Buying Direct - Which Resort?

Mumof4mice

DIS Veteran
Joined
May 4, 2018
Just bought tickets for our upcoming trip - 10 day magic your way passes was $1750 for 4 people ($2600 when our twins turn 3). We are Australian and plan to take one trip per year. Based on purchasing annual passes every other year (2 trips in 12 months, then 12 months off), we only have to get two rounds of APs to "break even". I'm betting direct perks will continue anyway, as long as resale competition exists.

All of a sudden the cost premium for direct points doesn't look so bad…

So, the question is, which resort?

Also, will my husband be able to purchase a contract in both our names, or would we both need to sign the paperwork? He's making a quick trip to LA this month.

Thank you!
 
Just bought tickets for our upcoming trip - 10 day magic your way passes was $1750 for 4 people ($2600 when our twins turn 3). We are Australian and plan to take one trip per year. Based on purchasing annual passes every other year (2 trips in 12 months, then 12 months off), we only have to get two rounds of APs to "break even". I'm betting direct perks will continue anyway, as long as resale competition exists.

All of a sudden the cost premium for direct points doesn't look so bad…

So, the question is, which resort?

Also, will my husband be able to purchase a contract in both our names, or would we both need to sign the paperwork? He's making a quick trip to LA this month.

Thank you!


If your name is going to be on it you have to sign, like any other real estate transaction in the US. They could mail you the contract to sign if it’s important for both of you to sign. This is what I did when my wife and I signed up for DVC on a DCL cruise in Europe. Their system was down so we couldn’t sign them. By the time we got back to the states our paperwork was there to sign and it took just a couple of days to finalize when we mailed it back.

Which resort will be largely dependent on what your DVC rep says is available when you go. They will push you toward their promo resorts which currently are Aulani in Hawaii and Copper Creek Villas at WDW.

Technically you can buy at any resort but it might take some prodding (and time if there aren’t points available). The consensus resorts to purchase are typically Saratoga Springs or Bay Lake Tower because their lower annual dues cost and the relative length of their contracts. I would recommend Bay Lake Tower if you have little once’s since getting to magic kingdom is a breeze. I used to never care about location until I got a little one myself.
 
You need to buy at your favorite resort, the one that you will want to stay at the most.

:earsboy: Bill

 
I have problems with your math. i.e., a savings of $200 per person x 4 people = $800 per AP year. With the differential between resale and retail being about $50 per point at many resorts, you're regaining the premium at 16 points per AP year. If you buy the minimum number of points to get the benefits, 75, it would take 5 rounds of Annual Passes to get you to break even between retail and resale. Since you're looking at skipping a year in between, it's a 10 year payback using this rationale. As the number of points increase, so does the payback period using AP savings rationale.

75 points doesn't go very far at many of the resorts. Using BLT as an example, and assuming you're going during January (one of the low point times), you'd get 4 nights in a lake view studio, or 5 nights in a standard view studio.

I assume you've already figured out that you want to buy DVC for the savings over what you'd pay for a deluxe room, or the ability to stay in a deluxe resort at moderate prices. However, it doesn't sound like you know where you'd like to stay. That's very important, as it has become very difficult to book certain types of rooms outside the 7-11 month home resort booking period at most times of the year. The often repeated advice is to "buy where you'd like to stay", and the corollary is "buy where you don't mind staying". For my wife and I, transportation and convenient access to the MK were paramount. That brought us to consider GFV, BLT, and Poly. We also considered BWV and BCV, for easy access to Epcot and DHS. After examining points charts, and walking around the various resorts, we eliminated GFV, BWV, and Poly. We then stayed a week on rented points at BLT and BCV. While both were very nice, the convenience of BLT to MK, the monorail, and a certain level of nostalgia brought us to our decision to buy BLT.
 


OP already owns resale at 2 home resorts, so IF you're already set on buying direct, I'd say add on by buying at one of those, in the same UY, so you can use points together. For you, I'd suggest VGF since there are no 2BR at Poly and you may want to have the option

BUT - also look long and hard at the ## from @CraigInPA, because 75 points direct really may not be worth it.
 
Also, your twins aren't 3 yet, and if you take the next trip *right before* they turn 3, they'll be almost 4 by the time you have to pay for them. It may be worth waiting on spending that $ until then.
 
I have problems with your math. i.e., a savings of $200 per person x 4 people = $800 per AP year. With the differential between resale and retail being about $50 per point at many resorts, you're regaining the premium at 16 points per AP year. If you buy the minimum number of points to get the benefits, 75, it would take 5 rounds of Annual Passes to get you to break even between retail and resale. Since you're looking at skipping a year in between, it's a 10 year payback using this rationale. As the number of points increase, so does the payback period using AP savings rationale.

75 points doesn't go very far at many of the resorts. Using BLT as an example, and assuming you're going during January (one of the low point times), you'd get 4 nights in a lake view studio, or 5 nights in a standard view studio.

