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Disney Vacation (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter DOVCommish
- Start date
glvsav37
Footballguy
at the end of the day, you can always rent your points and use the $ to stay at any of the non-dvc hotels there.
Deranged Hermit
Not cool & Pissed
Got the magic band + for the January trip. Looking forward to actually getting them and seeing how they work.
Deranged Hermit
Not cool & Pissed
The wife and I decided we are going to take the plunge and get DVC. We're there every year now anyway and it just seems the right time since our kids will be having families of their own soon enough so eventually it'll turn into a big family vacation.
Anyway, it looks like things are about 200 bucks a point now, and that seems really high for what is currently available (Riviera, GF, Aulani). The Riviera especially seems out there with the current restrictions.
Anyway, my question is, what is the right time to buy? Winter when attendance is down? Start of the school year?
TIA.
Anyway, it looks like things are about 200 bucks a point now, and that seems really high for what is currently available (Riviera, GF, Aulani). The Riviera especially seems out there with the current restrictions.
Anyway, my question is, what is the right time to buy? Winter when attendance is down? Start of the school year?
TIA.
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
Have you thought about resale market? Using your points on the exchange is a terrible value so not having that privilege isn't a big deal.
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
So we leave August 25th and i need to find a knee scooter rental. Anybody have any suggestions? Leg/ankle/foot is just nowhere near as far along as I had hoped. I can't even walk through Costco, let alone Disney.
On a positive note I am getting a temporary handicap parking thingy so that will be helpful.
On a positive note I am getting a temporary handicap parking thingy so that will be helpful.
AcerFC
Footballguy
Nothing beats the convenience of the Grand Californian. Enjoy. Best part for me was my wife grabbing a table in downtown Disney and me running up to the room to drop all our bags. Back to dinner before the waiter even asked for drinks.
glvsav37
Footballguy
@Deranged Hermit (sorry, getting use to this new forum)
DVC is a big financial and lifestyle decision, please please please research the heck out of it and don't rely on the DVC sales/guides to give you the full scoop.
I know you know, but by you are purchasing a basic lifetime of vacations to Disney (or Disney properties). You said that your kids are getting older and that it will turn into bigger family vacations. Let me "Crystal ball" you that for a bit, take the lifecycle of the average family of 4.
1. Family is young, kids are small—you can get away with a studio for the 1st few years of ownership.
2. Family is getting older, kids dont want to sleep in the same bed, theme parked out and want to spend more time at the resort, so you upgrade to the 1 bedroom.
3. Kids in their teens and want to bring a friend or 2, so now you are looking at a 2 bedroom.
4. Kids have families of their own, mom and dad want to plan a full family vacation, and now a 3 bedroom deluxe suite is needed.
4A. kids have families of their own and you want to give them access to the points, now you need to find an equitable way to share the points.
4B. But you and the wife want to pop down for a long weekend of food and wine.
I know that's kinda simplified, but its something you have to think of being you are locking into a set number of points for a very long time. What you can satisfy with 100 pts today, will that be the case tomorrow? Am I saying "go buy 500 pts right now" no! but def look at the points charts and get a sense for what those larger rooms cost and factor that into your "sweet spot" purchase number. If you want that larger room one day, you may want to have enough points where 2 years of points would get you there, so you plan on skipping a trip one year in favor of the larger trip next year.
OK, now that I've scared you off of it, lol, let me strip that back a little bit.
For us, we own 230 pts, with an October use year (more on this later). For those points, we were able to get a long trip at Bay Lake Tower, or Beach Club. These resorts are generally "more expensive" but their location to parks was premium for us b/c of the kids—strollers, mid-day naps, etc. As they got older, we needed more space but had less "park stuff" so we could move to (what I call) the outer ring resorts like Saratoga where we get larger rooms at cheaper rates.
So I have not added on any points, but have been able to stretch my points based on being flexible.
Now the good news is that the resale market is very strong, and you can always add on more points down the road if you find yourself that your original purchase did not meet your future needs.
Now on "Use Years", this is a sometimes confusing and often overlooked aspect of the purchase. Use Year is the month that your annual points refresh. Why is this important? Bc 99% of the time you are booking your trip 11 or 7 months in advance. And if your Use Year falls around the time of year you travel, or before, the maximum amount of points may not be available to you. For example, we have an October UY. This works well for us b/c we mainly travel in the summer, which means booking around December or January. So with that timing, our full amount of points is available to us. UY's can be any month, so be sure to pay attention to it and how it would affect your booking timeline.
Ok, I'm sure I have more, but gingers are tired already and I gotta get back to work. I'll pop back in if I think of more and of course, feel free to DM me with any questions.
DVC is a big financial and lifestyle decision, please please please research the heck out of it and don't rely on the DVC sales/guides to give you the full scoop.
I know you know, but by you are purchasing a basic lifetime of vacations to Disney (or Disney properties). You said that your kids are getting older and that it will turn into bigger family vacations. Let me "Crystal ball" you that for a bit, take the lifecycle of the average family of 4.
