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Buying VS Renting Points: Why do you love DVC?

Deb & Bill

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So many guests were upset when Disney decided to charge for overnight parking at the resorts. However, DVC member staying at their resort or another DVC resort don't have to pay the overnight parking charge. If they stay on a cash reservation at a non-DVC resort, they do have to pay the overnight parking fee.

With the changes to Epcot, the DVC member lounge could disappear next year if they do vast renovation there. Top of the World Lounge has been slowly adding member only events that charge for the privilege of going to the lounge. And the event is pretty costly. So far July 4th and NYE have been taken over by DVC for these events.
 

SunsetMaven

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Disney Bay Lake
Disney Animal Kingdom
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You could still just buy a trader and trade into SSR as a guarantee (it really is almost a guarantee for almost every week of the year with an ongoing search). You get all of the benefits of owning, especially now that they took away so many benefits of resale, anyway.

I did advise our kids to buy a small contract retail because they can use those benefits. They love Disney cruises for their little girl, and they get AP's most years. I have no idea if they would even consider buying anything resale.

I love DVC because I can book when I want, even at 7 months out, and I can rent my points for a good deal over MF's. But I also paid $50 per point resale about 10 years ago.

Yep - I still need to check out your recommendation on Grandview at Las Vegas from my other post - thanks again for that. I was just thinking if I would truly feel the DVC experience at SSR. It seems like the perks that excite me are going to be more of the resorts on the monorail line.
 

SunsetMaven

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So many guests were upset when Disney decided to charge for overnight parking at the resorts. However, DVC member staying at their resort or another DVC resort don't have to pay the overnight parking charge. If they stay on a cash reservation at a non-DVC resort, they do have to pay the overnight parking fee.

With the changes to Epcot, the DVC member lounge could disappear next year if they do vast renovation there. Top of the World Lounge has been slowly adding member only events that charge for the privilege of going to the lounge. And the event is pretty costly. So far July 4th and NYE have been taken over by DVC for these events.

Do resale owners have top of the world lounge access?
 

TheHolleys87

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Do resale owners have top of the world lounge access?

Yes they do. You need to be staying at any onsite Disney resort (not limited to DVC) and show your member card (online or printout) and let them scan your MB. Anyone staying on the same reservation with you can go up too.
 

blondietink

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We bought in to SSR 15 years ago and within 2 years of staying onsite 3 times each year as AP holders, we broke even on our investment. At that time the minimum points to buy in was 160 and we bought 175 points. We also own Sheraton Vistana Villages and stay there sometimes when we want to go to Universal Studios or add a few extra days at the parks. Over the years we have become less Disney focused and have gone to Hawaii and used our points at Aulani 3 times now, with a 4th hopefully next fall. Last October we stayed at BLT for the first time and loved it so much we are staying again next January. The walk to MK can't be beat and the bus service from Contemporary was the best we have encountered. As we age, we find that we cannot do rope drop to closing the parks anymore. Staying on-site allows us to take our time more than staying off-site when we have to figure in travel time and parking costs. Two of us have special diets and I end up cooking most of our meals so the convenience of having a kitchen is priceless to us and saves us a ton of money compared to eating at the parks. We no longer see the value of holding AP's because we are down to going every 18 months or 2 years. We save our points to stay longer or go to Hawaii.
 

famy27

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The only regret I have about DVC is that I didn't buy sooner. We had Wyndham points and exchanged in through RCI, so it was very low cost for us to do DVC using Wyndham. However, RCI costs have increased, the $95 Disney fee went to $190, and the number/variety of resorts deposited was severely reduced, so we decided the time was right to buy DVC. We are so happy with our purchase. But DVC works particularly well for us for a few reasons. One is that we take frequent, short trips. We're going in December, and it will be our 7th trip this year (a new record for us!). We own at BLT and CC so that we can get discounts and all the benefits. I particularly bought CC because I didn't want to be stuck with the Riviera limitations. In some years, we've rented out half of our DVC points to cover all of our MFs. But this year, we just used the heck out of our points.

Here's where we've stayed this year:
SSR studio for three nights in January (45 points)
AKV savanna studio for two nights in February (38 points)
BLT studio for three night in March (63 points)
BWV studio for two nights in April 58 points)
SSR one-bedroom for seven nights in July (RCI exchange using Wyndham points). Rented out 79 BLT points for 4th of July to cover some costs
Poly studio for two nights in October (48 points)
SSR two-bedroom for two nights in December and one night at a Poly studio (86 points total)

We used 338 points and rented out 79 points for $1400. The rental covered my Wyndham MFs and RCI fees with a little left over. Our DVC MFs are about $2300 for the year. So we spent 22 nights in DVC units for about $100 per night. To us, that's a great value. Also, our BLT points have gone up so much that if we sold them tomorrow, we'd basically have vacationed for free for the past few years. We're extremely happy with our DVC investment.
 

