Can't believe it, but we may finally do it....

[CanadaDisney05]

Now that it's looking like this may become a reality, I'd like to thank the community here who has helped us see through all of the marketing, and truly understand the nuances of DVC. My level of confidence in this decision, and ability to find a strategy that works for my family would not be possible without the help of reading and participating in discussions in this community. Even discussions that have lead to disagreements has helped broaden my point of view. Having said that, before we pull the trigger, I was hoping for some last minute feedback from those with experience, on our strategy and decision.

Decision

• Purchase 25 Vero Beach Points Direct
• Purchase 50 Saratoga Points Direct
• March use year
• In 3 - 5 years, purchase an additional 50 - 75 Saratoga points resale.
• Possibly an additional 25 points at Vero direct/resale depending on availability

Goal

• Travel to WDW 3 out of every 4 years.
• Most stays, we would like to do 10 days in total. 7 days in WDW, followed by 3 days at Vero Beach to relax before going home (possibly Hilton Head once or twice).
• Would like to avoid going to the same resort very often. Ultimate goal would be to try a different resort almost every time . I understand, availability may be limited here and there. For us, being "stuck" at Saratoga is not a big deal at all. It's actually one of my wife's favorite resorts.

Background

• We are from Canada. Not easy to travel to WDW for last minute, or short trips whenever we feel like it.
• Young family of 4. We are in our early thirties. Kids are very young.
• SO is a teacher. This means in general, we can only travel Xmas, Spring Break, or Summer. In reality, we would almost only travel during the summer.
• We are not locked down to a specific week in the summer. We can basically travel anytime between the beginning of July and the last week of August.

Thought Process on resort choices

• Purchasing the 25 points at Vero Beach so that we can pretty much guarantee 2 to 3 nights at Vero, every other year.
• We also like the idea of the Vero points because the contract ends in 2042. 2042 corresponds to the timeframe when we plan on retiring, kids will be off doing there own thing, and our trips to WDW will likely become less frequent.
• Purchasing 50 points at SSR because it is the most economical choice for "sleep around" points.
• With these points not coming off the books until 2054, it gives us some points to play with after retirement, without committing as much. If we decide we no longer want to travel to WDW, we can sell at that time.

Thought Process on Direct vs Resale

• Purchasing the 25 points on the resale market would be time consuming, and difficult. The price difference on this many points would also likely be negligible.
• I figured, to purchase 50 SSR resale would cost between 110 to 130/PP. Using 110 as the comparison, the cost to go direct is an additional $2,500.
• For $2,500, not only does it save the hassle of stalking the websites and jumping on the availability of a small SSR contract, it allows us to own the 75 direct point minimum in order to qualify for the "perks".
• The biggest perk to us that we would qualify for would be to be able to use these points at Riviera, Reflections, and any other future resorts. I never liked the idea of being limited from booking at the future resorts.
• The other big perk is the annual pass. While I do understand these perks can be taken away tomorrow, the likelihood of them going away completely in the short term is pretty small.
• We are going to have a one time opportunity to use our DVC points for the first time in November 2020, which will be followed by an August 2021 trip. My youngest will be under 3 for both trips, so would not need park tickets. 3 x (7-10 day) tickets would be about $1,350 x 2 trips = $2,700 + 170 x 2 (memory maker 2x) = ~$3,000 for tickets and memory maker for both trips.
• 3 x 699 (gold annual pass) = ~2,000.
• The $2,500 premium for going direct has been reduced to around $1,500 after the first two years of ownership. I'd assume that at some point in the 35 years of ownership, we would likely break even, if not come close enough.

Thought Process on # of Points Purchased

• Ran the numbers, and based on current point charts, 125 to 150 points should easily allow us to book the the stays we are looking for.
• Since we are not travelling again until the end of 2020, purchasing 75 points now, using borrowing/banking & one time use points, we should be able to get to summer of 2024 without needing additional points.
• 11K USD (~15K Canadian) is a lot of money to pull out of our savings at the moment. This gives us time to save up for the next purchase. Prices/exchange rate could fluctuate in either direction.
• It also gives us a chance to dip our toes into the water without the full commitment. Maybe after 3 to 4 years, we will decide that once every 2 years is sufficient for us. Maybe we will decide we need even more points.
• It also allows us to have smaller contracts, which should be easier to sell if we are ever in a pinch, or decide that we made a mistake.

