How many points would just 2 people need?

[lllovell]

We bought in at 250 with 2 children already and now that #3 is on the way, I can see us needing more in the next few years to move up to a 2 bedroom as they get older.

I honestly have had trouble deciding on the studio vs 1 bedroom for ressies this year (our first) and decided to try one of each. The one bedroom is going to be a must for us soon I suspect as its just impossible to get the kids to sleep all at the same times for naps, etc. All that said, if I could only afford to stay in studios, we would make it work! Its all about being in such a nice place and having so much close to us to do.

 

[JimMIA]

First, congratulations!

You've gotten a lot of great feedback here, but I only have one small point to add. Once you are in DVC, you can buy add-ons in very small quantities -- as small as 25 points. So don't feel you have to make an irreversible decision on the number of points.

It might be better to buy small and creep up. Also, if and when you get ready to sell, smaller contracts are easier to sell than bigger ones.

From the earlier posts, I think you could get by quite nicely on 150 points as long as you are only going every other year. Even paying the big points for Fri-Sat, you could stay in a one-bedroom a full week most places for under 300 points.

Later, as your family grows or your vacationing patterns change, you can always add on.

 

[Pluto4Pres]

I think a lot of people on this board go for multiple trips per year, but the people on this board are severe Disney addicts. I'd bet that the majority of the 90,000 owners come once a year or every other year. We bought the minimum 230 in 1992 for our family of 5. Our shortest turn arounds have been about 18 months. We always get a 2BR and some trips a 2BR and a studio for family. We have also given friends and family a couple of nights here and there. We have never caught addonitis. We're very happy with the number of points we have. We have never lost a point.

I think you could make a 100- 150 point contract work just fine. I'd say go less often and get the 1BR!

Now the next question is, "Where to buy?"

 

[married@wdw]

DH and I were 25 when we decided to buy six years ago -- the price was much cheaper, we had a small inheritance to put toward the downpayment and we were working part-time at The Disney Store, so we got a discount. All that said, we knew we could afford it without struggling. At the time we were more than happy with a studio for the two of us and decided we could be amazingly creative with 150 points, so we went with the minimum. The studios at SSR are even better for two then our OKW membership because they have a sofa as opposed to a second bed -- more confortable for watching TV, eating snacks, etc., and the DVC rooms overall are better than regular rooms at the value & moderates because they have a bigger bathroom and a kitchette area.

The biggest advantage, IMHO, to a one-bedroom are the Jacuzzi tub and the full kitchen. Will you use these? I love the tub, but can certainly live without it. And DH doesn't cook and when I'm on vacation, I don't either! So we think the studio is perfect for us.

We knew we wanted to go quite frequently, usually during less busy periods, like the second week of January and the last week of August/first week of September. We usually stay six nights, flying in early on Sunday morning or arriving on Saturday but staying the first night in a cheap cash room or with family, to avoid the premium on Friday and Saturday night stays. We managed to go at least twice each year with our 150 points.

That said, we can't get enough of Disney and added on another 150 points last year -- not really just for us though. We wanted to be able to take our family and friends and that definitely required more points!

But I say, at least for now, a 150-point contract would be more than suitable. If you're going every other year, that's 300 points per year to work with -- that's a lot! If you know you want to vacation at Disney for the next 40-50 years, I definitely think it's a good investment.

 

[HUFF590]

I agree with spicycat I love Studios. Now I have stayed in 1 &2 bedrooms very nice but it has never changed my mind about a Studio. My dw and I also take my son and his wife who sleep on the sofa bed and love it.I guess what Im trying to say for the couple who started this thread there are only 2 of us with 150 points and we go every year for a week with 150 points.

 

[SoCalKDG]

I say get a resale 100 point contract. You could easily pick up a 100 point contract for BWV around $80 per point, thus $8,000 investment.

You can do 9 nights in September at a standard at BWV for 103 points. This is 11.44 points per night. If you value this at $6.00 per point as your cost, then it would be $68.64 per night. Compare this to a moderate at approx. $110 and you are getting a great deal, plus a better room.

