Brand New looking at DVC

Unless you plan on booking less than 7 months out, as many have said, very important to stay where you want to stay/most of the time/love best.

Good luck!!
 
It's one queen sized bed. You only get a king sized bed in one bedroom or larger. If the two of you can sleep comfortably in a single queen bed, a studio would work fine.
 


I bought GFV back in 2015 and added on in 2016. We love this resort and have alternated between Studios and 1 BR. 2 adults and 1 child. We live in South Florida as well. The hotel is connected by a covered walkway as well as the Bus and Monorail, location is great plenty of things to do at the resort, live music, restaurants, nice pools and water slide. I recently added on direct 50 pts at CCV and love the Wilderness lodge as well. Resale is a better deal for sure but I didn't want to deal with any type of restrictions and my points were available right away, also charged it on my CC with 3 payments. But the price for GFV direct and resale is pretty significant. I have noticed that the resale prices tend to drop and more are available right around annual dues time towards the end of the year. In my opinion, you cant go wrong with the Grand. I actually believe that all the DVC resorts that I have visited are pretty awesome and all have pro's and con's
 
Hi we live in south Florida and generally do Disney at least once a year. Mainly stay 3-4 nights. Prefer staying at the Grand Floridian. With the average room rate so high lately we are considering buying a DVC. I figure 75-100 points would suffice. I’m guesssing I would have to go resale from what I have read
My main question is should I buy at Grand Floridian? If all the properties have the same value per point why wouldn’t I buy a cheaper resort and use the points every time for the Grand Floridian?
Apologies if this is a silly question. It’s just me and my wife and are flexible so we can go at anytime we want. Any input truly appreciated
Do the calculations assuming 20% hotel discount compared to a studio (for 2 people) including the opportunity costs/Time Value of Money variables including dues. IMO that needs to give you a clear savings of around 20% to be reasonable. My other factors for a DVC purchase including that one needs to be able to plan at least 7 months ahead and for VGF studios, 11 months, be OK with the compromises of a timeshare and be able to afford it (to me that's pay cash). The other you've already past, that one values staying on property enough to pay more. As other have noted, for GF, I would not buy elsewhere.

For others reading I wouldn't buy VGF with the idea of using the points here, there and everywhere though. I actually don't believe in the "buy where you want to stay" thought but rather buy the cheapest thing that you're OK staying at and looking at any upgrade as a bonus. For the OP these 2 approaches arrive at the same choice.
 


Not sure your age, ultimately that does not matter. We do not have children, in our 50s, we have owned at AKV since 2009 ( I was 34 on my first trip to WDW in 2002 and was hooked). As time goes on, you may find you just enjoy resort stays. My DH and I have enjoyed the decor and amenities of our home resort more and more over the years. It does have the comfort, homey effect fo us. After so many years and so many visits it is the familiarity of everything ( even the bellmen). So if your heart is set on VGF then purchase there. If you have never visited the other DVC resorts I would take a day and see the others. They all have their own appeal. It would be bad to buy at VGF and then eat at Boma one morning and get the feeling "oh my godness, this is awesome!", walk over to Kidani and wish you were staying. Of course you can book there at 7 months...maybe. You then return to your home resort and have a down feeling. We have had the opposite. We spent one night at BLT years ago and just couldn't wait to pull up to AKV the next morning. You spend so much money over the years that would not be good. I went to VGF to visit a friend once. We got a ride to the main building on a golf cart with a CM. The walkways between buldings were long, but then so are the hallways at Kidani. DH and I do not mind the dark decor or having only bus transportation to parks. We love the animals. We had never stepped foot on AKV property before we bought. When we started looking hard at DVC that seemed to be the dream resort for both of us. I would not recommmend that to anyone. We lucked out, really lucked out on that. I would purchase enough points for one week. DVC lulls you in to taking maybe a second trip a year. Or the first baby comes and you want to try 3-4 nights in a one bedroom. Yes, you can always add on. Our 210 points has carried us far at AKV. Our last trip was for 6 nights in a 2 bedroom, we have one coming up in a 2 bedroom for 6 nights. Next April, I was able to score a value studio at Jambo for 10 nights using the waitlist for a just he and I. But I am always planning in my head. He is now retired and we can really go anytime with my job. He was a firefighter and we always had to plan a year ahead because of his work schedule. Spend time on here and read, read and read. Passporter used to have a DVC book you could purchase online and download and I read it several times. It explained Use year, holding and cancellations and a few other improtant details you need to know with a Disney timeshare.