I know this is a lot of detail, but this is a big purchase for us, so I was hoping to get some feedback, positive and negative on this decision. Thanks again to everyone.

 

[CarolMN]

I like your plan. Looks reasonable and well-thought out. Good luck! Hope to add my voice to the chorus of "welcome homes" soon.

 

[Madame]

Now that it's looking like this may become a reality, I'd like to thank the community here who has helped us see through all of the marketing, and truly understand the nuances of DVC. My level of confidence in this decision, and ability to find a strategy that works for my family would not be possible without the help of reading and participating in discussions in this community. Even discussions that have lead to disagreements has helped broaden my point of view. Having said that, before we pull the trigger, I was hoping for some last minute feedback from those with experience, on our strategy and decision.

Decision

• Purchase 25 Vero Beach Points Direct
• Purchase 50 Saratoga Points Direct
• March use year
• In 3 - 5 years, purchase an additional 50 - 75 Saratoga points resale.
• Possibly an additional 25 points at Vero direct/resale depending on availability

Goal

• Travel to WDW 3 out of every 4 years.
• Most stays, we would like to do 10 days in total. 7 days in WDW, followed by 3 days at Vero Beach to relax before going home (possibly Hilton Head once or twice).
• Would like to avoid going to the same resort very often. Ultimate goal would be to try a different resort almost every time . I understand, availability may be limited here and there. For us, being "stuck" at Saratoga is not a big deal at all. It's actually one of my wife's favorite resorts.

Background

• We are from Canada. Not easy to travel to WDW for last minute, or short trips whenever we feel like it.
• Young family of 4. We are in our early thirties. Kids are very young.
• SO is a teacher. This means in general, we can only travel Xmas, Spring Break, or Summer. In reality, we would almost only travel during the summer.
• We are not locked down to a specific week in the summer. We can basically travel anytime between the beginning of July and the last week of August.

Thought Process on resort choices

• Purchasing the 25 points at Vero Beach so that we can pretty much guarantee 2 to 3 nights at Vero, every other year.
• We also like the idea of the Vero points because the contract ends in 2042. 2042 corresponds to the timeframe when we plan on retiring, kids will be off doing there own thing, and our trips to WDW will likely become less frequent.
• Purchasing 50 points at SSR because it is the most economical choice for "sleep around" points.
• With these points not coming off the books until 2054, it gives us some points to play with after retirement, without committing as much. If we decide we no longer want to travel to WDW, we can sell at that time.

Thought Process on Direct vs Resale

• Purchasing the 25 points on the resale market would be time consuming, and difficult. The price difference on this many points would also likely be negligible.
• I figured, to purchase 50 SSR resale would cost between 110 to 130/PP. Using 110 as the comparison, the cost to go direct is an additional $2,500.
• For $2,500, not only does it save the hassle of stalking the websites and jumping on the availability of a small SSR contract, it allows us to own the 75 direct point minimum in order to qualify for the "perks".
• The biggest perk to us that we would qualify for would be to be able to use these points at Riviera, Reflections, and any other future resorts. I never liked the idea of being limited from booking at the future resorts.
• The other big perk is the annual pass. While I do understand these perks can be taken away tomorrow, the likelihood of them going away completely in the short term is pretty small.
• We are going to have a one time opportunity to use our DVC points for the first time in November 2020, which will be followed by an August 2021 trip. My youngest will be under 3 for both trips, so would not need park tickets. 3 x (7-10 day) tickets would be about $1,350 x 2 trips = $2,700 + 170 x 2 (memory maker 2x) = ~$3,000 for tickets and memory maker for both trips.
• 3 x 699 (gold annual pass) = ~2,000.
• The $2,500 premium for going direct has been reduced to around $1,500 after the first two years of ownership. I'd assume that at some point in the 35 years of ownership, we would likely break even, if not come close enough.

