Considering dvc... Advice wanted

We are owners with Wyndham so DVC is something new we are considering.. It is pricey. Now to buy from dvc they want 168 per point and throw in and extra 300points X11 bonus as we are looking at 300 pt package. Maintance fees won't start till 2016. They push that resale buyers don't get "perks"... But I have never found perks a good value.. I only use my Wyndham within Wyndham. Anyone have any experience with resalers for dvc?
I did buy my Wyndham on eBay.. Thanks
I have read on this all day and appreciate any advice!

The perks are booking cruises with points and booking through the Concierge Club, or whatever it's called. Paying points for cruises doesn't seem a good value, and I doubt I would care to stay about anywhere with the Concierge service. I did see a recent post about the Hyatt Ka'anapali, and I can just imagine how many points that would cost! I can rent my points to someone and rent the Hyatt for a better deal, I would think.

I use my points mostly at Aulani or Old Key West. A studio at OKW is as low as 10 points per night, so it's very cheap to stay there. I am a resale buyer and don't care to pay the high price of retail. We are planning a stay at Hilton Head again next year, early May, and I want to stay at Disney this time, as opposed to the Marriott high-rise resorts.

You still get the advantage of the extended window for booking at your home resort, no matter if you buy resale or direct. I like being able to book OKW far enough out to get what we want. We own 500 resale points.

Buying resale is so much cheaper. I recommend Seth Nock, TUG member by that very name, to buy resale points. Disney did devalue their resale value when they took away perks for resale buyers. Ridiculous to do that.

Read this:

Buy resale or direct from Disney?

Keep in mind "some" of the resales have an expiration date of 2042, which would make them more expensive than buying a new resort TS from Disney when you do a per year costs.

EX Beach Club exp year 2042 resale goes for $105 for 25 years.
Poly exp year 2065? from Disney new $165.00 for 49 years

We have bought and sold in the past and used The Timeshare Store. They have been top notch to work with. I bet you could purchase Saratoga points resale for half the cost of buying direct, especially for that large of a contract. Dues are reasonable at Saratoga, too. SSR has a 2054 expiration date. Later, if you want to sell, the longer expiration date could matter on resale value.

If you buy direct, you can use your points for cruises and the hotels. The point costs are higher than paying cash for either of those. Resale is the way to go with DVC. Buy where you primarily want to stay. Don't worry about the contract expiration. Think about how old you will be on that date and how much tickets, etc will cost by then. Chances are extremely high you won't want to own DVC past the expiration date.

I agree. Buy where you want to stay or at a minimum, buy where you don't mind staying. Give yourself a cushion on the points you purchase especially if you think you'll only go during low season, as you may end up (like us) trying out busier seasons. Beware, once you get dvc and can get a discount on annual passes, you may want to go more often .

First, only buy DVC if you are want to stay at a Disney resort at least every other year. There are many cheaper places to stay in Orlando (and RoW)...but none of them are Disney. I would also add that if your can't plan your vacations at least 7 months (ideally 11 months) in advance DVC ownership may not be for you.

Second, if you care both where AND when you wish to stay then buy in the resort at which you want to stay. Otherwise, buy where the points and MFs are cheapest. In other words, if you have the freedom to travel whenever you wish you will be able to stay at any DVC resort. And if you just want to be somewhere at WDW for Christmas but don't care if it is at the Grand Floridian or Old Key West you will be able to find something at 7 months.

Third...you will LOVE owning DVC. We also own at Hilton and Marriott and Disney is the most carefree and pleasurable of the three.

I own a 90 point AKV contract.

I used to exchange into DVC via RCI. And I would rent my points out to a travel agency sold DVC vacations. I still got many Disney vacations and brought a discount Disney pass ... but as RCI exchanges have 'slowed in volume and not the best of times', I am now using my DVC points and booking extra nights using my Wyndham points at Bonnet Creek.

Buy where you want to stay... IMHO. And remember, banking leftover points or for a longer stay or borrowing points ... is called GOOD PLANNING.

First, research where you want to stay at Disney. Yes, the points are all the same at 7 months, but some options are gone by then. If you're ok staying at SSR or OKW, it doesn't matter, but if you're looking to stay at an Epcot resort in the fall or on the monorail, you'll probably want that 11 month advantage. If you feel that you definitely want the Polynesian, go ahead and buy direct, otherwise I would buy resale for the others.

BIG UPDATE IN THE LAST FEW DAYS:

DVC resale buyers will no longer have access to "membership extras" - which includes things like the AP discount, dining discounts, pool hopping and access to the Top of the World lounge at Bay Lake Tower...

