If your ... could you please ...

[qdog]

As of this moment, we have decided that the Boardwalk Villas should be our home resort. Needless to say, we will have to seek a resale ( or resales ). Now we are trying to determine the number of points to purchase.

If your home resort is BWV, could you please take a moment to briefly explain your vacationing habits AND tell me how many points you have.

Thanks a bunch!

 

[Dumbo]

dog,

I think it would be a lot easier if you explain to us your vacation habits. That way we can help you decide how many points you should buy.

Dumbo

 

[wdwnut]

hi: like most people, we started out thinking a studio would be just fine for most of our trips. after all, we'd always stayed in a deluxe hotel room and the studios are about the same size. i'm warning you now, once you stay in a 1br or larger unit, you won't want to go back to a studio! our original purchase was 210 points which would have covered a week in a studio in may and september. after only one stay in a 1br unit, dh and kids don't want to go back to a studio. in order to stay in a 1br during the same times, we purchased a 150 point add-on.

 

[qdog]

Good idea, DUMBO.

For the past 3 or 4 years, we have spent about 10 nights in WDW. We began by staying at All Star Sports and Music ... recently we have opted for the outside wings at the Contemporary.

 

[PamOKW]

How many people and what ages will generally be staying with you? Are you looking to stay in the studio or do you want the kitchen/jacuzzi/w&d of the one-bedroom or larger? Is there a particular time of year you usually go?

 

[BWVDenise]

We need to know what size accomodations you will need and what time of year you visit...

....even now

 

[zurgswife]

We originally purchased 175 under the assumption (falsely I might add) that a one bedroom would do us just fine every other year for sometime. Well we have been going at least once a year or more. The one bedroom really didn't fit a family of our size (which I became highly aware of after joining these boards) we planned to add on points a while back and found the right amount and price in January. So, now we have a total of 311 points enough to get a two bedroom every year. So, I would take into account your family size, the time of year you want to vacation(or best estimate), what size room you will need, then try out one of the point calculators on this site to get a rough idea. Then call the Timeshare store and give them a point range to call you if it comes up. Just pay attention to the banked or borrowed point catagory of resales.....They can make or break a sale...ie I wouldn't buy something for an OK price that had losts of borrowed point

<IMG src="http://members.home.net/dunlapsdisney/images/halloween/halloweenMK1_small.jpg" ></P>
CBR Dec '95, Sept '97
BWV Aug '98, Mar '99
ASM Nov '99
BWV Oct '00, Mar 01
Zurg, Barbie, Buzz, Buzz, Jessie & Tinkerbell

Visit http://badshoe.com

 

[zaksaunt]

We bought 214 points in Nov. '99, enough for a 1BR preferred view the second week in Nov. when we usually go. Because we've slept in a king size bed for thirty years, the studio just didn't do it for us. Now, after finding these boards, I'm thinking I wasted points needlessly for the preferred view on our first trip "home" Thanksgiving of this year. I actually requested it exactly 11 months out. I could have probably saved plenty going with the standard view, but since it was our first time, we didn't know any better. Unless it's spectacular, we won't be making that mistake again.
Which time of year do you go, or do you go several times to make the ten days? If you've been staying at the Contempoary, then you must be paying around $3000 for your stay. We also always stayed at a deluxe resort and with tax etc., it was costing us the same for eight nights. We figured the price of the resort just keeps going up and up, so for the cost of about four weeks at the YC, we would be getting 42 years at the BWV, not counting maintenance fees. I don't know when you found these boards, but I only found them last month. If I had found them before we bought, I would have bought a lot more points. If you've been reading the posts, I'm sure you've seen that NO ONE is complaining that they have too many points. We all want more. Buy as many as you can afford, since you'll have to buy resale, maybe you can start out small and build from there. Have you seen the units, they are gorgeous. I can't wait to finally go. Do you have the point schedule so you have a ballpark figure of how many points you'll need? I don't know how many options you'll have if you buy resale. Others may be able to help you out there.

 

[jennybobenny]

We originally bought 150 pts with the idea that we would vacation at Disney World every other year. That plan quickly went out the window as no sooner were we home from our first trip when I was already planning the second (and third! ). We decided instead to add on another 100 pts, so we now have a total of 250. Although I would love to buy more we're thinking of buying a bigger house so we really can't afford it right now. The 250 have been fine for us for a couple of reasons - 1) I'm a planning fanatic. I already know when our next 3 vacations will be so it isn't a problem for me to call at the 11 month mark and request a standard view. This saves us a bunch of points. 2) I'm still in the honeymoon stage with our home resort (BWV). I love it and have no desire to stay anywhere else. Therefore I know I'll be able to take advantage of the 11 month reservation benefit (and therefore always get the standard view) for a few years to come. 3) We also save points by either avoiding the weekends (sorry Rich ) or only staying 1 weekend rather than 2. This year we'll be staying at All Star Movies for 3 days (Thurs - Sat) before we move over to Boardwalk. My kids are very big Toy Story fans so this portion of the trip is 'for them'. Then we move to a BWV 2 bedroom 'for us'.

I agree with the above poster in that no matter how many points you have, you'll always want more. So rather than buying exactly what you think you may need, instead try to buy as many as you can afford. You can always bank unused points into the next year, give them to family and friends as gifts or even rent them out.

