How many points do I add on?

[emilymad]

We have been DVC owners for almost 9 years. We started with a 100 point contract. Within a year we added another 50 points. We have been pretty happy with this amount of points. Occasionally we have done a trip on cash if it was last minute, etc but not very frequently.

We are thinking about adding on so we can stay at 1 bedrooms on occasion. We own at SSR and enjoy that resort as well as many of the others. We are leaning towards buying points at a different resort for variety and a different ending year.

If I look at point charts, there is a huge difference in points between the original resorts and Riviera. When trying to figure out how many points to buy should I be thinking of the Riviera numbers since I am sure that is the direction DVC is moving?

A lot has changed in 9 years including the prices. I am kicking myself for not buying way more points in the beginning.

We are not in a rush but I want to wrap my head around the numbers.

I am thinking another 150 points to give us a total of 300 would be comfortable? Or another 100 since we don't have to do 1 bedrooms all of the time? We have been visiting WDW or HHI every year but we are currently taking a break from WDW for a few years.

 

[skippytx]

My personal preference is to keep all the points in the same UY and location *unless* you plan on using the points independently. If you take a fall Epcot trip and a Spring MK trip it makes sense to have 2 different resort contracts and use years for those sort of trips.

My target point ownership is based on when I can/like to travel the most, and what room I'd like to stay in plus say 5% extra for when they mess with the point charts. For me, that's a 2 bedroom at BLT in Magic season. So my target ownership is 370 points. A standard room is 354 right now, plus another 16 to cover any changes to the point chart. I own half of that right now, so we only go every 2 years if we stay in the 2 bedroom. Eventually I'll add another 185 or probably 200 points.

I find it better to work backwards from when/where you want to stay and plan point ownership accordingly. I generally don't stay anywhere other than my home resort though.

SSR is a great DVC property due to lower initial point costs and lower dues than other resorts. I'd add on to your existing contract if I were in your shoes. You're spending a lot of money though, if you want to own at another resort though, go for it. I've never once regretted spending a little extra for something I really wanted. I have had regrets when I didn't though.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

You mention adding on to do stays in 1BR's but then that you're looking at a different resort to mix it up. If that's the case you'll always be waiting until 7 months for the 1BR trips unless you plan on split stays. At many times of the year that will work fine but if you go the last 3 months of the year it may or may not work so well as bookings during that time start to go more and more in the home priority windows. You essentially know the points for the existing resorts. I'm assuming you mean to add on resale and those points couldn't be used to stay at any new resorts so the higher point charts wouldn't matter.

 

[kboo]

You mention adding on to do stays in 1BR's but then that you're looking at a different resort to mix it up. If that's the case you'll always be waiting until 7 months for the 1BR trips unless you plan on split stays. At many times of the year that will work fine but if you go the last 3 months of the year it may or may not work so well as bookings during that time start to go more and more in the home priority windows. You essentially know the points for the existing resorts. I'm assuming you mean to add on resale and those points couldn't be used to stay at any new resorts so the higher point charts wouldn't matter.

It's not necessarily only split stays. We added on with a second resort, and the plan was to use the contract separately and bank/borrow. So, suppose you want to go once a year, SSR you would use 300ish points in even years, which would be comfortably enough for 1+ week in a 1br - you'd book SSR at 11 mo and see what you could switch to at 7mo. In odd years, if you bought a 100-150 point contract, you'd have 200-300 points to use at resort 2 every other year, which also should be enough to get you in a 1br most of the time at most resorts. What would be nice with this strategy is that you'd have the home resort window at another resort, possibly one that's been harder to get at 7 mo.

 

[kniquy]

When trying to figure out how many points to buy should I be thinking of the Riviera numbers since I am sure that is the direction DVC is moving?

One question would be if you are buying a resale contract or direct. If you are going resale then considering the recent resale restrictions it wont matter what direction DVC is going -- you wouldn't be able to use resale points at any new DVC resorts. But If you are going to go direct then -- yes the new resorts will likely see an increase in points. I think CCV is the only exception because it was on property with BRV so that might have driven the reason for the lower points charts.

Resale is likely the way to go considering the savings. With that i would narrow down what resorts you want to stay at. You say you want to stay in 1 BR -- so with having SSR to use on opposite years you essentially need to buy 1/2 the needed point for 1 BR (with banking points). i find that Davids DVC (the rental company) has a great points chart- you put in the dates you would typically travel and then at a glance you can see the points cost at all the resorts. Seeing the points cost might sway your decision where you buy. I would strongly consider the same UY so that you would have an easier time with combining points at the 7 month mark. If you choose a different UY then you would have to call member services to have them transfer points from one contract to another, then when you want to book you again have to call to make your reservation -- in high demand times this delay could mean you don't get the room you want.

 

[kboo]

If you choose a different UY then you would have to call member services to have them transfer points from one contract to another, then when you want to book you again have to call to make your reservation -- in high demand times this delay could mean you don't get the room you want.