DVC has been one of our best purchases ever. His Mom and Brother, my parents and a couple fo friends have loved it as well. They kinda thought we were nuts. Parents will always kinds worry about their adult children's purchases I think ( or ours did). They only had to stay once. It is only about what you want and what will make you happy in the long run. No one can decide that but you. We did the unthinkable and purchased direct from Disney with a loan, high interest rate. But after the bust of 2008 it was difficult to find a second mortgage. We paid it off a year early. We have never looked back. We look forward to going even with masks and social distancing. Just don't forget how your trips may change through the years when you own DVC. You can buy were you like staying but I think for a resort you will have a long time, you really need to love it. It should feel like home. You will have a vested interest in Disney and the success of their timeshare dvision for a long time. The communication with members over the last 5 months has not been stellar, but we feel it still has value for us. We just purchased tickets for our upcoming trip with Disney rewards dollars. So looking at it wearing rose colored glasses our villa and tickets are already paid for. We only have food to buy on this next trip..most likely we will get a TIW card at $150 ( I think)...upgrade our tickets to an AP...purchase food for the room....driving instead of flying this trip...it all adds up when you drink the Koolaid.
 
I bought GFV back in 2015 and added on in 2016. We love this resort and have alternated between Studios and 1 BR. 2 adults and 1 child. We live in South Florida as well. The hotel is connected by a covered walkway as well as the Bus and Monorail, location is great plenty of things to do at the resort, live music, restaurants, nice pools and water slide. I recently added on direct 50 pts at CCV and love the Wilderness lodge as well. Resale is a better deal for sure but I didn't want to deal with any type of restrictions and my points were available right away, also charged it on my CC with 3 payments. But the price for GFV direct and resale is pretty significant. I have noticed that the resale prices tend to drop and more are available right around annual dues time towards the end of the year. In my opinion, you cant go wrong with the Grand. I actually believe that all the DVC resorts that I have visited are pretty awesome and all have pro's and con's
Awesome thank you so much
 
Do the calculations assuming 20% hotel discount compared to a studio (for 2 people) including the opportunity costs/Time Value of Money variables including dues. IMO that needs to give you a clear savings of around 20% to be reasonable. My other factors for a DVC purchase including that one needs to be able to plan at least 7 months ahead and for VGF studios, 11 months, be OK with the compromises of a timeshare and be able to afford it (to me that's pay cash). The other you've already past, that one values staying on property enough to pay more. As other have noted, for GF, I would not buy elsewhere.

For others reading I wouldn't buy VGF with the idea of using the points here, there and everywhere though. I actually don't believe in the "buy where you want to stay" thought but rather buy the cheapest thing that you're OK staying at and looking at any upgrade as a bonus. For the OP these 2 approaches arrive at the same choice.

thanks for your info. Planning in advance is not a problem we are just about a 3 hour ride or so there by car. we also are fortunate enough to be able to go whenever we want and agree will be paying cash.
 
