Call me cheap (or frugal) but I am paying cash on the weekend again

[Judique]

Originally posted by pumpkinboy
The thing is, I don't have to move. I check in and out officially, but they have always kept us in the same room.
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We've had the same experience whenever we've used cash and points. We usually have our ressies linked to provide a little heads up to the resort in question.
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Until they build a DVC resort at AKL, Contemporary and maybe at the Poly, I will want to diversify. The higher point costs on the weekends give me a good excuse (and a financial incentive) to do so. We go to WDW often bcs it's our main vacation spot; we have a wheelchair bound child, and WDW is the only place we can go that is completely open to him (and his little sister doesn't mind a bit). Staying in the resorts on a code gives us a different experience than our DVC, and we all enjoy a little variety.
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Many times I've been tempted to acquire more points, but, that would lock me into DVC more so then I want to be. I go fairly often and I want to stay at Disney Resorts other then DVC including offsite from time to time. I've never had a problem with moving, but we are mostly a party of two, so that's got to be easier then when a whole family or a family with younger children is involved.
It is my future plan to do something similar - rent a grand villa for a large party of family members. Maybe I should save your strategy post!
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We could buy even more points, and we did at several points this year. But I hate paying a higher points price when I could pay a lower cash price and arbitrage by renting the saved points out and being up money. Now I'm not renting them out, as I am saving them for a GV, something I am not going to do too often. So I don't think that getting even more points, more than we will likely use most years, makes any sense for us. If we are going to be needing more points on a ongoing basis, believe me, we'll get them.

Again, "obsessive" is a fair call. I was on disability for a while in late summer and had some time on my hands, so coming up with a good points vs cash rate spreadsheet, a Net Present Value calculation, some long range planning and cacluation and a few calls to MS and CRO were a way to keep my brain working, even when my body was not allowing me to be at the office(mostly better now thx). I did other things too, but DVC planning and calculation were a pleasant diversion.

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Okay....here is where we differ greatly.................I don't even want to know what my bottom line is after staying cash on weekends and some other trips over a years period. I might just have heart failure and have to cut back! Right now, I do what I want and I'm financially able to do so, but - the cheap in me might just go over the edge if I put it all on paper!

 

[LeftCoaster]

I also voted "All Of THe Above". If you did this on a yearly basis for all of your trips, I'd just think you were a nutcase that just needs to add on. You're just doing what you can to secure something for a trip that is not run of the mill.

 

[erikthewise]

I think you just like flirting with the CM's at the front desk(s).

I voted "all of the above".

 

[Tennesotans]

I was *this close* (fingers barely apart) from creating a poll entitled "Quirky, Suboptimal or Brain Damaged" -- where I'd pretend that my wife and I bought exactly 108 points. We would bank these points one year, borrow another year, and reserve a OKW Grand Villa for "just the two of us" over a Friday/Saturday every three years during Christmas...

(the worst use of points I could figure out ).

 

[goofy4tink]

Most certainly 'all of the above'....sounds just like me. We went and added on. So what do I do? Try to justify more frequent trips instead of one big one. And yes, I do like to stay at the 'other' resorts on the week-ends. So, we use our points for Sundays thru Fridays. But we check in on a Friday, stay someplace else and try something different. Then over to BWV (or other DVC resort) until Friday. Sometimes we even make a third move for that last Fri and Sat night stay. Yep, we (well, at least I) could be called certifiable!!!!

So, I stretch my points, enjoy the 'thrill of the code hunt', and try out new spots.

 

[d-r]

if you are paying $5-$8 per point to book with cash, it makes sense to me to book with cash if you ask me.

 

[JessetheCowgirl]

Notice that we are staying at a nonDVC resort next trip and paying cash.

Why???

To save points, of course, for our big summer bash!!!

:thewave:

 

[pumpkinboy]

BTW, I do have to check in and out for each ressie number, plus I have to get new keys cut. But considering the Arbitrage value of the points for weekend nights this upcoming (tomorrow) trip, two extra check-ins is worth the ~$180 difference (assuming $10 a pt).

MS instructed me to simply call the front desk ahead of time, let them know I am coming down, and can get it done in "3 minutes, tops", as the CM put it. I should be able to take care of it then get my DW something nice at the bakery before she's even awake .

 

[Mickmse2002]

We have never done this (paid cash for a weekend) while staying. How do you ensure you can combine both a cash reservation and a points reservation for the same room?

 

[pumpkinboy]

Originally posted by Mickmse2002
We have never done this (paid cash for a weekend) while staying. How do you ensure you can combine both a cash reservation and a points reservation for the same room?

Mickmse2002, the operative term would be Linking the reservations. IN our case, we had all of the ressies linked together, so they knew it was a continuing reservation.

So we're back, and contrary to my earlier belief, we did Not, in fact, have to do Anything when the ressies changed from points to cash. The two reservations were Seamless, and all of our room keys plus our parking pass were good for both the points and the cash stay. Remember, we stayed in the same class of room from the points nights on the weeknights to the cash nights on the weekend. But it all worked great.

After our friends left on Sunday, and we downshifted from a 2BR to the 1BR portion of the room, we did have to get new keys and all, but we got a full cleaning and we got to stay in the room. Tho we weren't crazy about the room location or the layout (it was a handicap accessible unit), but being able to stay put was great.