3 bedroom at Orange Lake Country Club-fixed week in Orlando and a fixed week
3 bedroom at Waterside by Spinnaker in HHI) and love them all! We use our DVC approximately 1-2 times a year.
Come back and let us know what you decide.

 

[CarolynFH]

I want to second what @kniquy said above about looking at points charts for the resorts you decide you’re interested in and the times of year you expect to travel and using that information to determine how many points you need. I am always saddened when I read posts from new members who already bought some nice round number of points (most often 100) and want some help learning to use them — but when the details are presented it turns out that they don’t have enough points, or their points are at one resort and they really want to book a resort where having the 11-month window is crucial, and their excitement turns to disappointment. So I believe that first you need to figure out what you want to do with your points (what resort, how large of a villa, how many nights and what dates), then decide how many points to buy, not the other way around.

ETA I also endorse tug2.net!

 

[Lauren in NC]

A couple things to think about:

When do you want to travel? Is is the same time every year? Do you have kids (or are planning to have kids) and will be stuck going on only school holidays? The dates you want to travel help determine your use year and how many points you'll need. Can you plan your vacation 11 months in advance, every year?

Where do you want to stay? The #1 thing you'll hear is "buy where you want to stay!" Yes, you can switch resorts at 7 months, but it's never a guarantee, and it's almost impossible at certain times of year (Epcot hotels during Food & Wine, etc). Don't buy points at Aulani if you're going to be traveling to WDW every year - you're always going to be stuck with whatever's leftover at 7 months, usually SSR or AKL. Keep in mind, though, that the older resorts have closer expiration dates, even if they're still 20 years out. Once you've figured out your resort and time of year, you can start using the points charts to figure out about how many points you'd need.

Direct versus resale - there are some "perks" that you'll lose by buying resale, but you'd also be saving $$$. Some of the newer resorts (CCW) may be near impossible to get via resale, though. In most cases, the perks aren't worth the amount you can save, but it's another thing to run the numbers on.

 

[DaveNan]

I would start by trying to narrow down the number decisions.
Before I get into the answers - Number 1. DVC is for "planners", not "spur of the moment people". It works best when you have a rough idea of your plans 12-15 months out, so you can mange banking, borrowing, renting(if needed), and transferring. You then need to have detailed plans at the 7-11 month window. Number 2. Learn and know the rules around banking, booking, transferring, cancellations...
How many points?
How long do you want to stay? What kind of room do you want? What resorts do you want to get into? What time of year are you going? HOW MANY CAN YOU AFFORD?
In general about 100-125 points per "room" per week (studio = 1, 1BR = 2, 2 BR = 3). Some resorts and some times of year will push these numbers up or down, so have an idea of your preferences. My advice is: if you can afford it, get 10 - 20% extra. Extra points can always be rented through the brokerage or to friends and you do not loose money when that happens.
Direct or resale?
Two main reasons drive folks to direct, either needing the points now or wanting "member benefits". Expect resale to take 6-12 months. It can happen in 4 months. It can take longer to find a great value, plus the better the value the higher risk Disney takes it. Also your resort and UY choices can drive up timing. If you are OK with the timing, that only leaves member benefits. If those are very important to you and you want more that 150 points, I would buy resale and add direct. Buy the points you want minus 75 resale, then add 75 direct at the same resort/UY. This can also take some time based on resort and UY to get direct points at "old" resorts.
What resort?
Where do you want to stay? When does that resorts contract expire? How many points does that resort take?
If you want the epcot area, today's options are BCV and BWV. BCV has the pool (SAB), but is more limited in availability and more expensive. They both expire in 2042.
If you plan to resort hop (I do), know the expected availability. It is not what many people or the guides tell you. The availability is not very good to not at all based on resort, villa type, and time of year. This may drive you to a common expression on the boards "Buy where you want to stay" (and I add - "and know when you want to stay there at 11 months". If you go at slow DVC times (not slow park times) and stay in 1BR, then home resort is not at critical.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/p...-studios-1-bedrooms-june-2018-update.3689931/
What UY?
If you have a consistent time you go, you want that time to be just after your UY. UY becomes more important if you every change your plans (cancel a reservation or change which month you are going in your 9-12 month window). IF you always plan at 15-18 months, and don't change those plans or go at random times throughout the year, UY is not as important.

 

[disneynutz]

Select the best UY for your vacation patterns.
Buy where you love to stay.
Book at 11 months.
Buy resale if you can.
If you buy additional contracts, keep the same UY and names on deeds.
After buying resale, you can buy a small direct contract for the perks if the perks are worth it to you.
DVD/DVC marketing can change the perks at any time.
Perks and policies tend to change when management changes and DVD/DVC upper management just changed.
Expect to spend more on Disney vacations after you buy DVC.