Not sure your age, ultimately that does not matter. We do not have children, in our 50s, we have owned at AKV since 2009 ( I was 34 on my first trip to WDW in 2002 and was hooked). As time goes on, you may find you just enjoy resort stays. My DH and I have enjoyed the decor and amenities of our home resort more and more over the years. It does have the comfort, homey effect fo us. After so many years and so many visits it is the familiarity of everything ( even the bellmen). So if your heart is set on VGF then purchase there. If you have never visited the other DVC resorts I would take a day and see the others. They all have their own appeal. It would be bad to buy at VGF and then eat at Boma one morning and get the feeling "oh my godness, this is awesome!", walk over to Kidani and wish you were staying. Of course you can book there at 7 months...maybe. You then return to your home resort and have a down feeling. We have had the opposite. We spent one night at BLT years ago and just couldn't wait to pull up to AKV the next morning. You spend so much money over the years that would not be good. I went to VGF to visit a friend once. We got a ride to the main building on a golf cart with a CM. The walkways between buldings were long, but then so are the hallways at Kidani. DH and I do not mind the dark decor or having only bus transportation to parks. We love the animals. We had never stepped foot on AKV property before we bought. When we started looking hard at DVC that seemed to be the dream resort for both of us. I would not recommmend that to anyone. We lucked out, really lucked out on that. I would purchase enough points for one week. DVC lulls you in to taking maybe a second trip a year. Or the first baby comes and you want to try 3-4 nights in a one bedroom. Yes, you can always add on. Our 210 points has carried us far at AKV. Our last trip was for 6 nights in a 2 bedroom, we have one coming up in a 2 bedroom for 6 nights. Next April, I was able to score a value studio at Jambo for 10 nights using the waitlist for a just he and I. But I am always planning in my head. He is now retired and we can really go anytime with my job. He was a firefighter and we always had to plan a year ahead because of his work schedule. Spend time on here and read, read and read. Passporter used to have a DVC book you could purchase online and download and I read it several times. It explained Use year, holding and cancellations and a few other improtant details you need to know with a Disney timeshare.

DVC has been one of our best purchases ever. His Mom and Brother, my parents and a couple fo friends have loved it as well. They kinda thought we were nuts. Parents will always kinds worry about their adult children's purchases I think ( or ours did). They only had to stay once. It is only about what you want and what will make you happy in the long run. No one can decide that but you. We did the unthinkable and purchased direct from Disney with a loan, high interest rate. But after the bust of 2008 it was difficult to find a second mortgage. We paid it off a year early. We have never looked back. We look forward to going even with masks and social distancing. Just don't forget how your trips may change through the years when you own DVC. You can buy were you like staying but I think for a resort you will have a long time, you really need to love it. It should feel like home. You will have a vested interest in Disney and the success of their timeshare dvision for a long time. The communication with members over the last 5 months has not been stellar, but we feel it still has value for us. We just purchased tickets for our upcoming trip with Disney rewards dollars. So looking at it wearing rose colored glasses our villa and tickets are already paid for. We only have food to buy on this next trip..most likely we will get a TIW card at $150 ( I think)...upgrade our tickets to an AP...purchase food for the room....driving instead of flying this trip...it all adds up when you drink the Koolaid.

Thank you! My wife and I are both in our 50’s as well. The first time I went was in my 30’s and I was blown away. We ended up moving to Florida and were annual pass holders and often just drove up for a weekend. we stayed at many resorts. When younger we really enjoyed Port Orleans but as we grew older and began enjoying the rest of Disney as well as just going on rides and appreciating the whole of Walt Disney World we began enjoying the deluxe resorts as well. We love Animal Kingdom and one of our favorites is the Yacht and Beach Club. We enjoy being able just to walk into Epcot for dinner. However the GF is just our favorite.
Then we didn’t go for a few years, life got in the way and now we are going again. So we booked the GF for 4 nights and based on what we are paying I looked and we can buy DVC for what 4 of these stays will cost us.
So I started here for research. Now I see So many people love the Poly So we are going to look around at all when we go masks and all!

