So I've been thinking about doing the DVC. Unfortunately, I am horribly confused and have no idea where to begin. Any tips or stuff? Is it unheard of for a single person to participate in the DVC? How do the points work?
I don't think it's unheard of, but who cares if it is? Disney is for everyone. Don't think of it as a place just for families with kids. Are you familiar with Disney resorts? It would help to know what you know about Disney before suggesting tactics.
Points are kinda used like redeeming airline miles you are entitled to each year. Instead of getting a fixed week at a traditional timeshare, at DVC you own/lease a small fraction of the building. So, 200 points might get you 2 weeks in a studio, or 8 days in a 1BR, or 5 days in a 2BR or 2 days in a grand villa. (Of course points vary from season and by resort.
If there's a resort you like, start surfing the resale websites so that you're familiar with the costs of buying resale. That will help you make the "buying direct" versus "buying resale" decision. I bought 50 points direct and then 100 via resale on my way to my goal of 250 points. Resale saves you a lot of money, but I wanted some direct points just in case there are ever perks limited to direct buyers.
Read up on DVC resorts and other information. You can find a lot of basic info in the sticky threads at the top of the DVC boards.
there are links to point charts above to give you an idea of how many pts it takes to book different villas in different resorts at different times of the year. start with how you think you might prefer to vacation and then read this thread, which has more information (and links to still more information) to get an idea of whether DVC might be a good fit for you: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3041038
I am a single person and I bought DVC. At first I purchased enough points to go every other/3 years, then I realized that I would have also liked to share it with family and friends, so I added on to get enough points to go every year in a studio, or every 2/3 years in a two bedroom, so if I want I can skip one year and book bigger rooms. Until some time ago I did never go to a theme park alone. Then I had the chance to make some business trip to places where I could add a week end stay on my own and visit a theme park. While the experience is different, I enjoyed it. So now if I can I go with others, but if I can only be alone, I go anyway. Have you ever gone to a solo trip to a Disney Park? If so and you enjoyed it, DVC might be an option. While bigger rooms are for families, there are studios that are cheaper in points and ideal for a single (for example, almost all have a bed and a sofa instead of two beds like most of hotel rooms). Reading your post, I can see that you don't know DVC, so I recommend to read this boards for a few months before purchasing. There are a lot things to fully understand the program and it's a costly purchase, so it's better if you know if it's really for you (because it's not for everyone).
