Is 130 points enough for a family of 4?

[alamode]

I currently have 130 points at SSR. I just bought last fall, and have yet to take our first DVC trip "home". There are four of us in our family; myself, my son (9yrs old) and twin girls(6 yrs old).

Looking at the charts, I see that for the most part we would be able to do a weekly trip once a year in a studio with our 130 points. We're going in May, and taking others, so have used some borrowed points from next year, but for the most part it will be just the four of us going.

My question is, and I know it's not a black and white question, do you think that 130 points is enough for us, or should Ibe looking to add on some more points, say a 50 point contract? I'm sure our plans and needs will change as my kids get older, so just wondering what more experiences DVCers would have to say about the subject.

 

[wheelcap]

You've caught the dreaded addonitis. It's a horribile affliction that seems to be terminal - you fight it until the day you die. Actually, though, it depends on how much you feel you need to spend time at Walt Disney World. If you can get by on a week a year, or 10 days every year and a half (or some breakdown that works), 130 can be enough. The danger is that every visit causes a serious breakout of the addonitis. You either have to give Disney your credit cards and bank account numbers, or you have to learn to fight the disease.

 

[hellerjw]

We are a family of 4 and started with 200 pts. We get our weeklong stays and so far haven't had to do much borrowing. 200 pts has worked out really well for us.

We felt that in order to really see the benefit of DVC vs. regular hotel rooms we had to stay in 1BR or larger units for the additional room, full kitchen, washer/dryer, etc. We didn't feel studios did it justice and knew that as our kids got older a studio would no longer be adequate. We bought in with 1BR units in mind from the start.

 

[dwelty]

We have 2 girls 6 and 3. We find that a studio works fine for us. We have stayed in 1 bedrooms before and the kitchen and extra room are great.

An important question is Do you like to eat out, or in the room.

If you eat out, stick with a studio. You will save a ton of money on points and member fees. You can always add on when they get bigger.

Remember, the older we get, generally the better our financials get as well. So in 6 or 7 years 100 points would be nothing to you.

 

[schewy]

We started in 2005 with 160 points at SSR. We are a family of three. Now our only son is just about grown. We planned on using a one bedroom twice a year with 160 points (Sun-Thurs) during the off-seasons.
We found ourselves borrowing points or limiting our trips to once a year when we took the extended family.
We added 50 extra points within a year to SSR. We still borrow occasionaly but becuase we like the extra room and bathrooms of the new resorts.
I would recommend at least 200 total points if you will use them consistantly. The worst thing to do is buy the points, not use them or bank them and then lose them.

 

[cvjw]

If you are happy with a studio, stick with the amount of points that you have. If you ever were to stay in a 1 bedroom or 2 bedroom villa, 130 points probably won't be enough, unless you were to visit Disney every 2 years. You can get really spoiled with the spacious villas. When my boys were younger, a studio was fine for us. They are older now - 10 and 14, so we need at least a 1 bedroom, preferably a 2 bedroom. The boys also are at the age where they like to bring friends along, so 130 points would not work for us. Although paying the MFs on only 130 points would be great!

 

[Dean]

I currently have 130 points at SSR. I just bought last fall, and have yet to take our first DVC trip "home". There are four of us in our family; myself, my son (9yrs old) and twin girls(6 yrs old).

Looking at the charts, I see that for the most part we would be able to do a weekly trip once a year in a studio with our 130 points. We're going in May, and taking others, so have used some borrowed points from next year, but for the most part it will be just the four of us going.

My question is, and I know it's not a black and white question, do you think that 130 points is enough for us, or should Ibe looking to add on some more points, say a 50 point contract? I'm sure our plans and needs will change as my kids get older, so just wondering what more experiences DVCers would have to say about the subject.

It is unlikely to be enough. However, you should make a trip or 2 and see how it feels for you before you decide whether to add to your allotment or not. You may decide that less than every year at WDW is OK and you may want to try other things without being tied to the points as golden handcuff's. Even if you do decide you need more points, more experience should help you decide if you need a specific home resort priority.