Thought Process on # of Points Purchased

• Ran the numbers, and based on current point charts, 125 to 150 points should easily allow us to book the the stays we are looking for.
• Since we are not travelling again until the end of 2020, purchasing 75 points now, using borrowing/banking & one time use points, we should be able to get to summer of 2024 without needing additional points.
• 11K USD (~15K Canadian) is a lot of money to pull out of our savings at the moment. This gives us time to save up for the next purchase. Prices/exchange rate could fluctuate in either direction.
• It also gives us a chance to dip our toes into the water without the full commitment. Maybe after 3 to 4 years, we will decide that once every 2 years is sufficient for us. Maybe we will decide we need even more points.
• It also allows us to have smaller contracts, which should be easier to sell if we are ever in a pinch, or decide that we made a mistake.

I know this is a lot of detail, but this is a big purchase for us, so I was hoping to get some feedback, positive and negative on this decision. Thanks again to everyone.

I think you’re definitely going in with a solid plan and even better, with your eyes free of pixie dust. I say Welcome Home!

 

[Marionnette]

Now that it's looking like this may become a reality, I'd like to thank the community here who has helped us see through all of the marketing, and truly understand the nuances of DVC. My level of confidence in this decision, and ability to find a strategy that works for my family would not be possible without the help of reading and participating in discussions in this community. Even discussions that have lead to disagreements has helped broaden my point of view. Having said that, before we pull the trigger, I was hoping for some last minute feedback from those with experience, on our strategy and decision.

Decision

• Purchase 25 Vero Beach Points Direct
• Purchase 50 Saratoga Points Direct
• March use year
• In 3 - 5 years, purchase an additional 50 - 75 Saratoga points resale.
• Possibly an additional 25 points at Vero direct/resale depending on availability

Goal

• Travel to WDW 3 out of every 4 years.
• Most stays, we would like to do 10 days in total. 7 days in WDW, followed by 3 days at Vero Beach to relax before going home (possibly Hilton Head once or twice).
• Would like to avoid going to the same resort very often. Ultimate goal would be to try a different resort almost every time . I understand, availability may be limited here and there. For us, being "stuck" at Saratoga is not a big deal at all. It's actually one of my wife's favorite resorts.

Background

• We are from Canada. Not easy to travel to WDW for last minute, or short trips whenever we feel like it.
• Young family of 4. We are in our early thirties. Kids are very young.
• SO is a teacher. This means in general, we can only travel Xmas, Spring Break, or Summer. In reality, we would almost only travel during the summer.
• We are not locked down to a specific week in the summer. We can basically travel anytime between the beginning of July and the last week of August.

Thought Process on resort choices

• Purchasing the 25 points at Vero Beach so that we can pretty much guarantee 2 to 3 nights at Vero, every other year.
• We also like the idea of the Vero points because the contract ends in 2042. 2042 corresponds to the timeframe when we plan on retiring, kids will be off doing there own thing, and our trips to WDW will likely become less frequent.
• Purchasing 50 points at SSR because it is the most economical choice for "sleep around" points.
• With these points not coming off the books until 2054, it gives us some points to play with after retirement, without committing as much. If we decide we no longer want to travel to WDW, we can sell at that time.