CPNY

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So much amazing information here. I recently went on a sales presentation. I currently own vistana villages and have been getting great deals on interval getaways. Just got back this week, got a 2 bedroom for $550. We rented a car for 100 bucks. I toured riviera and would love to stay there. It is exactly the type of accommodations I would want to stay at. However, with the resale restrictions I wouldn’t never buy there but i would try to use my points there. So I was offered SSR for a contract. Ultimately I didn’t buy as I had more questions. First, I wouldn’t want a studio ever. I would require a one bedroom at the very least, a two bedroom would be ideal. I wouldn’t go for a full week but most likely for 4-5 nights at a time. I’d be open to staying at other resorts since I tend to book less than 7 mo out. Usually 5 mo or less. My questions are:

1. with riviera restrictions, is there Any value owning there booking less than 7 months? Or is it actually worse due to inventory being limited?
2. Considering I’d be looking at resorts like OKW and SSR booking last minute, is it worth it buying a trader unit in RCI and trying to get availability that way? I tend to travel early to mid December or the fall for FW festival and Occasionally/rarely in the spring.

general question on FastPasses. If I book a week in DVC and only decide on going to the parks the last three days and I make my fast passes, then decide to cut the trip in half last minute would I lose those fast passes? My schedule with work changes so frequently which is why I need to book less than 7mo. I’d hate to lose the FP i have booked for the last 3 days of the reservation that I’m in the park because the first 4 days relaxing in the resort is being Cancelled
 

littlestar

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Inventory during the fall frenzy time is some of the hardest times to book DVC, along with the first part of December. Spring is easier. I would not purchase something to specifically trade into DVC with - things change and about the only thing that ever turns up are SSR 1 bedrooms.

You could buy a small resale points package at SSR. Or if the annual pass discount is something you would like, buy 100 SSR points direct from Disney to get the discounts/benefits realizing that it is not guaranteed but so far has been available.

Riviera has high dues, high point chart and resale restrictions to only staying at Riviera which would mean as more and more of it is resold you would need to book early to get anything or risk being shut out completely.
 

CPNY

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Inventory during the fall frenzy time is some of the hardest times to book DVC, along with the first part of December. Spring is easier. I would not purchase something to specifically trade into DVC with - things change and about the only thing that ever turns up are SSR 1 bedrooms.

You could buy a small resale points package at SSR. Or if the annual pass discount is something you would like, buy 100 SSR points direct from Disney to get the discounts/benefits realizing that it is not guaranteed but so far has been available.

Riviera has high dues, high point chart and resale restrictions to only staying at Riviera which would mean as more and more of it is resold you would need to book early to get anything or risk being shut out completely.
Yeah I think buying at riviera is completely out. SSR is an option and I think could be the way to go. I wonder if I can enroll my current ownerships I have in II into RCI as well. Then I would just pay the RCI fee and book when I can, although I don’t think my resort is in RCI. Maybe I’ll look for a small 100 point contract on resale. I wonder what that will get me
 

littlestar

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Take a look at the DVC point charts. Disboards have all the point charts listed. How many points depend on time of year, size of unit, and Friday and Saturday nights require more points.
 

TheHolleys87

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general question on FastPasses. If I book a week in DVC and only decide on going to the parks the last three days and I make my fast passes, then decide to cut the trip in half last minute would I lose those fast passes? My schedule with work changes so frequently which is why I need to book less than 7mo. I’d hate to lose the FP i have booked for the last 3 days of the reservation that I’m in the park because the first 4 days relaxing in the resort is being Cancelled
@littlestar has given you good information in answering your other questions. Re the FPs, my understanding is that if you book FPs at 60 days and then cancel your resort stay, you have roughly 48 hours to link a different Disney resort stay to MDE in order to retain those FPs. (The general advice is to book and link the replacement stay first, then cancel the original one.) So I believe that if you cancelled just the first several days of a reservation and kept the last few, the FPs you booked for those last days would remain.

