New Point Tables

[Chameleon]

Can anyone read the 2002 point tables for OKW, BWV or WLV? At least the point on the Disney collection did not go up 37%! It is more like 50% for GF.

[WebmasterDoc]

There are no changes for the DVC Resorts for 2003 (no changes since 1996).

Some of the GF dates went down - some went up. Since the seasons have been changed it does require some analysis.

While it appears that more dates may have gone up- there are some decreases. Christmas went down- from 54 points weekdays/102 weekends, to 52/94 points. Easter is no longer considered a Holiday season- it is "Peak Season" and (at GF) went down from 54/102 to 45/81. July and August went down from 43/78 to 35/63.

GF now has Garden View, Lagoon View and Concierge as choices with corresponding point costs.

Moderate resorts appear (at 1st glance) to have more decreases than increases.

[Chameleon]

Thanks for the quick response. Your comments are as valuable as weekend points at the GF during Christmas.

[DebbieB]

I was "toying" with the idea of taking my niece to GF in October 2002 or 2003. I had taken her older sister (then 9 years old) before I joined DVC in 1999 and it was a great location to hit all the monorail resort character breakfasts and MK. It was her first time away from home and I wanted to make it nice (got a MKC rate). I thought it was a crazy idea when it was 173 points on the old chart (5 nights arriving on Sat due to airfare), but now it would be 226 (garden view)! Even if we could get a decent airfare leaving on Sunday it would be 196 (the airlines seem to be relaxing the Saturday night stay rule). Considering people have been getting AP rates of $199 for this fall, that's way too many points. So it will be cash or Boardwalk on points!

[PamOKW]

My eyes are still bugging out and it's kind of late to be trying to absorb all this. Haven't really tackled the WDW resorts carefully yet but the Concierge Collection looks to be mostly shifts of dates, addition of more time periods and moderate increases in points needed. The one exception looks to be the Boston Harbor Hotel. This was always high and seems to have taken some big jumps. Is anyone familiar with this hotel? Is it really worth 55-68 points per night? (Up from 49-57 points which was bad enough)

[Dean]

But the Alaska Cruise went down to 200 points. Was 302, then 275, then 225, now 200. Also only 40 points for child. It is certainly becoming a more viable option assuming cash prices haven't gone down that much and I suspect they haven't but I'll need ot check for sure. I'm glad I'm going to HI next year but I must say I wish I could do Alaska now to as I might just have to consider using points this time.

[dianeschlicht]

I must be missing something. Was all this information in the new VM that I have not yet received? I guess I will have to check the members website. It sound like all the sound and fury here about something being "taken away" was not as bad as mass hysteria would have us to believe.

[MaryAnnDVC]

Diane, I was going to ask the same thing...where is the info coming from? Haven't gotten anything in the mail with it.

I haven't been totally following all this on the boards...been busy. But I get the gist of it. I was wondering (with what little info I have) if the points for the Disney Collection went down during times when the DVC resorts are most popular, and up at other times. Helps ease the problem for people who can't get a ressie at a DVC resort during those times...they can stay at non-DVC resorts for less points than before??

Like I said...I'm coming in kind of late on this discussion, so if that's just an "off" theory, "never mind". :D

Alaska cruise??!! :D :D :D

[dvcdudes]

Call me nuts but...
I would never dream of using that many points for a stay at GF when you could stay at BWV, VWL, & soon BCV for less than half the points.
Someone will have to tell me if I'm missing something here. We're talking about a standard room for this many points, right?
I would say thats about the equivalent of a studio.
BWV or VWL, during Premier Season, is only 19/43 and thats preferred view at BWV. July and Aug it's only 14/32.
I've never stayed at GF so I may be talking out of the wrong end but I've been to the resort and I would put BWV or VWL on it's level. They are different themeing but I think every bit as nice. GF has a grandiose lobby and the monorail wich are big plusses but I've heard the transportation to MGM or AK, leaves something to be desired. In fact the monorail can be troublesome also... We visited the POLY on our last stay and had to wait almost 1/2 hour for a mono and when it came it was too full to get on. There was another one a couple of minutes later. It was very frustrating.
I don't see why you would ever stay at any of the other WDW resorts other than DVC on points.
Maybe after I've been a member for 15-20 years I'll be singing a different toon. That is after I've bounced between, BWV (Home), VWL, BCV, OKW, EPV (or whatever it's going to be called) and any other DVC resorts they might add. BTW, if the description is correct on the last of these (EPV)... This resort will be every bit as grandiose as GF. I also took a look at the construction on BCV and took a good look at the artist rendition they have at the work site and this place looks like it's going to be VERY nice (bigger than I originally thought too).