Some people stay Sunday to Thursday and this only costs 40 points for those 5 days. Move out on the weekend, back in for another 5 days, and your up to a 12 day vacation for 80 points(plus the hotel room for the weekend).

DVC is still a great deal for studio users when compared to moderates and above, so don't let people tell you different. You can always do an add on later when they are offering incentives if you decide you need more points.

 

[winjos]

When my DH & I joined, I was back in school and we didn't have any kids. We started with 200 points because I'm a teacher and we knew that we wouldn't be able to go during the low seasons. Fast forward 5 years...
2 kids
Staying at home
Just added on 120 points

We found that we banked our points every year and used the previous year's points for our vacations. Then, we decided to take the whole family (13 members - in-laws on both sides) this January. We had plenty of points, booked three 2bds, and were able to bank some left overs. I like the freedom that 200 points allowed us. We could bank them, splurge with them, go on more than 1 vacation during the year if we wanted, or save them up and go the following year.

Good luck in your decision. I think that whatever you decide, you will be happy! DVC rocks!

P.S. We love the bigger rooms. Studios are nice, but the kitchen, tub and extra room makes all the difference!

 

[DisneyPhD]

I've written a program for people to use to help plan their vacations. It can also be used to help figure out how many points might be right for you. You can play around with all kinds of potential 'trips' and accommodations and compare the point requirements. That might give you some ideas.

It's free, and has been downloaded by several thousand members already. Follow the link in the signature below.

I have to agree that Caskbill's program ROCKS! It is very helpful, check it out and thank you so much for making and allowing people to us it Caskbill!

 

[JimMIA]

I have to agree that Caskbill's program ROCKS! It is very helpful, check it out and thank you so much for making and allowing people to us it Caskbill!

I'll certainly second that - download that, it is a BIG help. I am eagerly awaiting the account management software Caskbill!

 

[Dean]

150 points would like be ideal, 100 would likely work out. The studio will be the most efficient and cost effective but the 1 BR is hard to beat and a nice luxury. I'd second the flexibility as you could always go a day more or less on some trips and get a studio one visit and a 1 BR on a different visit.

You know your finances, I don't, but most young couples should be careful what they obligate themselves to. You may want to stay at one or more resorts before deciding. And I'd recommend only buying what you can afford without financing. That may mean saving and skipping a year or two to make it work but it would be worth it in the long run. And no one should buy DVC with the idea of staying weekends or as a significant part of their usage being planned for the exchange options.

 

[JodyTG]

My DH and I are right now buying 160 points at SSR. This will allow us and our 13 y/o DD & 1 y/o DS to stay in a studio either 11 nights in June or 10 nights at Christmas. We will start our stays on a Sunday night and will definitely be using our points for one weekend each vacation. We are getting our points for the ease of stays and to prepay for our vacation for years and years to come.

When our contract is paid off and we are only paying dues, we will be getting a deluxe room cheaper than we would pay for a value (with a code that you may not get).

 

[wendydarling826]

DH and I started at 170 points and found that to be adequate for a once a year trip. We find the studios to be comfortable for the two of us, but we don't spend much time in our room when we're in WDW. I think your needs will depend on how you like to vacation. We don't cook on vacation, but if we did, we would definitely want the 1 bedroom with its larger kitchen facilities. We recently added on because we've gotten spoiled and now like the weeklong summer vacation AND a winter minivacation. I can foresee that when the day comes that we have grandchildren, we will want to add on again. I would start with what suits your needs and add on later as your needs change. Congratulations and good luck!

 

[lsutigger2]

My DH and I have 240 points. With combining studio stays sometimes with one bedrooms stays sometimes, we can get two trips in each year. We don't mind going from studios one trip and a one bedroom the next trip. So folks do. Yes, we do enjoy the one bedrooms, but a stay in a studio is better than no trip at all!!
When we go for longer, we stay in one bedrooms. Shorter trips in studios. We usually take trips in May and October. Works for us! As others have suggested, discuss what you think your vacation patterns may be and then determine how many points you will need.