Good luck. I look forward to 'welcoming' you to DVC.

<font face="Class Garmnd BT"><font color="ff69b4"><big>Jennybºoº benny</big></font>
<font color="9400d3">~~DVC Member~~
Onsite: Poly '76, Contemp '98, BWV '99, CBR '00, BWV '00, CBR '01
Offsite: '74 '80 '82 '88
Next trip: BWV~June '01, ASM/BWV~Nov '01</font>
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[mikesmom]

We started with 200 points. We have always vacationed last week of May or first week of June due to school schedules. There are 3 of us, me, DH and DS (age 17 when we bought). We had been staying offsite at places like Embassy Suites or other that could give DH and me a little privacy (separate bdr), coffeepot, small fridge. Jammed into 1 room with a large (6'4") teen was not our idea of relaxing.

The teenager likes to spend vacations going and doing, while DH and I like some down time to sit on a balcony with a glass of wine. BWV is the perfect solution for all of us!

A 1 bdr for 7-8 nights at BWV costs us right around 200 points, so it was perfect. After one trip, though, we thought how nice it would be to run down for a quick trip to the Food & Wine Fest for just me and DH, or near the holidays to see the decorations, or maybe bring down the older DS when the grandchild is a lttle older.....

See where we're going with this? We added on an extra 100 points just before BWV sold out.

 

[jcodespoti]

We own at BWV. We are very flexable when it comes to our schedules. We own 220 points it suits us very fine. But its just me and my wife, no kids.

Joe in CT

 

[chris1gill]

We go in the off seasons (November, early december) & stay for 12 nights... that's 242 points in a standard view room... We own 250 points, but for my own comfort, and flexibility, I wish we owned 300... Oh, we always stay in a 1 bedroom....

 

[minnie mouse]

If you plan I buying at Boardwalk make sure you purchase enough points, I wish I did.

Because they are now sold out and I am on a waiting list at Disney and two different timeshare companies for a small add on.

When we purchased I wanted to start small to see if I liked it. Well last year was my first time to stay at the Boardwalk at I loved it. So we talked about adding on at that time but we just putting it off and before you know it they sold out.

So now I am kicking myself that I did not add on when I had the opportunity.

And I know I could add on to WLV but I really want more points at Boardwalk because this is where I plan on staying the most and I want the 11 month window.

So if nothing comes through for us for Boardwalk I'm sure we will add on at WLV and Vero before this next price increase.

 

[qdog]

Keep up the great info ... your experiences are extremely helpful!!!

 

[Lesley]

We bought 162 points...basing our purchase on a week in a standard view 1br in Adventure season (Jan, Sept, or beginning of Dec.).

We have stretched our points by booking a studio for 5 days (Tues. thru Sat.) and the 1br for the next 5 days (Sun. thru Thurs.) and have managed a 10 day stay that way. I'm not sure if we'll do it again though....I'm sure the 1br will just be too nice (the washer in the room is a big draw for me as we drive to WDW and have small kids...don't want to pack tons of clothes, yet don't want to live in the laundry room even if it is free and by the pool!)

We want more points...I wish we had gone for at least 200 to start! Considering an add on at VWL.


Lesley


1979 Contemporary
1992 Off-site
1994 Carribean Beach
1999 Fort Wilderness and Coronado Springs
2000 Polynesian and Old Key West
2002 Boardwalk Villas

 

[TeresaNJ]

and wished we could have bought more. We originally had planned on buying 400 points, but we just closed on our house on March 28, and had to send in the rest of our downpayment money on March 30th for DVC, and owe taxes ($1500)!! It was just too much money going out at that time, so we settled on 300, and I'm happy with that for now. We usually go to WDW once a year with the kids, ages 15, 20, & 21, and they usually each bring a friend with them, so we need a two-bedroom. That's 282 points during Choice season, and 314 during Dream season, my very favorite time to go, for seven nights. Plus my DH and I usually like to go away for a few days by ourselves to Disney. So my options are to stay for less days in the two-bedroom, or pay cash for a few days, or not use points for Friday and Saturday nights and stay elsewhere those nights, or find a good discount for when my DH and I go, and pay cash those nights, or rent the extra points from another DVC member when we need them. So 300 points was the minimum we thought we could get away with right now to fit our needs. Hopefully I can add on another 100 points in the near future, and then I won't have to finagle points! In other words, figure out how many people will usually be going, factor in how many nights you like to stay, what time of year you'll be visiting, and what type of accomodations you'll need, and then you'll know how many points to buy.

<font color=FF0066><font size=4><marquee><font face=Disney Print>"SPRING HAS SPRUNG!!"</font></font></marquee></font>

<font color=green><font face=Disney Print>Polynesian 1985, 1990, GF 1992, BC 1995, 1997, BWI 1998, PO 1999, BWV 1999, WL 2000, OKW 2000, AKL\VWL May 2001, VWL Oct 2001, DIS CON. POR\VWL Nov 2001</font></font>

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[qdog]

Quick ... this topic is rapidly fading to the back pages ... please add your point-total story and/or usage story. Every experience we read helps us a great deal! THANKS!