Purchased our 1st DVC yesterday and already worried...should I be?

[happytime]

1st I didn't have access to computer until last night. LOL

We came down to enjoy our vacation at Bonnet Creek. After the sales presentation, we left very upset with the way they treated us as we were not first buyers into Wyndham, but from a resale purchase. We've been coming to Florida for years, on pretty much a yearly basis. We love Disney everything--from the parks, shopping, to the cruises (3 of them) that we decided to check out the DVC.

They sold us into Poly villas and now after reading a few reviews, I am a little concerned. I asked about Animal Kingdom and the sales rep really stressed Poly advantages over the AK citing longevity in contract (as we would lose 9 years out of the 50) and higher MFs. So with that in mind, should I be worried? I read that Poly has had issues with sewer and a/c in the villas. And the smallness of the units.

Should we cancel our contract since we signed yesterday and try instead to get into AK? Or does it really matter where your contract is as long as you have one?

Thanks in advance. I could be worried for nothing, right?

 

[msjprincess]

If you're unsure, cancel and do some more research on direct vs resale. Personally, I wouldn't buy direct for Poly unless that's where you really want to stay most of the time.

ETA
You can buy an AKV resale for $80-$90 per point.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Do you want to stay at Poly regularly? Buying Poly direct is only a good idea if you are staying almost exclusively in studios, and want to stay at Poly 75%+ of the time.

If you want to stay at AKV, buy at AKV. Resale AKV is extremely lots cheaper, and gets you the Home Resort advantage.

Frankly, Poly's not going anywhere. I recommend rescinding within your 10 day period and learning as much as you can about the following concepts:

• Home Resort Booking
• 11/7 month booking
• Use Year
• Banking/Borrowing
• Post 4/4 Resale
• Unit capacity
• Fall Frenzy

 

[MrInfinity]

1st I didn't have access to computer until last night. LOL

We came down to enjoy our vacation at Bonnet Creek. After the sales presentation, we left very upset with the way they treated us as we were not first buyers into Wyndham, but from a resale purchase. We've been coming to Florida for years, on pretty much a yearly basis. We love Disney everything--from the parks, shopping, to the cruises (3 of them) that we decided to check out the DVC.

They sold us into Poly villas and now after reading a few reviews, I am a little concerned. I asked about Animal Kingdom and the sales rep really stressed Poly advantages over the AK citing longevity in contract (as we would lose 9 years out of the 50) and higher MFs. So with that in mind, should I be worried? I read that Poly has had issues with sewer and a/c in the villas. And the smallness of the units.

Should we cancel our contract since we signed yesterday and try instead to get into AK? Or does it really matter where your contract is as long as you have one?

Thanks in advance. I could be worried for nothing, right?

What are you worried about? These seem like normal questions one would ask or understand... Like... Do you prefer the Poly or the AK? Really that's all that matters. Which one do you want to own. Have you stayed at either? Visited at least? The Poly rooms are fine. Any AC or other problems will be short-term maintenance fixes. What it comes down to is buying what you want to own. For me, Poly would kill the AK in just about every benefit that I consider valuable. But, people do like their AK studios (cheap!) so there's obviously value in both it just comes down to what you want. You're really looking at a cost factor of 2x to buy into Poly vs AK, so you should have experienced the differences and have a preference.

 

[d1gitman]

We bought our first set of DVC points at Poly a year ago November and then again this November. Our plan is to pass the two sets of 70 points on to each of our boys when they are older. We have stayed twice at Poly and absolutely love it. This is coming from a Disney veteran who has stayed at most of the resorts through the years. We have over two dozen trips to WDW since 2004. I can tell you we had all the same questions and concerns but after staying at Poly they all disappeared. What I can tell you is the old real estate adage "location, location, location". Being on the Monorail is awesome. There is the monorail and two boat options from Poly. Also, the studios sleep 5. the 5th being a nifty pull down from the wall, not a chair or ottoman. We plan to stay at Poly the majority of the time but also know we will stay at other locations as well....looking forward to the cabins at the upcoming copper creek.

