How would you buy in?

[fumanchu2488]

That’s pretty huge! Do you pay dues for 2023 in that scenario?

I don't think I did.

 

[CarolynFH]

That’s pretty huge! Do you pay dues for 2023 in that scenario?

Dues are assessed and payable on a calendar year basis and have no actual connection to UY. They cover operations, maintenance and property taxes for that calendar year. Someone with a February UY pays the same dues as someone with a December UY.

If you buy direct from DVD, you pay dues for that calendar year prorated from the date you sign the papers, no matter which UY you buy.

When buying resale, who pays which calendar year’s dues is negotiable.

 

[CarolynFH]

Could you possibly explain the “last years points” part a little more? I’m not going to be able to make the purchase before 2024. If I were to buy 150 points in June of 2024 for example, they’d give me 300 points for that year? That’s a big incentive.

The concept of getting “last year’s points” is DVD sales-speak for getting what you’re paying for when you buy direct, which is current year's points. Someone who signs papers on, for example, May 1, 2024 to buy February UY points will be in their 2024 UY so will get February 2024 UY points. But if they are buying August UY points, on May 1 they will still be in their August 2023 UY and will get August 2023 points, then on August 1 will get their August 2024 points.

And they’ll both pay the same amount of prorated 2024 calendar year’s dues!

 

[PolyRob]

That’s pretty huge! Do you pay dues for 2023 in that scenario?

You ALWAYS get current UY points with DVC direct. DVC will not sell you the contract if it doesn't have the points in the UY. The only situation where this does not occur is with new builds that did not exist in the condo association for that year.

If I buy 1000 points with a February UY at Riviera in January 2024, I will get 1000 2023 UY points since I am buying in the 2023 UY. Since the transaction is happening in calendar year 2024, I will only ever owe 2024 dues on that contract (and UYs going forward).

With VGF's Big Pine Key expansion contracts were being sold in the 2021 UY with no 2021 points since the building had not been completed for 2021. It opened in 2022.

 

[Pickles516]

Apologies for not being able to respond directly to everyone because there are so many responses, but dang you guys are great! Thank you for all of this info. I’ve been studying the DVCfan videos for quite awhile and you guys are covering stuff even they didn’t!

So, to make sure I’m clear re: use year stuff. DVC direct will assign me a use year, with no input from me, unless I have a resale contract already, in which case they’ll match my use year?

 

[MerlinandtheMouse]

Apologies for not being able to respond directly to everyone because there are so many responses, but dang you guys are great! Thank you for all of this info. I’ve been studying the DVCfan videos for quite awhile and you guys are covering stuff even they didn’t!

So, to make sure I’m clear re: use year stuff. DVC direct will assign me a use year, with no input from me, unless I have a resale contract already, in which case they’ll match my use year?

If you already own with a specific UY, they’ll match it. If you are purchasing brand new they’ll try to persuade you to use the UY they’re selling at that time. But you can always push for the UY you want. I’ve heard most who pushed to get a specific UY got it.

When we purchased they were going to give me Feb UY when they were selling new contracts with Aug but when we got the contract it said Aug, she was going to rewrite the contract for us but ultimately we decided it didn’t matter that much in the long run so we just kept it.

 

[Chili327]

Apologies for not being able to respond directly to everyone because there are so many responses, but dang you guys are great! Thank you for all of this info. I’ve been studying the DVCfan videos for quite awhile and you guys are covering stuff even they didn’t!

So, to make sure I’m clear re: use year stuff. DVC direct will assign me a use year, with no input from me, unless I have a resale contract already, in which case they’ll match my use year?

These two channels were the most helpful when i got started. Both have a huge playlist of everything you could imagine for understanding anything DVC. (and they aren't leaning towards any specific brokers, renters, etc)

Magic in the Music - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1oGx7aOVSWonZw9QaL-JIFJt3BF6Voc0

Jen Lafforge - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgvZMQtWPcPtCY21-L1wg_f6eawPfj97d

 

[Cfabar1]

Now that it’s more than GF its hard to pay cash and stay there,
‘but yes close, nice, but not the same….
i gave up on the LBV palace for the same reason

Not sure I follow you. Swolphin is usually far more affordable than GF on cash rates. Do you mean when factoring in DVC?

 

[Sandisw]

Apologies for not being able to respond directly to everyone because there are so many responses, but dang you guys are great! Thank you for all of this info. I’ve been studying the DVCfan videos for quite awhile and you guys are covering stuff even they didn’t!

