Collection Questions

[kcezer]

Hello all -

My wife and I are just about to join you as DVC members, and I thought of a few questions last night.

I know that you can book at your home resort starting 11 months out, and you can book at other DVC resorts 7 months out. However, I am not sure what the time frame is for the other collections. How far in advance am I able to book vacations using The Disney Collection or The Passport Collection, for instance?

Also, I notice that it is only the DVC resorts where the point values for the entire year will always stay the same, and that the resorts and vacations in the other collections can change from year to year. Has anyone noticed how greatly the point values for non-DVC resorts vary each year?

Thanks for your help!

- Kyle

 

[spiceycat]

even the DVC points can change - they can make one season more - if they do this they will make something else less


Like they raise the points for Adventure - then lower them for Magic Season.

the other places including the WDW resort - find the rack rate (rack rate not discounted one) add the taxes - then dividend by 10 - you should be close to DVC points. DVC member value their points at $10 a point - so DVC does too.

you can make the other place at 11 month points.

World passport (II) gives DVC member a bargin (my opinion) - so you might consider it - you can stay in a 1-bedroom for less than a DVC resort 1-bedroom and you can make your reservations a year in advance (if you are lucky).

 

[kcezer]

Is World passport (II) the same as The Passport Collection, or is it something different? Sorry, I'm new and still trying to figure out all the details.

If that's the way that Disney values non-DVC resorts, then I'm concerned. It seems like each year everything excluding the DVC resorts would keep going up and up until finally no one would have enough points to use any of the other collections. I mean, in 20 years, you would be talking about 1,000 points or more for a week in a non-DVC resort. My wife and I love Disney, and we will most likely be there almost every year. However, one of the drawing points for us about this program was that we could take other vacations, as well.

 

[pplasky]

the other places including the WDW resort - find the rack rate (rack rate not discounted one) add the taxes - then dividend by 10 - you should be close to DVC points. DVC member value their points at $10 a point - so DVC does too.

How do you know that?

 

[kcezer]

I just spoke to the person who is helping me and my wife sign up. He said that I shouldn't be too concerned. He explained that when we stay somewhere other than a DVC resort, the room that we would have rented at our home resort is rented out to someone else, and the cost that they pay is used to defray the cost of my stay somewhere else. So, as the rates at the other resorts go up, so do the rates non-members pay at the DVC resort. Therefore, everything remains fairly equal and the point values should stay roughly the same, with some minor fluctuations.

Does that make any sense? He probably explained it better than I could.

 

[spiceycat]

I worked it out on a couple and both times this worked.

Sometimes the DVC points is less - but it seems to be definitely in the ball park.

 

[Jimbo]

Does that make any sense? He probably explained it better than I could.

If Rich Hyams were still alive, you'd get an earful on this! The points required to stay at non-DVC resorts and to cruise has gone up substantially each of the last few years. If your guide is leading you to believe otherwise, that's pretty despicable.

And when we priced out cruises vs. cruising on points, DVC was actually giving us a value per point of under $7. And you can easily rent them on this site for $10 if you choose. So while it's easier to use the various collections, the increases in point charges makes it difficult for many of us to justify using them.

 

[kcezer]

Well, that's upsetting. I was feeling so much better after I spoke with him. I even had him Fed Ex me the paperwork to get us signed up. Now, I don't know what to do.

Does anyone know if there is a place to find historical point charts for the various collections?

 

[dianeschlicht]

If you are talking about trades through the World Passport collection, prime times would be the same as a similar sized unit at DVC in standard time. For example: A week in a 1 bedroom at OKW in January is 160 points. We traded to Hawaii and our 1 bedroom for a week cost us 160 points. Does that make sense? It wont fluctuate that much. If you are talking about staying at other Disney resorts on a per night basis or even the Concierge Collection (which is also per night), those points can change quite a bit, because they are negotiated with the individual resorts annually.

 

[CarolA]

The common wisdom is that DVC is a good deal if you plan to stay at DVC resorts. If you plan to mainly use your points for other purposes it may not be as good a deal for you.

