Need Advice Buying DVC Direct

[nickys]

Don’t buy old properties direct. The prices are insane

Except if you want a small contract. Sometimes the price plus closing costs of resale approach the direct price in those circumstances, especially at the newer resorts where the resale price is high (as people try and recoup their costs).

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Except if you want a small contract. Sometimes the price plus closing costs of resale approach the direct price in those circumstances, especially at the newer resorts where the resale price is high (as people try and recoup their costs).

It would have to be VERY small.

My dude gave me the access to the prices I think last February....i laughed less at a naked gun movie

 

[Club Cooloholic]

You can only use unrestricted points to book at RR. That means points bought directly through DVC or resale points bought before Feb 2019.

If you own 50 points at RR and buy a 200 point contract at OKW resale now, you can only use your RR points to book at RR. You cannot combine them even at the 7 month mark.

I thought you could use the RR direct points anywhere at 7, ...so couldn't you combine them at 7 month mark with the resale to stay at a legacy?

 

[nickys]

I thought you could use the RR direct points anywhere at 7, ...so couldn't you combine them at 7 month mark with the resale to stay at a legacy?

Yes. But you can’t use resale points (or rather restricted points) to stay at RR, which is what I thought was being asked.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Yes. But you can’t use resale points (or rather unrestricted points) to stay at RR, which is what I thought was being asked.

Ah I thought he was asking the opposite. The restrictions are getting confusing. I gotta say, the rooms are priced high considering they aren't within walking distance to anything.

 

[sourbear61]

Ah I thought he was asking the opposite. The restrictions are getting confusing. I gotta say, the rooms are priced high considering they aren't within walking distance to anything.

Yes. But you can’t use resale points (or rather restricted points) to stay at RR, which is what I thought was being asked.

Apologies...being vague again. Was asking a "what-if" scenario; namely if I bought 100 pts at OKW direct and a small 25 pt Riviera Direct, with the same use year, could I use the total 125 at Rivera.

 

[nickys]

Apologies...being vague again. Was asking a "what-if" scenario; namely if I bought 100 pts at OKW direct and a small 25 pt Riviera Direct, with the same use year, could I use the total 125 at Rivera.

Yes you could do that at 7 months. But so could anyone else with unrestricted points.

One other question I notice you asked, about booking at RR if sales are slow.

Firstly, sales are pretty much progressing as Copper Creek did. It’s a lot, lot bigger, so lots more points in total. But DVC only sell in batches.

They have to “declare” a certain number of points and they can then sell those points; each batch is essentially a group of rooms. Those batches are the rooms that DVC then release for booking through points. So they can only take points bookings for the rooms they have declared. Although it isn’t specific room numbers, just rooms to the value of the points declared. So it isn’t actually easier for members who own elsewhere to book, since only owners at RR can book at 11 months and they can only use their actual RR points to book. At 7 months, any owner can use their points there, and resale points bought pre-Feb 2019 can also be used.

The rest of the rooms can be booked through WDW like any other resort: POR, All Stars etc. So it means until the resort is sold, it’s DIsney, not DVC, who have more rooms available. Hence the AP discounts for staying there, for example.

 

[sourbear61]

Yes you could do that at 7 months. But so could anyone else with unrestricted points.

One other question I notice you asked, about booking at RR if sales are slow.

Firstly, sales are pretty much progressing as Copper Creek did. It’s a lot, lot bigger, so lots more points in total. But DVC only sell in batches.

They have to “declare” a certain number of points and they can then sell those points; each batch is essentially a group of rooms. Those batches are the rooms that DVC then release for booking through points. So they can only take points bookings for the rooms they have declared. Although it isn’t specific room numbers, just rooms to the value of the points declared. So it isn’t actually easier for members who own elsewhere to book, since only owners at RR can book at 11 months and they can only use their actual RR points to book. At 7 months, any owner can use their points there, and resale points bought pre-Feb 2019 can also be used.

The rest of the rooms can be booked through WDW like any other resort: POR, All Stars etc. So it means until the resort is sold, it’s DIsney, not DVC, who have more rooms available. Hence the AP discounts for staying there, for example.

Thanks for the clarification; I find the restrictions to be somewhat confusing. Adding in weirdness associated with resale and RR direct, it only makes things muddier.

 

[Chip Chipperson]

Hi Chip - How do you guys like the boat transportation vs. other more traditional means? My gut says that the more transportation options the better (hence the stated preference for Monorail resorts that are closer to MK, have bus service and, of course, Monorail access). Having boat and bus sounds good in theory but how do they work out in practice?

We didn't mind the boat at all. At the time we stayed there, it seemed like the security line at MK was quicker taking the boat then it was for the buses since the boats have their own security checkpoint. It also seems like it can be a quicker way to get back to the resort than the monorail (or at least to get onto the boat vs. getting onto the monorail) on a busy night. We've had nights where we waited 40-45 minutes for the monorail because the park was crowded. We've never waited that long for a boat but I suppose we could have just been lucky since we've only stayed at Poly 3 times and Boulder Ridge once. Poly does have the boat option for MK, too.