Another option if you have 2 UY and 2 resorts is to book 2 separate stays at 11 months and, if you want to be at 1 resort, try to switch at 7 months and then call MS after you have the reservation to link them.

Some would argue that having 2 UY essentially gives you more transfer (in) opportunities if you decide to buy a transfer from another member for more points. We have 3 home resorts and 2 UY. We originally wanted our RIV contract to be February so we could combine/do split stays with BLT, but we wouldn't have gotten points until 2020, so we opted for August to match our VGF, even though we most likely won't ever be using those 2 sets of points together. So, UY matters, a little, but not tremendously. Going from 1 to 2 UY was no big deal (we wanted it to plan for different stays at different times of year), but I didn't want to go to 3 UY.

 

[sndral]

...
If I look at point charts, there is a huge difference in points between the original resorts and Riviera. When trying to figure out how many points to buy should I be thinking of the Riviera numbers since I am sure that is the direction DVC is moving?
....

Are you thinking direct or resale? If resale, then the points required to stay at Riviera won’t matter regarding the new 100/150 point add on since they can’t be booked for Riviera stays anyway. Moreover, most likely future new DVC builds will be barred to resale purchasers going forward.
DVC can’t increase the total number of points to stay at the existing resorts, they can rearrange, but if one villa size or time of year goes up another must come down.
I looked at the point requirements to stay in a 1 br. for my upcoming 1/1-12/2020, stay & while the overall trend through time seems that new DVCs require more points to stay in 1 br. villas depending on view, VGF is the biggest point eater and it was sold before CCV & Riviera.
AKV - 206/258/331/445
BWV - 248/320
OKW - 251
SSR - 262/306
BLT - 310/361/435
BC - 313
BRV & CCV - 324
Riviera - 361/454
VGF - 395/472

 

[aoconnor]

I looked at the point requirements to stay in a 1 br. for my upcoming 1/1-12/2020, stay & while the overall trend through time seems that new DVCs require more points to stay in 1 br. villas depending on view, VGF is the biggest point eater and it was sold before CCV & Riviera.
Riviera - 361/454
VGF - 395/472

One important difference is a majority of the rooms at VGF are standard view, while a majority of the rooms at Riviera are preferred view. So really it takes more points for the average Riviera one bedroom.

 

[emilymad]

I had completely forgotten about the new resale restrictions. So even though we are currently grandfathered in a new resale contract would have these restrictions?

I had been leaning towards resale only because I have never seen the benefit to buying direct.

If we would go with a different resort we would probably bank/borrow to do alternate years. We might stick with SSR because we don't want any of the 2042 resorts.

 

[chalee94]

I had completely forgotten about the new resale restrictions. So e
ven though we are currently grandfathered in a new resale contract would have these restrictions?

Right.

Your grandfathered contract is not restricted but a new resale contract would be restricted.

 

[sndral]

One important difference is a majority of the rooms at VGF are standard view, while a majority of the rooms at Riviera are preferred view. So really it takes more points for the average Riviera one bedroom.

Interesting - I hadn’t looked at the break down of standard v. preferred views at Riviera. Which areas of the resort are considered preferred view? DVC has been known to redefine views, eg: they downgraded a lot of savanna views to standard views and adjusted the points & they changed SSR’s point chart to create standard/preferred categories.

 

[summerw]

Interesting - I hadn’t looked at the break down of standard v. preferred views at Riviera. Which areas of the resort are considered preferred view? DVC has been known to redefine views, eg: they downgraded a lot of savanna views to standard views and adjusted the points & they changed SSR’s point chart to create standard/preferred categories.

Talked to my guide, she read from a sheet that said preferred would be courtyard, water and Skyliner views. Standard would be parking lot views.

And there is some confusion here but she said they were 38 dedicated studios, 20 with preferred view and 11 standard. She wasn’t sure what happened to the other 7 studios though.

 

[Pyotr]

Talked to my guide, she read from a sheet that said preferred would be courtyard, water and Skyliner views. Standard would be parking lot views.

And there is some confusion here but she said they were 38 dedicated studios, 20 with preferred view and 11 standard. She wasn’t sure what happened to the other 7 studios though.

Skyliner is a preferred view? Does that make a bus stop a preferred view too?

 

[emilymad]

I reread some of the new resale rules and I think I am understanding now.

The choices are:
1. buy resale at L14 and can only uses those at the L14 resorts
2. buy Riviera direct and use points everywhere
3. buy Riviera resale (eventually) and use just at Riviera

And if we choose resale it would be either to buy more SSR points or buy another resort to have the home resort booking window.

I figure I need another 125 or so points if I consider yearly trips. SSR wins on price but having another booking window would maybe be nice.

 

[The Jackal]

Skyliner is a preferred view? Does that make a bus stop a preferred view too?

Its only a matter of time now, the monorail views at VGF and PVB and all standard views at BLT become preferred too!!