I assume you've already figured out that you want to buy DVC for the savings over what you'd pay for a deluxe room, or the ability to stay in a deluxe resort at moderate prices. However, it doesn't sound like you know where you'd like to stay. That's very important, as it has become very difficult to book certain types of rooms outside the 7-11 month home resort booking period at most times of the year. The often repeated advice is to "buy where you'd like to stay", and the corollary is "buy where you don't mind staying". For my wife and I, transportation and convenient access to the MK were paramount. That brought us to consider GFV, BLT, and Poly. We also considered BWV and BCV, for easy access to Epcot and DHS. After examining points charts, and walking around the various resorts, we eliminated GFV, BWV, and Poly. We then stayed a week on rented points at BLT and BCV. While both were very nice, the convenience of BLT to MK, the monorail, and a certain level of nostalgia brought us to our decision to buy BLT.

You're right, I thought Gold APs were $500 from reading some of the threads, so the numbers are slightly off.

In a 4 year period,
- 10 day base tickets once per year: $1760 (2019)+ $1760 (2020) + $2600 (2021) + $2600 = $8720
- 10 day park hoppers once per year: $2000 + $2000 + $3000 + $3000 = $10,000
- 2 sets of APs: $589x4 (2019/2020) + $589x6 (2021/2022)= $5890

Saving of roughly $4000 comparing 4 sets of park hoppers (which we would prefer over MYW tickets) to 2 sets of Gold APs.

We have all three MK resorts covered. But no Epcot resort due to $$$. Can't make the decision without staying at BWV/BCV first. And even then, I most likely won't be able to bring myself to do it.

OP already owns resale at 2 home resorts, so IF you're already set on buying direct, I'd say add on by buying at one of those, in the same UY, so you can use points together. For you, I'd suggest VGF since there are no 2BR at Poly and you may want to have the option

BUT - also look long and hard at the ## from @CraigInPA, because 75 points direct really may not be worth it.

Also, your twins aren't 3 yet, and if you take the next trip *right before* they turn 3, they'll be almost 4 by the time you have to pay for them. It may be worth waiting on spending that $ until then.

Agree VGF makes a lot of sense! But it's a very painful $220. I should have phrased my question more precisely: Should I add additional points at current resorts, or buy cheapest possible direct points to get the job done?
 


OP already owns resale at 2 home resorts, so IF you're already set on buying direct, I'd say add on by buying at one of those, in the same UY, so you can use points together. For you, I'd suggest VGF since there are no 2BR at Poly and you may want to have the option

BUT - also look long and hard at the ## from @CraigInPA, because 75 points direct really may not be worth it.
As I was reading the responses to @Mumof4mice which were assuming that she was just starting out buying, I kept thinking to myself "how do these people not know that she already has contracts at 2 resorts?" Then I remembered that maybe I'm the weird one who remembers all the information of who is/has bought resale recently. You made me feel less weird.:rolleyes1
 
Agree VGF makes a lot of sense! But it's a very painful $220. I should have phrased my question more precisely: Should I add additional points at current resorts, or buy cheapest possible direct points to get the job done?
I think in your situation, I would add on to one of the resorts you already have. While you might get more bang for the buck at one of the cheaper resorts, the points will be less useful to you and become annoying to try to use with your other contracts at the 7 month mark.
 
I feel like, inevitably, Disney habits change over time. And when they do, your point needs will change. Kids grow out of it, maybe you don't go to WDW as often, whatever the case, people end up selling out of their Disney timeshare all the time.

Of all your contracts, the one you are most likely to hold onto will be your direct contract given the perks you'll have associated with them, so in that vein, I would second kboo's suggestion for BLT, matching your same BLT UY. In the short term, your non-people people will be in a pram, so the walk to BLT will be a nice reprieve from the "Excuse me. Sorry." And "No, we'll wait for the next one" monorail business. In the long term, 2Brs with the 3rd bathroom will be a godsend with disgusting teenagers running around.

If you downgrade your needs, 75 points at BLT will go a lot further than at either VGF or PVB. And with 40 more years of dues, BLT (for now) is definitely the most cost effective option.

Oh, and in terms of the math... honestly, if you can afford it, I wouldn't lean too much on the $ justification.

Most people who preach the pitfalls of buying direct for the benefits are people who have the pleasure of enjoying those benefits. Those who were grandfathered in "would never pay for a 25 point contract to get those benefits." Those who bought the 25 points loophole "have trouble justifying it at 75 points." And in x years when the buy in is up to 150 points people will declare, "75 points was at least reasonable when I did it, but 150 points at these prices? No way!" The goalposts just keep moving.
 
Great post Bing Showei. Summed it up perfectly.

Without a doubt point needs change dramatically throughout life. When I first got into DVC at Aulani, it was just my wife and I. We have since had a daughter, and although a studio is perfect for us now if it’s just us, we love traveling with friends and family too. Once they get wind of a nice trip to Hawaii and are only out the airfare, they jump at it.

Long term as our daughter gets older and if we have more kids we definately will need more space so have already bought resale at Aulani once, and are planning a resale BLT in the near future. Your situation is a bit different coming from Australia which travel is more lengthy, but I know long term my kids will likely love using it as they get older just as much as we do. My favorite childhood memories are doing Disney trips, and my guess is they are for my daughter. I never grew out of it, and my guess is many here never have either (and is why they spend their money and vacation time with Disney, and free time posting here).
 
