Is Aulani a bad choice?

[jimwindy]

You can get some really good deals on Aulani and the contract doesn’t end until 2062, where SSR ends in 2054. If you are looking to go to Aulani, the hotel rooms and standard view rooms which are lower point cost need the 11mo advantage to book. The dues are higher but if you can get a good price per point, the extra length of contract makes it a decent choice for SAP. There’s also subsidized dues contracts that are the cheapest dues at DVC, if you can find one.

Super helpful, how would i find a subsidized dues contract? (I guess it'll be noted in the sale?)

 

[KalamityJane]

Super helpful, how would i find a subsidized dues contract? (I guess it'll be noted in the sale?)

Yes, subsidized dues usually are noted but if not, they will be 6.87/pt (I think) for 2023, and the overall price per point for the contract is usually $120+.

 

[Littlelulu01]

Super helpful, how would i find a subsidized dues contract? (I guess it'll be noted in the sale?)

Some brokers like the board sponsor will advertise the subsidy. Others might list the overall maintenance fees annually and you can see the subsidized contracts because their dues are so much less. Definitely confirm subsidy with broker though.

The closing costs on Aulani are a bit higher for buyers and sellers. I didn’t take title insurance when I purchased which saved some $. Others don’t recommend this but I’ve had my Aulani subsidized points for many years now with no issues.

I know subsidized contracts command a premium but considering how many are going direct right now due to the incentives, I’d be comfortable trying to buy a resale contract at a discount unless the absolute perfect and loaded contract came along I’d probably be willing to lose out on a few contracts in hopes of getting a deal. Even at $120 for a subsidized contract, it’s a substantial savings up front over direct and then there’s the luxury of many years in Hawaii using those subsidized points.

 

[Gu$]

If you can find an Aulani subsidized contract, definitely Aulani. If not there's some argument to be made to get another one just book there at 7 months.

VB and HHI, frankly, are pretty stupid buys. High dues and both end in 2042. I don't think its crazy to think they will be the first resorts to go to a 0 value for purchase or close enough to it, to where you give it away to get out from paying the ever increasing high dues.

Tphere are other factors obviously (cost to get to Aulani can pretty high depending on where you live being one), but buying VB or HHI shouldn't even be part of the equation.

I'm sold! I need to find some subsidized Aulani points asap! Our first purchase will probably be 200-300 points for use at Aulani and SAP 50/50.

 

[DanCali]

I'm sold! I need to find some subsidized Aulani points asap! Our first purchase will probably be 200-300 points for use at Aulani and SAP 50/50.

As someone who recently bought one of these (subsidized), here are my thoughts:

1) It makes the most sense to buy Aulani if you're looking to book the most desirable room categories - i.e., the smaller and larger rooms in the "Standard" (some might say "worst") view category. For example, looking this morning at a 7-month booking window for a 5-night January booking, most room types and categories are available with the exception of studio/2BR/3BR Standard view. So basically, you don't necessarily need this for home resort priority. Perhaps it matters more for Spring and Summer, but I suspect not necessarily for the nicer view categories.

2) The low subsidized dues are great but come at a premium. It's up to you to figure out if it's worth paying the 30%-40% upfront premium vs. non-subsidized. I will say that with the few of listings I've looked at seriously (including the one we bought) both sellers owned the contracts for less than 2 years, which makes me wonder why the "buyer's remorse".

3) There are WDW resorts that are on the monorail track with dues in the same ballpark. For example, both BLT ($7.43) and VGF ($7.33) are just 7%-8% higher than Aulani subsidized, which is just about $100/year extra on a 200-point contract. To the extent you also visit WDW, having home priority at these resorts can make a much greater difference. We live in FL, and plan 1-3 day WDW trips several times a year. It'd be much more frustrating to plan that with just Aulani points at 7 months out. For example, if I look right now for any studio at all 12 WDW resorts for the same 5-night January booking, it's available only at a single resort, which would not be in my top-5 choices (although I may have had better luck if I was there at 8am exactly when the 7-month booking window opened).

