Points: to add on or not to add on...

[poj7]

Hi

Is anyone happy with under 300pts? I'm hearing most people own more. We have 211pts at BCV. We have two young children and this point amount seems fine. I really want to think through buying add-ons now while BCV is still available but having a hard time rationalizing it. With our current point allotment 2-bedrooms are within reach for a "short week" ie no fri and Sat. I guess additonal points would go toward the weekend points. Anticipate that one trip per year is enough for us. Interest in hearing your thoughts.

By the way, had no problem rationalizing the initial 211 pts!

Paul

 

[crisi]

We are happy with our 150. Like you we have two small children.

We only travel to Disney every other year. We don't use points for anything other than DVC accomodations. We intend to cruise in the next couple years - for cash. In the next five to seven years or so we hope to be spending two weeks in the Far East and another two weeks in Europe, plus a family reunion is being planned for Hawaii. We have family out West we need to visit. We take a yearly golf vacation. And my husband still dreams about spending a couple weeks traveling to baseball games -- All this on limited vacation time and money - so there is not room for all of it and yearly (or more often) trips to Disney.

Don't get me wrong, Disney is one of my favorite places on Earth - but I still want to get back to Dublin and Paris and ****et, my husband was born in Amsterdam and wants to visit, my son in South Korea. I'm in love with the hills of San Fransisco, and strolling through the museums of Washington DC.

Now, if neither time nor money were a problem, I'd own far more points - primarily so I could take friends and relatives.

 

[crisi]

Apparently this board doesn't like islands off the coast of Thailand. That's really funny.

 

[Cruelladeville]

I purchased my first contract 6 years ago, and with 170 pts I thought a studio was like a grand villa! I soon found that I could squeeze in another vacation if I didn't use points on the weekends. Then I stayed in a one bedroom, and I needed another 150 points. Next came a marriage and honeymoon, and another 150 points for the extra rooms for guests We are at 700 points now, and I really want to get a Grand villa at OKW for the whole family some year, so it looks like maybe an add-on. As your family situation changes, your need for points will change, too. In our case the need for points increased, but that doesn't always have to be the case. It's just that I have 3 months off in the summer, so I can spend lots of time vacationing then.

 

[A1A1]

I insist that you justify buying additional points now!!!!

I thought that my initial investment into BWV was just fine. I am now regretting not purchasing a small add-on while the points were available. If you like the DVC and what it has to offer, and realize that your family's need for space and frequency may increase, you might look a little deeper into a small add-on while you can.

I think about traveling to some of the other places offered by DVC in the adventurer or other collections, but they require more points. I have considered travel to other locations not with DVC, but always need a recharge at WDW.

I am now on a waitlist for add-on at BWV and a really increased price over the price I originally paid when I first became a member.

Take advantage of the price now. It will only go up. When BCV is sold out, you may regret not purchasing a small add-on so that you can feel secure in staying on weekends.

All that being said, I have no idea of your finances or priorities. Good luck.

 

[spruce]

Originally we bought 164 OKW points. That's enough for a 1br during magic season for six nights. We are a family of 3. Plenty of points. Until we deceided that we like to go twice a year, hence a small 64 point add on at BWV. Then just for Stormalong Bay, another 50 points at BCV. That's 278 points...we are done. Your 211 points are enough unless you change how or how often you want to vacation...as we did.
However, if you must add on, consider this, we sometimes wish we had more OKW points instead of the BWV or BCV points, but then we stay at BCV or BWV and are glad we own them as well.
So, if your on the fence and don't add at BCV before sellout, Saratoga Springs will be along soon and you could add on there....spruce

 

[rae519]

Initially we bought 400 points at HH with the expressed desire that we would use them ONLY for cruising - our money, our choice.
Recently we added 150 points (through The Timeshare Store) at VWL. Again, for cruising but maybe someday we would want to go back to WDW for a visit and this would be a nice way to do it.

I am ALWAYS looking at The Timeshare Store site for resales and probably always will! I only regret that I didn't hear about the DVC sooner but I'll have something to pass down to my children - the Disney Magic!