So, to make sure I’m clear re: use year stuff. DVC direct will assign me a use year, with no input from me, unless I have a resale contract already, in which case they’ll match my use year?

Not exactly. They usually will have a UY they are offering. But, if there is one you know works for you and want that one, they will usually make it happen.

They do have to get approval sometimes but if you say it’s what you want to buy, then they pretty much don’t turn someone away because of it.

 

[PolyRob]

Apologies for not being able to respond directly to everyone because there are so many responses, but dang you guys are great! Thank you for all of this info. I’ve been studying the DVCfan videos for quite awhile and you guys are covering stuff even they didn’t!

So, to make sure I’m clear re: use year stuff. DVC direct will assign me a use year, with no input from me, unless I have a resale contract already, in which case they’ll match my use year?

Nothing against it, but DVC Fan is sponsored by a resale broker so you get a lot of information about that process. You can save a lot of money with resale, but there are great perks of purchasing direct like ease, size of contract(s), UY selection, favorite weeks, 90 days to pay (no direct financing), Dream it Forward, Magical Beginnings, etc.

Things like using the Disney Visa DVC financing, Chase My Plan, opening a 0% credit card, opening multiple cards with high travel bonuses, etc are great ways to help with direct purchase price since it can all be put on a credit card. Sure it won't make 200 points at BLT worth it with it's "sold out" price, but something in active sales or a small add-on could actually become less than a resale contract if you get enough bonuses.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

Not sure I follow you. Swolphin is usually far more affordable than GF on cash rates. Do you mean when factoring in DVC?

No, I mean I have looked the Swan for some up coming travel and it was 800 to 1300 a night. Nov, Jan, April, The same night Bonvoy points were blacked out.

Those same night the GF cash rooms were in the 600 to 800 range with the AP discount.

The straight cash price was more at swan often

 

[Cfabar1]

No, I mean I have looked the Swan for some up coming travel and it was 800 to 1300 a night. Nov, Jan, April, The same night Bonvoy points were blacked out.

Those same night the GF cash rooms were in the 600 to 800 range with the AP discount.

The straight cash price was more at swan often

Got it... That has not been the case with my travel dates when I have looked typically. On rare occasion one of the properties might have a 1000-1300 rate, but more typically for me they have run 250-500 a night at at least one of the three hotels.

The points redemptions tend to be an insufferably terrible use of points. Additionally there are so many gimmicks and extras you have to pay - resort fees, parking, etc. that I often question how much I am actually saving there.

 

[Pickles516]

Nothing against it, but DVC Fan is sponsored by a resale broker so you get a lot of information about that process. You can save a lot of money with resale, but there are great perks of purchasing direct like ease, size of contract(s), UY selection, favorite weeks, 90 days to pay (no direct financing), Dream it Forward, Magical Beginnings, etc.

Things like using the Disney Visa DVC financing, Chase My Plan, opening a 0% credit card, opening multiple cards with high travel bonuses, etc are great ways to help with direct purchase price since it can all be put on a credit card. Sure it won't make 200 points at BLT worth it with it's "sold out" price, but something in active sales or a small add-on could actually become less than a resale contract if you get enough bonuses.

I would absolutely plan to split the purchase up over my Disney Visa, Chase Sapphire, and JetBlue card. Free points!

 

[CarolynFH]

I would absolutely plan to split the purchase up over my Disney Visa, Chase Sapphire, and JetBlue card. Free points!

With Disney Visa, you can stretch out the payments over 90 days and get 6 months interest free on each payment. Others here can provide details. Let your money stay in the bank longer!

I know you can get more points with the other cards, so you need to do some math to figure out the best deal for you.

 

[intamin]

Agreed. Disneyland is more for us where we can stay offsite and walk to the front gate faster than you can from the Grand Floridian. I just appreciate the convenance.

That's fair. For us, we're kind of the opposite, I grew up in southern California and have been to Disneyland hundreds of times. One of my parents is still a cast member at Disneyland.

We appreciate how expansive Disney World is and like that it's not as congested as Disneyland is. It allows the theming in different areas to breathe. We view the resorts at Disney World an expansion of the parks and as their own experience which is why we love it and why we're okay with paying to own DVC versus staying off property. Obviously to you that doesn't seem to matter which I mean, more power to you, you will definitely save more money off site. For us, we like taking the monorail/skyliner to our resort. There's value in being able to take our kids back to the room to take a midday nap. There's value going to the lounges on a hot day in Epcot. There's value going to private DVC events like Moonlight Magic.

All this just to say people find value in different forms.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

Got it... That has not been the case with my travel dates when I have looked typically. On rare occasion one of the properties might have a 1000-1300 rate, but more typically for me they have run 250-500 a night at at least one of the three hotels.