1. Family is young, kids are small—you can get away with a studio for the 1st few years of ownership.
2. Family is getting older, kids dont want to sleep in the same bed, theme parked out and want to spend more time at the resort, so you upgrade to the 1 bedroom.
3. Kids in their teens and want to bring a friend or 2, so now you are looking at a 2 bedroom.
4. Kids have families of their own, mom and dad want to plan a full family vacation, and now a 3 bedroom deluxe suite is needed.
4A. kids have families of their own and you want to give them access to the points, now you need to find an equitable way to share the points.
4B. But you and the wife want to pop down for a long weekend of food and wine.
I know that's kinda simplified, but its something you have to think of being you are locking into a set number of points for a very long time. What you can satisfy with 100 pts today, will that be the case tomorrow? Am I saying "go buy 500 pts right now" no! but def look at the points charts and get a sense for what those larger rooms cost and factor that into your "sweet spot" purchase number. If you want that larger room one day, you may want to have enough points where 2 years of points would get you there, so you plan on skipping a trip one year in favor of the larger trip next year.
OK, now that I've scared you off of it, lol, let me strip that back a little bit.
For us, we own 230 pts, with an October use year (more on this later). For those points, we were able to get a long trip at Bay Lake Tower, or Beach Club. These resorts are generally "more expensive" but their location to parks was premium for us b/c of the kids—strollers, mid-day naps, etc. As they got older, we needed more space but had less "park stuff" so we could move to (what I call) the outer ring resorts like Saratoga where we get larger rooms at cheaper rates.
So I have not added on any points, but have been able to stretch my points based on being flexible.
Now the good news is that the resale market is very strong, and you can always add on more points down the road if you find yourself that your original purchase did not meet your future needs.
Now on "Use Years", this is a sometimes confusing and often overlooked aspect of the purchase. Use Year is the month that your annual points refresh. Why is this important? Bc 99% of the time you are booking your trip 11 or 7 months in advance. And if your Use Year falls around the time of year you travel, or before, the maximum amount of points may not be available to you. For example, we have an October UY. This works well for us b/c we mainly travel in the summer, which means booking around December or January. So with that timing, our full amount of points is available to us. UY's can be any month, so be sure to pay attention to it and how it would affect your booking timeline.
Ok, I'm sure I have more, but gingers are tired already and I gotta get back to work. I'll pop back in if I think of more and of course, feel free to DM me with any questions.
Deranged Hermit
Not cool & Pissed
I have done that a few times now and it's definitely a great way to go. The wife and I really have a lot to think about.
Deranged Hermit
Not cool & Pissed
This is why I came here to pick everyone's brain, responses like this.
As of now we were looking at 300 points but it's so hard to predict the future on these things. What's enough now likely won't be the case in ten years.
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
I am not sure i understand your reply. So you currently own a few dvc contracts?
I dont mean renting points for one trip, i mean buying a resale contract.
We bought 170 points(annually) on the resale market.
Deranged Hermit
Not cool & Pissed
Oh, got ya. I misunderstood, I thought you meant renting points.
So, at $200 a point. You have to put out $60,000? Does that get you the 300 points every year and if so, for how long?
Deranged Hermit
Not cool & Pissed
You can finance it, but their interest rate is ridiculous, something like 10%
Deranged Hermit
Not cool & Pissed
I appreciate you bringing this to my attention. There's quite a few contracts out there with 25ish years left and the price is about $150 per point. There's a boardwalk one for 240 points that I'm looking hard at.
I did see that there are benefits that do not transfer. Since you recently purchased a contract do those benefits really make a difference?
jb1020
Footballguy
I can chime in and help a little. My family bought in a few years ago. We started going to Disney every year in 2014. Kids were 2 and 4 at the time. My parents saw how much fun it looked and looked into the DVC. They didn't really ask our opinion on it, they just thought it was a good idea that way my sister could go too. I honestly think my parents thought 200 points per year would be enough for a family of 10 to go. They were thinking , my 4, my sisters 4 and them. They've always been like that. "oh this sounds like fun, lets do it!"
Fast forward...they won't admit it, but they truly believed the points never expired. They thought if no one went for a few years the points would just accumulate. The other factors they didn't even think of were the vacation packages....while you do get discounts, there are no more vacation packages for you. So you pay full price for meal plans and park tickets. That might not be an issue anymore, but 5+ years ago they used to have pretty good packages. We've used "our share" of the points twice and had fun at the Poly. We intend to go to DL this March and hope to use them there. Though it sounds like it might be tough. Which also kind of sucks when you can't use your DVC points at DVC hotels.
Anyways, our kids are starting to outgrow Disney. I love having the access to these points, but I would not want to spend my own money on it either. Its just not as handy as they thought it was going to be. But they didn't really look into it. I was talking to them last night about it and my kids piped up about wanting to go back to Universal. And of course my mom said, "just use the points and stay at the Poly." She obviously doesn't know thats not really practical. It can be done, but theres nothing like that 5 minute boat ride and unlimited express pass.