In a 4 year period,
- 10 day base tickets once per year: $1760 (2019)+ $1760 (2020) + $2600 (2021) + $2600 = $8720
- 10 day park hoppers once per year: $2000 + $2000 + $3000 + $3000 = $10,000
- 2 sets of APs: $589x4 (2019/2020) + $589x6 (2021/2022)= $5890

ok 75 BLT points x $191 = 14,325.

Even assuming you want 10-day park hoppers, the savings is a little over $4,000 between now and 2022. And since your twins will be 3+ after that, it looks like you'll save about $1250 per year for the 6 of you (every 2 years the cost differential is just under $2500). So it would take you 12 years to "break even", not including dues, etc.

If you have the $ to spend, and know you need points anyway, consider this: Meanwhile, $14325 will get you over 100 points on the resale market. 100 points if you travel in early December (low points, your summertime) will get you 2 nights in a 2br at BLT.

If you are looking at the "breakeven" alone, Another consideration is whether you should be comparing the Gold AP with a non-discounted Platinum AP used the same way (over 2 trips) - then the savings is $260 per person per pass - or $1560 for 6 people over 2 years. Leading to a breakeven point of 9 passes, which actually spans 18 years.

One thing about the "breakeven" calculation is that it doesn't look at the other side, which is - for the $ to buy 75 points direct, is the savings on AP a better value, or is getting more points via resale a better value? Only you know the answer to that one.

We have all three MK resorts covered. But no Epcot resort due to $$$. Can't make the decision without staying at BWV/BCV first. And even then, I most likely won't be able to bring myself to do it.

Our original plan 18-24 mo ago was to buy 1 EP resort and 1 MK resort. You see how that went. For us, I think we should be able to get 1br or larger at BWV/BCV in lower demand times, so that's what we will shoot for. Or use Starwood/Marriott points for Swan or Dolphin.
 
Some of this math is assuming park prices stay static, as do annual passes over the next decade.

Plus we are assuming DVC members keep this perk, which could change at any time (for better or worse).
 
One thing about the "breakeven" calculation is that it doesn't look at the other side, which is - for the $ to buy 75 points direct, is the savings on AP a better value, or is getting more points via resale a better value? Only you know the answer to that one.

I'm currently looking for another resale anyway. So was doing rough breakeven based on the price difference between direct and resale points I could potentially land. The difference for 75 points ranges from approximately $4000(SSR) to $6000(vgf). Didn't think of comparing gold to plat. AP. That's a good point.

It's amazing that I'm barely making sense and people take time to help with such detailed answers. Thanks everyone!! (The twins are teething. Waking up at all hours looking for someone to answer for their misery).

Honestly, we knew how much park passes cost before we bought the resale contracts. But paying for them is painful, just like wiring the balance at settlement is more painful than looking at the dollar amount on your accepted offer! The last time we bought day passes, we were newlyweds. We've only bought APs and stretched them as a family (Hong Kong and DLR APs).
 
The difference for 75 points ranges from approximately $4000(SSR) to $6000(vgf)
Also, don't forget to take into account that your lowball offers are more likely to get by the mouse at VGF. So it generally makes the resale savings difference greater while making the savings on the direct benefits harder to recoup.
 
DVC doesn't really save you much money, in the long run you will be paying the Mouse more.

:earsboy: Bill
Word. We are on our way to the airport now for a long weekend. Not staying DVC, but we put this trip together about 4 weeks ago when the AP early access “perk” came out for TS Land. We are staying on hotel points and have APs, but of course we are paying more money than if we just stayed home.
 
DVC doesn't really save you much money, in the long run you will be paying the Mouse more.

:earsboy: Bill

Too true! We've essentially pledged 50% of future vacation budget to Disney. It's a good thing they don't require your first born son as hostage - I'd rather give up the permanently teething one. Oh well, one "easy" vacation and one activity/adventure trip is a good balance.
 
I also strongly advise you to buy at the resort where you would most prefer to stay. Currently you often have a number of options at seven months. But you will not have complete availability, and it could get worse. So pick what you like. If you are buying direct from Disney, then Saratoga Springs and old key west are nice, with old key west having a contract that lasts longer than Saratoga Springs, but another resort that lasts the same amount of time is the animal Kingdom Lodges. And in my opinion they far outclass either Saratoga Springs or old key west, while not Costing as much as some other resorts, for DVC points.

You can do it all by mail. I never went to a DVC presentation. I never talked to anyone on site about DVC. I just did my own research and then called them up one day to say I wanted to buy. My wife and I both needed to sign the contract. It took about a week or so and everything was fine. If you want to do it immediately, Copper Creek is probably your only option, but it is a beautiful resort. So not a bad choice at all. If you are willing to have them put you on a waiting list, you can wait, hopefully, for almost all of the other resorts as soon as they get some inventory purchased back from other people.
 

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