Is there any benefit?
 

Is there any benefit to buying DVC points on a Disney Cruise? We are going in April and we have gone back and forth about buying and are becoming more sure of it. Should we call directly, or buy on the ship? We are looking at doing some points through resale and some directly from Disney. We would be paying cash and not financing. Our deal from the get go was that we wouldn't finance and that is part of why it has taken us 3 years to be ready.

Lastly, does anyone know when the new villas at the Floridian will be available? It also looks like I can still buy into the Villas at the contemporary, right? I am not interested in AKL or Aulani which seem to be the only two offered with a promo right now. Thank you so much!!

You should explore resales too

May I ask why you want to buy direct? You would save about 70 or so a point with resale on Blt. That's a huge amount.

I was thinking of doing a little from them directly, and then the rest though resale. That gives us the benefits of making those points slightly more useable, right? For trading them towards other Disney vacations (DCL, ABD). You can't do that with resale. Correct?

Yes the cruise incentives are better but that's for the resorts the are currently selling. Also to be honest using points for dcl and other options cost more then paying out right. You could rent your points an cover the cruise plus have spending money. Your best bet is to research this forum. Dean and few others provide a ton of info.

Ok. Thanks. It makes me a little nervous to go the resale route. But it does sound like the best bet for your $. Now that they have changed the incentives between booking through them vs resale in the past year it has made me a little nervous about what else they might change if I purchase resale. I will look over the board some more. I have been lurking on here a while but will admit I am still a tad confused about how to really go about it all. Even after sitting though the DVC tour two years ago!!! All I left with is that I need a lot of points for a family of 6. ::yes::

Keep in mind that those options cost hundreds of points. So buying a small direct contract won't help you because by many accounts, you cannot co-mingle your direct and resale points for this purpose. (There were a few reports on *********** that some were able to do this, but I think it was a loophole that got closed).

I understand why you might be nervous with resale, but it's not that big of a deal. Plus, the general consensus is that if they were to make changes, existing resale contracts would be grandfathered in. All of my points are resale and I have enjoyed full use of them at the DVC resorts. Good luck with your decision! :)

With a family that size, using DVC points for ABD wold take so many points it makes my head spin.

DCL is a LITTLE more common use of DVC points, but even though we've gone that route a couple of times as Disney continues to raise the points needed and restrict the number of rooms available on cruises, it's becoming a lot less attractive.

Resale is the way to go if you're thinking BLT and will use the points for WDW vacations. There are a lot of fine deals out there for all kinds of point levels, and if you aren't wedded to a particular UY you will have even that more from which to choose.

We bought ours on a cruise. We got a pretty good deal. I'm not a fan of going the resale route.

The only guarantee you have is using your points at DVC resorts. Everything else is negotiated and could be removed from the program. Besides, cruising, Adv by Disney, Disney hotels all require a whole lot of points. A lot more than you might use at a DVC resort.

No guarantee of what will be available in April, but I can tell you what we were offered on our cruise last week:

1) $7 per point discount
2) $500 discount (or OBC) for a 160 point contract
3) $1000 discount (or OBC) for a 320 point contract

Our purchase was for $320 points of Aulani, at $140pp. After the discount it was more like $130pp. We have since rescinded within the 10-day period for a refund. Upon returning, I immediately did a lot of research and determined it was in our best interests to rescind.

On the DVC site right now, there's an offer for $500 bonus and $5pp discount for new contracts, so the savings from the cruise aren't that spectacular. Again, no guarantees about the promotions in April, but that's what we just experienced.

Our DVC rep on the cruise really talked up the flexibility, and when we bought we were certainly thinking of using points for cruises and staying at all the different resorts. I came to find out after the cruise that there wasn't much value using the points for cruises, and it was oftentimes difficult to use points to get the rooms you wanted at properties other than what you own.

I'd say if you've already done all your homework, you know exactly what you want, you want to buy from Disney, and want one of the three resorts they're selling now: then go on your cruise and see what they are offering. I'd only recommend this if you already know what you're doing and just want a discount. I wouldn't leave any decisions to be made on the cruise.

Thank you for this. I was wondering if it was better than what they were currently offering. I think we are going to go the resale route after all but it is good to know that the offer on board isn't that different than what they are offering online and over the phone.

No problem! These boards have been invaluable to me in deciding next steps, I'm just glad I could help someone else out.

Best of luck!

One thing to keep in mind, these incentives drop the price per point to a level that is still significantly higher than the going rate just a few months ago. So while they look good as compared to the current direct price, it's not really a good deal.

The DVC direct market is in a very precarious position right now. The only currently marketed resorts are either off site (Aulani) or polarizing (Animal Kingdom) and both are incredibly overpriced. The recently "sold out" resorts (BLT and SSR) are somewhat available but at prices that are double what is available on the resale market. And the next resort to be marketed is projected to have a ridiculously high initial offering price. It's hard for buyers who are financially motivated to buy direct right now.