How many points?

[JenPett]

Hi,

DH and I are just looking into DVC. I am reviewing all of the info Disney sent us. My head is spinning!! Now I'm looking online for more info

We are a family of 5 (children 6, 2, and 1). My DH wants to travel outside of Disney, too. We would likely vacation 3 nights/4 days a year in Disney.

Any information on vacationing outside of Disney would be great, like is it smart to use points elsewhere?

How many points should we start with?

It sounds like we can only buy at Polynesian or Hawaii through Disney. I haven't even looked at resale yet.

Thanks for any info!!

Jen

 

[supersnoop]

My DH wants to travel outside of Disney, too.
...
Any information on vacationing outside of Disney would be great, like is it smart to use points elsewhere?

Don't buy DVC to stay elsewhere.

I compare it to airline miles. I can redeem my miles to fly first class from LA to Paris with a three day stopover in NYC. Or I can exchange them for a three night stay at a Hampton Inn on the outskirts of Cleveland. Your value is in the original program.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I agree. Don't buy Disney with the intent to use it anyplace other than DVC resorts. For the odd time when you're not going to use it at Disney is one thing but it's a very expensive timeshare to own to trade consistently. If you go to Disney every year and stay in Deluxe hotels then DVC could make sense for you just for your Disney trips. If that's the case buy just enough for that and do something else for your trips to other places.

Resale make the most financial sense unless you always want to stay at the Poly all the time and want to own there. You can buy other older resorts direct although DVC will not promote that and it's far more expensive than resale. Resale comes with a few restrictions which includes trading into the Disney collection although you can still trade thru RCI - but as noted before it's not financially the best decision. In a way restrictions are a benefit because you can't be tempted to use your points for expensive trade options.

 

[davper]

I purchased enough points (135) to stay 1 week in a 1br villa (at 269 points) every 2 years. Because that was the room size I wanted and the duration I wanted during the time period I wanted to go. That will suit me for years to come.

You need to make the same assessment and determine how many points will be enough to stay at Disney only. Assuming you buy at the Poly:

• Most expensive 3 nights in a studio is 121 points
• Least expensive 3 nights in a studio is 48 points

You need to determine what time of year you will go and buy enough points to cover the frequency you will go.

Don't by DVC to stay elsewhere. I am told it is not worth it.

 

[ColinBlair]

For the original question of how many points do you need, first you need to figure out what you can easily afford without financing. Then take a look at the point charts and figure out if you can fit the vacations you want to take at DVC resorts into that number of points. If you need more points then you can afford, then rethink DVC. If you can afford more points then adjust down from there.

As others already said, do not buy points planning to use them on non-DVC. It is nice to have the option but not something you should plan on.

The constant refrain is that you should buy where you want to stay, beyond that Saratoga Springs is the best value followed by Bay Lake Tower. If I was in your shoes, I would be looking seriously at BLT resale. (I am not in your shoes, so I bought SSR.)

 

[Dean]

Hi,

DH and I are just looking into DVC. I am reviewing all of the info Disney sent us. My head is spinning!! Now I'm looking online for more info

We are a family of 5 (children 6, 2, and 1). My DH wants to travel outside of Disney, too. We would likely vacation 3 nights/4 days a year in Disney.

Any information on vacationing outside of Disney would be great, like is it smart to use points elsewhere?

How many points should we start with?

It sounds like we can only buy at Polynesian or Hawaii through Disney. I haven't even looked at resale yet.

Thanks for any info!!