So this one may start to sting a little...

chalee94 said:

BIG UPDATE IN THE LAST FEW DAYS:

DVC resale buyers will no longer have access to "membership extras" - which includes things like the AP discount, dining discounts, pool hopping and access to the Top of the World lounge at Bay Lake Tower...

So this one may start to sting a little...

Click to expand...

Actually they WILL still have access to TOWL and pool hopping. They will no longer receive a physical Member I.D. card but will be able to download a digital form which will show their Member # & info. This digital version will not look like the physical member card which members that bought before 4/04/16 can download.

Buying DVC is buying a timeshare, not a discount program. I've been a DVC member since less than 2 years into its inception. Perks/benefits come and go, and every single member's contract, resale or retail, clearly state that no perks are ever guaranteed, that DVC Members are buying a real estate interest into DVC which entitles them to accommodations. I love my membership as it has allowed me to stay and go places I would not have been able to afford otherwise.

melisarn said:

.... Now to buy from dvc they want 168 per point and throw in and extra 300points X11 bonus as we are looking at 300 pt package.

Click to expand...

Are you saying you would receive 3300 bonus points when buying directly?

Regards

Cyberc said:

Are you saying you would receive 3300 bonus points when buying directly?

Regards

Click to expand...

No.

(That poster is also mistaken about any of the 300 pts being bonus points. When DVC gives you current UY points with a direct purchase, they make it sound like a bonus but it's actually only what you are paying for. )

chalee94 said:

BIG UPDATE IN THE LAST FEW DAYS:

DVC resale buyers will no longer have access to "membership extras" - which includes things like the AP discount, dining discounts, pool hopping and access to the Top of the World lounge at Bay Lake Tower...

So this one may start to sting a little...

Click to expand...

OK, so a couple of more variations to consider:
- although I bought resale, I did so before either of their announcements: so i am eligible for the one perk that REALLY interests me: the discount on annual passes. So even if I buy more on the resale market, as long as I keep the one I now have I'll still be perk-eligible!
- As DVC Mike says, even if you buy resale you can add on thru Disney. So if you do add on, THAT purchase will make you eligible for the discounts.

I guess if I had to start from scratch, that is exactly what I would do -- buy what I want on the resale market and buy a much smaller add-on contract from Disney.

melisarn said:

Now to buy from dvc they want 168 per point and throw in and extra 300points X11 bonus as we are looking at 300 pt package.

Click to expand...

Just to clarify -- you are getting NOTHING for free, and nothing "thrown in." You are buying a DVC contract that is still in the 2015 Use Year, and therefore you are getting the 2015 points. You are just getting the points you are paying for -- nothing free.

I'm a Wyndham owner also, so I know what you're used to hearing from Wyndham sales weasels. DVC timeshare salesmen are a bit better, and this "free points" story is about as close as they will usually come to a outright lie.

But it's not free; it's just what you are paying for -- nothing more, nothing less.

Maintance fees won't start till 2016.

Click to expand...

DVC maintenance fees are billed for the calendar year. They have nothing to do with the Use Year of your points.

When you buy direct from DVC, they charge you the prorated amount of MFs due for the remainder of that calendar year. So if you closed June 1, they would charge you 7 months of MFs...which is the correct amount of MFs you would owe for the remainder of 2016.

They're not doing you any favors -- they're just charging you what you are legally responsible for.

stanleyu said:

OK, so a couple of more variations to consider:
- although I bought resale, I did so before either of their announcements: so i am eligible for the one perk that REALLY interests me: the discount on annual passes. So even if I buy more on the resale market, as long as I keep the one I now have I'll still be perk-eligible!
- As DVC Mike says, even if you buy resale you can add on thru Disney. So if you do add on, THAT purchase will make you eligible for the discounts.

I guess if I had to start from scratch, that is exactly what I would do -- buy what I want on the resale market and buy a much smaller add-on contract from Disney.

Click to expand...

The critical thing to keep in mind here is that the AP discount is a PERK. It is not guaranteed, and it can be changed or eliminated at any moment with one swipe of the Mouse's pen.

The same is true of the theory that one can buy resale and then do a small add-on direct and still get the AP discount. Disney has not said that. That is an assumption that many are making -- and you know what happens when we ass-U&Me!

Not only is there no guarantee Disney would allow small direct purchasers to get the AP, but if they notice a trend they don't like (or...if they have a brain!), they could simply eliminate that alternative by saying you have to have a certain number of direct points to get "member benefits."

It seems obvious to me that, at some point, some bright bean counter in the Disney puzzle palace is going to say, "Hey, wait a minute! We've got a great perk here, and we're giving it to the bad guys!" Poof...gone.

So I wouldn't count on that strategy working forever, and I wouldn't consider it in my purchase decision.