Calling all every-other-year WDW vacationers!

[shantay1008]

There must be some other DVC members who are like us and are only planning to go to WDW every 2 (or maybe 3) years. Whether it's due to having a large family, park costs, distance from the World, or just wanting to travel to other places, how do you cope when you hear about other people visiting 3, 4, or 20 times a year?

Okay, I'm being a little tongue-in-cheek here, but it would be fun to hear how other people fill in the years between visits. For example, one of my goals is to come up with a fiscally savvy and creative way to cover our dues and park tickets. We just got back from our first visit as DVC members, and are planning to go again in Feb. 2008, so we've got two years to plan and wait. (Actually, I planned too much this last time...next time I'm not going to try so hard to get it all "right.")

Or maybe all the people who started out saying they're only going to WDW every other year have ended up buying more points and are now going every year.....!!!
Shannon

 

[keishashadow]

Guilty as charged...consider stretching those points, go for a studio as opposed to 1 BR, forget about weekends (admit it, you miss the AS's LOL, nice chance to visit).

DH wants to go to Vegas, only if we stop @ DL 1st.

Does amaze me how many times a year folks are able to visit the motherland...must get a lot of vacation days.

 

[pplasky]

Our plan is go for 2 years(trying to make the second year only 50 wks later too utilyze APs) and than skip a year. WDW is not our only vacation when we do go, so that is not the reason. I do not beleive we will add on points and can only do it this way based ob our family's vacationing style. We do not want to give up weekends or be bothered changing rooms to save points. We are satisfied with our plan, especially the bulk of our cost is getting to and fro Florida. Maybe if we lived closer and transportation costs were not an issue, it would be different, but right now were happy we can go as ofter as we do.

 

[Glorydaz]

before joining DVC ( last week ) we had been down Sept'03 and this Feb with a trip planned this May ( last minute - Mother's Day gift) and one in Oct of 2007.....

...now we will be going the end of this year ( Oct) as well....my reasoning being that we were going away this Oct anyway - to Philly for Halloween ...2 nights hotel, parking & meals .....$500 plus easy.... with DVC all we have to do is book the plane ( Jetblue $69 each way) and relax in our room! we have days left over on our passes and we won't eat like we did on the dining plan...

..the great thing with DVC is you don't have to feel obligated to visit the parks each and every time. I like the idea of enjoying the resort itself - a pleasure sorely lacking on most previous trips! and while we hadn't planned on coming to Disney each year - we were planning a few short getaways..

..as we all know, those dollars add up very quickly if you sit down & do the math...while this may not work for everyone, I am thrilled with our new "home" and am looking forward to enjoying all that DVC has to offer

Michelle

 

[shantay1008]

Maybe whether or not people have kids, plus the ages of the kids, makes a difference in how often they visit WDW. We have four little ones, and my oldest son (7) wants to be in the parks every second we're there, so there's not a lot of relaxing at the resorts going on right now. Plus, there's airfare, tickets, dining, etc., for six to consider.

So we will be content with visiting every couple of years, and maybe we can sneak in a couple of extra visits when the kids are away at college. Imagine how many studios we can get for all those two-bedroom points!

 

[Oreo Cookie]

Shantay - I think it's great the people that can go to WDW every year, or multiple times in a year. I love WDW, but prefer to go every two to three years.

We joined the DVC in 2001, and the biggest selling point for us was the ability to go to other places outside of Disney. We've been to Hawaii twice, Aruba, and San Francisco using the exchange. Also, in 2003 we took the extended family to WDW and stayed at our home resort VWL.

I truly enjoy the flexibility. I've banked points for the extended trip, so it's a great system. I've never rented my points, but I see from the boards that this is a popular option, but I've got a ton of places I'm willing to go to that I can use my points.

Right now I'm planning a WDW trip for 2007 to include my brother, SIL and niece and nephew. I can't wait to go and experience the parks, especially through the kids. Plus, they have some new attractions I'm excited about.

 

[Carneymom]

We are new to this and have not closed on our purchase yet. But like you, I am interested to see how this plays out for us. We generally go every other year as well for several reasons. #1 the cost of tickets and airfare as well as the constant go, go, go of the parks, plus we really enjoy going to other places, especially the beach. My plan at the moment is to either bank the points or purhaps try HH in the off year since it is within driving distance for us.
I guess it is also possible that we will go more often and spend more time relaxing and enjoying the other emenities that the resorts have to offer and less time in the parks as time goes on.

