Winter Dec 25 - Jan 26 Direct Incentives

[VGCgroupie]

- The new complimentary access to the top of BLT, for which I am an owner.

I just booked this for our trip in February. I will report back if it’s worth booking / worth dropping that $$ on direct.

 

[Hubalorian]

.
- The new complimentary access to the top of BLT, for which I am an owner.

The view from top of the world lounge is amazing. I love having access to it but would not use that as a primary reason to buy direct. I watched the Christmas fireworks from there in 2023 and it was fantastic!

I think lounge access in general is a better benefit then just BLT lounge.

 

[DanCali]

The view from top of the world lounge is amazing. I love having access to it but would not use that as a primary reason to buy direct. I watched the Christmas fireworks from there in 2023 and it was fantastic!

I think lounge access in general is a better benefit then just BLT lounge.

You don't have to buy direct to just go and see the view from there.

You do have to buy direct to go into the lounge and have a small separate viewing area. But that will also cost you $200+ for 3 people to get the food/drinks that come with that "privilege". But if you just want to go up for the fireworks view nobody will stop you unless it's 4th of July or New Year's Eve. Honestly, the view from the bridge going to the contemporary is 90% as good...

 

[VGCgroupie]

You don't have to buy direct to just go and see the view from there.

You do have to buy direct to go into the lounge and have a small separate viewing area. But that will also cost you $200+ for 3 people to get the food/drinks that come with that "privilege". But if you just want to go up for the fireworks view nobody will stop you unless it's 4th of July or New Year's Eve. Honestly, the view from the bridge going to the contemporary is 90% as good...

January 1 there is a new reservation for blue card holders without having to pay anything or attend wicked wind down.

https://disneyvacationclub.disney.g...rs/member-experiences/top-of-the-world-lounge

For others.. to be clear my comment about if it was worth buying direct was sarcasm.

 

[DanCali]

January 1 there is a new reservation for blue card holders without having to pay anything or attend wicked wind down.

https://disneyvacationclub.disney.g...rs/member-experiences/top-of-the-world-lounge

For others.. to be clear my comment about if it was worth buying direct was sarcasm.

Interesting... I wasn't aware of this change!

 

[Sandisw]

Interesting... I wasn't aware of this change!

To add, the past few times I have visited, they were not letting those without DVC Y onto the deck to just watch.

It was inconsistent I think, but they have been moving that way.

Sounds like makes that move official.

 

[eticketplease]

Interesting... I wasn't aware of this change!

I wasn’t either thanks @VGCgroupie

 

[Chili327]

You don't have to buy direct to just go and see the view from there.….


Honestly, the view from the bridge going to the contemporary is 90% as good...

Or the elevator lobby.!

 

[Brian Noble]

Most DVC rooms seem to get to a pretty crummy spot by year 14 before a refurbishment.

This might be an eye-of-the-beholder thing. I was in Kidani in February/March 2024---so that would have been less than two years prior to a hard goods refurb. I don't remember anything I might have complained about. I'll be in Jambo next Feb/March, which will be months prior to the commencement there, so I'll be rolling the dice again. But over the years, I've been in a number of rooms that are later in their refurbishment cycle, and while I usually notice a few things here or there, none of them were important enough that I still remember what they were.

I don't mean to suggest that everyone is happy with the late-cycle rooms. I know that a lot of folks are genuinely unhappy with such units. But, that might be based on expectations. I just moved to a home that was built in 1932. It was lovingly cared for by the prior owners, and in excellent shape. But it also has "character" which is another way to say "it's old." There is only so far lovingly-cared-for will take you.

This is more for folks new to DVC who might be reading along thinking that if the rooms are "that bad" there is no reason to buy. One might infrequently draw a bad room, but at least from where I sit they are well-kept.

 

[muppets3d]

This might be an eye-of-the-beholder thing. I was in Kidani in February/March 2024---so that would have been less than two years prior to a hard goods refurb. I don't remember anything I might have complained about. I'll be in Jambo next Feb/March, which will be months prior to the commencement there, so I'll be rolling the dice again. But over the years, I've been in a number of rooms that are later in their refurbishment cycle, and while I usually notice a few things here or there, none of them were important enough that I still remember what they were.

