How many points would just 2 people need?

[msuspartan]

My husband and I (no kids yet!) bought 150 points in 2002. Since then we have been able to take an eight-day vacation (split between Boardwalk and Vero Beach), a five-day long weekend at Wilderness Lodge for the Marathon, another weeklong trip at Wilderness Lodge and we're planning a ten-day vacation this upcoming October. Although we would eventually like to add-on, we find 150 points to be more than enough for our current situation. We do stay in studios and love it. We don't spend THAT much time in the room on vacation anyway and I think we'd be swimming in a one-bedroom. But, living in the city, we're used to small spaces! As far as your financial situation, we bought before we were in the "perfect" financial situation and don't regret it for a moment. We knew we'd be vacationing at Disney anyway, so this just provides us with a "vacations savings plan!" I say go for it!!! I think it's better to start low, because you have more than enough opportunities to add on in the future (seems like we're getting direct mail add-on offers every few weeks!).

 

[drakethib]

Hi everyone! My husband and I recently got married and were considering joining the DVC. I'm still finishing up school so obviously kids are a long way off. However, when I read the FAQ's I can't make heads or tails of anything. It seems the information is geared for a family of 4 in terms of points. I was wondering how many points people here purchased if it is just them and their spouse? We generally vacation once every other year and have week long stays. Just curious and thank you all so much for the help! I know its a bit of a general question but didn't know where else to ask it.

That is a hard question to answer.

It depends where you want to stay and how long.

If it helps, it is just the wife and I (until September ) and we own 200 points at OKW. We try to make a WDW trip at least once a year.

 

[joshsmom]

I want to thank the OP for posting this. I have been thinking about buying into DVC for two years now. After reading this thread, I want to more than EVER!!!!

We travel once a year to Disney, but would LOVE to make it TWICE per year. We stay off peak--usually early May or mid-September are favorites for us. There are three of us that travel together--me, my mom, and my son (9). We leave grandpa at home because he's a grouch!!! Anyway, I was wondering THE EXACT SAME THING as the OP. I think I have decided to take the tour when we are down there in May and *hopefully* (some PD my way please) buy into SSR. From what I've read, it looks like about 200 points will work for us.

How do you find out the going $ rate per point? In otherwords, if I want to buy in, how much $ will I need up front and what would be financed? Important questions, as I will need to ensure it fits my budget!

 

[drakethib]

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

We use Caskbills program almost as much as we use Microsoft Office !!!

2 thumbs up for Caskbill !!!!

 

[ArRzrbk]

We bought 210 Points, and I ran lots of senarios and options and felt that was the perfect amount. However, I now realize that we really need a few more. To arrange our first trip home, we had to borrow from next year's points. Here's what I suggest....

1.) Run some serious senarios. No thinking, "We can make do with a Studio," or "Let's just get a One Bedroom and let so-and-so do the sleeper sofa." You're gona want a One Bedroom when it's just you, and when someone goes with you, your heart probably won't let them sleep on the couch.

2.) Plan ahead. If you think you're gona have children someday, take that into account. The idea that it is just the two of you may not fly for long.

3.) Consider starting with one contract and adding on. You could get a smaller contract now (150 - 210), then add a second contract later. Maybe one contract could center around what is best for the two of you (your favorite location, times of year to travel, etc.), and the other contract you get later could take the kids into account (best "home" resort advantage for them, kids vacation time from school, etc.).

4.) Think about your Use-Year. It does matter, even if just in part. And again, you may not have children now, but try your best to plan for the just you and the just you + kids senarios. You will most likely have both during the life of this investment.

Hope this give you some more food for thought. Good luck

 

[disneyberry]

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.

[SIZE=+0]I'm chiming in to this thread late, but I wanted to reiterate that ITA with what Dean wrote. It's hard to accurately anticipate what may happen in the future, so I would advise that you buy only the amount of points you need now, and only if you can afford to not finance. Remember, that you CAN join DVC by just buying a small 50-point contract through the resale market. Don't be limited to buying directly through DVC.

Anyway, it sounds like you are already looking into renting some DVC points to try out DVC. I think that's a good choice, since even a 50-point purchase would be plunking down a large chunk of savings, so at least you'll get to try out a DVC resort, and maybe you should tour all of the DVC resorts while you're at it. That way you won't buy sight unseen.