 

[LSchrow]

it might be enough, or not......
case in point.: we bought 230 pts with the intent of getting a 1 bdrm once a year, and a 2 bdrm every other.

figured we had flexibility (LOVE the point system rather than deeded week) and would just bank/borrow if we ever needed.

now we get a studio (2 ppl.) two to three times a year, and a 2bdrm every other.
we've 400 points, all of which are gone from our aug 2010 use year, and only 150 left in 2011. we've found wdw (specifically, BWVs) is our happy place, a nice relaxing home that we love i only wish we had all of our points at our favorite resort (BWVs), as certain times are definately hard to get.

it's good to start small, until you now if this is something you will want more of

 

[Jaaron2]

Trust me when I tell you this.....there is NEVER enough

 

[LaurenT]

It is unlikely to be enough. However, you should make a trip or 2 and see how it feels for you before you decide whether to add to your allotment or not. You may decide that less than every year at WDW is OK and you may want to try other things without being tied to the points as golden handcuff's. Even if you do decide you need more points, more experience should help you decide if you need a specific home resort priority.

You're not really tied to your points with golden handcuffs...it's easy enough to hire Daid (a sponsor here on the disboards)...he'll get you $10 per point (he'll charge 13 and keep 3 for himself, but handle all the grunt work...well worth it IMHO)...he does have a minimum....I'm not sure, but I think it's around 95 points...so, if you have 200 points and only need 130, you can rent out 95 of them, giving you $950 to cover your M&T, borrow 25 from next year to get you up to 130, and then you'll still have 175 he following year.

 

[rutgers1]

We are a family of four. If I had never known of DVC, I probably would have been happy with your standard studio into eternity. The studio is generally the same size as your run of the mill hotel room at a moderate resort.

Herein lies the problem. Once you get a taste of your first 1-bedroom, you will never want to look back. The convenience of having a washer/dryer alone will make you never want to go back to a regular studio. Add in the kitchen and you have the ideal vacation. Those two girls and one boy will soon be pre-teens, and everyone will be itching for their own space.

The good news is that, although you can't stay at your home resort in a 1BR, you can stay in a place like AKV for a week in a 1BR. You just have to be creative, either in where you stay or how long (if a 1BR if what you want to do). If you want to stay in a studio, obviously there are a lot more options.

When it comes to us, our goal is to simply play it by ear. If we have time to stay longer, we'll stay in a studio. If we are going for a shorter trip, we'll stay in the biggest room we can.

 

[Sully]

A lot of it depends on how long a studio arrangement will work for you. Adding on also increases monthly fees. It depends on what you can afford. We started out with a 150 point contract and over 10 years have added on several times.

 

[Dean]

You're not really tied to your points with golden handcuffs...it's easy enough to hire Daid (a sponsor here on the disboards)...he'll get you $10 per point (he'll charge 13 and keep 3 for himself, but handle all the grunt work...well worth it IMHO)...he does have a minimum....I'm not sure, but I think it's around 95 points...so, if you have 200 points and only need 130, you can rent out 95 of them, giving you $950 to cover your M&T, borrow 25 from next year to get you up to 130, and then you'll still have 175 he following year.

I'm not really limited myself but I think most people are. One can easily rent on their own and get the full amount if they want but many don't want to fool with it.

 

[photobob]

i've got 180 and wish I had more like 250, but that isn't going to happen so we just try live within our points.

 

[FindTheMickeys]

150 points at SSR has gotten me a 2BR villa every year since I joined in 2005 and a THV this year. I do limit myself to one trip a year, usually a Sunday-Friday trip. With the point change up for 2011, I will have to get more creative. I have had addonitis for 3 years but keep myself in check until the other bills are paid off... You can do whatever you put your mind to do and your kids will just love being at Disney with Dad

 

[DVCLiz]

At some point you're going to need a 2BR, since the time is coming when the three children who now can fit into a queen bed or on the queen sleeper sofa will want a little more space. If you had three girls I would say you could probably continue to use a studio (although 4 women and 1 bathroom is no fun!!) but with a boy in the mix you'll need a bed for him, another for your girls to share, and one for you. That's a 2 BR!