Thought Process on Direct vs Resale

• Purchasing the 25 points on the resale market would be time consuming, and difficult. The price difference on this many points would also likely be negligible.
• I figured, to purchase 50 SSR resale would cost between 110 to 130/PP. Using 110 as the comparison, the cost to go direct is an additional $2,500.
• For $2,500, not only does it save the hassle of stalking the websites and jumping on the availability of a small SSR contract, it allows us to own the 75 direct point minimum in order to qualify for the "perks".
• The biggest perk to us that we would qualify for would be to be able to use these points at Riviera, Reflections, and any other future resorts. I never liked the idea of being limited from booking at the future resorts.
• The other big perk is the annual pass. While I do understand these perks can be taken away tomorrow, the likelihood of them going away completely in the short term is pretty small.
• We are going to have a one time opportunity to use our DVC points for the first time in November 2020, which will be followed by an August 2021 trip. My youngest will be under 3 for both trips, so would not need park tickets. 3 x (7-10 day) tickets would be about $1,350 x 2 trips = $2,700 + 170 x 2 (memory maker 2x) = ~$3,000 for tickets and memory maker for both trips.
• 3 x 699 (gold annual pass) = ~2,000.
• The $2,500 premium for going direct has been reduced to around $1,500 after the first two years of ownership. I'd assume that at some point in the 35 years of ownership, we would likely break even, if not come close enough.

Thought Process on # of Points Purchased

• Ran the numbers, and based on current point charts, 125 to 150 points should easily allow us to book the the stays we are looking for.
• Since we are not travelling again until the end of 2020, purchasing 75 points now, using borrowing/banking & one time use points, we should be able to get to summer of 2024 without needing additional points.
• 11K USD (~15K Canadian) is a lot of money to pull out of our savings at the moment. This gives us time to save up for the next purchase. Prices/exchange rate could fluctuate in either direction.
• It also gives us a chance to dip our toes into the water without the full commitment. Maybe after 3 to 4 years, we will decide that once every 2 years is sufficient for us. Maybe we will decide we need even more points.
• It also allows us to have smaller contracts, which should be easier to sell if we are ever in a pinch, or decide that we made a mistake.

I know this is a lot of detail, but this is a big purchase for us, so I was hoping to get some feedback, positive and negative on this decision. Thanks again to everyone.

The only fly in the ointment would be whether, as a new purchaser, you can purchase only 25 points at VB. The minimum published amount is 75 points for non-owners. But who knows what your guide will be able to do for you? Perhaps put the SSR contract thru first and then buy the 25 points at VB to get around it?

The rest of your plan only has to make sense to you. You've been on these boards long enough to get the good and the bad on your thoughts. As long as it is a working plan for you, that's what really matters.

Good luck with your purchases and Welcome Home!

 

[CanadaDisney05]

The only fly in the ointment would be whether, as a new purchaser, you can purchase only 25 points at VB. The minimum published amount is 75 points for non-owners. But who knows what your guide will be able to do for you? Perhaps put the SSR contract thru first and then buy the 25 points at VB to get around it?

This is exactly the plan

 

[GoUgaDawgs]

Only other think I can think of to consider is the potential of losing your direct Disney membership in 2042 when the Vero Beach points expire. Right now you have to have 75 points to qualify so I would be worried my blue card would disappear. Might not be a huge deal from a perk standpoint, but it would definitely make me a little sad to be without "full" membership status for the last 12 years of my ssr contract after having it the first 22 years. You could buy 75 ssr direct points now instead and find a small Vero Beach add on in the future?

 

[CanadaDisney05]

Only other think I can think of to consider is the potential of losing your direct Disney membership in 2042 when the Vero Beach points expire. Right now you have to have 75 points to qualify so I would be worried my blue card would disappear. Might not be a huge deal from a perk standpoint, but it would definitely make me a little sad to be without "full" membership status for the last 12 years of my ssr contract after having it the first 22 years. You could buy 75 ssr direct points now instead and find a small Vero Beach add on in the future?

I actually thought about this. Not sure how that will work in 2042 and neither did my guide. An extra $1,250 USD ($1700 CAD) seemed like a lot for me just to "guarantee" myself the perks for the last 12 years of the contract, especially with no guarantee that there would actually be perks by then to protect.

Thanks for that thought though. Thats the type of naunce and strategy that makes these boards such an awesome resource.

Edit: Another thought that just popped into my head. By the time 2042 comes around, the cost to buy more SSR points will probably be pretty cheap with only 12 years of shelf life remaining. Can always make that decision then with more information available.

