Just curious-how many book ressies part cash, part points?

[Simba's Mom]

The experiences of the poster below got me thinking-I never thought of booking Sunday through Thursday on points, Friday and Saturday on cash. Do many others do this? If so, I'd like to hear your comments on your experiences. I guess I didn't know you could even do this. How does it work? Have others who've done it stayed in the same room? If it matters, I'm particularly interested in doing this at HHI or OKW.

 

[Richyams]

Nah, never have, probably never will.

I look at the number of points for the vacation and take it. That is why I bought the points. Coming up with cash for the weekends isn't why I bought into DVC.

 

[OneMoreTry]

I usually do this because

1. I don't want to buy more points, but don't have the points I need to do Disney as much as I want

2. Psychologically I realize that I reach the "break even" with my points much faster this way (6 years vs about 9 or 10 because the cash price for rooms is the same on weekends but the points DOUBLE).

3. I've been able to get a decent DVC discount rate on the condo -- we use a 2BR by necessity. Usually $120 - 150 off the rack rate. If the rate is not available at first I keep calling back and they change to the new rate when it's available.


You get separate reservation numbers but they "link" them so you don't have to switch condos mid-vacation.

One problem I've run into is that they wouldn't let me book the cash reservation 7 or 8 months out so I had to book the point nights and call back and switch the weekend to cash payment.

I even succeeded once doing this with a wait-list at BCV and was able to get both the point nights and cash night I wanted -- it was Sept -- that may have helped.


I'd be interested in hearing other's experiences too. Especially with wait listing in this situation.

 

[DebbieB]

When I bought DVC, I bought 250 points which would give me 5 or 6 nights at OKW or BWV in a 1 bedroom in May and early December. It worked great in 2000, 2001 & 2002 because I had 100 banked 1999 points (I could only sellback 150 for magical beginnings, that was the max for phone sales), so I had enough for 6 nights both trips (Saturday to Friday). Last December I added a Friday night at BWI for $169 plus tax to extend our trip. I was left with just 9 banked points going into this year. I didn't want to borrow. So I booked May at OKW for 5 nights, Sunday to Friday and December for the usual 6. 5 seemed so short.... Friday and Saturday at OKW would be 48 points each, I didn't want to borrow that many. I didn't want to move. I was just going to pay cash for Saturday but then I thought, what the heck. So I booked Friday & Saturday with the member discount, it was $321 per night with tax. So I figured that was $6.69 per point, so I was only paying an extra $2.59 per point when you look at the dues for an extra 96 points, not accounting for initial cost. I would love to add about 100 points, but it's not possible. Ironically, my guide left a message on my work VM while we were at OKW last month about adding on at BWV! Maybe it's best I didn't get that call!

 

[Cruelladeville]

I always do part points, part cash on my ressies. Part of my reason for doing this is that my vacations are always taken during the high point times of summer, spring break, and Christmas. I am staying in a one bedroom at BWV in a couple weeks for 5 nights, which "cost" me 150 points, but the other two nights "cost" 120 pts. I think that is outrageous, so I am paying $300 per night for those two nights. I save 120 pts for another complete vacation, and I only pay $600 for it. For me it's worth it. It's not a matter of not having the points available, because I do, but I just find the points needed to be too costly--I could rent those 120 pts for $1200, so I could make money if I wanted to.

I reserve the entire ressie on pts, then change when the rates for annual passport rates come out if they are available at my resort. Last Christmas I stayed the entire vacation on cash rather than points, because the ressie cost 375 pts, but I got the same accommodations for under $2000, and rented out some of my pts to off-set the cash. At Christmas, if you check in before Dec. 25 on cash, you get rates that are over 1/2 off for the whole time you are there. It works differently with points.

 

[JimC]

We bought looking at the cost for two weeks (8d/7n each) in 1 bdrm and were happy with the value that represented. We never visit WDW during Premier season and rarely during Magic so the weekend penalty is just not worth worrying about in our view. And we use OKW when it is most expensive (Dream and Magic seasons) and BCV during Choice and Adventure seasons.

We don't rent points and use AP cash reservations. Just too much work. Again in our view.

We do use AP rates when we have an opportunity for an unplanned trip and don't want to use points. But the entire reservatin is AP.

 

[Terry S]

We bought enough points so we wouldn't have to deal with that as well. As a matter of fact we stay 9 nights Fri - Sun which includes both weekend nights.

 

[caskar]

I found it suprisingly easy to make the reservation for 1st of August with points - cash - points. I had reservations for the 10th - 15th secured and 3rd, 4th, and 5th and waitlist for the 6th and 7th. When the waistlist came through last week via email with Member Services, I called MS and asked if I could book the weekend paying cash. I really didn't know exactly how this works being new to DVC but I had read on the boards we could do this. The very nice (all have been) CM said she would check. Then said that DVC discount was avaliable too (I hadn't asked) so the price would be $216.75 plus tax a night and the reservation would be linked together so I would not have to change rooms. She explained I would be getting confirmation in the mail and everything was taken care of. I was suprised how easy it was. We stayed a few days each at the WL, AKL, Dolphin, and Contemporary last summer so, even though we had a great time, my wife was excited we wouldn't be moving around this year. Anyway that is my experience so far with the points - cash - points reservation.

 

[Johnnie Fedora]

We have done this for several trips. Ror HH at Thanksgiving, we stayed Fri for $350.00 in a GV. It would have cost us 74 points. Used those points toward another trip. It depends on how much vacation time you have. I would like to get away from cash nights, by adding on a few more points, but for now, they really allow use to extend our trips. Also, if we are sharing a trip with others we let them pay for the weekend, and we will take care of the weekdays...Thats fair...right.

 

[rbuzzotta]

Because we can no longer take the girls out of school for shorter vacations we now have to go on one long one in the summer. I book the weekend in between on cash and have one weekend night on points either at the beginning or end of the trip!!

I keep looking for an add-on............

 

[sueg]

We have never mixed cash & pts. for a trip, but I am considering it for the first time. We had a wk. at HH booked far in advance. DH convinced me to add an OKW trip before HH. We had just enough pts. There was availability, but I made the mistake of waiting until we spoke to DSs, since we needed to lop 2 days at HH to make the ressie. When I called back, the next morning, we couldn't get a 1 BD for the whole stay at OKW. So, we would check into a 1BD for 1 nt., check out into a studio, for 1 nt., check back into a 1 BD for 3 nts. move to a studio for Sat. nt (due to pts.) and then check out to go to HH. Sounds crazy. So I called back & asked about 1BD for cash on 2nd nt. No DVC discount, $320. Seems like alot! MS suggested that I call Central Reservations to see if we can get an AP discount thru them. We're on the waiting list for 1 BD & I'm still hopeful, but I'm still calling CR about a cash ressie.

 

[chrissyk]

We always do this to save on the high-points Fri. and Sat. nights. Last time, we got the Swan on Priceline for $59/night for the Fri. and Sat. night. This time I think we're going to stay at CSR for the 2 nights, probably with an AP discount. We would gladly stay at the Swan or Dolphin again if they came up on Hotwire for our timeframe. We're not going to gamble on Priceline again...great deal, but too much risk of getting an off-property hotel for us!