P.S.
I hope I didn't offend any OKW owners by not including it in a comparison to GF but I feel OKW is a totally different type of resort. Much more home away frome home. For what you get point wise at OKW compared to GF, I would much rather stay at OKW. Lets see 3 days at OKW or one at GF??? Sounds like a no brainer to me.

[DebbieB]

I was going to ask the same thing...where is the info coming from? Haven't gotten anything in the mail with it.

The charts are on the member website. Go under "plan your getaway". They download into acrobat.

[PamOKW]

I'm copying my thoughts from Johnnie Fedora's post here as well I'm glad to hear some things went down. However, the increases for GF are pretty substantial:

I think we've basically got to say that using DVC points to stay at WDW resorts has never been a good idea. The points have made a dramatic change to accomodate hotel seasons instead of DVC season and to offer us several different price point options. Hopefully, this is the transition year and in the future the points will remain more or less constant as they have in the past. A GF room is roughly equivalent to a BWV Preferred or VWL two-bedroom or more. I took a close look at GF but I think analyzing these charts is probably just nuts....we either pay to stay or we don't. For those who are interested, here are some ideas I had on the GF chart.

In the past, DVC points usually gave you a Lagoon View at the GF. Now, there are three levels of points Garden, Lagoon and Concierge. Comparison to Lagoon view would be roughly equal to what we had in the past but there is also the lesser point option as well (or higher Concierge). I compared DVC seasons from last year to the new hotel seasons. I did not look for when specific dates fell on weekends or weekdays.

January up 15 points S-Th and 29 points F-Sa +58% and 64%
Feb 1-13 up 7 points S-Th and 12 points F-Sa +21% and 19%
Feb 14-15 up 20 and 35 or 32% and 31%
Feb. 16-Mar. 23 up 11 and 19 or 26% 24%
Mar. 24-April 6 up 3 points S-Th and down 5 F-Sa or +6%
and –5%
April 7-20 up 11 and 19 or 26% 24%
April 21-30 up 3 and 5 points or 7% and 6%
All of May-June 10 up 12 and 21 points or 15% and 13%
June 11-July 3 up 3 and 5 points or 7% and 6%
July 4-Aug 15 down 2 and 4 points or –5% for both
Aug 16-31 up 7 and 12 points or 21% and 19%
September up 15 and 29 points or +58% and 64%
Oct. 1-2 up 11 and 21 points or +37% and +40%
Oct. 3-Nov. 2 up 16 and 30 or +53% and +57%
Nov. 3-26 up 11 and 21 or 37% and 40%
Nov. 27-29 down 2 and 4 points or –5% for both
Nov. 30 up 11 and 21 or 37% and 40%
Dec. 1-14 up 15 and 29 points or +58% and 64%
Dec. 15-19 up 11 and 21 points or +37% and +40%
Dec. 20-23 up 30 and 55 points or 100% and 104%
Dec 24-31 up 9 and 6 or 18% and 6%

It is possible to book Garden View and reduce the amount of the increase or to actually show some decreases. The decreases are March 24-April 6; April 21-30; June 11-Aug. 15; Nov. 27-29 and weekends Dec. 24-31. The decreases range from 8%-21% or 4 to 21 points per night.

[PamOKW]

Using points to stay at the Moderates is always an odd choice. You can, or almost can, stay in a one-bedroom in almost every case. However, the new point charts do bring the cost down, sometimes significantly, in most cases. Some go up, January & September go up 2 points per weekday and 8 points per weekend and Dec. 20-23 are up 5 weekday and 13 weekends. Dec. 24-31 are down 14 on weekdays and 12 on weekends. Overall, it looks like the moderates are coming out ahead in the adjustment.

A less in-depth look at the Contemporary shows Tower view in 2002 ranging from 35-86 points. Tower view in 2001 ranged from 22-92 points. Looks like we are seeing mostly increases here. Garden ranged from 20-89 in 2001. Now there are two levels -- Garden Standard from 24-63 and Garden View from 28-70. It looks like there may be some savings in the higher end times.

[dvcdudes]

PAMOKW,
You Said: A GF room is roughly equivalent to a BWV Preferred or VWL two-bedroom or more.
Do you mean point wise or do you mean accomodations?
I thought they were two beds in one room sleeping 4 like a studio.

[PamOKW]

I almost went back to clarify -- guess I'll do that now. I'm talking pointwise. Reality wise, a 2 bedroom has it all over a GF hotel room.

