Do you use points to stay weekends?

[Cruelladeville]

I don't use points for my weekends because usually I can get AP rates for the weekend nights. Now I couldn't get those rates at Christmas in a DVC unit but I did get AP rates in a regular hotel room at BC, which were $169 plus tax. I could also have gotten AKL for that time, at $154, I think. In the spring and summer when I go down I almost always can get passholder rates at a DVC unit, so I get the weekend nights on the AP rate, so I still don't have to move. I would rather stay at Christmas on cash if I don't have enough points, and then use the points for another trip in the summer. There are usually only 2-4 of us, though.

 

[DeeP]

Do you use points to stay weekends?

Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't.

 

[joepoe]

Originally posted by Chuck S
We stay through weekends on points, and added on enough points for that reason.

We normally have 2 trips per year of 9 or 10 nights per stay, and the trips will include 1 weekend per stay.

What Chuck said. We bought enough points to make two trips of seven nights each. Sometimes, if strapped for points because of extra trips, we stay off site at a Marriott. We need a 2BR because of family size.

 

[lsutigger2]

Moved once from VWL to a Hotel BLvd place and won't do it again. Missed VWL too much even though our room at Courtyard was huge and had a great view, it wasn't VWL.

Trip for Oct 04 will probably be Sunday to Monday week - going for golf tournment. Don't like moving!

 

[jodifla]

We haven't switched yet.

We normally do Sunday through Friday trips so we can go more time a year. I get home late Friday nights, so it's nice to use Saturday to rest up some, do the grocery shopping and get packed. It's an easy 3.5 hour drive for us. Then on the other end, I have time to get ready for work even if we get home late Friday night.

If we go on the weekend, we stay in a studio and stay put.

 

[twinmomplus2]

I always switch. Sunday through Friday at DVC then On to AKL my kids fave. ( and mine) The points I save however I do not use for another trip. I use them that same trip. to bring others in my family with me. Us in a 1 or 2 bedroom and extended party in studios. If we stayed the weekend I wouldn't have enough to share. I would rather move and have my extra travelers.

 

[disny4ever]

I bought the points to use....and use them we do, that includes weekends. We usually make it 1 trip a year and I do not want to move. Even if we went more I would still choose to stay thru a weekend, sorry it's not worth the hassle...I'm there to relax and have fun.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We always use weekends too. Many times, we will have a 10 day stay which includes one weekend. When we have a week stay we always include the weekend also. I tend to look at the points needed as what's needed for a week.

 

[lisareniff]

For us it takes so much time and money to get to florida for our family, that it has to be a long enough trip to make it worth while... at least over a weekend!! We will try to only make that one weekend. You can stay up to 12 nights (Sun.-2nd Thurs.) using only one weekend.

As far as moving for the weekend... we would much rather spend our vactation time at the parks or pool then packing, checking in, and unpacking. And what about all those groceries??? It seems like too much of a waste. Although we are a family with small children, it would be much easier for those traveling with out the little ones. It might even be fun then!!

After saying all that.. we may go to AKL for a couple nights at the end of the next trip... on night being a Friday!

 

[Macnjac87]

Sometimes we do and sometimes we don't. This year we are doing a surprise 4 night trip to BWV (kids don't know) from 4/3 -4/7- we are paying cash for the first night (Sat) and then using points for the rest; then driving up to HH for 6 more nights, using points for all nights except Sat. which we are paying cash for again. With the member discount it makes it a little easier, but now our vacation is 10 nights.

 

[gopherit]

We didn't "plan" on using wkend pts when we joined (thought we would do the Sun-Fri thing, using wkends to get to/from WDW). But then we fell in love with longer trips versus short ones, so we go less frequently but for about 12 days. If we work it right, we can escape with one weekend sandwiched in there. We look at total pts and "try" not to look at what wkends cost.

As for holidays -- we are very prudent about holiday travel. My sister was a DVC-er long before me and I couldn't understand what her hang-up was about extending her xmas ressies to include xmas night (xmas was on a FRIDAY that year). I was DVC-naive then, but I sure know NOW what she was talkin' about!

