How do those with under 200 points manage their stays?

[ZerasPride]

Thanks so much everyone for your suggestions. They were very helpful.

Suzanne - you are absolutely right. We never thought about having our family members pay for any cash nights for us while we give them our points for their stay. It will take some adjusting on their part because they are used to going for free but DH and I discussed it last night and we are just not in a position to give our families free accommodations all the time.

Again, you all have been so helpful - the DIS is full of such wonderful people!

 

[ktbugsmom]

Zeraspride,
I just had to say that you are a very generous person to give your family free accomodations! Much more generous than me! I tell family they can come, but since I have a small point allotment, I tell them I will rent them points for $10 per point and I will do all of the work setting it up (renting from someone else etc Usually have people trade points into my account, then I have more control and it is easier for the other DVC member).

They still feel they get a great rate at a great resort - so they still think I am a hero! I can't imagine what they would do if I covered the accomodations completely!

But, once the trend is started, I can see where it would be hard to stop.

 

[rchristiansen]

We only have 100 points and are in a perpetual state of borrowing - I don't look at the use year as how many points I can use that year. I take a look a the current use year and the next use year and see how many points I have available to use at this point in time.

We only have 1 daughter who will be 4 this fall. Also, we only can go once a year - the other vacation days are used to visit family over holidays, etc since they are all out of town.

We got the 100 points in 2004 for about $7500. - Way better than the approx $15,000 direct from Disney.

2004 - we did 5 nights in a 1BR at BWV Preferred view in October - borrowed into 2005.

2005 - We did 6 nights at a 1 BR at OKW in Sept - borrowed into 2006.

2006 - We're doing 6 nights at a studio at VWL in October (we're doing the dining plan so I have no need for a kitchen) and paying cash for one weekend night. Borrowed from 2007.

2007 - I have a may trip reserved for a 2 BR at OKW - 5 nights points, 2 nights cash. That trip we are going with my parents - they are paying the going rate for half the points plus 1/2 of the discounted cash rate for the 2 nights we'll pay the other 1/2. The $600 they will give us basically will cover our dining plan a a little bit of the other 2 cash nights).

2008 - I will have 19 points left over. I will then just borrow into 2009.

- I guess then the last year my contract is up, I won't really be able to go - but that's decades away. I'm not thinking about it!

 

[lovinthemouse]

We have 160 points and it is Ok with us. I would like to add on at some point, but I want to wait to see what is coming down the road. We are able to do 2 sunday thru thursday and one short trip. We drive down this allows us to take our time. We just have to time our trips to the lower seasons and studios don't bother us. There are only 3 in our family.

 

[FoodLover]

We only have 100 points and are in a perpetual state of borrowing - I don't look at the use year as how many points I can use that year. I take a look a the current use year and the next use year and see how many points I have available to use at this point in time

.... I guess then the last year my contract is up, I won't really be able to go - but that's decades away. I'm not thinking about it!

I find this a really useful and thought-provoking way of looking at point use.

We actually have a little over 200 pts (210) but in our second year of membership we're already borrowing. We are taking family members to Disney next year and staying in a GV for a week, which even at OKW takes a lot of points. I was actually feeling kind of guilty for borrowing points, wondering if I would ever get "caught up" again. But after reading how you are using your points, I'm suddenly realizing it makes a LOT of sense for us to borrow every year if we want.

When our membership ends, I will be almost 80 and my husband will be well into his 80s (at least, I'm hoping we make it that far and beyond...) It's questionable whether we will even want to go to WDW at that point. So it actually makes sense to use our points up as fast as we have access to them.

I need to stop thinking I have 210 points to "spend" this year, and start using as many points as I want, up to the max I have available. If I'm always borrowing, so be it!

Wow, this is freeing. Thanks!

Mary

 

[Cinderelli]

Well, it seems like we're opting to rent points from other DVCers to have transferred into our account (only 2 times so far, but I can see more on my horizon). I'd love to buy more points, but honestly, when I can rent them when I need them, I don't really see the need to. We actually rented out 1/2 of our 2005 and all of our 2006 points so that we could put the cash towards the Disney Cruise (just returned), but ended up renting points from a member so we could do a few nights at OKW after the cruise (go figure!)

So, we're out of 2006 points but don't have another trip planned until our big 2007/2008 Christmas/New Years bash. I'm thinking we'll have to rent BCV or BWV points in order to get NYE at one of these resorts, so I'm already planning on renting again.

For now, that's how we're surviving on our measly 160 points. I get the add-on bug all the time, but have so far resisted. Well, my DH is the one resisting - but if I can rent points to add into my account - I'm a happy DVCer.

Lissa

 

[jazzmanmgt]

We live in California and have asmall Worldmark timeshare as well. We use our 160 DVC points every even year and our WM points every odd year thus doubling our points for each. This year we spent 10 days in Maui on our WM points and next year have 320 DVC points...just now thinking about how to best use em.