[Dean]

Originally posted by dianeschlicht
I must be missing something. Was all this information in the new VM that I have not yet received? I guess I will have to check the members website. It sound like all the sound and fury here about something being "taken away" was not as bad as mass hysteria would have us to believe. Actually, it seemed worse to me than the original speculation. Overall a significant increase to use the worst room in the DC compared to run of the house before. The Alaskan Cruise was the only bright spot to me.

[PamOKW]

I think you are right Dean. In terms, of the WDW luxury resorts, it's fairly misleading for DVC to say "some went down". The only "down" is due to where a DVC season was higher than the new hotel season. Points needed to reserve the same room as in the past have gone up quite dramatically.

I wonder what the reaction would have been if the point charts were not all switched around with different seasons and room types but just showed the true increases? If the seasons had been kept the same as DVC we could clearly see Adventure Season for GF increases, 58% for weekdays and 64% for weekends.

2001
Sunday thru Thursday 26 points
Friday & Saturday 45 points

2002
Sunday thru Thursday 41 points
Friday & Saturday 74 points

(Garden view is 35/63)

I still question what the reason is for the dramatic increases. Why is DVC expected to carry the costs for the hotels while at the same time they are offering dramatic discounts to the general public?

[Janet2k]

PamOKW, I agree with you. I cannot figure it out either. Do you think they "created" these new point charts during 2000 when WDW was so loaded with paying guests? This year is a completely different story than last year. Maybe those charts need to be revised downward along with the decrease that WDW has seen with the slow economy. Just a thought.

[baileybrad]

I would be curious to know of the members that have responded to this particular thread, how many have ever participated in the DC program?

[Disney Adventurer]

Hey folks, I'm in the process of buying a resale and am not yet an official member so I can't get to the points charts for 2002. Is there someplace out there where they are posted so a not-yet-member can see or download them? Thanx !

[WebmasterDoc]

The only place is on the members site. Many of the dates are included in posts on this board. You can do a search for "Point Charts" or "DC" and see what you get here.

I wouldn't base a purchase decision on non-DVC point charts though. The value is not very good compared to DVC resorts.

Good luck!

[Disney Adventurer]

Doc, our mind is made up, already offered and accepted and should be closing on the BWV in less than a week. Although a little disappointing and upsetting, the increase in "DC" points would not have changed our minds. We bought DVC to say at our home resort with an occasional try at other DVC resorts, it is still very well worth it when you look at it those terms, the option of using points for the "DC" was great, but not a deciding factor. The reasom I'm very curious is that our resale has some points in reservation status and we'll have to use them at something non DVC.

[PamOKW]

Disney Adventurer -- The points for offsite places like The Plaza, Charleston Place etc., are not that drastically different. There are more categories and different season dates for the WDW deluxe resorts almost all with substantial increases over last year's charts. Fri-Sat nights are particularly steep. If you have something in mind, I could try to give you a rough idea on point costs.

[DVCDAVE]

Mister Hysteria here.....Well, the facts are finally here, and I had a chance to look over the DC point chart.

First, the good news is for my family. Our favorite DC resort are the Home Away From Home Cabins in FW (almost the equal of a VWL 1 BR). Surprisingly, went DOWN for our travel season, which is Magic Season ! Needless to say, we are breathing a sigh of relief.

Second, it apprears that the Monorail resorts were targeted for the increases, and WOW !!!! in many cases the increases are more than the rumored 37%.

Third, I ignored the Yacht & BC as I believe they soon will be removed from the DC list when BCV's open next year.

I feel for those members who were looking forward to a visit to the GF and POL, during school spring vacations. The points look to be outrageous to say the least.

[JonHM]

At least *something* good came out of this...

[DVCDAVE]

JONHM,

I'd give it back if I could, to get the old DC point schedule. I still view it (the old schedule) as less restrictive to DVC-DC exchanges.

The next thing we should be asking Disney. is who is paying for these new Member Guidebooks, and why is it necessary to spend more than $1MM on something that no one complained about, AND can the money be spent somewhere else more affectively. How about a lottery of $1MM worth of Length of Stay passes for DVC members with ressies ? All those members in need of New Guide books, can buy their own.

Sorry if I am getting off topic..

