23 forum replies
I'm a planner too, so I completely understand. One thing that's helped us is laying out multiple future trips side by side. I actually built GoParkPal to do exactly that. It lets you track future trips, DVC points, countdowns, reservations, weather, ride times, and Owners Locker all in one place, which makes those "wha
That's exactly why I built GoParkPal. It makes it much easier to keep track of multiple upcoming trips, countdowns, reservations, weather, ride times, DVC point usage, and even Owners Locker items all in one place. If you have multiple Disney trips planned, it's worth checking out: https://goparkpal.lovable.app. Hope i
I appreciate you sharing this, because it’s the kind of nuance that isn’t obvious until you run into it yourself. It’s a good reminder that timing and sequence matter more than they probably should with things like the Welcome Home Stay. Hopefully future purchases or changes come with a bit more flexibility or at least
There are two ways to easily use credit cards. When we did the original purchase we put a significant chunk on our CC which had 0 intersst for 21 months. Disney allows you to pay principle with a CC so we have been paying that way, getting the small benefit from the CC (flight points or % back) and then pay off the CC
You can rent points from sites like DVC rental but unless you have direct points, resale points from contracts at other resorts can't currently be used to stay at Riviera through DVC. Resale at Riviera can't be used at other resorts either. Basically DVC resale for Riviera operates like a single resort membership. Hope
At the end of the day, you kinda said the most important part. If it works for you and you’re happy with it, that’s really all that matters. There isn’t a single “right” answer with this stuff. The math can point you in a direction, but because of trade offs the emotional side is real too. Some people want maximum effi
That’s a fair perspective, especially on the uncertainty piece. Where I land a bit differently is that the expiry and direct price don’t just “skew” the math, they’re part of the math whether we like it or not. If you compress the horizon to 10 or 20 years, SSR can absolutely look stronger on paper. But the tradeoff is
@GVel Interesting take, and I agree with the flexibility angle. One thing I dug into a bit more was the cost per night on points between Saratoga and Polynesian using the spreadsheet in my earlier link. Going in, I expected a pretty wide gap given SSR’s reputation as the “value play.” But when you actually normalize it
We did exactly that with our last resale at Floridian. Our HELOC had a lower rate compared to other financial offers. Another thing to note, Disney allows you to pay your direct loan principle with a credit card. This can be done at any point during your pay down period. I 100% recommend doing this before just paying a
Don't forget to head to Trader Sams! Much easier to get in now that they extended the time and now enabled mobile waitlist.
@DVCDani:) This is a great discussion. There are definitely deals that pop up from time to time, and those can narrow the gap in the short term. That said, when you zoom out and look at it over a longer horizon, the savings with DVC are generally real if you plan to use it consistently. The key is actually modeling it
@Buckeye This is a really balanced take, especially calling out both the financial and emotional sides. I agree that financing gets a bad reputation, but it doesn’t automatically erase the value. You can absolutely finance and still come out hundreds per night ahead versus paying cash rack rates or even those “30% off”
Great work on this, really helpful way to see things over time. The way I approached it to normalize the data was to convert everything into a true cost per point so I could compare any stay, any season, apples to apples. Here’s the method I used: 1) Start with total lifetime cost: purchase price plus total dues over t
That’s a solid strategy, especially on entry price and access to the legacy resorts. The tradeoffs on resale are worth calling out so people go in with eyes open and is one of the reasons why we went with a blended approach.. The biggest one is restrictions. Resale points are limited to booking the original DVC resorts
That’s honestly one of the strongest setups you can have going into this decision. If you’re already going monthly for weekend or long weekend trips, you’ve basically validated your usage pattern. At that point it becomes less about “will I use it” and more about optimizing how you pay for it. A couple thoughts based o
Appreciate that, glad it helped. Happy to share a bit more context: Home resort is Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows (AUG use year) , with an resale at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Villas (FEB use year) Currently sitting at 350 points total (toying with the idea of adding onto Poly) We typically aim for 2
Thanks for replying @Ryan C and 100% agree that it all depends on your next trip and if you go consistent times each year. I think the main take away is, just don't assume that renewing is instantly the best option. It comes down to what you said, planning out when your next trip will be and then doing the math! Thanks
We stopped trying to make “arrival day” a thing… and it changed everything. Our move now is simple: arrive late, start strong. We traditionally take an evening flight, usually landing around 8–9 PM from PVD. That means: ✈️ We still get a full workday in 🎒 My daughter gets a normal school day 💸 No wasted PTO, no rushe
Here’s where the Annual Pass math gets interesting… 👀 On paper, renewing feels like the obvious win. You’re saving $170, which brings the pass down to $929. Spread that over 12 months and it looks clean at about $77 per month. Seems like a no brainer, right? Not so fast. Lets use a theoretical example where you decide
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