The 1 issue that I could see with the boats is bad weather. If it's cold and/or rainy then the boats aren't a good option in my opinion. On one of our Poly stays we intentionally took the monorail back instead of the boat because it was a colder night. I'm sure it's not fun if it's windy and raining, either.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

Agree completely! Not sure how long it would take for DIS to adjust, especially if what I read is true, and DVC is having issues selling RR.
Called DVC and they're really, really, pushing RR which makes me wonder just how poorly received it is. Would hope that they would read the tea leaves and see that they need to make adjustments to a poorly conceived rule / premium pricing. OTOH, if it is selling slow, would make booking there easier (for the short term at least) during more popular times, no?


Suppose we could book, in the short term, using cash and see how things play out (planning a November visit).

Actually, RR is selling better in it's first 10 months than pretty much any other resort. From DVCNews:

Boosted by its strong sales in January, Riviera has now sold 1,080,166 points, about 16% of the resort’s 6.7 million total points. Its average during its first 10 months of sales of 108,017 points is more than the initial 10-month averages for the Grand Floridian (106,570-point average), Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows (76,909-point average), and Copper Creek Villas & Cabins (62,267-point average).

Considering that the direct price is a lot lower than several other properties, people are buying direct there, because they can also book any other resort at the 7 month mark as well.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

Thanks for the clarification; I find the restrictions to be somewhat confusing. Adding in weirdness associated with resale and RR direct, it only makes things muddier.

It's really not that bad. If you buy direct from Disney for any property, you can use those points for RR. If you buy resale at RR, you can ONLY use those points at RR. If you buy any other resale, you CANNOT use those to stay at RR. The only combo of points you could use for RR is direct anywhere and resale at RR, but you would be restricted to the 7 month window for that combo, since only the RR points have the 11 month booking window.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

With the market tanking and the economy about to slow, I would wait on buying any points, resale or direct.

 

[xdan0920]

Actually, RR is selling better in it's first 10 months than pretty much any other resort. From DVCNews:

Boosted by its strong sales in January, Riviera has now sold 1,080,166 points, about 16% of the resort’s 6.7 million total points. Its average during its first 10 months of sales of 108,017 points is more than the initial 10-month averages for the Grand Floridian (106,570-point average), Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows (76,909-point average), and Copper Creek Villas & Cabins (62,267-point average).

Considering that the direct price is a lot lower than several other properties, people are buying direct there, because they can also book any other resort at the 7 month mark as well.

DVC is bulletproof. Even taking away all the things that made it so appealing in the first place, it still sells as fast as they can build them. It's impressive, really.

 

[DCLcruiser]

If:
Buy 75 resale at CCV for August
Buy 125 direct at CCV for August (Membership minimum)

Do I have access to all 200 pts 11-months out at CCV?

Any complications with borrowing or banking?

 

[nickys]

If:
Buy 75 resale at CCV for August
Buy 125 direct at CCV for August (Membership minimum)

Do I have access to all 200 pts 11-months out at CCV?

Any complications with borrowing or banking?

Yes you can combine points at 11 months.

When you book you will be asked which contract you want to use points from.

And you can bank and borrow from either contract or both. Again you will specify the contract in each case.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Yes you can combine points at 11 months.

When you book you will be asked which contract you want to use points from.

And you can bank and borrow from either contract or both. Again you will specify the contract in each case.

Are you 100% about those resale points?

I had thought they tightened the usage of those a couple years ago? ...but I don’t follow it that closely

 

[DCLcruiser]

Yes you can combine points at 11 months.

When you book you will be asked which contract you want to use points from.

And you can bank and borrow from either contract or both. Again you will specify the contract in each case.

Do you have to break up the booking by contract or is it combined in this case where the details are the same?

Is it just 200 to book 5 night trip (one transaction) vs. 75 for 2 nights and 125 for 3 nights, as if two different bookings?

 

[TheGuyThatMakesSwords]

Just our opinion.... DVC Owners, Direct, 300 points....

STAY AWAY. Do nothing until 2022. DVC is currently a hot mess . The program is great - when it works. Currently? It does not work .

 

[Chip Chipperson]

Do you have to break up the booking by contract or is it combined in this case where the details are the same?

Is it just 200 to book 5 night trip (one transaction) vs. 75 for 2 nights and 125 for 3 nights, as if two different bookings?

1 booking. When you have multiple contracts and book online the system will ask you which contract you want to use first in case you have banked points or don't use them all but it's still just 1 reservation.

 

[nickys]

Are you 100% about those resale points?

I had thought they tightened the usage of those a couple years ago? ...but I don’t follow it that closely

In what way?

The only thing I can think of is whether you can book a night using points from two different contracts. You might need to transfer points between the contracts to be able to book using both sets of points. But that is allowed.