Missing "The Old Place"

[Disney Doll]

We generally do stay at other WDW resorts (mostly moderates) during the course of a trip...usually to conserve points.

What we tend to do is book a regular hotel for Friday and Saturday nights...and sometimes Sunday night too...then move to the DVC resort for the remainder of our stay, which usually means checking out the next Friday, so we are in WDW for a total of 1 week...Friday to Friday.

 

[shelly3girls]

We love the GF and the Poly so we usually take one or two AP discount trips a year staying at one of them. We have been considering trying out POR for a budget weekend trip. Sometimes we even split stays AP discount/ DVC when we are moving to a 2 bedroom anyway if family is joing us mid-trip.

All of that said, I appreciate the BCV more and more every trip we take. It is truly home to us. It also is the case that the AP rates are higher than years ago when we first started traveling. I remember when my oldest DD was 2 (she is 6 now) and we had no problem staying at the GF for $199/night, a rate that I have not seen in a while.

 

[LUVMICKEY]

We were Poly people before we bought DVC. We thought we would always want to be there and were concerned about missing it so much that we would be spending more points to stay there. Well, we still do miss it and plan on staying there again, but we truly love BCV. We never thought we would love any resort as much as we loved the Poly, but we do. We will wait for AP discount and stay over there for a couple of nights just so we can enjoy being there again. We go and visit there on every trip, either to have dinner or breakfast or to just walk around before we go to MK.

Michele

 

[colleen costello]

We typically add on a few nights before moving to our DVC room. We have stayed at Riverside, Coronado Springs, Carribean Beach and the Poly before moving to our DVC room. This summer we are going to a Moderate for a few nights before checking into BCV. The Mods are very affordable and the kids get to try a different pool...because YES, we would miss staying at other resorts. No way I would every give up the Polyneisian no matter HOW many points I had!

 

[joepoe]

Yes, I miss staying at a hotel overlooking a cheesy gas station and a weed grown parking lot and listening to traffic wizzing by on the main drag every night. I miss spending tons of money on meals. I miss having to get in my car and drive to the parks.

We never spent the money on the Poly or the GF on site. To us the extra cost was not worth staying in a regular hotel room. We stayed at the Swan once, and it was nice, but again, steep. Plus with a family of 5 or 6 you need two rooms, you really do.

I was just wondering if after buying into DVC if any members ever miss the old resort they stayed at? I know from reading the boards that the rooms themselves are not even comparable (in DVC favor of course).

Just wondering about theme of resorts and the nostolgic factor from family trips prior to DVC. I know it is still possible to book the "old" hotels although the point value would be killer and never an option for my fiscal self.

Long story short....Do you ever yearn for staying at non-Dvc resorts and have to talk yourself into why DVC resorts are better because that is where you put your money?

 

[DVCconvert]

after buying into DVC if any members ever miss the old resort they stayed at?

Not really, as we still do. We bot into DVC for those lenghty stays we knew we'd always do ( F & W festival, specifically ). When we go for a Christmas trip, we'll always just cough up the bucks and stay at the CR, or if we feel we have to have a mid-winter break it's AKL or the YC.

 

[Bugeye]

Still think Dixie Landings and Poly are the best. But I'm not about to give up my BWV!

 

[DisneyPhD]

Have no fear! I had been a very loyal Dixie Landings lover (OK, POR) and was concerned about this when we joined DVC-on my first solo trip after joining, I even considered going back to POR. However, I decided to change to BCV at the last minute (don't know why) and now I've never looked back. However, I still hold a soft spot in my heart for POR, and in looking for a cash weekend spot to save points this Thanksgiving, I look forward to returning to POR. However, I look forward to getting back to BCV after the weekend more!

We are very much the same. A few years ago we wanted a 3rd trip to strech our AP and was going to get an AP rate on a room, but when it came down to it, we didn't want to stay anywhere that wasn't DVC! The rooms are just so much more convenent. However since all mods and deluxes has fridgeraters in them it is a little better. So we borrowed points and stayed at OKW since it has the lowest points. We did however stay one night at AKL and we loved it. We also strech points and would consider staying at a different resort for weekends to save points. (espcially if we rented a car.)

We are staying at POR with an email code in a few weeks. It will be our 1st time back there since going deluxe and DVC, so I can compaire it better then. For the most part I don't really miss it, because if I wanted the feel of a mooderate I could stay at OKW, just a lovey as PORS, but with much better rooms. Besides my 1st choice is always BCV anyway!

Oh and another really great thing about DVC is VB and HH (havent' stayed there yet.)

So really just because you are DVC does't mean you can't ever stay at another resort again, but you might want to save your points and pay cash with a discount for them. I know a women who is really consider buying a resale 60 point contract so she can get the AP at a discount, then get a room that way for a week and 5 nights during the week at a DVC resort too. All the benifits of DVC, but not as much of an investment. It is a good plan if you can't afford a big contract right now, but still want to join.

