Disney Wonder - Sept 30 2010 3 Night Bahamas

[Blanche_Neige]

Maybe my tastes are way out of my income's league! lol

mine always are

 

[Lorelei528]

Happy monday sweetie!

I just shipped your FE. I just love it. Took a pic but I dont have it with me

I am confused on the park details. Stephanie sent me sheets (thank you!) but there was nothing said about the dining package. Is that additional or included? My concern is knowing how many points I need. I figured up on a 3 day cruise would cost me something like 250 points! I am wanting to do the 7 day Caribbean and the transatlantic. I know you can add money but money and points is going to break me. Maybe my tastes are way out of my income's league! lol

I just saw I got an e-mail from Paypal that it shipped! I'm so excited! I wish you had the pic with you! I won't see it in "real life" until Saturday as I'll be at my mom's that day...(that's where I had you ship it for safety!)

Ok, dining is not included with DVC. So you would have to add on $/budget for it. This trip we are trying the Tables in Wonderland card for the first time which you can get if you get annual passes. A lot of DVCers do it because they either travel so often to WDW that it merits AP's or they stay for a lengthy stay (like us) so it ends up being cheaper.

Anyway, I would suggest not figuring how many points you need based on cruising. The rule of thumb is DCL is not the best way to make use of your DVC points and it ends up being cheaper to pay cash for DCL.

 

[Lorelei528]

What I did when I knew we wanted to add on points at AKV (knowing we could always borrow points if needed) or bank them from one year to the next-
was figure out when we'd usually be travelling, what kind of room we'd want and for how many nights we'd want to stay (minimum). I came up with 82 points...

 

[JenGC]

I just saw I got an e-mail from Paypal that it shipped! I'm so excited! I wish you had the pic with you! I won't see it in "real life" until Saturday as I'll be at my mom's that day...(that's where I had you ship it for safety!)

Ok, dining is not included with DVC. So you would have to add on $/budget for it. This trip we are trying the Tables in Wonderland card for the first time which you can get if you get annual passes. A lot of DVCers do it because they either travel so often to WDW that it merits AP's or they stay for a lengthy stay (like us) so it ends up being cheaper.

Anyway, I would suggest not figuring how many points you need based on cruising. The rule of thumb is DCL is not the best way to make use of your DVC points and it ends up being cheaper to pay cash for DCL.

I wish I had the pictures too! Maybe when mom gets home from her shopping spree (we ran out of fabric LOL) then I will ask her to email it to me. I just love the star!

OOhhhh Ok well I am planning on mostly cruises in the next few years. I might fit in some other vacations (especially if it works out with my sister keeping my grandmother and if that becomes a habit, I might buy them for that (and keeping Stephanie's referral note!)

 

[JenGC]

What I did when I knew we wanted to add on points at AKV (knowing we could always borrow points if needed) or bank them from one year to the next-
was figure out when we'd usually be travelling, what kind of room we'd want and for how many nights we'd want to stay (minimum). I came up with 82 points...

82 points? for two adults? wow! Isnt the minimum points you can buy 160? That would be two vacations! How many days was that?

 

[JenGC]

Nevermind!

 

[shwarren70]

You are confusing me know. Isn't this the other cruise?

 

[JenGC]

You are confusing me know. Isn't ths the other cruise?

I swear

 

[JenGC]

You are confusing me know. Isn't ths the other cruise?

I'm deleting the information so it doesnt confuse anyone else. will you do it in the reply to yours too? I will never do this again (book two cruises at the same time and do the fe list)

 

[hawky7]

Whew- so much to get caught up on from the weekend!!! I feel like I missed so much!!! We have also been considering DVC... I LOVE the idea, but my problem is the Dues. They are around $4.50 on average per point per year, and it goes up every year, so if I buy 250 pts my first year is $1100 in dues alone, then every year it goes up and up. Then I think well in the end won't it all be like just paying out of pocket anyways?? That's my problem is the the dues. So ladies who own...please help!!!! OHHHH and I have another question. When you add on points, why does it seem that everyone buys at different resorts. Wouldn't you want to add on to your home resort so you could have more pts to use in the 11 month booking window? I sat down with DVC rep at BLT for a LONG time in Jan, and am in contact with Resale people too, but I still just can't decide what to do!!! I want BLT soooooooo bad, but problem is, we are both retail managers, and we can NEVER book anything 11 months in advance, so then I guess it really wouldn't matter where I owned at right?? But since they just started selling BLT not that long ago, I don't want to never be able to stay there. Everyone says they don't have a true booking history yet, since majority of DVC members who bought there haven't used their first year there yet....

