DVC at regular Disney resorts

[jeffwwalters]

My family and I just returned from a week at the Polynesian with MK views. While there my wife and I took in the DVC presentation, we are seriously considering purchasing some points at the BLT. My question is this, we really enjoyed staying at the Polynesian and would love to stay there again. So how difficult is it to use our points at the other resorts and to ge the rooms we want?

We want to be near the MK, in fact if they had DVC at the Polynesian we would buy there. Money isnt concern but we want to make sure we are getting the best value for our money. I figured our rooms last week were somewhere around $600 a night after taxes. If we get 200 points and go every other year then the investment pays off right. We don't always plan on staying at BLT but we want to be able to get reservations there at 11 months.

Does this make sense to any body? Any advice or ideas would be appreciated. By the way I personally am not a big fan of Disney however after seeing my daughters eyes light up the way they did I guess I'll keep going.

 

[RobDoc]

Welcome to the DIS!

Yes, DVC points may be used to stay at other WDW resorts with the exception of Value Resorts and resorts which already have a DVC component (WL, BC, BWI, AKL).

You should be aware that the point costs for the non-DVC options are often higher than staying in a 1BR DVC villa and also have a $95 transaction fee in addition to the higher points.

These options are certainly nice for an occasional variance from your DVC experience, but not the most economical use of your DVC points.

 

[GtwnHoya]

I have always found that the best use of DVC points is at the DVC Resorts. I have compared point requirements for the Disney Resorts, Cruise and the Concierge Collection properties and found that it is more expensive to use DVC points at these Resorts than to use cash. Of course you have to assign a $$$ value for your points to make the comparison but even at $!0.00 per point, it doesn't make sense. Of course I think $600.00 per night is a bit crazy and I would much rather stay at Boardwalk or Beach Club in a one bedroom for 60 points ($10.00 x 60 =$600.00) or less than the Poly.

 

[disneynutz]

My family and I just returned from a week at the Polynesian with MK views. While there my wife and I took in the DVC presentation, we are seriously considering purchasing some points at the BLT. My question is this, we really enjoyed staying at the Polynesian and would love to stay there again. So how difficult is it to use our points at the other resorts and to ge the rooms we want?

We want to be near the MK, in fact if they had DVC at the Polynesian we would buy there. Money isnt concern but we want to make sure we are getting the best value for our money. I figured our rooms last week were somewhere around $600 a night after taxes. If we get 200 points and go every other year then the investment pays off right. We don't always plan on staying at BLT but we want to be able to get reservations there at 11 months.

Does this make sense to any body? Any advice or ideas would be appreciated. By the way I personally am not a big fan of Disney however after seeing my daughters eyes light up the way they did I guess I'll keep going.

You can only book 11 months in advance at the resorts where you own points. If you want to book 11 months in advance at BLT then you have to have enough BLT points for the entire reservation. Have you thought about buying some points at VWL?

 

[jeffwwalters]

No we have only looked at AKL and BLT, we aren't interested in AKL might be in VWL but I think we will go with BLT when we buy.

 

[spiceycat]

there are 2 offsite DVC - HH and VB - especially since you aren't interested in WDW - that you might like

would not buy there -but you can definitely trade to them.

besides really think bringing your little one to disney - might just change your mind.

 

[LoveToDisney]

When we bought originally, we made sure we had enough points to stay onsite at another Disney hotel just in case we missed it. Once we got used to vacationing in 1 bedroom (for the two of us) or 2 bedroom (when we take kids), we would NEVER go back to just a hotel room again. We love staying in the villa and having the washer/dryer and full size refrigerator. We are so spoiled, we rarely travel anywhere now unless we can get a villa.

Within walking distance to MK and villas with MK views, I think BLT is a great DVC to own!

 

[Blahnde]

What WebmasterDoc said about the points needed to stay in a WDW hotel, like the Poly, is very true. Not only does it usually take more points per night to stay in a hotel room vs. a much larger one bedroom villa, but what I think is even more important is that the point cost for those hotel rooms will keep going up while the points for villas are fixed. The is where you will see the true value of DVC.

Let me give you an example. We were devoted Grand Floridian visitors when we bought into DVC. We actually bought enough points to stay there for 1-2 weeks every year with our first DVC purchase almost 6 years ago. For the most recent 5 years the points required to stay there for one week (concierge level) in March has gone from 740 points in 2005 to 815 points in 2009. That is a little over 10% in 5 years; extrapolate that to 50 years and you get roughly 1,925 points for that same week! And I have little doubt (although I fully admit that I do not have numbers to prove it) that the cash prices for these rooms have also gone up at least 10% over those same 5 years. But the important distinction is that the same week in a one bedroom villa at BLT - MK view takes 360 points in March 2010 ... and it will still take only 360 points in March 2059! I'll take the MK view one bedroom all day long!

As you can see, while I still love The Grand Floridian and hope that they build a DVC resort there (soon!), it is really silly to buy thinking you will regularly use your points at deluxe resorts. If you plan to do it once in a while, it is not so bad since it will make you happy and sometimes that is much more important than saving money! But if you really want to stay at the Poly regularly you will not see the true value of DVC ownership.

Blahnde

 

[widvc4us]

I agree that after staying at any DVC resort in a 1 bedroom or larger you wont miss the Poly too much. Also agree that using points for non-DVC disney properties is not an economical use of points. However, you could always rent your points for cash and use those funds to pay for your Ploy stay.

I have personally never used this option...love DVC too much!

 

[hurricaneb]

I used some of my points to stay at the Contemporary this summer. I used over 200 points for a five night stay. It was not the best use of my points (but well worth it for the trip). It cost me the extra $95 to use the non-DVC hotel. If I had tried to change my reservation they would have charged me $95 each time.

The problem you can run into you are not allowed to book at a non DVC property within the last 4 months (if you wait till the last minute). I ran into this problem in September when I tried booking at the Polynesian with points that had to be used by November 30. I was told I was not allowed to use them at non DVC because I was 2 months out from expiration. of course, the other problem I was running into was lack of availability at DVC resorts on the dates I wanted. I was told that if the rooms were not available for the dates I wanted and my points expired well then too bad. Of course they were available for the Poly but not at any DVC. I managed to change the dates of my trip around to get around this problem.

Because I was booking at a DVC and kept changing my reservations I was not charged for the changes. That was a benefit.

Betsy

 

[chunkygal]

If you really REALLY want to stay at a hotel only, not worth it. There are many DVC attached to hotels so you get the benefits (room svc). From what you said buying at the new contemp hotel DVc may be for you. But once you stay in a DVC and don't have to sit so very quietly while someone naps you will never go back.