For us, the Aulani points are mostly supplementary 7-month currency for WDW. We may get to Hawaii every 3-5 years, but even then, we don't necessarily always plan on Oahu. Kauai and Maui and also great options (we have Marriott timeshares for that). We may bank/borrow to splurge on a larger Aulani room with a better view when we do go there, but for those rooms we didn't necessarily need to own there.

 

[floribr1]

It’s tough to justify Aulani direct points - especially if you are planning to actually use them at Aulani.

I am confused by this comment. Why do you think it is tough to justify buying direct Aulani points "especially if you are planning to" use the points at Aulani?

Meaning, that if you plan to use the points other than at Aulani it would be easier to justify buying direct at Aulani?

 

[intamin]

I am confused by this comment. Why do you think it is tough to justify buying direct Aulani points "especially if you are planning to" use the points at Aulani?

Meaning, that if you plan to use the points other than at Aulani it would be easier to justify buying direct at Aulani?

I think they just meant you’re better off buying resale because if you’re using them primarily at Aulani then you wouldn’t care about access to VDH or RIV.

 

[Cfabar1]

I am confused by this comment. Why do you think it is tough to justify buying direct Aulani points "especially if you are planning to" use the points at Aulani?

Meaning, that if you plan to use the points other than at Aulani it would be easier to justify buying direct at Aulani?

Most of the membership extras and discounts that come from direct are WDW centric. If you're only staying at Aulani who cares about future resort availability, or the fact that your resale points can't be used at Riviera and VDH. Additionally, if you're only going to Aulani who cares about Moonlight Magic, the EPCOT lounge, or Annual Passes, you won't be using them. If you're going to Aulani and not going to use the points on a Disney Cruise, who cares.

If you're just looking for Aulani points that you plan to only use (or mostly use) at Aulani between now and 2062, it makes much more sense.

Aulani direct in any circumstance I find hard to justify, but especially if you're going to stay at Aulani most of the time on your points anyways.

 

[Cfabar1]

I think they just meant you’re better off buying resale because if you’re using them primarily at Aulani then you wouldn’t care about access to VDH or RIV.

exactly...

 

[Gu$]

As someone who recently bought one of these (subsidized), here are my thoughts:

Thank you for your response.

BL - I really just want the cheapest points I can find. I might pay a slight premium for Aulani. A few thoughts and questions from your comment:

1) We live on Oahu. Ability to book standard view and maximize our time at the resort would be nice to have. I should calculate what premium we would paying for that with Aulani points. I also think our points would end up getting used primarily at Aulani. For almost 20 years we have been last minute travelers. The 11 month booking window anywhere is probably less valuable to us than others.

2) Very good point regarding opportunity costs and time value of money. If you're paying more up front and then exiting the contract in just a few years, that doesn't make much sense. We don't plan to finance this purchase. But we're really trying to weigh this against other ways we might use the money.

3) Any references you suggest regarding calculating the cost / benefit of the various WDW DVC options? I know there are some great conversations that have happened on this board I'll be searching for.

Mahalo!

 

[PirateBrigade]

Greetings from Aulani, it’s 5am and I’m meeting with our guide later today about to direct buy 150 points @ $173/pt after incentives. Hurts to see that price knowing resales are ~$100-110/pp (and I’m a huge resale proponent), but thanks to this thread, here are my thoughts.

I’m west coast based with resale contracts at VGC and AUL already, no real plans to make it out to FL anytime soon/regularly. I was unimpressed with VDH (pricing, have other options), and my baby contract with AUL needed an upgrade (we have outgrown a studio). We get out to Hawaii every year (mostly Maui), and are planning Aulani every 2-3 years.

Most our our DLR stays are covered by VGC, but it’d be nice to have points eligible for VDH and I’m imagining the lack of 7mo bloodbath for SAP compared to VGC.

We would book Aulani during high season (due to kids’ school schedules). We will likely never resell and have a ready pool of friends willing to rent points from us, if needed.

I feel my use case supports a direct buy. Thoughts?

 

[intamin]

Greetings from Aulani, it’s 5am and I’m meeting with our guide later today about to direct buy 150 points @ $173/pt after incentives. Hurts to see that price knowing resales are ~$100-110/pp (and I’m a huge resale proponent), but thanks to this thread, here are my thoughts.

