Is there "inflation" in terms of the points a resort costs?

[P-elmo]

Hi all,

My wife and I are strongly considering a purchase, but trying to make sure we have all bases covered before we buy.

Quick question - is there point inflation? I.e., if I buy 200 points this year, I can see what vacations I can take based on the point schedules for each resort. Do the costs in terms of points go up annually?

Thx

 

[joandegennaro]

From what I understand the answer to your question is no there is no inflation of points from year to year. I am new to DVC myself but how I understand it is there are a certain number of points spread out over any given resort...so much for each type of accommodation per day/per year. I do know that DVC has the option of "reallocating the points" which means that they can take points away from a room/night but the points then have to be added onto another room/night. Just recently they posted and adjustment for 2011 which closed the large gap between Sun-Thur and the Fri/Sat points. With this they took points away from the weekend nights and balance those points over the weeknights. I hope I have this correct, but if I'm wrong maybe a more experienced DVC member can post where I went wrong.

 

[ACDSNY]

We've been members since 2005 and have only seen two reallocation of points (2010 & 2011). From what I've read on here there was one other year, but it was a long time ago. Point reallocations can happen at any time, but historically it hasn't happened too often.

 

[wdwnut]

They reallocated points at BWV around 2000 when they changed the booking category to standard and preferred views. This was great because it allowed us the option of saving on points by booking a standard view room.

 

[BrentR]

Each unit is allocated so many points and those points can never be increased or decreased from my understanding. As others have said they can
re-allocate points, for example they can increase the amount of points it takes to stay on a weekend day. If they do that, then they have to reduce the amount of points to stay on the weekdays to keep the points in balance. that is the short and simple explanation but re-allocation can get complicated because there are seasons, units, views etc...where points can be adjusted from and to etc...

 

[AndriaRose]

The inflation you will see each year will be in the Maintenance Fees. You can and should expect your MFs to rise periodically.

Once allocation settles in place, its possible that the same vaca at the same resort during the same season may well stay the same points for the next several years. Your MFs for your 200 points, however, may increase marginally each year.

 

[oct2014]

IMO the charts change every year in that the dates in each season change because of Thanksgiving and Spring Break. I know that is not reallocation in the same sense, but you might be careful if you are trying to plan an annual trip that happens to be around those times. One year your birthday might fall in Choice Season and the next year it might fall in Magic because of Thanksgiving.

Someone else would know better than I, but I believe the reference to no unit's points can be increased or decreased might refer to the "units" that they sell (you bought a percentage of a particular unit, which might hold more than one vacation home). Nonetheless, I believe the end result is the same in that there can be little reallocation and you won't suddenly get an extremely different chart (although over time they could go as far as making the season or the day of the week irrelevant, leveling).

I believe the limitations are only for your home resort, however, particularly because they don't have to let you use other DVC resorts at all. I think that is just a precaution rather than the intention, but with that possibility in mind I believe it is important to buy where you want to stay (or at least would be content with) even if you don't plan to make your reservations more than 7-months out.

Finally, all the charts you see for non-DVC options (including other Disney options) are subject to inflation and elimination.

Caroline

 

[wdrl]

They reallocated points at BWV around 2000 when they changed the booking category to standard and preferred views. This was great because it allowed us the option of saving on points by booking a standard view room.

Technically, Disney did not reallocate BWV's point charts in the late 1990s. Although standard view villas were not included in BWV's point charts when it first opened, it turns out they were always part of the plan for the resort. Thus, the point costs for the preferred/boardwalk villas always reflected the existence of the standard view category. When the standard view category was finally added to BWV's point charts about 1998, there was no need to reallocate the point costs for the preferred/boardwalk category. Click on this link if you want to follow an earlier discussion about this issue in another thread: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=35229142&postcount=931

 

[Chuck S]

Technically, Disney did not reallocate BWV's point charts in the late 1990s. Although standard view villas were not included in BWV's point charts when it first opened, it turns out they were always part of the plan for the resort. Thus, the point costs for the preferred/boardwalk villas always reflected the existence of the standard view category. When the standard view category was finally added to BWV's point charts about 1998, there was no need to reallocate the point costs for the preferred/boardwalk category. Click on this link if you want to follow an earlier discussion about this issue in another thread: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=35229142&postcount=931

Ths was in 1996, and OKW had a reallocation that year.

So long time owners have seen 3 reallocations, 1996, 2010 and 2011.

 

[P-elmo]

Thanks all! I appreciate your quick responses. (and that certainly was the response I was hoping for!)

 

[DenLo]

One qualification, many new members don't realize that the point seasons can move around. For example, the two weeks around Easter is always in the Premier Season, but the dates for Easter moves around. This year it's April 4 and in 2011 it's April 24th. So when you look at the 2010 point chart, the Premium point season begins March 28 through April 10th. But for 2011, premier point season is April 17 - 30th. Other holidays affect the point seasons as well, so you cannot assume the points you paid for a specific week of the year will never change.

When the last reallocation ocurred there were lots of posts complaining about their point increased, but in reality the week in question moved from one point season to another.

