Why we chose to buy the Poly direct from Disney instead of buying resale

[Disn3yVision]

I'm very interested in what will happen to people who buy resale going forward as an addition to points they've bought either direct or resale pre-rule change. We have 200 points at AKV which have luckily been grandfathered in, and our eventual move would be to add 100 more allowing for a week in a grand villa q2-years. The most favorable theory I've read revolves around the pre-existing status of a "member", meaning that merely having bought prior to the rule change affords you a membership card and the associated privileges regardless of what type of points you buy going forward. Hopefully will be true, otherwise I may fall as they intend right into their lap by spending >5k more than necessary by purchasing the additional 100 points direct.

I'm really interested to see how Disney handles this in the future as well... Right now it seems an easy workaround is to buy most of your points resale then just add on a small 25 point contract to get full benefits. Hopefully it stays that way but I could see Disney implementing further restrictions based on whether your original contract was purchased resale or direct, or maybe whether the majority of your points were bought resale or direct. But yes it gets even stickier when your original contract was bought resale and your perks were grandfathered in, no idea what will happen when those decide to add on an additional contract, especially if said contract is purchased resale.

I will say I think the whole policy is unfair in general. Disney got paid full value when the first person bought direct, so when that person sells the new buyer should get all the perks and benefits despite buying resale. When you buy a used car still under warranty the new owner who bought it used inherits that warranty and I don't see why DVC should be any different.

 

[Murron]

Here are a couple of things that we have learned after being owners for a number of years.

We are spending less time in the parks and more time at the resort.
The more we go, the less we enjoy the crowds and longer waits.
Our children are less interested in WDW vacations and our adult children don't want our contracts.
We won't keep any of our contracts full term.
We own and enjoy VWL (old version), BWV, and VGF. We also own but enjoy less, BCV, BLT, AKV.

Bill

This is us. Today we have 4 contracts; 2 direct (BWV and Vero) and 2 resale (SSR and AKV). Our adult children want nothing to do with a timeshare that is crazy exhausting to use. They are a more spontaneous generation for sure. And that's ok. They loved it as kids. We spend most of our time at the resort and lately just go to Vero Beach after labor day for several weeks....although we do go back to my beloved BWV to hang out and wander into Epcot time to time. So again....it definitely is a personal and emotional decision and I'm sure you'll love Poly for years to come!!!

 

[TeeterTots]

Congrats and welcome home! We own resale at AKL but love poly and have stayed twice with the next coming Halloween! I think our next purchase will be poly and will be direct! Thanks for sharing your insight!

 

[abja09]

Welcome home! I bought direct at the Poly in September for many of the same reasons you listed. It was the best decision I made! There is so much on here about buying resale but when it comes down to it you have to buy where you want and when. Buying direct was so easy! I was able to make a reservation the next day for Spring break week and happily booked the Poly for a week in November. It's a beautiful resort and I am happy to call it home! Enjoy your new home!

 

[disneynutz]

Welcome home! I bought direct at the Poly in September for many of the same reasons you listed. It was the best decision I made! There is so much on here about buying resale but when it comes down to it you have to buy where you want and when. Buying direct was so easy! I was able to make a reservation the next day for Spring break week and happily booked the Poly for a week in November. It's a beautiful resort and I am happy to call it home! Enjoy your new home!

Buying direct is easy because Disney makes buying resale hard and that wasn't enough so they have removed benefits for resale buyers. Just saying.

Bill

 

[cdnjason]

Buying direct is easy because Disney makes buying resale hard and that wasn't enough so they have removed benefits for resale buyers. Just saying.

Bill

Truth. But, people today care less and less about price point, and more about the experience. That's why Starbucks is successful selling a $0.50 cup of coffee for $4. You're not buying coffee. You're paying for the experience. Heck, Disney is genius at this model. They don't sell theme part attractions. They sell memories. That's why visitors to the parks continue to rise, despite the increase in cost.

I'm guilty of this on both ends. As a consumer, I will gladly pay a premium to get what I want easier. As a business owner, my clients pay me a premium because I offer a client-centric experience.