I’m west coast based with resale contracts at VGC and AUL already, no real plans to make it out to FL anytime soon/regularly. I was unimpressed with VDH (pricing, have other options), and my baby contract with AUL needed an upgrade (we have outgrown a studio). We get out to Hawaii every year (mostly Maui), and are planning Aulani every 2-3 years.

Most our our DLR stays are covered by VGC, but it’d be nice to have points eligible for VDH and I’m imagining the lack of 7mo bloodbath for SAP compared to VGC.

We would book Aulani during high season (due to kids’ school schedules). We will likely never resell and have a ready pool of friends willing to rent points from us, if needed.

I feel my use case supports a direct buy. Thoughts?

I’m curious as to why you wouldn’t just buy VDH? None of us truly know how VDH’s availability will turn out as the resort just barely started selling although obviously it won’t be as bad as VGC. It’s a lot easier to switch from VDH to AUL than I imagine it will be to switch from AUL to VDH. Personally I’d opt for VDH. If you really only care for AUL and not trying to augment your DL stays then why not just AUL resale?

Edit: Also resale AUL can be had for 80-85 pp so the difference is even more dramatic.

You could even consider a small direct VDH contract and then also a resale AUL.

 

[Frederic Civish]

DVC in general can be a great benefit, IF you are a person who actually will use it. If you plan to make a trip to Disney about every 2 to 3 years, or less, then you can get some wonderful vacations at amazing resorts, for a relatively low price (comparatively). If you travel to Disney more often than this, the benefits can be even greater.

But it does cost an incredible amount to buy into it. However, truthfully, if you sell it at least 15 years before it expires then you SHOULD be able to recoup most of that cost.

So, what about Aulani? If you plan to vacation at Hawaii, if you like the resort and facilities (and they are amazing) then it is a good deal, and NOT a bad choice at all. BUT, if you don't plan to use your points AT Aulani, in other words, if you vacation most often at some other Disney location, then Aulani is probably NOT THE BEST choice for you.

 

[Wedgeout]

Greetings from Aulani, it’s 5am and I’m meeting with our guide later today about to direct buy 150 points @ $173/pt after incentives. Hurts to see that price knowing resales are ~$100-110/pp (and I’m a huge resale proponent), but thanks to this thread, here are my thoughts.

I’m west coast based with resale contracts at VGC and AUL already, no real plans to make it out to FL anytime soon/regularly. I was unimpressed with VDH (pricing, have other options), and my baby contract with AUL needed an upgrade (we have outgrown a studio). We get out to Hawaii every year (mostly Maui), and are planning Aulani every 2-3 years.

Most our our DLR stays are covered by VGC, but it’d be nice to have points eligible for VDH and I’m imagining the lack of 7mo bloodbath for SAP compared to VGC.

We would book Aulani during high season (due to kids’ school schedules). We will likely never resell and have a ready pool of friends willing to rent points from us, if needed.

I feel my use case supports a direct buy. Thoughts?

We are west coast with most of our points are at WDW. Added on a small VDH. With your VGC already, adding to your AUL sounds like a great plan for your trip schedules. After seeing how the online 7 month availability went July 27, deluxe studios should be the easiest to get. As more inventory is declared, it will get even better. I added on a few more weekend trips between December and March with OKW points. Our current guide is at Aulani. Ann-Marie! Have fun with the purchase!

 

[AstroBlasters]

Greetings from Aulani, it’s 5am and I’m meeting with our guide later today about to direct buy 150 points @ $173/pt after incentives. Hurts to see that price knowing resales are ~$100-110/pp (and I’m a huge resale proponent), but thanks to this thread, here are my thoughts.

I’m west coast based with resale contracts at VGC and AUL already, no real plans to make it out to FL anytime soon/regularly. I was unimpressed with VDH (pricing, have other options), and my baby contract with AUL needed an upgrade (we have outgrown a studio). We get out to Hawaii every year (mostly Maui), and are planning Aulani every 2-3 years.

Most our our DLR stays are covered by VGC, but it’d be nice to have points eligible for VDH and I’m imagining the lack of 7mo bloodbath for SAP compared to VGC.

