Is this a bad use of points

[JENR]

I have always wanted to stay at the Poly. Well in Oct we are staying 5 nights in a Grand Villa at SSR with family and then moving to VWL in a one bedroom for 3 nights. Well just started thinking maybe look into Disneyworld Collection and see if anything is available at the Poly. Well they have my 3 nights available. It would be 149 points for 3 nights. I am using 90 for VWL for 3 nights in a one bedroom. Not sure if anyone has ever used their points for a Disney resort. Please let me know if this would be wasting my points. I know I would also have to pay a $95 fee. Just thought it would be nice to stay there. I just love that resort.

 

[hakepb]

It really depends on how you value your points.

In one sense, 149 points could be rented out to give you $1490 + $95 fee means you are essentially paying $500/night for a room in the poly, with about half the sq footage of the VWL 1BR. (And fewer amenities like whirlpool, laundry, living room...). Financially it does not make much sense.

But its only a 50 point difference and if you are OK with that (does not impact future vacations) and that extra cost does not matter that much to you, emotionally, it does make sense. And it is not sooo bad point wise I would tell you no.

 

[DenLo]

It's the room size difference that would get to me combined with paying 59 more points for a Poly room. The deluxe rooms at the Poly are 415 sq. feet. The 1 BRs at VWL are 727 sq. feet. There are two rooms at VWL which also includes a kitchen.

Is your dream big enough to make up for staying in a single hotel room for your family and eating out more? You get a fridge and can ask for a microwave. You only get robes in suites and concierge rooms (which is not what the DVC points pay for). You will get a daily newspaper.

It doesn't sound like how I would want to spend my points. Especially when I think of our next vacation being shortened to accommodate the stay at the Poly.

 

[jekjones1558]

If you REALLY want to stay at the Poly then I say go for it. Years ago we used a bunch of points to stay at the Kapalua Bay Hotel on Maui and the Mauna Lani on the Big Island of Hawaii. It may not have been the most cost effective use of our points, but both resorts were gorgeous and the cash price to stay at them would have been high. I am a very frugal person in most situations but vacations are so important and special that $$$ should not always be the top priority when making decisions. Good luck and have a great trip whatever you choose.

 

[vakamalua]

There are NO bad uses of points if it's something you would really enjoy!

 

[mdsd8700]

Yes there are all the practical reasons that you shouldn't use your points in that way. Many of which I am sure you were aware of and some you may not have thought about or at least viewed from a certain perspective. For most it wouldn't be a good use of their points and they wouldn't want to do it. However I think that as long as you are okay with all the "cons" and it doesn't effect your future vacations by using those points, then I say "go for it". The Poly is simply amazing and we adore it and agree with PP that sometimes the money shouldn't always be a priority, as long as it works for you.

Good Luck with your decision and enjoy your vacation!

 

[Dizny Dad]

Follow you dreams . . .

 

[CarolAnnC]

Like others said, it is really your perceived value; not what other people think. Good luck!

 

[wildernessDad]

Do it if you want to. They're your points after all.

 

[appleorchard]

We've used our points several times for a few night at the GF and once for almost a week at the Poly! The nice part was we got concierge there for our points and we've always gotten main building and concierge at GF too. Both the points chart for both those hotels used to be MUCH lower than it is now and no $95 fee, either. If you have the points to spare, do what you want--it's cheaper than paying for them out of pocket and sometimes it's an experience you just want to have.

 

[Dean]

I have always wanted to stay at the Poly. Well in Oct we are staying 5 nights in a Grand Villa at SSR with family and then moving to VWL in a one bedroom for 3 nights. Well just started thinking maybe look into Disneyworld Collection and see if anything is available at the Poly. Well they have my 3 nights available. It would be 149 points for 3 nights. I am using 90 for VWL for 3 nights in a one bedroom. Not sure if anyone has ever used their points for a Disney resort. Please let me know if this would be wasting my points. I know I would also have to pay a $95 fee. Just thought it would be nice to stay there. I just love that resort.

As noted, you'll have to decide. You're likely getting about $6 per point return. I personally would not be comfortable with that return unless they were points I couldn't use or rent otherwise so it would be a bad use of my points.

 

[csharpwv]

There are NO bad uses of points if it's something you would really enjoy!

I could not agree with you MORE!!!!

There is no such thing as a bad use of points unless you just let them sit in your account and expire without baking them or using them!

We have cruised, we are spending 9 days in Disneyland coming us soon - 3 nights at the Disneyland Hotel, 3 nights in a 1 BR at the Villas at the Grand Californian, and then two nights at Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel!

We will cruise with points again - we will exchange out - and we 'might' do something in the concierge collection!

