Help! We've been bitten but unsure what to do next...

[ldo]

Buying direct is a quicker process at a great deal of extra expense. The "discounts" from a blue card would probably not make up for that added cost. I don't know if there are any extra complications when buying from outside the U.S. We have purchased direct and resale. Resale took a few months to finish the transaction but was a substantially lower cost.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I agree - it seemed mad to us. When we sat in DVC last year, the lady frightened us off of resale (we didn't expect any different from someone invested in us going direct) but it has left a nagging doubt in our heads...

Of course she did. There's a fair number of reports that pop up every year of the falsehoods that DVC reps tell about resale. I've bought resale (that was actually what we did first) and many others here have too. Nothing to be "scared" about. The core product - the ability to book a room at your home resort on a first come first served basis - is exactly the same for direct and resale.

 

[ldo]

I have purchased both resale (1st), direct, and then resale again. If you want are purchasing for DVC lodging as your primary reason, then buy more points for less $ resale. Really study the different DVCs and I'd buy where I'd be "OK" to stay if I couldn't swap at 7 months (when you can book anything else available). We bought AKV because we like it a lot and it was about the same price as SSR. We are 100% fine if that's where we stay and have stayed there (usually by choice) about 70% of the time.
Utilizing my direct purchase, I have done the following (direct only) items: discounted annual passes 2x in 10 years for a total savings of $600, DCL members only cruise--excellent, DVC only after hours party at AK-very fun. Having experienced all of those, which I enjoyed very much, I still would not pay much extra for them. A resale purchaser has the same rights to DVC units as direct for your home resort and for all others (except of course Riviera).
Your 1st task should be to look on allears.net and other sources for videos/photos of all DVCs to narrow down your preferred resort. There are also tons of posts here about AKV vs Poly, SSR or OKW, etc. We have 3 kids and found a1 BR unit with extra sleeper chair worked fine for us at AKV and OKW, with no need for a 2nd BR .
I would not buy Riviera due to resale restrictions. I would not buy somewhere like Poly, which doesn't have 1 BR. Good luck. I am very happy with DVC.

 

[arrrroooooo]

As a recent buyer, and to echo what everyone else is saying, it is worth doing your homework. I spent a good month or more researching DVC and assessing the differences between direct and resale, where we wanted to buy, pros and cons of the overall purchase. The time is worth it because it allows you to move from impulse & excitement to a rational purchasing decision.

I would still recommend the route we took: we started with a resale purchase to get the points needed and are waiting to buy direct later for the "coolness factor" of the blue card. Maybe. We prioritized the purchase, the points, and the resort around 2BR because those rooms have better availability. We went with BCV for proximity to the parks, although BWV would have been a close second (minus the ded. 2BR.) We avoided Riveria due to the resale restrictions and because of the theming (although honestly we never toured, so...)

When buying resale, the ROFR thread in this forum was probably the #1 resource because it helped me to see the actual prices contracts were selling at as opposed to the resale listings, which only show the prices contracts are NOT selling at. I talked with reps at three different resale sites, all easily discoverable through internet search, and they were all professional, helping, and definitely not a scam in any way.

 

[Wakey]

I’m from UK and own 4 contracts. Only one direct.

It’s a great product, I personally love it. You don’t save money buying DVC, you’ll spend money, but it allows you to stay in ridiculously overpriced, but very nice accommodations which you maybe would not do quite so often, if at all.

Only issue at the moment is Covid and when we will be able to fly again.

Is it worth buying direct for a blue card? In my opinion certainly not. I did buy annual passes at Xmas though as I did have 3 trips lined up, still do just shifted one to next Easter. So decent discount on passes, but otherwise my discounts and perks afforded by the blue card are very limited and better for more local people (I’ve never hit a Moonlight Magic and don’t spend much on merchandise). Many resale buyers get TIW card, but that generally isn’t worth it either unless you spend a ton on food and drink.

 

[Heather07438]

Yes, I think that first DVC purchase is hard for most of us because the value depends on many individual factors.

