VGF Points Came Through

[AEA1127]

Hi everyone!

My husband and I added ourselves to both the BLT and VGF waitlists recently and were just told that the VGF points came through. We were surprised to get off the waitlist so quickly but with all the recent price increases, point reallocation, and now the resale restrictions we have started questioning our plans.

We were originally planning to buy 250ish points hoping to take two trips a year in a studio or do one week in a bigger room but obviously that doesn't work at VGF like it could at BLT. Now we're thinking that we should buy less points to start and then add on later. At 11 months will we be unable to get a studio? We're flexible with dates but like to travel Sept-early December and also in the Spring. I'm definitely a little nervous to plan on a studio and have that not work out for us. I've read about walking reservations but as a newbie I'm nervous that I'll mess that up.

With the new resale restrictions we're also trying to consider whether we'd have a hard time selling if we ever had to. We're thinking that because of the location and resort we should still be able to find a buyer but maybe that's not true? We definitely hope to never have to sell, but you just never know what could happen in the future!

Anything else we should be worrying about and/or taking into consideration? Are we crazy to still be thinking about buying right now with all the changes that have been announced recently? I appreciate any and all help!

 

[TexasChick123]

Hi everyone!

My husband and I added ourselves to both the BLT and VGF waitlists recently and were just told that the VGF points came through. We were surprised to get off the waitlist so quickly but with all the recent price increases, point reallocation, and now the resale restrictions we have started questioning our plans.

We were originally planning to buy 250ish points hoping to take two trips a year in a studio or do one week in a bigger room but obviously that doesn't work at VGF like it could at BLT. Now we're thinking that we should buy less points to start and then add on later. At 11 months will we be unable to get a studio? We're flexible with dates but like to travel Sept-early December and also in the Spring. I'm definitely a little nervous to plan on a studio and have that not work out for us. I've read about walking reservations but as a newbie I'm nervous that I'll mess that up.

With the new resale restrictions we're also trying to consider whether we'd have a hard time selling if we ever had to. We're thinking that because of the location and resort we should still be able to find a buyer but maybe that's not true? We definitely hope to never have to sell, but you just never know what could happen in the future!

Anything else we should be worrying about and/or taking into consideration? Are we crazy to still be thinking about buying right now with all the changes that have been announced recently? I appreciate any and all help!

Look into resale. There are a lot of good contracts out there for a much better value than direct right now. Buy the amount you want knowing you can always add on 75 direct if you want the benefits. Make sure your resale contract goes to ROFR before the 19th, and you’ll be fine. Direct for that many points is a very large price difference. There are no guarantees that the points will stay the same or even close to the same anymore for studios and 1BR’s. As someone who bought in a few years ago, I can tell you that your travel habits will change despite your best efforts. Also, most people do need a break from Disney if they go a lot. Studios at VGF are only super tough in the first two weeks of December. Other times can be challenging, but nothing like those two weeks. Also, if you buy VGF via resale, it’ll cost less and you can buy a few more points to help soften the blow of any point reallocations.

Be careful not to buy too big of a contract in case you ever want to sell. 250 points in one contract is a big contract. If you know that you’ll want the direct benefits, then do 175 resale and 75 direct if you want to stick with 250 points. As a VGF owner myself, I love the resort. Best of luck with your decision.

 

[Liv&Leah]

I love VGF. We bought in 2014 and have gone every New Year. I have never had a problem booking right at the 11 month window during non-peak seasons. December is probably the hardest month. Points were $100 less when we purchased. I am not so sure I would purchase direct right now. It's a bit too expensive in my opinion. I would try to find a resell contract and then add on additional points later.

 

[D-Trick]

The people on these boards are very knowledgeable and helpful! I recommend giving some thought to what others post. I agree with the previous posters and would recommend resale. +1 to TexasChick123's post.

 

[4luv2cdisney]

If you decide to buy at all..
Direct pricing goes up $25 / pt for vgf on Wednesday. If you're sure you want 75 for benefits, I'd at least take those now.
Usually people say resale first, direct later, but time is short.
A quick search shows a couple resale contracts in the 120-175 pt range avail right now. Some stripped. Might want to push both thru if you can. If you don't pass ROFR you only lose ability to stay at new resorts on those points.
Good luck!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The next resale restriction will be meaningless for a VGF buyer/owner. I wouldn't worry about it. It is Riviera buyers who are going to be screwed.