 

[pentex]

We used to stay at the Sheraton Lakeside Inn, which is a lovely resort.

But in 1993, for the first time we decided to stay on Disney property at Port Orleans and felt the magic of a Disney resort and never looked back. We bought our first DVC points at OKW that year and are up to 450 points now.

OKW and BWV are Disney for us. The other DVC resorts are very second closes for us. I can't imagine Disney without my DVC resorts.

 

[DisneyMim]

We do both. We love our DVC membership and always have, but we knew we wanted to also be able to stay in other Disney resorts too. We love the Poly and AKL, and love staying Poly concierge, so we do 5-7 nights a year at Poly concierge and this works well for us. Also on short, last minute trips we stay non-DVC. For example we just came back two weeks ago from a last minute long week-end trip and stayed at WL. Hadn't stayed there in years, but we got a really good AP rate and really had a wonderful time. The great thing about DVC is that you can be so flexible. We stopped adding on years ago and decided that we would just pay cash for any additional trips we wanted and also pay cash for trips outside of WDW (since we don't like using our membership for non-DVC trips). This has worked for us for almost 14 years.

 

[Melrosgirl]

I love checking into a DVC resort. I am staying at the Poly later this month, but only b/c there was little space left at BCV. We decided to splurge and do the Poly since I doubt we'll do a splurge, last minute trip like this again. Looking forward to going home to BCV in Oct. though!

 

[Bella2000]

No, our favorite was BC so we bought there. Also we still stay at the other resorts on AP discount rates.

 

[Alysa]

We love the GF - we usually add on an extra day on a Friday/Saturday at the beginning of our family trips. We have also tried AKL which was great and we would love visit CSR, CR and the Poly one day too. Our trip to AKL lodge was too long though we really missed the kitchen and the living room area. Once you do DVC, you can't go back.

 

[senecabeach]

Wow..........Yesssss!!

I absolutely misssss......
...... waking early in the A.M., getting my coffee cup, pulling back the drape and seeing the Castle in the distance... beyond Bay Lake.....
...opening the slider..going on my balcony...and listening
...to what?..the music from the distant, closed MK...waiting to begin another "Magical Day"!!

Golly Gosh.... Im @ the Poly, Tonga/Hawaii Longhouse!!

Great Memories

In 34 years we went from $42. to $250.+ per night ..so..a NO brainer..now my new memories are made @ the BCV/DVC !! Works for me!

 

[keef22]

Okay, I have a question.

I'm trying to convince DW that we should buy into DVC and I've been lurking around here for a while, trying to pick up "supporting material" for my arguments. She's concerned that we wouldn't be able to stay at a non-DVC resort with our DVC points. Until now I thought we could use DVC points for the non-DVC resorts. It that true?

 

[senecabeach]

keef22...

DVC members have the ability to use their points to explore over 450 vacation destinations all over the world (and counting, since they are constantly adding on..)

I will pm you..

 

[RAD]

Okay, I have a question.

I'm trying to convince DW that we should buy into DVC and I've been lurking around here for a while, trying to pick up "supporting material" for my arguments. She's concerned that we wouldn't be able to stay at a non-DVC resort with our DVC points. Until now I thought we could use DVC points for the non-DVC resorts. It that true?

Yes, you can use your DVC ports at Non-DVC resorts with some exceptions. You can't use then at any of the value or moderate and you can't use them at any Disney resort that has a DVC resort attached to it, such as Beach Club, Boardwalk Inn or Wilderness Lodge. Also the points for a Disney resort are high compared to a DVC resort and the points needed can and do increase year to year. Bottom line is it's possible but not a good use of points IMHO.

 

[Simba's Mom]

You can't use points at a Disney Moderate? This must be new. I have last year's planner, and it shows points to stay at CBR and Coronado. PO for points is blank for some reason (P. 16). In the 2005-2006 planner, are all moderates eliminated?

 

[ParrotAtOKW]

Yes, gottagodisney, we occassionally miss our old haunts. We bought in to SSR, for one reason, because it is as close as we will ever get to the old Disney Institute Bungalows. Then too, when we get to missing a place too much, we just go there! When we got in to DVC, we bought enough points to cover 80% of our projected needs, assuming that we would want to stay other places from time to time, even though we must pay full retail for those accommodations (although we seldom pay full retail for anything the way DW works the discounts).

 

[NJDVCFan]

You can't use points at a Disney Moderate? This must be new. I have last year's planner, and it shows points to stay at CBR and Coronado. PO for points is blank for some reason (P. 16). In the 2005-2006 planner, are all moderates eliminated?

It's not blank - it's just that the view options (room category) relate to all 3. In other words, the points for Standard and Water/Pool View apply to CBR, Coronado and POR.