The points redemptions tend to be an insufferably terrible use of points. Additionally there are so many gimmicks and extras you have to pay - resort fees, parking, etc. that I often question how much I am actually saving there.

At 500 a night, and resort fees you are with 150 buck or less of the GF with the current AP discounts…
‘we are saying the same thing, just with a different magnitude

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

Like…I get the naysayers, I really do. Nothing about Disney makes sense on paper. I could take my family to most of the actual countries represented in the world showcase for the same price or less than a Disney trip. I get it. But *the vibes*. I’m usually very practical and don’t buy things on emotion, but family vacations are kinda all emotion, y’know?

I can’t save a vacation, or get good gas mileage on a vacation, or get 7% compounded interest on my vacation. I get my lovely but jaded New Yorker wife saying, “this is magical as #%<! “ as she sees the castle for the first time. I get my kids giggling and laughing and playing in Typhoon Lagoon’s wave pool for like four hours straight. I get to take a break from being the responsible dad, the “not until your homework is done”, “you need to eat a vegetable every once in awhile”, “not on a school night”, “that’s too expensive” dad and be the “yes” dad. Yes, we can go night swimming. Yes we can get the Tonga toast. Yes we can do alien swirling saucers again even though it’s like thirty seconds long and is pretty much just the teacups because it makes you happy dad.

I get to have my tween daughter, who’s so aloof and cool these days, break down in happy tears because she wasn’t expecting to watch the fireworks from Ohana and we can cry those happy tears together and nobody around us bats an eye because they get it. Who cares if it makes sense?

(And for posterity, the aforementioned Ohana cry-fest)
View attachment 818476

First off, I love this for you! I'm so glad you can get points for your family and enjoy everything that comes with it.

I would price out two-bedrooms anywhere you are interested in and do the YouTube videos, knowing that Animal Kingdom, BLT, and Copper Creek will be getting refreshed/refurbished in 2025. Buying DVC lets you relax and ENJOY the resorts. We don't just view it as a place to crash after being park warriors but our second home, one week at a time.

I'm guessing you are still in the stroller phase of things, and we really appreciate the newer resorts' layouts (Copper Creek, Riviera) with a wide open foyer when you come in and have a place to stash the stroller/ECV and shoes and day packs. I REALLY have a strong aversion to the layouts with the pie-shaped entry and the multitude of doors to get into the bathrooms (Saratoga, OKW, etc.) It's a major space waster and annoying, especially with a built-in large family like yours. We did SS two-bedroom and felt very cramped once the bed was opened in the living room and kids were trying to eat at the table, adults in the kitchen nook, folks trying to walk in/through the main bedroom to find the bathroom. Just a wonky layout, and once you're unpacked and have shoes and sandals all over the place, it's just super cramped!

Copper Creek has the school/daycare setup with the open lockers by the entry and wide-open entrance and alley-style kitchen, which I LOVE. Their living room is a little cramped, but I'm hoping the Murphy refresh helps tweak that a little bit. It's going to certainly be a more comfortable sleeping option than a sofabed! There's a bunch of great food options on site at WL where you do not have to brave the elements, and it's very economical for dues. As well, since you're tied to the school schedules, if you ever wanted Thanksgiving/Christmas week, you have to own at CC to get in those peak weeks. You can get a good resale price there I bet, if you liked that vibe.

Riviera is our favorite and where we own. In our opinion, they nailed the room layouts. They're so spacious and user friendly, with ample storage, and tons of room for the stroller/ECV, day packs, shoes, sandals, etc. It's just wonderful, and having it be so compact in the tower style, it's awesome for the kids to run down to Primo Piatto and grab our mobile orders or get us a pastry/coffee from the lobby. They can go to the pool ahead of us in the morning (ours are 10 and 11, not little-little,) and swim while we finish cleaning up after a meal. We're not worried about them being alone or getting lost if they go ahead of us for 20 minutes. When they're old enough to navigate the Skyliner as teenagers, they totally know how to get around and can enjoy Epcot and HS on their own or with their friends.

Riviera's just really nice but not off-putting fancy, at least to us. The two-bedroom is as large as our house, affords tons of privacy, is soundproofed, yet still allows for everyone to congregate together in the main living room area. We have freakishly tall kids, and my husband is 6'4", with me being 5'10". We never feel cramped or lack for leg room/feet dangling off couches/Murphy/mattresses. I do laundry every night while the kids veg and wind down, and it's great to do COO flying down and having no dirty laundry to take home.

