Looking at all the options

[Jack Kuchcinski]

If you buy points resale and then points from Disney, do you get the member benefits and discounts as if you bought all of your points from Disney?

 

[Matty B13]

Only if you buy 75 points direct from Disney now.

 

[erionm]

If you buy points resale and then points from Disney, do you get the member benefits and discounts as if you bought all of your points from Disney?

The current restriction requires you own at least 75 points purchased direct to be eligible for member benefits and discounts.

Owning a mix of resale and direct points does not affect any usage restrictions of the resale points.

 

[Matty B13]

A 75 point contract, to retain benefits, and a 100 point contract would work pretty good.

 

[Jack Kuchcinski]

Do the restrictions limit you from purchasing annual park tickets at the DVC price. We have gone every other year, so it makes sense for us to join. Also how can i find Disney direct resorts available for sale.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Do the restrictions limit you from purchasing annual park tickets at the DVC price. We have gone every other year, so it makes sense for us to join. Also how can i find Disney direct resorts available for sale.

You must own at least 75 direct points to buy the DVC discounted AP, so long as it is offered. It is not a contractually guaranteed benefit.

Disney will sell any resort. They will charge a lot for "sold out" resorts.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Do the restrictions limit you from purchasing annual park tickets at the DVC price. We have gone every other year, so it makes sense for us to join. Also how can i find Disney direct resorts available for sale.

As mentioned, buying and keeping 75 points direct will qualify you for discounts including the discounted AP and to attend member events. But it does not qualify your resale points to be used for things like Disney Collection trades. You'd end up with 75 points that could be used for Disney Collection and then the resale that could not be. It really isn't a bad thing though as you can almost always rent out and pay cash and have some money left in your pocket.

But 75 points resale is at a premium price these days. It still makes sense to run the numbers of buying resale points compared to direct and just how many annual pass purchases it would take to make up the difference. If you go every other year that will essentially double the time of someone who goes every year. A larger family will pay off sooner than a couple. etc. And sometimes it works for just a single person to have an AP and others go on tickets. The AP holder gets the discounts and memory maker so not everyone has to have an AP.

 

[kmc8826]

Sometimes buying direct can make sense. But it depends. It usually doesn’t make sense but it can. For us it made sense to buy a small contract direct to start. If you are buying direct don’t buy a resort that doesn’t work for you. We are family of 5 who want to stay in WDW so CCV and Aulani ultimately didn’t make sense. Do your research. A lot of research! I’ve been interested for years and been seriously looking at it since March. I have talked to a couple guides. I have read every little bit I can on it on different sites. I’ve talked to different members about it. Finally decided to buy direct exactly what I wanted and worked for me and now have under contract a resale which hopefully works out.

https://dvcnews.com/index.php/dvc-program/financial/pricing-a-promotions

Good luck!

 

[Kerrijo]

You will get a blue membership card for any membership of 75 points or more purchased directly through Disney, and that blue card indicates you are a full-fledged DVC member. If you buy resale, you will have a white membership card that does not include access to the member lounge, Top of the World, and the membership extras, including discounted tickets. To book a DVC resort, a point is a point, regardless of direct or resale purchase. To book other places, such as DVC member cruise or concierge collection, you could only use direct points. Yes, Member Services will be able to differentiate the source of your points! Know that if you want to purchase both resale and direct, you will need to pay attention to your use year, as Member Services will try to limit your use year to match your existing contract if you purchase resale first (you are not obligated to take that UY limit, but it is something that some guides will insist upon, falsely). If you buy direct first, you may have to be more patient in finding a resale contract with matching UY if you want to add on at the same resort.

 

[Ben E N]

you buy resale, you will have a white membership card that does not include access to the member lounge, Top of the World, and the membership extras, including discounted tickets

All true except for Top of The World. Disney doesn't advertise it too strongly, but resale can still go up there because the rooftop is paid for with member dues, not marketing dollars.

 

[Kerrijo]

All true except for Top of The World. Disney doesn't advertise it too strongly, but resale can still go up there because the rooftop is paid for with member dues, not marketing dollars.