 

[DisMN]

We only have 150 points but we travel in the winter so our points go much further than they would otherwise. We manage to get 10 nights with a few points left over, and that includes us using points on weekends. I can't deal with the packing and unpacking so we just stay put.

150 has worked out real well for us as DH only has a small amount of vacation time per year so travel for us is limited anyway.

So that's our story.

.

 

[eliza61]

We have just under 200 points and it works great for us. We generally travel to WDW late summer since we still have school age children and it allows us to go for 6 nights yearly. Lately we've been saving points and taking longer vacations every other year.

 

[havencruiser]

Perhaps you could let your family use your "free" points for the week and ask them to pay the cash for the value resort for the week-ends?

 

[pickles]

190 pts here and we are new and wanting mostly 1 bedrooms

so, we have the next 3 trips planned..this year 9 nights with the friday/saturday as a cash ressie at the same WVL linked ressie 4 nights wvl and then OKW for the balance.
next trip will be a short one maybe 5 nights and may include family, but if it does they can help pay some for the room.(2 bedroom)

then, we plan a week long romantic trip, maybe studio for BWV with the bw view or we may do a 1 bedroom in like OKW

either way i had considered the addonitis, but so far decided that, we will simply pay cash for any extra nights we need and not waste our points on the weekends. In 10 yrs our kids will be old enough to go their own way, so we may find we don't need a ton of points...depends how they are I guess.

I can't day i would pay for any family members trip UNLESS they were helping somehow..you "rent" those points to some relative and are liable to get taken advantage of somehow..like being a no show and you are out your points!

OKW and BWv without the view are nice ways to stretch points as is paying the cash on the weekends

 

[PatMcDuck]

We originally had 150 points, and went every other year, using 300 or so each time (2BR). It worked well. Now we go almost every year, 200 points total, and stay usually only sun-thur night, go to Universal for Fri/Sat night. IF we do an all Disney trip, we only stay one weekend night. Works fine for us, we do not need more points. Any extra trips can be at Pop/cash, usually ladies trips. Kids are almost grown, the older 2 might be on their last trip this year with us (20 and 18).

Edited to add that with less points, it is easier to find OTHER places to go, too......... I know this will sound odd, but now that kids are older, there are some non-Disney places I wish we had taken them, too.

 

[mmmcq]

We originally bought 170 BWV points, but our 5 day 1BR vacations every other year started to get longer (air fare was more expensive and we wanted to do more things like Sea World and Universal), our older girls became teens who needed their own bath and we added a 3rd DD. We were consistently borrowed out two years, so we added on a bit at BWV and 200 at BCV. I'd love more points...but this is it for us.

We had a 10 day trip planned this past April, but had to college shop instead so we cancelled and I rented out the points. With the current change in policy enforcement, I won't be doing that again anytime soon. Just this past month we realized we weren't going to be able to get back to WDW until 2008....so I pieced together a trip for Thanksgiving 2006. I didn't have enough points so I am paying cash for the last two nights (again time frame is air fare driven).

We've stayed the first two weekend nights at Pop before. It's small and it's a plain hotel room, but it's so inexpensive it's hard not to justify saving the points. Since we won't be at BCV or BWV this trip, two nights on cash at the end of the trip at BC in one room will be affordable and fun. It'll be tight space going from a 1BR and studio at OKW, but we'll be next to Epcot and my 7 yr old will be able to enjoy SAB for a few days. My planning always involves compromise of some sort on the trip.

You've clearly spoiled your relatives! Ouch. We've offered many, many times and no one in either of our families has ever joined us. They don't get the Disney bug that we have.

You could always offer to "rent" them a reservation that someone else could make for you for a 2nd studio....or get them to buy some points!

So after all this, I guess I really shouldn't have answered your question....sorry! You absolutely can stretch your vacation with days on cash at one of the value resorts...or even offsite. Marriott has some great deals near Sea World that we've taken advantage of as well.

 

[kidsister]

I have 170 points.
I rent out enough to cover maintenance and then I use the rest.

If you use your points at studios, non-weekends, value season, they actually go a long long way! I tend to spend the first night offsite because I fly west to east and the first day isn't much but a good night's sleep anyway.

This year I am taking advantage of free dining and 'slumming it' at the Pop!
I was in a studio in May and will be at the Pop for 6 nights in Sept and then again at the Pop for 3 nights end of Sept and finally at BWV Oct1-6th.
I also rented a Vacation Village 2 bedroom timeshare for the week of the space shuttle launch prior to the Pop check in.

All this is to say that it is up to you how to enjoy the most out of your points.
I tend to 'mix it up' so that I get good value on my AP usage and 'just enough' of the BWV each trip to keep me smiling!