The first question to ask is how much will we be visiting WDW? Many guests love to keep visiting thru the years, will that likely include you. Make sure you won't feel pushed into visiting just to use the points. It's an expensive trip beyond the cost of lodging and owning DVC kind of prods us toward choosing those expensive trips over and over. There's always the option to sell back or rent out your points but if you end up only doing 3 visits it might not be worth the complications when there are good deals on long trips offered to the UK or you could rent points thru DVC members.

Direct is unappealing to most guests who look to buy DVC for reduced resort costs. The perks are cute but hardly come near offsetting the much higher price point.

If you made it this far and you're still psyched to buy-in and call DVC your extra home, welcome :^) It is magic to be part of the Disney community. Plenty of DVC owners live in the UK and come to Orlando frequently for holidays.

 

[Bayoumomof3]

I think we looked online and they are offering Riviera at $195 per point, the only other option online is Hawaii, but are there not other options for home resort? I'm assuming that Disney aren't likely to drop the PPP right? I suppose the resale market will be affected, as will everything, in the short/medium term, but waiting is the killer! That pixie dust gets you buzzing quick doesn't it!

We just bought direct at SSR for 165 per point. We bought the minimum to get the benefits of buying direct. For my family of 5, discounts on annual passes will save us about $2000 a year (we are out of state) and that was the main reason for direct. Somewhere, there is a list of the other resorts available to purchase direct at Disney. SSR was the cheapest. We will supplement later with resale points. Happy researching!

 

[Lorana]

We just bought direct at SSR for 165 per point. We bought the minimum to get the benefits of buying direct. For my family of 5, discounts on annual passes will save us about $2000 a year (we are out of state) and that was the main reason for direct. Somewhere, there is a list of the other resorts available to purchase direct at Disney. SSR was the cheapest. We will supplement later with resale points. Happy researching!

We made a similar decision. We knew we wanted BRV and AKL. We bought 127 points direct, because of the AP discounts and access to Gold AP and other discounts. We've bought the rest resale. We actually started with a resale contract, since it would be easier to align UY with a direct purchase than the other way around.

Our initial goal in buying DVC was to be able to stay in 1BR and 2BR villas at reduced cost, as we love the extra space AND having the kitchen to make breakfast and some other meals. However, I expect in the long run that Disney will get more money from us over time than they would have if we were not DVC, as we will likely visit more frequently as a result. Not really complaining, but just recognizing that "savings" isn't the only reason. But quite honestly the hubbie and I love the idea of being able to visit more often, which is why we want the AP discounts. This way we can visit at different times of years for the different celebrations, and maybe catch a Moonlight Madness here or there when those return!

 

[jonpol]

Thanks guys! We really appreciate the help. Reading your experiences has humanised the things that we are reading and researching. I suppose it comes down to the fact that we don't get holidays away that much because of our work, and so when we do go we want them to be special - and having 5 of us cramped in a hotel room doesn't feel special!

I think resale sounds like the path to go down as most of the member benefits will be irrelevant to us at this stage, and we could always buy direct after if we feel like we need to. I suppose we'll start keeping an eye on resale pages and get ready to take the plunge.

Quick q - a few of you guys mentioned having spreadsheets for your research. I love a spreadsheet, but what kind of info did you have on there? Anyone got an example?

 

[jacquellie]

