How many points should I purchase

[Bradford]

Help!! I need some advice..

Contacted DVC today and am going to join.. I'm just stuck on how many points to get.. Normally on our trips (family of 5), we've stayed 5 nights.. However, once in a while we've gone 6.. I'm stuck between the 200 and 240 point range.. Obviously, I'd like to cheaper price, but am worried about not working the points out. I'm also aware of the borrowing and banking, but I know we'll go every year. With our kids being school age, we're pretty much stuck to the high season times..

Anyone with advice/options to look at, I really would appreciate it.

Thanks

 

[Disney Doll]

As many as you can afford!!!!

I say that partilaly tongue-in-cheek and partially truthfully.

When DH and I first bought in 1997 @ OKW, webought 200 points, because it's what we could afford.

We lived with that for quite a few years, using some "creative" startegies for maximizing our length of stays etc., until last year when we bought a 2nd contract @ OKW for 230 points.

Think of your family, and think of them as they grow. What size accomodations are going to be best suited for your family? You say you have a family of 5...I'm guessing Mom, Dad, and 3 kids. A 1BR "legally" sleeps 4 people...5 if one of them is under 3 years old. If your kids are small now, remember that soon they are going to be big. Are you all going to want to be stuffed into a 1BR, or would you rather get a 2BR or 2 studios, so everyone can have a little more "space". Check out the point values for the size accomodations you think you'll need, in the resort you want to buy into, at the time of the year you usually go. Figure it out based on the # of nights you usually stay, and that's how many points you'll need. Just remember to add in a few extra points, because once you do a DVC property, you'll get the "bug" to go back more and more often.!

 

[Dean]

It will take 275 to assure a 2 BR at BCV and the like for summer assuming you only stay one weekend night on a 6 day stay. If you'll go every year, I'd go for the higher amount. If you're not sure, you can always buy 200 now and then add on another time. It may be that you couldn't get the same resort but you should be able to get something if necessary for the next few years. After that there's always resale options. Good luck.

 

[Bradford]

Thanks for the advice.. At this point 240 is as high as I can go.. I think I could try to work some "magic" combining early June and non-DVC hotel stays to supplement visits.. Any thoughts...

Bradford

 

[jaysue]

If you are going to supplement then plan to do Friday and Saturday nights when possible in a WDW Resort or close off-site property since weekends are most expensive for points.

We purchased 270 and then a 50 add on to make 320 which seems to be a comfortable amount forward.

Thanks
jaysue

 

[rae519]

WE started with 400 points at HH, then added VWL (150) and VB (100). We use our points to cruise since that's what we enjoy the most right now.

Get what you can afford and don't go into debt because then it won't be such a good deal!

Best wishes and Happy Trails!
Rae

 

[Bradford]

forgive my ignorance.. but what are the conditions (if any) for adding on points at a later date.. 275 looks to be the magic number for me, so can I purchase 240 now and say next year purchase the additional 35 points.. Will the add on points be retro to my original use date???

How does it works..

Thanks

 

[MarylandPizzaman]

I am new but I believe you have to purchase extra points in increments of 25. 25,50,75 ect.

 

[Dean]

The rules could change. Currently you can buy any resort DVC is selling (VB, WLV, BCV and BWV) as an add on with the same use year as your master contract. Assuming they have your use year to sell. Minimum is 25 points but 50 to finance. There are higher minimums for some of the special offers. There are no guarantees for the future but you can count on the current resorts or SS being available for about 3-4 more years from today.

 

[SamSam]

I have to second buying as many as you can afford. We bought 200 BCV last year and added 100 points this year. It's absolutely the best purchase we've ever made!

 

[invalid_char]

Here we go again... buy as many as you can afford.

It's important, because if you don't buy now you will lose the allocation of those points until you do buy. Say you don't buy your extra 40 points for 2 more years, then you have lost 80 points which you could have used, banked or rented. Also, chances are the points will be more expensive later. Further, you may complicate your lives by not being able to get the same use year at your home resort. The points from your small add-on would not be able to be used toward a reservation at your initial resort more than 7 months in advance. With a growing family, you will always need more points. Trust me.

 

[Merilyn]

Just remember to think ahead. The kids will grow and you will want at least a 2 bedroom or large for all those friends the kids will want to bring. I would go for the higher amount or at least as many as you can afford. We started with 270 and have added on 3 times, now with 600. Sometimes, that isn't enough. Congrats on your decision. Let us know how it goes. You can't go wrong with your purchase.

 

[wordzylady]

When we bought into DVC two years ago we bought 250 pts. We go the same time every year, which is always in the catagory of the lowest points needed. Our child at that time was 12. 250 works great for us the time of year we go. We can always get a two bedroom for a week just for the 3 of us and still have points to bring along family in a studio or if we're lucky the DH and I can get away for a few days by ourselves on points.