 

[spiceycat]

II use to get a 1 or 2 bedroom unit for their exchanges in Choice, Dream and Magic only.

most of the time a 1-bedroom would get you a two. I think this still happens? except when you are going in a busy time or you have to have a 2-bedroom.

sorry I like paying at the most 160 points vs 218 points that I would be paying for a 1-bedroom.

the WDW resorts have gone up the most (in my opinion) in 2001 and before

the Polyn was 22 points a night Sun-thurs in Adventure Season (same as DVC resort) - so was the YC/BC, Cont tower

WL (this was before VWL was built) Cont wing rooms, FW cabins - 20 points Sun-thurs

moderates were 16 points per night Sun-thurs same time.

you couldn't get concierge at a WDW resort. even paying extra.

right now I did not have access at home - hoping to fix that shortly when I do I will scan these old pages and I can send them to you if you want.

 

[Dean]

I just spoke to the person who is helping me and my wife sign up. He said that I shouldn't be too concerned. He explained that when we stay somewhere other than a DVC resort, the room that we would have rented at our home resort is rented out to someone else, and the cost that they pay is used to defray the cost of my stay somewhere else. So, as the rates at the other resorts go up, so do the rates non-members pay at the DVC resort. Therefore, everything remains fairly equal and the point values should stay roughly the same, with some minor fluctuations.

Does that make any sense? He probably explained it better than I could.

To an extent, that's hogwash. If DVC got full value back for your "exchange", I'd agree. But they do not. You should figure an actual return of around $5 per point for most cash type exchanges (DCL, DC, CC, Adventurer Collection and BVTC). Remember that DVC does not collect full value, all units may not be rented out and that CRO takes a cut likely around 35%. It's much like putting a value on FF miles or reward points, the numbers rarely add up.

I'll address a few tidbits from the thread. $10 pp is a fair value to put on your points, too much less than that makes it unreasonable to use the points for other options in most cases other than points that would expire anyway. You can schedule DCL 11 months out, II up to 2 years out and BCTC I think is 6 months out.

One has never been able to search for a 2 BR using a 1 BR however, with an ongoing search, one could at times get a 2 BR for 1 BR points. While the system has changed somewhat in how the points are calculated, the exchange system itself has not changed and it's still possible to exchange less points and get a larger unit in some cases.

Over the years most exchange options that are cash based have increased far beyond inflation and the like and have definitely out paced the DVC points. Thus most are a far worse deal now than in years past. The exception is the HAL cruise for Alaska. II should stay roughly the same as Diane pointed out. But even then the exchange rates through II have increased for many situations, 1 BR being the exception.

I'll give you one big piece of advice. Buy ONLY the points you'll use at DVC and definitely don't buy with the idea of exchanging.

 

[Moobooks]

The points for use outside the DVC resorts HAVE GONE UP SO MUCH that it has really become a waste to use them for much else but the actual DVC resorts.
You may eventually only be allowed to stay at a DVC resort--in fact, perhaps only at your home DVC resort. So you better be able to live with that possibility in the future.
All that's guaranteed is that the total number of points in the chart for your home resort will never go up.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

I just spoke to the person who is helping me and my wife sign up. He said that I shouldn't be too concerned. He explained that when we stay somewhere other than a DVC resort, the room that we would have rented at our home resort is rented out to someone else, and the cost that they pay is used to defray the cost of my stay somewhere else. So, as the rates at the other resorts go up, so do the rates non-members pay at the DVC resort. Therefore, everything remains fairly equal and the point values should stay roughly the same, with some minor fluctuations.

He is misleading you.

The ever increasing number of points for cruises and the concierge collection is my only complaint about DVC. It should be as the person explained to you, but it isn't. The number of points necessary to go on a cruise or stay in a concierge collection hotel has risen substantially over the past few years.

If you want to use DVC to stay at one of the DVC resorts, it's outstanding. We love it. But we will never use points to cruise again (we did a long time ago) because of how much the points are undervalued compared to paying cash.

HBC