Don't you pay some sport of dues/taxes every year @glvsav37 ? I always get a bill, but hand it right over to my dad.
I love going to the Poly, which is our home resort, we've never had an issue booking there. I just don't like the idea that you locked in for 50 years. Just seems crazy, but the resale value of the points might make it a worth while investment either way? Thats part I don't really know much about.
It's a 1 time charge? Yearly costs?
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
There is not much benefit to what you lose. Using your points for a disney cruise is bad business. You would be better off renting them out for cash and then booking a cruise. Same with the other exchange.
glvsav37
Footballguy
Tagging @Swaymoney @jb1020 @Deranged Hermit and I'll add @parasaurolophus being he is already a member but also chimed into the discussion.
As I stated in my reply, it is a huge financial decision with a lot of tentacles and little fine print that makes it def an investment you want to know 110% about twice over. Now, unlike other "timeshares" I do believe that DVC can be considered an investment b/c history has shown that the value and secondary market has remained strong and pretty much followed the direct market. I keep saying there has to be a cap/bubble, but so far its proven me wrong.
so the basics to those interested:
• Unlike traditional timeshares where you buy "A week" somewhere, DVC operates on a points basis. Your initial investment is based on how many points you buy. That is different for everyone based on their own family needs, vacation style, and future plans. THose points can be used and divided however you want: 1 long trip, 2 shorter trips, 1 trip but split between 2 resorts, etc.
• Each DVC resort has its own points chart that lists how many points per night it costs to stay in the various rooms which is usually studio, or 1, 2 or 3-bedroom suites. However, the point cost fluctuates based on time of year (summer, Christmas, spring break generally more points per night) and other variables like the view or location of a specific building.
• These points refresh every year for the life of the contract, for me I think my contract expires in 2047 or something like that. You can do a few things with your points:
1. Use them.
2. Bank them —you can only have 1 full year's worth of points in the bank at a time. Like @jb1020 said, his parents mistakenly thought that they could rack up 10 years of points. Nope, once the new year hits, any banked points go away.
3. Borrow them—you can also borrow as many points as you need from next year's allotment. But then you concede not going the following year, or borrowing from the next year's group.
At any booking, you can use a combination of all 3. So maybe I have 50 points left from last year, I take those first, then add that to my full allotment this year, and if I'm still short, borrow 15 from 2023.
• DVC will also allow you to rent an additional 25 points at a reduced rate per year if you find yourself short (basically paying cash for an extended trip).
• Every contract carries a "Maintenance Fee" paid each year in January based on how many points you own. I own 230 points and say the MF is $5.50/pp so I'm paying a little over $1,200/year. The pp fee is different for each resort and is decided on at the annual owners' meeting.
—So wait, you laid out the cash to join and STILL need to pay each year??? Yes, however the way I look at it, my initial investment broke even after 3 trips. Now I am paying $1,200 a year for the rights to a room that would cost anyone else off the street $10K+/trip for what we get. To put it in perspective, my 16 y/o daughter got invited to go this summer with friends, my wife was uneasy about it, her being so far away from NY. So we decided to book a room there on our points and all it cost us was flights and food.
• 1 Bedroom and higher has a full kitchen, some 2 full bathrooms and a full washer and drier in the room. So some guests will save money by cooking certain meals, and I pack 1/2 of what I normally would b/c I do a few loads of laundry each trip.....fresh warm undies are $$$
• DVC has close to 20 on-property resorts that are all in the Deluxe category, so you are not paying all of this for an All-Star. You are getting the top Disney amenities. Plus you also have Aulani (Hawaii), Vero (Florida), Hilton Head, and GRand Calif in Disneyland as well as a brand new DVC-only tower being built there. You can also exchange points for cruises or Adventures by disney trips.
• There were always a ton of member benefits associated with membership. However, since the pandemic and management change, they have been stripped away but are slowly coming back.
1. Annual park pass discounts
2. Food, Merch, and special party/park event discounts
3. DVC only lounges like Top of the World (top of bay lake tower) and the DVC lounge at Epcot (in the imagination building pyramids).
4. Moonlight Magic, where they close a park down at night and only DVC members can visit.
5. We even went to a DVC-only showing of Aladdin on Broadway one year.
• Also, JB mentioned that DVC members are excluded from special packages like free dining (however dining packages don't even exist right now) or room discounts. However, I could make the case that even with those, they were not a great deal overall when you broke it down and, over time, the cost-benefit of a DVC room is cheaper then any discount offers.
Now the Boooooo: Disney is a bunch of pricks....there I said it.
In recent years they have started a "class war" between "direct buyers" (those who would have bought straight from Disney, at the highest per point price), and resale purchasers.
Disney has stripped all extra benefits from any owners who bought their contract on the resale market after a certain date (like 5 years ago) and gave them all to the direct purchasers as their carrot to get them to agree to the higher price
This is known as the Blue card holder (direct) vs White Card holder (resale) war. We get different colored membership cards...TO DIVIDE USSSSS!!!!!