Buy 75 direct then shop resale.

 

[sndral]

Look into resale...Buy the amount you want knowing you can always add on 75 direct if you want the benefits...

It’s important with VGF direct to realize that it’s a very small DVC resort and that DVC has in the past closed the wait list. Whether you can even get on a wait list for VGF isn’t guaranteed and if you can, how long you’d wait for points in your use year is unknown.
This would be less of an issue w/ larger DVC resorts, but I wouldn’t assume that the short wait OP experienced would be the norm for VGF.
OP what use year were you offered?

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Hi everyone!

My husband and I added ourselves to both the BLT and VGF waitlists recently and were just told that the VGF points came through. We were surprised to get off the waitlist so quickly but with all the recent price increases, point reallocation, and now the resale restrictions we have started questioning our plans.

We were originally planning to buy 250ish points hoping to take two trips a year in a studio or do one week in a bigger room but obviously that doesn't work at VGF like it could at BLT. Now we're thinking that we should buy less points to start and then add on later. At 11 months will we be unable to get a studio? We're flexible with dates but like to travel Sept-early December and also in the Spring. I'm definitely a little nervous to plan on a studio and have that not work out for us. I've read about walking reservations but as a newbie I'm nervous that I'll mess that up.

With the new resale restrictions we're also trying to consider whether we'd have a hard time selling if we ever had to. We're thinking that because of the location and resort we should still be able to find a buyer but maybe that's not true? We definitely hope to never have to sell, but you just never know what could happen in the future!

Anything else we should be worrying about and/or taking into consideration? Are we crazy to still be thinking about buying right now with all the changes that have been announced recently? I appreciate any and all help!

All 250 points direct? What is the reason for that? At least buy resale - or 75 direct and the rest resale which means that someone else has already taken the hit of direct vs resale pricing difference.

VGF is a very small resort though and because of the point charts the fact that studios sleep 5 they are the most popular room category. You need to be able to book at 11 months to be able to consistently get them and if you are looking to visit during Oct-Dec it can be a nail biter to get it. Of course someone has to get them but you will be up against some competition.

 

[Networth]

I own at VGF I agree with all the previous posters. That is a big cost for direct at $220 x 250 points your at 55k according to quick math. You could get 75 direct and spend the rest of the money on a resale for more points. I have to ask why do you want direct so bad? VGF direct price points is a bit insane IMO.

As mentioned getting a studio Oct-December will take some work on your part. Some owner have been walking both lake and standard studios since late Nov/Early December.

Resale restrictions are null IMO as no one buys VGF hoping to trade out.

 

[AEA1127]

Thank you everyone for the insight.

My husband and I definitely are not against resale, we just happened to speak to a guide and didn't think it hurt to put ourselves on the waitlist. We weren't under the impression they would come through so quickly so now we're trying to decide what to do.

What happens if we buy some direct points and then add on resale later? Will that restrict the resale points to only be used at the 14 original resorts? I don't think we plan to stay elsewhere but would possibly do it occasionally. For example, there are a couple of resorts that I think our kids would enjoy so we would think of going to those places once in a while.

@sndral We were offered a use year of June. Right now we are flexible in our travel dates because our kids aren't in school yet, but who knows what the future holds. We also were told that if we take all the points offered that we will be on the top of the list for the remaining. Do you think if we choose to go resale later we would have a hard time finding a June UY?

 

[JETSDAD]

Thank you everyone for the insight.

My husband and I definitely are not against resale, we just happened to speak to a guide and didn't think it hurt to put ourselves on the waitlist. We weren't under the impression they would come through so quickly so now we're trying to decide what to do.

What happens if we buy some direct points and then add on resale later? Will that restrict the resale points to only be used at the 14 original resorts? I don't think we plan to stay elsewhere but would possibly do it occasionally. For example, there are a couple of resorts that I think our kids would enjoy so we would think of going to those places once in a while.

@sndral We were offered a use year of June. Right now we are flexible in our travel dates because our kids aren't in school yet, but who knows what the future holds. We also were told that if we take all the points offered that we will be on the top of the list for the remaining. Do you think if we choose to go resale later we would have a hard time finding a June UY?

