How Do You Do DVC ?

[qtzar]

I'm interested to find out how you use your DVC Points. Do you take loads of small trips or save them up for one or two big trips?

Myself and DW (no kids) have just over 600 points and for 2008 alone we have 6 trips to WDW and 2 trips to DLR. The DLR trips are one-off's to bring family who live in CA to the parks so next year we wil have more points for WDW trips. The WDW trips are mostly long weekends except for one in January to go to a IT conference for a week.

We could make more trips by staying in studio's but the 1 bedroom villas are just so nice and we like to spoil ourselves.

So how do you use your points ?

 

[sajetto]

My husband and I also have no kids and own over 600 points. We plan to stop adding on when we have 800. We take a 10 day trip in a 1 or 2 bedroom in the summer, a 2 week trip in a 1 bedroom for Christmas (Christmas Eve until January 4th or 5th) and then sometimes stay in a 1 bedroom for 5 or 6 nights for Easter. Any left over points go to my parents or friends.

Our plan is to add enough for a week or more in a GV during the summer. We frequently take our parents, nieces, and nephews, during that time and we really enjoy sharing our DVC with others.

 

[DoOverDreams]

Hey, that sounds exactly like how we do it!

lol

 

[daisyduck123]

Dh & I have 2 kids.

We usually take 2 trips during the year, 8-10 days each.

In 2007, we took 3 trips.

**Often, our trips included some non-point stays, like when we stayed at the Dolphin for 3 nights last summer, before switching over to BCV for 6 nights. This summer, we are adding 2 more nights to our BCV stay, but we've had to transfer points in from another DISer to extend our stay.

I keep telling DH....we need to purchase more points!!

 

[lisah0711]

Wow! You all are so lucky!

We started out with 150 VWL points last January. Went to DL for 3 nights and 6 nights in a 2 bedroom at VWL this January.

Just added 110 AKL points -- with developers points -- planning DL for 3 nights (2 rooms) and AKL 2 bedroom concierge in January 2010.

In theory the points are enough for one trip to DL -- which is much closer -- each year and a 2 bedroom stay at WDW every other year.

Will probably add some GC points some day . . . and we do like to share with family.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

As for now we will have to do just one major trip a year. Our kids are 16,13 and almost 10, so when we go down we have airfare for 5 (we drove once; never again) to figure in. Plus, I can't go except on school breaks since I teach, DH is busy in summer, so we either go spring break (like this year and next) or summer. Then in summer we have to figure in cheer camp, kids' mission trips...you get the idea. It's hard enough to get one week in!
When the kids start leaving DH and I might start going down more, like over MLK weekend or something. But for now it's just one big trip a year.
Robin M.

 

[DVC Mike]

We (just the 2 of us) spend 3-4 weeks per year at WDW -- typically 1 week at a time. However, we're going to take two weeks in a row every December starting in 2009.

 

[SusieBea]

Our girls are 26 and 22 now, so the way we use our 325 points has evolved over 15 years. Use to be, we'd go to WDW 2 or 3 times a year. We have used them for a cruise, with the Conceirge Collection, with the Disney Collection, and our older daughter used points to stay in London's Royal Garden on her honeymoon. We are going to Disneyland for the first time in May and using points to stay at the Grand Californian. Our first grandchild is due in October, so I can see us reverting back to more times in the parks and pools. It's a fun evolution!

 

[I'mNoPrince]

We don't have that many points.

But we try to take one full 8 day trip in the beginning of the Summer and then a Fall/Winter trip for a long weekend or 5 weekdays.

This works out well for us and the PAPs we use.

This year as DD started HS and we didn't want to plan any Fall/Winter trip and take her out we are just doing a 12 day stay for the 4th of July tis year.

Looking at it now and seeing how well she adjusted I wish we would have just went and gone 12 months is too long without a trip and all the A and A+'s she has been pulling all year I think she would have been fine( HAHAHA)

 

[DisDaydreamer]

We don't have that many points.

But we try to take one full 8 day trip in the beginning of the Summer and then a Fall/Winter trip for a long weekend or 5 weekdays.

This works out well for us and the PAPs we use.

