Planning Future Vacations Question

[DukeStreetKing]

Hello,

I've read that some folks have their DVC vacations planned well into the future. How can I do this when the DVC point prices aren't made available? I usually don't take full week vacations, so I can't use the weekly points rate.

Thanks.

 

[Disney Doc]

The point schedules remain quite constant from year-to-year, with the Premier Season being variable, depending on where Easter falls. You can plan future trips quite reliably, based on prior point schedules. DVC reserves the right to alter these schedules a bit - some have speculated decreasing points on weekends might be forthcoming - but the total number of points for any given resort cannot change on a yearly basis. (ie, if points are increased somewhere in the schedule, a corresponding decrease must occur elsewhere). That's part of what's so attractive about DVC - you can plan future trips, based on the points you own now. The weekly point rate is pretty meaningless - it is simply the sum of the daily rates, without any advantage to book by the week.

 

[RobDoc]

The DVC point charts are available thru 2005 on the member's website at this time and the points have not changed for any of the DVC resorts since 1996. The only variation each year has been the dates for Thanksgiving and Easter- thus affecting the points for those specific times.

You might want to download <a href="http://web.nalu.net/~wneth/dvcplanner.htm">Caskbill's DVC planner</a> for a handy desktop reference to points charts far into the future at all present DVC resorts.

 

[DebbieB]

2006 is available for DVC resorts in the 2005/06 planner that just came out. Points are the same except for the variable dates for Easter & Thanksgiving. My first 5 years of DVC have been the same routine - 5 or 6 nights in May at OKW and 6 nights in early December at BWV. I did contribute some points for a friends vacation in April at BWV, that was the only change. I did have some additional trips at moderate resorts (cash).

 

[DukeStreetKing]

Originally posted by WebmasterDoc
The DVC point charts are available thru 2005 on the member's website at this time and the points have not changed for any of the DVC resorts since 1996. The only variation each year has been the dates for Thanksgiving and Easter- thus affecting the points for those specific times.

You might want to download <a href="http://web.nalu.net/~wneth/dvcplanner.htm">Caskbill's DVC planner</a> for a handy desktop reference to points charts far into the future at all present DVC resorts.

Yes, I have that program downloaded. I just wasn't sure if the points were accurate or just educated guesses.

I guess I can use that for my planning.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Caskbill]

Originally posted by DukeStreetKing
Yes, I have that program downloaded. I just wasn't sure if the points were accurate or just educated guesses.

I guess I can use that for my planning.

Thanks everyone.

The point charts I developed are more than just 'educated guesses'. I first developed them in 2001 and based them on an algorithm that used Disney's patterns of changing the points around the holiday seasons. I followed the Disney's patterns that were used from 1993 - 2001 to develop the chart algorithm.

When Disney published their 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 charts I compared my predicted point charts to their published charts and found them to be 100% in agreement. Unless Disney changes the pattern they've been using for the past 11 years, or they do a point reallocation (which they only did one time, in 1996 for OKW), my charts will be accurate.

I have not received the 2006 Disney charts yet so have not compared them, but will bet they agree 100%.

The DVC-Planner program uses charts from 2001 through 2010 and can be used to plan vacations. It is currently at revision 1.60 and I would recommend anyone using an earlier version may wish to upgrade.

The DVC-Chart program is not a planner program but is a chart program and has charts, all based on my Disney algorithm, that go from 2001 through 2054.

Bill