Poly Tower or Grand Floridian

[Jlo85]

Trying to decide whether to buy-in to the direct VGF deal or wait for the Poly Tower. We prefer one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. I know that it seems VGF will have a shortage of those units with all the new studios, but it’s hard for me to tell if Poly will be better. Seems like it may be worse if it’s the same association. Anyone struggling with this decision too?

 

[PolyRob]

I agree with your assessment. If it's the same association larger accommodations at the Poly tower may be even harder to secure than VGF at times due to the number of studios and points sold on bungalows. If it's a separate association the tower should hopefully be easier to secure, last for 50 years, but will most likely have resale restrictions.

Do you have a preference between the resorts or is price the main deciding factor? I would love a chance to own PVB as a new association if the room mix is balanced and it truly add amenities like shopping and dining to the Polynesian Village Resort. VGF is my only home resort and favorite current DVC accommodation so adding on more there works well for me. I need the points during high demand DVC and GF seasons and at this price I am inclined to add even more than I need to secure future stays in other DVC accommodations during less popular seasons. I am just trying to figure out what that number is before 9/11.

 

[pianomanzano]

VGF isn’t that hard to book yet for 1BR and 2BR at 11 months. We just added on 150 points there because it’s hard to beat the current incentives. We’re interested in Poly Tower but only if it’s a separate association and with the prices jumps occurring now not sure if we’ll have the appetite for a potential $250/pt in 2024 when it opens.

 

[Sandisw]

This is a difficult one. We did add on last year ar VGF because it’s our second favorite resort, we have had no trouble getting 1 bedrooms for a few nights for each of our trips with our SSR points.

But, I was worried with all the new studios it would be harder as a non owner, And, I have noticed that some at the 7 month mark..which is why I was glad I had home resort advantage!

We are thinking about the tower for some additional points but won’t if it’s added to PVB because we don’t want more than 4 million points tied to studios and bungalows having the same ability to book larger units.

I do think that owners of VGF who book at 11 months should be able to get the larger units during most of the time.

 

[Hubalorian]

I would take the great incentive deal at VGF, who knows what the pricing or incentives will be in a year from now

 

[thelionqueen]

Trying to decide whether to buy-in to the direct VGF deal or wait for the Poly Tower. We prefer one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. I know that it seems VGF will have a shortage of those units with all the new studios, but it’s hard for me to tell if Poly will be better. Seems like it may be worse if it’s the same association. Anyone struggling with this decision too?

That’s tough, but I believe the current incentives at VGF are tough to beat. You risk kicking yourself for years (been there done that) if you wait and the tower isn’t what you’d hoped. At the bare minimum it’ll be more expensive and very likely restricted. My personal vote is to buy VGF now, then sell it if you want to swap for Poly. With no restrictions, and being a sold out resort, it’s a good investment considering many resale listings are already priced higher. But, I’m an enabler too..sooo..

 

[GoingSince1990]

Is there any resort at all where owners have trouble getting 1 and 2 bedrooms at 11 months out? I would be very surprised if there was any difficulty in getting these room types at 11 months for either VGF or the new PVB tower (whether or not it stays in the same association).

 

[Doberge]

When there are many studios, like the added ones at VGF and if Poly is the same association, I think it works both ways. Studios are the most popular accommodation and there are many of them, so in theory many are able to get what they want in a studio and aren't feeling a need to "splurge" on a larger unit when that may be the only one available when booking at a resort with fewer studios.

So if truly torn I'd go VGF for now. We now what it is vs. all speculation at Poly. If deciding in a year that VGF is better then you likely would have gotten an extra year's points and probably paid less compared to pricing later. If deciding that Poly is better you can strip down your contract to rent all points and then sell resale, and then buy Poly.

 

[PolyRob]

Is there any resort at all where owners have trouble getting 1 and 2 bedrooms at 11 months out? I would be very surprised if there was any difficulty in getting these room types at 11 months for either VGF or the new PVB tower (whether or not it stays in the same association).

VGF was already one of those resorts prior to converting Big Pine Key. It is extremely popular between Thanksgiving and New Year and it can be difficult to reserve even during the 11-month window. If you want preferred dates and room views you need home resort advantage.

The resort studios could make this even worse going forward if someone purchased enough points deeded to resort studios with the intentions of booking the larger accommodations during this time period. That's why some VGF1 owners were upset about so many resort studios joining the original condo association.