We would book Aulani during high season (due to kids’ school schedules). We will likely never resell and have a ready pool of friends willing to rent points from us, if needed.

I feel my use case supports a direct buy. Thoughts?

I am a hybrid owner. 400 AUL resale, 200 AUL direct (100x2), 400 VGC resale.

I personally felt apprehension prior to the direct purchase in January and then a sense of peace afterwards. I was able to get 2022 points included, have blue card privileges (Star View lounge/ discounts on food and merch/ Aulani member events), and a set of points we could use to try and get into the VDH or any future resorts.

Oh, and you get the points and can start planning instantly!

Our guide is Ashley. She is very nice and e-mails me before our banking window. A bit of ʻOhana.

 

[Cfabar1]

Greetings from Aulani, it’s 5am and I’m meeting with our guide later today about to direct buy 150 points @ $173/pt after incentives. Hurts to see that price knowing resales are ~$100-110/pp (and I’m a huge resale proponent), but thanks to this thread, here are my thoughts.

Yes, me too. I love the AUL resale prices - especially the subsidized contracts.

I’m west coast based with resale contracts at VGC and AUL already, no real plans to make it out to FL anytime soon/regularly. I was unimpressed with VDH (pricing, have other options), and my baby contract with AUL needed an upgrade (we have outgrown a studio). We get out to Hawaii every year (mostly Maui), and are planning Aulani every 2-3 years.

Most our our DLR stays are covered by VGC, but it’d be nice to have points eligible for VDH and I’m imagining the lack of 7mo bloodbath for SAP compared to VGC.

I think this has yet to be proven. We will know more soon, but not right now. This is what everyone is assuming, but so much is up in the air. The continued development of DL for example. 2072 is a very long time away!

We would book Aulani during high season (due to kids’ school schedules). We will likely never resell and have a ready pool of friends willing to rent points from us, if needed.

I feel my use case supports a direct buy. Thoughts?

My thoughts are you should buy timeshares based on where you actually plan to use them. Buy where you want to stay. My suggestion would be buy VDLH for those points, and buy Aulani for what you think your Aulani needs are. You can always borrow between the two if/when necessary.

 

[AstroBlasters]

It is so interesting when someone writes that they already own VGC and do not want to by at VDH direct and people try to convince them to buy at VDH.

 

[DanCali]

Greetings from Aulani, it’s 5am and I’m meeting with our guide later today about to direct buy 150 points @ $173/pt after incentives. Hurts to see that price knowing resales are ~$100-110/pp (and I’m a huge resale proponent), but thanks to this thread, here are my thoughts.

I’m west coast based with resale contracts at VGC and AUL already, no real plans to make it out to FL anytime soon/regularly. I was unimpressed with VDH (pricing, have other options), and my baby contract with AUL needed an upgrade (we have outgrown a studio). We get out to Hawaii every year (mostly Maui), and are planning Aulani every 2-3 years.

Most our our DLR stays are covered by VGC, but it’d be nice to have points eligible for VDH and I’m imagining the lack of 7mo bloodbath for SAP compared to VGC.

We would book Aulani during high season (due to kids’ school schedules). We will likely never resell and have a ready pool of friends willing to rent points from us, if needed.

I feel my use case supports a direct buy. Thoughts?

My perspective is that when buying direct, resale prices matter. There are reasons to buy direct (blue card, access to new resorts, etc) and different people place different value on those. But if one were to do it, it'd try to minimize the delta between direct and resale i.e., minimize the immediate capital loss you incur on paper by buying direct. Very few people actually keep these contracts for 40-50 years even if they think they might upfront, and if you know about the resale market when you buy direct, don't ignore that.

Regarding VDH, nobody knows where resale prices will be in 3-4 years and if it will follow or buck the Riviera trend. But if you are already steering away from VDH direct and want to use other direct points to stay there (with availability risk), then I'd still look at VGF direct for a 150 point package to give you that option - direct and resale prices at that resort are basically the same currently. There is a reasonable chance that if you sell the VGF contract in 15-20 years you will get a lot of what you paid back (like BCV and BWV long-time owners are now laughing all the way to the bank) whereas you lose close to 50% on Aulani direct on "Day 7", once your right to rescind expires in Hawaii. With Aulani being a resort you use that has decent availability at 7 months, you can also potentially use VGF there as well.

