do you think we should buy more points?

[3kidz4dis]

We bought 150 points last year (it came with 150 points unused) at SS and we just came back. We have 3 kids so we plan on using the 2 bedroom and plan on going every other year. We just stayed at BWV and had to borrow approx 14 points already from the upcoming visit. We really thought originally that 300 points would be fine and we could always rent or borrow the little bit of excess if needed and just not travel during the peak seasons. But now, we are having second thoughts. My concern is that buying from Disney the price per point is high and buying a small amount resale, the cost of the closing costs alone feels like a waste of money. Should I just sit tight and rent or borrow the small amount of points that we may be over from year to year or consider buying through Disney before they start charging closing costs?

 

[DVC_Chris]

Things like how old your children are, how often you plan on going down, what is the desired length of your stay are all important questions when deciding about this. Another way to look at it is that right now you can rent points for $10 pp on average, even if you plan on renting out 25 points a year for the next 10 years that is $2,500. While if you were to buy the points directly from disney (at the $95 pp level) it would only be $2,375. It would probably be cheaper at the timeshare store, but it can sometimes be difficult to find a small contract there.

So if you buy the extra 25 points, it will pay for itself over renting out points in a few years. Plus, if you don't need excess points one year, you can rent them out yourselves...

 

[3kidz4dis]

Things like how old your children are, how often you plan on going down, what is the desired length of your stay are all important questions when deciding about this. Another way to look at it is that right now you can rent points for $10 pp on average, even if you plan on renting out 25 points a year for the next 10 years that is $2,500. While if you were to buy the points directly from disney (at the $95 pp level) it would only be $2,375. It would probably be cheaper at the timeshare store, but it can sometimes be difficult to find a small contract there.

So if you buy the extra 25 points, it will pay for itself over renting out points in a few years. Plus, if you don't need excess points one year, you can rent them out yourselves...

Thanks! We plan on going every other year and my kids ages are 4,6 and 8 so. We plan on staying the full 7 nights. This last visit was actually changed hotels and stayed at the Marriott Grand Vista for 2 nights fter BW fror 7 and did not do Disney. When we decided on the 300 points it was figuring we would not go during peak seasons and we figured it would even itself out by staying at Key West one year to get back the points we may have borrowed. Your 10 year analogy is good to look at like that although the interest on the money sitting in the bank over 10 years probably makes up the difference there of not making worth buying but renting.

 

[rantnnravin]

of course, you're working on the assumption that you'll always be able to rent ponts at $10 each

 

[rocketriter]

Remember that, unless conditions change significantly, you'll be able to take rooms at OKW instead of BWV as another way to handle a small shortage of points.

 

[Pluto 2]

it sounds to me like you need to buy some more points. with having 3 kids you need the 2 bedroom. than when your kids grow up im sure they will help you use them points up.

 

[FayeW]

Things like how old your children are, how often you plan on going down, what is the desired length of your stay are all important questions when deciding about this. Another way to look at it is that right now you can rent points for $10 pp on average, even if you plan on renting out 25 points a year for the next 10 years that is $2,500. While if you were to buy the points directly from disney (at the $95 pp level) it would only be $2,375. It would probably be cheaper at the timeshare store, but it can sometimes be difficult to find a small contract there.

So if you buy the extra 25 points, it will pay for itself over renting out points in a few years. Plus, if you don't need excess points one year, you can rent them out yourselves...

Since the OP has said they plan on going every second year, then they would only be renting the additional points every second year. In 10 yrs they would have spent $1250. renting (assuming the rental cost of $10 pp.)

 

[crisi]

We have 2 kids, go every other year in October, stay at the Boardwalk in a 2 bedroom. Its 272 points. Preferred view - cheaper if I can get a Standard. Last year we had a standard view one bedroom so we'd have enough points to take my family (two two bedrooms) next year.

I think you have plenty of points if you manage them:

1- keep going in the off seasons. In a few years we will have four trips when the kids are in high school and I won't pull them like I do now. For four years we will be shortening the DVC points by a Saturday night stay and going the end of August (hot, but its four years). Then the kids will be in college and on their own for vacations - it won't be an every other year thing.

2 - book cheaper resorts - BWV BCV and VWL are more points than OKW or SSR or BWV standard view.

3 - Consider paying cash for a night - we extended our trip last year by one night in a room at AKL. We got to stay in a hotel we've always wanted to stay in and add another night. Other people stretch points by staying offiste - particularly if you have a late flight in or an early flight out. Bonus is that the first and last nights are usually the high point weekends. I'm going to try and talk my husband into extending the next trip or the trip after with a night at the Yacht Club - the kids will be perfect SAB age and I won't have to worry about the seven month window at BCV. We'd like to stay at the Poly, Contemporary and Grand Floridian (but that may be a second honeymoon without kids). Disney's resorts are great and one regret I have with DVC is not getting to try them all - this way I have my cake and eat it too!

4 - Avoid inviting guests - our problem....guests mean you need more room.

5 - Rent to cover the occational shortage.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

Another option is to pay cash for one or 2 weekend nights using the 25% member's discount. For a trip in May next year, a 2 BR at the BWV would run about $500/night, but you would save 72 points. So your real cost per point for those nights is $6.94. If the cost of dues at SSR is more than $3.47 per point per year, then using the member discount for a weekend night instead of 72 points is actually the cheaper option.

 

[3kidz4dis]

Another option is to pay cash for one or 2 weekend nights using the 25% member's discount. For a trip in May next year, a 2 BR at the BWV would run about $500/night, but you would save 72 points. So your real cost per point for those nights is $6.94. If the cost of dues at SSR is more than $3.47 per point per year, then using the member discount for a weekend night instead of 72 points is actually the cheaper option.

That is true, I have not considered that. Now, does the $500 include the 25% discount? By saving 72 points, that really would make it so that I would not end up in a deficit as much as I thought. Thanks for all the suggestions, I am definetly leaning toward not buying at this point.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

I calculated the $500 using the 25% member discount based on a rack rate of $595, plus 11.5% tax. It comes out to $497.57. In 2006, the same night would have cost $480.84, based on a $575 rack rate. As rack rates increase, there may come a time when buying more points and paying the annual fees on them does make sense.

Best of luck -- Suzanne