Do I wish we didn't have Riviera resale restrictions? Yes. Do I think it's going to make a difference in 10 years? Not that much. We've already recouped our buy-in cost on our points, and I do think Poly 2.0 and Riviera, you'll need to own there to ever get the standard views in a two-bedroom for a week. Hell, you'll need to own there for any room category for a week standard views.

Riviera is our favorite, but I do appreciate our direct points giving us access to other resorts to try out. We LOVED OKW as a resort-only stay, but we were near the Hospitality House on the ground floor level (husband uses ECV.) If we were somewhere far out at that resort, taking internal buses in July to get to food and the main pool, no way.

Grand Floridian was a bucket list, and while I loved our one-bedroom room, it wasn't laid out as well as expected, food was a trek, and the lobby was mobbed in December 24/7. Monorail was an annoyance after being spoiled with the Skyliner, and the buses SUCKED. You don't know necessarily what you're going to like though until you try it!

Beach Club was nice, great location, but Stormalong Bay is NOT enjoyable with little kids. I was VERY glad that our kids are great swimmers (on the town's team for years,) because between the crazy blind spots with covered bridges, deep lazy river, water slide you have to leave the pool area to access (no one's worried about the little kids being kidnapped being alone on that sidewalk? Just me? LOL,) it was NOT relaxing as a parent. Loved the location though, and walking back from Epcot is magical.

If you like Animal Kingdom, and what kids DON'T like animals out their windows, you could get a decent chunk of points there resale and then buy Riviera or Poly 2.0 direct for the blue card and have DVC match use years, if Poly is more your style/park preference for MK/monorail. Resale now gives you time to buy the points and get in on Poly early sale to existing members at the better price. Animal Kingdom Jambo/Kidani has amazing food options, a gorgeous lobby, tons of activities for the kids on site, long contract length, and a reasonable point chart. As well, AK is slated to be the next park to get enhancements/expansions, so it's nice to be so close to the park. It's nice to park under Kidani, too, if you ever rent a car.

I am not a fan of buying a bunch of SS resale, only because of the room layout and lack of dining options ON SITE. Yes, Disney Springs is nearby, but it's still a trek with four kids out in the elements and expensive. As an exhausted mom, sometimes I just want to order takeout from Primo and eat in our room in our pajamas and send the kids to go grab it. There's going to be trips it rains, the kids get sick, you're exhausted, it's 100 degrees with 100% humidity. It SUCKS to pack and mobilize everyone to catch a bus/boat/carrying takeout bags outside the resort.

Many people report using SS points and never staying there, getting in on other resorts, but I think you'll be super stressed trying to get two studios or two-bedrooms during peak weeks, which is when you're stuck traveling as a teacher and all the kids in school/activities for the next 20 years. I want you to have home resort booking advantage somewhere that you love.

I do think the Sorcerer pass (direct 150 purchase) is worth it for your family size. If you travel summer vacation, you can definitely plan trips for August, 2024/July 2025, or July/June to get two years' worth. You can also do April vacation/February vacation to do that scenario. By then you'll be out of points and probably free cash, skip a year or two to regroup points and cash, and then repeat.

The Cabins at Fort Wilderness are coming on sale soon. They do sleep six, but man, you'd be stacked like cordwood in there, and there's no in-room laundry. I don't think that's a good long-term solution for your family size, but if you hated Riviera as a direct option and were in a bit of a rush to buy, it's coming sooner rather than later as an option.

We bought Riviera financed through Disney, but then we immediately paid it off in chunks on our CC for flight miles. We're from MA, so we fly every time we go to WDW. You can't charge the whole amount on the non Disney CCs, but there's no prepayment penalty, and the DVC financing is ridiculously easy. They also do not do a hard credit pull, if you think you'd need your score untouched for any future purchases/financing. We don't have the Disney CC, but if you Google using it for DVC, there are a ton of perks for spreading out the payments/financing.

My only other advice is to buy as many points as you can responsibly afford. You're going to need larger accommodations on peak weeks. The kids grow so fast and want privacy/to bring friends and cousins (which is super fun! Honestly! It's the best part of owning DVC is bringing others/meeting up at the parks for meals and rides, swimming together.) Split any direct points into 150+50/100 in case you ever want to downsize in the future. You'll never recoup the buy-in on a single 300+contract, and it would suck to go from 300+ to zero points to use, but 300 to 150 as the kids age out of WDW isn't bad.

