Would dvc benefit us?

[CVTmarie23]

We just got back from a stay at the poly where we rented points. This is our 3rd stay of renting points and we have another 1 night trip coming up in November. We are 2 hours away and have annual passes. 2 young kids 3 and 8 months. We prefer to go for shorter trips(2-3 nights) and can be very flexible. We have been paying around $15 per point for the poly and a little less for AKL. We have only rented studios and while I would love to rent a 1 bedroom or 2 to split with family it always seems more cost effective to just rent two studios.

We do small breakfast items in the room and don't tend to stay long enough to need laundry services. The hardest part for us is planning ahead. If we are going on a longer trip or with non local family we can plan ahead but we also like to go with 2/3 months notice and when nothing is available we typically stay off-site (bonnet Creek).

We have been spoiled with the poly and love being on the monorail with two young kids in strollers. We do not like the busses or driving and we tend to go back to the resort during the day.

Would it be worth it to us to look into purchasing? We would likely want to sell it in 5-10 years when the kids get a bit older and we won't be going as much.

 

[crisi]

You likely wouldn't get the Poly if you were only going with 2/3 months notice. DVC might be worth it for your planned (seven months out or longer - longer during the last three months of the year) trips, while using cash for the short term stuff.

The hard thing with DVC is that it does require planning to use your points - you have to bank months in advance. If you don't bank, and can't use your points due to room availability - or your own availability - you loose you points. Your points once banked, can't be used within the use year. So you kind of have to have a pretty good idea how you are going to use your points. Short notice trips you may not end up with anything - or you may end up at SSR (and I personally would rather stay offsite).

 

[CVTmarie23]

You likely wouldn't get the Poly if you were only going with 2/3 months notice. DVC might be worth it for your planned (seven months out or longer - longer during the last three months of the year) trips, while using cash for the short term stuff.

The hard thing with DVC is that it does require planning to use your points - you have to bank months in advance. If you don't bank, and can't use your points due to room availability - or your own availability - you loose you points. Your points once banked, can't be used within the use year. So you kind of have to have a pretty good idea how you are going to use your points. Short notice trips you may not end up with anything - or you may end up at SSR (and I personally would rather stay offsite).

I have been lucky with the poly. This last trip I was able to book 6 months notice and then added a day onto each side to make it a longer trip. For the shorter notice trips I've been able to get AKL which we love (minus the buses).

Our biggest issue is knowing how we will use our points. If a family member or friend is going we tend to go a few days and overlap trips, but we don't go at a set time every year. (I would love to, but hubby refuses)

Seems like renting points would be a better fit for us. I like to be as flexible as possible and wouldn't want to turn down trips to go due to having banked points. Thanks for the advice

 

[CarolMN]

DVC works best for those willing and able to plan mire than 7 months in advance. While it's possible to book with less notice, it's not a guarantee and the chances of getting a near-park resort are much less than getting into one of the larger "stand-alone" resorts. Many times of the year, getting something less than 7 months out will be a big challenge.

IMO, given your situation, owning DVC will result in frustration more often than not.

 

[gharter]

I would agree that it may not be a good fit. For many locations, you need to book shortly after the 11 month mark to get the type of room you want. If you are not picky about where you stay, you may find a room. It also depends on how flexible you are on traveling times. During peak times, there are very few DVC rooms available at the 7 month mark, let alone 2-3 months out. The short trips are not a problem, it really come down to how far in advance you can plan. For those of us traveling a long distance, we have to plan ahead with airline tickets, etc.
We really enjoy DVC and its a good fit for us.
AS you describe it, renting points still may be your best bet.

 

[Ben E N]

The timeframe you describe does not really sound like buying in would be a good fit, either. When I did the numbers for myself, I realized that the renting vs. buying numbers would work out best for me after 10 years or so. If you are looking to sell in 5 to 10 years, you have to hope that not only have prices not dropped from their current high levels, but that they also rise at least an extra 10% just to get your money back.
I think you will be much more comfortable just realizing what a good deal renting is compared to booking rooms with cash, and enjoying the ability to do so until you decide you no longer want to go to Disney anymore.

 

[Dean]

We just got back from a stay at the poly where we rented points. This is our 3rd stay of renting points and we have another 1 night trip coming up in November. We are 2 hours away and have annual passes. 2 young kids 3 and 8 months. We prefer to go for shorter trips(2-3 nights) and can be very flexible. We have been paying around $15 per point for the poly and a little less for AKL. We have only rented studios and while I would love to rent a 1 bedroom or 2 to split with family it always seems more cost effective to just rent two studios.

We do small breakfast items in the room and don't tend to stay long enough to need laundry services. The hardest part for us is planning ahead. If we are going on a longer trip or with non local family we can plan ahead but we also like to go with 2/3 months notice and when nothing is available we typically stay off-site (bonnet Creek).

We have been spoiled with the poly and love being on the monorail with two young kids in strollers. We do not like the busses or driving and we tend to go back to the resort during the day.

