Rates for non-DVC resorts

[maryjane]

I was just curious as to how the points work at other resorts such as AKL and thePoly. If we were to stay at AKL for 4 nites Sat-Thurs during value season would the points be very high? Just one more question Have many people used the points for a cruise and then just paid cash for more than two people ? I absolutely love this forum It gives so much info.
Thanks
MaryJane

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by maryjane
I was just curious as to how the points work at other resorts such as AKL and thePoly. If we were to stay at AKL for 4 nites Sat-Thurs during value season would the points be very high? Just one more question Have many people used the points for a cruise and then just paid cash for more than two people ? I absolutely love this forum It gives so much info.
Thanks
MaryJane

Very high. A regular room is as much or more than a 2 BR at a DVC resort most times of the year.

 

[PamOKW]

Originally posted by maryjane
IIf we were to stay at AKL for 4 nites Sat-Thurs during value season would the points be very high?

As Dean said, yes they will be high. There are 5 categories of rooms we can book at AKL -- Pool View, Savanna, Deluxe Pool View, Deluxe Savanna and Concierge (points going up for each category). The lowest category, Pool View, is 50 points for Saturday and 28 points per night for the next 4 nights. It would cost 162 points. (A studio at BCV would run between 70-88 points for the same time periods covered in Value Season). The top DVC room at AKL, Concierge, would cost 85 points for Sat. and 47 points for each of the next 4 nights for a total of 273 points. The other room categories fall somewhere in-between.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Keep in mind that the Disney resorts that are not DVC are treated similar to any other outside trade. The "cost" to DVD is negotiated annually, so the points requirements for these will change often and will be high.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Have many people used the points for a cruise and then just paid cash for more than two people ? I absolutely love this forum It gives so much info.

Hi MaryJane ~
Welcome to the DIS.
To answer this question, yes, we've used points for a cruise we took in '02. We paid cash for my mil only and then 5 people on points. We almost booked one of my youngest children on cash too, but decided against it at the last moment. When you book a cruise with points and cash like this, the cash is due, in full, at time of booking as opposed to approximately 60 days out if booking soley on cash.
Many people feel booking with points isn't the most wise use of points. I tend to agree, especially seeing how the points steadily go up each year. I think it's an individual decision, as everyone should use their points in a way that most benefits their circumstance. In our case, my mil was diagnosed with lung cancer in late 2001, and we knew this would most likely be the last time we would all be able to vacation together and she had a dream of cruising. At that time, for us, it was a good use of points as we would most likely not have been able to come up with the cash that quickly. Also, it left us (especially my children) with memories that will last a lifetime.
Our family is booked to cruise again this year and chose not to use points this time.