I don't mean to suggest that everyone is happy with the late-cycle rooms. I know that a lot of folks are genuinely unhappy with such units. But, that might be based on expectations. I just moved to a home that was built in 1932. It was lovingly cared for by the prior owners, and in excellent shape. But it also has "character" which is another way to say "it's old." There is only so far lovingly-cared-for will take you.

This is more for folks new to DVC who might be reading along thinking that if the rooms are "that bad" there is no reason to buy. One might infrequently draw a bad room, but at least from where I sit they are well-kept.

Yeah I agree the AKV rooms were still in reasonably good shape. HHI was rough before refurbishment in my opinion though.

 

[jcolvin5]

I'd agree about AKV, both resorts. Well, except for that dreadful couch. That needed to go!

But I think BLT is a good example of DVC going too long between refurbishments. It had all the markings of a cheap hotel room prior to this refurb. We just stayed there in Oct 25 and it's a complete 180 from what it was prior. Will it last as long as it should? That I don't know.

 

[tx911]

This might be an eye-of-the-beholder thing. I was in Kidani in February/March 2024---so that would have been less than two years prior to a hard goods refurb. I don't remember anything I might have complained about. I'll be in Jambo next Feb/March, which will be months prior to the commencement there, so I'll be rolling the dice again. But over the years, I've been in a number of rooms that are later in their refurbishment cycle, and while I usually notice a few things here or there, none of them were important enough that I still remember what they were.

I don't mean to suggest that everyone is happy with the late-cycle rooms. I know that a lot of folks are genuinely unhappy with such units. But, that might be based on expectations. I just moved to a home that was built in 1932. It was lovingly cared for by the prior owners, and in excellent shape. But it also has "character" which is another way to say "it's old." There is only so far lovingly-cared-for will take you.

This is more for folks new to DVC who might be reading along thinking that if the rooms are "that bad" there is no reason to buy. One might infrequently draw a bad room, but at least from where I sit they are well-kept.

Something else to keep in mind in the direct vs. resale debate. If you have resale only, you will be in mostly resorts with "character", PIT being the exception. Like you, I don't view this as a negative thing at all.

My house was built in 1969. Not as much character as yours, but it's got some too.

 

[VGCgroupie]

See I thought the AKV studio room was in terrible shape in April of 2025. Well the bathroom not the furnishings since those look to be well made. The shower smelled and I got the ick factor when I had to use it.

Full disclosure. I have lived in newly built homes for the last 20 years. Each my of 5 homes in the last 20 years were built new and I was the first owner of each.

 

[atthebeachclub]

My Kidani 2 br felt dated but was in structurally good shape in Jan 2025.

My own home is older and uglier than Kidani circa Jan 2025. But I fully own my own home 100%, so there is that.

 

[tx911]

See I thought the AKV studio room was in terrible shape in April of 2025. Well the bathroom not the furnishings since those look to be well made. The shower smelled and I got the ick factor when I had to use it.

Full disclosure. I have lived in newly built homes for the last 20 years. Each my of 5 homes in the last 20 years were built new and I was the first owner of each.

That's a lot of homes!

 

[eticketplease]

That's a lot of homes!

She’s only 995 short for that comma club

 

[VGCgroupie]

That's a lot of homes!

Yeah. Funny that one was lived in for 15 years out of the 20, well actually 21 years come January.

 

[DisneyFanSea]

I was just at Kidani this past September and the 1 bedrooms were not bad as well. Bathrooms also looked well taken cared of to me. I did throw a dishwasher pack into the jetted tub before using though, nothing obvious came out either.

Although I’ve done my fair share of business travel and being placed in some of the nastiest hotel rooms that are not too far off from my Army days where I stayed in some pretty dilapidated barracks. So a DVC property near refurbishment usually tends to be high quality by my standards

 

[Hubalorian]

I wonder if they are trying to figure out how to price Lakeshore if PIT & RIV are still on sale. So, they put a pretty good discount on CCV to see how it performs against RIV and PIT.

 

[AstroBlasters]

I wonder if they are trying to figure out how to price Lakeshore if PIT & RIV are still on sale. So, they put a pretty good discount on CCV to see how it performs against RIV and PIT.

RIV will be “sold out” by then unless something economically catastrophic happens.