how many PTS did you start out with??

[babesboo99]

I am looking at BCV 100PTS with a August or September UY to start with. That would be enough for us DH ,me and 10year old twins to go once a year or every other year. Curious to know what everyone started with so I can get an idea if 100pts is enough. I checked pt charts and we can go yearly for 6 days in a studio.

 

[jekjones1558]

Bought in 1999. Started with 220 points for DH and me. We added lots more points as we became addicted to more trips and bringing friends/family along. We also quickly graduated from studios to one bedrooms.

 

[DougEMG]

We started with a 400 point SSR contract via resale. I didn't have a particulate number of points in mind when we bought, was just looking for a good deal and larger point contracts usually sell for a lower price.

 

[Jbmia13]

We started with 150 at Saratoga. Then 3 years later added on 150 points at bay lake. Then as family grew added on another 250 at Saratoga.

 

[gharter]

I think it really depends on what you want to do and how often. We started with 210 points at BWV and are still very happy with that. As others have done, we then added 160 points at AKL. So now we have 2 trips a year and love it! I would look at what resort you want to stay at, what type of room, studio, 1 BR, 2 BR, etc. Then decide how many point you need. Having stayed in a 1 Br, we love those, and going back to a studio is hard.

 

[CarolMN]

I am looking at BCV 100PTS with a August or September UY to start with. That would be enough for us DH ,me and 10year old twins to go once a year or every other year. Curious to know what everyone started with so I can get an idea if 100pts is enough. I checked pt charts and we can go yearly for 6 days in a studio.

If you are planning to book standard view studios, know that those go very quickly - you'll need to book as soon as the 11 month window opens for your arrival date. If you haven't already, take a look at these threads, which will give you an idea of how quickly the various resorts & villa categories get reserveds:

Availability at 11 months - by drusba

Availability at 7 months - by drusba

Also - and this may be even more important, the BLT studios are quite small. They are the smallest of all the DVC resorts. You may find that they just won't work for 2 adults and two 10year olds.

 

[Marionnette]

I am looking at BCV 100PTS with a August or September UY to start with. That would be enough for us DH ,me and 10year old twins to go once a year or every other year. Curious to know what everyone started with so I can get an idea if 100pts is enough. I checked pt charts and we can go yearly for 6 days in a studio.

I started with a 25-point contract. It was a way to dip my toe into DVC waters, learn the ins and outs myself and got me all the privileges of membership sans the ability to use my points for the Disney Concierge or cruises. It was enough for a couple of nights EOY in a studio and the MFs were easily affordable. At this point, I have a total of 330 points between 3 UYs and 2 resorts. I'm looking to add more points at a 3rd resort in one of those UYs.

My advice would be to study the points chart for your home resort. Take season, type of villa, frequency of visits and typical length of stay into consideration. Then tally up the number of points needed per year to get the amount of points you will need. And then add a few more points because every once in a while, you will want to make another trip during your UY, stay a little longer than normal, book a larger villa or travel during a more expensive season. 100 points at BCV is not enough to get a full week in a studio during Choice and Adventure Seasons (the seasons requiring the least points). That would mean that you would be constantly in borrowing mode, making shorter visits or traveling only every 2-3 years.

 

[disneynutz]

200 at BCV.

Bill

 

[bobbiwoz]

200 at BWV.....followed immediately by 50 VWL!

 

[BillPA]

220 at OKW in 1993

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

We started with 250 at VGF and then added on 186 more.

 

[robinb]

I am looking at BCV 100PTS with a August or September UY to start with. That would be enough for us DH ,me and 10year old twins to go once a year or every other year. Curious to know what everyone started with so I can get an idea if 100pts is enough. I checked pt charts and we can go yearly for 6 days in a studio.

When would you go? It sounds like you're looking at "Dream Season" which may or may not be while school is in session. You'll have to look into your crystal ball a bit and consider your vacations once your twins are in high school and you can no longer travel during school. If you NEVER want to go during spring break or Christmas I think 100 points is a perfectly good starting point. It should get you a studio for 5-6 nights at BCV or maybe even a bit longer if you stay at SSR or OKW.

 

[bumbershoot]

160 bay lake and we haven't added on.

 

[EilonwyWanderer]

170 at GFV. How we decided how many we needed was to look at the points charts for the time we wanted to go for a studio (we always travel in the cheapest weeks anyway) and calculated how many days we usually stay and how many points we'd need. Knowing what I do now, I'd probably have pushed for us to do that with one-bedroom points instead, but it works out. We don't go that often so we bank previous year, use current year, and sometimes borrow the NEXT year to get enough for a two bedroom there so we can take friends and family.

And if we ever win the lottery we'll add more!

The only other piece of advice I have is: don't get a loan through Disney. The interest rate is INSANE!

 

[gillep]

Bought 160 pts at AKV which was perfect for our yearly trip, and allowed us to go every other year or so for F&W. As the years have progressed it became apparent that we needed more points, and that, although we love AKV, we wanted our next set to be at BCV. This year we purchased 160 BCV points via resale. I am happy we started off with fewer points at just one resort, and used the product a bit so that we could figure out our preferences and habits.

 

[princessbride6205]

We started with 50 points that were loaded so we were able to take our first vacation with 100 points to use. Over the past 8 years since joining DVC, we added on another 2 small contracts. It's been great that it allowed us to pay cash and enjoy member benefits. Currently have 140 points and looking to double that via resale sometime this year.

 

[bakerworld]

One of our contracts is 55 points at BC - this gives us 6N every other year and it works like a charm.

 

[babesboo99]

One of our contracts is 55 points at BC - this gives us 6N every other year and it works like a charm.

This is good to know we are thinking of buying 100 pts with an August or September UY... 6nights a year or every other year. Do you bank and borrow?

 

[holden]

We started with 200 at BLT (bought resale five years ago). About 2 years ago we added another 200 BLT (same UY).

We love being able to stay in a larger room. This summer we are doing 8 nights in a 2br at GF! We might consider adding on there if we fall in love with it

 

[Minniesgal]

220 then went quickly to 430 which seems about perfect