 

[DAWGPOUNDAJ]

WOW! First my husband and I just wanted to say thank you all soooo much for all of the information! I think we learned something new from every post we read, both the good and the bad, and about the options as well! I'd thank everyone individually but I think that would take till morning to do! I only posted this yesterday and came back tonight to check, and imagine my surprise to find 32 responses! I'm going to print this out so my husband and I can go over everything without looking over each other's shoulders on the computer! lol Thank you all so much!

I definitely think that the point about our needs changing over time is a good one too! I'm thinking a studio is the right size for us, but the kitchen in the 1 bedroom would be great to have! I have a very rare food allergy and the kitchen would make vacationing 1000x's safer for me and easier on my poor husband so he wont have to worry about something happening to me from eating out! lol

Ill check back in soon and let everyone know what we decided to go with! We've been saving money for "something" for awhile and until now hadn't realized what, but I think its going towards DVC. In the future it would work a lot better for us and we'd go more than once every other year, right now I'm completing my studios so more than that for another few years isn't feasible, but after that it will be fair game!

Thank you all so much again! I swear Disers are the best group around!

 

[SlyHubby]

Well, let me provide a different view of the situation.

You've said you're still in school and will be married soon. Though nearly everyone who buys into DVC ultimately loves it, you should first consider your financial situation and then, and only then, if you find you have spare money to handle to purchase (it is more of a purchase than "investment") do it if it makes sense.

As a young family, you have expenses (maybe school loans to pay off), you're trying to build your assets (do you have enough emergency savings to hold you over in case the unexpected happens?), lay down roots (maybe a home purchase), and grow your family (as you mention - kids are in the future). At this stage of your life, you should be thinking in terms of financial planning and the prudence a DVC purchase makes.

Keep in the back of your mind, that in the future, just like a car, your DVC membership will be "used up" and basically worth nothing. Additionally, you have ongoing yearly expenses to pay in maintenance in the form of dues. Lastly, your expenses do not end there, as you still have to pay for transportation, food, and all your other expenses when you travel on your DVC stays.

Don't get me wrong, we are DVC members, get good use out of our membership, and know we made the right decision when we purchased. However, you shouldn't buy unless you are financially able to handle it and it makes sense.

 

[DAWGPOUNDAJ]

I truly appreciate the heartfelt advice slyhubby! Speaking of your username you must know my husband because he is rather sly himself! I totally agree with you 100%. Fortunately we will not have any student loans to pay off since my husband did not need any for his schooling and neither have I. *sighs in relief* This extra money we have been saving up for something "fun" is totally seperate from our emergency savings account as well. And were definitely not planning on children until were in our late 20s and have a nice little savings set up for the nonexistent kids already.

My husband and I are both insomniacs so we spent the night looking up different things about the DVC, and have calculated that since we will only be able to go perhaps once every other year for awhile (Until Im done with graduate school! Eegads! You know what after thats done I might have loans! *shrieks in fear*). So as of right now it looks like we would only need, with the point banking system, about 50 points a year! I'm thinking that we might try renting out points for our next trip so we can try out the different DVC resorts before actually purchasing them. Especially since 50 points a year is not really enough to justify it since the minimum purchase is 150. After we have children this will DEFINITELY be something we will want to do, but right now were still mulling over whether or not its the best option to use that extra savings for or not. Were not too big on payment plans since it's hard to account for what circumstances are like in later years, so would just be doing a lump sum if they actually allow that. I think my husband and I did agree that if we do the DVC soon it will have to wait until next year so we can grow that account a bit more to pay it all off at once.

We have appreciated all the advice on here about points! So seriously thank you all tons! Until we decide to get a DVC for sure well be around asking various questions most likely as we narrow decisions down.

Thanks again!

 

[cruise-o-matic]

5,000 each.

