Is 150 Points Enough?

[Reginaphalange1]

I am a single, new buyer without kids. My guide recommended 150 points to start. And I want to purchase @ Grand Floridian. I only need a studio, anytime of year… do you think 150 is enough points to book? I’m worried the cheapest rooms will be sold out asap then I’m left with too few points to book anything else. Thank you!

 

[pianomanzano]

Some additional info will be helpful, such as how many days you plan to visit annually, what times of the year you're likely to travel, if you plan to use your points at Grand Flo or stretch them by staying at some of the lower point resorts, etc. Take a look at the points charts and see if 150 is enough for what your expected travel plans are. There'll be some slight changes to points charts every year, but 150 is good enough to get you week at VGF during most of the year or around 10-12 days at a place like Saratoga Springs or Old Key West.

 

[disneyfan123]

It is…until it is’t! Seriously though, pick what time of year you generally would like to go, figure out how many points it would cost for the room you want and then add 10%. That should cover you for any changes made to the point chart. You can always add on later (an you probably will!).

 

[WDWkristin]

I think 150 for studios is enough.... but one day they will give you a free upgrade to a 1 bedroom and you will never be able to go back!

 

[Nabas]

I am a single, new buyer without kids. My guide recommended 150 points to start. And I want to purchase @ Grand Floridian. I only need a studio, anytime of year… do you think 150 is enough points to book? I’m worried the cheapest rooms will be sold out asap then I’m left with too few points to book anything else. Thank you!

With the addition of 202 Studios, there will be plenty of Studios to book at VGF for most months. Still, please be aware that some months (such as October to December) tend to be more difficult than others to book.

Also, as you suspect, Standard View rooms (i.e. the least expensive) tend to sell out first.

I'm sure you have looked at the point chart and recognize that there's a wide range of points associated with a Studio, ranging from 120 points for a week in a Standard View Studio in September to 343 points for a week in a Theme Park View Studio for Easter and Christmas.

The number of points you'll need depends on your vacation pattern. If you want to be sure you have enough, then 199 points will get you a week in a Lake View Studio for nearly the entire year.

 

[Reginaphalange1]

I should say, I plan to stay about a week in a studio. And of course I’ll book asap at the 11 month mark- so theoretically I should have enough points and book without issue

 

[Reginaphalange1]

I think 150 for studios is enough.... but one day they will give you a free upgrade to a 1 bedroom and you will never be able to go back!

I keep hearing this lol

 

[NVDISFamily]

Any chance your situation will change and you will bring more people? And not just your direct family/personal stuff, but bringing friends, family, etc.

Our "need" of DVC points went up quick once we realized how many people we would want to invite out over the years. Heck we even have a tentative plan with our friends from New Zealand for a 2025 trip....

150 looks okay for a week in a Studio for a mid-summer trip (when I normally benchmark against as it's our typical travel time). But jump up to a 1BR or 2BR and 150 is not enough

 

[CaliAdventurer]

Its a great start!

 

[Lilsia]

That is how many points that I have and I can easily spend over a week in a studio at Saratoga Springs for that. I also bank and borrow for a nice trip to Aulani.

 

[RoseGold]

We have no idea. Are you planning to stay a week for Christmas and New Years or do you live in Orlando and plan to stay random Wednesdays here and there.

150 is the minimum buyin, but only direct. You can buy smaller resale contracts.

 

[varyth]

Any chance your situation will change and you will bring more people? And not just your direct family/personal stuff, but bringing friends, family, etc.

Our "need" of DVC points went up quick once we realized how many people we would want to invite out over the years. Heck we even have a tentative plan with our friends from New Zealand for a 2025 trip....

150 looks okay for a week in a Studio for a mid-summer trip (when I normally benchmark against as it's our typical travel time). But jump up to a 1BR or 2BR and 150 is not enough

We are in the same boat. Bought 150 direct for a week-long trip in a studio, or an upgrade if we skip a year. Now that I'm planning to bring friends and families on trips, I find we don't have enough points. Add-on-itis hit immediately.

 

[Royal Consort]

I am a single, new buyer without kids. My guide recommended 150 points to start. And I want to purchase @ Grand Floridian. I only need a studio, anytime of year… do you think 150 is enough points to book? I’m worried the cheapest rooms will be sold out asap then I’m left with too few points to book anything else. Thank you!

For most of the year 150 should be sufficient. I would start with 150 and see how you go and what your travel is like. You may find that 150 is more than adequate. On the other hand, you may find that you need a few more points. You will know how many more you need based on your travel dates and patterns. Remember that having a 150 point contract doesn't preclude you from adding on the in the future. Disney sell direct of course but VGF resale is likely to have an increased supply over the coming years as a result of the 2 million points being added to the association. Just try it with 150 and make assessments as you go.