 

[jerseyduke]

Nothing to act on now but maybe keep in mind, finding a March UY SSR contract 50-75 points could be hard. I only see one out there right now. So keep it in the back of your head that you MIGHT have to buy those directly.

Otherwise....early 30s, retire in 2042 = sounds nice!

 

[kboo]

I have been following your posts and reading most of them (haha, some of them were so detailed I got lost). You sound like you've made a very careful and thoughtful decision. And with 2 kids under 3, you have a lot of "free" Disney time with them and can book in studios for quite a long time. You will keep us updated with your trips, and when your purchases finally come through, right? I feel invested in your vacations now!

We often (not so much, lately, haha) vacation in late August - point costs are lower, parks are less crowded, and 2 out 4 members of our family have birthdays then. Our kids don't start school until after Labor Day. The only drawback is that its really hot, but a midday break works well. I actually enjoy going in late summer.

So is the plan that you will use 150-225 points in 2020 (2019, 2020 and some 2021 points), then 150-225 in 2022 (banked 2021, 2022, borrow 2023), and then 150-225 in 2024?

 

[kboo]

Otherwise....early 30s, retire in 2042 = sounds nice!

This too! NICE!

 

[CanadaDisney05]

Nothing to act on now but maybe keep in mind, finding a March UY SSR contract 50-75 points could be hard. I only see one out there right now. So keep it in the back of your head that you MIGHT have to buy those directly.

This is a good point. I thought I remember hearing about a resource that lists how many contracts have which use year at the different resorts. Any clue where I would find something like that?

The reason I was thinking about March as a use year is that a 30+ day cancellation for a July/August trip would keep me in the banking window. It would also give me more time to use/rent out points in a holding account for a less than 30 day cancellation. Although it would be rare, it would also give us the option to have our points available for a possible March break trip.

I guess a Feb use year would accomplish the same. Any thoughts?

Otherwise....early 30s, retire in 2042 = sounds nice!

Long-term planning, discipline, and a keeping spending habits in check. Hence the stress over making a large, long-term purchase like DVC.

 

[aoconnor]

Congrats and enjoy. You've done more research than 99.9% of buyers.

Here are the UY distribution charts. Looks like there's ~40% more Feb UY's than March at SSR.

https://dvcnews.com/index.php/dvc-p...ear-distribution-charts-updated-february-2018

 

[CanadaDisney05]

I have been following your posts and reading most of them (haha, some of them were so detailed I got lost). You sound like you've made a very careful and thoughtful decision. And with 2 kids under 3, you have a lot of "free" Disney time with them and can book in studios for quite a long time. You will keep us updated with your trips, and when your purchases finally come through, right? I feel invested in your vacations now!

Haha, thanks.

We often (not so much, lately, haha) vacation in late August - point costs are lower, parks are less crowded, and 2 out 4 members of our family have birthdays then. Our kids don't start school until after Labor Day. The only drawback is that its really hot, but a midday break works well. I actually enjoy going in late summer.

We've done late August once, and mid July once. While not ideal because of the heat, it's really the only time in general we can go. Haven't been during the "cooler" months since I was a kid.

So is the plan that you will use 150-225 points in 2020 (2019, 2020 and some 2021 points), then 150-225 in 2022 (banked 2021, 2022, borrow 2023), and then 150-225 in 2024?

Our first trip (Dec 2020) will actually be 9-10 days at SSR using 119 - 139 points from 2019 & 2020. Borrow the remaining points. Following August, do 7 days at Boardwalk - preferred view (hopefully) & 3 days at Vero using banked 2020 points, 2021 points & borrowed 2022 points.

At that point, we would have gone 3/4 years (we went this year already), so we would take 2022 off. Restart in 2023, with hopefully additional points added.

 

[CanadaDisney05]

Congrats and enjoy. You've done more research than 99.9% of buyers.

Here are the UY distribution charts. Looks like there's ~40% more Feb UY's than March at SSR.

https://dvcnews.com/index.php/dvc-p...ear-distribution-charts-updated-february-2018

THANKS!

