Calculating costs per point

[tom1944]

There are several threads on SAP and the cost and value. I believe it was Seth who referenced the fact that with SAP points you will most likely have to reserve a higher value room so that needs to be factored into the cost. I think that is a valid point but it raises a question for me.

If you need to calculate the point value of the room how does the entire point chart factor in? What consideration did you give point charts?

Let's use the example of someone who wants an Epcot resort and looking at 7 months that is difficult to get using SAP points. That gives you several possible purchases.

Riviera, Boardwalk or Beach Club. Does the point chart for the 2 2042 resorts offset the lesser number of years compared to Riviera?

I looked at January and August for the 2 bedrooms and the 2042 point charts are 35-45% lower for a week stay compared to Riviera. The value of those point charts have to go into any calculation when considering the relative cost.

 

[crvetter]

I mean you are right to include the cost of points. Somewhere I created some tables on here that show the value of SAP relative/considering the cost per night to book at non-home resorts. It basically showed the value of having home resort priority which gives access to cheaper rooms.

Though SAP work best for people happy with studios at SSR, which are on the cheaper side, or 1 bedrooms, which are more widely available at 7 months. SAP in my opinion aren't that great of a deal if you want near park or 2 bedrooms, which are predominantly made of lockoffs so difficult to book at 7 months anyways. So I think you see most talk about SAP relative to being happy with SSR studios or want 1 beds.

 

[tom1944]

I had originally purchased with the expectation that my wife and I would use the points for a few weeks in January at SSR to get away from NJ in the winter. Going to the parks were not a huge consideration. My daughter than expressed interest and I liked the idea of passing it on to her. That meant I changed from SSR to BLT as a first choice. I was unable to come to agreement on a BLT contract and figured I would buy SSR with the intention of getting a second contract at a future date.
It is amazing that in a short period of time so much has changed that there are new considerations every day.

The case for the direct points is strengthened as new restricted resorts are proposed/built.

The need for a MK 1- or 2-bedroom resort in January or August seems to be possible with my SSR points. A 1 Bedroom at BLT and 2 bedrooms at BRV/CCV.

My SSR points also seem to be useful at AKV during our anticipated travel.

If we want an Epcot resort it appears we will have to make a decision. The point charts at BWV and BCV may make the 2042 expiration date not a deal breaker. At our age the 2042 date is not bad and if my daughter and granddaughter still love Disney, they might be able to purchase resorts that have a shortened lifespan from 2057 to 2066 at a reduced price like the 2042's are now.

Direct points at Riviera are tempting but the point chart really cannot compare to BWV for example. Plus, my daughter has been pushing BWV since her 2 recent trips to Disney.

I see positives about every one of the resorts, so this is all a problem with no downside which makes it enjoyable to go through the process.

 

[Sandisw]

We didn’t look at the point charts when decided…just went with price. We got 500 SSR points for around $74/point, average in 2017. We sold some BLT points which helped us buy more.

We knew it would allow us to do our winter trips during retirement…and because we would be okay using them at SSR if we needed, the point chart didn’t really matter.

Of course, we sold 200 last year to rebuy more at VGF, so our SAP points are now only 300 out of the 900…and any purchase in the future will be at RIV…or Poly tower…direct.

 

[Cfabar1]

The advice I received which was best was "buy where you'd be happy staying"... that way you can book out at 7 months if you need to, but are still able to stay.

This has mostly worked well for us, with the one exception that VGF is the stingiest with points.

 

[intamin]

The advice I received which was best was "buy where you'd be happy staying"... that way you can book out at 7 months if you need to, but are still able to stay.

This has mostly worked well for us, with the one exception that VGF is the stingiest with points.

It's so important to just buy where you want to stay not only to guarantee you get to stay where you want but it also helps with being able to book standard view rooms which typically saves about 20% in points. A lot of times at 7 months at certain resorts 1BRs are the only rooms left as well which are known to essentially be the worst value for DVC aside from the bungalows lol.

 

[Cfabar1]

It's so important to just buy where you want to stay not only to guarantee you get to stay where you want but it also helps with being able to book standard view rooms which typically saves about 20% in points. A lot of times at 7 months at certain resorts 1BRs are the only rooms left as well which are known to essentially be the worst value for DVC aside from the bungalows lol.

Yes they are, but for some the 1 Bedroom offers exactly what is needed - a full kitchen, a bedroom with separation from the kids or other guest(s), without having to spend the extra points on a full 2nd bedroom.

 

[Ruttangel]

I looked at this last year, hopefully still relevant for you now
https://www.disboards.com/posts/63524645/

 

[Ruttangel]

I have more detailed information on average cost per night across the whole point chart, just go to 2023 Cost tab
Thanks to all those at dvcnews.com @tjkraz @wdrl as this is based on some of their work on the charts

DVC WDW Point Charts_2023 costv2

 

[intamin]

Yes they are, but for some the 1 Bedroom offers exactly what is needed - a full kitchen, a bedroom with separation from the kids or other guest(s), without having to spend the extra points on a full 2nd bedroom.

True, honestly 1BRs are the ideal room type for most families of 4. The gap in points though between a studio and a 1BR is so large and the gap between a 1BR and a 2BR is so much smaller it’s hard for me to justify the 1BR points when those could be used on a studio and have the saved points be used on a 2BR the following year. But yes if all things were equal ideally I would be traveling in 1BRs.

 

[CarolynFH]

We like 1BR for convenience (kitchen, laundry, place for early riser and night owl to read while other sleeps, king bed). But if we did look at it from a monetary standpoint, being able to cook a full breakfast every day saves us enough $$ to cover the extra cost in points between studio and 1BR. Then again, our points cost $1.39 + dues, so the math might be different for us.

 

[Genie+]

Beyond point cost and dues we also valued ease and likelihood of being satisfied under different scenarios.

It’s a challenge to describe… I’ll try

Say we were comparing 2 resorts to buy 150 points and both have roughly 30 years left. Resort A was selling for $100pp and Resort B $130pp. If staying at Resort B is much more attractive to us than A, is it worth paying $30pp extra to reliably access it as our backup plan? Depends on individual goals. In this scenario it’s basically a $150 yearly premium using the 150pts.

We ended up first buying 50pts BWV resale. Reasons: Ability to book 2 weeks over 3 years in a resort we preferred, relatively low buy-in sum, reliably booking Epcot area studio for near $200/nt. This year we used 49 pts in Season C to book 3 nights BW View to follow 5 nights in MK area. Actual cost $275/nt ($325 if considering time value of buy-in cost). Not the cheapest but I’m highly satisfied with cost and ease of room selection. Potential bonus if BW View refurb completed before our Dec 20 checkin

Using that contract confirmed we definitely wanted more points. VGF direct marked the same boxes for an MK resort option. The overall cost is still higher than something like SSR resale. When including dues the cost difference is under $1pp/yr. The extra $100/yr was worth direct perks to us, but even taking that out of the equation the extra $100 year was worth reliable access to economical rooms at VGF as backup. Great odds for booking 8-11 months out and getting an MK area studio $200-$250/nt.

Annual WDW trips are a heavy investment. Personally an extra $100/yr or so is worth being content.