For more information, you could post your question on this thread: https://www.disboards.com/threads/fastpass-frequently-asked-questions.3491680/
 

JohnB3

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Grandview Las Vegas (RCI Points)
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So much amazing information here. I recently went on a sales presentation. I currently own vistana villages and have been getting great deals on interval getaways. Just got back this week, got a 2 bedroom for $550. We rented a car for 100 bucks. I toured riviera and would love to stay there. It is exactly the type of accommodations I would want to stay at. However, with the resale restrictions I wouldn’t never buy there but i would try to use my points there. So I was offered SSR for a contract. Ultimately I didn’t buy as I had more questions. First, I wouldn’t want a studio ever. I would require a one bedroom at the very least, a two bedroom would be ideal. I wouldn’t go for a full week but most likely for 4-5 nights at a time. I’d be open to staying at other resorts since I tend to book less than 7 mo out. Usually 5 mo or less. My questions are:

1. with riviera restrictions, is there Any value owning there booking less than 7 months? Or is it actually worse due to inventory being limited?
2. Considering I’d be looking at resorts like OKW and SSR booking last minute, is it worth it buying a trader unit in RCI and trying to get availability that way? I tend to travel early to mid December or the fall for FW festival and Occasionally/rarely in the spring.

general question on FastPasses. If I book a week in DVC and only decide on going to the parks the last three days and I make my fast passes, then decide to cut the trip in half last minute would I lose those fast passes? My schedule with work changes so frequently which is why I need to book less than 7mo. I’d hate to lose the FP i have booked for the last 3 days of the reservation that I’m in the park because the first 4 days relaxing in the resort is being Cancelled

I own post 2016/pre 2019 resale points at SSR (I don't have a blue membership card but can book the new resorts). I don't see much (or any) value in the rivera product I think DVC is making a long term mistake with the changes related to Rivera and reflections but different folks have different views. I don't think I'd take a rivera resale contract if someone offered it to me for free given the restrictions and cost.

I've had good luck trading into SSR with an RCI trader but if you want to be sure of staying at DVC trading has risk.

I think for short notice travel SSR & OKW are your most likely options and 1 bedrooms are the most available categories. Littlestar pointed you to disboards and there is a lot of great info on DVC over there take a look at this great resource from Skier_pete https://www.disboards.com/threads/p...-bd-charts-september-2019-2-bd-added.3689931/. this can help you decide if DVC will work for the way you travel. I'd not buy direct from Disney but many folks do, I'm happy with my DVC and my family love staying on sight when we go to WDW. We have used our points at a number of resorts and don't have too much trouble booking (we usually book 1 bedrooms) and my girls love Disney Springs so SSR is not a hardship for us.
 

CPNY

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I own post 2016/pre 2019 resale points at SSR (I don't have a blue membership card but can book the new resorts). I don't see much (or any) value in the rivera product I think DVC is making a long term mistake with the changes related to Rivera and reflections but different folks have different views. I don't think I'd take a rivera resale contract if someone offered it to me for free given the restrictions and cost.

I've had good luck trading into SSR with an RCI trader but if you want to be sure of staying at DVC trading has risk.

I think for short notice travel SSR & OKW are your most likely options and 1 bedrooms are the most available categories. Littlestar pointed you to disboards and there is a lot of great info on DVC over there take a look at this great resource from Skier_pete https://www.disboards.com/threads/p...-bd-charts-september-2019-2-bd-added.3689931/. this can help you decide if DVC will work for the way you travel. I'd not buy direct from Disney but many folks do, I'm happy with my DVC and my family love staying on sight when we go to WDW. We have used our points at a number of resorts and don't have too much trouble booking (we usually book 1 bedrooms) and my girls love Disney Springs so SSR is not a hardship for us.
Thank you for the insight. Riviera restrictions are difficult to swallow. If you don’t book at 11 Mo I’m sure there will be nothing at 7 or even less making your points useless. I’ve been checking disboards and trying to get info. I hear some people having success with RCI trading but I agree I don’t want to be stuck with a trader I can’t get rid of.
 

