Is Adventures by Disney a legitimate option to any of you?

[pinnocchiosdad]

I know that there are members with many points more than I have and many members with many points less than I have. My querry. I was just looking at the point charts for Adventures by disney. A 7 night trip (tour) to Germany would cost a family of 4 (2 adults 2 children) 1956 points. Even with banking and borrowing, I do not come close to having enough points to take this trip. I am curious just how many members actualy utilize the Adventures by Disney offerings.

 

[JKMJ441724]

Never used it, probably never will. Even IF I did have enough points, the one thing I've considered was not "worth it". I can't remember exactly how many points it would have taken for my family of 4 to take a 5 night cruise, but if I "valued" my points at $10 per point, it still would have been at double what I could have booked the cruise for if I'd paid cash.

So, for me, looking at it like that, I would just rent my points and use the money towards booking the vacation myself.


OK - just looked it up - For my family of 4 on an inside stateroom in LOW season @a value of $10 per point would be the equivilent of $4,000. I just got off the Disney Dream during HIGH season and my cruise cost me $2400. So I could have rented the required number of points and had some spending money to boot. Looking at it conversely - my annual dues for the same number of points would only be $1,800. But I would personally attempt to rent my points before doing it that way.

 

[pinnocchiosdad]

Never used it, probably never will. Even IF I did have enough points, the one thing I've considered was not "worth it". I can't remember exactly how many points it would have taken for my family of 4 to take a 5 night cruise, but if I "valued" my points at $10 per point, it still would have been at double what I could have booked the cruise for if I'd paid cash.

So, for me, looking at it like that, I would just rent my points and use the money towards booking the vacation myself.

I cant tell you how many people I have argued this point with. You can rent your points out for a modest $8 pp and have enough to pay cash plus hundreds if not thousands of dollars left over in your pockets.

 

[DisneyOHFan]

I cant tell you how many people I have argued this point with. You can rent your points out for a modest $8 pp and have enough to pay cash plus hundreds if not thousands of dollars left over in your pockets.

Wow. Now you guys have my wheels turning. We may have to think about doing that.

 

[ssawka]

I third renting out the points! We took a cruise in January using the "kids sail free" promotion. It was a 7 night Mexican cruise. We rented 200 and some points to pay for the cruise. The same cruise would have been over 400 points.

 

[crisi]

We did that trip - not with points - we did it with cash. And got a bargain on it too by booking during the height of the recession. It was a great trip.

But there were at least two families on the trip that had used points to cover at least SOME of their family members. So people do. Maybe they don't realize that they can rent their points and "save" money. Or maybe they don't want the bother and since they have the points, they just use them.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

I bought 210 Disney points to use for the Disney resorts. I pay cash for the rest of my travels.

 

[mrsR123]

I bought 210 Disney points to use for the Disney resorts. I pay cash for the rest of my travels.

Off topic, I apologize, but OMG the Mrs. Beasly!!! I'd give my right arm.

 

[Pakey]

We have done an AbD but we paid cash for it.

Since we are adults only, it's not likely that we would do another one. We prefer other tour operators over AbD. It was nice, just not as luxurious, for the price. I can see the appeal for families though.

On the one we did, there was another couple who had purchased DVC points specifically for this use. We stayed in contact with them and sure enough, next year, they were so disappointed when AbD released new charts and they no longer had enough points.

 

[MrShiny]

Also, I heartly reccommend renting points and using cash. It really is not hard to rent points (rarely has it taken me more than a day to get any I have rented) and it is so much more economical.

The only time I used points outside of DVC was Disneyland Paris, as with the exchange rate at the time it did work out better (especially since the Euro was on the rise, so what I would be charged upon checkout would have been higher still).

 

[tara98]

I think the Adventures By Disney are a great, exciting alternative to a "normal" vacation, but I would never be able to have enough points to use for this. That amount is just out of my league... Maybe in my next life..

 

[kmccl]

I never have done AVD either. I did sit in the hot tub at HHI with a nice lady who said she had done the trip in Italy. She said it was the best trip she has ever been on by far. She said it was amazing how Disney took care of everything and that they never had any wait of any type for any of the things they did. She said there were many things (Sistine Chapel for ex.) where lines were miles (and yes she meant real miles) long and the people in their party didn't have to wait at all. Got me thinking about how nice it would be, but I know I will nevere be able to afford the amount of points it takes to do one. How can you find out how much money one of those trips would cost?? And no, she wasn't a Disney Bus Driver!