Would it be worth it to us to look into purchasing? We would likely want to sell it in 5-10 years when the kids get a bit older and we won't be going as much.

I wouldn't buy unless you can and will plan at least 7 months ahead. It doesn't sound like buying is a good choice unless you can alter your approach to planning.

 

[mustinjourney]

I'm a little surprised they've been successful staying where they have using rented points on short notice.

From a purely theoretical standpoint though, if you purchase resale -- then you're going to be paying anywhere from about $9-13 per point (which includes maintenance fees and the purchase price accounting for time value of money) for your points -- so buying would save you about $2 to $6 per point per year (I am not running any numbers through a spreadsheet -- this is purely napkin guesstimates). So buying DVC will save you money each year, but there is a much bigger up front cost associated with it. But you also get control over your vacations and you eliminate some of the risk associated with renting points from strangers.

Based on the fact that you're renting points now -- you might as well look at SSR. Even assuming you have to pay $90 per point (which would be on the high end for SSR right now) -- that comes out to $2.43 per point (not counting time value of money) -- so let's just bump that up to $4 cost per point for the buy-in to account for a higher IRR. Maintenance fees are $5.60 -- so you're looking at about $9.60 a point for SSR. That's roughly 33% cheaper than renting at $15 per point...plus you have an underlying asset that will "likely" appreciate in 5 years...which further reduces your costs.

Maybe I'm crazy -- but if I were in their shoes, I would definitely consider buying SSR. Since they aren't booking 7+ months in advance, home resort is not important to them, so they might as well get the cheaper SSR option. They'll save 33% per year on their stays, be in control of their reservations, have the ability to check availability without having to go through endless emails, and have an asset that will have value in 5-7 years from now. Seems like a no-brainer to me (assuming the up front cash is not needed for anything in the next 5 years).

 

[Dean]

Maybe I'm crazy -- but if I were in their shoes, I would definitely consider buying SSR. Since they aren't booking 7+ months in advance, home resort is not important to them, so they might as well get the cheaper SSR option. They'll save 33% per year on their stays, be in control of their reservations, have the ability to check availability without having to go through endless emails, and have an asset that will have value in 5-7 years from now. Seems like a no-brainer to me (assuming the up front cash is not needed for anything in the next 5 years).

Now if they don't get it, they have no risk. If they buy and can't use them for the trips, it's expense without savings or they'd have to rent them. It's also likely mostly weekends which are somewhat higher points as well. They're potential savings is minimal and their risk of being unsuccessful is high, if they could plan trips at around 7 months most of the time, I'd vote for them buying. There are no situations where it makes sense to buy planning 2-3 months out as a routine.

 

[Tattylou]

We just got back from a stay at the poly where we rented points. This is our 3rd stay of renting points and we have another 1 night trip coming up in November. We are 2 hours away and have annual passes. 2 young kids 3 and 8 months. We prefer to go for shorter trips(2-3 nights) and can be very flexible. We have been paying around $15 per point for the poly and a little less for AKL. We have only rented studios and while I would love to rent a 1 bedroom or 2 to split with family it always seems more cost effective to just rent two studios.

We do small breakfast items in the room and don't tend to stay long enough to need laundry services. The hardest part for us is planning ahead. If we are going on a longer trip or with non local family we can plan ahead but we also like to go with 2/3 months notice and when nothing is available we typically stay off-site (bonnet Creek).

We have been spoiled with the poly and love being on the monorail with two young kids in strollers. We do not like the busses or driving and we tend to go back to the resort during the day.

Would it be worth it to us to look into purchasing? We would likely want to sell it in 5-10 years when the kids get a bit older and we won't be going as much.

I can't answer your question, but I have a question. Can you rent points for a dvc property for 1 night? We are going for 1 night in April. Thx

 

[Dean]

I can't answer your question, but I have a question. Can you rent points for a dvc property for 1 night? We are going for 1 night in April. Thx

Sure but the savings is minimal and likely not worth fooling with.

 

[Ben E N]

I can't answer your question, but I have a question. Can you rent points for a dvc property for 1 night? We are going for 1 night in April. Thx

You are probably best served by going to https://www.dvcrequest.com/ and looking to see if a one night rental from them is cheaper than going direct through Disney. It depends on the type of accommodations you are looking for. The studios are more expensive than most moderates, and all value resorts are for any single night, but they are less expensive than what you would pay for a deluxe resort room.
Like Dean said, the hassle of trying to go through a direct rental process is probably not worth it, but David's makes things pretty easy to do.

 

[Wakey]

It's not entirely correct to say you need to book more than 7 months out. Jan to September in a 1 bed, you can book anywhere at 7 months down to about 6. Even at 5 or 4 months out you'll still have some choice. 1 bed, off peak DVC is not nearly as restrictive as other combinations.