 

[Matty B13]

Unless you have a ton of points for the Bungalows, make sure you want to be staying in a studio, and not a 1 bedroom or 2 bedroom. I love the Poly, but the lack of 1 and 2 bedrooms at the resort had us buying at VGF and AKV with 5 people in our family. Look into resale contracts for all the resorts that you think you are interested in, the prices are much lower, even Poly. Lots of Poly contracts coming up for resale already at $130's a point.

 

[paults]

cancel and read up on DVC.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Lots of Poly contracts coming up for resale already at $130's a point.

I think a bunch of people have learned they don't want studios all the time, or discovered that 7-month booking in fall frenzy was overstated by their guide.

 

[Matty B13]

I think a bunch of people have learned they don't want studios all the time, or discovered that 7-month booking in fall frenzy was overstated by their guide.

Or the dues are already higher than most of the other resorts. Makes for a good buying opportunity for some people.

 

[disneynutz]

Rescind your contract, take the time to learn about the DVC, buy if DVC still makes sense for you and your family.

Bill

 

[Barbydoll8]

I own at both places and I bought direct for both places (I know the horrors to some) but I can tell you I love them both. I also stay at other resorts if need be as well.
General rule, BUY WHERE YOU WANT TO STAY.
If you don't mind studios, then there is no reason to cancel. If you mind the studios sometimes, then switch it up once in awhile. While the 7 month thing can be a little hard to manage, rooms at AKL, SS or OKW are usually (not always) but usually available.
The resort is lovely. The location is sublime and I had no problems with the boat whistle or any other noise and I am a light sleeper. I know others have complained.
I do not regret buying Poly one minute because it's a resort I love and will love to visit over and over again for the next several decades.

 

[Sammie]

The issues with AC at the Polynesian villas has been limited to the Bungalows. I don't think the sewer problems have been wide spread and have been fixed.

The others gave you good advise about educating yourself about the differences between direct buy and resale.

As to whether it matters where you own is a difficult question to answer.

One if you can't book before 7 months due to job, schedules etc. Then no there is no advantage to the 11 month booking window.
If you want something larger than a studio, then a resort other than Polynesian would be a better fit.
Getting into Polynesian studios at times will be harder than getting an AKL studio.
Booking at seven months at times is very difficult, depending on what size unit you want and when. At other times not so much.

 

[zavandor]

It's a big financial commitment, both for the buy in and the cost of vacationing at WDW every year for 50 years. If you are not 100% happy, then cancel, you don't loose anything. And you can still buy in a few weeks (or months) after you'll have studied the system a bit more. There are a lot informative threads on this board, so take your time and then take the decision to buy direct, resale or not buy at all. It may happen that buying direct is the right choice for you, but I think you should have the time and the knowledge to be sure about it.

 

[Dean]

I'd cancel until you're sure and better educated. I'm not sure what you expected doing a sales tour with Wyndham having bought resale though. Their sales reputation is well known.

 

[alldiz]

Really think about how you plan trips with the 11/7mth window.
Unless you book most of the time before 7mths and want poly most of the time, I would do more research.

I have always been lucky at 7mths. I even just scored a studio at Grand Californian in July before Aulani. Both booked 7mths.
Unless you are dying to stay at the poly during the busiest holiday times.....I would look into resale.

You don't lose much buying resale. You can't use it for DCL for instance, but Using points for DCL is a big waste and renting them out to say Davids rental is much better and use cash for that.

I personally LOVE the Poly, stayed for the 1st time last year. My favorite room in WDW is the Poly studio lake view. Didn't expect to love Poly so much....but hey I can stay there anyway.

Seriously look into resale. I recently saw direct pricing and almost fell off my chair.
But if you love Poly and want to stay there most of the time.....Go for it.
Happy planning. I do love my DVC.
Kerri

 

[BestDadEver]

cancel and read up on DVC.