Also, while the buy-in is nothing to sneeze at, the dues do need to be considered. In the beginning, we just obsessed over the purchase price. Now that everything is paid off a while ago and we traveled 2x a year since buying in, the dues are not a problem, but they are a consideration. It's $200ish a month now, but if we buy another 300, now we're looking at approaching a car loan cost monthly. We plan to buy and hold until death and pass it on to the kids (if they want it, if not, we'd sell in another 20 years,) but we'll be retired by then. I'm not sure I want to pay a monthly mortgage payment in dues down the line.

 

[MerlinandtheMouse]

First off, I love this for you! I'm so glad you can get points for your family and enjoy everything that comes with it.

I would price out two-bedrooms anywhere you are interested in and do the YouTube videos, knowing that Animal Kingdom, BLT, and Copper Creek will be getting refreshed/refurbished in 2025. Buying DVC lets you relax and ENJOY the resorts. We don't just view it as a place to crash after being park warriors but our second home, one week at a time.

I'm guessing you are still in the stroller phase of things, and we really appreciate the newer resorts' layouts (Copper Creek, Riviera) with a wide open foyer when you come in and have a place to stash the stroller/ECV and shoes and day packs. I REALLY have a strong aversion to the layouts with the pie-shaped entry and the multitude of doors to get into the bathrooms (Saratoga, OKW, etc.) It's a major space waster and annoying, especially with a built-in large family like yours. We did SS two-bedroom and felt very cramped once the bed was opened in the living room and kids were trying to eat at the table, adults in the kitchen nook, folks trying to walk in/through the main bedroom to find the bathroom. Just a wonky layout, and once you're unpacked and have shoes and sandals all over the place, it's just super cramped!

Copper Creek has the school/daycare setup with the open lockers by the entry and wide-open entrance and alley-style kitchen, which I LOVE. Their living room is a little cramped, but I'm hoping the Murphy refresh helps tweak that a little bit. It's going to certainly be a more comfortable sleeping option than a sofabed! There's a bunch of great food options on site at WL where you do not have to brave the elements, and it's very economical for dues. As well, since you're tied to the school schedules, if you ever wanted Thanksgiving/Christmas week, you have to own at CC to get in those peak weeks. You can get a good resale price there I bet, if you liked that vibe.

Riviera is our favorite and where we own. In our opinion, they nailed the room layouts. They're so spacious and user friendly, with ample storage, and tons of room for the stroller/ECV, day packs, shoes, sandals, etc. It's just wonderful, and having it be so compact in the tower style, it's awesome for the kids to run down to Primo Piatto and grab our mobile orders or get us a pastry/coffee from the lobby. They can go to the pool ahead of us in the morning (ours are 10 and 11, not little-little,) and swim while we finish cleaning up after a meal. We're not worried about them being alone or getting lost if they go ahead of us for 20 minutes. When they're old enough to navigate the Skyliner as teenagers, they totally know how to get around and can enjoy Epcot and HS on their own or with their friends.

Riviera's just really nice but not off-putting fancy, at least to us. The two-bedroom is as large as our house, affords tons of privacy, is soundproofed, yet still allows for everyone to congregate together in the main living room area. We have freakishly tall kids, and my husband is 6'4", with me being 5'10". We never feel cramped or lack for leg room/feet dangling off couches/Murphy/mattresses. I do laundry every night while the kids veg and wind down, and it's great to do COO flying down and having no dirty laundry to take home.

Do I wish we didn't have Riviera resale restrictions? Yes. Do I think it's going to make a difference in 10 years? Not that much. We've already recouped our buy-in cost on our points, and I do think Poly 2.0 and Riviera, you'll need to own there to ever get the standard views in a two-bedroom for a week. Hell, you'll need to own there for any room category for a week standard views.

Riviera is our favorite, but I do appreciate our direct points giving us access to other resorts to try out. We LOVED OKW as a resort-only stay, but we were near the Hospitality House on the ground floor level (husband uses ECV.) If we were somewhere far out at that resort, taking internal buses in July to get to food and the main pool, no way.

Grand Floridian was a bucket list, and while I loved our one-bedroom room, it wasn't laid out as well as expected, food was a trek, and the lobby was mobbed in December 24/7. Monorail was an annoyance after being spoiled with the Skyliner, and the buses SUCKED. You don't know necessarily what you're going to like though until you try it!

Beach Club was nice, great location, but Stormalong Bay is NOT enjoyable with little kids. I was VERY glad that our kids are great swimmers (on the town's team for years,) because between the crazy blind spots with covered bridges, deep lazy river, water slide you have to leave the pool area to access (no one's worried about the little kids being kidnapped being alone on that sidewalk? Just me? LOL,) it was NOT relaxing as a parent. Loved the location though, and walking back from Epcot is magical.