 

[laceemouse]

First of all, kuddos to you for not wanting to take the kids out of school! I agree with you 100%, especially as they get older and the workload increases. We just bought 160 points and plan at this time to go every other year. We did not finance and felt it was all we could comfortably do at this time. We have 4 kids so we have to get a 2 bedroom. We feel that resales will always be available when we get ready to buy more points. Disney is great, but it is not worth going into debt for. We also own another t/s which we trade out to go all over the place and really enjoy. Best of luck with your decision!!!

 

[WDWCRAZY32]

I have 190 OKW points, most of which get used at Xmas time each year. I am now hoping for a resale for VWL for 100 points so that I could use it every other year for Xmas. This gives me the 11 month window for 2 resorts. I figure a smaller contract at all the resorts gives you more choices of where to stay with the 11 month window and use the one that you have banked the points from the prior year. Good luck with your decision.

 

[rae519]

Originally posted by Bradford
With our kids being school age, we're pretty much stuck to the high season times..


Just remember the value of broadening their education with cultural enrichment and it won't be so hard to start looking at off peak times for your vacations. Although our son is in public school, we supplement his education with additional information. So much is available with the multi national crew and foreign ports of call.

Rae

 

[MELSMICE]

I say buy what you can comfortably afford. We purchased a 270 point resale contract in Dec. 2002 at OKW. I knew going in that I wanted about 300, but DH thought 270 was enough & what he wanted to spend.

Anyway, I called the guide we originally worked with at DVC & asked her to put us on a waitlist for any small contracts that came up. Well, about 3 weeks ago I got a call . We added on an additional 25 pts. for cash.

So, if you are more comfortable financially with 200 right now then get it & put your name on the waitlist like we did. The minimum you can get with cash (or at all) is 25 points. If you want to finance it is a minimum of 50 pts. Also, our guide told us that after 25 points you can purchase any increment. We could have purchased 26 or 27 pts. if we wanted. If you are comfortable with the 240 then I say go for it.

Also - after getting everything finalized with her over the phone I told her to put us back on the waitlist. I am hoping that in another year or 2 more points become available & we can add another 25 for cash!!!

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I agree with most here. Buy as many as you can comfortably afford, and can use.

You may want to buy a 150 point contract, then purchase the rest of the points as an add-on. This way you will have two smaller contracts for ease of sale (should an emergency arise)...

 

[vernon]

Looks like I'm a lone dissenting voice LOL. I'd go for the lower total with a mind to add on later if it proves you need it. It's a hell of a lot easier ( and cheaper) to add on 50 points at a later date than find you have 40 points more than you really need and either keep them and use them uneconomically or have to sell them at a loss). IF you have slightly too few points it will be 4 years ( using banking and borrowing) until you may possibly have to take a break from your DVC stays in order to build the surplus back up again. By then it may be the case that you'd like a break from WDW ( even if that's just to show you why you like to stay on it ).

You may prefer to vacation away from Orlando altogether, visit the excellent Universal hotels, pay cash again and stay at one of the Disney hotels (reminding you of how wonderful the DVC units are). It may be that you can get by on the lower total by paying one night (Fri or Sat) on cash and connecting that tto your points stay. You might even like to split a 6 night stay and put 2 or 3 nights in at Universal to take advantage of their excellent front of the line privilage. It makes visiting their parks SO much easier.

Maybe it's my mentality, but I'd rather feel I wanted more of something I bought than think I want less. It makes me feel happier with my purchase and more smug that I did well LOL . I'm sure that there are people that will NEVER suffer from "Disney burn out" but I do think a significant number of people get to a stage when they get a little stale on visiting the same parks and doing the same things year after year, having slightly too few points does tend to sharpen the mind when you REALLY want to make a Disney trip (and there are always other ways to make it happen) but if you have exactly the right number of points for your unit of choice for every year without banking and borrowing and you do get a little "burn out" you're faced with the choice of making a WDW trip that you're really not THAT excited about ( which is a shame IMHO) or you have to "burn your points" by using them at a less economical destination or you rent out your points to someone else ( granted earns a bit of cash, but it is a hassle and does carry potential risks)

 

[mmmcq]

As others have said, buy what you can afford comfortably now, then save for an add-on when you can. You can let your guide now you'll be interested in an add-on later.

We bought 170 at BWV in '99 because that's what we could afford. We had two girls (then 8 and 10) and I was pregnant with our 3rd. We fit comfortably in a 1BR then. Last year we stayed at the Yacht Club and Vero in one room and decided it was time for more points. We told our guide last August we wanted more pts at BWV, but were considering BCV. We looked at resales all fall and winter, but nothing made us take the plunge. When the new points came up in May our guide immediately called us and we spent a week thinking about where to buy and how many points to add. We ultimately went with 30 at BWV and 200 at BCV.

We like to stay 5-7 nights and want a 2BR. So the most we'll be using is 426 at BWV or 462 at BCV during April vacation week - which is crowded, but it's the best time for us each year. We still don't have enough points to do that every year, but we can bank and borrow. There'll be some years we aren't able to go and ...down the road when we find some $$$ that doesn't need to go in a college fund or elsewhere, we may buy a few more pts at either resort.