[normr]

Some thought we were getting a little too excited about the point cost increases, but now and thanks to Pam's analysis, I saw VERY little that went down, most everything went up and in one case 104%, look as we all know DC isn't a good use of points, but the safety valve it provided was there, now it looks like they've made it such a poor choice in most cases that I doubt it will be used except in the most dire cases. (unable to get reservations and will take it just not to lose points)

[DVCDAVE]

NORMR;

My feelings exactly ! It almost seems as if they view us in the same catagory as a 'moderate' resort by the way they priced them in terms of points.

[sgtpet]

The speculation was not as bad as the reality is. Too bad. Like I had stated previously, this is the beginning. Chart the last decade and see the trend. Not many positives except for the new resorts and the fine owners of DVC.

[DVCDAVE]

I guess it depends on the member, their favorite vacation week and DC resort, if it is worst, or better.

[Joeblack]

Geez:

The points to use the DC are outrageous. I really hope I never see myself forced to use them for any of the DC resorts. I love DVC but sometimes I feel as if Disney thinks "DVCers are already hooked...why bother giving them any privilege?.... I wish they saw us as we really are. Disney's biggest fans and people who, on average will spend a lot more on Disney property as sporadic visitors. It's sad to see this trend. DVC is STILL a good value for loyal customers like us, but in my book, loyal customers are given more options and privileges and rewarded on their loyalty.

I really hope the DC charts are reviewed downwards in the future. I understand the fact that DVC must negotiate with each resort every year, but I find it hard to believe that DVC has such a poor leverage as to take such a ridiculous increase while the resorts are seeing a big plunge in their occupancy levels.

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[morphi]

I am in the process of closing on a DVC resale, so I was disturbed to hear about the DC point inflation. I think that the DC and other Member Getaway options are an important relief valve for DVC demand. If that relief valve is outrageously priced, it cannot function correctly and it will be ever more difficult to get a DVC reservation at the DVC resorts.

DVCDAVE, I'm with you about using the Fort Wilderness Cabins. We like to stay there during the off-season and would like to use that option every once in a while using DVC points. Can you send me the dates for each season and the points required for staying one week for those seasons. (I have not closed on my resale yet, so I do no have access to the charts on the website.) Thanks for your help.

I've read all the discussions on these boards about the 2002 DC point increases. I've heard many people say that the increases don't bother them because they do not use the DC program and the program was never intended to be a great deal anyway.

However, EVERY DVC MEMBER USES (e.g., benefits from) THE DC PROGRAM. Everytime a DVC member books a DC room, that increases the chances of non-DC-using DVC members will be able to get the DVC rooms they want, when they want them. So even if you never use DC, you still benefit from it by being able to get what you want from DVC resorts more frequently. If DC is killed-off with high prices, it will hurt all DVC members.

I also think that if there are no rooms available for use outside of the DVC resorts, then it is practically guaranteed that SOME DVC members will not be able to use their points each year. This is because Disney sold all of the points possible to use in a year. (Excluding the 2-4% they withheld for room renovations, etc.) So for any given room, they sold 365 days' worth of points. But when people start making reservations, they are not booked back-to-back. Instead, there are gaps between reservations. These gaps guarantee that not all DVC members will be able to use their points on DVC rooms. It is imperative that non-DVC rooms be part of the program as a safety net for those members.

[PamOKW]

The Wilderness Lodge Homes are mostly a decrease in points.

Maybe I'm missing something but why would you want to trade one Home Away from Home for another? For roughly the same amount of points you can stay in a one-bedroom at WLV (or BWV or OKW).

[DVCDAVE]

In my case PAMOKW, we took the Cabin in FW when we tried to get BWV in March, and some of the days were booked up. We waitlisted until 30 days before our arrival, but nothing came through. We took the cabin for those days that we couldn't get at BWV. We preferred them over OKW as that is what our kids wanted. We had stayed in them several prior times, and we enjoy the atmosphere, campfire, Trails End Buffet, Hoop-Dee-Doo, River Country, over anything that OKW offerred.

Again, as I have said many times recently, the DC offers a safety net for many of us that can't get a booking in our home resort. As much as I like my DVC, I am not a DVC die-hard where I feel I HAVE to stay in a DVC resort or else. My families FAVORITE resort has been FW. We throughly enjoyed BWV in March, and we will stay again this Thanksgiving. But, my kids do enjoy scooting in a golf cart over to the campfire, renting a water mouse at the FW marina...(by the way, renting water mice at FW beats the BW anyday !!! as there is a lot more water at FW then BW).

Variety is the spice of life.

