Where will your next DVC contract be and why?

[DisMomNCM]

Since most of us are DVC addicts, I am sure plenty of us are often thinking about where our next contract will be. After each purchase, my husband and I firmly agree that now we have enough points and are done buying...until we change our minds

We started with a direct contract at Poly and have since added resale at AKL, SSR, and BLT. The other day, though, I started thinking about where I would add on to...and I think I'd like a Riviera contract in the future. We love the ease of the Skyliner and enjoyed having a quiet resort to spend time at (as opposed to our beloved Polynesian circus lol). With two kids, transportation is one of our highest priorities. Because we have so many points at the OG resorts (and direct benefits), I don't think the restrictions on a Riviera contract would bother us much.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

The answers to your question will vary. For us, it's probably that at our 'later' stage in life, we won't be buying more! We went through what you're describing when we were younger and the kids were with us every trip. But now many of our trips are just 2 of us, with the occasional expanded family (grandkids!) joining us when they can. Through the years, we added contracts and sold contracts to get us where we are now, enjoying our AKL (our absolute favorite) and BC points, with the chance to use them sometimes at the other resorts. The beauty of so many choices is folks can pick what's best for them. If you're like us, your choices and needs might change as your family gets older. At some point, the kids either want to bring friends or perhaps don't want to go at all! Enjoy the trips with them!!

 

[cheryl.UK]

I'm thinking a contract at BCV just to be able to use the 11 month booking window. Our current home resorts are BLT and SSR (1 direct and 1 re-sale). We stayed at BCV for the first time last year and totally fell in love, so much so that we have extended that portion of our split stay so that we will be there for 11 nights this year. We stayed in a one bed which we much preferred to the 1 bed at BLT as it seemed more airy. (Missed the second bathroom though). The 7 month widow jitters were very very scary and I had to take a day off work to be sure of being on line at 8am!

 

[cruisehopeful]

I'm evaluating for a year. I would love to add on Aulani resale for the 11 month booking window, but I don't want to pay $2K a year extra for that at this time. We're finally doing our covid era revenge vacations, very late to the party, and will figure out what type of vacations we will want for the foreseeable future.

My husband, who didn't really want to buy DVC, gets very attached to places. He would happily stay at the exact same place year after year. Chances are very high that he'll want to buy Aulani after we stay there. I'm not as impulsive with major purchases or big commitments and I'll still be crunching numbers and evaulating which vacations I prefer through the end of this year.

 

[VGCgroupie]

I am a loose cannon so it really could be anywhere. Except OKW,VB,HHI. Previously SSR was on that list but I recently learned I could be swayed by a phenomenal deal there if the contact was small for SAP.

But if I had to guess it will be Aul-s or LSL.

I am staying at RIV this month for the very first time so check back with me then and see where my head is at

 

[DisMomNCM]

I am a loose cannon so it really could be anywhere. Except OKW,VB,HHI. Previously SSR was on that list but I recently learned I could be swayed by a phenomenal deal there if the contact was small for SAP.

But if I had to guess it will be Aul-s or LSL.

I am staying at RIV this month for the very first time so check back with me then and see where my head is at

I swore up and down I wouldn't ever buy at Riviera when I initially visited it because I was underwhelmed by things like the lobby and turned off by the restrictions...but staying there when I was 33 weeks pregnant gave me a whole new appreciation for a smaller resort and the Skyliner!

 

[Road_Dog]

I'm incredibly anal and feel it would grind my gears to not get full usage of my points at the 11-month mark.

I figure there are 3-camps people can fall into:

1. People who want full use of all points at 11-months. Let's say you own 150 points at Poly. You want to add-on, so you look to find Poly contracts, because now you have a larger pool to work with at 11-months for bigger room types or views, or for longer stays.
2. People who stay at different resorts depending on the time of the year. These people may own 150 at Poly and 150 at GF, and they stay for a week in October at one and a week in March at another, taking advantage of 11-month window at both, and combining at 7-months if there's somewhere else they want.
3. People who don't care about 11-month priority, in which case home resort means nothing so they just buy the cheapest sleep-around points and everything is combined at 7-months anyways.

Unfortunately I find myself in camp #1. I can't shake the feeling that buying a contract at a place like BLT, while giving me a home resort advantage to book at 11-months, I can basically never have these new points also help me "do better" at my original contract at Poly. So now I find myself only looking for Poly contracts, but they are of course some of the most expensive, ahhh!

Although I'll say the price gap between Poly resale and Poly direct is, while still substantial, less than other resorts, so if I ever needed to add on a quick 25 points, I'd feel less bad about doing it at Poly.

It's funny because Poly never used to be a resort you needed a strong 11-month resort priority at, but now with the Tower, from what I'm seeing, you do. So in the event I ever want to do a big 2-bedroom trip and bring family, I might just have to buy more Poly.

 

[DisMomNCM]

I'm incredibly anal and feel it would grind my gears to not get full usage of my points at the 11-month mark.

I figure there are 3-camps people can fall into:

1. People who want full use of all points at 11-months. Let's say you own 150 points at Poly. You want to add-on, so you look to find Poly contracts, because now you have a larger pool to work with at 11-months for bigger room types or views, or for longer stays.
2. People who stay at different resorts depending on the time of the year. These people may own 150 at Poly and 150 at GF, and they stay for a week in October at one and a week in March at another, taking advantage of 11-month window at both, and combining at 7-months if there's somewhere else they want.
3. People who don't care about 11-month priority, in which case home resort means nothing so they just buy the cheapest sleep-around points and everything is combined at 7-months anyways.

Unfortunately I find myself in camp #1. I can't shake the feeling that buying a contract at a place like BLT, while giving me a home resort advantage to book at 11-months, I can basically never have these new points also help me "do better" at my original contract at Poly. So now I find myself only looking for Poly contracts, but they are of course some of the most expensive, ahhh!

Although I'll say the price gap between Poly resale and Poly direct is, while still substantial, less than other resorts, so if I ever needed to add on a quick 25 points, I'd feel less bad about doing it at Poly.

It's funny because Poly never used to be a resort you needed a strong 11-month resort priority at, but now with the Tower, from what I'm seeing, you do. So in the event I ever want to do a big 2-bedroom trip and bring family, I might just have to buy more Poly.

The PIT has definitely made it more competitive at the 11-month mark! We have had great luck using non-Poly points to stay at the Poly longhouses (we treasure those points since they're direct and we can use them for stays at places like Riviera), but I was glad to have the booking advantage for our 10-year anniversary trip this November. While we have always stayed in the longhouse studios, we wanted to try the Tower this time around, and I doubt anything would have been available at 7 months.