Thanks for the correction

 

[disneynutz]

Other than myself, not many are posting that DVD/DVC is under new management both at the President and SVP levels. They can and probably will change the minimum points required for direct benefits, the benefits themselves, perks, prices, policies and who knows what else. All we can do is wait until the new management gets comfortable in their new roles as they review the current state of the business, makes their staff changes, and decides how to make Disney more money while hopefully keeping us somewhat happy.

Bill

 

[CraigInPA]

As others have stated, the "member benefits" aren't guaranteed. To determine whether you'd get any economic advantage after paying the premium over resale pricing is virtually impossible, because those AP discounts (which make up the bulk of savings for most people) could disappear tomorrow. In addition, you have to consider the "savings" of the annual pass. If you're going less than 11 days a year in one trip, or 2 trips totaling at least 7 days in a year, the DVC annual pass is more expensive than just buying tickets. The "savings" by buying the DVC annual pass over the regular price AP is around $200. I did the math in another thread for a family of 4 with Mom, Dad, and 2 teenagers, and determined that it would take them 4 years to recoup the direct purchase premium over resale on a 75 point SSR contract. The other direct purchaser benefits are likely to be more transient now that there is a new management team. The EPCOT lounge may close tomorrow, or years from now. The moonlight magic events, which are nice if they fall when you're going to WDW, can be discontinued. The Disney Collection and the Cruises aren't really worth the exchange value. You'd do better, economically, by renting your points and paying cash.

Craig

 

[Jack Kuchcinski]

We have been to Disney 4 times staying at the Disney moderate resorts each time. We go every 2 years. I have cut corners to save, by driving, and booking to include free dining 2 times. We have also paid for meals 2 times. The average cost has ranged from $2,500 - $4,500 when all was said and done. I have a young family (7 & 9) that enjoys the the resorts. As far as vacationing else at other places, nothing has compared and we always find ourselves wanting to go back to Disney. My initial thought was to buy direct for the benefits and then buy additional points on the resale market for the same time period at the same resort to save money. What makes sense to me right now is 200 points at Saratoga Springs at $18,000 and the annual maintenance fees of $1,172. Once paid off maybe purchasing an additional 50 points for room upgrades. However when we went to the DVC presentation the agent informed us that if we buy resale we lose significant benefits. If we bought at CCV for $18,200 it works out with our Disney vacation habits. There is such a savings in the resale market if we buy at the right time, and cash flow works well if we buy in smaller blocks. However because we were told so many benefits are lost from not buying direct I feel hesitant to go any further. I am always looking for value and it might be the value presented over the increase in future prices. Just wondering what other opinions are.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

We have been to Disney 4 times staying at the Disney moderate resorts each time. We go every 2 years. I have cut corners to save, by driving, and booking to include free dining 2 times. We have also paid for meals 2 times. The average cost has ranged from $2,500 - $4,500 when all was said and done. I have a young family (7 & 9) that enjoys the the resorts. As far as vacationing else at other places, nothing has compared and we always find ourselves wanting to go back to Disney. My initial thought was to buy direct for the benefits and then buy additional points on the resale market for the same time period at the same resort to save money. What makes sense to me right now is 200 points at Saratoga Springs at $18,000 and the annual maintenance fees of $1,172. Once paid off maybe purchasing an additional 50 points for room upgrades. However when we went to the DVC presentation the agent informed us that if we buy resale we lose significant benefits. If we bought at CCV for $18,200 it works out with our Disney vacation habits. There is such a savings in the resale market if we buy at the right time, and cash flow works well if we buy in smaller blocks. However because we were told so many benefits are lost from not buying direct I feel hesitant to go any further. I am always looking for value and it might be the value presented over the increase in future prices. Just wondering what other opinions are.

Did you find out what those benefits are or do you still need to know exactly what they were referring to? Significant is just going to depend. Really, the value of DVC is in the lower cost room onsite and most everything else is for marketing. The main one of any monetary value is the ability to purchase AP's but if you go every other year that may not be something you'd get anyway. Even with the AP's the difference between direct and resale prices would take a long time to make up. You should be comparing how many points you need vs the total price - ie, you mentioned CCV for approx the same cost as 200 SSR points but that's around half the number of CCV points so not a good comparison.

