2009 trips on DVC points

[pillow]

Thanks for the comments Eva. Our friends at WDW right now went through the presentation Friday morning. They were blown away. I think they are going to try to convince us to buy in as well as them.

In a nutshell, if you are going to go to WDW once a year for the next several years and try to sprinkle in a few ABD trips, is DVC worth it? If so, my two main questions would be the follwoing:

1. Based on your experience, what point level would a family of four need for the conditions of at least one trip a year to WDW and an occasional ABD trip?

2. Would you buy from one of the resellers to get a cheaper rate?

Thanks for your time.

Chad

Hi Chad. When we bought DVC, I did a breakeven analysis and really looked at the numbers to see if it was worth the cost. I found that if you stay at the DVC resorts, the value is good. If you are happy staying at a value resort or offsite, DVC is definitely a splurge and probably not worth it to you. If you stay at the DVC resorts, I found that you would break even (including dues) in 5 - 7 years. HOWEVER, if you use your points for the cruise or other Disney hotels, it can take 15 - 20 years to recoup your money.

What a lot of people do if they want to go on ABD or the cruise is to rent their points to a non DVC member. You basically sell your points for roughly about $10-$11 per point, and then use the cash to book your trip. This ends up being more cost effective than paying points for the trip in most cases.

My conclusion was that if you like going to WDW once a year and staying at the DVC resorts, you can really get your money's worth. If you want to do other stuff, maybe not.

Oh, and we vacation over Spring Break every year, but we only stay Sunday - Thursday nights since the points are lower. Sometimes we'll pay cash for one of the weekend nights or spend that night off site since the points are so high for Fri and Sat night. For Sun-Fri (5 nights) in a 1 bedroom, it costs approx 200 points in peak season. Plan on 250 points if you want a 2 bedroom.

If you don't buy DVC, you can always "rent" someone's points and that 5 nights over Spring Break would cost you about $2,000-$2,200 - about half the price of booking through Disney.

Hope this helps. Sorry for being long winded.

Jodie

 

[pillow]

Bonnielynn,

So I guess you're still thinking about a trip? I looked at the Alaska itinerary, but I like my own itinerary better. I think I've pretty much ruled ABD out, mostly based on cost. I enjoy trip planning, so I think we'll just travel independently for a while - at least until we win the lottery anyway!!

Which trip are you thinking about? Italy?

Jodie

 

[bonnielynn]

Bonnielynn,

So I guess you're still thinking about a trip? I looked at the Alaska itinerary, but I like my own itinerary better. I think I've pretty much ruled ABD out, mostly based on cost. I enjoy trip planning, so I think we'll just travel independently for a while - at least until we win the lottery anyway!!

Which trip are you thinking about? Italy?

Jodie

Jodie,

I am really not interested in an ABD trip until 2010 or so..
I was amazed at how much the prices went up (although with the us dollar v. euro, I get it)... I can say I was just really curious on how much it was going to cost to go.

With that said, Yes I am interested in 2010 trying a trip to Italy.

Good for you planning a trip to Alaska.. when you going?
I like the trip planning myself and have to say that I am reading books on Italy now.. Never to early to learn...

I hope you have as much fun in Alaska as you will have researching it.. can't wait to hear all the details!!

 

[pillow]

Jodie,

I am really not interested in an ABD trip until 2010 or so..
I was amazed at how much the prices went up (although with the us dollar v. euro, I get it)... I can say I was just really curious on how much it was going to cost to go.

With that said, Yes I am interested in 2010 trying a trip to Italy.

Good for you planning a trip to Alaska.. when you going?
I like the trip planning myself and have to say that I am reading books on Italy now.. Never to early to learn...

I hope you have as much fun in Alaska as you will have researching it.. can't wait to hear all the details!!

I'm not sure when this Alaska trip will happen. I would love to go in 2010, but it depends on how much I can save between now and then. Plus, my dh is changing jobs; we'll need to see how everything shakes out.

We LOVED Italy!!! In addition to the obvious places, take a look at Portofino, the Cinque Terre, and the Amalfi coast . . . beautiful!! I could easily spend a month there - or two - or three . . .

I thought the prices on ABD went up a ton as well. The Costa Rica trip was appealing to us, but that price went up WAY too much (and that has nothing to do with the Euro - am guessing a supply and demand thing) for us. I've found another tour company that gets good reivews - www.adventurelife.com. They do trips in Central and South America. We may try them at some point. Its fun to look.

Jodie

 

[bonnielynn]

I'm not sure when this Alaska trip will happen. I would love to go in 2010, but it depends on how much I can save between now and then. Plus, my dh is changing jobs; we'll need to see how everything shakes out.

We LOVED Italy!!! In addition to the obvious places, take a look at Portofino, the Cinque Terre, and the Amalfi coast . . . beautiful!! I could easily spend a month there - or two - or three . . .

I thought the prices on ABD went up a ton as well. The Costa Rica trip was appealing to us, but that price went up WAY too much (and that has nothing to do with the Euro - am guessing a supply and demand thing) for us. I've found another tour company that gets good reivews - www.adventurelife.com. They do trips in Central and South America. We may try them at some point. Its fun to look.

Jodie

I will have to take a look at them.. We have next year's trips all planned out.. (Disney in May, Beach in August) dh wont allow me to schedule another.. although I really wanna...

I am figuring for 2010 though... hopefully the economy will pick up and things we look up a bit..

Hope your dh's job works out fine and the planning will commence sooner than later..

 

[eva]

Thanks for the comments Eva. Our friends at WDW right now went through the presentation Friday morning. They were blown away. I think they are going to try to convince us to buy in as well as them.

In a nutshell, if you are going to go to WDW once a year for the next several years and try to sprinkle in a few ABD trips, is DVC worth it? If so, my two main questions would be the follwoing:

1. Based on your experience, what point level would a family of four need for the conditions of at least one trip a year to WDW and an occasional ABD trip?

2. Would you buy from one of the resellers to get a cheaper rate?

Thanks for your time.

Chad

In general, I would answer your question with a yes. It is worth buying DVC under those conditions. But as said before, if a person stays in the value resorts and enjoys them, it may not be such a great deal to that person.

I agree with other posts that about 250-350 points would be needed. A lot will depend on what accommodations you require and what time of year you want to go. If you go to WDW in low season you may not need as many points. Remember that you can pay an ABD vacation with points and cash. You might want to go here: http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/DVCpoints.shtml to browse the point charts. This could give you a better idea of the number you might need.

I would look at both avenues for purchasing. Off and on DVC will give you a better value if you buy direct. It just depends if extra points (developer points) and such make a difference to you.