 

[shwarren70]

Happy monday sweetie!

I just shipped your FE. I just love it. Took a pic but I dont have it with me

I am confused on the park details. Stephanie sent me sheets (thank you!) but there was nothing said about the dining package. Is that additional or included? My concern is knowing how many points I need. I figured up on a 3 day cruise would cost me something like 250 points! I am wanting to do the 7 day Caribbean and the transatlantic. I know you can add money but money and points is going to break me. Maybe my tastes are way out of my income's league! lol

Just think of the points as your payment for the hotel. You still buy your park tickets and DDP. Here's what the website about the cost of DDP:

Disney Dining Plan Pricing:

•$41.99 per night, per Guest ages 10+
•$11.99 per night, per Guest ages 3-9


See 2010 Disney Dining Plan Guide (includes listing of available restaurants)

For each night of your reserved stay, each Guest in your party ages 3 and over will enjoy:


•One Table-Service Meal

Includes juice (breakfast), entrée, dessert (lunch & dinner), and non-alcoholic beverage, or one full buffet. Gratuity/service charges are NOT included. (Guests ages 3-9 must choose from a children's menu if available.)


•One Quick-Service Meal

Includes juice (breakfast), entree, dessert (lunch & dinner), and one single-serving non-alcoholic beverage, or combo meal plus one dessert (lunch & dinner) and one single-serving non-alcoholic beverage. (Guests ages 3-9 must choose from the children's menu if available.)


•One Snack

Such as frozen ice cream novelty, box of popcorn, single piece of whole fruit, or medium fountain soft drink at select snack-cart locations, select Quick-Service restaurants and select merchandise locations.

You can upgrade to the deluxe plans if you want, this is just the basic DDP.

For our Alaska Cruise next year, we used our points that we just banked, plus our points that renew in September, and borrowed a few from the 2011 plan. That covered 3 of us, and we still have about 100-120 left for a weekend getaway. We paid for Luke (who was the cheapest to pay for).

You just have to realize that for the first few years (if you finance) that you are going to have the expense. But, after it is paid for, then your accomodations are pretty much paid for for the remainder ownership (up to the 49 years) and you have to just pay for tickets/food.

Do you want me to send you the 7 day cruise options?

 

[shwarren70]

I'm deleting the information so it doesnt confuse anyone else. will you do it in the reply to yours too? I will never do this again (book two cruises at the same time and do the fe list)

Done.

 

[Lorelei528]

I wish I had the pictures too! Maybe when mom gets home from her shopping spree (we ran out of fabric LOL) then I will ask her to email it to me. I just love the star!
OOhhhh Ok well I am planning on mostly cruises in the next few years. I might fit in some other vacations (especially if it works out with my sister keeping my grandmother and if that becomes a habit, I might buy them for that (and keeping Stephanie's referral note!)

Thanks! That would be awesome! I can't wait to see it!!
You can use DVC points for cruises, it's just not the best way to use your points (if that makes any sense). However some DVCers I know do use them for cruises especially if they were banked points or points that they had to use or lose etc...you could always use me as a referral!

82 points? for two adults? wow! Isnt the minimum points you can buy 160? That would be two vacations! How many days was that?

The minimum to buy-in through Disney is 160 (though I have heard recently that they dropped it to 100 for a time I think). We were adding on so we could do whatever number we wanted..I think I figured it as 5 nights at AKV in a studio savannah view in Nov. Meanwhile, we're staying in a 2br Savannah view for 3 nights in Sept....so since you can bank and/or borrow points, the points are not like a cut and dry/black and white thing. Just again, a good starting point to figure out many points (minimum) you would want at your home resort...