Hi JonPol, I think we are in very similar places and it'd be nice to have a buddy to navigate some of this with! I've lately become obsessed with DVC, but have in the past few days, been exploring resale instead of direct. I'm in Scotland, so WDW seems like a long way away to be making major financial decisions about. I've probably done as much research as you, I'm no expert, but here are some of my key thoughts so far, see if you are thinking along the same lines, or have a different take on it. 1) After looking at the points value for anything that's not at WDW, I don't think I'd be using this for anything other than staying at WDW, that's how resale became more attractive to me. 2) Have you noticed that with resale you don't have to buy 100 points? I'm considering buying 75, which will bring the annual dues down by a quarter, something I was worried I'd be able to keep up with. 3) It's too far to go every year, so that was a stumbling block for ages, but last week I discovered you can bank and borrow at the same time, which makes a big difference for me. My latest idea is to buy 75 points, bank and borrow to get 225 points and then go every three years with them. I might give my 75 points away to friends and family for small trips every 4th year if I'm feeling generous. 4) I am still wondering about the direct v resale, and haven't read everything, but I reason I could live without discounts for the sake of saving thousands on initial purchase price. I was also attracted by the direct perks such as events, but talked myself out of that as there's so much to do at WDW as it is! 5) Above all, my main motivation is that I just want to own a piece of the magic, and know that when I want to go back there, I only need to save up for the flights and tickets (and dining and spending money) rather than the whole thing. So that's where I'm at. I'll be interested to know what you do next.

 

[4luv2cdisney]

Hi JonPol, I think we are in very similar places and it'd be nice to have a buddy to navigate some of this with! I've lately become obsessed with DVC, but have in the past few days, been exploring resale instead of direct. I'm in Scotland, so WDW seems like a long way away to be making major financial decisions about. I've probably done as much research as you, I'm no expert, but here are some of my key thoughts so far, see if you are thinking along the same lines, or have a different take on it. 1) After looking at the points value for anything that's not at WDW, I don't think I'd be using this for anything other than staying at WDW, that's how resale became more attractive to me. 2) Have you noticed that with resale you don't have to buy 100 points? I'm considering buying 75, which will bring the annual dues down by a quarter, something I was worried I'd be able to keep up with. 3) It's too far to go every year, so that was a stumbling block for ages, but last week I discovered you can bank and borrow at the same time, which makes a big difference for me. My latest idea is to buy 75 points, bank and borrow to get 225 points and then go every three years with them. I might give my 75 points away to friends and family for small trips every 4th year if I'm feeling generous. 4) I am still wondering about the direct v resale, and haven't read everything, but I reason I could live without discounts for the sake of saving thousands on initial purchase price. I was also attracted by the direct perks such as events, but talked myself out of that as there's so much to do at WDW as it is! 5) Above all, my main motivation is that I just want to own a piece of the magic, and know that when I want to go back there, I only need to save up for the flights and tickets (and dining and spending money) rather than the whole thing. So that's where I'm at. I'll be interested to know what you do next.

It is somewhat difficult to use DVC for every 3 year trips. You will almost never use exactly 225 points. So, you will likely be dealing with leftover points you can't use.

Ex: trip in 2020 UY using 2019, 2020 and 2021 points but leaving 10 points in 2021...

Your next trip is in your 2023 UY, so you can't access those 2021 points. They would expire end of your 2022 UY if banked.

This can be hard to understand until you start booking stays.

There are a few possibilities on using them, but really.....it may be just a nuisance.

Personally, if you're not going at least every other year, I'd say you're better off renting.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The analogy of ticket touts is bad. This is real estate, which is less ephemeral than a ticket to a sporting match or show.

A better analogy for resale is buying a house that has been lived in, versus a new condo that has just been built. a "used" property doesn't lose value like a used ticket.

 

[starry_solo]

@jonpol : what is your vacationing like? Do you plan to stay 2 weeks each year? Every other year by banking and borrowing? Are you able to book 11 months in advance? What is your family composition? Are you looking for studios or larger accommodations?

 

[jonpol]

Thanks again guys - I think after factoring it out, if we were to buy DVC resale, the cost for us is still high in relation to travel, DDP (if we get them) and park tickets. Of course, the accommodation would be incredible, but with the fact that the cost would only make it possible for us to have a 2 week stay every 2 years, it's probably best we rent. At least this is how I see it? Have any other UK/Europe folks with our variables (family of 5, two weeks every other year) arrived at this dilemma buying or renting points?

 

[jonpol]

@jonpol : what is your vacationing like? Do you plan to stay 2 weeks each year? Every other year by banking and borrowing? Are you able to book 11 months in advance? What is your family composition? Are you looking for studios or larger accommodations?