 

[Sandisw]

When we bought, we knew we were traveling in Magic Season (one of the highest) and figured that any minor shifts in the points would be okay for us.

As others have said, they can certainly shift things around so if something goes up, something else will go down, but in the end, they only have so many points they can use at the resort in any given year.

Depending on when you travel, will depend how much things can shift. They have recently made the weekends less so the weeknights went up a few.

My suggestion is to look at a few different scenerios for travel (different seasons, including weekends, etc) to get an idea of about how many points you would need for your trips and they buy enough to be okay with those minimal shifts that could occur.

For us, as I said, we had to buy enough to travel in Magic season. Once we retire, and we can go at times other than summer, the points we need will go down and we will be excited to be able to get more nights!!

 

[joandegennaro]

When we bought, we knew we were traveling in Magic Season (one of the highest) and figured that any minor shifts in the points would be okay for us.

For us, as I said, we had to buy enough to travel in Magic season. Once we retire, and we can go at times other than summer, the points we need will go down and we will be excited to be able to get more nights!!

This is what we looked at too. I figured ideally we needed enough points to go over Christmas. We then looked at the fact we've been there and done Christmas twice over the last 4 years so maybe we wouldn't go over Xmas for a while. Using the idea of banking and borrowing we decided that 100 points would allow us to go over the holidays if we planned it right. The 2009 points given to us by Disney at purchase time will give us the buffer we need.

 

[DVCGeek]

Besides looking at seasons and adding in some extra points as a cushion as others have described above, I factor in one more variable. Each resort also has "maximum reallocation values" which mean that at some point during the year it will always be possible to book a night in x type of room for y points. The rules also state that they could eliminate seasons altogether. Therefore, I like to make sure I buy at least enough points to do my planned stays at the max. realloc. rate (perhaps with banking & borrowing) so that as things change as long as I'm flexible with my dates I can always still use my membership.

For example, a studio in VWL has a max. realloc. rate of 18 points. For some of my trips, I like to do 6 night stays. So IF the maximum leveling ever occurred, six nights would be 108 points total. I own a small 36 point contract there, and with banking and borrowing that gives me 108 points once every 3 years. If banking or borrowing were ever suspended this wouldn't work, but I can only plan for so many possibilities!

 

[oct2014]

Besides looking at seasons and adding in some extra points as a cushion as others have described above, I factor in one more variable. Each resort also has "maximum reallocation values" which mean that at some point during the year it will always be possible to book a night in x type of room for y points. The rules also state that they could eliminate seasons altogether. Therefore, I like to make sure I buy at least enough points to do my planned stays at the max. realloc. rate (perhaps with banking & borrowing) so that as things change as long as I'm flexible with my dates I can always still use my membership.

For example, a studio in VWL has a max. realloc. rate of 18 points. For some of my trips, I like to do 6 night stays. So IF the maximum leveling ever occurred, six nights would be 108 points total. I own a small 36 point contract there, and with banking and borrowing that gives me 108 points once every 3 years. If banking or borrowing were ever suspended this wouldn't work, but I can only plan for so many possibilities!

I agree except that the maximum reallocation number doesn't do you much good unless there is a complete leveling. In your example, there might not be six nights available at or below the 18 point rate if they only level the days of the week or only level the seasons, instead of both.

Caroline

 

[DVCGeek]

I agree except that the maximum reallocation number doesn't do you much good unless there is a complete leveling.

That's true, there may not be six consecutive days, but it should hopefully get me close and I could always do a split stay and waitlist at 7 months if I had to and mix and match from my 4 contracts...

 

[oct2014]

That's true, there may not be six consecutive days, but it should hopefully get me close and I could always do a split stay and waitlist at 7 months if I had to and mix and match from my 4 contracts...

I don't think there would necessarily be six days (even non-consecutive). Nonetheless, I shouldn't say the number doesn't do you much good because if there is only one day at that rate (highly unlikely) there are going to have to be days that require less points in order for everything to still balance (without complete leveling). I hope we never have to get as creative as your solution!

Caroline

 

[Dean]

Disney has not thus far taken new resorts as an opportunity to simply raise the points costs and thus devaluing existing points. Other systems have done this over the years, Fairfield comes to mind.

 

[EpcotLover]

Do the costs in terms of points go up annually?

I can tell you that in the eight years we have been members, the cost for a premium 2-bedroom at out home property over Spring Break (prime time) has increased about 12%.

We specifically asked when we bought the points whether the number of point redemtions could be increased from year to year. We were emphatically told no...but it absolutley has happened.

Whereas in the past our annual points would cover a certain vacation, now it will not. We struggle with the logic on this and wonder about true value of our membership purchase.

 

[Dean]

I can tell you that in the eight years we have been members, the cost for a premium 2-bedroom at out home property over Spring Break (prime time) has increased about 12%.

We specifically asked when we bought the points whether the number of point redemtions could be increased from year to year. We were emphatically told no...but it absolutley has happened.

Whereas in the past our annual points would cover a certain vacation, now it will not. We struggle with the logic on this and wonder about true value of our membership purchase.

The OP was asking about general increases, I believe your references are to reallocation where some times went up but others went down.