Considering Buying...have some ???:)))

[chipnpam]

After 3 trips to Disney, and this last one costing over $5K, I am finally considering buying a DVC!! I have been reading through alot of the threads, but haven't found answers to these questions:
1- if you are a DVC owner and you book a trip-can you add the Disney Dining plan and park tickets to your reservation?
2- Where can I find point charts for other Disney vacations-like California and the cruises? (since we are considering a cruise and Disneyland, I want to make sure I buy enough points so we can go to these spots)
3- How easy is it to go to places outside of Disney
Thanks much!!

Disney's Beach Club Villas '05,'06 and springbreak '08 baby!!

 

[ChelleinNC]

After 3 trips to Disney, and this last one costing over $5K, I am finally considering buying a DVC!! I have been reading through alot of the threads, but haven't found answers to these questions:
1- if you are a DVC owner and you book a trip-can you add the Disney Dining plan and park tickets to your reservation?
2- Where can I find point charts for other Disney vacations-like California and the cruises? (since we are considering a cruise and Disneyland, I want to make sure I buy enough points so we can go to these spots)
3- How easy is it to go to places outside of Disney
Thanks much!!

Disney's Beach Club Villas '05,'06 and springbreak '08 baby!!

Welcome to the Dis!

I'll try to answer with what I know.

1. You can add the DDP to your reservation, you just pay for it at check in. Tickets you purchase seperately on your own (through Disney or discount ticket seller). There is a DVC discount for AP's, but not the other tickets.

2. Point charts for DVC resorts are at the top of the page http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/DVCpoints.shtml
I'm sure someone else will come along with an answer, but I'd recommend asking your guide. Make sure you let your guide know how you want to use your points to figure out how many you need.

3. Again, someone else will be better able to help with that. I think it really depends on when and where you want to go.

 

[tomandrobin]

After 3 trips to Disney, and this last one costing over $5K, I am finally considering buying a DVC!! I have been reading through alot of the threads, but haven't found answers to these questions:
1- if you are a DVC owner and you book a trip-can you add the Disney Dining plan and park tickets to your reservation?
2- Where can I find point charts for other Disney vacations-like California and the cruises? (since we are considering a cruise and Disneyland, I want to make sure I buy enough points so we can go to these spots)
3- How easy is it to go to places outside of Disney
Thanks much!!

Here is a link that is at the top of this page for DVC points LINK. You can add the dining plan to your reservation. As a DVC owner, you buy Annual Pass with $100 discount. Also, its cheaper buying park tickets from AAA or a company like undercovertourist.

Using DVC points for a cruise is not recommended. But once in awhile its not a big deal. Its cheaper to pay cash. DVC is building a resort at Disneyland, will be open in 2009.

Using points outside of Disney is hit or miss. Depends on where and when you want to travel. Harborside during the summer is not happening.

 

[eva]

After 3 trips to Disney, and this last one costing over $5K, I am finally considering buying a DVC!! I have been reading through alot of the threads, but haven't found answers to these questions:
1- if you are a DVC owner and you book a trip-can you add the Disney Dining plan and park tickets to your reservation?
2- Where can I find point charts for other Disney vacations-like California and the cruises? (since we are considering a cruise and Disneyland, I want to make sure I buy enough points so we can go to these spots)
3- How easy is it to go to places outside of Disney
Thanks much!!

Disney's Beach Club Villas '05,'06 and springbreak '08 baby!!

1. You can add the dining plan and purchase tickets either at the gate or ahead through numerous websites. Even here on the DIS. You can also get annual passes at a pretty good discount. The annual passes you can order through Member Services ahead of time.

2. Unfortunately, I have never been able to find the point charts, outside the DVC resorts, published anywhere but on the Member Site. And that is for members only. But you can contact a guide and have them send you a set of point charts. The previous replies are correct in telling you that DCL and ABD are not always a wise use of points. And buying enough points now does not mean you will have enough points the following year. The points for all trades except II change from year to year. And they normally go up.

3. Depends on what you are trading for. Anything inside of Disney (DCL, ABD, and the Disney resorts) is pretty easy. Remember that you have to pay a nonrefundable $95 fee for every trade. II trades seem to go well if you try about 1-2 years out and are a bit flexible with where you stay and/or with the dates.

 

[chipnpam]

Forgive me, but I am new and don't quite have all the lingo down yet...what is II trades? Are their different levels of ownership??
Thanks!

 

[eva]

No there is not different levels of ownership. II is Interval International. It is a group of timeshares that DVC utilizes for timeshare trades. Unfortunately, DVC only trades to a portion of those resorts that belong.

 

[mom2aredhead]

After 3 trips to Disney, and this last one costing over $5K, I am finally considering buying a DVC!! I have been reading through alot of the threads, but haven't found answers to these questions:
1- if you are a DVC owner and you book a trip-can you add the Disney Dining plan and park tickets to your reservation?
2- Where can I find point charts for other Disney vacations-like California and the cruises? (since we are considering a cruise and Disneyland, I want to make sure I buy enough points so we can go to these spots)
3- How easy is it to go to places outside of Disney
Thanks much!!

Disney's Beach Club Villas '05,'06 and springbreak '08 baby!!

Was it the lodging that cost $5K or the whole trip?? My upcoming trip will be about $4000, but this is a total for airfare, lodging, DDP, park tickets, and rental car (which I realize I don't really need, but we like to have one)
The actual hotel part of this $4000 is $1449 for 7 nights at AKL (discounted rate) If I had DVC, I'd still need to get there, eat and buy park tickets, which seems to be the bulk of my expenses more than the actual accommodations. Of course, we're a small family (3 people) and I hate to share my vacations with anyone, so we have no capacity issues in our room. If we were a family of 5 or more, it would be a different story.

 

[chipnpam]

It was the lodging, tickets and dining. We went the week of Spring Break (before Easter) so prices were at their highest for lodging. We also went witht the Deluxe Dining. Had I done any research into DVC-I would have bought before we went on this trip!