Whew- so much to get caught up on from the weekend!!! I feel like I missed so much!!! We have also been considering DVC... I LOVE the idea, but my problem is the Dues. They are around $4.50 on average per point per year, and it goes up every year, so if I buy 250 pts my first year is $1100 in dues alone, then every year it goes up and up. Then I think well in the end won't it all be like just paying out of pocket anyways?? That's my problem is the the dues. So ladies who own...please help!!!! OHHHH and I have another question. When you add on points, why does it seem that everyone buys at different resorts. Wouldn't you want to add on to your home resort so you could have more pts to use in the 11 month booking window? I sat down with DVC rep at BLT for a LONG time in Jan, and am in contact with Resale people too, but I still just can't decide what to do!!! I want BLT soooooooo bad, but problem is, we are both retail managers, and we can NEVER book anything 11 months in advance, so then I guess it really wouldn't matter where I owned at right?? But since they just started selling BLT not that long ago, I don't want to never be able to stay there. Everyone says they don't have a true booking history yet, since majority of DVC members who bought there haven't used their first year there yet....

Hi!
The dues don't really go up all that much though. I think our BLT dues went up about $3 a month from 2009 to 2010. That's only $36 a year...
We only spend like $82 a month in dues for both properties (BLT and AKV). Are you sure you'd need 250 points a year? That's a lot of points!

You could add on at your home resort. I'll tell you the reason we didn't was because we originally figured we'd buy in at AKV because it's our absolute fave resort. But after the tours (we love the look of the rooms at BLT) and finding out the dues at BLT were slightly less, for some reason we bought into BLT. Then after we stayed there in Sept. 09, I went out to the balcony and said kind of tearfully to DH..."I miss the animals!!" LOL.

So, when we got home, I called and inquired about adding on at AKV. Now we didn't have to add on there, but just knowing if I wanted a particular room/view at AKV and if I called at 7 months and I couldn't get it made me want to add on there as well. (I was worried about this trip back then that we had just started planning) Now I'm ensured we will always be able to stay at AKV no matter what...Basically if you can buy into your fave resort that you know you want to stay in, you could just add on at your home resort, but if there are two properties you like equally and can't decide, most people add-on at another resort.

So, as soon we added on at AKV, I was able to book nights there before the 7month window and got exactly what we wanted.

On a side note, we booked BWV for the 5 nights in OCT. I called right on the 7 month window and got a 1 br because the studios were all gone....

 

[shwarren70]

Whew- so much to get caught up on from the weekend!!! I feel like I missed so much!!! We have also been considering DVC... I LOVE the idea, but my problem is the Dues. They are around $4.50 on average per point per year, and it goes up every year, so if I buy 250 pts my first year is $1100 in dues alone, then every year it goes up and up. Then I think well in the end won't it all be like just paying out of pocket anyways?? That's my problem is the the dues. So ladies who own...please help!!!! OHHHH and I have another question. When you add on points, why does it seem that everyone buys at different resorts. Wouldn't you want to add on to your home resort so you could have more pts to use in the 11 month booking window? I sat down with DVC rep at BLT for a LONG time in Jan, and am in contact with Resale people too, but I still just can't decide what to do!!! I want BLT soooooooo bad, but problem is, we are both retail managers, and we can NEVER book anything 11 months in advance, so then I guess it really wouldn't matter where I owned at right?? But since they just started selling BLT not that long ago, I don't want to never be able to stay there. Everyone says they don't have a true booking history yet, since majority of DVC members who bought there haven't used their first year there yet....

My original was at SSR, and I added at BLT. People do it for different reasons, and sometimes that being that they have sold out the allotted DVC units at a given resort. I did it at the 2nd because I wanted to also be able to establish BLT as a home resort (because when I bought SSR if I had know that BLT was coming along, I would have waited and done everything at BLT. I like the easy monorail access at BLT.

As far as the maintenance fees, I am still cheaper... For example, the last vacation I paid for, it was about $3,000 for the 2 hotel rooms I needed (we travel with my parents alot). So, for the next ten years, I would have $30,000 is hotel bills. Or, I could buy the DVC for $16,000, plus the maintenance fees. So, they work out to about $1,000 per year. So, over the next ten years, I have $28,000 total cost (and can get a 2 BR Condo). So, I am already $2,000 cheaper than booking at hotels. Then, for anything after that 10 years, I have $1000 +/- maintenance fees versus $3000 hotel bills.

It's not for everyone. I just perferred that I now have my vacations at a cheaper rate for a long time, whether it be to Disney with my kids, or trade in some of the other options.

 

[cruisecrasher]

I Wonder... Do You?

That'd be an awesome trip motto.

 

[JenGC]

Done.

Thank you. I'm a dork!