 

[icydog]

I have 170 points.
I rent out enough to cover maintenance and then I use the rest.

so that I get good value on my AP usage and 'just enough' of the BWV each trip to keep me smiling!

I think there are loads of ways to save on points. First of all buy an annual pass and that entitles you to very good AP Discounts. You can stay in your villa and rent the weekend nights using AP rates.

You can stay off site for the first weekend of your vacation. We usually go through Priceline. We have had lovely rooms on I Drive that we payed less than $25 each night. It also gives you new appreciation for staying on site. This only works for the first weekend, however. Once you've stayed in a one bdrm on site it is very difficult to move into a motel for two nights of squished up fun.

You can do as this poster suggests and rent some of your points out thereby giving you enough cash to pay for a deluxe for the weekend.

I personally hate studios so for us that was never an option but we are much older and more set in our ways. Young families can tough it out while playing at Disney World. It;s worth it to be on site and to have all those resort ammenities.

Use your ap rate to stay at the value resorts for the first weekend. Kids love them and the rooms are comparable to a Days Inn but cleaner. Also with an AP rate of $59, sometimes included dining plans, you cannot beat that option.

I started out with DVC with the minimum then of 230 points. We soon realized that wouldn't be enough for us so we added more, and more and more. As soon as the kids grow up a bit and money gets a little easier to come by you will be adding on too. Congratulations on all three babies.

 

[stacy6552]

We usually get two trips a year with our 200. At wdw we are always in a studio, since our kids are big enough that we are out all day. But we always get a 2bdrm @ HHI. Friends of ours with 3 kids always stay in a 2bdrm at BCV Sun-Fri in January for 150 pts. They love it and wont go any other time of year.

 

[Ms.Mouse]

We bought 180 pts. and our first planned trip "Home" was to be in March... A 2 BR BW view to sleep 7 of us. It's "costing" 500 pts. How done??? We got the 2005 pts when we bought. Then we used the 2006 pts. that came and borrowed the rest. THEN we realized we didn't have enough pts. and added 130 (again at the BW) and I'm questioning whether we have enough pts. to vacation once a year with the entire family (son, his fiancee, daughter, her son, dh, myself, nephew) and at least once just with dh. SO.... when the new DVC is officially announced AND IF it's in an area that suits me, you can bet I'll be calling Byron to add points yet again

 

[jmurphy625]

We have 200 points and so far have never paid cash for any of the nights, but we don't go every year. We had about 1 1/2 between trips and then 2 1/2 years between them. For our trip in June we used over 400 points for 9 nights (Poly/BC/AKL) -not the best use of points but a great vaca!...if I had found this board before I booked it I would have tried to conserve a little by maybe selling some points then pay cash for ressie...or paying cash for Fri/Sat.

We always use studios or two studios...we'd be happy going 5 or 6 nights each year. We're happy and not looking into buying any more points.

 

[Purrrrfecta]

Hey girl,

I purchased 160 points last year, and I am now in the process of purchasing another 100 point contract.

Anyway, I do not believe in borrowing points because I go to Disney every year. I take a little out of my 160 point stash I got when I purchased the DVC. This year I got a one bedroom at BWV standard for 120 points went to vistit my cousin at Port St. Lucie for the weekend, and then used 70 in a studio at BCV. So now I have a130 points left in my stash.

Let me also say I do not have a problem with staying in a studio. I have been staying in hotels for years and years, and I just look at it from the point of view that I do not have to pay for laundry. Yes, I love the one bedroom, but if there is a choice between staying two weeks in studio or 6 nights in a one bedroom, and I am going with the studio. Besides, we are hardly ever in the room anyway.

Next year, I want to stay at the cabins at FW so I am going to book there if there is a APH discount to go over the weekend and then book the rest of my stay in a studio somewhere.

 

[PocahontasLookALike]

We have 150 (it's just DH and I) and we go every other year and 150 suits us just fine! That doesn't mean I wouldn't/won't do an add on, though!

In May 05, it was our first trip home and stayed 3 nights in a Studio and 5 in a 1bdrm. We LOVE nice accomodations (which is why we bought into DVC) and got completely spoiled by the 1bdrm. For our upcoming trip in early 2007, I was able to get all our nights in a 1bdrm at the BWV and then we just have to switch to a studio on the last night. Which we don't mind doing at all.

Personally, I don't want to have to pay cash for nights when we own DVC. It's like paying twice right? Considering what we paid for our ownership, it doesn't make sense to ME (to each their own, right?) to pay cash. When I called to make this reservation, the guy on the line said I had the option of paying cash if I didn't have enough points...but that just seemed like it defeats the point of DVC.

We own at SSR. I am thinking of doing an add on at VWL or BWV because we love those places so much, but I am anxious to see what new location is going to be announced before I think about doing an add on.