We will see.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We originally bought 230 points and planned to go every other year (because of distance etc). Well, after just one trip, we nixed that idea, bit the bullet and bought another 150 points. Now we go about 4 times every 23 months.

 

[Dean]

There must be some other DVC members who are like us and are only planning to go to WDW every 2 (or maybe 3) years. Whether it's due to having a large family, park costs, distance from the World, or just wanting to travel to other places, how do you cope when you hear about other people visiting 3, 4, or 20 times a year?

Okay, I'm being a little tongue-in-cheek here, but it would be fun to hear how other people fill in the years between visits. For example, one of my goals is to come up with a fiscally savvy and creative way to cover our dues and park tickets. We just got back from our first visit as DVC members, and are planning to go again in Feb. 2008, so we've got two years to plan and wait. (Actually, I planned too much this last time...next time I'm not going to try so hard to get it all "right.")

Or maybe all the people who started out saying they're only going to WDW every other year have ended up buying more points and are now going every year.....!!!
Shannon

We own other timeshare and use or trade them. Though we usually go to a DVC resort at least once a year.

 

[shantay1008]

Are you people retired?

 

[MarylandFamily]

We recently joined DVC and plan to visit every other year. When we travel, we like to stay for a full week, especially the weekend. So using II and staying at a resort for a week is not an issue for us, it's what we prefer. We also enjoy visiting new places (especially somewhere with a nice beach), so the every other year option works well for us.

 

[ddave]

There must be some other DVC members who are like us and are only planning to go to WDW every 2 (or maybe 3) years.
Shannon

Well, this is how it starts. "We'll buy enough points so that we can go every OTHER year". Well, this turns into, "we need more points (addonitis)". Then the kids go to college and you have all these points to use and you no longer HAVE to go during PEAK points periods. So, you start taking advantage of those points, and some of the $49/way airfare specials, and start going twice a year!

Been there, doing that

 

[ACDSNY]

Well we started off thinking our 100 points would be enough for every 2-3 years. After our trip last Oct we decided to add on another 120. I still don't see us going to WDW too often due to the distance, but between our two adult kids and us I'm sure we won't have any problem using the points. Disneyland is much closer for us to make quick trips.

 

[Bugeye]

We were going every other year with a cruise during the in between years but then we went 6 years without a cruise but filled it in with a trip home very year. What to do, what to do. Can't let the points get too old, they might get moldy

 

[jjpenguin]

We weren't planning to go every year but with DH starting up a new business and cash not being that thick on the ground it makes sense to go on our pre-paid holiday...

I figure once DH's business picks up and we've got a bit more leeway cashwise we'll go less often and exchange more.... ... Who am I kidding, we'll go less often and I'll go on solo trips inbetween

 

[eliza61]

We go ever other year also. We do this really because we like to stay longer as opposed to short vacations every year. This August we will be down for a 13 day stay at the villas of Wilderness lodge. Our off years we plan other vacations and we have used our points to stay at Concierge collection hotels.
Definitely don't rent our points, our children are approaching their college years and my DH and I are really looking forward to traveling by ourselves so we may start taking yearly vacations. (or we'll probably be panhandling in disney to cover 3 college tuitions )

 

[dianeschlicht]

Are you people retired?

I wish!!!

 

[shantay1008]

Actually, I don't think some of you will probably every really retire. You'll get jobs at WDW, and we'll see you performing in "Cinderellabrations" (which had my mom and I both wiping our eyes) or working at the DVC booths that seem to be everywhere in the parks these days.

Well, none of you has helped me at all, you know. Even those who say they're only going every two years right now are planning to start going every year once their kids are grown. I guess we'll just have to accept the inevitable!

 

[dianeschlicht]

LOL, well this trip, we might be wishing we had changed our times, because NWA is set to possibly strike Wednesday, which is the day we leave for WDW (on NWA). Of course, then if they don't strike that day, we have to worry about them striking before our return trip! ARGHHH!!!! Wish we lived closer!

 

[senecabeach]

oppps..