 

[intamin]

For me I strongly prefer the theming at Poly over VGF. I like the VGF lobby but the rooms are just not my style so it's a bit easier to pick between the two. I guess if I were you I'd ask myself which one do I like more based on theming? location? dining? pools? amenities? does the walking path from MK matter more to you? would you rather be able to walk to TTC for Epcot access?

If all of that is equal and you prefer to stay in 1/2BRs and we're talking about from a pure availability standpoint I think we have a pretty good idea of how VGF's availability will be now that it's nearly sold out again. Owners should be able to book 1/2BRs for the most part if you're able to book 9-11 months out. PVB if added to the same association will add a bunch of points from the bungalows/plethora of studios and is more of a gamble because we don't know the association yet. I don't even know if we'll ever see PVB reach a price per point as good as we're seeing right now from VGF. As always, buy where you want to stay.

 

[thelionqueen]

Is there any resort at all where owners have trouble getting 1 and 2 bedrooms at 11 months out? I would be very surprised if there was any difficulty in getting these room types at 11 months for either VGF or the new PVB tower (whether or not it stays in the same association).

Me!! Cannot get a 2br @ BCV for the first 3 weeks in May..nada.. studios are also limited. 1br are available but they don’t help me. I bought BCV points for our annual trip for Star Wars day.. very surprised I’m struggling to get the reservations I’ve always had no issue getting. I usually book the 2br first then mess around to see if 2 studios or something else makes sense. This year I saw the studios disappear alarmingly quick so I reserved that first & I’ve never had an issue getting a 2br before 7 months.. not so this year

 

[disneyfan123]

VGF was already one of those resorts prior to converting Big Pine Key. It is extremely popular between Thanksgiving and New Year and it can be difficult to reserve even during the 11-month window. If you want preferred dates and room views you need home resort advantage.

The resort studios could make this even worse going forward if someone purchased enough points deeded to resort studios with the intentions of booking the larger accommodations during this time period. That's why some VGF1 owners were upset about so many resort studios joining the original condo association.

The flip side is that studios are very popular, and there are likely many people who booked 1br because the studios were booked up already, so increasing the inventory of studios could, potentially, open up 1br availability.

Getting back on topic, I thought the initial sale price for owners when BPK opened was great (I ended up paying $186/point), however, if I had the opportunity to take advantage of the current sale (no $$, and I'm Canadian, so can't get MB), I'd jump on it. If you really want PVB2, you could always sell your VGF points when it goes on sale, and break even at least.

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

If you like VGF, I'd be jumping on that offer.

I totally understand the hesitation and rationale for Poly 2.0. We weren't in a position to buy VGF last year when they were offering what, I thought, was the best deal going. This current MB deal is amazing!

However, after staying at VGF during the holidays, we realized our holiday vacation styles don't mesh with the big ticket resort like VGF. Too crowded, and other things that made it not our favorite for that time of year. Our second home resort is being bought with holiday trips in mind to accommodate family birthdays, school vacations, favorite time of year, and cooler temperatures.

All that to say, I'm eyeing Poly 2.0 because we realized we like the tower style best, all-in-one resorts with good food options in the lobby, and necessities accessible, away from the elements.

If you know you like VGF, I'd definitely buy in there as a great known quantity. If you're meh on it but just don't want to miss out on the deal, I'd hold off and trust that something better will come along. It may not be a deal like what's out now, but after 40 years of vacation, an extra chunk of change won't matter when you're staying at your "home," whether it's Poly 2.0 or elsewhere.

 

[Sandisw]

VGF was already one of those resorts prior to converting Big Pine Key. It is extremely popular between Thanksgiving and New Year and it can be difficult to reserve even during the 11-month window. If you want preferred dates and room views you need home resort advantage.

The resort studios could make this even worse going forward if someone purchased enough points deeded to resort studios with the intentions of booking the larger accommodations during this time period. That's why some VGF1 owners were upset about so many resort studios joining the original condo association.

To confirm your point, this is us, We added 300 points for use in the 1 and 2 bedroom units.

 

[intamin]

All that to say, I'm eyeing Poly 2.0 because we realized we like the tower style best, all-in-one resorts with good food options in the lobby, and necessities accessible, away from the elements.

This is me lol. RIV, AKV, Aulani and awaiting Poly 2. Sometimes you really just don't want to leave the hotel. I also like the smaller footprint as opposed to resorts like SSR (even though I still like this resort) or OKW.

 

[disneylandtour]

will most likely have resale restrictions.

