# Question about DVC Timeshare



## robotech_elder (Aug 17, 2016)

Ok so I recently saw a open house at Saratoga Springs for DVC.  they offered $171 a point for the Polynesian Resort.  Sounds Kind of High for me but I am wondering should I go resale and if I don't I feel I will lose out on other benefits from DVC.  For example.  My wife wanted to use DVC points were considering getting 150-200 points for our family of 5.  for a trip to Disneyland in Paris.  Please advise.  Thanks and I am new to the boards!


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## bnoble (Aug 17, 2016)

> My wife wanted to use DVC points were considering getting 150-200 points for our family of 5. for a trip to Disneyland in Paris.


You cannot do this if you buy resale---DLP does not have a DVC resort per se. Instead, you would be using DVC points for an "internal exchange" into one of the DLP hotels, and only direct purchasers can do "internal exchanges."

However, that's also probably a poor use of DVC points.  You can often get very good deals on those hotels, especially if you book through a site other than the US site. I booked through Ireland for our trip a few years ago, and got four nights/five days for the price of two nights/three days.  That made the cost quite affordable.


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## rickandcindy23 (Aug 17, 2016)

You can rent your Disney points and pay cash for accommodations in Disneyland Paris.  Personally, i would stay at the Marriott timeshare, which is right next to Disneyland Paris, and I can get that via exchange.  I would do that in a heartbeat.

Resale points are about half that much, you can buy at any resort and book at 7 months.


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## robotech_elder (Aug 17, 2016)

how to do book through Ireland?


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## robotech_elder (Aug 17, 2016)

is there a list of good resale companies I wouldn't mind looking into that.  But I also want to be a card carrying member and with the benefits too.


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## Gracey (Aug 17, 2016)

Get acquainted with these forums 

http://www.disboards.com/forums/disney-vacation-club-forums.200/


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## presley (Aug 17, 2016)

robotech_elder said:


> is there a list of good resale companies I wouldn't mind looking into that.  But I also want to be a card carrying member and with the benefits too.



http://www.dvcmagicresales.com/dvcmr/
https://www.resalesdvc.com/

Those are a couple that have really good reputations. 

If you buy resale, you have the same access to DVC properties and RCI exchanges that retail owners have. You won't have the ability to exchange your points for hotels, cruises and some of the small discount benefits that they offer. It is much cheaper to pay for the hotels and cruises than to use your expensive DVC points to exchange for those things.


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## bnoble (Aug 17, 2016)

robotech_elder said:


> how to do book through Ireland?



There are different sites in different countries.  Here's one for Ireland.
http://www.disneylandparis.ie/

Here is their current offer, similar to the one I booked. IIRC, you will be paying in full, in advance, and it is not refundable.
http://holidays.disneylandparis.ie/offers/early-booker-offer.html

Although it looks like the US site has what might be the same deal.
http://us-holidays.disneylandparis.com/offers/early-booker-offer.html


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## simon.fisher.2 (Aug 17, 2016)

As a fellow DVC resale owner I strongly advise against purchasing directly from Disney.

They push the "Disney Difference" pretty hard but let me assure you that going resale you will not lose out. 

To pay full price just to use them to convert to DLP is not a good use of points. If you can rent points at the Marriott resort right next to DLP that would 100% be the way to go and purchase resale. 

Decide how you want to vacation at WDW. If you need to be near the magic kingdom and monorail - go BLT. If you want value go Saratoga. We like Animal Kingdom for the value and savannah however we almost always do BLT. Our next dvc purchase will be BLT.

My parents purchase directly from Disney and drink the koolaide however it never pencils out to be in their favor. Don't be concerned that if you go resale you will be a 2nd class DVC member... Personally I feel like we are the lucky ones compared to those that go direct! 

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## bendadin (Aug 18, 2016)

Buy the bulk of your points resale. Then you can do an add on contract for 25 points direct. If you want to use points for Adventures, Cruises, etc, then get transfer points from another member who bought direct. It is a bad use of points but if that is what you want to do, the amenities will be attached to the points and not the member. 

I bought my points resale so I have a member card. I've purchased 7 Gold AP so just this one year that benefit has saved me $1400. Granted, that perks can always change, but at this rate it wouldn't take long for savings to match the price of that 25 point contract.


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## robotech_elder (Aug 18, 2016)

I'm not going to lie I do feel like I will be missing out on something and I have never bought resale before so I am hesitant however the general theme I have read on these boards while trolling is definitely resale.  Part of a personal issue is my wife wants to be a card carrying member for those little benefits.  so theoretically should I just buy like 50/50 like 10 DVC Direct/Resale?  Does DVC resale do financing?  Its not like I have 20K sitting around just to be a timeshare.  I do know I have bought directly with HGVC and I never complained about it however it seems again that buying resale with HGVC and direct is not real discernible difference except I cant get Elite which Im not sure I really need.  Do u guys have HGVC and DVC as well?  As I may have mentioned before I have 1 teen daughter and twin 10 month old boys and really DVC is really for their benefit ultimately.