Bill

 

[Deb & Bill]

Buy where you don't mind staying if you can't change your reservation to a non-home resort at seven months out. You'll probably want to book as close to 11 months out as possible many times of the year. Know that if you purchase BWV, you'll never get a dedicated two bedroom villa because they don't exist. BWV only has lockoffs. Both the BCV and BWV only have beds for four in the one bedroom. You can have a fifth person (I'm not sure how many friends you would have going with you), but you have to bring your own bed and the bedding for it (plus a towel). If you buy now and get a Dec UY, you'll get 2017 points as long as you buy direct before Dec 1. Once Dec 1 hits, no more 2017 points, only 2018 points.

 

[Kazrak]

I had a bit of an advantage going in as I'd rented points from friends and gotten to know how the system worked through them. We'd stayed at two DVC resorts and knew what we wanted. (We were going to buy at VWL. We'd stayed there twice plus once at WL, and my wife loved it.)

When we decided to buy in, I created a list of every DVC resort with pros and cons - due diligence, more or less. What's the current resale price, what's the current direct price (if any), how long is the contract, what are the dues, how is the park access, what are the restaurants, how nice are the pools, etc. My wife and I went over them and we winnowed it down to two - VWL and BCV. And then we talked over pros and cons.

And to my immense surprise, after all that, it was clear that BCV was the right choice. Between a kid that loves pools (and Stormalong Bay is amazing) and a kid that loves Epcot, it was the right call.

 

[Jerry@dvcstore]

If you are considering DVC and you LOVE the Boardwalk or Beach Club, I would recommend purchasing at either of these locations as your Home Resort. You will have an extra 4 month booking window (7 months at any resort verse 11 months at your Home resort) and this extra 4 months will come in handy if you'd like to regularly stay at BWV or BCV. The Boardwalk is currently a bit cheaper via resale so if you are looking for best value between the 2 resorts the Boardwalk may be the best option. Each resort has 24/23 years remaining on the deed (2042 Expiration).

The next thing to do once you decide on which resort to purchase is look over the point charts and determine the size villas you'd like to stay, the time(s) of year you like to visit, as well as the typical number of nights you think you'll be using. Once you add those things up, it should give you a good idea of what size contract to purchase.

I hope this helps and should you have any questions or need any additional help, feel free to give us a call at the office. We are The Timeshare Store, the board sponsor and will be happy to help you. Our number is 800-550-6493 or 407-239-8899 and there will be no pressure to buy anything, just answers to what questions you have.

 

[Lynne M]

I just wanted to address your comment about wanting to pool points.

You can't call up DVC and say "Use 15 points from my account and 15 points from Joe Smith's account and reserve us a 2-bedroom for September 15." Similarly, you can't call up and say "My buddy Joe Smith has a 1-bedroom reserved, use points from my account to upgrade it to a 2 bedroom."

Points from two members' accounts can't be combined that way. Your points are yours and their points are theirs. If you want to share vacations with your friends, here are some ways you might do it:

1) You and your friend can make back-to-back reservations. In other words, if you want to stay together in a 2-bedroom villa for 6 nights, you make a reservation for the first three nights, they make a reservation for the next three nights. You can let Member Services know that you're traveling together, so they can link the reservations and minimize the chance that you'll have to switch rooms.

2) You're allowed one transfer of points into or out of your account per year. So, you could transfer 100 points into your friend's account, and he can then make the reservation. Or vice-versa. Keep in mind that you can only do that once per year. If you were planning multiple trips in a year, that won't work for you.

 

[siren0119]

Following this thread, we are considering DVC in the near future and I'm more likely to buy direct. Lots of questions!

 

[NickBCV]

Following this thread, we are considering DVC in the near future and I'm more likely to buy direct. Lots of questions!

As someone who has bought resale and a small direct contract for 25 points when that was all that was needed for benefits...I'd say think resale. Only downside I can see is it can take a little longer to get to close, but the savings are huge. I have even sold a contract I bought in the secondary market for profit because of the value we got during purchase.

Although you should not buy into this as an investment to make money, it has happened and I would much rather wait 2-3 months to get my points than pay the direct prices. If you are willing to be patient and look for contracts that meet your home resort and use year needs I think resale is a great value.

 

[crisi]

I'd start even earlier.

Is DVC right for you?

1. Do your travel patterns match those of timeshare usage - you will use DVC points at DVC resorts at least every other year. (In theory, you can go every three years, but its tougher to make work).

2. Your planning patterns fit DVC. You can book ahead by at least seven months.

3. You are happy to stay at the resort you bought into. While its possible to book another resort subject to availability, you may be disappointed in the amount of availability.

