DVC Owners on the West Coast

[The Rivers' Rats]

As a new DVC owner living in California, I had a question for anyone else who might be living on the opposite end of the country from WDW.

How do members on the West Coast use their points? Do most of you travel to Florida annually or do you use your points in Disneyland?

Without knowing how this system fully works (I am still in my first week as an owner and have a lot of learning to do still...), my initial intention is to bank a year, use the next year while it is still current, and then borrow from the next in order to have enough points to stay for 2 - 3 weeks at a time. I figure a stay this long would help to make the costs of airfare and passports a little cheaper when looked at as a per day expense. Is this even possible, or will I have a hard time making that work when trying to book my trip?

I'd also like to take the family on the Disney Cruise Line in the future and hope to use the bank, use, and borrow option (as opposed to my current beg, borrow, and steal...) for that as well. Is that something that folks have been able to do without difficulty?

Thanks,
Scott

 

[shellybaxter]

We are from Northern California and we generally try to spend two weeks in WDW at a time. Like you said with the plane cost and travel time "quick trips" don't really work for us. Sometimes we are only able to get away for 10 days or so and then years like this we are able to get away for longer (18 days away from home). We do bank and borrow if we need to

 

[bwvBound]

Welcome, Scott!

San Diego here -- members since 2004 but annual visitors of WDW resorts since 1996. We go at least once each year (January for a conference) and often schedule a second trip into early December for the holiday decorations. Most stays are 7-10 nights. The January visit must be BWV but we're ok anywhere, including off-site, for the December visit.

FWIW, we tend to find airfare $240-320 roundtrip SAN/MCO. We use annual passes every 2nd-3rd year and on the years between either skip the parks or purchase Magic Your Way media.

Similar to your plan, we started with fewer points than required for our intended stay; banked the first year and bled it off over the next few visits. We've upgraded twice and are now in great shape for the conference visit -- and possibly have enough for the "vacation" visit every once in a while.

 

[lisah0711]

Welcome home!

Here is a link to a recent thread with a similar topic

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1992174

You have fifty years to figure out what works best for your family and there are lots of choices.

We go to DL at least once a year because it is faster and cheaper and easier to get there from here. We go to WDW about once every two years.

Since buying into DVC in January of 2007 we got a standard room at GC for three nights; we stayed six nights in a 2 bedroom in VWL in January of 2008; we stayed three nights in a premium view room at DL hotel; and have two Garden view rooms at GC concierge next month.

We have 260 points, 150 at VWL and 100 at AKL. Am hoping to buy GCV when they go on sale. I am hoping for a 7 night stay at WDW next year with five nights in a 2 bedroom at VWL and two nights in a GV at AKL for Christmas 2009.

Enjoy planning all of your trips!

 

[disneymom8589]

We live in the Seattle area and became DVC member in 8/06. We have been to WDW once or twice annually and have also used our points for Disney cruises (although I know it's not the best use of points). We are going to the DLR next month, but are staying at the Anaheim Marriott instead. When the GCV open, we HOPE to be able to book a stay there at the 7 month window. We also gave our DD 160 points for a honeymoon stay at Cabo San Lucas through Interval International next July. Again, I know it probably isn't the best use of points, but the way we figure it, we use our points to what suits us best and what we want to do!

By the way, welcome to the DIS and DVC!!

 

[The Rivers' Rats]

Thank you all so much for your responses. It is nice to hear that the plan works for others out West like my family. The more I look at it the more I think that we will definitely be taking advantage of the opportunity to purchase the GCV when it is available. We currently buy season passes to DL every other year and stay off-site at some less than enjoyable, yet affordable, hotels. The opportunity to purchase a home away from home right outside of the park's fence is something that I (with a little convinving of my better half) will not be able to pass up.

Thanks again for all of your responses, I truly appreciate the help.

- Scott

 

[ACDSNY]

Another NorCal family here...so far we've used our points for WDW, DL, VB and Kauai. Our DL trips are usually short quick Disney fixes and WDW are at least a week or two in length. Can't wait for the Grand CA.

 

[bethy]

We are in the Seattle area and plan to buy at the Grand Californian. We bought the minimum contract at AKV to get in the door and plan to use it maybe every 3-4 years at WDW. Otherwise we'll use those AKV points to book hotel rooms at DLR or to upgrade/extend trips at VGC at the 7 month window if that will ever be possible.

I do noooot like long flights. And we much prefer DLR to WDW anyway. We do our "big" vacations in non-Disney destinations for the most part or here locally in the northwest. Getting our Disney fix at DLR is sort of a seperate budget line item for us.

