DVC Newbie needs some advices on buying points

[angelsun]

Hi Folks,

I am Alex and I hope to get some advice on purchasing DVC points. I have never owned any kind of TS membership, but recently I am planning for a family trip, and found that buying DVC points and then using points to book Disney hotels seems like a good deal. So before I pull the trigger, I'd like to ask some questions.

About DVC program
1. When using points to book a hotel, are there any other fees like tax or resort fee?

2. My family (2 adults + 3 kids) will hopefully stay at Grand Californian maybe twice a year. I checked availability on the DVC rental website; it's bad (pretty much nothing this coming summer). Based on your experience, when the room is not available for now, how likely will it become available in the future? Is it not likely, or completely impossible?

About purchase
3. I googled the DVC resale website and found these two: https://dvcsales.com/ and https://www.dvcstore.com/. Are they reliable?

4. About annual due. For example, this listing: https://www.dvcstore.com/listing-detail.cfm?ID=SS160-09-1018
It has 160 pts each year, and 113 pts from last year. For annual due when purchasing, shall I pay 160*7.86 (MF for Saratoga Springs), or (160+113)*7.86?

5. It seems that it takes more than 1 month to close a purchase. If I contact the website now and am ready to pay at any time, what's the earliest time I can book a hotel? I want to book Hawaii Aulani in June and the dates I want are available now. Can I use points to book before it closes?

6. What other resale websites do you recommend? Anything else I am missing?

 

[ljmiii]

I am Alex and I hope to get some advice on purchasing DVC points. I have never owned any kind of TS membership, but recently I am planning for a family trip, and found that buying DVC points and then using points to book Disney hotels seems like a good deal. So before I pull the trigger, I'd like to ask some questions.

Welcome! First I'll give my 'standard' answer...When people ask me if they should buy DVC I ask three questions in return, "Do you plan on visiting WDW or DL at least once every two years for at least the next 10 years?", "Can you plan at least 7 and ideally 11 months in advance", and "Do you really want to pay a premium to stay at a deluxe resort 'on property'?" Only if the answer to all of these questions is 'Yes' should you buy.

About DVC program
1. When using points to book a hotel, are there any other fees like tax or resort fee?

Yes, there are additional taxes at the Aulani in Hawaii and the new Villas at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim. No resort fee, though.

2. My family (2 adults + 3 kids) will hopefully stay at Grand Californian maybe twice a year. I checked availability on the DVC rental website; it's bad (pretty much nothing this coming summer). Based on your experience, when the room is not available for now, how likely will it become available in the future? Is it not likely, or completely impossible?

The Villas at the Grand Californian is the most desired resort in the DVC system and given the occupancy tax for VDH this is unlikely to change. Studios disappear very quickly at 11 months and 2BRs shortly thereafter. 1BRs are less desirable and last a bit longer. Getting any VGC villa at 7 months is very, very difficult.

To answer your question more directly, I certainly wouldn't count on any availability appearing - actual confirmed reservations that someone discovers they can't use are valuable and more likely to be rented out than canceled. If you want to stay at VGC this summer, you could look at the various DVC rental companies to see if anyone has a confirmed reservation they are willing to rent.

About purchase
3. I googled the DVC resale website and found these two: https://dvcsales.com/ and https://www.dvcstore.com/. Are they reliable?

Yes, and I've used dvcstore in the past. That said, my most recent sales and purchases were through dvcresalemarket.

4. About annual due. For example, this listing: https://www.dvcstore.com/listing-detail.cfm?ID=SS160-09-1018
It has 160 pts each year, and 113 pts from last year. For annual due when purchasing, shall I pay 160*7.86 (MF for Saratoga Springs), or (160+113)*7.86?

As part of the purchase you would negotiate with the seller who would pay for last and this years dues. Generally speaking, buyer pays for the dues on this years points and who pays for last year can go either way.

5. It seems that it takes more than 1 month to close a purchase. If I contact the website now and am ready to pay at any time, what's the earliest time I can book a hotel? I want to book Hawaii Aulani in June and the dates I want are available now. Can I use points to book before it closes?

6. What other resale websites do you recommend? Anything else I am missing?

Figure 3-4 months from signed contract to points available to book...and then depending on resort and dates you would need to book 8-11 months out. This assumes that the contract is able to be transferred 'immediately'...many have existing future reservations that need to happen before they can close. So if you had a signed contract tomorrow, June 2024 might be a realistic expectation for Aulani as long as you aren't picky about villa and view type...but August 2024 would be more certain.

The main thing you seem to be missing is that timeshares are a long term commitment - even if you are able to sell at the same price at which you buy there are considerable broker and closing costs. You should definitely consider looking at existing confirmed reservations at a site like the DVC Rental Store if you are considering buying...particularly if you want to stay somewhere in 2023.

