DVC Q&A

[TK8286]

We have been thinking about getting a DVC for YEARS!
The entire process feels a bit daunting though.

Questions:
Resale or direct from Disney?
Do you get a better deal from the reps on property?
How many points? We like to go at least once per year for a week.
Thank you Hoppers!

The bad resale restriction of only being able to use your resale points at the resort you buy into only applies to the new Riviera Resort and not with the other 14 DVC resorts.

There is something special about hearing the "Welcome Home"

I thought that the resale restrictions for resorts was for all of the other resorts! That is good to know I was wrong.

I would change my recommendation a little bit since I was mistaken about the restriction on other resorts. Resale has worked out fantastically for me. The ability to book DVC member cruises, the adventures by Disney, and the RCI exchange that is available directly through Disney, they don’t justify the extra cost. I am not sure with her new purchasers of resale contracts get the membership cards that utilize for in-park and dining discounts. Maybe someone else can clue me in on that. When I bought my contract we did get the membership cards.

I would also echo the sentiments that you want to purchase at a resort near or where you want to stay. As an example, our truly loves Animal Kingdom Lodge. We have had a number of stays there and all of them were exceptional. Some of my most powerful Resort memories or from Animal Kingdom Lodge. I don’t think I will ever forget my daughter, who was probably 12 years old, drinking coffee from the balcony of a savanna view room and watching the giraffes. I say that because I’m not hating on AKL. AKL Is a long way from a lot of stuff that people want to do. Sometimes I’ve had wedge onto a bus. Sometimes we decided it’s not worth the time waiting on a bus to take us wherever we want to go and we used our own car. That is a consideration if you like to spend most of your time at Epcot or Magic Kingdom. I have heard from friends that they love the Epcot area resorts. I walked around one or two of those two trips ago. It would be very neat to be able to walk to Epcot. I think I said earlier how addicted I am to the monorail and the MK resorts. That’s why I chose where I did to purchase. Availability is also another consideration. If you really want to be able to stay at a particular resort, the 11 month booking preference for your home resort is a big deal.

I am 100% satisfied with my DVC resale purchase. In terms of booking rooms and having to pay ongoing maintenance fees and taxes, my break even point was probably somewhere around year 5 or 6. That is to say, had I attempted to book those rooms through cash reservations,I would have spent the same amount. I have been on other forms and it has been said that that is not a perfect way to judge the financial value, but it made sense to me.

Welcome home! Is truly a magical phrase.

[DB3165]

We have been thinking about getting a DVC for YEARS!
The entire process feels a bit daunting though.

Questions:
Resale or direct from Disney?
Do you get a better deal from the reps on property?
How many points? We like to go at least once per year for a week.
Thank you Hoppers!

I am not sure with her new purchasers of resale contracts get the membership cards that utilize for in-park and dining discounts. Maybe someone else can clue me in on that. When I bought my contract we did get the membership cards.

You no longer get the DVC membership blue card with a resale purchase so that is one of the disadvantages of buying resale. This was a change that DVC made several years ago to try and steer people into buying direct instead of resale.

[GAN]

We have been thinking about getting a DVC for YEARS!
The entire process feels a bit daunting though.

Questions:
Resale or direct from Disney?
Do you get a better deal from the reps on property?
How many points? We like to go at least once per year for a week.
Thank you Hoppers!

The bad resale restriction of only being able to use your resale points at the resort you buy into only applies to the new Riviera Resort and not with the other 14 DVC resorts.

There is something special about hearing the "Welcome Home"

I thought that the resale restrictions for resorts was for all of the other resorts! That is good to know I was wrong.

I would change my recommendation a little bit since I was mistaken about the restriction on other resorts. Resale has worked out fantastically for me. The ability to book DVC member cruises, the adventures by Disney, and the RCI exchange that is available directly through Disney, they don’t justify the extra cost. I am not sure with her new purchasers of resale contracts get the membership cards that utilize for in-park and dining discounts. Maybe someone else can clue me in on that. When I bought my contract we did get the membership cards.

