Need Input RE: Point Use HELP!!

[familymagic7]

We are new to this (just took our first trip home last week & loved it!) and I have a few questions. My dilemma is this: we excitedly booked a cruise for July (547 pts.), but now it looks like we may have to cancel due to an unexpected health issue. Now I have all these points that will have to be used before March, 2004. Our vacations must follow school holidays b/c of DH being a principal (no hookie allowed ). Any suggestions?? I'd love to say we could make multiple trips, but we will have to drive (Ohio), and we have a daughter entering high school & she will be committed to some dance camps over the summer. How far ahead do you need to book the other Disney resorts? Is there usually good availability? I know you can rent points to people, but is there a market for points that have to be used outside the DVC resorts? If so, how much to charge per point? My head has been swimming & the calculator is on overload (anybody relate lol). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated--I'd like to get some sleep

 

[CarolMN]

I'm really sorry that you have to cancel your cruise and hope that whatever health issues get resolved positively very soon.

You can book the non-DVC WDW hotels up to 11 months in advance. The only limitation I am aware of (besides the number of points) is availability, so if the hotel has rooms available, you can certainly book them on fairly short notice. IIRC, there may be a problem with same day ressies, but I'm not positive.

547 points will go a long way - even if you have to go during Christmas break. For example, a week in an AKL Concierge Room during peak Holiday season is 559 points.

I don't think there is much of a rental market for reservation points, unless you are really willing to cut the price per point. People can usually do better going directly through Disney for the non-DVC alternatives.

If you are not set on visiting WDW, take a look at some of the Concierge or Adventurer Collection options. Just as an example, you could spend New Year's Eve at the Plaza in New York City or perhaps go to Colorado or Vermont to ski!

Good luck!

 

[familymagic7]

Thank you for the reply. Dumb question: What exactly does a concierge room entail? I've read about a few of the perks, but I'm not real sure just b/c I've never really looked into it. Are the rooms decent sized, b/c we would have 5 plus an infant. One more question: Which would you recommend...AKL, Poly, or YC? I love having choices, but I really love when I can bounce them off people with experience. Thanks

 

[CarolMN]

Originally posted by familymagic7
Thank you for the reply. Dumb question: What exactly does a concierge room entail? I've read about a few of the perks, but I'm not real sure just b/c I've never really looked into it. Are the rooms decent sized, b/c we would have 5 plus an infant. One more question: Which would you recommend...AKL, Poly, or YC? I love having choices, but I really love when I can bounce them off people with experience. Thanks

The only thing I know about WDW Concierge Rooms is that you have access to a special lounge with free drinks and snacks. I'm sure there are some concierge rooms that are large enough to accomodate your party. The best place to get lots of feedback on the various hotels' concierge rooms is over on the Resort Board. My advice is to post your question over there.

P.S. I don't think your question is dumb at all! And I'm quite sure no one on the Resort Board will think so either.

 

[WDWguru]

Concierge service varies depending on the resort, but generally includes personalized service before and during your vacation (making priority seating reservations, etc) and a lounge with finger foods and drinks that change at different times of the day. At AKL it also includes the opportunity to take the Sunrise Safari (for about $50 each person) on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Frankly, I've never though it worth the extra cost but if I had points to burn I'd do it.

One thing, though, I'm pretty sure you'll need two rooms if you have five people plus an infant. I could be wrong on this, but I sure wouldn't want to have to share the relatively small space (compared to DVC) and just one bathroom among six people, even if one's an infant.

 

[familymagic7]

Hi--Just thought I'd let you know what we got figured out. (The poor calculator was smoking by the time I finished with it--lol!) We did end up cancelling the cruise--btw, everything will be fine, but we tend to be on the cautious side--so we now have 547 pts. + 4 nt. stay at BCV that we were going to do right before the cruise. Here's what I did (God bless Michael at MS--he was a great sport about all this). First, I made sure that the BCV stay was using current year's allotment of pts so if it ends up interfering w/ DD's camp, we can cancel & bank pts to 2004. Next, at MS's suggestion, we booked a Wilderness Cabin for Spring Break (4/20-4/25) for 160 pts. Then we are returning for that stay at BCV & adding 3 nts at Caribbean Beach in 2 rooms & then splurging for 2 nts in 2 rms at Poly in Concierge!! This came out to 544 pts. Holy cow, I feel a bit excessive, but I guess if we don't use 'em, we lose 'em. Of course, the kids are thrilled, & I guess I am, too. These kids are growing too fast, so any quality family time away is a great thing. Thanks again for your suggestions.