My wife and I book one week stays at Deluxe Resorts at Disney World at least once and sometimes twice a year, and are contemplating buying into the DVC via the resale market. On two occasions we stayed at DVC resorts by renting points through one of the on-line point rental companies. The first stay was in November 2009 and the second was January of this year. Both times we paid $13 per point, and I was surprised that the rental price had not increased after more than three years. Shouldn't we expect the point rental price to increase with inflation? The cost of a Disney stay by renting points would still be much cheaper than paying Disney rates, even with Disney's 20-30% special offers. If cost were the only consideration, point rental would seem to be a reasonable (somewhat more expensive) alternative to investing in the DVC.
However, on the down side, it's my impression that points rental is becoming increasingly popular as more people discover it and the Disney rack rates increase with inflation, and it is therefore becoming harder to get the desired accommodations at the time wanted by renting points. (We were on a waiting list for a couple months to get the points for the stay in January.) This figures into our decision on whether to buy into the DVC.
Our two favorite resorts are the Wilderness Lodge and the Animal Kingdom Lodge, including the villas at both resorts. We almost invariably go during value or regular season and would usually stay in a studio. My strategy would be to purchase the least expensive points, not worrying about which resort is my home resort. The question would be whether we could reliably get the accommodations and dates we want within the 7 month reservation window.
Any insights/advice people have on the above questions would be most appreciated!
However, on the down side, it's my impression that points rental is becoming increasingly popular as more people discover it and the Disney rack rates increase with inflation, and it is therefore becoming harder to get the desired accommodations at the time wanted by renting points. (We were on a waiting list for a couple months to get the points for the stay in January.) This figures into our decision on whether to buy into the DVC.
Our two favorite resorts are the Wilderness Lodge and the Animal Kingdom Lodge, including the villas at both resorts. We almost invariably go during value or regular season and would usually stay in a studio. My strategy would be to purchase the least expensive points, not worrying about which resort is my home resort. The question would be whether we could reliably get the accommodations and dates we want within the 7 month reservation window.
Any insights/advice people have on the above questions would be most appreciated!