IMO, its a crock of shizzzzz. The argument that you hear from direct/blue card folks is "we paid more money for our contract, we should get the benefits!!" But as @Deranged Hermit pointed out, and I agree with, just b/c the person transferred the contact privately, there is no reason to void the benefits. Its like saying, "buy my used car, but I need to take the radio out bc you are not the original owner"
I always combat those folks with the nugget of the OG DVC owners. My in-laws bought DVC their 1st year it was offered and paid >$50/pp for their contract back in 92ish. They are still around and soaking up those same benefits others are chest-pounding proud to have paid $200+ for last year. Plus, for the last year+, all the perks were gone so what TF were you paying for?
IMO, perks aside, resale is a good deal. At the end of the day, you agree to just get access to the room and call it a day. But I could understand how the tinkering DVC is doing with the restrictions, that it could scare people away.
Whats also funny, is that for certain hard ticket events like Moonlight magic, they only have so few tickets, so much less than people wanting to go, so every MLM drop, you get the members complaining about being sold out. And you can't blame the resale/white card members for that, they were never invited. lol
IMO, DVC as a concept has gotten a little oversaturated. And when you look at some of these perks, you are often fighting thousands of other members for it.
I can't spend your money for you or tell you what is a good deal, but for us, we love being members and while we are modifying our vacations these days, we will continue to visit Disney in some capacity for a very long time. That said, I also got my points for about $60/pp and paid cash with the money from an old side business, so it was never an expense to me. Today, IDK if I would be so quick to part with the $$ they are asking.
The last benefit I will add is that the demand for Disney is at an all-time high. Your points have a ton of value on the rental and resale markets. There are brokers who match travelers with unused DVC points. So you dont really need to fear losing any points, someone will take them off your hands b/c the discount is better than booking directly. Also, should you find you don't want the contract anymore, or cant support it, restrictions aside, the resale market is very strong. So you can move that contract fairly easily. I have friends that have traditional timeshares that are so useless that they cant even give them away.
As I stated in my reply, it is a huge financial decision with a lot of tentacles and little fine print that makes it def an investment you want to know 110% about twice over. Now, unlike other "timeshares" I do believe that DVC can be considered an investment b/c history has shown that the value and secondary market has remained strong and pretty much followed the direct market. I keep saying there has to be a cap/bubble, but so far its proven me wrong.
so the basics to those interested:
• Unlike traditional timeshares where you buy "A week" somewhere, DVC operates on a points basis. Your initial investment is based on how many points you buy. That is different for everyone based on their own family needs, vacation style, and future plans. THose points can be used and divided however you want: 1 long trip, 2 shorter trips, 1 trip but split between 2 resorts, etc.
• Each DVC resort has its own points chart that lists how many points per night it costs to stay in the various rooms which is usually studio, or 1, 2 or 3-bedroom suites. However, the point cost fluctuates based on time of year (summer, Christmas, spring break generally more points per night) and other variables like the view or location of a specific building.
• These points refresh every year for the life of the contract, for me I think my contract expires in 2047 or something like that. You can do a few things with your points:
1. Use them.
2. Bank them —you can only have 1 full year's worth of points in the bank at a time. Like @jb1020 said, his parents mistakenly thought that they could rack up 10 years of points. Nope, once the new year hits, any banked points go away.
3. Borrow them—you can also borrow as many points as you need from next year's allotment. But then you concede not going the following year, or borrowing from the next year's group.
At any booking, you can use a combination of all 3. So maybe I have 50 points left from last year, I take those first, then add that to my full allotment this year, and if I'm still short, borrow 15 from 2023.
• DVC will also allow you to rent an additional 25 points at a reduced rate per year if you find yourself short (basically paying cash for an extended trip).
• Every contract carries a "Maintenance Fee" paid each year in January based on how many points you own. I own 230 points and say the MF is $5.50/pp so I'm paying a little over $1,200/year. The pp fee is different for each resort and is decided on at the annual owners' meeting.
—So wait, you laid out the cash to join and STILL need to pay each year??? Yes, however the way I look at it, my initial investment broke even after 3 trips. Now I am paying $1,200 a year for the rights to a room that would cost anyone else off the street $10K+/trip for what we get. To put it in perspective, my 16 y/o daughter got invited to go this summer with friends, my wife was uneasy about it, her being so far away from NY. So we decided to book a room there on our points and all it cost us was flights and food.
• 1 Bedroom and higher has a full kitchen, some 2 full bathrooms and a full washer and drier in the room. So some guests will save money by cooking certain meals, and I pack 1/2 of what I normally would b/c I do a few loads of laundry each trip.....fresh warm undies are $$$
• DVC has close to 20 on-property resorts that are all in the Deluxe category, so you are not paying all of this for an All-Star. You are getting the top Disney amenities. Plus you also have Aulani (Hawaii), Vero (Florida), Hilton Head, and GRand Calif in Disneyland as well as a brand new DVC-only tower being built there. You can also exchange points for cruises or Adventures by disney trips.
• There were always a ton of member benefits associated with membership. However, since the pandemic and management change, they have been stripped away but are slowly coming back.