 

[JenGC]

Thanks! That would be awesome! I can't wait to see it!!
You can use DVC points for cruises, it's just not the best way to use your points (if that makes any sense). However some DVCers I know do use them for cruises especially if they were banked points or points that they had to use or lose etc...you could always use me as a referral!


The minimum to buy-in through Disney is 160 (though I have heard recently that they dropped it to 100 for a time I think). We were adding on so we could do whatever number we wanted..I think I figured it as 5 nights at AKV in a studio savannah view in Nov. Meanwhile, we're staying in a 2br Savannah view for 3 nights in Sept....so since you can bank and/or borrow points, the points are not like a cut and dry/black and white thing. Just again, a good starting point to figure out many points (minimum) you would want at your home resort...



Hi!
The dues don't really go up all that much though. I think our BLT dues went up about $3 a month from 2009 to 2010. That's only $36 a year...
We only spend like $82 a month in dues for both properties (BLT and AKV). Are you sure you'd need 250 points a year? That's a lot of points!

You could add on at your home resort. I'll tell you the reason we didn't was because we originally figured we'd buy in at AKV because it's our absolute fave resort. But after the tours (we love the look of the rooms at BLT) and finding out the dues at BLT were slightly less, for some reason we bought into BLT. Then after we stayed there in Sept. 09, I went out to the balcony and said kind of tearfully to DH..."I miss the animals!!" LOL.

So, when we got home, I called and inquired about adding on at AKV. Now we didn't have to add on there, but just knowing if I wanted a particular room/view at AKV and if I called at 7 months and I couldn't get it made me want to add on there as well. (I was worried about this trip back then that we had just started planning) Now I'm ensured we will always be able to stay at AKV no matter what...Basically if you can buy into your fave resort that you know you want to stay in, you could just add on at your home resort, but if there are two properties you like equally and can't decide, most people add-on at another resort.

So, as soon we added on at AKV, I was able to book nights there before the 7month window and got exactly what we wanted.

On a side note, we booked BWV for the 5 nights in OCT. I called right on the 7 month window and got a 1 br because the studios were all gone....

So you can ONLY stay at the resort you bought under with DVC points?

Also, did you get the 1BR with the same points as the studio since they didnt have any or did you have to spend the points normally for a 1 BR?

 

[JenGC]

My original was at SSR, and I added at BLT. People do it for different reasons, and sometimes that being that they have sold out the allotted DVC units at a given resort. I did it at the 2nd because I wanted to also be able to establish BLT as a home resort (because when I bought SSR if I had know that BLT was coming along, I would have waited and done everything at BLT. I like the easy monorail access at BLT.

As far as the maintenance fees, I am still cheaper... For example, the last vacation I paid for, it was about $3,000 for the 2 hotel rooms I needed (we travel with my parents alot). So, for the next ten years, I would have $30,000 is hotel bills. Or, I could buy the DVC for $16,000, plus the maintenance fees. So, they work out to about $1,000 per year. So, over the next ten years, I have $28,000 total cost (and can get a 2 BR Condo). So, I am already $2,000 cheaper than booking at hotels. Then, for anything after that 10 years, I have $1000 +/- maintenance fees versus $3000 hotel bills.

It's not for everyone. I just perferred that I now have my vacations at a cheaper rate for a long time, whether it be to Disney with my kids, or trade in some of the other options.

Wow a 2 br condo. That sounds nice. I wish I knew the future (dont we all!) and knew if I would ever travel without my mom. I kinda doubt it. I also wonder if I will ever really want to do the parks. I guess that would depend on the time of year I would go. December wouldnt be so bad (I keep thinking how it would be so miserable to walk around the parks in that heat) and with Victoria getting older, I dont see her really enjoying the parks that much where a cruise she would. I guess these questions are the reason why I havent bought it yet. Well, that and I never had the money to afford it

Like I said, I wish I had bought into it 10 years ago. It just seemed like a scam which is stupid with it being Disney.

 

[JenGC]

That'd be an awesome trip motto.

We could have that be our "cruise name" I havent gotten to my gifts yet so I could put that on it instead of Wonder upon a star.

 

[shwarren70]

So you can ONLY stay at the resort you bought under with DVC points?

Also, did you get the 1BR with the same points as the studio since they didnt have any or did you have to spend the points normally for a 1 BR?

You can stay whereever you want, you just can book sooner at your home resort than you can at the other resorts. That's what I love about DVC is I can book whichever resort and whatever room/condo size.