Still on the fence...have questions

[ella6599]

We've been toying with DVC for years. The biggest issue is that we don't go every year (every other, or sometimes every third...but usually every other), which makes figuring out value difficult. So I've been trying to figure out how much we would expect to spend when we go, and how much buying DVC would average out to, when you account for dues.

So...what I think I know, and am using in my calculations (I'm looking for you guys to tell me if I'm right, or if there's something else I need to know).
If we bought AKV, we'd get around 41 years of use out of the contract. Currently, I'm finding a rate of dues of $6.3/point- that's per year? And it is subject to increase, yearly, yes?

And (this is where it seems hazy)...with the ability to bank or borrow points, we could buy 1/2 the points we needed for our projected stay and have them available for the trip? (Are there any caveat's to doing it that way?) And, do the amount of points per room per time change, or is it just the dues/cost of ownership that increases?

Also, I've read about being able to buy points in multiple locations. Do you need to have enough points to actually book your stay there, to be eligible to book there 11 months out...or does owning some small number of points there (with the rest somewhere else), give you the same benefit?

 

[ell13]

Maintenance fees typically increase yearly from 3-5%.

You are right about banking and borrowing. If you only go every 2 years, you only need to buy half the points needed for a single stay. Be aware though that there are different "seasons", and the number of points needed to go in January will be different in the summer and other peak seasons.

Typically, the points per room don't change outside of lining up the seasons with Christmas, New Years, Thanksgiving, Easter Break, etc.

If you plan on booking at the 11-month window, all of the points used have to be with that resort. Otherwise, you will have to wait until 7 months if you own points elsewhere. Put another way... If you own at multiple resorts, only points from your home resort can be used at 11 months at that resort.

 

[DVC Mike]

If we bought AKV, we'd get around 41 years of use out of the contract. Currently, I'm finding a rate of dues of $6.3/point- that's per year? And it is subject to increase, yearly, yes?

Here is the History of Annual Dues (including a graph showing the rise).

 

[crisi]

We started as every other yearers - so I can probably give you some advice.

It works fine if you go every other year, but you'll have a number of points to spend and you'll have to craft your vacations for those points. Owning multiple resorts isn't going to work well - the reason to own multiple resorts is to get the eleven month window - but that only works for the points that belong to that resort - you can't combine BWV and BCV points to get a room at the BC at 11 months, you make your BCV reservation with BCV points at 11 months and at seven months take your chances that you can use those BWV points to extend that reservation. Or you move during your trip, which with limited Disney time, spends some of it moving.

Going once every three years - or less like we do now - will most likely involve either wasting points or renting them out. Its hard to plan a trip to use exactly three years of points. While its worked well for us because we already own the points and have gotten our value, so renting them out through a broker isn't a huge deal, I wouldn't buy under the assumption I wasn't going to use all my own points from day one.

 

[com_op_2000]

And, do the amount of points per room per time change, or is it just the dues/cost of ownership that increases?

The total amount of points for use within the resort can not change but the cost of points per night in a specific room (IE: Studio) can go up but that would require a points drop in another type of room (IE: 1-Bdrm , 2-Bdrm, or GV). Another possibly is that Sunday's through Thursday's can and have gone up while the weekends can and have gone down.
Over 20+ years of DVC, there have been 3 major point adjustments and yearly adjustments for holidays (IE: Easter/Spring Breaks).
I am one of those who were badly impacted by the point reallocations.
I went from having enough points to stay 27 nights per year to 22 nights per year. I usually stay in studios, on Sun through Thurs nights, at the lowest points cost seasons.
I will add that DVC is required to make these changes so that all resorts are running at 98%+ capacity per night.