Has anyone done an analysis of points?

[fishermouse]

The only way I look at DVC as an investment is its an investment of vacations and memories. You can't look at it as a return on money. I could have taken my $30,000 put it in a cd or bought some stock/bonds etc. The returns over time are good, but how many years of vacations do I lose before I realize that I can't get them back. I spent my 20's working my **** off. Made money, had success, blah blah blah. But I realized in my thirties that there is more in life then work work work.

You can analize it 100 different ways. If you love Disney and want to go there almoset every year, then its an investment for future hapiness for you and your family!

I'm with you!! If you can afford them buy them and just enjoy them.. I doubt if any one out there has enough money to rent any of my points. Hows the quote go " the only way you'll get my points is to pry them from my cold dead hands " or something like that...

 

[milestogo]

We, too have done an enormous amount of math on the subject of staying at Disney, but being in love with the Cruise. We looked at all of the other cruise lines in depth, but the characters, movies, shows are what we love the most about the cruise line. Not to mention the lack of "party, i.e. smoking and drinking" that happens on the other cruise lines.

When we did the math analyzing our point values based on buying a resale at OKW it worked out that the cruise value was appr. $1000. less to use points vs. cash.

 

[Didney Daddy]

We love the DCL also. Are you saying that you think using points to pay for the cruise made sense? The only we got there was that we just rationalized that we did not want to mess with renting etc... Just to relax, pay for the cruise with the points and be happy. It struck me that maybe just paying cash was the better way but we used our points anyway.

 

[milestogo]

Yes, we added our cost of points, annual dues over the 36 years (you can get pretty elaborate to calculate the increase in dues), divided by 36 year ownership equals your point value. Then take the cruise points (for say the Med. cruise) times your point value = the cost of the cruise. vs. the cash. For people purchasing a $98 pp they will have a totally different value than we do. Can anyone find a flaw that we may have left out of this formula? (we don't want to be fooling ourselves!) Let me know. According to this we found that each cruise was about $1000 + or - a few bucks.

 

[rinkwide]

...Can anyone find a flaw that we may have left out of this formula? (we don't want to be fooling ourselves!) Let me know...

Your points are easily worth $9 (or more) on the rental market so that's the smallest value you should use to figure how much this cruise is really going to cost you.

 

[YoMickey]

Does anyone know what the historical prices are for the DCL..

I assume they go up just like the annual maintenance fees..

How far in advance can you book a cruise with points versus paying cash?

 

[pouncingpluto]

Your points are easily worth $9 (or more) on the rental market so that's the smallest value you should use to figure how much this cruise is really going to cost you.

But that assumes a person is willing to go through the time, energy, and risk of renting. Personally, I don't think it's worth it for $9 per point. Maybe for $11 or $12 per point. Definitely for $20 per point. (wishful thinking)

So when I think of what a point is worth, I go buy what I have paid for it, not what I could rent it for if I wanted to assume the risk of being responsible for a renter's damages.

 

[rinkwide]

...if I wanted to assume the risk of being responsible for a renter's damages.

Does anyone actually have first-hand knowledge of something like this happening, or is it another one of those DVC/DIS urban myths?

Like that guy last year who, after partying a little too hard one night at Pleasure Island, woke up the next morning lying on the bare floor of a still-under-construction SSR villa - he found 20 stitches where his left kidney used to be. It's totally true. My sister's friend met him while soaking in an OKW hot-tub last week, he showed her the scar. (PS - if you forward this to ten people you'll receive $20 from Microsoft.)

 

[Dean]

Does anyone actually have first-hand knowledge of something like this happening, or is it another one of those DVC/DIS urban myths?

I know of two situations that apply. One, where a renter didn't put down a credit card and had phone charges they didn't pay. DVC went after the member and the charges had to be paid for the member to be in good standing. The other where a relative stayed on points and there was a poblem with the credit card. It was actually the resorts fault from what I recall but they still held the member responsible.

 

[CarolMN]

There was a very long thread on DIS DVC Forum about the credit card incident Dean mentions. Far too many details included for it to be untrue, but I suppose it could have been. (Doubt it). Here's a link to that thread in case anyone is interested in reading it now:

Is this legal for DVC to do?

I don't personally recall the phone charge issue being discussed here, but I have no reason to doubt that the incident really happened.

Best wishes -

 

[rinkwide]

That's it? All that we can come up with, in all of our near-infinite collective wisdom, is one instance of a renter walking out on some phone charges? (The brother-in-law one doesn't count, he certainly wasn't an irresponsible renter. Plus, I expect my relatives to stiff me. )

I don't doubt it's possible to have a liability problem, but I think a member has a better chance of mysteriously losing a kidney.

 

[Dean]

have no reason to doubt that the incident really happened. -

It hasn't been discussed directly, only mentioned peripherally a couple of times. I can promise it did happen.

 

[Dean]

That's it? All that we can come up with, in all of our near-infinite collective wisdom, is one instance of a renter walking out on some phone charges? (The brother-in-law one doesn't count, he certainly wasn't an irresponsible renter. Plus, I expect my relatives to stiff me. )

I don't doubt it's possible to have a liability problem, but I think a member has a better chance of mysteriously losing a kidney.

I certainly agree there is minimal risk and have said so previously. I think many people are penny wise and pound foolish when it comes to things like DVC and rentals. They say they would never go through the work and risk of renting (both minimal if done appropriatel) and yet would call day by day for a reservations and/or use points for things like DCL with a return of about $5-7 pp and A LOT OF RISK.