Do you track what would have been your 'rack rate' after your book using DVC points?

[Maistre Gracey]

We like the one bedroom for the convenience of the in room laundry and full kitchen. When we bring family and friends we do use the kitchen especially for breakfast. Not everyone goes to the parks each day so having a nice kitchen works out well. When we take our grandkids, having the laundry in the room is a huge advantage. Oh the spills!

I agree having in-room laundry is nice, but how do you put a price on that?

On a side note, I no longer trust those machines. Just a few months back someone here said their kid pooped his pants, so they quickly rinsed them out and put them in the dryer.

MG

 

[kniquy]

Ugh .. forgot how to PM from the DIS.. help!

I think if you click on the profile name there is a box that comes up and has a tab for start conversation.

 

[Cyberc1978]

I will be happy to. Will PM you..

Could you Please send it to me too.

Tia.

 

[WDBRDWLK]

Could you Please send it to me too.

Tia.

sure

 

[Friendlyadvice2]

When we first bought into DVC in 1999, we created a spreadsheet to track what would have been out of pocket rack rates for the resorts we have booked using our DVC points. We have been able to use our points and stay at some amazing resorts over the years as well as book Grand Villas and Disney cruises and bring family and friends along with us who would have never been able to afford to stay at such places. For us, it was a win-win, no brainer, that DVC has been a great investment in vacationing.
So how do you feel about your DVC purchase and do you also track what would have been your out of pocket rack rates??

I track it to the penny for breakeven purposes, but I don't make the comparison to rack rates because I would not have paid that. I compare it to the cheapest way I would have booked the same exact room and that is via private rental from a third party.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

So how do you feel about your DVC purchase....

I never really addressed this portion of your question.
We are no longer Members, but were for around 12 years.
We truly enjoyed our time as Members and had numerous great vacations. It was both a happy and a sad day when we decided to sell.
We sold for a few reasons, one of which was a job loss.

That said, I do think DVC is getting too big. I liked it better when it was smaller. When we purchased our initial contract at VWL, BCV was just starting to sell. In fact it was day 1 of sales. We could have bought at either.
I knew it was growing, but really never imagined what it is now.

MG

 

[WDBRDWLK]

I never really addressed this portion of your question.
We are no longer Members, but were for around 12 years.
We truly enjoyed our time as Members and had numerous great vacations. It was both a happy and a sad day when we decided to sell.
We sold for a few reasons, one of which was a job loss.

That said, I do think DVC is getting too big. I liked it better when it was smaller. When we purchased our initial contract at VWL, BCV was just starting to sell. In fact it was day 1 of sales. We could have bought at either.
I knew it was growing, but really never imagined what it is now.

MG

I am sorry to hear that you had to sell but totally understand. We, too, have had job losses and health issues, but have hung on to DVC. Maybe someday you will be in the position to purchase again, or rent DVC points.'

It is getting hard and harder to book at the 7 month window. I feel for those that try to get into a resort that they do not own at and there are no rooms available. We never had an issue 10 years ago to get the resort and the days we wanted. Today, it is a different story.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I am sorry to hear that you had to sell but totally understand. We, too, have had job losses and health issues, but have hung on to DVC. Maybe someday you will be in the position to purchase again, or rent DVC points.'

It is getting hard and harder to book at the 7 month window. I feel for those that try to get into a resort that they do not own at and there are no rooms available. We never had an issue 10 years ago to get the resort and the days we wanted. Today, it is a different story.

Thanks... we could have kept it after the job loss, but there were other reasons as well.

On the bright side, coincidentally my new job is in Orlando, so we now live 20 minutes away...

MG

 

[WDBRDWLK]

Thanks... we could have kept it after the job loss, but there were other reasons as well.

On the bright side, coincidentally my new job is in Orlando, so we now live 20 minutes away...

MG

That is fantastic that you now live so close to the MAGIC! I would be at WDW all the time if I was that close.. I am about 650 mile away!

 

[PattiPB]

I have not kept track on a spreadsheet, but over the years I have consistently checked the rack rate for all of our DVC stays. However, I don't check rack rate for the DVC property, but for the property I actually would have stayed at (value or moderate for our family), which gave me a fairly decent idea of the value of the DVC points. No matter how I calculate it, it's a win for us.

This summer we will be at Aulani for a week, and checking the rack rate on what that week would have cost OOP was STAGGERING!!! Love love love my DVC opportunities.

 

[alldiz]

I do look at rack rates. My upcomiing 5 night Aulani 1br OV is a whopping 5,555 BEFORE taxes!!!

I purchased DVC after our 1st family vacation at Wilderness Lodge in May of 2006. I booked a 2nd vacation for DEcember same year within 1 month of being home. I immediately realized the costs needed to be "offset" somehow.

I closed on a resale WLV in Jan 2007 150 pts extra years banked for $88 per point. I added on direct 2x 50 pts each(same resort and UY) at about $95 and $105pp I think.
Without closing costs and able to pay over 6mths no interest with disney visa direct made purchase similiar to resale.(with small contract)

I am extremely satisfied with my purchase. I even rented my points out once to pay for DCL. The process couldn't have been easier or quicker though Davids rental.

