Do any other DVC owners book cash rooms?

[DougEMG]

I booked a summer trip with the free dining offer earlier this year. Just a short 5 night trip at Pop. I only have a 100 point contract. I am navigating purchasing a companion or replacement contract at the Poly but I am not in a hurry.

My question: Does anyone else purchase cash rooms while owning DVC?

The only cash rooms I've ever booked since buying my first contract are at Universal!

 

[ehh]

I booked a summer trip with the free dining offer earlier this year. Just a short 5 night trip at Pop. I only have a 100 point contract. I am navigating purchasing a companion or replacement contract at the Poly but I am not in a hurry.

My question: Does anyone else purchase cash rooms while owning DVC?

In our ~8yrs of ownership we’ve only booked cash rooms twice, both last summer.

First was to do a July 4th trip with a family member. It was booked fairly last second and we didn’t have points flexibility to use points. So we rented at BLT for the family member and booked a SSR 1BR on an AP discount for ourselves. The price we paid for Saratoga was less than renting, about $15.70/pt after taxes and everything.

The second was just a month later in August and was planned even more last second. We stayed at OKW in a 1BR, also below the cost of renting (though I can’t find the emails to figure out the exact number).

 

[pinkxray]

I’m always short on points so we typically stay at a value or moderate for the first night or two paying cash. I would like to stay at every WDW resort, so this helps us check them all off. The summer deals are pretty good so if we were out of points, I would probably bite on paying cash for the hotels.

We were originally going to do a weekend at Swan/Dolphin before our next two trips but ended up switching to two weekends at Universal before our Disney portions.

On top of paying cash for a few days, I have also rented points for a night or two from members on these boards or gotten a transfer of points if I have a big trip coming up and need points.

 

[AnnaS]

Three times -

Twice - one night each (POP & POR) - we drove straight through and arrived a day early (usually stopped overnight on I95).

Once - My daughter made the track meet team going to compete at the Disney ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. I was going to use points but my daughter wanted to stay where her school team was staying (CBR).

We almost used cash for a short stay at Vero but our stay came through with points.

If I had to use cash today for a "vacation" and out of points, depending on the circumstances, I would probably visit a new/different destination. This is because I go twice a year, every year for years. I like to throw in other vacations when possible.

 

[Kurious Oranj]

For Destination D23 we booked club level at Coronado Springs. We are out of points to xfer and had to pay cash.

 

[PrincessKL]

We usually book cash rooms at Swan and Dolphin when we are short of points or DVC rooms we want are not available because we also have some hotel credits from credit cards to use. We did split stay one night at Contemporary once and get pixie dusted to club level. It was magical!

 

[vdangelo239]

I booked a summer trip with the free dining offer earlier this year. Just a short 5 night trip at Pop. I only have a 100 point contract. I am navigating purchasing a companion or replacement contract at the Poly but I am not in a hurry.

My question: Does anyone else purchase cash rooms while owning DVC?

Yes @NY Pirate Princess I definitely do cash rooms while owning DVC. I have 350 points too - we tend to use all of them annually. I do cash rooms when it is a quick trip / I know I won't be in room much. E.g. sometimes I'll fly down for one night with one of my kids for a 1:1 trip - and to stay at All Star for like $105 on my AP discount versus spending 15-20 points on a Studio I'll legit just sleep in - I'd rather save the points for something longer. So for those short one or two- night flings - cash rooms actually can make a lot of sense I think - I don't need the Poly studio and all the amenities that go with it if I'm trying to hit all the parks for a few days - save the points for bigger trips later.

 

[LittleBitGoofy]

We booked a cash stay when we decided to do a runDisney event late in the process (about four months out) and we really enjoy French Quarters so it was a good opportunity to mix it up.

I was looking at the cash promo rates for this summer and was mighty tempted to swap out our studio Poly Tower stay for a POFQ again at just $240/night there. But we really want to try the new tower so that'll win out.

That low $/night promo is tempting though. Could put those 60 pts (20/night for PIT resort view studio) towards an AP renewal and it'd be about a little better of a value than the cash rate for POFQ.

 

[sethschroeder]

We looked at times but the pricing is so crazy I just can't really see it ever. Swolphin if we were going to book something unless something like POP has a one off crazy discount.

Its just so much less expensive with points.