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## rfc0001 (Aug 18, 2016)

Loops said:


> Get acquainted with these forums
> 
> http://www.disboards.com/forums/disney-vacation-club-forums.200/



And this:
https://dvcinfo.com/ -- free, non-profit site (no ads or sponsorships), with resources for anything and everything about DVC.  https://dvcinfo.com/dvc-information/introduction-to-dvc/ is a good starting point. There is also a forum where I am a mod.

Russ


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## presley (Aug 18, 2016)

robotech_elder said:


> I'm not going to lie I do feel like I will be missing out on something and I have never bought resale before so I am hesitant however the general theme I have read on these boards while trolling is definitely resale.  Part of a personal issue is my wife wants to be a card carrying member for those little benefits.  so theoretically should I just buy like 50/50 like 10 DVC Direct/Resale?  Does DVC resale do financing?  Its not like I have 20K sitting around just to be a timeshare.  I do know I have bought directly with HGVC and I never complained about it however it seems again that buying resale with HGVC and direct is not real discernible difference except I cant get Elite which Im not sure I really need.  Do u guys have HGVC and DVC as well?  As I may have mentioned before I have 1 teen daughter and twin 10 month old boys and really DVC is really for their benefit ultimately.


I sold my DVC and bought HGVC. So, I can relate to your desire to have both. In my case, I live on the west coast and using DVC wasn't practical or worth it. Had I lived on the east coast, I probably would have just kept DVC. 

It sounds like your wife would like the full benefits of owning DVC. When you shop around, you'll see that the savings isn't that huge to buy resale, depending on where you buy. When I bought mine from the developer, I paid about $5. more per point than buying resale and mine came with an extra year of points at the time, making it more valuable than buying resale. That's when VGC was in the $90s per point. It's gone up about 60% for both resale and retail since.

How much to buy resale vs. retail matters a lot. If you are serious about using your points for cruises or hotels, you need to buy a lot of retail. If you just want the card carrying benefits, you can buy resale and add a small retail contract later. You won't be able to mix points for retail only purchase things later. If you have 200 resale points and 25 retail and want to book a cruise, you can only use the 25 points towards that. Now, if you only want the small discounts that come with being an owner (card member), you can easily get away with only buying a 25 point contract. 

I don't know where people finance DVC resales, other than they do. I think most people get a line of credit or use a home equity loan for that. Yes, there are some insane people who will finance at really high rates and default later, but the lowest rates are going to be from your credit union or home equity loan. I strongly advise against doing a loan unless you know it will be paid off in a year or so.


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## chalee94 (Aug 18, 2016)

robotech_elder said:


> But I also want to be a card carrying member and with the benefits too.



I have been a member for a decade or so and would also advise against paying tens of thousands of dollars for "benefits" that are only worth a tiny fraction of that...

the annual pass discount is the only "real" benefit that you lose - and that's typically not enough to consider buying direct.

(and keep in mind that all the benefits can go away for any given purchasers - direct or resale - at any time.  you are only guaranteed the option to book accommodations, and that only if you don't delay too long...)


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## elaine (Aug 18, 2016)

my advice: do not finance DVC. I would seriously consider buying enough points for EOY DVC trip to start with and see how it works for your family. I would be looking for a 100 point resale, assuming you have 10K in cash. If you don't have the cash, I wouldn't buy DVC now. You have HGVC, start a search to trade in via RCI with your HGVC. That would be the most financially prudent option. You will definitely hit for a 1BR DVC next summer, if you have some flex in dates and are OK at SSR.
For DLP, stay at Marriott Ile de France, a Marriott vacation club, even if you pay cash for the villas. They are fabulous. Just got back last month for a lovely stay there with my family of 6 in a 2 bedroom villa. If you search my prior posts on TUG, you'll find lots of info on the Marriott. There is a really good bus (usually just DLP theater workers and tourists take it) that goes straight from the villas to DLP every 30 minutes for 2 euros. Plus, DLP has its own private shuttle (4 euros RT PP), or, it's easy to rent a car there (not congested at all). We used SIXT at Magic Circus and found them very good and convenient. Google photos of the Marriott. It's just amazing! Near a cute village with small grocery, butcher, patisserie--fun to walk to (10 minutes) and do your French food shopping. We paid 300 euros/night during summer season, booked 10 months out. Rates went up to 400+ euros after I booked.
Second, if you want to buy direct, you can ask if they will sell you another property. IMHO, I would buy AKV, which DVC should have plenty of to sell you for less than Poly. For a family a 5, you really need a 1 BR. It's too much of a squeeze into Poly or GF, IMHO. The 1 BR at AKV, or OKW costs the same or less points that a studio at Poly or GF.
We have both resale and direct. We did go on the Members cruise, and it was very nice. But, I don't think it would be worth buying direct, IMHO. As others have said, using points for others things like Disney collections, etc. is not the best value for your points. But, I understand if you want to attend a party, use the lounge, etc. and there is no way to place a value on those intangibles. good luck. Elaine