Correct on Riviera ...so it's only an issue if you buy Riviera on a RESALE contract. Honestly -Those "perks" of Cruise, ABD, RCI, etc are a horrible use of points. Don't ever use points to book something other than the Standard DVC Collection(unless you're in a real bad position). It's much better to sell your points and take the cash value ...then use that cash to book a cruise or whatever on your own. Sites like DVC Rental Market are offering up to $16/point if you won't be using all your points and need to unload them(or just want some money).

[scubacat]

The Riviera restriction seems to garner some confusion, so here's a quick breakdown of exactly how it works:

• If you purchase resale at the original 14 resorts (everything built before Riviera), you can book a room at any of those 14 resorts but not Riviera or any future built resort.
• If you purchase resale at Riviera or any future built resort, you can only book at the resort you own. There is a stipulation in the POS (public offering statement) that allows DVC to permit owners to book other resorts at their discretion -- either as a gesture or by charging a fee -- but thus far this hasn't been offered or even stated other than in the filing.

DVC has a chart that lays out the difference between buying direct vs. resale. Keep in mind that this is a sales pitch, so the goal is to steer you away from resale. However, it is accurate. The big thing you miss out on is the ability to buy the Gold or Platinum AP at the Florida resident price (whenever they're available again, obviously) for up to 8 members in your household. Owners who purchased resale before certain dates are grandfathered in to being allowed many or all of these perks, but that won't apply to a new resale buyer. You'll have to buy 125 points direct (as of today) to earn these benefits, and full booking flexibility will only apply to the specific points purchased direct.

All this said, resale is DEFINITELY still the way to go. Unless you really want to own Riviera, specifically, the savings are so astronomical that it is extremely hard to justify direct pricing, other than maybe a 125 point add-on to qualify for the Gold AP, but even that could take many years to break even on the difference.

https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.co ... vs-resale/

[Liquid Ice]

It maybe a moot point right now because you can't buy an Annual Pass. But assuming it comes back at some point and that DVC members will be able to buy a discounted Gold AP, you definitely need to do the math between buying direct and savings on the Annual Pass vs. buying resale.

I went through this in 2019 and ended up buying 100 points at BLT directly for the Gold AP discount. If you're a Florida Resident and already qualify for the Gold AP, this is probably not a big deal but for me the savings were significant.

The minimum to get a Blue Card is now 125 points, so the math is a little bit different and it depends on what resort you're going to buy at - but if you use Bay Lake Tower (which is my example) which currently costs $235 per point direct - and use average resale price of $144 per point, the math for 125 points would work out like this:

Direct = $29,375
Resale = $18,000
Savings from Resale = $11,375

If you go with a different resort like SSR, the savings are lower, for 125 points the savings would be $7,500.

Here is where you need to make a decision - for us, we were planning to buy more points (via resale) and go to Disney at least 2 times per year (that is slowly becoming 4 times per year) - so no matter what, it was going to be cheaper to buy an Annual Pass versus buying Tickets.

The price of a Platinum Pass (the cheapest one you can buy if you're not a DVC Member or Florida Resident) is $1,191.74 and $1,012.82 to renew.
The price of a DVC Gold Pass is $744.44 and $632.61 to renew. (NOTE: The Gold pass does have blockout dates for Spring Break and between Christmas and New Years)

Since it would only impact the first year, lets ignore the initial purchase price for a second.

That is a savings of $380.21 per Annual Pass renewal. If you have a family of 4, you're saving $1,520.84 per year. So divide 11,375 by 1,520.84 and your breakeven point is between 7 and 8 years. If you keep if you longer then you potentially save even more.

For me, when I bought because the minimum was 100 points, the savings was more like $9,500 - and the break even point was between 6 and 7 years.

There's of course the opportunity cost, you could invest that $11,375 and it would likely be worth more money in 7 or 8 years and remember none of the DVC Blue Card perks are guaranteed - it is possible you could lose those perks at any time. However, it seems unlikely Disney would do this - they need to differentiate the reasons to buy Direct.

There are of course additional benefits to being a DVC Blue Card member, before the pandemic they used to host Moonlight Magic events which is a free after hours event for DVC Blue Card members where they had rare character meet & greets and the parks had significantly reduced crowds so lines were much shorter. Hopefully these come back soon!