Rae

 

[ClarabelleCow]

I have 196 points and thought that would be enough, and it would be if I would stay off these boards!!!! I called about adding 29 to make it an even 225, if I could have done magical beginnings, I probably would have, because they had my use year, but learned I couldn't do MB because it was under 100 points! I think you can get crazy with DVC, and you just have to remember the more points you own, the larger the common charges will be!

 

[jel0511]

I just done my "final" add on of 50 points. I'll have a total of 275, and I think I'm done!!! We'll have enough points for a week on a one bedroom, or 6 nights in a 2 bedroom once a year during the summer. Enough for us. Our DD starts kindergarten in the fall and DH and I don't believe in taking our kids our of school for vacations. So, it's now off to Easter, the summer and Christmas for our vacations. In NJ, we get a shortened week in November, and we'll be cruising this November. Next year, it's anybody's guess where we'll be. Definately WDW in the summer, but anything else...... I don't know. I LOVE WDW, but I like seeing other places also, so one week a year is enough!!!

 

[Mickmse2002]

We have three young kids, two girls and a boy. We started out with 200 points figuring that would be plenty. That was back in 1999. When BCV opened up we added another 150 points as we love going to WDW at least twice each year. The recent news of BCV nearly being sold out has sped up our decision to do one last add-on (at least I hope it is) of 50 points giving us 200 per year at BWV and 200 per year at BCV. We rationalize it by saying our 400 total poits have cost an average of a little over $71 per point and the current retail cost is $84 and certain to go up soon. We also rationalized by quickly realizing how fast our kids are growing up and we are making magical family vacation memories that I cannot even begin to put a price on.

 

[Dizzy4Dizney]

We started out with 210 points purchased on our honeymoon in 1999. A year later, a kid came along....ok bought 25 more. Just last month, decided we want to get a one bedroom every time and we liked going for long trips, so bought another 50 points. We now own 235 at BWV and 50 at BCV. Would love more, but then would couldn't eat for 2 years if we bought more.

I think 285 will suit us fine.

 

[ClarabelleCow]

Okay, I give up, disregard everything I said previously!!!! Just put my request in for my 29 add-on points to give me 225!!! After trying to see how a cruise would work with our points, realized I needed a few more, finally broke hubby and said do whatever, you do anyway!!!! Now, does anyone want to buy a week at Vistana!!!!

 

[MrsG]

Keep in mind, right now your children are small and you can vacation at anytime. Once they are of school age, you will be locked into going during prime time (Christmas week, summer time, school breaks) and you will use mega points. In order to figure out your max, pick a high point time with a two-bedroom. That's the amount of points you will eventually need. If you can swing it, add on now. You'll be glad you did.

 

[fkj2]

Keep in mind, right now your children are small and you can vacation at anytime. Once they are of school age, you will be locked into going during prime time (Christmas week, summer time, school breaks) and you will use mega points.

Have you ever noticed just how many children are in the parks during the "off season"? A lot of people take children out of school to vacation at WDW and why not, you spend so much money to get there and fight huge crowds? Besides, there are many opportunities for children to learn at WDW. Not all learning occurs with school walls.

 

[Tiiiigergirl]

I only regret that I didn't hear about the DVC sooner but I'll have something to pass down to my children - the Disney Magic!

Rae: Do you want to adopt me?

 

[poj7]

Hi.

Thank you for so many great perspectives on buying additional points. We are leaning toward buying more while it is still so easy to do at BCV. We'll probably stop short of having enough points to stay in a 2-bedroom during peek vacation times simply because after visiting on the off-season and not fighting crowds we swore we would NEVER go again when the parks are packed. Plenty of other destinations to visit during those times.

Paul

 

[TDC Nala]

I'll be buying an addon to my BCV points on March 3. I haven't even had the membership a year yet.

I make a lot of short trips rather than one or two long ones a year. I'll have enough to cover some weekends now.

 

[rae519]

Sure I'll adopt you, Shelly - but I also want the rest of your family including the dog!!!!!!

To the others - please remember that education is something that a child learns both inside and outside the classroom. There is a lot of value in what they will see, hear and do on a cruise that will impact them later in life. Classroom learning is good, but if parents can offer their children the world - then go ahead and give it to them!!

Rae