Browse Confirmed Reservations

Booking a confirmed reservation makes the process of DVC rentals even quicker and more efficient. Browse confirmed DVC reservations today!

dvcrentalstore.com

 

[TheHolleys87]

I want to book Hawaii Aulani in June and the dates I want are available now. Can I use points to book before it closes?

I have nothing to add to the information @ljmiii gives you above - it’s all true. I would just add that if you buy points direct from DVD, though, you’ll get the points and member website access within a matter of hours and be able to book right away! Not the most cost effective way to buy, but it would give you quick access to booking, and you’d only pay pro-rated 2023 dues (if you bought in May, you’d pay 8/12 of 2023 dues for your home resort).

I also wanted to clarify that there’s a difference between cash inventory, which Disney owns, and points inventory that DVC owners are able to book. The two are entirely separate. If you’re looking at AUL availability for this coming June 2023, be sure you know which inventory you’re looking at. If you’re looking at the AUL website, disneyaulani.com, that’s Disney’s cash inventory, not points inventory. Points inventory requires a log in to the member website, although there are some sites you can access that give an idea of current points inventory but are not up to the minute like the member website is. June is a very popular month with AUL owners!

 

[Janann]

You've received good advice above. I don't have answers to all your questions, but I'll answer a few.

2. My family (2 adults + 3 kids) will hopefully stay at Grand Californian maybe twice a year. I checked availability on the DVC rental website; it's bad (pretty much nothing this coming summer). Based on your experience, when the room is not available for now, how likely will it become available in the future? Is it not likely, or completely impossible?

If you want to stay at the Grand Californian, you'll need to buy points at that location. The points are more expensive, which means that people who buy there stay there. This is true at the majority of timeshares with any company.

4. About annual due. For example, this listing: https://www.dvcstore.com/listing-detail.cfm?ID=SS160-09-1018
It has 160 pts each year, and 113 pts from last year. For annual due when purchasing, shall I pay 160*7.86 (MF for Saratoga Springs), or (160+113)*7.86?

My experience was that you pay for the points you are getting for your own use. So (160+113)*$7.86. If the current owner doesn't request the annual fees on the 113 points, it would just be an unexpected bonus.

5. It seems that it takes more than 1 month to close a purchase. If I contact the website now and am ready to pay at any time, what's the earliest time I can book a hotel? I want to book Hawaii Aulani in June and the dates I want are available now. Can I use points to book before it closes?

No. You need to be an owner before you can book a resort.

6. What other resale websites do you recommend? Anything else I am missing?

I used https://www.resalesdvc.com/ back in 2018 to purchase at Saratoga Springs with no issues. They have been in business forever.

 

[AnnaS]

Cannot stress enough, if you plan on visiting CA - you must buy at this resort.

If you buy resale, understand the resale restrictions, and of course (direct or resale) banking, borrowing, UY and 11/7 month booking.

 

[Huskerpaul]

And Grand Cal contracts jumped back up to over $300 per point (if you can even find one) after the details of VDH came out. To me DVC in Anaheim in very different than in Florida. Florida has a true Disney bubble. While others disagree with me, I don't think you can really say Disneyland has a bubble - not if the closest hotel room to the park entrance isn't even owned by Disney. In Anaheim there are so many other options, including Luxury options like the new Westin and JW Marriott. But if you really want to buy DVC to use at DLR you should think about paying for a direct contract for VDH. They go on sale to non-owners the end of May. If you do, at least it has a great chance of holding its value when you go to sell. Just be ready to spend $35k for a 150 point contract.

 

[cbyrne1174]

If you are flexible, you may also want to compare the cost of DVC to buying other systems resale, not just the cost of staying on property. I know a lot of Cali residents like owning Worldmark resale and a lot of people like myself who live in FL prefer Marriott and Club Wyndham. Are you considering DVC because you always pay premium prices to stay on property?

I have 50 DVC points because I will only book 1 night stays to access extended evening hours and the pools at WDW. I live nearby and it's just an extra thing for my family to enjoy. I mainly will add a DVC night to the first/last night of my Orlando getaway because I can get a room for much cheaper while I'm spending most of my day in the parks. I paid $27/night for 2 nights at Wyndham Cypress palms (10 mins from WDW) after my 1 night stay at AKV next month when school lets out. I plan on rope dropping Animal Kingdom on my check in day using the early access benefit, then using the AKV pools for 2 days, and going to Magic Kingdom during the extended evening hours on my check out day. That ends up being worth the money I paid for the extra park hours and themed pool access, but I don't think the price is worth it for all 3 nights when I can stay in a clean 1 bedroom Wyndham unit with a washer/dryer and kitchen with an oven/stove for $27/night that's a 10 min drive away.

I have no desire to pay those insane prices to stay on property next time I venture out to Cali. I know I can't find nearly as good of a deal in Anaheim as I can in Orlando, but my Wyndham ownership lets me stay a 20 min walk away from the park entrance for $150/night Sun-Fri in a 1 bedroom with a full kitchem (Worldmark Anaheim). It's looking like the new DVC location will still have astronomical pricing in comparison to the Wyndham that is a 20 min walk from the gates and only costed me a few hundred bucks to buy into the ownership resale via Ebay.