In fact, I would venture a guess that most DVC members recommending people buy DVR resale were born in 1970 or earlier. And, those buying direct from from Disney were born in the mid-70s or later. Why? Because the timing of market shifting from "good or services" to the "experience" around the mid 90s coinciding with when we all reached the age where we started paying for these services.

 

[suebeelin]

Truth. But, people today care less and less about price point, and more about the experience. That's why Starbucks is successful selling a $0.50 cup of coffee for $4. You're not buying coffee. You're paying for the experience. Heck, Disney is genius at this model. They don't sell theme part attractions. They sell memories. That's why visitors to the parks continue to rise, despite the increase in cost.

I'm guilty of this on both ends. As a consumer, I will gladly pay a premium to get what I want easier. As a business owner, my clients pay me a premium because I offer a client-centric experience.

In fact, I would venture a guess that most DVC members recommending people buy DVR resale were born in 1970 or earlier. And, those buying direct from from Disney were born in the mid-70s or later. Why? Because the timing of market shifting from "good or services" to the "experience" around the mid 90s coinciding with when we all reached the age where we started paying for these services.

That's an interesting take regarding who would be more likely to recommend resales over direct. However, my experience is vastly different from the above hypothesis.

Those who have bought resales in my circle of acquaintances were born after 1971 (under age 45), and those who insist on buying direct were born before 1971 (over age 45) Granted, my dvc circle is limited to family and 5 non family couples.

It seems that most of the direct buyers whom I personally know are risk adverse... The idea that resales might be risky or have restrictions was enough to push them into buying direct.

In fact, one couple that I know (age in their 60s), financed their direct purchase in 2000. They are currently on the bcv Waitlist. They ask me for advice on resales but they have never done anything about it--in fact, I would send them listings 3/4 years ago when the price was very decent! Alas, methinks they are scared of resales.

It would be very interesting to find out what traits or attributes resale buyers consistently have-- in contrast with direct buyers.

 

[cdnjason]

That's an interesting take regarding who would be more likely to recommend resales over direct. However, my experience is vastly different from the above hypothesis.

Those who have bought resales in my circle of acquaintances were born after 1971 (under age 45), and those who insist on buying direct were born before 1971 (over age 45) Granted, my dvc circle is limited to family and close friends of 5 couples.

It seems that most of the direct buyers whom I personally know are risk adverse... The idea that resales might be risky or have restrictions was enough to push them into buying direct.

In fact, one couple that I know (age in their 60s), financed their direct purchase in 2000. They are currently on the bcv Waitlist. They ask me about resales these last 3 years but they have never done anything about it-- they are scared of going resales.

It would be very interesting to find out what traits or attributes resale buyers consistently have-- in contrast with direct buyers.

Yeah, I have no idea whether my theory is correct or not. But, it would interesting to see. It just seems like the newer generations value the experience more and more, and the experienced generations value price point. Again, no idea whether or not I'm right. Anyone want to conduct research?

 

[gluestickgirl]

@cdnjason & @suebeelin - Interesting points, and I wonder if it's a generational thing or more of a personal preference.

As for my own random data point - I was born in the mid 70s and the $$ we saved buying a small PVB contract via resale was totally not worth the length of the process (currently waiting for a member number) nor the stress (we were caught in the whole benefits change mess because our seller was slow w paperwork, but luckily ended up grandfathered - though I'm still wondering if we'll have to end up fighting for a membership card). If I could do it again, I'd go direct.

 

[gdrj]

After returning from our first big family trip to WDW, my family decided to join DVC. Of course that decision was followed by an even tougher one: should we buy resale or buy direct? After doing tons of research on the Interwebs...

First off, love the "Interwebs", made me laugh. With a young family I am sure you will have years of memories. Best Wishes for years of great vacations!

 

[Sammie]

I'm really interested to see how Disney handles this in the future as well... Right now it seems an easy workaround is to buy most of your points resale then just add on a small 25 point contract to get full benefits. Hopefully it stays that way but I could see Disney implementing further restrictions based on whether your original contract was purchased resale or direct, or maybe whether the majority of your points were bought resale or direct. But yes it gets even stickier when your original contract was bought resale and your perks were grandfathered in, no idea what will happen when those decide to add on an additional contract, especially if said contract is purchased resale.