JohnB3

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Thank you for the insight. Riviera restrictions are difficult to swallow. If you don’t book at 11 Mo I’m sure there will be nothing at 7 or even less making your points useless. I’ve been checking disboards and trying to get info. I hear some people having success with RCI trading but I agree I don’t want to be stuck with a trader I can’t get rid of.
To be clear about RCI trading if you are flexible there are good deals at SSR often, OKW occasionally and AKL rarely. Ive done 3 RCI DVC trades in the last 2 years and all of them on school holidays (2 MLK week and 1 spring break) but trading require careful attention and some flexibility. I think I've seen you over at the sighting board so you know what's happening. Your short notice scheduling might be no worse with a cheap RCI trader (I use a Grandview Las Vegas points contract) than it would be with SSR points. I think about my DVC points as the way I book AKL (although I have gotten that with RCI) BCV, BWV etc but all of those require me to have a plan in place and to book when the 7 month window opens. The other opportunity RCI opens up is the Hilton properties good luck deciding what to do
 

CPNY

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To be clear about RCI trading if you are flexible there are good deals at SSR often, OKW occasionally and AKL rarely. Ive done 3 RCI DVC trades in the last 2 years and all of them on school holidays (2 MLK week and 1 spring break) but trading require careful attention and some flexibility. I think I've seen you over at the sighting board so you know what's happening. Your short notice scheduling might be no worse with a cheap RCI trader (I use a Grandview Las Vegas points contract) than it would be with SSR points. I think about my DVC points as the way I book AKL (although I have gotten that with RCI) BCV, BWV etc but all of those require me to have a plan in place and to book when the 7 month window opens. The other opportunity RCI opens up is the Hilton properties good luck deciding what to do
Yeah the HGVC was on the back of my mind. However, having VSE and access to MVC has been nice. I guess with RCI fees plus the DVC 190 fee is it really saving that much? Is it possible to buy a 50 or 75 point resale contract as a new owner? The idea there would be to go over other year or every 3 years a few nights in a 2 bedroom.
 

littlestar

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Resale contracts come in all sizes usually starting at 25 points and up. You usually pay a premium for a small one, though.
 

elaine

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yep. I did just that 10 years ago and it worked great for us! I did the borrow/banking to get up to 150 points every 3 years. We eventually sold our 50 point contract and just bought another resale 160 DVC points. No regrets. would do the same again.
 

JohnB3

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Yeah the HGVC was on the back of my mind. However, having VSE and access to MVC has been nice. I guess with RCI fees plus the DVC 190 fee is it really saving that much? Is it possible to buy a 50 or 75 point resale contract as a new owner? The idea there would be to go over other year or every 3 years a few nights in a 2 bedroom.
Yes it's easy enough to buy a small contract. The thing is all two bedrooms at Disney are made up of a studio and a 1 bedroom (all lockoffs) and Studios book up first due to low point requirements, so unless you can also book in your home resort window (11 to 7 months out) you are not likely to find a 2 bed available. I think you said you would likely book later than 7 months if I had that restriction it would discourage me from buying a DVC contract unless I could live with a 1 bedroom
 

TheHolleys87

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The thing is all two bedrooms at Disney are made up of a studio and a 1 bedroom (all lockoffs)
This is true for BWV but not for all the other DVC resorts. BCV, BLT, BRV, AKL-K, CCV, VGF all have dedicated 2-bedrooms - I'm pretty sure there are others but don't have time to look them all up right now. But despite that, 2-bedroom villas do book up faster than 1-bedroom villas pretty uniformly across the WDW resorts, so it's best not to count on booking a 2-BR at 7 months, especially at the most popular times for DVC members (late September through January Marathon weekend as well as runDisney weekends).
 

CPNY

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This is true for BWV but not for all the other DVC resorts. BCV, BLT, BRV, AKL-K, CCV, VGF all have dedicated 2-bedrooms - I'm pretty sure there are others but don't have time to look them all up right now. But despite that, 2-bedroom villas do book up faster than 1-bedroom villas pretty uniformly across the WDW resorts, so it's best not to count on booking a 2-BR at 7 months, especially at the most popular times for DVC members (late September through January Marathon weekend as well as runDisney weekends).
Ah these are all great points, I can live with a one bedroom but then I’d need two lol. Hmm def makes things difficult to process. Maybe renting for the time being or just stick with the MVC getaways when I want to go. Then not worry about changing hotels when I go to universal.
 

JohnB3

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This is true for BWV but not for all the other DVC resorts. BCV, BLT, BRV, AKL-K, CCV, VGF all have dedicated 2-bedrooms - I'm pretty sure there are others but don't have time to look them all up right now. But despite that, 2-bedroom villas do book up faster than 1-bedroom villas pretty uniformly across the WDW resorts, so it's best not to count on booking a 2-BR at 7 months, especially at the most popular times for DVC members (late September through January Marathon weekend as well as runDisney weekends).
my bad. should check myself before I talk. Thanks for the correction :)
 
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