Annoyed at how much the "nice" Disney hotels cost

[battricia]

Originally posted by wvrevy
Each point costs (I'm guessing here, but it's close to this...I don't have my owners manual with me) around $79, and the minimum buy-in is 150 points.

That's $11,850 to put down? (close to what esmarelda said about a downpayment)

Do you then have to buy points each year, or do they GIVE you the points?

Also, on average (I know they vary from hotel and what time of year,amenities etc., but average) how many points do you spend per night?

and like someone else mentioned, the fees each year, how much are they? Someone said 'they're not bad' but I have a good feeling we all have a completely different definition of 'not bad'...

tricia.

 

[elgerber]

We are DVC too, but I think you've heard enough about that for now.

I know people think the prices are so high at Disney hotels. I am booking a hotel for this weekend in Northern Minnesota, and the rooms here are $180-$250 a night, for basic hotels, and no Disney magic. I always think about that when people ask me what it would cost them if they planned a trip to Disney and they complain about the prices.

Erika

 

[Pin Wizard]

What is POP? I hear you!!! We stayed at POR on our first trip. (Oh! Is POP Port Orleans something or other? Why is Pop Century popping in my mind? What is Pop Century? LOL!) Been to All Stars the rest of the time...YUCK! (Especially when I requested a non-smoking room and they STUCK me in smoking!) And this was with my FL Resident discount! Now that I don't live in FL, I don't think I'll get there unless I win a trip!!

 

[KristaTX]

Pop Century

 

[beattyfamily]

Originally posted by wvrevy
There is a monthly maintenance fee, but it isn't much (can't remember the amount, but it's dependant on the number of points you own and wouldn't pay for a single night in the room we stay in at the Boardwalk).

Basically, once you pay for the points, that small fee is all you have to worry about.

For my 270 points I paid $1125 in dues this past January!

 

[beattyfamily]

Originally posted by battricia
That's $11,850 to put down? (close to what esmarelda said about a downpayment)

Do you then have to buy points each year, or do they GIVE you the points?

Also, on average (I know they vary from hotel and what time of year,amenities etc., but average) how many points do you spend per night?

and like someone else mentioned, the fees each year, how much are they? Someone said 'they're not bad' but I have a good feeling we all have a completely different definition of 'not bad'...

tricia.

Nope, once you buy the points you get however many you bought (I bought 270) each and every year. BUT you must pay the dues each January. Mine are $1125 for those points. In the long run it is still a good investment IF you love Disney and want to go every year.

 

[wvrevy]

Originally posted by battricia
That's $11,850 to put down? (close to what esmarelda said about a downpayment)

Do you then have to buy points each year, or do they GIVE you the points?

Also, on average (I know they vary from hotel and what time of year,amenities etc., but average) how many points do you spend per night?

and like someone else mentioned, the fees each year, how much are they? Someone said 'they're not bad' but I have a good feeling we all have a completely different definition of 'not bad'...

tricia.

Sorry...Knew I wasn't being clear That 11,850 is the total cost, not the down payment...and you get those same points each and every year for the life of the timeshare agreement (lifke 54 years or something).

As to points per night, I know you said to guess an average, but it really does make a big difference on where you stay. On 200 points, we can stay for about 2 weeks in off-peak times of the year at the BW...We could probably stretch that quite a bit if we were staying at the AS resorts or even one of the "moderates".

To us, though, one of the biggest benefits was that you can transfer those points to different hotels...In other words, if you aren't in the mood for a WDW trip one year (for some strange reason ), you can take a trip to New York or even just about anywhere in Europe, and your room can still be paid for with points.,

Like I said, I don't have the actual DVC guide in front of me, but I think the earlier quote of around $600 a year in fees was about right. Ours is also taken out automatically, at about $50 a month.

Next time you're in WDW, take the tour at the BW...It's not one of those really "hard sell" type things, they've got a play area for the kids, and they can explain this a heck of a lot better than me

 

[Cruise04]

Another one for DVC. When my dh first mentioned it I was like - oh great, then we won't ever be able to go anyplace else for vacation. Was I wrong!!!! We have been able to and that has been nice - some places even using our DVC points.