I will say I think the whole policy is unfair in general. Disney got paid full value when the first person bought direct, so when that person sells the new buyer should get all the perks and benefits despite buying resale. When you buy a used car still under warranty the new owner who bought it used inherits that warranty and I don't see why DVC should be any different.

The difference is this, when you buy a car still under warranty that is not a buyers perk that is provided by the manufacturer of the car not the dealer. With DVC the resale buyer gets exactly what all of us have been promised, a discounted room, aka the warranty.

What the resale buyer gets is the same as the dealer that offers free oil changes for the life of the car to the original owner. When that owner sells the car, the new buyer does not get the oil changes. That is the case with DVC going forward, no more oil changes.

 

[VAMickeyFan]

We made the same decision, just bought PVB direct today! I have been looking into DVC since 2011, but I wanted to get my savings, investments, home and other basic needs and wants done first. We I looked direct in 2011, SSR was 99 pp. Now, that's a little more than its resale value.

I wanted PVB because its a high end, extremely well themed resort on the monorail with the longest contract. Those were all must haves for me. I waited to see PVB resale, but at 150 pp, I don't see the difference. I just got in before the price increase. Also, I was able to get the exact UY I wanted which was important.

I figure I'll add on a 50 point contract as cheap as I can get it in any resort, and then one day add on direct with another small contract at whatever new resort comes out that we may like

 

[MakiraMarlena]

The cheapest choice is to buy resale. It is not necessarily the best choice for every purchaser. and as for choosing the Polynesian, that is a personal choice. For the Polynesian, it's almost a wash regarding whether to buy resale or direct, so might as well buy direct.

If I were buying Saratoga Springs it would absolutely be resale though.

most of my points are at BCV for one reason: Epcot...I'm one of those who would much rather be close to Epcot than to MK.

 

[SomDayMyPrnceWillCom]

After returning from our first big family trip to WDW, my family decided to join DVC. Of course that decision was followed by an even tougher one: should we buy resale or buy direct? After doing tons of research on the Interwebs, it became clear to me that the consensus "best choice" was to buy resale. Almost all advice I came across from most sources seemed to overwhelmingly point that way. The impression I formed was that most long time DVC owners considered it ludicrous to buy points for $170 when you could get them as low as $55, and I can see the basic sense in that. So, I decided to buy resale, and even put in a few bids. Then Disney made their big announcement on April 4th about losing benefits if you buy resale, and I started to think... Is buying resale really the best option for my family?

Some background: We are a young middle class family from So Cal with 2 boys, age 1 and 3. We are hoping to try for a little girl soon We live 20 minutes from Disneyland and have been going there our entire lives. When it came to choosing our home resort, theming was really important to us. By large margin the two resorts we like most are AKV and PVB. When I was going to buy resale I was going to get AKV, and that would have been great... except I firmly believe the Poly is a better fit for my family. Not only that, but buying direct was also better fit for us, and here's 5 reasons why:

1) Length of contract is very important to us. We are big on tradition, and by joining DVC are buying something memorable that we can share with our our children. Not only for when they are kids, but also for when they are adults and have kids of their own, and maybe even when their kids have kids. We are in our early 30's, so by the time this contract is up our children will have children almost as old as us. We want to pass this gift down to them and have it be something we can all share and bond over for decades to come. With most resale contracts ending at earlier dates, we did not feel we were getting the maximum value out of our investment (and when I say value I am not just talking monetarily) buy buying a contract with a date that expired earlier than the full term, and pretty much the only way to get the full term is to buy a new resort through Disney.

2) The Polynesian was the best fit for our family, and being so new it just doesn't make sense to buy it resale (for numerous reasons). Being the biggest studios, and having two bathrooms and sleeping five, we feel we could comfortably fit into that studio until our oldest is 12 or 13 without being forced to get a 1 bedroom. After that, or if we want some privacy on a trip before then, we can just get two studios and connect them. Once the kids are gone we can be comfortable in a studio since their will only be 2 of us, and we believe Poly offers the best DVC studios currently available. PVB has the single best OVERALL location of all the resorts, and the best transportation options as well (I know Epcot resorts are better for Epcot, and BLT is better for MK, but I am talking overall between all the Disney destinations on site). It has arguably the best views. It has amazing theming that will engage our kids. It has Trader Sams and Dole Whip. I could go on.