 

[akl-fan]

We only have 180 points, so not nearly enough.

 

[disney_bob]

She said there were many things (Sistine Chapel for ex.) where lines were miles (and yes she meant real miles) long and the people in their party didn't have to wait at all.

You can do this with just about any private tour which will cost at least 50% less than Disney.

 

[janischa]

if you book these adventures by disney as a dvc member, but with cash, not on points, do you get a discount ? (what about for cruises ?) and can you find promotions or last minutes as well for these trips; can travel agents get you discounts on such trips ? some holidays seem expensive, but still manageable for once in a lifetime trips (eg like alaska about 3500 usd an adult, which isn't a holiday i'm likely to do on my own)

 

[DMKEDM]

Adventures by Disney is one of the options I valued when I first bought our points...thought I'd use my points for one (or more) AbD trip(s) if/when I wasn't going to go to WDW...(also thought about using my points to stay at a non-DVC resort--at the time (6 years ago) I was thinking maybe one year I wouldn't be taking my DS and I could use the points for Grand Floridian...now, of course, GF looks like it will have a DVC facility added--and there's not been a year yet when DS didn't want to or couldn't go (multiple times)...

All that thinking preceded the $95 fee and the resale restrictions, tho...

My travel life is going to change in the fall of 2012--DS finishes law school and starts work as a first-year lawyer in a big law firm...that will SERIOUSLY restrict his ability (willingness?) to go to Disney w/me (and there will be no possibility of 11-month-out planning!; ha! There might not be any 11-DAY-out planning for him for the first 2-5 years!)...so maybe I'll get to do AbD after all...a number of their trips look really appealing to me...and it also looks like a good way to travel solo...

I "trust" Disney and don't know enough (altho I suppose I could learn) about other travel companies/tours to be inclined to look beyond AbD--keeping in mind that this is what I thought I'd use my "extra" points for (for when my DS can't go on the two trips per year that take up about 350 points each year)...

So, I understand it'd probably cost less if I rented my extra points and paid cash for the AbD trip--except the points are already paid for (and I probably do have enough for a trip every other year, at least)...so it "feels free" (I know it isn't--but it wouldn't be a cash flow outgo at the time)...

So yes, I'm still interested in AbD...

 

[rentayenta]

With my current amount of points equaling 170, I'd have to bank, borrow, and steal to afford it using points.

Having said that, I could visit the almost all of the same destinations for the same amount of time for far less for the 5 of us. Same goes for the Disney Cruise line And I'm positive we'd have an amazing experience by planning on our own and paying cash.

 

[disneynutz]

I would never consider using points and based on reviews by others I never intend to do a Adventures by Disney trip using cash. Cost is high for what you get and there have been many problems reported including last minute cancellations by Disney. Disney themselves have questioned the profitability of the program and have taken several off of their list of excursions.

Bill

 

[kjd469]

I would never consider using points and based on reviews by others I never intend to do a Adventures by Disney trip using cash. Cost is high for what you get and there have been many problems reported including last minute cancellations by Disney. Disney themselves have questioned the profitability of the program and have taken several off of their list of excursions.

Bill

Actually, ABD's are excellent vacations, and although expensive are worth what you pay. They are not for everyone - definitely not for those looking for a bargain vacation, but as we are about to embark on our 3rd ABD, I can personally say they are worth every penny we have spent. The cancellations are a thing of the past, and mostly happened during the height of the recession - other than Egypt (for obvious reasons), I have heard of no cancellations in the past year. They will be releasing their 2012 itineraries in August and are rumored to be adding at least a couple of new destinations to their already extensive offering.

That being said - I would not use my DVC points to book an ABD, as it is not a good use of points - better as others have stated, to rent your points and use the cash towards the cost.

 

[gretchen265]

How easy is it to rent points? I know the board for it, but has anyone had a problem doing it? Does the buyer send you money first, and then you call CM and have them transfer? Also, does that count as my only one-time transfer per year? I bought a loaded contract, and keep stock-piling points for a cruise/abd, but you guys have me intrigued by renting