If you like Animal Kingdom, and what kids DON'T like animals out their windows, you could get a decent chunk of points there resale and then buy Riviera or Poly 2.0 direct for the blue card and have DVC match use years, if Poly is more your style/park preference for MK/monorail. Resale now gives you time to buy the points and get in on Poly early sale to existing members at the better price. Animal Kingdom Jambo/Kidani has amazing food options, a gorgeous lobby, tons of activities for the kids on site, long contract length, and a reasonable point chart. As well, AK is slated to be the next park to get enhancements/expansions, so it's nice to be so close to the park. It's nice to park under Kidani, too, if you ever rent a car.

I am not a fan of buying a bunch of SS resale, only because of the room layout and lack of dining options ON SITE. Yes, Disney Springs is nearby, but it's still a trek with four kids out in the elements and expensive. As an exhausted mom, sometimes I just want to order takeout from Primo and eat in our room in our pajamas and send the kids to go grab it. There's going to be trips it rains, the kids get sick, you're exhausted, it's 100 degrees with 100% humidity. It SUCKS to pack and mobilize everyone to catch a bus/boat/carrying takeout bags outside the resort.

Many people report using SS points and never staying there, getting in on other resorts, but I think you'll be super stressed trying to get two studios or two-bedrooms during peak weeks, which is when you're stuck traveling as a teacher and all the kids in school/activities for the next 20 years. I want you to have home resort booking advantage somewhere that you love.

I do think the Sorcerer pass (direct 150 purchase) is worth it for your family size. If you travel summer vacation, you can definitely plan trips for August, 2024/July 2025, or July/June to get two years' worth. You can also do April vacation/February vacation to do that scenario. By then you'll be out of points and probably free cash, skip a year or two to regroup points and cash, and then repeat.

The Cabins at Fort Wilderness are coming on sale soon. They do sleep six, but man, you'd be stacked like cordwood in there, and there's no in-room laundry. I don't think that's a good long-term solution for your family size, but if you hated Riviera as a direct option and were in a bit of a rush to buy, it's coming sooner rather than later as an option.

We bought Riviera financed through Disney, but then we immediately paid it off in chunks on our CC for flight miles. We're from MA, so we fly every time we go to WDW. You can't charge the whole amount on the non Disney CCs, but there's no prepayment penalty, and the DVC financing is ridiculously easy. They also do not do a hard credit pull, if you think you'd need your score untouched for any future purchases/financing. We don't have the Disney CC, but if you Google using it for DVC, there are a ton of perks for spreading out the payments/financing.

My only other advice is to buy as many points as you can responsibly afford. You're going to need larger accommodations on peak weeks. The kids grow so fast and want privacy/to bring friends and cousins (which is super fun! Honestly! It's the best part of owning DVC is bringing others/meeting up at the parks for meals and rides, swimming together.) Split any direct points into 150+50/100 in case you ever want to downsize in the future. You'll never recoup the buy-in on a single 300+contract, and it would suck to go from 300+ to zero points to use, but 300 to 150 as the kids age out of WDW isn't bad.

Also, while the buy-in is nothing to sneeze at, the dues do need to be considered. In the beginning, we just obsessed over the purchase price. Now that everything is paid off a while ago and we traveled 2x a year since buying in, the dues are not a problem, but they are a consideration. It's $200ish a month now, but if we buy another 300, now we're looking at approaching a car loan cost monthly. We plan to buy and hold until death and pass it on to the kids (if they want it, if not, we'd sell in another 20 years,) but we'll be retired by then. I'm not sure I want to pay a monthly mortgage payment in dues down the line.

Idk why but reading everyone’s posts here has been really fun. I like hearing the different ways and reasons for why members have purchased DVC. I feel like I’ve gotten something out of this thread even if it wasn’t originally intended for someone like me- it’s made me more sure of my own purchase.

 

[Pickles516]

First off, I love this for you! I'm so glad you can get points for your family and enjoy everything that comes with it.

I would price out two-bedrooms anywhere you are interested in and do the YouTube videos, knowing that Animal Kingdom, BLT, and Copper Creek will be getting refreshed/refurbished in 2025. Buying DVC lets you relax and ENJOY the resorts. We don't just view it as a place to crash after being park warriors but our second home, one week at a time.