[morphi]

We like the Fort Wilderness cabins for many of the reasons that DVCDAVE indicated:

- Boat access to Magic Kingdom
- We don't share walls with our neighbors
- We park right outside our door
- We can rent golf cart to zip around the resort
- Our young children sleep in the same room with us
- Nightly campfire, sing-along, and outdoor movies
- Petting zoo
- Pony rides
- Nightly water pageant on Bay Lake
- Water Mice at marina
- Large, white-sand beach
- Surrey bike rentals
- Trail's End restaurant
- Peaceful environment
- Walk to Wilderness Lodge
- Canoe in secluded canals

We have young children so all of these options may not seem like big deals to everyone else.

Also, it's not that we would necessarily choose FW Cabins over DVC villas everytime. I don't plan on doing that. But it's nice to have the option. It's also great to know that if we cannot get a reservation at the DVC resort, that our fall-back DC resort is one that we really like.

By the way, for the time of year that we visit WDW, the point price for the cabins went up 17% for 2002!

[beattyfamily]

After reading this thread and I went and took a look.

At first glance, I liked the idea of the 3 different categories at each hotel and that they added the Animal Kingdom etc...but once I saw the point increases, I almost had a heartattack!!!

We like the flexibility of staying at a DVC resort or another or the cruise and are shocked at the 40% increase!

We are staying at the GF this year on points; 104 for 4 nights. Those same 4 nights will be 140 next year!

Although someone pointed out that there were a "few" decreases, there are MANY larger increases. It's no longer an option (unless for some reason you have to) to stay at those resorts when you can get such great cash rates ($199 for the GF).

Our family is very upset about this!:mad:

[PamOKW]

Morphi and DVCDave -- Thanks for the reply. I figured part of the interest is the emotional pull of past trips and the fun you've had there. I know I always have a soft spot for CBR (just wouldn't use my points to stay there).

[Dean]

Originally posted by morphi
However, EVERY DVC MEMBER USES (e.g., benefits from) THE DC PROGRAM. Everytime a DVC member books a DC room, that increases the chances of non-DC-using DVC members will be able to get the DVC rooms they want, when they want them. So even if you never use DC, you still benefit from it by being able to get what you want from DVC resorts more frequently. If DC is killed-off with high prices, it will hurt all DVC members. Not accurate. The points given up from DC, DCL, etc are used for cash rentals and not for points usage. That means that those points and the rooms they represent are gone regardless. There isn't even a member discount for them in most cases.

[DVCDAVE]

PAMOKW; You are right, part of the decision to return via a DC exchange is past emotional experiences. However, IMHO that common factor is present in almost every DVC member, ie: past emtional experiences. That is probably the single common demonator that all of us DVC members share. Weather you personally spend your points on CBR is a personal decision, I however chose to spend some on my families favorite resort. There is no right or wrong on this matter, it is a personal decision as I am sure you recognize. In my eyes though, Disney is threatening this exchange program.

[morphi]

I THINK that I understand Dean's point. When a DVC member books a DC room, the DVC villa room he theoratically would have reserved is rented to the public for cash. So his usage of the DC program does not leave more DVC rooms available for other DVC members to have their pick from. So that DVC villa is taken either by the DVC member or by the general public.

However, I do not think it is that simple. With the availability of affordable DC rooms, there is less pressure for DVC guests to book 11 months in advance. If they wait for several months and cannot get a DVC room, they can at least use a DC room. Also, once the DC room is booked and the DVC villa is released for cash rental to the general public, the room remains unreserved for awhile. I don't think that most of the general public makes reservations as far in advance as DVC members. All of this conspires to make it easier for DVC members to book DVC rooms say 3-6 months out than it would be without a viable DC program. This is better for all DVC members; even those who only stay at DVC resorts.

Without the DC program, DVC members will always book at the 11 month window for their home resort. They would do this just to insure they can use their points. All of the rooms become 100% booked 11 months out. Then the position is basically intractable because everyone is waiting for someone else to blink first by cancelling the reservation they made 11 months out in exchange for staying at a non-home DVC resort. But if the resorts are always booked 11 months out, no one will be able to blink first because they will have nowhere to go.

[vernon]

I agree with Mophi both in the need for a net and how points going into the "system" won't use up points as quickly as owners booking DVC resorts. Because of the way DVC resorts work it only needs ONE of the resorts to become fully booked 11 months in advance and for this to become well known and ANYONE thinking of going at the same time at the other resorts is going to book up first and cancel later if their plans change.