3) Since very few Poly owners are going to use their points to book the Bungalows, most are going to book studios, which leads me to believe competition will be fierce for those at 7 months. So, if we want any hope of getting our top room choice in all of Disney for our point budget, especially in Oct-Nov when we like to travel, Poly HAS to be our home resort. Its very unlikely we could get any monorail resort consistently during that time at 7 months. Also, AKV being our second choice, I realized that it is MUCH easier to get into at 7 months, one of the easiest in fact. It seems silly to make that my home resort when I can get into it at 7 months so much easier, almost as if I am wasting my 11 month priority.

4) All points are not created equal. By buying at a resort thats cheaper, and I do not want to stay at, I am essentially giving up my 11 month priority window. That is a huge benefit and of huge value to us, especially traveling Oct-Dec. If my home resort is one of my bottom choices (which the cheaper ones were), I am going to be relegated to being stuck scrambling at 7 months to get whatever other resort that is available during the times I want to travel, or, being forced to travel at specific times in order to get the resort I want. I'm sorry but the price tag is too high to have to settle on major decisions like when to travel. Also, although AKV points can be bought for $80 dollars, they can also only be sold for $80. I believe PVB points are going to be worth more in the long run, and always sell for more dollars per point, a la the Grand Cal and Grand Floridian.

5- This was not a financial investment. It was an emotional one. We aren't seeing this as a business transaction to maximize our cost savings on future vacations. We see this as an investment in our happiness and everyday quality of life. Knowing that we are not privy to the same rights and benefits as somebody who bought direct would take away a lot of the emotional value in this purchase. And for us, that value is just as important as the financial value. While its true that all the perks they have taken away no way justify the difference in price at the moment, who is to say what else may change over the next fifty years. They may make more restrictions or offer some amazing benefits and it makes me feel better to not have to worry about missing out on anything. My wife told me something that really stuck with me... She said, "I would hate to spend all this money only to feel like a second class citizen." And while its silly, deep down inside if I bought resale there would always be part of me that would feel like that. Not to mention the ease and service you get buying direct can't be matched. For instance, I originally bought a December use year and after getting my points and making a reservation, a week later I realized October would be better for my family. I called up my guide and asked if there was any way I could change. She talked to her manager and that same day called me back and sent out a new contract for me with an October use year. Im sorry but that is not going to happen buying resale.

Ultimately the decision to buy direct or buy resale is going to depend on innumerable variables and whats right for one family may not be right for another. After reading so much advice on why you should buy resale I just wanted to put out my thoughts on the benefits of buying direct, especially for my family. I'm interested to hear what DVC and DISboard veterans have to say on the topic.

Thanks for this post. Definitely helps with our decision making process.


Question: I read in one of the posts about points exchanged for cruises? Is there specific information I can read up on this process? I know Disney cruise is something we're interested in but have so far chosen the parks instead, but if that's an option for points, it may make our decision even easier. LOL

 

[Supplanter]

Thanks for this post. Definitely helps with our decision making process.


Question: I read in one of the posts about points exchanged for cruises? Is there specific information I can read up on this process? I know Disney cruise is something we're interested in but have so far chosen the parks instead, but if that's an option for points, it may make our decision even easier. LOL

Direct purchased points can be used for cruises but the exchange rate is awful. You can rent your points out to the big brokers for $9-12 per point. No hassles, just simple letting someone else book with them. the cruise equivalent is something like 5 dollars of credit per point. It makes zero sense to ever use that "benefit"

 

[supersnoop]

Thanks for this post. Definitely helps with our decision making process.


Question: I read in one of the posts about points exchanged for cruises? Is there specific information I can read up on this process? I know Disney cruise is something we're interested in but have so far chosen the parks instead, but if that's an option for points, it may make our decision even easier. LOL

Here's some point charts. Keep in mind, unlike DVC rooms, cruises can raise the point requirement any time they want. Generally speaking you'll get about $6/point of value versus paying cash for a cruise.

http://disneycruiselineblog.com/201...-updated-for-new-2016-disney-cruise-sailings/

 

[skier_pete]

I didn't read the responses - only the original post.