I'm guessing you are still in the stroller phase of things, and we really appreciate the newer resorts' layouts (Copper Creek, Riviera) with a wide open foyer when you come in and have a place to stash the stroller/ECV and shoes and day packs. I REALLY have a strong aversion to the layouts with the pie-shaped entry and the multitude of doors to get into the bathrooms (Saratoga, OKW, etc.) It's a major space waster and annoying, especially with a built-in large family like yours. We did SS two-bedroom and felt very cramped once the bed was opened in the living room and kids were trying to eat at the table, adults in the kitchen nook, folks trying to walk in/through the main bedroom to find the bathroom. Just a wonky layout, and once you're unpacked and have shoes and sandals all over the place, it's just super cramped!

Copper Creek has the school/daycare setup with the open lockers by the entry and wide-open entrance and alley-style kitchen, which I LOVE. Their living room is a little cramped, but I'm hoping the Murphy refresh helps tweak that a little bit. It's going to certainly be a more comfortable sleeping option than a sofabed! There's a bunch of great food options on site at WL where you do not have to brave the elements, and it's very economical for dues. As well, since you're tied to the school schedules, if you ever wanted Thanksgiving/Christmas week, you have to own at CC to get in those peak weeks. You can get a good resale price there I bet, if you liked that vibe.

Riviera is our favorite and where we own. In our opinion, they nailed the room layouts. They're so spacious and user friendly, with ample storage, and tons of room for the stroller/ECV, day packs, shoes, sandals, etc. It's just wonderful, and having it be so compact in the tower style, it's awesome for the kids to run down to Primo Piatto and grab our mobile orders or get us a pastry/coffee from the lobby. They can go to the pool ahead of us in the morning (ours are 10 and 11, not little-little,) and swim while we finish cleaning up after a meal. We're not worried about them being alone or getting lost if they go ahead of us for 20 minutes. When they're old enough to navigate the Skyliner as teenagers, they totally know how to get around and can enjoy Epcot and HS on their own or with their friends.

Riviera's just really nice but not off-putting fancy, at least to us. The two-bedroom is as large as our house, affords tons of privacy, is soundproofed, yet still allows for everyone to congregate together in the main living room area. We have freakishly tall kids, and my husband is 6'4", with me being 5'10". We never feel cramped or lack for leg room/feet dangling off couches/Murphy/mattresses. I do laundry every night while the kids veg and wind down, and it's great to do COO flying down and having no dirty laundry to take home.

Do I wish we didn't have Riviera resale restrictions? Yes. Do I think it's going to make a difference in 10 years? Not that much. We've already recouped our buy-in cost on our points, and I do think Poly 2.0 and Riviera, you'll need to own there to ever get the standard views in a two-bedroom for a week. Hell, you'll need to own there for any room category for a week standard views.

Riviera is our favorite, but I do appreciate our direct points giving us access to other resorts to try out. We LOVED OKW as a resort-only stay, but we were near the Hospitality House on the ground floor level (husband uses ECV.) If we were somewhere far out at that resort, taking internal buses in July to get to food and the main pool, no way.

Grand Floridian was a bucket list, and while I loved our one-bedroom room, it wasn't laid out as well as expected, food was a trek, and the lobby was mobbed in December 24/7. Monorail was an annoyance after being spoiled with the Skyliner, and the buses SUCKED. You don't know necessarily what you're going to like though until you try it!

Beach Club was nice, great location, but Stormalong Bay is NOT enjoyable with little kids. I was VERY glad that our kids are great swimmers (on the town's team for years,) because between the crazy blind spots with covered bridges, deep lazy river, water slide you have to leave the pool area to access (no one's worried about the little kids being kidnapped being alone on that sidewalk? Just me? LOL,) it was NOT relaxing as a parent. Loved the location though, and walking back from Epcot is magical.

If you like Animal Kingdom, and what kids DON'T like animals out their windows, you could get a decent chunk of points there resale and then buy Riviera or Poly 2.0 direct for the blue card and have DVC match use years, if Poly is more your style/park preference for MK/monorail. Resale now gives you time to buy the points and get in on Poly early sale to existing members at the better price. Animal Kingdom Jambo/Kidani has amazing food options, a gorgeous lobby, tons of activities for the kids on site, long contract length, and a reasonable point chart. As well, AK is slated to be the next park to get enhancements/expansions, so it's nice to be so close to the park. It's nice to park under Kidani, too, if you ever rent a car.

I am not a fan of buying a bunch of SS resale, only because of the room layout and lack of dining options ON SITE. Yes, Disney Springs is nearby, but it's still a trek with four kids out in the elements and expensive. As an exhausted mom, sometimes I just want to order takeout from Primo and eat in our room in our pajamas and send the kids to go grab it. There's going to be trips it rains, the kids get sick, you're exhausted, it's 100 degrees with 100% humidity. It SUCKS to pack and mobilize everyone to catch a bus/boat/carrying takeout bags outside the resort.