1. Annual park pass discounts
2. Food, Merch, and special party/park event discounts
3. DVC only lounges like Top of the World (top of bay lake tower) and the DVC lounge at Epcot (in the imagination building pyramids).
4. Moonlight Magic, where they close a park down at night and only DVC members can visit.
5. We even went to a DVC-only showing of Aladdin on Broadway one year.
• Also, JB mentioned that DVC members are excluded from special packages like free dining (however dining packages don't even exist right now) or room discounts. However, I could make the case that even with those, they were not a great deal overall when you broke it down and, over time, the cost-benefit of a DVC room is cheaper then any discount offers.
Now the Boooooo: Disney is a bunch of pricks....there I said it.
In recent years they have started a "class war" between "direct buyers" (those who would have bought straight from Disney, at the highest per point price), and resale purchasers.
Disney has stripped all extra benefits from any owners who bought their contract on the resale market after a certain date (like 5 years ago) and gave them all to the direct purchasers as their carrot to get them to agree to the higher price
This is known as the Blue card holder (direct) vs White Card holder (resale) war. We get different colored membership cards...TO DIVIDE USSSSS!!!!!
IMO, its a crock of shizzzzz. The argument that you hear from direct/blue card folks is "we paid more money for our contract, we should get the benefits!!" But as @Deranged Hermit pointed out, and I agree with, just b/c the person transferred the contact privately, there is no reason to void the benefits. Its like saying, "buy my used car, but I need to take the radio out bc you are not the original owner"
I always combat those folks with the nugget of the OG DVC owners. My in-laws bought DVC their 1st year it was offered and paid >$50/pp for their contract back in 92ish. They are still around and soaking up those same benefits others are chest-pounding proud to have paid $200+ for last year. Plus, for the last year+, all the perks were gone so what TF were you paying for?
IMO, perks aside, resale is a good deal. At the end of the day, you agree to just get access to the room and call it a day. But I could understand how the tinkering DVC is doing with the restrictions, that it could scare people away.
Whats also funny, is that for certain hard ticket events like Moonlight magic, they only have so few tickets, so much less than people wanting to go, so every MLM drop, you get the members complaining about being sold out. And you can't blame the resale/white card members for that, they were never invited. lol
IMO, DVC as a concept has gotten a little oversaturated. And when you look at some of these perks, you are often fighting thousands of other members for it.
I can't spend your money for you or tell you what is a good deal, but for us, we love being members and while we are modifying our vacations these days, we will continue to visit Disney in some capacity for a very long time. That said, I also got my points for about $60/pp and paid cash with the money from an old side business, so it was never an expense to me. Today, IDK if I would be so quick to part with the $$ they are asking.
The last benefit I will add is that the demand for Disney is at an all-time high. Your points have a ton of value on the rental and resale markets. There are brokers who match travelers with unused DVC points. So you dont really need to fear losing any points, someone will take them off your hands b/c the discount is better than booking directly. Also, should you find you don't want the contract anymore, or cant support it, restrictions aside, the resale market is very strong. So you can move that contract fairly easily. I have friends that have traditional timeshares that are so useless that they cant even give them away.
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glvsav37
Footballguy
Ummm....GB..... :cough, cough: you may want to check this out.
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
@glvsav37 is the man. We love top of the world lounge. We are staying at bay lake in a few weeks.
It was hard for us to make the decision to compare via a financial analysis. We never stayed at anything more than a moderate and we never felt cheated we would stack trips so we could buy annual passes. So we would go 4 times in one year and then maybe zero the next. We also would often stay off property and use hotwire/priceline.
We made the decision based on knowing that we were basically splurging in advance at a massive discount which would force our cheap butts to stay at better places. Ultimately our cheap side gets a chance to shine through still since we take full advantage of the kitchens. We got one of the treehouse villas a couple years ago and we spent a lot of time grilling fresh fish and just chilling on that awesome deck.
We actually have two rooms booked for one of the nights this upcoming trip just so we can enjoy sitting on a balcony and watching the animals at AKL and not have to worry about switching rooms. We would never have done that prior.
It was hard for us to make the decision to compare via a financial analysis. We never stayed at anything more than a moderate and we never felt cheated we would stack trips so we could buy annual passes. So we would go 4 times in one year and then maybe zero the next. We also would often stay off property and use hotwire/priceline.
We made the decision based on knowing that we were basically splurging in advance at a massive discount which would force our cheap butts to stay at better places. Ultimately our cheap side gets a chance to shine through still since we take full advantage of the kitchens. We got one of the treehouse villas a couple years ago and we spent a lot of time grilling fresh fish and just chilling on that awesome deck.
We actually have two rooms booked for one of the nights this upcoming trip just so we can enjoy sitting on a balcony and watching the animals at AKL and not have to worry about switching rooms. We would never have done that prior.
glvsav37
Footballguy
Continuing my thread about DVC (This may be a series lol)
As mentioned before, DVC contracts can be bought 2 ways.