There is nothing at all wrong with buying direct if it is done in a well reasoned manner. Your reasoning is sound and I'm assuming you can afford the direct buy.

There's lots of reasons why I chose to buy resale - but the main reason is I simply could never afford the buy in direct. I paid $12,000 for my 160 points, and that was quite honestly the top end of my budget. If I had to pay $34,000 for 200 points at the Poly (because rooms are more expensive there - 160 points wouldn't have been enough) I simply would have dismissed DVC ownership and stuck with staying at moderate resorts where I could stay at for another 15 years on that $34,000.

My only disagreement with your reasoning is I don't think the Poly will be that hard to get into most of the year at 7 months. The thing is, the many buyers like to move around. I addition, the Poly has the unique situation that it is completely bereft of 1-bedroom and reasonable 2-bedrooms. Many Poly owners are going to discover that they want to stay in larger rooms, and realizing that the point costs at other resorts are also a significant value will wander quite frequently. In addition because it is such a LARGE resort, even if only 20% of owners go elsewhere, that means 60 rooms available on average at the 7-month mark.

I also have to warn you - I suspect that within the next 5 years they will do a point redistribution on the bungalows. I think they will find that the bungalows are remaining empty much too frequently at the prices they charge (I could be wrong on this.) and to "fix" this, they will redistribute the points, reducing the cost of staying in the bungalows. This will however result in the studio points costs going up by 1-2 points per night. When/if this happens, Poly owners will NOT be happy.

 

[ziravan]

I didn't read the responses - only the original post.

There is nothing at all wrong with buying direct if it is done in a well reasoned manner. Your reasoning is sound and I'm assuming you can afford the direct buy.

There's lots of reasons why I chose to buy resale - but the main reason is I simply could never afford the buy in direct. I paid $12,000 for my 160 points, and that was quite honestly the top end of my budget. If I had to pay $34,000 for 200 points at the Poly (because rooms are more expensive there - 160 points wouldn't have been enough) I simply would have dismissed DVC ownership and stuck with staying at moderate resorts where I could stay at for another 15 years on that $34,000.

My only disagreement with your reasoning is I don't think the Poly will be that hard to get into most of the year at 7 months. The thing is, the many buyers like to move around. I addition, the Poly has the unique situation that it is completely bereft of 1-bedroom and reasonable 2-bedrooms. Many Poly owners are going to discover that they want to stay in larger rooms, and realizing that the point costs at other resorts are also a significant value will wander quite frequently. In addition because it is such a LARGE resort, even if only 20% of owners go elsewhere, that means 60 rooms available on average at the 7-month mark.

I also have to warn you - I suspect that within the next 5 years they will do a point redistribution on the bungalows. I think they will find that the bungalows are remaining empty much too frequently at the prices they charge (I could be wrong on this.) and to "fix" this, they will redistribute the points, reducing the cost of staying in the bungalows. This will however result in the studio points costs going up by 1-2 points per night. When/if this happens, Poly owners will NOT be happy.

Here's why I don't think that Poly will be readily avail:

You say even if 20% of Poly owners play the DVC field and you admit that the bungalows are going to be a hard sell. 25% of points are bungalow.

Those 20% of points trading out are going to first go to other owners booking into bungalows at 7 months. Why? Even if only 75% of Poly owners are booking their home resort, the vast majority of them are going to booking studios prior to the 7 month window.

If 20% of owners book elsewhere, the studios are still going to be full.

Sure. There'll be studio days here and there in DVC off season at 7 months. Better be online at 8am.

 

[skier_pete]

Sure. There'll be studio days here and there in DVC off season at 7 months. Better be online at 8am.