Many people report using SS points and never staying there, getting in on other resorts, but I think you'll be super stressed trying to get two studios or two-bedrooms during peak weeks, which is when you're stuck traveling as a teacher and all the kids in school/activities for the next 20 years. I want you to have home resort booking advantage somewhere that you love.

I do think the Sorcerer pass (direct 150 purchase) is worth it for your family size. If you travel summer vacation, you can definitely plan trips for August, 2024/July 2025, or July/June to get two years' worth. You can also do April vacation/February vacation to do that scenario. By then you'll be out of points and probably free cash, skip a year or two to regroup points and cash, and then repeat.

The Cabins at Fort Wilderness are coming on sale soon. They do sleep six, but man, you'd be stacked like cordwood in there, and there's no in-room laundry. I don't think that's a good long-term solution for your family size, but if you hated Riviera as a direct option and were in a bit of a rush to buy, it's coming sooner rather than later as an option.

We bought Riviera financed through Disney, but then we immediately paid it off in chunks on our CC for flight miles. We're from MA, so we fly every time we go to WDW. You can't charge the whole amount on the non Disney CCs, but there's no prepayment penalty, and the DVC financing is ridiculously easy. They also do not do a hard credit pull, if you think you'd need your score untouched for any future purchases/financing. We don't have the Disney CC, but if you Google using it for DVC, there are a ton of perks for spreading out the payments/financing.

My only other advice is to buy as many points as you can responsibly afford. You're going to need larger accommodations on peak weeks. The kids grow so fast and want privacy/to bring friends and cousins (which is super fun! Honestly! It's the best part of owning DVC is bringing others/meeting up at the parks for meals and rides, swimming together.) Split any direct points into 150+50/100 in case you ever want to downsize in the future. You'll never recoup the buy-in on a single 300+contract, and it would suck to go from 300+ to zero points to use, but 300 to 150 as the kids age out of WDW isn't bad.

Also, while the buy-in is nothing to sneeze at, the dues do need to be considered. In the beginning, we just obsessed over the purchase price. Now that everything is paid off a while ago and we traveled 2x a year since buying in, the dues are not a problem, but they are a consideration. It's $200ish a month now, but if we buy another 300, now we're looking at approaching a car loan cost monthly. We plan to buy and hold until death and pass it on to the kids (if they want it, if not, we'd sell in another 20 years,) but we'll be retired by then. I'm not sure I want to pay a monthly mortgage payment in dues down the line.

Thank you so, so much for all of your thoughtful and useful information and well-wishes throughout the thread. It means a lot! CC sounds like a great fit for us on the resale side! I like Riviera a lot, but my family loooooooovves Poly. This is where I’m torn. I wouldn’t be averse to getting 150 riviera points direct, but I know we’re going to want to stay at the Poly occasionally. So that leaves me with wondering do I do CC resale and Poly direct when it goes live for two MK resorts, do CC resale and Riv direct to get an MK resort and an Epcot/HS resort, or do Poly resale and Riv direct…the possibilities are endless lol.

 

[tidefan]

Idk why but reading everyone’s posts here has been really fun. I like hearing the different ways and reasons for why members have purchased DVC. I feel like I’ve gotten something out of this thread even if it wasn’t originally intended for someone like me- it’s made me more sure of my own purchase.

Me too. That's the great thing about DVC, there is something for everyone. For instance, we feel the exact opposite of the prior poster about SSR (which we love) and RIV (which we don't). However, our family and travel situations are very different. The great thing is all are right answers as we all have different situations.

Thank you so, so much for all of your thoughtful and useful information and well-wishes throughout the thread. It means a lot! CC sounds like a great fit for us on the resale side! I like Riviera a lot, but my family loooooooovves Poly. This is where I’m torn. I wouldn’t be averse to getting 150 riviera points direct, but I know we’re going to want to stay at the Poly occasionally. So that leaves me with wondering do I do CC resale and Poly direct when it goes live for two MK resorts, do CC resale and Riv direct to get an MK resort and an Epcot/HS resort, or do Poly resale and Riv direct…the possibilities are endless lol.

If you are torn, I would buy Poly if there are no resale restrictions. I know that a lot of people on here say "we will never sell", but 40+ years is a long time and situations can change. I would always want an out if needed, but that's just us (for the record, we don't plan to sell either, but you never know)...