I actually think this is huge. After the newness wears off, I think those RIV contracts are going to be very hard to resell because of the restrictions, which means that they should have a lower resale value moving forward. I have two resale contracts that I own--neither are RIV. But if I were to buy another, I'd avoid RIV and other restricted contracts--unless I wanted a small contract just for RIV--because in many cases it makes booking all that much harder.

 

[GoingSince1990]

Me!! Cannot get a 2br @ BCV for the first 3 weeks in May..nada.. studios are also limited. 1br are available but they don’t help me. I bought BCV points for our annual trip for Star Wars day.. very surprised I’m struggling to get the reservations I’ve always had no issue getting. I usually book the 2br first then mess around to see if 2 studios or something else makes sense. This year I saw the studios disappear alarmingly quick so I reserved that first & I’ve never had an issue getting a 2br before 7 months.. not so this year

Did you try for a 2BR at 11 months out? We are only 8 months out from your days at this point.

 

[intamin]

I actually think this is huge. After the newness wears off, I think those RIV contracts are going to be very hard to resell because of the restrictions, which means that they should have a lower resale value moving forward. I have two resale contracts that I own--neither are RIV. But if I were to buy another, I'd avoid RIV and other restricted contracts--unless I wanted a small contract just for RIV--because in many cases it makes booking all that much harder.

I'd only consider a tiny RIV resale contract but otherwise my direct RIV should be going with me to my grave. Anybody who buys at RIV direct though, those should be the last points you ever sell if you decide to sell. I'll readily give up my resale sub Aulani and resale AKV prior to that. However, I bought RIV direct because I do like the resort and once it's sold out, it's either buy the absurd sold out DVC pricing, wait for some mediocre incentives once it's sold out or buy resale and be locked into RIV only. If BCV/BWV had 2070 expirations there I think we may be having a different conversation. Even then I still prefer the accommodations at RIV but everybody knows BCV and BWV's location are unmatched.

 

[Anthony Vito]

We had same difficult question - because we waited too long (I'll explain momentarily), we decided to wait for Poly, but I'm having some regret.

So we just got back from a cruise (2 nights at WDW afterwards) this past weekend. We intended to see what deals were offered onboard, but we got busy the first day or two at sea, then had a couple ports. Then, unfortunately, my wife got sick, so I ended up not going and talking to the guide until the last full day on the ship. With my wife still not feeling well, we just weren't that enthusiastic in discussing it, and it was the last day. We could have done the paperwork at WDW after we got back over the weekend, but we just weren't into pulling the trigger yet. My wife couldn't get excited at that point for VGF either.

For us, we're looking at one more contract basically. We are currently at 318 points, all direct (118 at Copper Creek and 200 at Riviera). For the foreseeable future, I think 500 is about our limit when looking at the annual dues. $4,000 annually just on dues is already a bit to stomach, but at least it's in the range of what we'd pay for a week at a deluxe WDW hotel. Also, for background, we've financed our purchases through DVC and would do so for this purchase (we have our reasons). Because we live in Delaware, we have to sign our contracts at WDW (or on a cruise). They can't send it to us to do in DE because DVC isn't registered to issue financing in DE.

So, because we waited until the last day and just couldn't fully evaluate how we felt adding on and felt too rushed at that point, we decided to wait. The deal was pretty good though, so I regret it a bit knowing it's unlikely we'll get anything like it again. The price for 150 points at VGF would have been $183/pt, before Magical Beginnings. If we took the $22/pt check, it would have effectively taken it down to $161/pt. At that price, we probably would have been in good shape to have sold our contracts in a couple years if we wanted Poly.

It's definitely a tough decision, and not knowing how much more expensive Poly will be with incentives (possibly $40-$50 more per point if there aren't good deals), not knowing which association it will be, or even what the rooms will be like, it's just really tough.

I doubt any of that is helpful - but just sharing.

 

[Sandisw]

I actually think this is huge. After the newness wears off, I think those RIV contracts are going to be very hard to resell because of the restrictions, which means that they should have a lower resale value moving forward. I have two resale contracts that I own--neither are RIV. But if I were to buy another, I'd avoid RIV and other restricted contracts--unless I wanted a small contract just for RIV--because in many cases it makes booking all that much harder.

Flip side…if someone wants to have home resort advantage at RIV and the choices are direct at $250 or resale at $150, there will be buyers who choose that.

What I do believe is that when more and more restrictive resorts are out there, owners will end up having hybrid memberships that give them the best of all worlds.