1. Direct from Disney: This gives you all member perks with a blue membership card (signifying a direct purchaser). However, you will be paying the highest price per point and are limited to the inventory that DVC is currently selling. I dont know exactly but its usually the newer resorts like Riveria and the outer resorts like Aulani that are not sold out yet. Many of the legacy properties are considered sold out.
2. Resale: This is a private second market that Disney has little control over*. Here contracts are listed and sold just like real estate transactions. The cost of the contract is based on current market value, how many base points it is, if there are points in the bank, or if its "Stripped." Stripped means that the member took 1 last trip or borrowed from the current year and is selling the contract before it renews. You can generally get these slightly cheaper b/c you have to wait to use them. Contracts with points banked are attractive b/c you get some extras.
Home resort: Every member has their "home resort" in which their contract originates. HR benefits give you the opportunity to book your trip at 11 months out. However, the beauty of DVC is that your points can be used at pretty much any resort, giving you the opportunity to try other locations. The only penalty for booking outside your HR is that you can't do that until 7 months out. It may not seem like much, but during peak times it could be. Your HR also dictates your annual dues. Each resort has its own rates when it comes to dues. While the prevailing thought is "buy where you want to stay" to ensure you can get a room, my home resort is Old Key West and in the 8+ years I've been a member, I've yet to stay there.
*First Right of Refusal. As I said before, Disney is a prick. While they have very little control over the resale market, and constantly complain that its killing their product, DVC has FROR on all contracts sold through resale. What that means is, that if an offer is made on a contract, DVC has 30 days to either let it go through or nix the deal and buy the points back from the seller instead at the agreed-upon price, returning the points back into inventory and dissolving the contract.
But here's the rub, as a member you can't go to DVC and say "please buy my points back." They will only exercise ROFR on an agreed-upon resale deal. In the end, the seller is satisfied, he's paid regardless. But the buyers must sit and wait for 30 days to see if DVC will scoop the contract on them or not. I have friends that have lost multiple contract offers.
To get around the "blue card vs white card" issue, some members will buy the minimum points req from Disney (150 I believe) and then use the resale market to fill out the rest of the points needed. As of right now, once the points are in your account, there is no way to differentiate which are direct or resale. So as long as you have the blue card from the minimum purchase, you can add on multiple resale contracts and you won't lose your direct benefits.
Having multiple contracts does have its challenges, but it also has some benefits as well. The main drawback is managing them. If you don't have the same home resort or use year (the month the points refresh), booking gets a little more complicated. But on the flip side, many will add on multiple smaller resale contracts b/c they can also offload them easier down the line as you possibly outgrow your whole DVC portfolio. Or give them to your kids. You can't break up a contract once it's written, so buying multiple contracts in smaller amounts has its value long-term.
While DVC may be sold by the direct sales guides as "getaway whenever you want!" It is most def not true. You still need to plan/book well in advance to get a room anywhere right now. I just registered for a conference there in October and I can't get a studio room at any DVC resort right now. I can get a night here or there at separate resorts, or go on a waitlist, but to just book and pop down for a quick weekend isn't happening right now.
that's it for now, stay tuned for chapter 3 (maybe) lol
As mentioned before, DVC contracts can be bought 2 ways.
1. Direct from Disney: This gives you all member perks with a blue membership card (signifying a direct purchaser). However, you will be paying the highest price per point and are limited to the inventory that DVC is currently selling. I dont know exactly but its usually the newer resorts like Riveria and the outer resorts like Aulani that are not sold out yet. Many of the legacy properties are considered sold out.
2. Resale: This is a private second market that Disney has little control over*. Here contracts are listed and sold just like real estate transactions. The cost of the contract is based on current market value, how many base points it is, if there are points in the bank, or if its "Stripped." Stripped means that the member took 1 last trip or borrowed from the current year and is selling the contract before it renews. You can generally get these slightly cheaper b/c you have to wait to use them. Contracts with points banked are attractive b/c you get some extras.
Home resort: Every member has their "home resort" in which their contract originates. HR benefits give you the opportunity to book your trip at 11 months out. However, the beauty of DVC is that your points can be used at pretty much any resort, giving you the opportunity to try other locations. The only penalty for booking outside your HR is that you can't do that until 7 months out. It may not seem like much, but during peak times it could be. Your HR also dictates your annual dues. Each resort has its own rates when it comes to dues. While the prevailing thought is "buy where you want to stay" to ensure you can get a room, my home resort is Old Key West and in the 8+ years I've been a member, I've yet to stay there.
*First Right of Refusal. As I said before, Disney is a prick. While they have very little control over the resale market, and constantly complain that its killing their product, DVC has FROR on all contracts sold through resale. What that means is, that if an offer is made on a contract, DVC has 30 days to either let it go through or nix the deal and buy the points back from the seller instead at the agreed-upon price, returning the points back into inventory and dissolving the contract.
But here's the rub, as a member you can't go to DVC and say "please buy my points back." They will only exercise ROFR on an agreed-upon resale deal. In the end, the seller is satisfied, he's paid regardless. But the buyers must sit and wait for 30 days to see if DVC will scoop the contract on them or not. I have friends that have lost multiple contract offers.