Just taking a quick look for VGF with June UY and there are some available right now if you wanted to get them without restrictions and add your 75 direct if you want the perks. For instance, there is a 200 pt June UY available for $159 on one of the sites.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Yes, the resale points would be restricted to use at the 14 existing if you did not purchase them before the 19th of Jan. Whatever # of points bought direct will have the option to trade into any new resorts they build (until they change their mind on restrictions again.....) You can always use banking/borrowing to have more than a single years worth of direct points for that trade should you decide you want to try Riviera or whatever else comes down the line. Or rent out your points and rent points for Riviera. It's a TON of money for the possibility of a stay or two. You could almost certainly pay cash for the Riviera stay and still come out ahead vs buying all points direct.

 

[AEA1127]

My fear is that Disney will block us in ROFR and then I'll also lose the direct points that I'm being offered. Maybe I'm overthinking that though.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

My fear is that Disney will block us in ROFR and then I'll also lose the direct points that I'm being offered. Maybe I'm overthinking that though.

Yes, that probably is overthinking it. But I've been thru ROFR more than once and pretty much dismiss it. Never have been ROFR'd but it was the first one that was the most stressful - it's built up to be such a big thing you can't help but feel stressed! You still can purchase the minimum direct and then do a resale. If it gets ROFR'd then try again. Thousands of dollars makes it worth the chance IMO unless personal funds are so great that it really doesn't matter at all. Even then - I don't think I could ever ignore the difference. They don't have a history of much ROFR at VGF though.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

My fear is that Disney will block us in ROFR and then I'll also lose the direct points that I'm being offered. Maybe I'm overthinking that though.

But you could just take 75 direct and then go into the resale market. If you tell them you changed your mind and just want 75 they'll still sell them to you.

 

[AEA1127]

Definitely a little stressed over here! We truly weren't expecting to get off the waitlist so quickly! Our guide told us BLT would likely be a year or more and that VGF would probably happen but could still be a while. We figured we'd end up with VGF in the next 6 months or so.

My husband would love to save money but he also wants a few of the perks of direct so I think we will definitely be buying some points now before the price increase. We just don't want to buy some points and then be unable to get the rest. I would definitely rather pay today's direct price than end up forced to pay even more if we can't find the resale. Resale would definitely allow us to buy some extra points for those times of year a studio is hard to find and I wouldn't be upset about that!

 

[JETSDAD]

Definitely a little stressed over here! We truly weren't expecting to get off the waitlist so quickly! Our guide told us BLT would likely be a year or more and that VGF would probably happen but could still be a while. We figured we'd end up with VGF in the next 6 months or so.

My husband would love to save money but he also wants a few of the perks of direct so I think we will definitely be buying some direct now before the price increase. We just don't want to buy some points and then be unable to get the rest. I would definitely rather pay today's direct price than end up forced to pay even more if we can't find the resale. Resale would definitely allow us to buy some extra points for those times of year a studio is hard to find, so I wouldn't be upset about that!

If you aren't concerned about the new resale restrictions then there will always be resale contracts to be able to add on resale.

 

[AEA1127]

And now you all have me wondering if we would ever not want to stay at VGF. Is losing future resort swapping going to be a huge deal? Should we just buy a bigger resale contract and not worry about the direct perks? Ah!

 

[TexasChick123]

And now you all have me wondering if we would ever not want to stay at VGF. Is losing future resort swapping going to be a huge deal? Should we just buy a bigger resale contract and not worry about the direct perks? Ah!

Buy 75 direct for perks and buy the rest resale. There are plenty of resale contracts out there. They most likely won’t take VGF points back via ROFR. Even through resale, VGF is high. There are resorts they like to scoop up via resale, and VGF isnt one of them. You’ll be fine. All of my VGF contracts are resale. Also, I had a lot of contracts taken via ROFR but none were VGF. They were BLT, BWV, and SSR. Again, they won’t take your VGF. We bought in before our kids were in school a few years ago. Our oldest is now school aged. It changes vacations, a lot!

 

[AEA1127]

Thank you @TexasChick123! That's reassuring to hear about ROFR. It really seems so nerve racking thinking about that process.

Regarding June UY. Will June be ok for us? I have had such a hard time with UY because I know that as soon as the kids get into school and other activities we may be forced to do school vacation weeks or summer. But until then, we will be avoiding those times.

Also, I'm under the impression that we won't have any issues combining our points as long as we match UY?

I really appreciate how helpful everyone is being! My husband I have been talking ourselves crazy and all your advice is SO helpful. Everything seems so much more real when there are points for the taking right now.