I have been extremely lucky at the 7mth mark. Snagged 3 nights GCV on way to Aulani this summer. Booked online at 8am exactly 7mths.

So I do keep track more for fun. I would never pay those prices which makes me appreciate my DVC because I stay in amazing places that I wouldnt have before DVC. Also the prices of a WDW vacation have really made travelling to Europe seem almost reasonable. LOL
Kerri

 

[keishashadow]

When we first bought into DVC in 1999, we created a spreadsheet to track what would have been out of pocket rack rates for the resorts we have booked using our DVC points. We have been able to use our points and stay at some amazing resorts over the years as well as book Grand Villas and Disney cruises and bring family and friends along with us who would have never been able to afford to stay at such places. For us, it was a win-win, no brainer, that DVC has been a great investment in vacationing.
So how do you feel about your DVC purchase and do you also track what would have been your out of pocket rack rates??

Still happy purchasing DVC despite the many changes over the years. I agree it was an investment in our vacation future. It's been nice to be able to take family on trips. No way would we return to Disney as often if we didn't have the points.

I often plan bonus trips when I am out of DVC points and have gasped in disbelief as to prices I've seen (especially relatively last-minute via rack rates) on WDW site even for value resorts. Have been able to find better deals via 3rd party sites but still more than I want to pay. Last bonus trip a week ago went thru a broker and booked a 1 BR @ Wyndham Bonnet Creek for $100 a day, quite the deal IMO for a very nice place.

However, despite loving the DVC vibe, if we didn't already own our contracts, I don't think we'd purchase again. Would likely rent points if we wanted to stay onsite. Additionally, There are just too many deals out there if you are flexible to staying offsite.

 

[WDBRDWLK]

Could you Please send it to me too.

Tia.

Did you send me your email address?

 

[Dean Marino]

We do this REGULARLY. But we don't track "Rack Rate". "Rack" is a myth.

WE track "Discount Rate" - real main hotel room cost, best of Public or AP offering for our stay periods. Our spreadsheet discounts our up front DVC costs vs REAL room cost, in any given season/year.

Based on true DISCOUNT data, not fake "rack" - we will achieve break even in 2018. We bought in (cash - through Disney) in 2013. We will get payback within 6 years of initial cash investment, based on TRUE rates for the Main Hotel.

 

[Minniesgal]

No never because I would rather not go to WDW than pay rack rate onsite.

I track my break-even against the cost of renting points for my stay. But we didn't buy to save money we bought so we could stay in 2 bedroom villas onsite instead of offsite.

 

[Dean]

When we first bought into DVC in 1999, we created a spreadsheet to track what would have been out of pocket rack rates for the resorts we have booked using our DVC points. We have been able to use our points and stay at some amazing resorts over the years as well as book Grand Villas and Disney cruises and bring family and friends along with us who would have never been able to afford to stay at such places. For us, it was a win-win, no brainer, that DVC has been a great investment in vacationing.
So how do you feel about your DVC purchase and do you also track what would have been your out of pocket rack rates??

I don't because I feel it's an almost meaningless number, even if one discounts it against possible discounts. Just like I feel using rack rates, even discounted, as the comparison for buying in is a fool's comparison.

 

[FamilyGuy]

I do not compare or track vs rack rates at all. With rare exception (perhaps a 20th anniversary vacation as an example), we would not be staying in such luxurious or roomy accommodations if we were not DVC members (and therefore, it would make the comparison unfair). In hindsight, I am glad that we purchased when we did, and have enjoyed the many many return trips over the years.

 

[Brian Noble]

Second, for those that always get a 1br for two people (like we did) or a two bedroom for four (again, like we did), would you really have booked those rooms if paying cash? I would have likely stuck with a regular hotel room.

This is an important point---we too prefer 1BRs for two people, and 2BRs for four.

And, when you think about it, there are three things you might want in WDW lodging:
1: To be onsite
2: To spend a reasonable amount of money.
3: To have a reasonable amount of space.

In most cases, you can't have all three of these at the same time. It's like the old engineering saw: "Faster, better, cheaper: pick two." Owning DVC over a long time horizon (the decade+ that MG had) is one of the few ways to at least approach having all three, though even at resale prices one might debate whether the money is "reasonable."

 

[DougEMG]

I've tracked all our costs since purchasing and used rental rates to compare the value/cost of our stayagainst the points we use. Prior to owning DVC we had only ever stayed in values and moderates. I would never have paid the costs of a deluxe room, so it doesn't make since for me to compare that against our costs.

Have to say that I am extremely happy with our DVC purchase and that the breakeven point worked about to about the exact time I expected it to.

 

[Ansky]

We have a spreadsheet keeping track of maintenance fees, rack rates, available discount rates for where we stay, and moderate hotel prices as well just for a comparison. Had we not bought into DVC we wouldn't be staying for 2 weeks at a time like we do now, but it does give us a ballpark idea of savings we have made.