Is my assumption correct that a February use year would still work?

Lets say I cancel >30 days out, I would be able to bank the points until September 30th.
Cancel < 30 days out, need to use/rent out points by Jan 30th. 60 day booking window applies. Rented points must be used by Jan 30th as well.

 

[kboo]

I guess a Feb use year would accomplish the same. Any thoughts?

I was about to type the same thing when @aoconnor helpfully provided the links. It's a lot easier to find Feb UY resale. We own February UY and Aug UY. Bought February first because our plan was to primarily go in late summer and maybe sometimes February and April breaks (public schools here tend to have 2 breaks; April is too warm to ski but too cold to do much else), but April break especially is a points hog. Banking window is late September. The only "bummer" with that is that we don't easily have bankable points if we have to cancel a Thanksgiving or Xmas trip. But our thought then was that if we had to cancel on late notice a winter trip in those time periods, we would just rent out the reservation. If we had to cancel our trip on such short notice, it would likely be because something really bad was happening, and it would be easier to just rent the reservation, even at a steep discount.

We did use our Feb UY points lats year for a trip to WDW over US Thakskgiving, and the sky did not fall.

 

[ray3127]

You know your stuff. Sounds like a very well-thought out and researched plan.

The only thing I will add/say is, as you know, plans change. I went back and looked at the number of points I thought we needed when I started my research a little over a year ago... and found that my plans vs. reality are vastly different. We own about double what I thought we needed to stay in 1-bedrooms, and we are using them all to stay in mostly studios.

My wife and I are both early 30's. She is a middle school teacher, I teach in college, and we have 2 young kids (so similar to you). We are definitely "planners" and pretty disciplined, similar to you as well. But once we got those points, things changed. It wasn't a hypothetical spreadsheet anymore; it was the ability to plan awesome vacations to our favorite place on earth with the click of a button.

Perhaps more than the points, the purchase of our first annual passes changed things. And since you mention buying APs, I thought I would specifically mention that. We bought the APs with the intent of using them once this past June and again in December.... Well, my wife and I are doing a weekend getaway in late September, and my sister decided to do a (small) Disney wedding in April, so sure let's head down! Largely due to our APs & "having the points," 2 trips turned into 4. The only added cost was airfare, and a little more on food than we would spend otherwise. So it was a no-brainer.

Oh yeah, and that Aulani trip we would do "someday?" We're penciling that in for 2021, several years before we *thought* we would ever go there before we actually owned points.

You sound more disciplined than most of us, so you may be just fine And the fact that you're flying from Canada may limit your ability to throw in extra weekend trips here or there.

I totally get slow-playing it, and you can always add on later if you need to. That's probably the responsible way to approach it. I just wanted to bring up how different it is when you are actually an owner compared to the research phase. From what I've consumed on these boards (which is a fair bit), my experience isn't entirely unique. But again, I think your plan sounds solid!

 

[kboo]

You know your stuff. Sounds like a very well-thought out and researched plan.

The only thing I will add/say is, as you know, plans change. I went back and looked at the number of points I thought we needed when I started my research a little over a year ago... and found that my plans vs. reality are vastly different. We own about double what I thought we needed to stay in 1-bedrooms, and we are using them all to stay in mostly studios.

My wife and I are both early 30's. She is a middle school teacher, I teach in college, and we have 2 young kids (so similar to you). We are definitely "planners" and pretty disciplined, similar to you as well. But once we got those points, things changed. It wasn't a hypothetical spreadsheet anymore; it was the ability to plan awesome vacations to our favorite place on earth with the click of a button.

Perhaps more than the points, the purchase of our first annual passes changed things. And since you mention buying APs, I thought I would specifically mention that. We bought the APs with the intent of using them once this past June and again in December.... Well, my wife and I are doing a weekend getaway in late September, and my sister decided to do a (small) Disney wedding in April, so sure let's head down! Largely due to our APs & "having the points," 2 trips turned into 4. The only added cost was airfare, and a little more on food than we would spend otherwise. So it was a no-brainer.