Jen

Depending on specific preferences, you'll need 120-150 points a year to stay 3 nights long term, I definitely wouldn't go below about 100 pts in this situation. It will vary a little by resort preference and time of year. You might be able to get by with a studio early on but you'll quickly be to where a 1 BR will be the minimum. I too would suggest that buying DVC for anything other than DVC is a poor choice. If one wants something that does both, DVC does not do that well, possibly not at all. Another timeshare might be better for some in this situation. If one feels that staying on property has extra value, can plan at least 7 months ahead, are comfortable with the compromises a timeshare requires and can pay cash, DVC may be a good fit for the Disney options alone. Resale is the way to go unless you specifically want the options you mentioned essentially all of the time. I recommend people spend a good 6 months of active investigation to decide what's best for them.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Hi,
DH and I are just looking into DVC. I am reviewing all of the info Disney sent us. My head is spinning!! Now I'm looking online for more info
We are a family of 5 (children 6, 2, and 1). My DH wants to travel outside of Disney, too. We would likely vacation 3 nights/4 days a year in Disney.
Any information on vacationing outside of Disney would be great, like is it smart to use points elsewhere?
How many points should we start with?
It sounds like we can only buy at Polynesian or Hawaii through Disney. I haven't even looked at resale yet.

Thanks for any info!!

Jen

You are a family of four plus one for now. Once the baby turns three, you become a family of five. And if you have any more children, you become a family of six or more. Plus if you plan on bringing the grandparents on trips, you become an even larger family. You have moved into the requirement for a two bedroom villa. One bedrooms usually sleep five. Studios four or five, depending on the studio. Some will never hold five people because of the size or layout of the room.

You also want to look at how you will use your points at WDW. Do you usually stay in value hotels or moderates or deluxe hotels? If you usually stay in values, you are going to spend a lot more money on your lodging with DVC. If you usually go annually or more often, DVC can be a good choice. If you really only plan on three nights a year, you might as well book a Disney discounted room.

But don't buy DVC to stay someplace else. Buy a different (and less expensive) timeshare that you can trade out OR book a stay through VRBO or Homeaway.

 

[3 Hobbits 2 Disney]

I would concur with all PP. Consider renting points through David's and "date" the resorts that you are most interested in. Once you have an idea on the where, consider the how - are the kids all the same gender, will they be able to share beds, bedrooms, bathrooms? Do you plan to cook/laundry/relax at the resort or is it simply a place to sleep? Once you understand the answers to these questions -- buy where you want to stay. IF you need to be at a Boardwalk resort, buy at one. If you must be on the monorail, choose a monorail resort. Timeshares are like marriage - the courtship is fun and easy, but once you buy, you give up certain freedoms/perks of cash customers (ex. Free dining) for the benefits of ownership. Good luck!

 

[Minniesgal]

We listed the rooms we would like to stay in and when and worked out the points for these. We were at the opposite end from you as we started with 3 kids but knew we would go down. So we started with enough points for 2 bedrooms 12 nights every other year and end with points for 1 bedroom either every year or 1 month ish (different travel month once kids fly the coup) every other year. We therefore looked at the year we purchased situation and the future. We listed the points requirements of what we really wanted then worked out if we could afford it then worked towards that. We bought the points we needed in four batches over time so we didn't pay for it all at once.

Personally i don't get the studio thing. We bought DVc for more space so for us DVc is all about 1 and 2 bedrooms. As such i don't see the point of buying Poly points. to me a studio is no improvement over a Hotel room so i'd just book a hotel instead of buying DVc for a studio. Worth really thinking about what room type you want now and in the future.

 

[lovin'fl]

We are a family of 5 that started with 200 OKW resale points in 2006. I would say 150 might be enough for you (in a 1BR- a sunday through thursday in July is anywhere from 104 to 220...Fri and Sat nights take a few more points). You should pull up a DVC cost calculator (a certain point rental company has one on his website). Select the 4 nights you'd be interested in staying and it will show all the resorts and room types cost (it will show cost to rent and you can click to change that to point total). Certain resorts take more points than others and, of course, room type matters. We started off getting 1BR villas as our kids were 7, 7 and 9 back when we bought....but now we need a 2BR since they are all big, grumpy, messy teenagers who hog up the bathroom. We also have since added points and currently have 505. And I will add in...buy resale as it will save you $$$$.

 

[DISNEYSC]

I also would suggest that you buy slightly more than you might think you need... the closing costs can really add to the cost of adding more points later. Also- if you are like us you will always need points for another trip

Good luck. IMO- You won't regret the decision to buy.

 

[JenPett]

Thanks for all the info!!! We have decided to wait until our next trip to take the tour and decide from there what to do.
Thanks again for all of the great insight!
Jen