 

[nomoretslt]

Those 50 points are like chameleons. Everchanging. Seem to stretch forever. Do you work for Wyndham?

 

[TheHolleys87]

Those 50 points are like chameleons. Everchanging. Seem to stretch forever. Do you work for Wyndham?

A standard view studio at AKV-Kidani for a weeknight at the end of May is only 13 points. So yes, based on which nights and which rooms you book, you can get quite a number of nights with 50 points - they can stretch forever!

 

[Huskerpaul]

This brand new poster has responded to a few other threads today offering to rent whatever people were looking for.

Be safe out there!

 

[TimesCalif]

A standard view studio at AKV-Kidani for a weeknight at the end of May is only 13 points. So yes, based on which nights and which rooms you book, you can get quite a number of nights with 50 points - they can stretch forever!

I think you are smarter not to look at the cheapest rooms' points for when you travel, there are soooo many owners fighting for those low point rooms. When we purchased, I assumed we'd only go every two years (we need to fly in), calculated one room upgrade from what we'd like (so would not be competing with Everyone for the cheap room - DVC timeshare people seem very focused on the cheapest point rooms), those points times 6 nites (how long we like to stay), divided by two (since only going every two years). I tried not to overbuy because I don't want high annual fees to add to my budget. That said, we bought at multiple resorts - and use them for different type trips or to bring extra family along.

If you start to go crazy with rounding up points - use an excel program to calculate the annual fees with at least a 5% inflation factor and see what you are commiting to ten years down the road (was quite an eye-opener when I looked at Aulani), I find that makes purchasing appropriate points more front-and-center when shopping And remember, the cost of the points upfront may be only about 1/3 of your expenses, the annual fees and actual trip expenses (park tickets, travel, etc.) are the other 2/3rds. So it might make sense to pay a little more "per point" at purchase to get the right contract - I see people going crazy to save $500 at the purchase - when the upfront is Not your big expense in the big picture. Last, do round up a "little" on points purchased, they rarely change the point charts but you'd be sad if the resort/room you like went up 1 point per day and all of a sudden you were 6 points short (you can "rent" a few points if you are short, from DVC at booking, but not during the 11 month home-resort priority window).

 

[bnoble]

timeshare people seem very focused on the cheapest point rooms)

This seems particular to DVC owners. In general timeshare owners seem to prefer some space and a good view.

 

[TimesCalif]

This seems particular to DVC owners. In general timeshare owners seem to prefer some space and a good view.

Right? I agree. But DVC has these "low point rooms" at Animal Kingdom and Boardwalk, for example, that everyone seems to fight to get. Personally, I want a view for my cup of coffee/wine But if people only buy points based on the lowest point rooms - there is a built in shortage.

 

[Huskerpaul]

Agreed, when deciding how many points to buy, people should not focus on the value studios and think (with 100 point I can stay a week!). DVC, studios as you probably already know, book up first. What @bnoble is saying this is unique to DVC. In WorldMark (points system), usually the hardest room type to get is a 3 bedroom (small inventory), then 2 bedrooms. Many properties don't even have studios. The traditional timeshare owners are using it to get more room for a know cost. Where as I think many DVC owners use it to stay at WDW cheaper than they otherwise would. Part of that formula is getting a studio - even if you fill it with two adults and three teenagers.

 

[bnoble]

As I often say over on DISboards: I Don't Do Studios. Blech.

 

[AnnaS]

This brand new poster has responded to a few other threads today offering to rent whatever people were looking for.

Be safe out there!

On TUG? She has only 1 message on her screen name. Is that possible?

Thank you though for picking up on that.

 

[TheHolleys87]

As I often say over on DISboards: I Don't Do Studios. Blech.

DITTO! We have stayed in studios, but only when constrained by the number of points available (recovering from a big family trip, during the time when borrowing was restricted). And then we moved to a 1BR for as many nights as we could afford.

On TUG? She has only 1 message on her screen name. Is that possible?

Thank you though for picking up on that.

That was posted on May 20. I’m pretty sure I saw one or more of her posts back then and used the Report function because they sounded suspicious to me. I probably wasn’t the only one to report them. So I think those posts were removed and don’t show in her post count now.

 

[Twohsieh]

As others have said, you will need to own at VGC to book any room there.
You will need to book a 1 BR for your family of five since their studios only accommodate a party of four.
If you and your family plan to visit VGC every year or even twice a year, you'll definitely save money buying at VGC than paying rack rate.

We purchased our VGC contracts in April 2010 when the resort just opened in September or October of 2009. We got an amazing price/point and DVD doubled our first year's points. Looking back, I wished we had bought more points since they have now tripled in value.