4. You can work with and understand DVC cancellation policies, point expiration and banking and borrowing. Cancelling DVC is rough and the situations can get complex (if you are further than 31 days out, the points go back in your account, but if you are past your banking window, they still need to be used that use year. If you borrowed any points, you can't return them to the next year. So if you have an April use year and you cancel a January trip in December more than 30 days out, you really only have December, January, Feb and March to use those points. If your availability to get vacation time and DVC availability on short notice don't match - bye bye points. And if you are less than 30 days out - good luck.)

5. You are happy with a timeshare and not a hotel. That's things like you'll have one bed and a sleeper sofa in a studio and no daily housekeeping. Checkin isn't until 4pm (you might get it earlier - you might get in later) and there is no late checkout. You will not be eligible while staying on points for deals like "free dining"

6. You can afford DVC - its a lot of money to tie up in a luxury purchase - and the additional expenses of regular Disney trips can get expensive. While Disney will try and sell you DVC by saying you can save money, many owners here believe they spend more, but get more value out of it. Disney should be fun, not a financial burden. And when the bills are coming in for college tuition or daycare or a sixteen year old's car insurance or needing a new car, it can be a financial burden.

7. You are willing to spend more than you'd spend at a value or offsite. DVC is not the cheapest way to do Disney.

8. You've evaluated owning vs. renting DVC points and deciding that owning is a better plan for you.

9. You are not buying to use your points to cruise or do ABD trips or trade out - those options tend to be expensive and you are generally better off paying cash.

There is probably more, but the first step to a successful evaluation is figuring out if its right for you. There is really a narrow band of people its perfect for - a wider band that it works for, but it certainly isn't the right fit for everyone - even rabid WDW fans.

 

[siren0119]

As someone who has bought resale and a small direct contract for 25 points when that was all that was needed for benefits...I'd say think resale. Only downside I can see is it can take a little longer to get to close, but the savings are huge. I have even sold a contract I bought in the secondary market for profit because of the value we got during purchase.

Although you should not buy into this as an investment to make money, it has happened and I would much rather wait 2-3 months to get my points than pay the direct prices. If you are willing to be patient and look for contracts that meet your home resort and use year needs I think resale is a great value.

Appreciate that perspective! I would want to buy direct for the sake of membership benefits, we would be purchasing for our own use not for investment/profit and bang for buck would matter. My thought process is to buy direct at the forefront because we would likely be also purchasing AP's and using member benefits, and then supplement with resale contracts. With the minimum points for benefits higher than it used to be, that seemed to make the most sense. But i'm 100% open to other plans if we can still meet our end goal (having member benefits while also having points to play with especially as our kids get older and SO's/children enter the picture)

 

[crisi]

Appreciate that perspective! I would want to buy direct for the sake of membership benefits, we would be purchasing for our own use not for investment/profit and bang for buck would matter. My thought process is to buy direct at the forefront because we would likely be also purchasing AP's and using member benefits, and then supplement with resale contracts. With the minimum points for benefits higher than it used to be, that seemed to make the most sense. But i'm 100% open to other plans if we can still meet our end goal (having member benefits while also having points to play with especially as our kids get older and SO's/children enter the picture)

There is no guarantee any of the direct perks will be there a year from now, much less 10 years from now. You could spend the extra money for the perks and discover they were gone by the time you took your first trip. There is a chance the Disney will tier the perks based off points you bought direct - especially things like AP discounts. Look at perks as a sales technique and assume they will not be there long term.

 

[siren0119]

There is no guarantee any of the direct perks will be there a year from now, much less 10 years from now. You could spend the extra money for the perks and discover they were gone by the time you took your first trip. There is a chance the Disney will tier the perks based off points you bought direct - especially things like AP discounts. Look at perks as a sales technique and assume they will not be there long term.

Fair point. We are out of state so things like the AP discount would be significant enough to still make DVC direct an attractive option, even at the lowest point level - but I totally get that it's never a guarantee. We definitely have a lot of number crunching to do.

That said, I know CCV and Aulani are the available new contracts now - but if we wanted to get waitlisted to buy a direct contract for the other resorts, what is required up front? Do you put a deposit down to join the waitlist, and what are some firsthand experiences with the process?

 

[NickBCV]

Fair point. We are out of state so things like the AP discount would be significant enough to still make DVC direct an attractive option, even at the lowest point level - but I totally get that it's never a guarantee. We definitely have a lot of number crunching to do.

That said, I know CCV and Aulani are the available new contracts now - but if we wanted to get waitlisted to buy a direct contract for the other resorts, what is required up front? Do you put a deposit down to join the wait list, and what are some firsthand experiences with the process?

No deposit to join a wait list...wait list is in fact more of an informal list the Disney reps hold and look to meet what you are looking for. Some locations are closed to wait list or at least they say they are. When I had an issue trying to get points at a particular resort (VGF) I was told there was no wait list. After some time and a discussion with a supervisor he put me on his "secret wait list". The next week I had the points I was looking for.