 

[Castillo Mom]

I live in Southern California and a new DVC owner. Currently we have a trip planned for next August because my middle son is graduating. We're using the developer points for SSR as well as next year's AKV points for a two week stay.

I'm banking 2010 to use in 2011 because I'll probably need a 2 bdr. villa since my sister and her family will be joining us. After that I plan on once yearly trips to WDW.

 

[utahkennedys]

We live in Salt Lake City right now but are moving to Seattle Jan. 1. So far we have used our points at both DL and WDW a few times. We thought we were going to get DGC points as soon as they were available, but changed our minds after our trip to DL in October...we are WDW fans. We had a less than magical DL experience and feel like we keep trying to convince ourselves we actually like DL.

Anyhow, I agree with you about staying longer than a week. We stayed at OKW for 7 nights in Sept and swore we'd only do 10 nights or more next fall. It's too long of a flight to feel like you are coming back after 5 days or so. If I can swing it with DDs school, we'll stay 2 weeks!

 

[Longhairbear]

We are in So CA, and go to WDW twice a years. We get AP's, and that cuts the cost of tickets down a lot. We also have eaten at almost every restaurant in WDW, so now to save even more money we cook all our meals in the villa.
That way we can have special meals out at our favorite Disney restaurants.

 

[Disney_Lunatic]

I live in Northern CA and had wanted to buy into the DVC for a while and just plunged in over Thanksgiving at WDW. We normally got to DL four or five times each year, so regularly purchase APs for our family of four. I intend to use our developer points at the GCH, PPH, and DLH this year and bank this year's points for a week during Spring Break 2010. Although my DW has her heart set on a cruise so we'll probably be doing some add-ons with the GCV if that becomes an option.

 

[Iggipolka]

We live by San Francisco and just bought into DVC last year. Since joining DVC, we've been to WDW 3x, twice on Club Level! We already had AP's for DL, and have been to DL for long weekends 4x this year.
We've also used our points for a stay at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco over Valentine's Day weekend.
In 2010, we have a Disney Cruise booked completely on points.

We love DVC!

 

[figment795]

DH and I live in Oregon. We have been owners at SSR since 2004. We go 2 to 3 times a year if airfare is a reasonable price. Do not have any intention of going to DLR. WDW family all the way. Yes it is a long flight from Oregon but it is worth the trip.

 

[TravelingJen24]

We live in Fresno, Ca and have been members since 2004. We have used our points for all types of trips. We went to WDW three years in a row. Then we went to DL for a whole year at different times. Now we are in Hawaii on an exchange getting ready to go home. It just depends on what you want to use it for. The Hawaii tip cost 141 points for a 1 bedroom. I think it is a good deal since their annual dues here are close to $2000 according to the people around here. I can't imagine that to be true, but I'm not going to do the research.
We bought our DVC through a resale on a whim and am so glad we did. Have fun.

 

[Disney-Kim]

We live in Phoenix and have traveled to WDW for the last 13 yrs straight...once a year.

We buy AP's and that saves lots of $$ for the next years trip.

We have been paying about $400 pp for airfare the last 3 yrs...used to be less than $250

We have used some extra points to stay at the GCH at Dland...but our main focus is a once a yr trip to WDW.

In this economy especially....not having to pay for the room makes it a lot more affordable to visit WDW and we are staying in a DELUXE!!!

 

[denise]

Hi everyone!

We live in Northern CA too. (Near Sacramento) We have owned since 1992 at OKW. When our DD (18 now) was little her school was year-round. We went to WDW 2 times a year for 2 weeks each time. (off season, Jan and Sept no school for the month) In 1996 we traded for Disneyland Paris and on the way back WDW for 2 weeks (to warm up)...when her school went to "regular" sessions we started going on the cruises every other year. Did the Med cruise last year and we are going on the Baltic in 2010. We have banked and borrowed but have never ever not used a point. We rented out our 2009 points we had left over...
we go to Disneyland several times a year but have never used our points there.
It will be nice when Ko'Olina is open and we can trade into there!

 

[Pakey]

Another Californian here. Now that our children are grown, my husband and I go to WDW twice a year for a week each (January and May) and then every other year we take our grown children and their families for a week. Even with 3 contracts, we've never had any points left for anything else but it is worth it when having to get 5 rooms when we take the family.

 

[La2kw]

We live in southern California and visit Disneyland often. We use most of our points at WDW and for cruises. We rarely use them at Disneyland because there are so many hotel rooms within walking distance of Disneyland that are so cheap.