The other benefits in the link scubacat shared - yes the discounts are nice, but they are almost exactly the same as an Annual Passholder, so if you do get an AP, it doesn't matter. Being able to use your points at Disney owned non-DVC resorts is a humongous waste of points, same for cruises - so I don't think you lose that much as a resale owner there.

Anyway - things to consider! Right now, the benefits to buying direct are small because you can't buy an annual pass and there are no events like Moonlight Magic - but as things return to normal, will there be additional benefits? I assume there will be so Disney can continue to differentiate Direct DVC purchases from Resale purchases.

You can always get started with buying resale first, and then add on direct later if the benefits return.

[Relaxing Disney]

I have a question. What exactly is DVC and is it worth the money to get it if I live in PA and can only get down to Florida once per year at best? Do you save money being a DVC member or are you just paying extra for extra perks?

[Liquid Ice]

I have a question. What exactly is DVC and is it worth the money to get it if I live in PA and can only get down to Florida once per year at best? Do you save money being a DVC member or are you just paying extra for extra perks?

I'd highly recommend doing some Google searches and reading up more on DVC. There is a wealth of information available online from DVC brokers and various websites and videos on YouTube (ResortTV1 does not appear to have any of their own videos talking about DVC).

I'll try my best to summarize, but your best bet is to do your own research - you can even call DVC and ask to speak to a guide who can talk to you about it...

DVC is Disney Vacation Club. It is a Time Share program run by Disney. When you buy into DVC, you are buying a time bound (leased) real estate ownership interest in a very small piece of the resort you buy into. That ownership interest is represented by a number of points, which you can use to stay at a DVC Villa. The number of points required per night varies based on the resort, the size / view of the room and the time of year. The number of points also can be re-allocated each year - meaning if it cost you 10 points per night this year, it could cost you 11 points per night next year at the same time - but during another part of the year, it should also be cheaper. DVC can only shift the points around, it cannot just increase the points per night however they like. There are some nuances on how and where you can use your points based on whether you bought them from Disney directly or whether you bought them re-sale from another owner. But if you buy directly from Disney, you can use your points at any of the DVC Resorts (including the ones in Hawaii, and South Carolina). If you buy resale, anywhere except Riviera - you can use your points everywhere except Riviera and if you buy Riviera resale, you can only use those points at Riviera.

One advantage of DVC is that Disney reserves the right to buy back any contract which is for sale by an owner. This along with demand for Disney keeps the prices higher and prevents what often happens with a lot of time shares where they are worthless if you try to go and sell them.

Like I said earlier, your real estate ownership is time bound - every resort has an expiration date with the soonest being ~20 years from now in 2042 and the longest being Riviera in 2070.

If you go down to Disney once per year, you can buy enough points to stay for just 1 trip per year. Where you would save money is versus staying at a Deluxe Resort at Disney where the price per night is often $300-500 per night. If you're used to staying at a Value or Moderate resort or staying off property, you most likely would not save money.

Beyond just being nicer resorts, the DVC Villas in the 1-bedroom and larger sizes also offer a full kitchen and some rooms, such as a 2-bedroom villa can sleep more people (up to 8 or 9 depending on the resort) - so if that is something you need, it could be beneficial.

Beyond the initial buy-in cost, which can be significant (you can take a loan out for the initial purchase - you also need to pay annual dues which covers the maintenance and upkeep of the resort you own at. The maintenance cost is per point, and generally speaking increases every year.

When you work out the total cost over time though and consider that Disney prices continually go up and not down - you're sort of locking in the price of your hotel use for the next 20-50 years depending on which resort you buy at and only paying the maintenance fees each year.

What resort should you buy into? The answer generally is to buy into the resort you want to stay at. It can be extremely tempting to buy into a cheaper resort like Hilton Head in South Carolina (the annual dues on Hilton Head are very high though) - but the resort you own at allows you to book 11 months in advance, you can then book at any other resorts you qualify for at the 7 month mark. This means during popular times or for smaller resorts - there can often be no availability at the 7 month mark.

I'm sure there's more to it and I'm missing some key points - which is why I highly recommend doing your research! It is a big investment of money, so don't just listen to what I'm saying on a forum, do a ton of research and make an informed decision.

[CH-GenX]

We have been thinking about getting a DVC for YEARS!
The entire process feels a bit daunting though.

