Looking to Join DVC - Point Value Question

[henrylovespooh]

We're on the verge of buying into DVC. DH would love to know the difference in points between a week's stay at a resort in 2000 and now. Has the price (in points) gone up less than it would to stay at a Disney hotel property in cash?

DH is worried that if he buys 200 points now, in five years, 200 points won't be enough for a week at Disney somewhere that we like.

Hope this question makes sense. I'd appreciate any information.

 

[Lisa F]

The total number of points for a resort cannot change... if the points for one type of room one time of year goes up, there has to be a corresponding drop somewhere else on the point chart. ESSENTIALLY the points required for a room will always stay the same. There might be small tweaks if demand changes (if one season becomes more popular than it is now or something) but for the most part the number of points required for the average week at a DVC will stay the same.

That said, the one thing that WILL go up is dues. We bought in 1999 and dues were $4.02/point. A standard studio at the boardwalk is 85 points during value season (when we traveled, early january). For one week in a standard studio, the cost of maintenance fees was $342. When we used to pay cash we used to get an AP discounted rate of $169/night at BWI. With tax that was $1320 for a week. That was back in 1999.

Now in 2006, our dues are $4.69/point so those 85 points would run us nearly $400 in maintenance fees. That's approximately a 15% rise over the course of the last 7 years (with larger increases more recently). The best rate same time of year looks like it is $209 for the same room with AP discount. With tax for 7 nights that would be $1621, or approximately a 24% rise over the 1999 prices. As you can see, although dues have gone up they haven't gone up as quickly as hotel rates have.

Of course maintenance fees do not represent the total cost of buying into DVC but they do represent the changing cost.

It's pretty unlikely that disney will monkey around with the point charts very much. What they have seems to work pretty well now. The short answer is that no, the number of points required every year for the same accommodations won't go up but what you pay for dues will. It's a little more complicated than that but even so, it's not like disney can just raise the number of points required for all room types across the board (which is what it sounds like your husband is afraid of). They have been doing this for things like exchanges out and cruises and using your points to stay at NON DVC resorts but for your home resort the points required for accommodations are stable.

 

[tmt martins]

Ok the points can only be moved around never go up.

Lets say it takes 123 point for a SSR studio the week of june 25th - july 2 .or Sun- thurs 13 points per night Fri - Sat 29 points per night .

Thats what they will always be if they change them (add or subtact ) then they have to adjust points from somewhere else .

Inother words a Studio might have a yearly points total of 6500 points that will never change the only thing they can do is move them points around .This only happens year to year around the Holidays they adjust a day here or there.

Now with that the Increase of cost is that the Maintence fees you pay per point gets adjusted each year .So 150 point 2005 SSr 573.90 (3.82 ) and this year 2006 it's 3.98 per point so thats $597 now those are not exact but just the figures I have on hand

 

[Dean]

Inother words a Studio might have a yearly points total of 6500 points that will never change the only thing they can do is move them points around .This only happens year to year around the Holidays they adjust a day here or there.

TECHNICALLY, I don't believe that's totally accurate. While the points for a UNIT have to remain the same for the year, a UNIT is not an individual room but a group of rooms. As I reads the rules, they could possibly increase a studio and lower a 2 BR for example. I do agree that it's still unlikely they'd do this. The truth be known, they likely should rebalance several times of year now but haven't done so since the ont time in about 96.

 

[tmt martins]

TECHNICALLY, I don't believe that's totally accurate. While the points for a UNIT have to remain the same for the year, a UNIT is not an individual room but a group of rooms. As I reads the rules, they could possibly increase a studio and lower a 2 BR for example. I do agree that it's still unlikely they'd do this. The truth be known, they likely should rebalance several times of year now but haven't done so since the ont time in about 96.

Thanks Dean
I stand corrected you are correct and I was just giving a broad example .When you do go by the rules I can see how that could make a big difference .

 

[Caskbill]

If they ever reallocate points, they can shift them around by villa and also by Disney Season. So far they've only done this one time, in 1996 at OKW. That's back when things were still fairly new and they were getting a feel for how members were using points. Today they have a much better grasp of it and so you probably won't see any real shifts in point requirements unless there is a big shift in the way members use their points.

As to the OP's original question: The number of points for any resort, any villa, or any Disney Season, in 2006, is exactly the same as it was for that resort/villa/season in 2000.

EG. for 2006, Dec 1st - Dec 7th inclusive, a 1-B/R villa at OKW will 'cost' 160 points.

Dec 1st - Dec 7th, 2000, a 1-B/R villa at OKW was 160 points.

 

[henrylovespooh]

Thanks so much for the information. That is great to know. And I really appreciated the comparison of hotel to DVC over time.

I love these boards!!!