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

I would say 150 is not, because I rarely hear of anyone sticking to just a studio for their entire ownership. Not to say that some don't do it and stretch it and are fine, but over and over again you'll hear to buy more, that lifestyles change, you get the itch for privacy and saving money with a kitchen and packing less with laundry in the room, you can fulfill a wish bringing X person or Y kids, whatever.
As well, since you're buying in now, the promotions are pretty good for VGF. Even bumping up to 200 would net a better price that you won't be able to match later on. If you can swing it, I think 250-300 is best, but that's a sizeable chunk of change and may be overkill for your first few years. If you DO get a larger sum of points, be sure to break the contracts into 150 and then 50s or 100s in case you ever want to sell off some points (at a nice profit, most likely,) in the future.
The only caveat to needing more points if you think you'll be okay staying at lower point resorts. If you love GF and Riviera, they're very high in point charts. If you want to sleep around, 150 should do very well.

Congratulations, and welcome home!

 

[DVCsloth]

I would say 150 is not, because I rarely hear of anyone sticking to just a studio for their entire ownership. Not to say that some don't do it and stretch it and are fine, but over and over again you'll hear to buy more, that lifestyles change, you get the itch for privacy and saving money with a kitchen and packing less with laundry in the room, you can fulfill a wish bringing X person or Y kids, whatever.
As well, since you're buying in now, the promotions are pretty good for VGF. Even bumping up to 200 would net a better price that you won't be able to match later on. If you can swing it, I think 250-300 is best, but that's a sizeable chunk of change and may be overkill for your first few years. If you DO get a larger sum of points, be sure to break the contracts into 150 and then 50s or 100s in case you ever want to sell off some points (at a nice profit, most likely,) in the future.
The only caveat to needing more points if you think you'll be okay staying at lower point resorts. If you love GF and Riviera, they're very high in point charts. If you want to sleep around, 150 should do very well.

Congratulations, and welcome home!

I think 150 points at VGF is only $1 per point off right now for new purchases.

 

[mrsdoubie]

So I thought 150 points would be enough for 1 family trip a year and one girls trip a year. It is not. I now want a solo trip in there too and I don’t just want to stay at my home resort. I want to try all the places but 150 points isn’t enough to do that. I’d buy 50 more than you think you need. Wish I had done that. Lol

 

[AnnaS]

Welcome to the Dis Boards!!

Sounds like a great number to start with. Did you look at the point chart? If you even "think" you might need a few more and you can afford a few more, go for it. Would you be able to get by with an extra few when you might need them with purchasing a few from DVC? (One time use of points?).

Buy 150 and if you feel you need more/your travel plans change, you can always purchase a few additional points. They won't stop you - They will gladly sell you some points.

 

[elenex]

I thought 150 would be enough. Bought 100 direct at Polynesian as that was the buy-in for blue card at the time and before my welcome home trip, I added 50 resale.

Long story short just 2 years later I've moved from the east coast to the west coast and now I'm at 230 points at 3 home resorts and climbing with a plan to settle somewhere in the 300-400 range (probably via a decent-sized direct purchase at VDH or similar-sized resale at VGC).

If you are planning on a week in a studio, you will not be able to do that at all resorts at all times of years with 150 points. However, if you plan to stay at VGF and the time of year you travel costs less than 150/week, then you will be fine to book those rooms at the 11-month window with 150 points...for now. Poly standard view and BLT LV are also frequently available at the 7-month window if you're flexible and they are usually fewer points than VGF. At some point, you'll want to either upgrade to 1br like some of have mentioned or if you're like me, are not swayed by the free 1br upgrade and will simply want more frequent trips.

I would say buy the 150 points if that's what is affordable at the moment and can be paid off in 2-3 years. Don't stretch your budget and over-rely on financing at high interest rates. You can always add-on later...trust me, they make it way too easy to do.

 

[Stargazer65]

I think 150 points is a great amount to start with. You can get a studio week every year with that, or more if you go at cheaper times. You can bank, borrow and stay longer less frequently, or a bigger room. After you've gotten used to it, decide if you want to add on, or are happy with 150. I started out with 100 and added on years later. If you decide to sell a few years later, a 150 pt VGF contract is pretty easy to sell, you'll probably lose nothing.

 

[Brian Noble]

Coming to DISboards asking "Should I buy more points?" is a little like going to a NASCAR discussion board and asking if you should spend the weekend watching people drive fast and turn left.*

As a solo traveler, I think 150 is a good place to start. Kick the tires and see how you like it. You can add on as little as 25 more points later. It's a little more expensive to do it that way if you ultimately buy more points, but also prudent. If you need a few more points in a given year, you can borrow. If after the honeymoon period you find yourself borrowing consistently, then it's time to consider adding on. Alternatively, that's a time to build in a "Disney break" and vacation somewhere else for a bit. Many frequent Disney fans find such "breaks" to be rejuvenating when the resort starts to feel a little been-there done-that.

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*: Yes, I am aware that road courses exist but even so I am more of an F1 person.