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## rickandcindy23 (Aug 18, 2016)

> You won't be able to mix points for retail only purchase things later. If you have 200 resale points and 25 retail and want to book a cruise, you can only use the 25 points towards that.



I thought you could get all of the benefits of resale with a small contract, so that is new to me.  

Thanks for letting me know because I was thinking of doing this to make all of my points the same as developer.  I already bought before the recent resale downgrade of benefits, so I have the discounts. 

I don't know why I thought I could buy 25 points and get all of the benefits of retail for each of my contracts.  I must be wishful thinking.


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## simon.fisher.2 (Aug 18, 2016)

robotech_elder said:


> I'm not going to lie I do feel like I will be missing out on something and I have never bought resale before so I am hesitant however the general theme I have read on these boards while trolling is definitely resale.



The key word in that statement is FEEL. It is important to separate facts and feelings.

 At the end of the day the numbers show that resale is a far better value. Do you have 100% of the same perks - absolutely not, but the numbers do not lie - resale is by far better. 

If you finance or buy direct - it is only going to erode the savings. That is something you are going to have to consider for yourself. As I mentioned earlier, my parents ONLY buy from Disney because that is what they are comfortable with. I have had this discussion with them countless times and I feel they are crazy for going direct.

Here is another thought... DVC contracts change hands all the time. My wife and I purchased AKV points for $75 a point in 2013. We could sell them now for $85 a point and when you factor in closing costs that we paid initially we would break even. If we hated resale - we could sell our points and not be out anything but the fees during the years we owned.

If you buy direct - you will not be able to do that. So you could have buyers remorse and be stuck owing much more.. Granted Polynesian points are holding value presently due to low volume of resale availability however that gap is only going to get larger. If you were able to buy direct AKV points - you would pay in the neighborhood of $155 ish a point but resale is $85.... The point I am trying to make is that if you purchase direct and want out, you may have to bring cash to the table.

The potential risk is much smaller if you go resale and are disappointed and the direct.


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## elaine (Aug 18, 2016)

I agree with PP that the "risk" of resale is pretty small. It's one of the few timeshares where (at least for the past 20 years) you can buy resale, use it for 5-8 years and then flip it and recoup almost 100% of your capital outlay--that is what we did. Decide where you might want home booking @ 11 mths, esp. for prime times. We had VWL, but sold and rebought AKV resale b/c we were always booking there and I wanted to book @ 11 mths. 
With a teen (college soon) and young twins, I would want to spend my $ elsewhere other than buying direct.


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## chalee94 (Aug 18, 2016)

yep, even if you pay that much extra to buy direct, if your circumstances change and you need to sell, you will be selling at resale prices since Disney won't let you pass along the "benefits" you paid extra for, so you would definitely be looking at taking a big financial loss...


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## robotech_elder (Aug 18, 2016)

chalee94 said:


> yep, even if you pay that much extra to buy direct, if your circumstances change and you need to sell, you will be selling at resale prices since Disney won't let you pass along the "benefits" you paid extra for, so you would definitely be looking at taking a big financial loss...



that also brings out another question.  can DVC ownership be transfered to my kids when they get older or do they have to purchase their own?


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## simon.fisher.2 (Aug 18, 2016)

Yes, you are able to transfer the title to your children. You will have title fees which are going to vary depending on where you go, but the point is that it can be done.


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## chalee94 (Aug 18, 2016)

robotech_elder said:


> that also brings out another question.  can DVC ownership be transfered to my kids when they get older or do they have to purchase their own?



yes.  it would still formally have to go through ROFR but as a gratuitous transfer to family, DVC would allow it.

(but some kids do lose interest in disney when they are older - i didn't and i'm over 40, but this is not impossible from what i hear.  also, annual dues will keep going up - most likely worth it, regardless, but something to keep in mind.)


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## PearlCity (Aug 19, 2016)

I guess you'll have to ask yourself if those benefits are worth an extra $50-100 a point.  most times using your DVC point to stay at a Disney Hotel is really expensive (i.e. requires a LOT of points). I've run the numbers and those "benefits" are worth the $$ return. 