To get around the "blue card vs white card" issue, some members will buy the minimum points req from Disney (150 I believe) and then use the resale market to fill out the rest of the points needed. As of right now, once the points are in your account, there is no way to differentiate which are direct or resale. So as long as you have the blue card from the minimum purchase, you can add on multiple resale contracts and you won't lose your direct benefits.
Having multiple contracts does have its challenges, but it also has some benefits as well. The main drawback is managing them. If you don't have the same home resort or use year (the month the points refresh), booking gets a little more complicated. But on the flip side, many will add on multiple smaller resale contracts b/c they can also offload them easier down the line as you possibly outgrow your whole DVC portfolio. Or give them to your kids. You can't break up a contract once it's written, so buying multiple contracts in smaller amounts has its value long-term.
While DVC may be sold by the direct sales guides as "getaway whenever you want!" It is most def not true. You still need to plan/book well in advance to get a room anywhere right now. I just registered for a conference there in October and I can't get a studio room at any DVC resort right now. I can get a night here or there at separate resorts, or go on a waitlist, but to just book and pop down for a quick weekend isn't happening right now.
that's it for now, stay tuned for chapter 3 (maybe) lol
Deranged Hermit
Not cool & Pissed
Any of you guys have a particular website that you prefer to buy a contract?
Godsbrother
Footballguy
We have been DVC members since 2006, bought when my youngest was a junior in high school. We now have 3 grandchildren.
We have 250 points and average a trip every other year. We normally stay at our home resort Saratoga Springs and get 3 BR grand villas. We have 3 times been able to book two 3 BR grand villas and have taken more than 20 people.
For us it has definitely been worth it but obviously you have to enjoy going to Disney.
We have 250 points and average a trip every other year. We normally stay at our home resort Saratoga Springs and get 3 BR grand villas. We have 3 times been able to book two 3 BR grand villas and have taken more than 20 people.
For us it has definitely been worth it but obviously you have to enjoy going to Disney.
Deranged Hermit
Not cool & Pissed
I'm glad you mentioned Saratoga Springs, I might not have looked at it if you didn't. We're getting together with the kids tonight to discuss it (to see if they want their name on the contract) and we're most likely pulling the trigger this evening.
jb1020
Footballguy
And to no ones surprise, @glvsav37 was correct....looks to be nearly impossible for a person that does not have the Grand Cali Lodge as your DVC home to book. I'm wait listed for a 2 and 1 bedroom villa. I'll keep my fingers crossed, but not having confirmation makes that trip a tough one to book. Not sure what the backup plan is.
Deranged Hermit
Not cool & Pissed
Put the offer down on the Saratoga Springs resale today. Now I have to wait 30 days to see if Disney matches the offer (they have right of first refusal). The realtor selling it said he puts it at a 50% chance Disney matches it since they are buying a bunch of Saratoga Springs properties lately.
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
Anybody know how easy it is to use genie+ etc when you have people with different lengths of tickets? So my wife and daughter will have 3 days. I am only getting two.
Will I have to have my own account?
Will I have to have my own account?
Deranged Hermit
Not cool & Pissed
Your wife can do Lightning Lane passes for the whole party.
glvsav37
Footballguy
D23 is around the corner, Sept 9-11. Fro those who dont follow, D23 is Disney's huge fan event hosted out in California and its a weekend of special panels and also known for the big theme park and movie announcements.
Here is the schedule and streaming information
d23.com
I expect some interesting announcements this year.
Here is the schedule and streaming information
Livestream the Magic of D23 Expo 2022 with These Can’t-Miss Panels and Presentations - D23
D23 Expo [LIVE] is the official livestream of D23 Expo 2022 and includes the Disney Legends Award Ceremony, Disney Parks panel, Marvel Games, and more!
d23.com
rodg12
Footballguy
themeanmachine
Footballguy
Nice, we were there Thanksgiving weekend of 2019. Beautiful park, well worth the detour during our Paris trip. But $400 for Genie+, that’s just insane.
Deranged Hermit
Not cool & Pissed
They're out there at resale and at pretty reasonable rates.
Disney Vacation Club
Buy DVC resale points. Disney Vacation Club timeshares for sale with lowest commissions and prices in the industry. DVC's Recommended Reslae Broker for over 15 years.
www.fidelityrealestate.com
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
So we had a great time because of how excited my daughter was for every ride, every time, but I am definitely souring on many things Disney. We have begun discussing the sale of our DVC and likely will.
For me my least favorite thing is using the stupid app. We had problems getting into the park three days in a row. I missed riding on ratatouille because I was on the phone with tech support and still had to spend an hour with them when I got back to the resort. All stuff on their end. They told us like ten times to reinstall app.
At one point I ended up telling at a guy who was asking me if I had manually typed in the username or if I let it auto populate. He tried telling me that I had to make sure I manually typed in the username and I needed this escalated stat because he was clearly not smart enough to handle it.
