Has anyone (only those who've owned for 3+ years) never done an add-on?

[Simba's Mom]

Just wondering. The DVC Show had a recent podcast about figuring out how many points you should buy initially. And over on purchasing, there's someone in the position of trying to figure it out themselves. We just kind of shrugged, came up with a figure out of the blue, and knew we'd probably add on. But is there really someone out there who bought that correct amount and never did an add-on, had just what and where they needed in that first and only purchase?

 

[sethschroeder]

We didn't want to drop the money upfront and bought resale and smaller. When bought direct though we bought the points needed and are unlikely to add-on. We would only possibly sell our contracts to buy at new resort with 50 years in the BW/BC area.

 

[Mommb]

I'm sure there are many people who bought points and just kept them. My husband and I bought into DVC in 2006 when our kids were 3 and 7. We bought enough points to stay for several nights in a 1-bedroom, and that's what we've done most years since. We used 2 years of points once to stay at a Treehouse Villa with my parents, my sister, and her family. We used our points for hotels at Disneyland Paris. Are we making "optimal" use of our points? Probably not, but as long as the "rack rate" of the stays we do costs more than our annual fees plus 4% of our initial payment, I'm happy.

 

[Jack_Sparrow_NJ]

We started with resale.
Then added on at Riv. because we wanted a new resort.
Now I have the itch to add on again.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

We purchased 220 points with BWV as our home resort via resale in 2002. No add-ons in the intervening 23 years.

For many years, while I was still working, we would visit three times per year (January, March, summer) in a standard view studio. It was relatively easy to book those rooms back then, particularly before the online booking option was rolled out. Since retirement mid-year 2014, we have begun traveling more widely and reduced the frequency of our DVC visits, so we now visit WDW either once or twice per year, banking points when only going once and using them to travel at lower-point times and sometimes staying in a one bedroom villa. It’s still possible to book a resort view (previously standard view) one bedroom at BWV at 11 months without walking, at least at the times we’ve been going, late January after marathon and MLK holiday are done or between Labor Day and Thanksgiving, avoiding the typical fall school break weeks in October, though studios and two bedrooms (which require an available studio since all two bedrooms at BWV are lockoffs) can be very challenging to book.

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

While technically not one purchase, we bought 200 BLT direct and a 50 point BWV resale contract at the same time in 2009. As a couple with no plans for kids, but a lot of nieces and nephews, we wanted enough points to be able to alternate between just us trips in a studio and family trips in a 2BR. We've been very luck my back of the napkin math has been pretty spot on. We've never really been stretched thin for points and also never really had a huge surplus we couldn't use. We've been able to go to Aulani 4x, do a couple of cheaper grand villas, and have years where just us have gone 4x in studios. We've been extremely lucky our points have lined up with our desired trips almost 100% of the times. In the 15 years, only a few times were we forced to pay cash for regular rooms....and those were all short, last minute trips where DVC availability was more the issue than lack of points.

While we always "want" more points, it's never really made sense for us to add on. We do a lot of travel outside of the Disney sphere so haven't had the surplus of vacation days to really get us motivated to add on.

 

[MartyParty]

Just wondering. The DVC Show had a recent podcast about figuring out how many points you should buy initially. And over on purchasing, there's someone in the position of trying to figure it out themselves. We just kind of shrugged, came up with a figure out of the blue, and knew we'd probably add on. But is there really someone out there who bought that correct amount and never did an add-on, had just what and where they needed in that first and only purchase?

Not us!

My wife and I were on a Disney cruise when the kids were young. Spent part of the cruise looking at the points charts, talking about the types of vacations we would take, etc. Bought 190 Poly points in 2016 thinking that was plenty. Fast forward to today and we've exceeded our love of Disney travel vs those 190 points. Now at 605 points after adding on 3 times (BLT, VDH, and OKW).

Our initial plan was studio stays with a 1 bedroom once in a while. Turned into 1 and 2 bedroom stays as we like the space/kithcen or its peak times and nearly impossible to get cheap studios. Note: we're not organized enough to book at 11 months but tend to book around 6-8 months.

Kudos to those who figure this out on day 1 or stick with their plan.

I will say, not sure we would have had the money (or desire) to bit off 600 some points in one get go. No regrets with how it all worked out.

 

[Massachusetts]

We bought VGF direct in 2013. We had a lot of good trips but they wound up being split stays with us renting from David's to fill out the trips most times. We added on with resale last year and by February of next year we will have had 3 nice trips without doing the split stay dance. I regret not adding on sooner.

 

[radiodome21]

Bought 150 direct in July 2023 at VGF. Wish I bought more at the time. After our first DVC trip this past NYE, I bought 100 more direct at Poly, which was the only other resort I considered when I bought my VGF contract. While I love BWV, the 2042 didn't appeal to me nor do restrictions.

 

[Simba's Mom]

We purchased 220 points with BWV as our home resort via resale in 2002. No add-ons in the intervening 23 years.

For many years, while I was still working, we would visit three times per year (January, March, summer) in a standard view studio. It was relatively easy to book those rooms back then, particularly before the online booking option was rolled out. Since retirement mid-year 2014, we have begun traveling more widely and reduced the frequency of our DVC visits, so we now visit WDW either once or twice per year, banking points when only going once and using them to travel at lower-point times and sometimes staying in a one bedroom villa. It’s still possible to book a resort view (previously standard view) one bedroom at BWV at 11 months without walking, at least at the times we’ve been going, late January after marathon and MLK holiday are done or between Labor Day and Thanksgiving, avoiding the typical fall school break weeks in October, though studios and two bedrooms (which require an available studio since all two bedrooms at BWV are lockoffs) can be very challenging to book.

Wow, I really admire your lack of add-ons. Like you, we initially bought in 2002, and DH retired mid-year of 2014. However, since 2002, we've done 6 add-ons! But like you, we remember the "good old days" when booking what are now hard-to-get rooms was easy. That's when we booked standard view and Boardwalk view studios at 7 months.

 

[Spivey378]

I’m coming up on 4 years. Got 250 CCV and have yet to add on. I think this is a good amount of points for us but we are always borrowing.

 

[CarolynFH]

Our family of 4 had outgrown hotel rooms with 2 queen beds and a daybed for the younger one. We wanted 2BR like the timeshare condos my parents booked when we traveled with them. We thought we’d continue visiting the week of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving week in a BWV Preferred View 2BR at the time cost 300 points, so that’s what we bought, and it’s been enough. Many temptations every time a new resort goes on sale, but no addons!