Also, what is your planned length of stay? If you go every other year and are eventually looking at owning 250 points then it would be 500 points for each stay as you'd be looking to bank in the years you don't go. Is that too many or are you thinking of going annually after you purchase?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

However when we went to the DVC presentation the agent informed us that if we buy resale we lose significant benefits.

The DVC agent does not get bonus when you buy resale. To claim the benefits are significant is an overstatement for 95% of buyers.

Guides are salespeople. Timeshare salespeople. DIsney counts on buyers sniffing pixie dust and not doing a thorough financial analysis,or understanding that most of the "benefits" they tout are non-financial, and even for an annual visitor, rare to benefit from.

 

[disneynutz]

We have been to Disney 4 times staying at the Disney moderate resorts each time. We go every 2 years. I have cut corners to save, by driving, and booking to include free dining 2 times. We have also paid for meals 2 times. The average cost has ranged from $2,500 - $4,500 when all was said and done. I have a young family (7 & 9) that enjoys the the resorts. As far as vacationing else at other places, nothing has compared and we always find ourselves wanting to go back to Disney. My initial thought was to buy direct for the benefits and then buy additional points on the resale market for the same time period at the same resort to save money. What makes sense to me right now is 200 points at Saratoga Springs at $18,000 and the annual maintenance fees of $1,172. Once paid off maybe purchasing an additional 50 points for room upgrades. However when we went to the DVC presentation the agent informed us that if we buy resale we lose significant benefits. If we bought at CCV for $18,200 it works out with our Disney vacation habits. There is such a savings in the resale market if we buy at the right time, and cash flow works well if we buy in smaller blocks. However because we were told so many benefits are lost from not buying direct I feel hesitant to go any further. I am always looking for value and it might be the value presented over the increase in future prices. Just wondering what other opinions are.

Select the best UY for your vacation patterns.
Buy where you love to stay.
Book at 11 months.
Buy resale if you can.
If you buy additional contracts, keep the same UY and names on deeds.
If you intend to buy a small direct contract for the perks, buy now before the minimum increases.
DVD/DVC marketing can change the perks at any time.
Perks and policies tend to change when management changes.
Expect to spend more on Disney vacations after you buy DVC.

Bill

 

[Dean]

We have been to Disney 4 times staying at the Disney moderate resorts each time. We go every 2 years. I have cut corners to save, by driving, and booking to include free dining 2 times. We have also paid for meals 2 times. The average cost has ranged from $2,500 - $4,500 when all was said and done. I have a young family (7 & 9) that enjoys the the resorts. As far as vacationing else at other places, nothing has compared and we always find ourselves wanting to go back to Disney. My initial thought was to buy direct for the benefits and then buy additional points on the resale market for the same time period at the same resort to save money. What makes sense to me right now is 200 points at Saratoga Springs at $18,000 and the annual maintenance fees of $1,172. Once paid off maybe purchasing an additional 50 points for room upgrades. However when we went to the DVC presentation the agent informed us that if we buy resale we lose significant benefits. If we bought at CCV for $18,200 it works out with our Disney vacation habits. There is such a savings in the resale market if we buy at the right time, and cash flow works well if we buy in smaller blocks. However because we were told so many benefits are lost from not buying direct I feel hesitant to go any further. I am always looking for value and it might be the value presented over the increase in future prices. Just wondering what other opinions are.

The perks won't save you enough money to justify buying retail assuming even owning makes sense. Plus buying DVC won't save you money in all likelihood but may upgrade your experience. You'll have to decide if it's worth the extra costs/risks. You'll miss out on free dining and you'll assume some additional risk of ownership including increasing costs/dues. IF you decide to buy I'd buy the resale and see how it goes, you can always add on later retail if you want. It's almost always better to buy the resale portion first when looking at both anyway. Good luck.

 

[crisi]

Know that DVC members are not eligible for any sorts of special promotions - like "Free Dining" If you are staying in a moderate, and are happy in a moderate, and can occasionally take advantage of deals like Free Dining or bouncebacks, DVC is unlikely to save you money, even resale, over your current moderate stays. DVC will also significantly reduce your flexibility over staying for cash.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Don't buy CCV if that isn't where you want to stay most of the time. Plus if you plan on studios most of the time, you'll need to make sure you book at eleven months out. There will be a lot of competition for studios.