A clarification - that amount for the 150 points is NOT what you pay up front. You can if you have that kind of money. Otherwise you take out a "10-year" mortgage which is very low payment - like WVREVY (or someone else) said it's like having a car payment. BUT the plus is you have a room at WDW (or other places in the world) for the next 36 years. We have bought in several times and are happy we have. It even paid for our cruise last year. And we have a child. When we plan to travel we start saving a year in advance (or more sometimes).

But we love knowing we can go to WDW, if we have enough points available, and not have to pay for a room. And last year as we were heading down to our cruise, we had left a day early and on our way down called to see if anything was available on points and we got into BWV. It was great!

 

[IandGsmom]

I have not done this since we live so far and as much as I LOVE all things Disney I like the idea of going to different places without worring about banking points, trading,monthly maintenance fees etc. Also airfare across the country is a factor to me.
I would do this in a heartbeat however if and when they begin this down here at Disneyland. I would love the Disneyland Hotel or the Grand Californian to be my home resort. I can dream can't I???

 

[dmadman43]

Originally posted by battricia
That's $11,850 to put down? (close to what esmarelda said about a downpayment)

Do you then have to buy points each year, or do they GIVE you the points?

Also, on average (I know they vary from hotel and what time of year,amenities etc., but average) how many points do you spend per night?

and like someone else mentioned, the fees each year, how much are they? Someone said 'they're not bad' but I have a good feeling we all have a completely different definition of 'not bad'...

tricia.

No, you buy the points up front, then get to USE them each year. For example, we have 430 points. To keep it simple for the time being, each year we can use those points to stay at either our home resort (OKW) or any DVC resort. The difference is I can book my home resort 11 months in advance, or other DVC resorts 7 months in advance. The "price" (how many points you use) depends on when you stay (Dream season, Magic Season, etc...the more popular seasons the higher the point cost. For example during Christmas costs you the most points per day). For the sake of example (these points may not be accurate) to book a 1 bedroom at BWV during the summer for a week is about 270 points. So, you've used 270 points for that year. If you have more left over you can bank them for the next year, or use them for another stay or at other resorts DVC has agreements with. You don't pay each year for your points. You've already paid for them. The only additional costs would be if you wanted to buy more points. And as, others have mentioned, the yearly dues.

So, 270 points at, say $79 a point is $21,330. A studio for a week is 123 (preferred view), so that is $9717. Now, if you were to book a 1 bd for the same week in the summer for 6 nights it would run you anywhere from $2340 to $2610 dollars. So, if you go early and often you can see you can recoup your investment over time. Plus what you can do by saving $2500 a year. A studio would run anywhere from $1734 to $1974. The added value of DVC is that you can pass on the contract to your kids when you, well...pass on. Add to that, you get free parking at the parks, and the resorts, discounts at some restaurants, etc.

 

[Kelsie]

You may also want to keep checking the discount page here in the DIS.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/discounts/discounts-current.htm

It is a bit early for 2005 discounts so, you may also want to think about booking through a Travel Agency who will watch the discounts for you and apply them when they are released.

 

[dmadman43]

Originally posted by IandGsmom
I have not done this since we live so far and as much as I LOVE all things Disney I like the idea of going to different places without worring about banking points, trading,monthly maintenance fees etc. Also airfare across the country is a factor to me.
I would do this in a heartbeat however if and when they begin this down here at Disneyland. I would love the Disneyland Hotel or the Grand Californian to be my home resort. I can dream can't I???

We live in Seattle and own at DVC and go every year. What's nice now is Alaska Air has a direct from Seattle to MCO. Sweet.

 

[dmadman43]

Originally posted by wvrevy
Sorry...Knew I wasn't being clear That 11,850 is the total cost, not the down payment...and you get those same points each and every year for the life of the timeshare agreement (lifke 54 years or something).

As to points per night, I know you said to guess an average, but it really does make a big difference on where you stay. On 200 points, we can stay for about 2 weeks in off-peak times of the year at the BW...We could probably stretch that quite a bit if we were staying at the AS resorts or even one of the "moderates".