When we only owned a limited number of points I thought a little differently. However, we have added on three times, and now that we have enough points to do what we want, when we want, and where we want, (within reason of course!) We'll never do a 3 BR Grand Villa at Aulani! LOL TOO many points for us! LOL (Have you seen the Aulani GV's? They really aren't incredible impressive - all one floor, and not 'grand' features like a pool table! HAHA)

But, going back to a 'good' use of points- they are YOUR points - use them how you like! If you think you would enjoy staying at the Polynesian - STAY at the Poly!

It's like the old Burger King commercials - HAVE IT YOUR WAY!

If I were you I would stay at the Wilderness, just because we LOVE Wilderness Lodge! But that doesn't mean that we won't stay at the Polynesian some time! Even if it's just for a night to walk the beach, enjoy the fireworks, and not have to worry about getting back to our resort after one too many pineapple coolers at Ohana!

For people that say there are 'bad' uses for points - and calculate the 'retail' price of renting points at $10 or more dollars - remember that's what you 'could' get for renting your points. However, your MF's are what you have REALLY paid! So is a bird in the hand worth two adults at the Polynesian?

Only you can decide!

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

There are NO bad uses of points if it's something you would really enjoy!

Totally agree. The "point police" who tell you how you should use your points did not pay for them.


I did not buy my points to run a rental business. So I use them in ways the "point police" do not approve of

 

[csharpwv]

Totally agree. The "point police" who tell you how you should use your points did not pay for them.


I did not buy my points to run a rental business. So I use them in ways the "point police" do not approve of

HAHAHA LOVE IT! The Point Police!

 

[Sammie]

I agree use them in whatever way makes you happy.

 

[Dean]

Totally agree. The "point police" who tell you how you should use your points did not pay for them.


I did not buy my points to run a rental business. So I use them in ways the "point police" do not approve of

I assume you're referring to me and my post. In no way did I tell the OP how to use their points. If pointing out the truth about the use of points in such a way offends anyone, then they'll simply have to be offended. Everyone has the right to make their own choices but simply because they chose to use points in a certain way doesn't make those choices good ones, it depends on the specifics of the situation.

 

[rocketriter]

Dean, I'm not sure that OrangeCountyCommuter was referring to you when he (she?) mentioned the Point Police. Your posting was fair and you made it clear you were only expressing your valuation of your own points. It is true that on some threads, people have come forward with "do it my way or you're foolish" opinions when it comes to using points in various ways. That might be OrangeCountyCommuter's "police." Why am I barging in on this? Because your opinions on this board are valued and have been for years.

 

[hakepb]

Its somewhat like segmented dining plans. You can save money with certain segmented dining schedules, but the extra possible time and hassle is not worth it to everyone.
You could save more eating off-site. You could save even more if you cooked your own affordable food, or you could spend the most by loading up your kitchen from Whole Foods

 

[Sammie]

I assume you're referring to me and my post. In no way did I tell the OP how to use their points. If pointing out the truth about the use of points in such a way offends anyone, then they'll simply have to be offended. Everyone has the right to make their own choices but simply because they chose to use points in a certain way doesn't make those choices good ones, it depends on the specifics of the situation.

wouldn't the use as to good or bad be subjective though.

 

[Dean]

Dean, I'm not sure that OrangeCountyCommuter was referring to you when he (she?) mentioned the Point Police. Your posting was fair and you made it clear you were only expressing your valuation of your own points. It is true that on some threads, people have come forward with "do it my way or you're foolish" opinions when it comes to using points in various ways. That might be OrangeCountyCommuter's "police." Why am I barging in on this? Because your opinions on this board are valued and have been for years.

To be honest, I recall VERY few posts over the years where someone has effectively told someone what they should or shouldn't do with their points unless it were a matter of actual principle (honesty, rules related, etc). OTOH, I recall many a post where people had their feathers ruffled unnecessarily by an honest post about this and similar subjects. Since my post was the only one not encouraging the usage, I have no choice but to assume the post referred to me and my post. Here's my general approach to such matters. IF I see something one way and I post it that way and you happened to have made the very choice that I posted about negatively, that is NOT a personal post and is not inappropriate. OTOH, if I said YOU made a bad choice, that is a personal post and would generally be inappropriate. Specifics of the situation would determine the appropriateness or lack of for either type of post. It's like SSR. There are 2 issues, that of the resort itself and that of the effect those points have had on DVC. Many a time I've seen owners there take a post about the affect of those points on the system as an affront to the resort itself, inappropriately so IMO.

wouldn't the use as to good or bad be subjective though.

It depends on the specifics of the situation. I can't personally think of a situation where full use points are worth as little as $5-7 a point, certainly not when talking a chunk of points. If you want to value your points that low, I don't care. All I care about is that you have the info as to what you're getting and not getting and what you're options are, the risks of using points to cruise is a good example. After that, it doesn't matter to me. Of course this is all predicated on the fact that there are other choices, if those other choices change dramatically or go away, so do the relative value of the decisions to be made.