The only facts we know so far is that generally it has been pretty easy to get into the Poly at 7 months, except at extremely popular DVC times (mid October, early December) that may shift as the property sells out, but this easy availability is very contradictory to the last DVC propriety to be for sale the Grand Floridian. I pay a lot of attention to availability, especially of studios, and while location is a big factor to availability, the BIGGEST factor is size. I think if they had built the Poly with 300 rooms but the more typical only 100 of those rooms being studios, I would agree the Poly would be extremely difficult. But being entirely studios I don't think it will be the case.

Look right now, Poly is 100%available from January 6th on. Not one day between the 7 and 11 month mark is sold out. Admittedly this is slow time of year to look at 7months, but compare to VGF which already has many of those days sold out.

I admit I could be wrong on this, the bungalows will definitely have the negative impact that you mention - though not as bad as you indicate. You say basically all the bungalow points won't be used for the bungalows, but that is unlikely. Some percentage of the bungalows points WILL get used there. What percentage that is is anyone's guess, but certainly not 0%. And as I said, if it does end up being low and the bungalows are going unoccupied, expect a redistribution of points, that will drive poly owners elsewhere even faster.

Just saying, a lot of circumstances here that tell me I'll be able to stay at the Poly pretty easily as a non-owner. However, it's no guarantee, so if you want to stay there and have the money, you should totally go for it.

 

[ziravan]

The only facts we know so far is that generally it has been pretty easy to get into the Poly at 7 months, except at extremely popular DVC times (mid October, early December) that may shift as the property sells out, but this easy availability is very contradictory to the last DVC propriety to be for sale the Grand Floridian. I pay a lot of attention to availability, especially of studios, and while location is a big factor to availability, the BIGGEST factor is size. I think if they had built the Poly with 300 rooms but the more typical only 100 of those rooms being studios, I would agree the Poly would be extremely difficult. But being entirely studios I don't think it will be the case.

Look right now, Poly is 100%available from January 6th on. Not one day between the 7 and 11 month mark is sold out. Admittedly this is slow time of year to look at 7months, but compare to VGF which already has many of those days sold out.

I admit I could be wrong on this, the bungalows will definitely have the negative impact that you mention - though not as bad as you indicate. You say basically all the bungalow points won't be used for the bungalows, but that is unlikely. Some percentage of the bungalows points WILL get used there. What percentage that is is anyone's guess, but certainly not 0%. And as I said, if it does end up being low and the bungalows are going unoccupied, expect a redistribution of points, that will drive poly owners elsewhere even faster.

Just saying, a lot of circumstances here that tell me I'll be able to stay at the Poly pretty easily as a non-owner. However, it's no guarantee, so if you want to stay there and have the money, you should totally go for it.

Well, comparing VGF avail and Poly is apples and oranges at this point. VGF is 100% avail and 98% sold out while Poly is 60% avail but 40% sold out. Currently, if 100% of Poly owners book studios, there'll still be studio dates left over.

I do agree that VGF studios are tough to book because they are such a small percentage of a small resort and that's a unique problem that Poly won't have. That said, there are going to be more Poly owners seeking studios than bungalows. Very few Poly owners have bought in the 800 point range necessary to do more than sample a night or two in the bungalows. A reallocation isn't going to fix that.

I do think there will be some avail after sellout because of the phenomenal amount of Poly owners either booking or renting their points out for F&W through Jan marathon. Just like other DVC properties, that shift into demand at DVC busy season will open up dates elsewhere.

But. There's a reason why demand shifts to busy season. If you want home resort advantage, you want it for when it's tough to get. SSR is a great property to own for variety of you go in Feb every year. But. If you want BWV in the Fall, you'd better own there.

Poly is both an MK resort and, being literally 2 minutes from the EPCOT monorail, it's also a de facto EPCOT resort.

We've already seen, with a healthy surplus of availability vs percentage of owners, that Poly is going to very difficult to book during busy season.

Yes. You will probably be able to stay at Poly Jan-Apr without owning there. That can be said about most DVC properties. "Buy where you want to stay" can be more appropriately amended to "buy where you want to stay when you want to stay". Shoot, these days it's tough to get OKW and SSR in the 7 month window during peak busy season.

Poly, being a near park resort, will book like one. I wouldn't depend on a great variety of studio avail at the 7 month window once sold out. Unless, of course, you can afford to stay in the bungalows.