Look at the point totals of the resorts you like at the season you go most often and see if 130 will get you 3 to 4 nights in a 2 BR. It might be more cost effective in the short term to book DVC with points for what you have and make a cash reservation for the additional nights - especially if you can get the 25% Member discount. Then as you move forward you can add on enough points to make the full reservation using points.

Honestly, once they get to be teens it is such a luxury to have that second bedroom for them to spread out in!!

 

[dianeschlicht]

Since you have a boy and 2 daughers, I can't imagine how you would make that studio work much longer. Do you plan to sleep with your son all the time? Just doesn't look practical to me. I'm not known for liking studio stays though anyway. Even for just two of us, I'll get a 1 bedroom for the kitchen, larger bathroom, living room and laundry. If we have 3 or more, we get a 2 bedroom so everyone gets a bed. Plus, those 6 year old girls are quickly going to be needing their own bathroom, and since SSR studios and 1 bedrooms only have 1 bathroom, I'd say your studio days are numbered.

 

[Tiger926]

Since you have a boy and 2 daughers, I can't imagine how you would make that studio work much longer. Do you plan to sleep with your son all the time? Just doesn't look practical to me. I'm not known for liking studio stays though anyway. Even for just two of us, I'll get a 1 bedroom for the kitchen, larger bathroom, living room and laundry. If we have 3 or more, we get a 2 bedroom so everyone gets a bed. Plus, those 6 year old girls are quickly going to be needing their own bathroom, and since SSR studios and 1 bedrooms only have 1 bathroom, I'd say your studio days are numbered.

Exactly what I was going to post. We started off with 175 points at SSR for a studio for 10 nights, but we only had 1 child. We didn't think we could have anymore children, but God gifted us with a 2nd child, of the opposite gender - and they are 4 years apart. We knew right away that a studio wouldn't cut it, so we added on 125 points at AKV for split studio and 1 bedroom. We go for almost 2 weeks each July as I'm a teacher, so we need our space. We did this in July for 2 weeks, and just didn't care for the studio, so we added on 60 more points for a total of 360. This is our max and it works out well for 10-11 nights each July in a 1 bedroom (could be more), depending upon what resorts and room categories we get.

Your kids cannot be expected to sleep together for much longer looking at the ages of them, so you need to consider that. I know there are lots of people on here who make studios work, but you need to consider many things, some of which have been mentioned: meals (eating in or eating out), ages of kids, no laundry in room, how long each trip is, do you need separate sleep areas, is bathroom large enough (with 3 kids a studio bathroom is going to get very small, very fast), etc.

I would go at least 1x in order to truly assess what works. We stayed multiple times in studios before adding in, and then we did our combination stays before adding on this last time.

Lots to consider, Tiger

 

[5forDiz]

ita with Diane ; at least 1 bedroom and preferably at AKV or BLT so you can have sleeper chair for your son & also gain an extra bathroom ( OKW will soon have sleeper chair as well but not extra bathroom in 1 bedroom ). We've got a DS and 2 DDs and you will probably find that very soon, as we have, that your daughters do NOT want to bed-share (& neither will your son with you) so jmho a 2 bedroom villa is in your very near future. But Dean gives you excellent advice as well to make couple of trips before determining how soon you'd really need to upgrade villa size. If you don't want to commit to add-on purchase right away get points transferred in to book larger villa & see how you feel about it beforehand.

Best wishes

 

[alamode]

Now that everyone's decided that I need more points, it's collection time. Donations are appreciated.

Seriously, thanks for all the advice. I think waiting for a few trips under our belts is a good idea, although having our first trip in a 2 bedroom value could put an end to our studio days before they even start.

Who knows, we might only want/afford a trip every other year. I think it's best to go at least once before I start adding on.