I agree , for the reason that poly is a bit different in it only has bungalow (very high points ) and studios . Like someone said paying the premium for poly is probably only in your best interest if you plan to stay there a lot . If your going to bop around you can get more valuable points for your money

 

[happytime]

Thank you for all responses. Our family went to Magic Kingdom yesterday. It was such a great time.

I am happy overall with our purchasing into DVC. My solution, in my head at least, is to rescind the initial contract, and renegotiate concerning the Polynesian and to place the bulk of our points for where we want to be instead of it all in one place.

Now if if can get the spouse to agree. He is happy that we are DVC members! And that's it!! lol

 

[Brian Noble]

My solution, in my head at least, is to rescind the initial contract, and renegotiate concerning the Polynesian and to place the bulk of our points for where we want to be instead of it all in one place.

I would go farther. Simply rescind. Then, spend a little time doing your homework---and you should not be spending your vacation doing that homework.

I know this isn't what you and your partner want to do. After all, you are on vacation, having a great time, and you just made a purchase to recapture that great feeling again for years down the road! What's not to like, right? The problem is that timeshare salespeople know this. They know you are having a great time and want to keep having it, so they sell you something that, maybe, isn't quite the right fit for you, but will help the salesperson meet their quota targets for what they are "supposed to be selling."

So, rescind, and enjoy the rest of your vacation knowing that you can do your due diligence once you get home by reading up on the program, how it works, and what you will really want out of it. If, after doing that due diligence you decide you want to buy Poly points from Disney, you can simply call your Guide and get it done, you don't need to be in Orlando to make that happen. You could also do that with other resorts, too. But, I suspect you will eventually discover that buying on the secondary market is a better fit for your family's needs---just as being a resale Wyndham buyer was.

And, as an aside: never ever go to a Wyndham update again. The resorts are lovely, and the staff (excepting the sales staff) are generally quite good, but the sales arm is...well, not that.

 

[ziravan]

Thank you for all responses. Our family went to Magic Kingdom yesterday. It was such a great time.

I am happy overall with our purchasing into DVC. My solution, in my head at least, is to rescind the initial contract, and renegotiate concerning the Polynesian and to place the bulk of our points for where we want to be instead of it all in one place.

Now if if can get the spouse to agree. He is happy that we are DVC members! And that's it!! lol

I say this as a happy Poly owner: rescind, research, rebuy.

After 10 days, you cannot change your mind.

Example. Let's say for argument that you bought 150 points and received 10 extra points. $171/point.

$25,650 for 160 points or $160/point essentially.

Here's an alternative: rescind and rebuy 50 points at Poly for $171:

$8,550. This also makes you a member and let's you keep the important perks.

And. It leaves you with $18,100 to buy AKV resale.

Deduct $1000 for the additional closing costs and let's assume a very reasonable $92/point for AKV: 186 points.

Round up to 200 and for an equivalent price you could own both, 50 Poly points that you can bank/borrow into a 150 point visit every 3 yrs and enough AKV points to be in business.

250 total points to leverage vs 160 now for about the same price.

Best of both worlds.

One caveat. Prices for Poly go up 1/18, to $176. If you rescind and rebuy after Jan 18th, it'll cost you more.

 

[ziravan]

Oh. And NEVER go to a Wyndham update no matter what they offer.

My rule: politely say no three times.

The 4th time goes something like this: "I paid $3/1000 points on eBay for my contracts. I'd be happy to buy more at that price. Otherwise, we'd be wasting each other's time."

The ONE time I had to decline a 5th time went something like THIS: "I've politely said no for long enough now that there's a line behind me. Either give me my parking pass or I'll explain to the 2 couples behind me how THEY can get a great deal on eBay, too." Salesman, handing me my parking pass, "You don't have to be rude about it." Me: "Apparently, I do." (Cypress Palms btw.)