It'll likely be every other year, with the travel from Ireland, two weeks makes the most sense, plus we can buy 7 day park tickets and get 7 free from the UK deal. The only decision would be on DDP, as we had it last stay and loved it. We have three boys (11, 9 and 7) so they basically qualify as adults for DDP. Flights are pricey in the dates we want to come (around £5000 return for our family).

 

[ocdb8r1]

I'm not sure I understand why anyone would recommend renting over buying if a family is certain they will visit WDW at least every 3 years. Notwithstanding the current situation (which has seen somewhat depressed points rental prices), renting seems to consistently cost $9-10 more per point than maintenance fees. Given there are plenty of resale options at $100 or less per point, that would mean 10-11 years worth of points to recoup your initial investment vs. renting....everything after that would be savings (that's just 5 or 6 trips to recoup the investment if Jonpol needed 300 points every two years (for a two week trip), and bought an annual 150 point contract)....and this assumes zero return if you decide to exit and resell at some point. While purchasing points with the anticipation of having to bank/borrow to have the right amount of points every 2 or 3 years creates some administrative hassle, the flexibility of DVC makes it very doable. While you may end up with slightly odd years where the points to equate to precisely what you own, by being able to bank and borrow every year, you can even out this inconsistency.

As has been mentioned, several have put together more detailed spreadsheets that more accurately model costs/savings and take into account the cost of capital for the initial purchase and/or interest if you take out a loan to finance. Regardless, it doesn't take very long to recoup the investment if you are sure of your visiting habits. Where things can go wrong:

1) are you comparing apples to apples - would you normally stay on-site WDW every year for a full two weeks, or might you stay on-site one week and in alternative (cheaper) accommodation the other week;

2) Will you consistently want to visit every two years for the next decade or so? It's easy to assume you will up front once you've gotten an initial taste of the magic, but sometimes after 3 or 4 trips you realize more infrequent visits are sufficient;

3) Alternatively, will you end up wanting to visit MORE often than every other year because staying in nice on-site accommodations makes your trip even more enjoyable? This is the group that gets add-on-itis. While they're enjoying lots of savings over renting, they may be spending more overall compared to renting because they're taking more trips compared to if they were not a DVC owner.

Final thought - I would not recommend buying direct. The benefits are very limited and the one standout benefit is the Annual Pass discount. This is not as valuable to UK/Irish residents who can benefit from the fairly generous 2 week pass offer. The savings by purchasing resale are just too great.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Thanks again guys - I think after factoring it out, if we were to buy DVC resale, the cost for us is still high in relation to travel, DDP (if we get them) and park tickets. Of course, the accommodation would be incredible, but with the fact that the cost would only make it possible for us to have a 2 week stay every 2 years, it's probably best we rent. At least this is how I see it? Have any other UK/Europe folks with our variables (family of 5, two weeks every other year) arrived at this dilemma buying or renting points?

There definitely are other ways to stay in DVC accommodations that won't require the large up front outlay. Even rent once or twice and if you feel it would work for you for an extended time then look again at buying.

 

[jacquellie]

It is somewhat difficult to use DVC for every 3 year trips. You will almost never use exactly 225 points. So, you will likely be dealing with leftover points you can't use.

Ex: trip in 2020 UY using 2019, 2020 and 2021 points but leaving 10 points in 2021...

Your next trip is in your 2023 UY, so you can't access those 2021 points. They would expire end of your 2022 UY if banked.

This can be hard to understand until you start booking stays.

There are a few possibilities on using them, but really.....it may be just a nuisance.

Personally, if you're not going at least every other year, I'd say you're better off renting.

 

[jacquellie]

Hmm, you've given me something to think about, thanks for the heads up.

 

[ldo]

good plan. I'd stay for 2 weeks if I were paying to fly across the pond! Also, WDW just cancelled DDP thru 2021 due to new Covid 19 spacing etc.