Questions:
Resale or direct from Disney?
Do you get a better deal from the reps on property?
How many points? We like to go at least once per year for a week.
Thank you Hoppers!
Resale, unless you are looking for a full 50 years contract and/or the "perks" (which are never guaranteed, by the way) are more important to you. A resale contract will generally be so much cheaper than direct that the money you'll save is far more than what you'll save on discounts.
No, you will never get 'a better deal' for any direct sale from those on vs off property. All Reps are authorized to sell at the same prices.
As for how many points, look at a points chart for where you want to buy (ALWAYS buy where you want to stay!) figure how often, for how long, when you want to go, and what room type you want. For example, we have Animal Kingdom Lodge as our home resort. I figured I wanted to go during November, December, January and wanted a savannah view studio room every two years. I figured that 200 points would more than cover that, with a little wiggle room. At the time, the price per point was much less than it is now, and I still wish I'd known more about the Resale Market. Two things to be aware of; WARNING! Addonitic is a real thing!! You buy one contract and before you know it, you want more!!! Also, when purchasing a resale contract, since you are purchasing 'a house that's already built' you kind of have to find a contract that's closest to what you need, whereas if you purchase direct, you're 'having the house built' in other words, you can decide how many points you want and just purchase them.

By far you get a better deal buying resale. I know several DVC owners that have bought a resale contract and then have bought the minimum point contract direct from Disney so that they get the blue dvc card.

[PirateForGood]

Hello All — I've been contemplating buying DVC for the last five years. I've kept putting it off - the main reason was my wife felt like buying direct was too much of a financial commitment and would limit our vacation options. Our only DVC tour was in Cali of the Aulani models.

This fall we took a long weekend trip to Disney for Halloween and stayed in a Boardwalk Villa. I'll admit I had hopes that this trip would reenergize the conversation about DVC. It worked and we agreed to explore resale first.

Our goals for our DVC use; every two-three years, with a rotation of a WDW resort, Hilton Head, Vero, and Aulani. We got excellent guidance from a broker at one of the previously mentioned resellers on this thread. We narrowed our search down to 100-160 points with no points available till 2022 or very few points available in 2021. We also targeted Animal Kingdom, Saratoga, and Copper Creek.

It wasn't a deal-breaker but our agent also suggested by using this strategy we could find a seller willing to pay some closing costs. We ended up putting an offer on a 150 pt resale at Saratoga with only 13 points in 2021 and all points starting in 2022. We agreed to the listed price and the seller paying listed closing costs. Our concern was the seller was listing the property right at the cost per point where Disney is buying back.

Now we wait - funds are in escrow and we're hoping we're approved soon. My advice find an agent that will take the time to listen to you and work for you to find the best option that fits your intended use. Next - be prepared to act fast. We lost out on our first three targets because we waited a day to make an offer.

[taylormmade]

Hi there! We are thinking of staying in a DVC room for the first time with a large group (8 adults).
My question for anyone who can answer, how is the sofa bed situation? Is it a comfy mattress? To be specific, we are thinking of staying in either Beach Club or Boardwalk in a two bedroom villa.

We stayed at the Cabins in Fort Wilderness over 2021 Christmas where we had one on the sofa bed all week. It wasn't the world's best mattress if you know what I mean...

Any insight on your experience with large groups in a DVC room is greatly appreciated! Thanks hoppers!

[GAN]

Hi there! We are thinking of staying in a DVC room for the first time with a large group (8 adults).
My question for anyone who can answer, how is the sofa bed situation? Is it a comfy mattress? To be specific, we are thinking of staying in either Beach Club or Boardwalk in a two bedroom villa.

We stayed at the Cabins in Fort Wilderness over 2021 Christmas where we had one on the sofa bed all week. It wasn't the world's best mattress if you know what I mean...

Any insight on your experience with large groups in a DVC room is greatly appreciated! Thanks hoppers!

I’ve never stayed with a party of 8, party of 6 and that was very comfortable with the open living area. Eight obviously puts 2 in the living room so that tightens it up a bit. I’ve spent a week on the Murphy bed and it’s relatively comfortable for what it is -not as good as the standard mattresses but good.