For the rest of what you need at Aulani, I'd actually look for a resale subsidized contract. They are not easy to find, especially if looking just for 150 points and a specific use year to go with it. It will cost $30-$40 more than resale unsubsidized (~$130ish), but you will save 25% on annual dues annually, and you will still pay ~$45/point less than the direct price with incentives you cited.

Obviously, my proposal of buying 300-350 points (150 VGF and 150-200 Aulani subsidized resale) will cost you more than 150 Aulani direct so it's also potentially a budget issue, not just a preference issue. But with current dues of $7.33 at VGF and $6.87 on Aulani subsidized, those are pretty economical points to hold.

 

[AstroBlasters]

My perspective is that when buying direct, resale prices matter. There are reasons to buy direct (blue card, access to new resorts, etc) and different people place different value on those. But if one were to do it, it'd try to minimize the delta between direct and resale i.e., minimize the immediate capital loss you incur on paper by buying direct. Very few people actually keep these contracts for 40-50 years even if they think they might upfront, and if you know about the resale market when you buy direct, don't ignore that.

Regarding VDH, nobody knows where resale prices will be in 3-4 years and if it will follow or buck the Riviera trend. But if you are already steering away from VDH direct and want to use other direct points to stay there (with availability risk), then I'd still look at VGF direct for a 150 point package to give you that option - direct and resale prices at that resort are basically the same currently. There is a reasonable chance that if you sell the VGF contract in 15-20 years you will get a lot of what you paid back (like BCV and BWV long-time owners are now laughing all the way to the bank) whereas you lose close to 50% on Aulani direct on "Day 7", once your right to rescind expires in Hawaii. With Aulani being a resort you use that has decent availability at 7 months, you can also potentially use VGF there as well.

For the rest of what you need at Aulani, I'd actually look for a resale subsidized contract. They are not easy to find, especially if looking just for 150 points and a specific use year to go with it. It will cost $30-$40 more than resale unsubsidized (~$130ish), but you will save 25% on annual dues annually, and you will still pay ~$45/point less than the direct price with incentives you cited.

Obviously, my proposal of buying 300-350 points (150 VGF and 150-200 Aulani subsidized resale) will cost you more than 150 Aulani direct so it's also potentially a budget issue, not just a preference issue. But with current dues of $7.33 at VGF and $6.87 on Aulani subsidized, those are pretty economical points to hold.

Your advice to someone that wrote they do not plan to go to Florida very often is to buy a bunch of VGF points…

 

[intamin]

It is so interesting when someone writes that they already own VGC and do not want to by at VDH direct and people try to convince them to buy at VDH.

Normally I’d agree but if they’re buying direct instead of resale to try and stay at VDH then I don’t really understand. Everyone is assuming VDH will have good availability but the reality is nobody knows. Full booking only opened 3 days ago. The only way to guarantee that availability until we have more information is to own there. We know what Aulani’s availability looks like. It’s been open the past 13 years and we both know you don’t need to own there to stay there.

Again he could do a combo of 100 points resale AUL 100*100= 10k and VDH 217*50= 11k so total of 21k vs. 170*150= 25,500.

You would lose blue card benefits which really don’t matter as much on the DL side but you would have flexibility to use those points at VDH if he wants or easily swap them to AUL if he wants. It doesn’t sound like he needs much more at VDH since he already owns at VGC like you said.

I don't particularly care about resale value in general when purchasing a timeshare but if this matters to him the direct AUL contract value drops from 173 to 100 pretty much immediately. A small 50 point VDH contract though? I imagine that will hold up well just because it's DL and it's a small contract. If he decided to sell the resale AUL down the line the loss would also likely be minimal. Of course this is all conjecture but I feel pretty confident saying a small DL contract where there's only 2 DVC resorts will retain value. Nobody buys VGC to stay anywhere but VGC and nobody cares. This isn't the same as RIV where there are a bunch of options nearby and even there the resale value has held up particularly well.