Just purchased direct Aulani, should we add for Disneyland?

[_auroraborealis_]

So I have come up with roughly 5 option ideas (that can be adjusted) that we have at this point. Let me know if you have any thoughts:

I'll add an option 6:

Stay with 300 direct Aulani, but cancel it as written and have it re-done as two 150-point contracts. This makes it easier to sell either if required, and to bequeath them to you and your brother as individual units.

I don't think 300 direct Aulani is going to be your best bet given what you have said about your vacation habits and timing, but if you were to decide to go that way, splitting it into two contracts would add a few hundred to the price and smooth the way later on for intended disposition via an estate.

 

[kalishea]

Family meeting to present all this to my dad in 1 hour!

 

[bwvBound]

4- Buy 100 min needed direct Aulani, buy around 50 more Aulani resale (to get back to 150 at Aulani), 150 VGC resale, for roughly $53,500

I favor option 4 ... but would like it even more if it were 100 direct at VGC. Twist your guide's arm! You are ready to kick (rescind) ... but are offering to stay in the game if he secures 100 points direct at the Grand Cal. You are in the driver's seat ... use the power. ;-)

 

[cruisehopeful]

This may be too late, but here it is if you are still deciding.

He loves Disney Cruises. We have been on 4 now and are planning another in the next 1-2 years. We also love Disneyland. We go out there anywhere from 1-3 times per year, staying off property. Sometimes it's only a few months out that we book, or we have planned it out further too. We usually go off season. Sept, Jan, Feb are all times we like to go. We would love to stay at VGC occasionally, in probably a 1 or 2 bedroom villa.

He travels exactly the way I travel. I sold my VGC and I pay cash for my Disney Cruises and my hotel stays. I just booked a couple nights from a VGC owner for an off season time. It's just way more economical than owning DVC for me.

Lastly, I do have a brother that it would ultimately be splitting this with down the road. Again, not the best use of points, but he was super interested in the RCI exchange as he is not a Disney fan.

If he wants RCI, he can literally buy a resale timeshare for $1. and have much lower annual dues for that. If he doesn't like DVC and he owns DVC, he will have to pay among the highest annual dues for any timeshare and then pay RCI an annual fee to RCI and then an exchange fee to RCI everytime he makes an exchange and then potentially resort fees and/or cleaning fees depending on what he trades to. If he likes high end timeshares, those are mostly in I.I. which DVC can't trade to.

He is super interested in things like Moonlight Madness and other members only events they only the blue card gets.

Then buy the minimum direct and the rest of whatever he wants on resale or only buy the direct minimum and pay cash for everything else.

- Buy 150 direct Aulani, buy around 150 resale VGC, for roughly $50,000-$55,000 total after Aulani discounts

4- Buy 100 min needed direct Aulani, buy around 50 more Aulani resale (to get back to 150 at Aulani), 150 VGC resale, for roughly $53,500

Hmm, I would do either of those options, but I wouldn't waste time getting back to 150 at Aulani unless you plan to use it for Aulani.

I know you and your brother want to inherit the timeshare. Are you both prepared to pay the annual fees which go up every year? Will you be happy only staying in timeshares or do you want to travel places where there aren't timeshares (hotels won't be in RCI)? When I owned VGC, my oldest daughter was looking forward to inherit it until I told her the annual dues and how difficult it is to book a stay there if you don't plan 11 months in advance.

 

[SwirlTheCitrus]

Family meeting to present all this to my dad in 1 hour!

How did it go?

 

[kalishea]

Hi, I'm back on after a holiday hiatus! Sorry for not getting back sooner! Thanks for all the input...

So my Dad went with option #1- Proceed 100% as planned. 300 direct points at Aulani.

Let me try and explain the reasoning... since my mom's unexpected passing in August, we all have a different outlook on life, especially my dad, and that is essentially that life is short and you never know what can happen. He is still working full time and had saved for retirement and to travel after retirement. Now, he's kinda lost, honestly. All that he has saved to travel the world with my mom and she is not here to enjoy it with him. He frankly doesn't care about getting the best "value" out of his money any longer as life is short and he can't take it with him in the end. So, this money he used for DVC is money that he just wanted to use for something for the family. He had never once regretted his decision to buy into DVC until I threw a kink into the works a few weeks ago with all the information I learned here and online. Upon presenting him the options I came up with, he was still happy with his direct purchase and knows we'll be able to use it, even if it isn't the best bang for his buck, for many vacations for years to come.

So, at this point, I appreciate what he has given to our family and I am thrilled that we are new DVC members and look forward to using it for many years!
Again, I appreciate ALL of the replies and suggestions on this thread and thank you from the bottom of my heart!

 

[MJB62676]

Hi, I'm back on after a holiday hiatus! Sorry for not getting back sooner! Thanks for all the input...

So my Dad went with option #1- Proceed 100% as planned. 300 direct points at Aulani.

Let me try and explain the reasoning... since my mom's unexpected passing in August, we all have a different outlook on life, especially my dad, and that is essentially that life is short and you never know what can happen. He is still working full time and had saved for retirement and to travel after retirement. Now, he's kinda lost, honestly. All that he has saved to travel the world with my mom and she is not here to enjoy it with him. He frankly doesn't care about getting the best "value" out of his money any longer as life is short and he can't take it with him in the end. So, this money he used for DVC is money that he just wanted to use for something for the family. He had never once regretted his decision to buy into DVC until I threw a kink into the works a few weeks ago with all the information I learned here and online. Upon presenting him the options I came up with, he was still happy with his direct purchase and knows we'll be able to use it, even if it isn't the best bang for his buck, for many vacations for years to come.

So, at this point, I appreciate what he has given to our family and I am thrilled that we are new DVC members and look forward to using it for many years!
Again, I appreciate ALL of the replies and suggestions on this thread and thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Congratulations! I'm quite excited to start using our Aulani points. We bought Direct as well, and many here will tell you that was a horrible idea, but it worked for us, and in the end, we paid what I consider to be a rather small premium to get exactly what we wanted, when we wanted it.

And, I have a trip booked for next Thanksgiving already, so I'm looking forward to that. (I still wouldn't use the points for anything but staying at a DVC property).

 

[Noodlez]

Congratulations! We all have different reasons for our purchases and it is lovely that your dad is able to share this with you and the family. I’m sure you will all have an amazing time using these points.
It’s good that you’re aware of the value for money and not under illusions about what the points can get you, but that doesn’t mean there’s a right way and a wrong way.

Welcome home! May you all have many wonderful times together and I hope this brings your dad a lot of happiness.

 

[cruisehopeful]

Upon presenting him the options I came up with, he was still happy with his direct purchase

That sounds great. A purchase like this should bring on happy feelings. I know he will enjoy all of his future vacations.

 

[JoshF]

Hi, thanks for your reply. My father has wanted to buy into DVC for years. He did it to use it for DCL and RCI too (then to pass on to my son), that's why he went with 300 points, to at least cruise every 2 years. I know not a good way to spend, but that's what he wants to do for the remaining years he has to travel, so I'm not going to argue with him. Aulani is somewhere we want to visit but we have other connections in Hawaii so it wouldn't be a frequent trip, or if it was, it would be a few days then we would travel to Kauai from there for another week or so. The purchase discounts were a lot higher at Aulani and with us being on the west coast, know we will go there more then anything on the east coast. Only other direct option was Riviera as we bought just a couple weeks ago. We frequent Disneyland a few times a year, never staying on property, but would love to sometimes. That's why I am looking at options to add on there. I didn't know the new resort was already confirmed! That's exciting!

Out of curiosity, what kinds of discounts were offered on a cruise at Aulani?