We don't really travel high-pts seasons becasue they usually come with crowds as well. If we want WDW in the holiday mode, we would try the week before xmas or just after Turkey day.

 

[Towncrier]

We have almost enough points to spend 12 nights in a 2BR at OKW during the summer. Based on my calculations, 12 nights is an ideal stay in order to get maximum use out of our points (unless you count 5 day stays that don't include a weekend). When we initially joined DVC in 1995, we used to pay for the weekends. At that time we had enough points for a 7 night stay plus 2 weekend nights that we paid cash for. In 1999 we purchased enough points to "pay" for that one weekend plus enough extra to extend our trip to a total of 12 nights.

Of course, I messed everything up by using points for a 12 night stay in a BCV studio in December 2002. I guess we need some more points.

 

[patsal]

I have done and continue to do both. If it is a short stay I will not move during any weekend days. If it is a long stay and we will only be going once that year I stay put on weekends. If I am trying to conserve points to squeeze in another vacation I will split my stay between 5 days in a studio, weekend at ? (on property) and 5 days in a 1 or two bedroom. That way I can go for another 5-7 day trip on that same use year's points where no moving is necessary. We switched resorts one summer mid way on a 5 night stay and it wasn't so bad, then we decided that the moving doesn't bother us. Always something new to discover and enjoy.

 

[WDWMom]

We bought into DVC so we would never "pay" for a room again. That said, we use points for weekends.

 

[Johnnie Fedora]

More and more we are staying on weekends with points. However, many times we start trip to arrive in Orlando on Friday. We stay the first Fri and Sat at ASMo or HIFS. Then we move to DVC for the reminder of time, generally 6+ nights into/through the following weekend.

One thing this stratagy does for us is allow us to cancel our DVC stay (due to travel problems/etc.) w/o losing all the points used for our DVC stay.

 

[bishdom]

The ressies I booked for October at SSR include weekends. I figured that I bought this so that I don't have to pay for a room again and with it just being the wife and me, we can stay in a studio for a nine day trip and still have points left over for a cruise and a stay in 2k5!

 

[tinkgrl]

Hi,

I try to just do one day of the weekend (Friday or Sat.) For our next ressie though it will be both Friday & Sat. We're going to try & get a studio for this reason.

Allison an associate

 

[Pig Pen]

We are spending all our points on a great 2 week trip in April/May, going whole hog and staying at DVC on the weekends too. This is our first time staying the weekend, but we are already moving twice (couldn't decide which resort so did them both) and didn't want to move a third time for the weekend.

So, no points more until 2005. What are we going to do in the meantime, you ask?

Well as long as those great AP rates are available we will just keep pouring our hard earned money into the Disney coffers and making Michael Eisner rich!

 

[jimmytammy]

We have used pts on weekends for both DVC trips made so far. Our advantage has been that we have gone in season where least amount of pts are needed. We have upcoming Mar trip and 1 Fri nite stay so that will be costly. Another in Oct upcoming using pts for 1 Sat and 2 Fri nite stays. If the pts are there I guess using them is not so bad in offseason. If it keeps me out of the World though I will be more than happy to pack my bags and move a couple of nites!

 

[littlestar]

Most of our trips are 6 night trips. That's what we like best. We come in early on Saturday (ATA leaves Indy bright and early!). Then we check out on Friday and head back to Indy on ATA's night flight (so we have the whole day on Friday at Disney to shop, etc. before we go home). We like having the entire weekend back home to prepare to return to work. I don't like to move, so we prefer staying the whole six nights DVC. Now, if we're short on points we sometimes pay cash for the weekend night (but they link the reservations so we don't have to move).

One exception is our annual winter trip. We come in on Saturday and stay at Disney the first night some place cheap and on cash. Then it's Sunday through Thursday on a 5-night DVC reservation. I don't trust Indy winter weather and prefer the winter trip to have the incoming flight day on a cheap cash reservation - just in case our plane is delayed.