 

[DVC Gma]

Yes. If we want to go twice in 1 year we pay for the fall trip in cash. Or depending on which resorts we get for the May trip sometimes we need to pay cash for the extra days. In May, we like to go 2 weeks. I have small contracts for DVC. I need more points, but I am getting to a point that I am worried about aging. Lol
I mainly travel with my mother and she is into her 70's now so..... But who knows if I can find the right contract and UY, nothing is out of the question.

I forgot to mention we usually do moderates for the extra days or for the fall trip. Drives my Mom crazy that it is not DVC, haha, but I tell her we are not paying 2x's the money for cash rooms! (I have not "met" anyone on DISboards to rent from yet. Always hoping to tho...)

In fact, I am traveling with 1 of my daughters & her husband & 2 kids, we leave May 17th. This is a cash trip using the annual pass discount for a 1 bed at BW.

 

[robotsneedlove2]

Yes. Have you seen the AP discounts for this spring?? Our family has 130 points, so that only covers about one week, any other trips we pay cash for.

Also when traveling to DisneyLand our preferred hotel is off property.

 

[supercarrie]

No, but I'm booking an offsite villa at Windsor Hills for an upcoming trip. I'm going to Destination D23 and my husband and son are tagging along and not doing the parks (apart from perhaps MNSSHP) so we wanted space to spread out. They will mainly be hanging out at the house and enjoying the pool and game room. A Grand Villa was definitely not in the budget for this trip.

 

[DanCali]

We never stayed at a Disney resort before owning DVC so I'm definitely not about to start paying cash now!

The only cash rooms I book now are at a random Marriott Vacation Club resort (usually a 2BR) using a 35% owner discount when I might think a studio at DVC is too pricy on points (looking at you Easter Week! ) or if get lucky and snag MM in the late reservation window.

 

[MeridaMonkey]

My family and I are staying for two nights at the Boardwalk on cash this summer, using the 40% AP discount….our trip was decided late so availability was minimal and we didn’t have the points to use anyway so cash was the only option….we could have stayed off property and rented a car for probably what we’re paying for the Boardwalk but I absolutely LOVE being in the Disney bubble

 

[DonkeyHoTay]

My question: Does anyone else purchase cash rooms while owning DVC?

Yes. Upcoming stay at Contemporary in club level VP 2bdrm suite. Different experience than DVC.

I absolutely LOVE being in the Disney bubble

This.

 

[JB2022]

We are recent DVC owners, but like to experience club level from time to time. As AKL is the only DVC resort that offers this option and hard to book without being owners with 11 month booking window, we usually book club level rooms on cash. Wish more DVC resorts offered this!

 

[petrola]

yes absolutely! We paid cash - and received a DVC discount for a two bedroom at Hilton Head last summer and I'm glad we did! There was a hurricane coming and it was super easy checking out four days early and receiving a full refund for those days without a question. Not sure how that would have gone had we used points!

We also like to stay club level and obviously pay cash for those rooms!

 

[CarolynFH]

yes absolutely! We paid cash - and received a DVC discount for a two bedroom at Hilton Head last summer and I'm glad we did! There was a hurricane coming and it was super easy checking out four days early and receiving a full refund for those days without a question. Not sure how that would have gone had we used points!

We also like to stay club level and obviously pay cash for those rooms!

Just to reassure everyone, DVC has a policy for hurricanes that includes refunding points if a hurricane warning is issued for a given DVC resort or your home within a certain time period of your stay.

https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/vacation-planning/hurricane-policy

 

[PoppyJ]

Just to reassure everyone, DVC has a policy for hurricanes that includes refunding points if a hurricane warning is issued for a given DVC resort or your home within a certain time period of your stay.

https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/vacation-planning/hurricane-policy

Do you know if this includes returning borrowed points to their original use year?

 

[CarolynFH]

Do you know if this includes returning borrowed points to their original use year?

Yes, they have done that at times. I'm pretty sure it's on a case by case basis. But they've been pretty easy to work with, based on reports, especially for people who leave a DVC resort early because a hurricane is headed that way. They'd really prefer that you be at home instead of in their resort, where not only do they have to keep you safe (and fed), but they might need your room for ride-out staff (CMs who stay throughout in order to take care of guests, instead of going home to be with their own families and take care of their own property).