This year as DD started HS and we didn't want to plan any Fall/Winter trip and take her out we are just doing a 12 day stay for the 4th of July tis year.

Looking at it now and seeing how well she adjusted I wish we would have just went and gone 12 months is too long without a trip and all the A and A+'s she has been pulling all year I think she would have been fine( HAHAHA)

We don't have that many points, like you... We have only 200. We tend to take one trip per year and then an extra trip every other year. We typically only do the Sunday to Thursday trips.

 

[christianweecare]

DH & I are empty-nesters with 200 points. I think we are slowly evolving into a set vacation pattern. This past Feb. we had a long weekend trip with my sister's family in a 2 bedroom at OKW. We will probably skip the family trip next year and do that again in 2010. DH & I love staying at VB (OVIR) for 4 nights and stopping back by WDW in May for the Flower & Garden Show for one night. This May we will spend one night at VWL in a studio. Next May our AP's will have expired so we will probably spend an extra night at VB. Sacrifices! This Dec. DH & I will be at SSR (studio) for 7 nights. We will probably skip the Dec. trip next year in lieu of 7 nights aboard the Disney Magic (cash). Again, sacrifices!

Long story short--I think we are settling into a 2 year vacation plan. We would love to add on more points some day.

 

[Liljam]

We just purchased in May 2007 and we had our first child in Feb. 2008. We had planned to do a winter trip and a spring trip each year, but due to my pregnancy I banked points and went with the GV for May this year. In the future, I have a plan to go for 2 weeks in Dec. and only use Sun-Thurs. points and stay off site the Fri & Sat. in between. Then will do a week in May again or possibly July (although I don't like the crowd in the summer.) We don't have a ton of points but it's just a matter of stretching them as far as possible! I do plan to vary the trips now and then so that I can take family members and friends too. When we take family with us, we would probably only go for the two weeks in the winter months booking studios with a cash weekend and then not go in the spring. All in all, we know we will visit the mouse at least one time per year for a week or longer.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

We just purchased in May 2007 and we had our first child in Feb. 2008.

Hhmmm...celebrating that purchase were you?

 

[Nftysqrt]

We just purchased in March for 160 points at AKL. Our first DVC trip will be the 5 night Bahama cruise. Even though it's probably not the most economical way to use our points we never went on a cruise and had developer points to use and thought this would be perfect!

Next year we will probably use points to stay at the Grand at DLR and one big trip to WDW.

 

[ksoehrlein]

With 150 points, we take 2-4 trips a year, almost always Sun-Thurs stays in a Studio.

 

[mikron]

We live 80 miles from Disney and are self employed. We call and ask when they have a reservation open for any resort closest to when we would like to go and its done. We own 1,410 points and our family also use them or we rent.

 

[MinnieGi]

We are a family of four who stay in one or two bedrooms. This past year will I think reflect how we will be using our DVC points for many future years now that DD is in school and DS will soon be there too. Each summer we will take a DVC trip to HHI for a week and bring family or friends with us. Then take a 10 day trip over Thanksgiving week into the next week.

 

[tink4ever]

This past year we managed to make 4 seperate trips and had a wonderful time on each trip. This year we are only going on 2 trips because of all of our crazy schedules but I think it will change for us year to year.

 

[Safari Queen]

DH & I go for 3-5 weeknights for F&W in late Oct/early Nov in a studio. We're in a 2BR in early Jan for 4 nights with my DD, DSIL and DGD, plus 4-6 nights on our own. Sometimes we use a studio for just the two of us and other times we've invited other friends or family and used the 2BR for the whole trip. We also like a spring trip for a week in a studio, but have also taken a cruise instead. We're very comfortable in a studio, but might start taking more 1BRs now that we've added another 100 pts (total 465).

 

[LocustPoint]

My DH and I usually take 2 1 week trips a year sometimes in a studio sometime in a 1 bedroom usually at BWV in a standard view. We sometimes have other family members along but mostly its just the two of us. My DH likes trying other resorts but I never want to-I enjoy BWV too much. This year we did a short trip in Feb/Mar and I'm going solo in September. We will probably bank the remaining points since we are doing and ABD trip in December and a 7day Disney Cruise and 4 days at WDW after the cruise.