DBF and I are in our late-20s, we bought a small resale at the beginning of 2003, and we've only stayed in studios up until now. We've been perfectly happy in studios, and it allows us to save on points. Only you really know whether you can be happy in studios though. Some people see a 1-bdrm and just cannot go back to a studio. Of course, whenever we get married and have kids, things will probably change... in multiple ways. Maybe we'll want a 1-bdrm or 2-bdrm, but then again maybe we won't be traveling to WDW as often as we do now. It's all so unpredictable, so we're just taking things one step at a time right now.

Good luck with your decision![/SIZE]

 

[dmbkmb]

Yes, what a dilema! My husband and I bought into SSR 2 years ago. We were wondering how many points we should get too. We settled on 160 points. This gave us plenty of points for a studio(we go off peak - no sense in going during rush time when we have no kids!). We don't spend much time in the room anyways, so we figured a studio would be fine with us. We also went with the 160 because if you want to stay outside of a disney report, a 1 bedroom is 160 points exchange. So we figured we wanted to keep that option open for the times when we can't travel to Florida but can drive somewhere in new england.
So yes, I would like to purchase more points too, but at this point it just doesn't make sense.
Let me give you an example of how far these points can take out.

Last year we stayed at SSR in May from Sun-Thurs for 100 points (my grandparents live in florida so we stay there part of our week). Anyways, I banked the 60 extra points.
Now this year I am going again in Oct. at OKW. This time I am taking my in-laws. We are staying in 2 studios. So I am using the 60 points from last year and 146 points from this year. So I still have 14 points left over. I will bank those and apply them to our trip next year.
Now we do vacation every year, but as you can see you can still use those points. The key is do you want to stay during peak time. If so, then I would purchase more. If not, do what we do.

Good luck with your decision!! Whatever you choose it will be a great choice! You just make it work for you!

 

[katedrew94]

We bought points in 2002 (just me and my DH), and at that time we purchased the minimum of 150 points because it was what we could afford. We like to do long weekends a couple of times a year as well as a longer vacation, plus we wanted to trade some and try other places. It got to the point where 150 wasn't enough. We recently added on and now have 450 points. It is really nice to have a bigger unit for longer stays- the laundry in the room and the kitchen are big plusses in my book. For long weekends we will book studios.

Good luck deciding.

 

[BensMom]

Well, I am engaged to a man who owns 900 points, and we're down to the dregs! Yikes! But we stayed there lots during our "courtship." He tried to impress me a few times with the concierge level at AKL (it worked), and that ate up lots of points. Plus, we will probably rip through a considerable amount next year for our wedding at WDW. Plus, he has two daughters and a stepson who like to use the points too. So, he shares the wealth, so to speak. This is why we need lots.

If you like to travel, the hotels offered (other than Disney) are top-notch. You may want to take that into account as well in your decision making, especially if it is just the two of you.

Good luck. Hakuna Matata!

 

[goodcook5]

at least 500....

 

[PamNC]

We're contemplating buying...still researching and thinking it through. We don't have kids and we've decided that 200 points would be a good start for us. We typically go in the summer, say June, or early September...not during the most expensive times. So, we could do two week long vacations for 200 points - with a few to spare. But, that's getting a studio only...which is what we need. Another thing you could do is only do Sun-Thursday and stay at a regular resort on Fri/Sat. That saves points I think.

Ultimately I would like about 350 points...but if/when we pull the trigger, we're going to start with 200...unless we find a great resale with more points.

We were ready to buy. And, I was going to use a home equity line of credit to pay for it...it's a great interest rate. But, I'm contemplating holding off until we can pay cash. We're still "on the fence" about this.

I know we'll buy - eventually. Take your time, read these boards, get on the mailing list with The Timeshare Store - they'll email you listings.

Watch the ROFR's and see what's passing and what's not.

Get a relationship going with a DVC guide to get his/her advice and compare buying through Disney with the incentives vs. a resale. In my opinion, a resale is the cheapest way to go. We can't book 11 months out, rarely 7 months out so it doesn't make a hill of beans where we buy. I'm liking the resale offerings at OKW and Hilton Head - $70 - $74 a point. Be careful about stripped contracts. Overdue maintenance fees, etc etc.

I'm giving more advice than just the number of points needed. Sorry - and I'm not even an owner. Yet.

PamNC

Research, research, research.