Thinking of Joining DVC... Need expert advise

[Chad gray]

New to the forum, but have a general question regarding DVC. I have researched, read blogs, done everything possible and ready to pull the trigger. I know that buying direct from Disney opens up a whole new world of vacation possibilities around the world and thus I want to be able to utilize my points in that fashion. So I was thinking about buying originally from them, then adding more points through resale for a better value. Is this ok to do? Also does it make since if I bought 100 points for ANimal kingdom for roughly 11,000, then buy resale at $70 a point instead of $110 from Disney for the rest of my points. The resale points will still have the same usage as the points I bought from Disney since my original contract started with them direct. Is this correct? I figure I can get 100 points from Disney and another 250 points resale for a total of 350 points for about a grand or two more than 180 points directly from Disney themselves.

Experts please weigh in. I'm looking for value and versatility in my purchase. Thanks for everyones feedback.

 

[GoofGoof]

The points you buy direct from Disney will be eligible for trade-in for Disney collection and Adventurer collection. This includes trade ins for non-DVC Disney resorts and the Disney Cruise Line. Points bought via resale are eligible for DVC reservations as well as trade-ins through RCI. With RCI you can pretty much go anywhere in the world. If you mix some direct buys with some resale only your points bought direct from Disney would be eligible for Disney and Adventure Collection.

When it comes down to a decision of resale vs direct you need to look at how you plan to use DVC points. As an example, if AK is $135 per point direct and you can buy resale for $70 and you plan to buy 350 points you would be paying an extra $22,750 to buy direct. With that savings you could go on a lot of cruises and/or trips to non-DVC resorts. If you plan on trading in your DVC points often it may be worth it, but trade-ins are generally not a good use of DVC points. Disney is at the top of the timeshare food chain so anything you trade in for will be worth less than your DVC points. For example you could buy an every other year timeshare through Hilton or some independent resort for a fraction of the cost of DVC and trade in your week through RCI.

 

[trs518]

When buying two different contracts, one through Disney and one resale, there could be some issues if the Use Year (the time you get your annual allotment of points) isn't the same on the contracts. You may have to bank/borrow from one contract to vacation.

Example: If you have a Feb. and Oct. use year, you may need to borrow points from the Oct contract in order to vacation in July.

I only have one contract, so maybe someone with multiple contracts can let us know if this make things challenging at times.

 

[mousefan1972]

Only points purchased directly through Disney are unrestricted.

If you then purchase more points via resale, those indeed will be restricted. DVC can, and does, differentiate between direct and resale points within the same membership. And yes, Member Services can tell how you bought your points when they pull up your account.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

If you decide to go both routes, I would try to ensure that you have the same use year. Disney cannot change the use year of a resale contract, so you might have to wait a bit if your direct buy use year isn't available. It just makes planning a lot easier. We have multiple contracts, but same use year.

 

[jim1051]

Experts please weigh in. I'm looking for value and versatility in my purchase. Thanks for everyones feedback.[/quote]
Make sure you buy enough points directly that you will be able to get the RCI accomadations.
eg a 2 BR unit in prime season requires 270 points

 

[BCVTalsJam]

When buying two different contracts, one through Disney and one resale, there could be some issues if the Use Year (the time you get your annual allotment of points) isn't the same on the contracts. You may have to bank/borrow from one contract to vacation.

Example: If you have a Feb. and Oct. use year, you may need to borrow points from the Oct contract in order to vacation in July.

I only have one contract, so maybe someone with multiple contracts can let us know if this make things challenging at times.

We have two contracts but both with the same use year and at the same resort...and they were both through Disney...But I would say that is going to be very complicated booking resorts. :/