The end issue was that when my wife stopped at a guest services booth to ask about something else and they reinstalled and did some stuff on her phone they pulled an old account of hers and that is what he moved the tickets to. We had all been using my account and my account was managing everybody. He convinced her she needed her own.
So he set up her own and when he searched by her email he somehow didn't notice two accounts. He set the account up on her phone with one account and then he somehow managed to move the tickets to a different account.
So ultimately got everything moved back to "my" account and had her accounts nuked. Which they fought us tooth and nail on.
Walking around with all the clueless people was already a bit frustrating, but now that Disney basically forces you to be on your phone all day, no thanks for me.
Disney IT has always been terrible so I highly doubt it will get any better even though this issue has been fixed.
For me my least favorite thing is using the stupid app. We had problems getting into the park three days in a row. I missed riding on ratatouille because I was on the phone with tech support and still had to spend an hour with them when I got back to the resort. All stuff on their end. They told us like ten times to reinstall app.
At one point I ended up telling at a guy who was asking me if I had manually typed in the username or if I let it auto populate. He tried telling me that I had to make sure I manually typed in the username and I needed this escalated stat because he was clearly not smart enough to handle it.
The end issue was that when my wife stopped at a guest services booth to ask about something else and they reinstalled and did some stuff on her phone they pulled an old account of hers and that is what he moved the tickets to. We had all been using my account and my account was managing everybody. He convinced her she needed her own.
So he set up her own and when he searched by her email he somehow didn't notice two accounts. He set the account up on her phone with one account and then he somehow managed to move the tickets to a different account.
So ultimately got everything moved back to "my" account and had her accounts nuked. Which they fought us tooth and nail on.
Walking around with all the clueless people was already a bit frustrating, but now that Disney basically forces you to be on your phone all day, no thanks for me.
Disney IT has always been terrible so I highly doubt it will get any better even though this issue has been fixed.
rodg12
Footballguy
Holy crap. I would have been livid!
Deranged Hermit
Not cool & Pissed
Sorry to hear about this. I had a very similar experience with Disney IT. We were trying to do something, I don't remember what it was, and we went through the same BS. I hung up out of frustration (this was 8:30 am or so).
I called back at 3:30 and it was like night and day. The lady I spoke to had the issue resolved in 15-20 minutes.
As for the dvc, while I hope you decide to keep it for your family's sake, pm me if you decide to sell. I'm looking at getting dvc and we might be able to help each other if my current dvc offer gets taken by Disney.
Deranged Hermit
Not cool & Pissed
Well, I just got an email telling me they don't have an answer from Disney yet. The title of the email was "Your Right of First Refusal Request for Contract # xxxxxxxxx'.
So annoying. I thought for sure I got my answer early.
So annoying. I thought for sure I got my answer early.
Deranged Hermit
Not cool & Pissed
Well, happy to report that disney waived right of first refusal and we're scheduled to sign everything next week. Thanks to everyone for their help !
glvsav37
Footballguy
hockeymedic
Footballguy
Hey All, We have a family trip to Orlando from 11/18/22 to 11/25/22, yeah, 3 weeks from today. My SIL got a 6 bedroom house w a pool for pretty cheap. Any way planning on going to Universal one day and on another day Magic Kingdom. We have 7 adults and 3 kids (kids 5,11,14). It's been 30+ years for me and the missus anything that we need to know about that will make the one day trips to the parks less hectic or more manageable? I'll hang up and listen Thanks
The Commish
Footballguy
Ive mentioned before that one of my wife's best friends is high up in the marketing group in Disney. This passed weekend we were all together and tensions are high in Disney. Major battles for control going on between the tech people and marketing. Without getting too detailed the long/short of it is tech thinks they have all the solutions. They dont look at the surveys. They see no need for input so there are very few focus groups anymore. Apparently they also think everything can be done via one app. She says its a mess and isnt going to get better until something changes and they get back to driving decisions based on customer input.
As she talked, i was thinking about this thread and all our complaints and I can actually see what she was saying in all the recent changes theyve made. .
As she talked, i was thinking about this thread and all our complaints and I can actually see what she was saying in all the recent changes theyve made. .
dunfee555
Footballguy
Also going to Disney in a few weeks with my wife's family, 11/20-11/27. Staying off-property with 1 day at Epcot, Magic Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. Should average 6 adults, my 3-year-old daughter, and an infant for each park day. Have reservations for The Crystal Palace for lunch at Magic Kingdom, as well as at Hollywood & Vine for lunch, and lightsaber building at Savi's Workshop at Hollywood Studios. Anything else I should be looking for or doing now to be ready? Any advice on the best things to do with a toddler?
Shaft41
Footballguy
When my daughters were 4 and 5, we did the Bibbidi Bobbodi Boutique with them and they loved it. My oldest daughter was almost 9 and like it too, but the little girls ate it up. Not sure if you can get reservations for it this late, and (painfully obvious Disney-related statement forthcoming), it's not cheap, but it was a cool experience for them to do once.
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