 

[crisi]

It's not entirely correct to say you need to book more than 7 months out. Jan to September in a 1 bed, you can book anywhere at 7 months down to about 6. Even at 5 or 4 months out you'll still have some choice. 1 bed, off peak DVC is not nearly as restrictive as other combinations.

Yes, but when you move to a one bedroom, you negate any savings over a regular hotel room. Since when most people ask "is it worth it" they really mean "will I manage to save money over the way I do Disney now."

If the question you are asking is "will I add value over the way I do Disney now" - that's a whole different question. And a one bedroom might add a lot of value for certain kinds of Disney travelers (and for others, the lack of two real beds will be a non-starter).

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Sure but the savings is minimal and likely not worth fooling with.

yes i have rented for one night this past summer and score $9 a point for someone who had expiring points.

 

[Wakey]

Yes, but when you move to a one bedroom, you negate any savings over a regular hotel room. Since when most people ask "is it worth it" they really mean "will I manage to save money over the way I do Disney now."

If the question you are asking is "will I add value over the way I do Disney now" - that's a whole different question. And a one bedroom might add a lot of value for certain kinds of Disney travelers (and for others, the lack of two real beds will be a non-starter).

Dunno. You can get enough points one bed at say Saratoga for roughly half the price of Poly, Copper Creek, VGF etc. So the buy in can be no more. The 'dues cost' of a 1 bed is then roughly $160 a night. You would pay twice that cash at least (probably optimistic) for one of the deluxe studios in one of the most in demand resorts.

 

[Dean]

It's not entirely correct to say you need to book more than 7 months out. Jan to September in a 1 bed, you can book anywhere at 7 months down to about 6. Even at 5 or 4 months out you'll still have some choice. 1 bed, off peak DVC is not nearly as restrictive as other combinations.

But the risk and aggravation this being the main plan makes it not a reasonable purchase 100% of the time if that's the long term plan/goal. In addition for the OP they seem to be less room focused and care little about the added amenities of larger villas. Thus having to get a 1 BR to make this plan workable would not be added value to them and would make this almost twice as expensive as just doing cash. They also seem to have a specific goal of location which would further make this an unworkable plan/unreasonable risk. Now if they would use it at other times and plan further out part of the time, it might become reasonable at some point. Certainly some make it work that own already but to buy for this plan has never been a reasonable option.

 

[KEWellborn]

We just got back from a stay at the poly where we rented points. This is our 3rd stay of renting points and we have another 1 night trip coming up in November. We are 2 hours away and have annual passes. 2 young kids 3 and 8 months. We prefer to go for shorter trips(2-3 nights) and can be very flexible. We have been paying around $15 per point for the poly and a little less for AKL. We have only rented studios and while I would love to rent a 1 bedroom or 2 to split with family it always seems more cost effective to just rent two studios.

We do small breakfast items in the room and don't tend to stay long enough to need laundry services. The hardest part for us is planning ahead. If we are going on a longer trip or with non local family we can plan ahead but we also like to go with 2/3 months notice and when nothing is available we typically stay off-site (bonnet Creek).

We have been spoiled with the poly and love being on the monorail with two young kids in strollers. We do not like the busses or driving and we tend to go back to the resort during the day.

Would it be worth it to us to look into purchasing? We would likely want to sell it in 5-10 years when the kids get a bit older and we won't be going as much.

Purchasing DVC was the BEST thing we've ever done for ourselves! Disney calls it "anyway money" because if you are a Disney fan and are going to be going "anyway", you might as well make a one time purchase and get the benefits for years to come. I would say our DVC purchase paid for itself in about 2 trips. We go every 2 years and stay 9-13 nights at a 2 bedroom villa at our home resort, the Beach Club. We have 200 points per year, so we have 400 points to spend every 2 years. Depending on the time of year, our 2 bedroom villa can go for around $900 a night, if we were to go to 10 nights, that's $9000. However, you do need to factor in the annual dues, which would cost you around $6.14 for each point you purchase at the Polynesian.

DVC is also flexible because you can use your points for Disney Cruise Line, Adventures by Disney, or other hotels around the world through their exchange services. You will not get the same bang for your buck at these other destinations as you do at Disney World, but it is something else you can do with your points in later years when you may not be as interested in going to Disney World as often.

In short, I LOVE DVC and have been a member for nearly 15 years and have never regretted it. I even look forward to the day when I can afford to purchase more points. I'm dying to go to Aulani! So I highly recommend it.

 

[Deb & Bill]

...

DVC is also flexible because you can use your points for Disney Cruise Line, Adventures by Disney, or other hotels around the world through their exchange services. You will not get the same bang for your buck at these other destinations as you do at Disney World, but it is something else you can do with your points in later years when you may not be as interested in going to Disney World as often.

In short, I LOVE DVC and have been a member for nearly 15 years and have never regretted it. I even look forward to the day when I can afford to purchase more points. I'm dying to go to Aulani! So I highly recommend it.

You can only use Direct from DVC points for the Disney Collection. Not resale at this point.