All that said I remember the first time I ever came to WDW and was in awe the whole time we came over to the GF and I was just in awe it holds a special place for me and we have stayed here a few times and feel most relaxed on the grounds.

i Know it’s all extremely personal For each taste.
my main dilemma I am finding now is we enjoy off season and usually stay only 4 nights so I don’t want to overbuy points but then also don’t want to under buy but that’s a later conversation
 
so I don’t want to overbuy points but then also don’t want to under buy but that’s a later conversation

There are several ways to supplement points though. Cash stays of course. Rent reservations from other members. Transfer in points. Use banking/borrowing until you've used up all your points and then get a larger transfer to build up your reserve to keep you going for several more years. And of course add on. It's easier to add on than to subtract!
 
I am assuming you are not traveling peak times (Christmas, Spring break, Run Disney, etc).

If you are booking 1BR, you could get away with SSR points. That's how I travel to stay VGF. VGF 1BRs are usually wide open off-peak because they are so point heavy.

You might get lucky here and there with SSR points on studios, especially if you are flexible on date. But if you want a VGF studio reliably, you need VGF points.

If you are open to Poly, the SSR plan works much better. Poly has 300+ studios, so it's easier to book there.

Though VGF points cost more upfront, they are actually a good deal long term because of the length of the contract.
 
I would definitely purchase at VGF then...and maybe enough for the extra night so 5 nights...you can always add on. You are on the right track by coming here for research. These folks know and understand alot. We purchased 210 instead of an even 200 becasue those 10 points weren't much more money in the big picture and we have had many an extra night becasue of them. We also make use of the one time only points that you can purchase at 7 months to add a night.
 
One thing O wish we had done but I wasn't as up on things as I am now. I would have purchased 3-50 point contracts and a 60, or a 100 point and 110 point contract just becasue they are easier to sell. So I would do 2- 50 points in your case if they are available, although a 100 point contract would be good becasue it is VGF.
 
One thing O wish we had done but I wasn't as up on things as I am now. I would have purchased 3-50 point contracts and a 60, or a 100 point and 110 point contract just becasue they are easier to sell. So I would do 2- 50 points in your case if they are available, although a 100 point contract would be good becasue it is VGF.

I wouldn't recommend direct. OP is FL resident so already access to lower priced APs. Not much other reason to consider paying $60-$80 more per point. I take a different view of small contacts having always split direct purchases. I wish I hadn't done it as much. 100 points is small. 150 points isn't really large either.
 
I wouldn't recommend direct. OP is FL resident so already access to lower priced APs. Not much other reason to consider paying $60-$80 more per point. I take a different view of small contacts having always split direct purchases. I wish I hadn't done it as much. 100 points is small. 150 points isn't really large either.
Thanks for the info. Forgive me as I said I am new so what does this mean:
OP is FL resident so already access to lower priced APs.
I get that original poster is Florida resident I don’t know what you mean by already have access to lower priced APs?
thanks
 
Thanks for the info. Forgive me as I said I am new so what does this mean:
OP is FL resident so already access to lower priced APs.
I get that original poster is Florida resident I don’t know what you mean by already have access to lower priced APs?
thanks
As a FL resident you can buy the FL Gold pass for the same price as DVC members who are not FL residents can buy the DVC Gold pass. That is probably the single most frequently cited reason for buying DVC direct and paying so much more than resale, because only Blue Card DVC members can take advantage of the significant cost savings between the Gold and the Platinum APs.
 
As a FL resident you can buy the FL Gold pass for the same price as DVC members who are not FL residents can buy the DVC Gold pass. That is probably the single most frequently cited reason for buying DVC direct and paying so much more than resale, because only Blue Card DVC members can take advantage of the significant cost savings between the Gold and the Platinum APs.
Ahhhhh thank you!
 
One thing O wish we had done but I wasn't as up on things as I am now. I would have purchased 3-50 point contracts and a 60, or a 100 point and 110 point contract just becasue they are easier to sell. So I would do 2- 50 points in your case if they are available, although a 100 point contract would be good becasue it is VGF.
IMO one shouldn't buy planning to sell later. Exit options just in case are nice but not worth paying extra for. So if one can buy this way thithoug paying extra including extra closing then I agree, otherwise I do not.
 

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