That way, you could live at WDW all year round

 

[sssteele]

My wife and I bought in '02 and have made five trips to WDW, staying in studios each and every time. We enjoy the sofa (not found in a regular resort room), and the microwave and wetbar. We are rarely in the room except to sleep, however. You also have to take into account how much you will actually use the "full kitchen." We enjoy eating out, even if it's just burgers or pizza, so we have a hard time justifying twice as many points for a one bedroom. (I am correct on this point differential aren't I?) We have considered a short stay in a one bedroom, but I for one am concerned that we would be spoiled. Then, we'd have to cut our trip lengths by 50% or double our 300 points. Maybe someday - sigh!!!!!!!!!

 

[ColoradoBelle1]

I think SlyHubby brought up 'the other side of the equation' (and saved my typing fingers). It also seems you have done your research. Good for you!

I have just bought into DVC. Signed closing papers two days ago! I tend to be a conservative investor in real estate, and I've done very well in that venue. While most timeshares are like new cars... drive away and your investment is worth have the purchase price...Disney really is different...historically. A point cost @$50 in the way back...now Disney sells same resort at $89 and new resort (SS) at $90-$95. The only thing to keep in mind is that all but the SS contracts have 37 years remaining, and as the years decrease, the resale of points will probably decrease because people will want something for longer, say, that 15 years.

If you have a little bit of 'play money' for the initial investment, then the only 'worry' would be if you could comfortably afford the yearly maintenance which inflates at about 3% a year. I tend to figure in higher , rounder figures. BWV is $4.51 a point per year..the other on site properties are less, so I used $4.51 a point. Given that these points can be rented easily at $10.00 a point...you are covered in the event you would need to rent them out, or in the event you rented half of them out per year to 'pay' for the half you keep and use.

Then take a look at the DVC points chart. First figure the MINIMUM points you might use if you wanted to visit Disney BUT wanted to conserve your point usage. Would you be happy going in the adventure season? A huge point saver is to go from Sun-Thursday (and then maybe head over to IOA or the beach for the weekend nights.) My point is that you could stay 5 nights a year in a studio at OKW for just 40 points. Or 5 nights in a one bedroom for 64 points. If you only did this every other year, if you bought 50 points as you said you were thinking, then you would have @ half the points to sell and end up with a 5 day vacation for 'free' less initial investment

The only problem I can see is in finding the very small contracts...and then, assuming $450 closing costs per contract, spreading that amount over 50 points instead of 200 points makes the per point investment cost higher.
But if that isn't a concern to you (it would effect your initial investment of course but also if you decided to sell...could you get your entire investment back including broker commissions).

If later on, you decided you wanted MORE AND MORE points...then you could buy more and more contracts. Even if you decided not to bother renting points but just banked your 50 points to the 'every other' travel year, you'd have 100 points to use for either a whole week (80) in a studio or 5 nights in a one bedroom .

And the initial investment would be @$4000

The people on the Disboard LOVE Disney and try to spend as much time there as they can. But I agree that the 90,000 other owners are probably content to visit once every other year or once a year for less than a week. If your initial question was how FEW points can we do this on...then certainly you can do it on as few as 40 IF you are free to plan vacations during the low point seasons and are content to use it on Sun-Thurs instead of weekends.

Good luck in your decision!

 

[d-r]

I really like DVC studios. For two people, they are just about right, to me. I don't really care about the kitchen, most trips. The free laundry room was more than enough without a washer and dryer, not big on doing laundry on vacation.

Having said that, oh, the joys of flexibility, because we learned really quick after having a baby to enjoy the two bedrooms. I could have cared less about a dishwasher before, heck, I would have been glad not to have one. But, boy, is it a god send for baby bottle. Washer and Drier? Wow, needs for that change when you have a baby. That big whirl pool tub is the greatest thing in the world for giving a kid a bath.

Soon the dishwasher won't matter much, and the laudry room will suffice again. Boy do I love the flexibility.