To us, though, one of the biggest benefits was that you can transfer those points to different hotels...In other words, if you aren't in the mood for a WDW trip one year (for some strange reason ), you can take a trip to New York or even just about anywhere in Europe, and your room can still be paid for with points.,

Like I said, I don't have the actual DVC guide in front of me, but I think the earlier quote of around $600 a year in fees was about right. Ours is also taken out automatically, at about $50 a month.

Next time you're in WDW, take the tour at the BW...It's not one of those really "hard sell" type things, they've got a play area for the kids, and they can explain this a heck of a lot better than me

Saratoga Springs now houses the DVC sales offices. I think that is the only place they are selling points now (I could be wrong). It's quite a lovely resort, though. Right across from Downtown Disney.

 

[elgerber]

Originally posted by IandGsmom
I have not done this since we live so far and as much as I LOVE all things Disney I like the idea of going to different places without worring about banking points, trading,monthly maintenance fees etc. Also airfare across the country is a factor to me.
I would do this in a heartbeat however if and when they begin this down here at Disneyland. I would love the Disneyland Hotel or the Grand Californian to be my home resort. I can dream can't I???

We don't live quite that far, but we do live in Minnesota. Airfare from here is a huge factor as well, as we have a NWA hub, and it's very expensive to fly from here. What we do is get AP's and go twice in 12 months, then take a year off. We went in Dec. and are going in October, then probably not until Aug of 2006. It's hard to wait that long, but we can't afford to go as often as we like, but this way DVC works for us.

Erika

 

[Annette_VA]

See what y'all have done...now I'm thinking "Hmm, wouldn't it be cool to buy into DVC w dh's bonus next year?" LOL

I do have a quick question. I would probably never go to WDW every year - we're more every other year type people. Could I buy like 1/2 as many points as I'd need for my vacation and then "pay" for each vacation using 2 year's points? (Does that make sense?)

 

[MHopkins2]

Esmeralda, definitely look into renting DVC points, especially if you can take a few vacation days from work. Sunday through Thursday, a BW studio is $90 (standard view) to $120 (preferred view) per night, based on the "standard" rental rate of $10/point. A studio at Old Key West is even lower - just $80 per night, for a HUGE room.

Having said that, I've stayed at the Poly and the Beach Club, and have been just as happy at ASMu and Pop Century. It all depends on how you spend your vacation, but for me, the room just isn't all that important. (I spend an absurd amount of money on food instead. )

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

Sorry this has turned into the DVC thread...but just a bit more info. Forget about the 150 pt. minimum -- that only applies if you buy direct from Disney. At this point, there a lots of resales in every size contract imaginable. Also, by going resale you can buy at whatever resort you prefer, not just SSR. If anyone is considering buying into DVC, they need to look at all the options. We just bought a resale @ OKW for $65/pt which is much lower than the $95/pt through Disney.

 

[snoopy]

I'd never consider staying at a WDW deluxe resort without a deep discount. IMO, there are much better deals offsite. Not to mention the Swan and Dolphin ---- these hotels are lovely and so friendly and comfortable and right in the heart of everything. I've heard it say they lack "magic", but we feel pretty darned magical when we are there. So does our bank account.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

Originally posted by Annette_VA
See what y'all have done...now I'm thinking "Hmm, wouldn't it be cool to buy into DVC w dh's bonus next year?" LOL

I do have a quick question. I would probably never go to WDW every year - we're more every other year type people. Could I buy like 1/2 as many points as I'd need for my vacation and then "pay" for each vacation using 2 year's points? (Does that make sense?)

It makes perfect sense and it's exactly what we did.

Living on the west coast, we alternate and do WDW one year -- DL the next (you can use your DVC points there as well, but they don't go as far).

 

[beattyfamily]

Originally posted by Annette_VA
See what y'all have done...now I'm thinking "Hmm, wouldn't it be cool to buy into DVC w dh's bonus next year?" LOL

I do have a quick question. I would probably never go to WDW every year - we're more every other year type people. Could I buy like 1/2 as many points as I'd need for my vacation and then "pay" for each vacation using 2 year's points? (Does that make sense?)

Yes, you decide how many points you'll need for the time of year you want to go, for the size room you want, where you want to stay and then how often you want to go and then buy the amount of point based on that info!

Like someone said, you can bank and borrow too to save up for a BIG trip!