Oh yeah, and that Aulani trip we would do "someday?" We're penciling that in for 2021, several years before we *thought* we would ever go there before we actually owned points.

You sound more disciplined than most of us, so you may be just fine And the fact that you're flying from Canada may limit your ability to throw in extra weekend trips here or there.

I totally get slow-playing it, and you can always add on later if you need to. That's probably the responsible way to approach it. I just wanted to bring up how different it is when you are actually an owner compared to the research phase. From what I've consumed on these boards (which is a fair bit), my experience isn't entirely unique. But again, I think your plan sounds solid!

 

[CanadaDisney05]

You know your stuff. Sounds like a very well-thought out and researched plan.

The only thing I will add/say is, as you know, plans change. I went back and looked at the number of points I thought we needed when I started my research a little over a year ago... and found that my plans vs. reality are vastly different. We own about double what I thought we needed to stay in 1-bedrooms, and we are using them all to stay in mostly studios.

My wife and I are both early 30's. She is a middle school teacher, I teach in college, and we have 2 young kids (so similar to you). We are definitely "planners" and pretty disciplined, similar to you as well. But once we got those points, things changed. It wasn't a hypothetical spreadsheet anymore; it was the ability to plan awesome vacations to our favorite place on earth with the click of a button.

Perhaps more than the points, the purchase of our first annual passes changed things. And since you mention buying APs, I thought I would specifically mention that. We bought the APs with the intent of using them once this past June and again in December.... Well, my wife and I are doing a weekend getaway in late September, and my sister decided to do a (small) Disney wedding in April, so sure let's head down! Largely due to our APs & "having the points," 2 trips turned into 4. The only added cost was airfare, and a little more on food than we would spend otherwise. So it was a no-brainer.

Oh yeah, and that Aulani trip we would do "someday?" We're penciling that in for 2021, several years before we *thought* we would ever go there before we actually owned points.

You sound more disciplined than most of us, so you may be just fine And the fact that you're flying from Canada may limit your ability to throw in extra weekend trips here or there.

I totally get slow-playing it, and you can always add on later if you need to. That's probably the responsible way to approach it. I just wanted to bring up how different it is when you are actually an owner compared to the research phase. From what I've consumed on these boards (which is a fair bit), my experience isn't entirely unique. But again, I think your plan sounds solid!

Thanks for this response. Didn't put it in my original post, but I actually did think about this, thanks to the overwhelming mention of this on the boards

My thought process was twofold:

1) The plan would be to add more points in about 3 to 4 years. Have to save up first. But ya, being from Canada, and restricted vacation time limits our ability to to have those spur of the moment getaways to WDW.

2) If we did decide we wanted an extra vacation in there every once in a while, nothing stops us from paying for an onsite/offsite hotel in cash. AP discounts would likely help with this. The DVC points would be for the long-term (almost annual) trips.

 

[kboo]

2) If we did decide we wanted an extra vacation in there every once in a while, nothing stops us from paying for an onsite/offsite hotel in cash. AP discounts would likely help with this. The DVC points would be for the long-term (almost annual) trips.

We "added" trips using Marriott/SPG points at the Swan and Dolphin. A slightly longer walk to Epcot than BWV and BCV, but you can book 12 months in advance (!!) and cancel up to 24-72 hours before. Since they merged, it's cost more points (even with the SPG --> Marriot points conversion). We put a lot of things on that credit card, pay in full every month. DH and I both take a lot of work-related, reimbursed trips, so the points add up quickly.

 

[CanadaDisney05]

We "added" trips using Marriott/SPG points at the Swan and Dolphin. A slightly longer walk to Epcot than BWV and BCV, but you can book 12 months in advance (!!) and cancel up to 24-72 hours before. Since they merged, it's cost more points (even with the SPG --> Marriot points conversion). We put a lot of things on that credit card, pay in full every month. DH and I both take a lot of work-related, reimbursed trips, so the points add up quickly.

Just did 9 days at Marriott World Centre off of Marriott points!