I think this is an issue that needs to be raised at the next AGM , as to why there has been a dramatic increase, is there ANY possibility it will be repeated, why isn't DVC's managing body doing a better job negotiating on our behalf, does the board feel that an "adiquate safety net" at WDW is needed for DVC to run smoothly, does DC fit that criteria in it's current form and following Dean's suggestion, when will there be a member on the board whose main job is to reflect members views and try to protect the memberships interests as opposed to Disney's ( which seems to be the priority of the current board)
The above is VERY MUCH JM(OWN )HO.

Beware of falling rocks ( or we can stick our head in the sand and pretend this is going to go away)

[normr]

I think it also takes away flexibility in the regards that everyone will be booking their home resort 11 months out because if you don't book it then, you may never get a ressie, so now everyone will be staying at their home resort more thereby decreasing flexibilty to stay at other DVC resorts since nothing will be left with a seven month booking window.

So now that moniker buy where you want to stay becomes an even larger issue because you may not get in anywhere else unless you cough up BIG points to do so.

[Lesley]

Just another note on why some might book a cabin at FW on points....they sleep 6! DVC 1br's only sleep 4 plus one under 3. If I were to have another child I think its something I'd do occasionally rather than book a 2br. And FW is a very fun place to stay.

My thoughts on the whole DC issue are actually fairly positive. We had considered booking AKL on points for a few days this Jan. but decided not to because at the time we couldn't be guaranteed a savannah view. Now we have that option, as well as the option of concierge at the hotels that offer it. It seems to me we do have more options now. Yes, they are more "expensive" in terms of points, but if you consider the cost of a concierge room and the fact that these are not ever discounted (though I have heard a few reports of people getting a discount on concierge the general concensus seems to be that they are not supposed to be discounted at all) its not that terrible. Will I use this option? Maybe. With only 200 points, 4 days with a lagoon view concierge room at the Poly must compete with something like 10 days in a BWV studio....its not a choice I'm going to make lightly. But if I'm ever in a bind and need to do something quickly with a bunch of points a concierge stay would make me feel a whole lot better about the situation.

[PamOKW]

In the past, the DC Collection usually gave a member a wonderful room....the best excluding suites and concierge. (I never heard of anyone complaining about the room they were assigned.)

In the AKL example you will now pay a 32% increase to get a savannah view or 23% increase to get a room that is worse than you would have gotten in 2001.

One night AKL Concierge in January is equivalent to 1 1/2 nights in a 2 Bedroom BWV Preferred or VWL, or 2 nights in an OKW 2 bedroom or 1 1/4 nights in a Grand Villa at OKW.

[DVCDAVE]

LESLEY; That is a good and valid point about the FW Cabins sleeping 6. Keep in mind too, that they are fully equiped with a kitchen and ironing board, like a DVC 1BR and you park outside your door, which you can't do at VWL, BWV nor BCV.

[PamOKW]

4 Su-Th nights in the Poly Lagoon Concierge would get you 16 nights in the BWV Preferred Studio or 21 nights in the standard studio. (These are all Su-Th days). ;)

[Lesley]

Like I said, points wise its not exactly a good deal (never was) but it does give more options. There was never any guarantee at any of the DC hotels that we would get anything but a standard room...yes, most did get better, but I was not going to spend points and not know what I was really going to get unless I felt I'd be happy with a standard room. At AKL I would not have been pleased to be given a parking lot view.

I'm not happy about how much the points increased, but there's not really anything I can do about it...except for stay at DVC resorts this year...which I had already decided to do anyway. And of course express my displeasure to MS.

And when reserving those 16 Sun-Thurs. nights....what about the 3 whole weekends? :) Actually I hadn't really done the math and was making a fast estimation based on our upcoming trips, which are in both studios, 1br's and a 2br. So I know I wasn't completely accurate.

[PamOKW]

This is just for fun....not judging anyone's plans just playing around with the numbers. I compared weekday to weekday...taking out the weekends. Another way to do it is a full week -- two weekend days and 5 weekdays at AKL Concierge in January compared to the preferred studio at BWV. You could get just shy of 4 full weeks at BWV and almost 5 weeks at OKW or in standard studio. ;) You'd get roughly two weeks in a one-bedroom.

[caveat lector]

:smooth: I echo vernon's earlier comment. It would be *nice* to feel like their was someone on the board representing DVC owners.
Everybody has done an outstanding job of analyzing the changes and concurred they were not done for OUR benefit. I understand the need to make hard financial decisions, however it is still disappointing that we are not given any kind of an explanation.
I purchased a vacation interest for the next 41 years. Loss of flexability de-values that interest from my point of view. OKW is great place, but every year for the next 41 years, isn't what I bought in to.