How much does it cost?

[jen_uk]

Im finding DVC very confusing so any help greatly appreciated!!

Roughly how many points would I need for 2 weeks in August staying in a studio? And how much would this cost?

 

[Richard Bruvofetc]

If you stayed the last 2 weeks in August it would "cost" you 224 points.

Depending on how often you intend visiting would dictate how many points you need to buy.

The minimum now is 160 points. Assuming you would like to go every other year this would be enough. Through Disney it is now $94 per point (going up to $104 per point when the current offer ends). You would therefore have to pay $15040 (approx £7,700 at current exchange rates) and dues of $660 (approx £338) per year.

 

[Hilary]

It's not a straightforward answer, but to show you two extremes of the variables ...

A studio at Old Key West Resort from Aug 17 to 31 would require 196 points
or
a preferred view studio at the Boardwalk from Aug 1 to 15 would require 269 points

If you want to try to rent points from a member, these usually cost roughly $10 per point.

I can't find the current point cost, but I think it's somewhere around $100 per point at the moment if you buy through Disney, or from around $75 per point if you buy a resale (I'm sure someone here will have the info!). Those points are every year for the life of the contract. You then have to pay dues on those points every year - currently around $4 per point, I think.

Sorry I can't be more precise about the cost, but hope that gives you a rough idea

 

[jen_uk]

Hmmm it really does appeal, Ive ordered the DVD to watch so hopefully that will also answer some of my questions.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

We have been thinking and thinking about DVC for ages and have yet to take the plunge, think we will at some point but as ever with our holidays we always mess about!
However, Jen the current offer ends I think on June the 4th if you buy direct from Disney, it then goes up to $104 per point.

The real appeal at the moment is you actually get 320 points because they are using December use year and you can bank the Dec06-Dec07 points, then it's 160 every Dec. from then on.

A villa is always our 1st choice but DVC would offer a few days elsewhere. Many people say it's always best to buy at the resort you wish to stay at, or at least stay at on most of your visits.
SSR is a lovely resort, peaceful and classy, however it is massive and more like a condo type property than say Boardwalk which is more like a hotel.
The new rooms of SSR are a big plus. Ultimatley all the resorts are different, location can play a big part which is why Boardwalk and Beach Club are popular as they are next door to each other and close to EPCOT.

Also the buy from Disney v. resale is difficult too, even with the offer it's cheaper through resale - however it takes a lot longer and Disney can actually put a block on the resale going through if they choose to buy back the points themselves.

I will shut up now!

 

[TinkTatoo]

It's not a straightforward answer, but to show you two extremes of the variables ...

A studio at Old Key West Resort from Aug 17 to 31 would require 196 points
or
a preferred view studio at the Boardwalk from Aug 1 to 15 would require 269 points

Hilary's example is a good one and with DVC weekends are always much more expensive on points. If you dropped the first Friday and Saturday out of the equation 12 nights in a studio from Aug 19th - 31st at OKW would only be 148 points and by moving the Boardwalk from Aug 5th - 16th would make it 203 points. It pays to be creative with points and people tend to use some weekend nights off site - perhaps at a Universal hotel.

 

[UKDEB]

For anyone seriously considering DVC, right now is a great time to do it. As Johnny says, the current offer ends in a few days and, quite apart from that, the exchange rate makes it cheaper than it's been for years.

For years we half-heartedly considered buying, but didn't think it really suited our way of doing things (almost identical to Johnny's - a few days onsite and the remainder in a villa). However, having done the tour in October, we realised that, in fact, DVC fits perfectly. We bought 180 points at SSR and, even though we love to be close to Epcot, we can't wait to stay there this August. I've got a feeling that owning DVC makes for a much stronger attachment to your home resort than if you were to stay at the same resort as a paying guest. Villas at AKL are another option - the new area, when it opens, will be fabulous.

 

[UKDEB]

Jen

Apologies, I meant to answer your question. Two weeks in a Studio at SSR would cost you 246 points for the first half of August, 224 for the second half, and 235 if you straddled the middle two weeks. If you're saying that you will always want to go for 2 weeks in August (or at least for the foreseeable future), then it's going to cost you around £11000.

The thing to remember, is that the points can't ever increase. Disney can move them around, for example, Easter is one of their busiest times, so that will always fall in the Premier category (the most expensive), even though the dates change year on year. However, the overall points for a resort can't alter, so other dates will then move into a cheaper category to accommodate this change. Even though £11000 is a big initial outlay, you will probably break even within about 5 years, giving you another 40+ of free holidays! Of course, you have to pay your annual dues, but there are restrictions on these. Disney isn't permitted to make a profit - dues just cover the cost of running and maintaining the resort - and it's in their interests to keep them low in order to keep DVC attractive to purchasers. If you assume that dues will rise at the same rate as the rack rate of the rooms (i.e. the cost to the general public of staying at a DVC resort), you really can't lose.

 

[jen_uk]

Well its definately given me something to think about. I would really love to do it, its persuading dh that will be the hard part!

 

[Minniespal]

persuading dh that will be the hard part!

That's true