If you want those tiny discounts (i.e. get you 10 percent off in the shops etc.) I *Think* you can buy a small contract direct to get those benefits since they will probably issue you that DVC member card that you show to get them, but only the points you buy direct can be used towards Disney hotels and cruises.


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## TheHolleys87 (Aug 21, 2016)

robotech_elder said:


> that also brings out another question.  can DVC ownership be transfered to my kids when they get older or do they have to purchase their own?



Yes, as others have mentioned your ownership can be transferred to your kids.  But keep in mind that DVC ownership is not "in perpetuity" - ownership expires roughly 50 years after a given resort was opened (less than 50 years for Boardwalk and some of the older ones), as early as 2042 for the older resorts, much later for the more recently built ones.  So depending on which resort you buy, your ownership might expire before they get much use of it.


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## cayman01 (Aug 21, 2016)

*couple of things....*

First check out the Holy Grail of Disney boards... mouseowners.com

 You will get the best info and discussions concerning the mouse house there.

 Next, remember that Disney is Right to Use for a limited time. Usage expires at various times depending on the resort. Beach Club expires in 2042, while AKV I believe is good til 2054.

 Disney is expensive enough to buy cash. Do not take a loan out. Buy what you can afford with cash only.

 You really will not be missing anything by going resale outside of the annual pass discount. I will echo what the others said. Using Disney points to take cruises or going to Paris will end up costing you a whole lot more than if you paid cash. It is a POOR use of points. If you are dead set on being a card carrying member buy a 25 point contract direct from Disney and then add points thru the resale process. You will save LOTS of money that you can put towards your trips!

 You can get into OKW for $70-75 a point, AKV in the upper 80's, BLT around $110. You're not going to get anywhere near that direct from DIsney. You will pay MUCH more. And there is a good chance down the road you can recoup 100% of your initial investment if you buy resale.


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## frank808 (Aug 21, 2016)

ssr is 2054, akv is 2057, vgc 2060

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## rfc0001 (Aug 23, 2016)

cayman01 said:


> First check out the Holy Grail of Disney boards... mouseowners.com
> 
> 
> 
> You will get the best info and discussions concerning the mouse house there.


MOs has the most active DVC community, but all of their informational posts under "DVC Information" alias (as well as DVC Information Center" at DISboards are outdated information posts which  are now maintained by @DVC Mike at dvcinfo.com.  MOs has the most discussions; DVCNews has the most news; DVCinfo has the most info, which since I have equal number of posts under this same alias on all three forums I think I can say objectively.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Deb & Bill (Aug 28, 2016)

rfc0001 said:


> MOs has the most active DVC community, but all of their informational posts under "DVC Information" alias (as well as DVC Information Center" at DISboards are outdated information posts which  are now maintained by @DVC Mike at dvcinfo.com.  MOs has the most discussions; DVCNews has the most news; DVCinfo has the most info, which since I have equal number of posts under this same alias on all three forums I think I can say objectively.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



DVC Mike is gone from the DIS and mouseowners.  They have revised all the information that he did.  

The problem with using DVC points for non-DVC trips is that if you need to cancel the DCL cruise, you cannot use those points for a DVC Trip.  When you trade them out internally, they are no longer good for DVC, only the Disney Collection.   And the Disney Collection requires a lot of points.  

Better to buy a nice resale contract first to save a bundle, then add on a 25 point contract (the smallest you can buy from DVC, but you can't finance that, you need to buy 50 to finance through DVC) and you get all the benefits.  But if you want to go on a member cruise, you'll have to pay cash because those 25 points won't even get you on a lounge chair on the deck.  And that's all you can use.


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## freediverdude (Aug 28, 2016)

I just wanted to chime in with a different perspective, that it may depend on which resort you want and how far in advance you can book.  Like if you were wanting to stay at VGF, possibly Polynesian in the future, certain room types like standard views that take less points, BCV or BWV during the food and wine festival, etc., you need to own at those particular locations and book at 11 months in order to stay there.  The point is, and I've heard this from other members who were unhappy and looking to trade contracts, is that you may not get what you want with a cheaper contract that is tied to a resort you really don't want to stay at most of the time.

So do some research and find out where you really want to stay.  If you really do want to consistently book at the Polynesian then direct might make sense right now.  Possibly also for VGF and VGC, since the resale on those isn't much cheaper.  The older resorts resale would be cheaper.  Also keep in mind it takes a few months to close on a resale contract, and there can be bumps in the road, whereas with direct you get to use the points immediately and the use years are matched up so you always have the same use years with all your purchases.


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## DVC Mike (Aug 28, 2016)

Deb & Bill said:


> DVC Mike is gone from the DIS and mouseowners.  They have revised all the information that he did.



Yep, I'm over at DVCinfo.com now, and I've improved and expanded upon the information I published on those other sites.


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