Anyone else in a similar trip scenario?

[JasonMouse]

My wife and I typically go 10 nights per year in 3 trips, off season for the good resort rates: Jan/Feb, Sept/Oct, and occasionally early Dec for Christmas or a May flower & garden. We live in Tampa and get seasonal passes. We also rotate among Value, Moderate, and Deluxe at the $200 AKL or $260 BW/BC rates. Our favorite is the EPCOT resorts and do love the Deluxes. I was thinking of starting with 125 points or so, but feel like I'll still be doing a couple Values each year too.

My question is does anyone else do it this way? Do a DVC and then also Orbitz a couple value and moderate rooms per year on top of that? The problem is I don't feel like I'm fully realizing the DVC savings aspect given at most I'm only spending $200 to $260 a night for a deluxe anyway and I'm not doing that every year. I'm well educated in the DVC specifics.

 

[Raenstoirm]

We were in a similar situation and did pull the trigger just last week. I did the math and with what we will be paying when we close (cash) and dues for the next 30 years, we "break even" in about 10 years with minor dues inflation. We also pay about $200 a night with discounts and such. And the 10 years break even does not include the AP discounts or other minor things that come with membership. I bought a small contract and plan on renting points for our other trips right now.

 

[suebeelin]

You can get AKL and BWV/BCV for $200/$260, respectively, including tax??

If so, I wouldn't have bought dvc!!

 

[JasonMouse]

Yes with tax and fees - try Orbitz. Availability opens up again in Nov for Jan/Feb.

 

[disneynutz]

We only do deluxe resorts so the DVC discount works for us.

Bill

 

[JasonMouse]

So no one posted yet that they grab value resorts along with their DVC.

 

[bwvBound]

For many years we happily stayed off-site for "vacation" visits to WDW using super discounted timeshares booked through RCI. We'd get a lovely, fully stocked, 1BR unit for <$300/week. We stay at DVC for "business conference travel" when being onsite was key. We were happy.

Over time, the convenience of being onsite and not needing a car overtook our "practical common sense" and became our new standard. Thus, no more off-site stays ... and we now assume DVC is our easiest method to book w/out having to scour for discounts at the moderates, etc.

 

[Savagekids]

We have stayed value, deluxe, Shades of Green. For Labor Day we are trying a Moderate and one night at VWL to use some banked points that came with our contract.

I decided to buy points this year because we never know when the FL resident/military rates will go away. Or our status as FL/military might change in the future. I ran a lot of numbers, then choose to buy two small contracts. My logic was, we can still stay at SOG or get a regular hotel room if our points don't cover everything we want in any given year. Plus, I like all of the resorts and want to try them all someday. We can also rent or sell the points if it's not working out after a few years.

My only issue with DVC is that we aren't always able book at 11 or 7 months. Maybe that will change for us in a few years.

 

[freediverdude]

Yes I also live in the Tampa area and recently purchased a small contract. I see it as a way to always be able to stay in a deluxe for the rest of my life, no matter how high they decide to raise the rates at the cash hotels. There maybe be some cheapo deals right now for between $200-300 sometimes for deluxes, but that won't last forever. In ten years there probably won't be any getting a deluxe for less than $300 at all. The cash rates have been increasing a lot faster. I had been staying in values, with only occasionally a deluxe, but not sure I will do value anymore since those are now above $100 most of the time as well. And moderates, well, you might as well get a deluxe for what those are costing nowadays. Anyone else remember regularly getting Caribbean Beach for $99? lol

 

[bumbershoot]

So no one posted yet that they grab value resorts along with their DVC.

I absolutely do. It's usually a basically-free stay, using hotels.com nights from DH's travels, but sometimes we pay.

We quite like the values (have stayed at Pop, AOA LM rooms, ASMusic suite, ASSports so far). And POR. (not so much CBR but we were in a pirate room which wasn't our fave, and it was the FIRST part of our FIRST trip to WDW and our stay at OKW blew that CBR night or two out of the water)

We make our trips work for us and we don't feel limited by owning DVC. And since we like other places, we don't feel the need to sequester ourselves from non-DVC, either.

 

[Jpepper2]

My wife and I typically go 10 nights per year in 3 trips, off season for the good resort rates: Jan/Feb, Sept/Oct, and occasionally early Dec for Christmas or a May flower & garden. We live in Tampa and get seasonal passes. We also rotate among Value, Moderate, and Deluxe at the $200 AKL or $260 BW/BC rates. Our favorite is the EPCOT resorts and do love the Deluxes. I was thinking of starting with 125 points or so, but feel like I'll still be doing a couple Values each year too.

My question is does anyone else do it this way? Do a DVC and then also Orbitz a couple value and moderate rooms per year on top of that? The problem is I don't feel like I'm fully realizing the DVC savings aspect given at most I'm only spending $200 to $260 a night for a deluxe anyway and I'm not doing that every year. I'm well educated in the DVC specifics.

Do you get better prices on Orbitz for Disney? I never have booked Disney there.