SAP+ ?

[kboo]

I definitely would rather only do 2 resorts. I'm thinking the perfect stay is about 8 nights (possibly a 9 if I come early), and I love AKV, but don't really want to stay there more than 2 nights (or 3 if I come early), so it leaves 3+3 at best for other resorts, or just a 5 to 6 nights at only one other resort... so then I have to decide if that one should be near Epcot or MK, & that's not really a decision I want to make every trip. lol
Technically it may just come down to what is available at 7 months (and waitlists), also I haven't bought the BWV yet, and i could see selling the 25-AKV down the road & just grabbing whatever is available using the CCV points for whatever. It's probably the smart thing to do.... it may just take me a few contract purchases & sales to figure that out.

I think BLT ends up being our SAP+ points because they were so cheap when we bought them. VGF is ironically second place because our first purchase (4 contracts there, total) was around $135 pp. We added on a bunch of points last summer direct and our Riviera points are direct, so we're not talking about a major difference between points. We usually do a longer stay in the MK area or somewhere else, using VGF or BLT points. Then a shorter stay at Riviera. If we are there over winter break, we stay at VGF for Christmas and RIV at New Years. (it's all about the fireworks) I think we will use BLT as SAP less after the refurb. The walk to MK can't be beat.

Yeah, I don't think I'd ever buy at SSR unless we stay there sometime and we end up loving it.

I guess part of me feels like I should just wait until a 50pt BRV pops up and we can use that for January 2026. BUT... we do still want to go in January 2025. BRV/CCV are already booked (studios) for the dates we want. So we'll have to take what we can get at the 7 month mark. It would be nice to have some WDW points to use for that trip instead of having to use my VGC ones again. So I feel like it we got a contract ASAP, we'd have those points when the 7 month mark hits in June.

BUT...then I think, why pick a contract just because of wanting points for this coming year? Maybe it's better to wait for the exact right contract to fit better with future years.

BUT...then I think, CCV might be okay once they get murphy beds. The price of resale and the point chart isn't too bad. And we'd get more years....

BUT...I also don't mind the idea of just using the BRV points until they're gone.

I'm all over the place.

LOL Can you get a 100pt CCV and rent out your BRV points to offset the cost? For the size of your contracts, I feel like it would be too much of a hassle to do 50 CCV and 50 BRV. And maybe with a better room request you could find a quieter room? Plus murphy beds ...

FWIW - We ended up transferring some SSR points to help with our stay at Aulani last spring. Then we bought more last summer (VGF sale). I'm glad we didn't buy points to cover Aulani because then we would have missed out on the VGF sale!

Are you out of points for Jan 2025? Maybe WL a standard BW studio for January with your BRV points and see what happens

 

[smileyanna]

So now my husband is wondering if we should already dump our 50 BRV points (that we've never used) in favor of a larger contract (enough for a 1-bedroom each trip...though I'm not sure what exact amount we'd need for that) at CCV.

I basically did this last year. I bought a 50 point BRV in April. By August, I had bought a 50 point CCV and sold the original BRV. It wasn’t the most efficient way to dip my toe into DVC, but it ended up being fine.

There is no rush on these decisions, though, and you’ve made strong arguments for why BRV is a better resort for your family. Also, the jump to a 1-bedroom is substantial for us 50-pointers!

 

[AstroBlasters]

Honestly, if we wanted to go to WDW every single year...it would be so much easier! I could just have a slightly larger contract and bank forward, as needed. (This is our plan for VGC.)

Dec/Jan/Feb are really the only months we'd ever go to WDW but I know we'll want to hit up Disneyland during those months some years. So we wouldn't want back to back trips a month or two apart. I hate flying so forcing myself onto a plane roughly once a year is about all I can handle. I also only like taking my son out of school for 1 vacation per school year.

I'm jealous of people that can/are willing to travel at many different times a year, multiple times a year!

Guess where we are right now!

 

[ClaraOswald]

I think BLT ends up being our SAP+ points because they were so cheap when we bought them. VGF is ironically second place because our first purchase (4 contracts there, total) was around $135 pp. We added on a bunch of points last summer direct and our Riviera points are direct, so we're not talking about a major difference between points. We usually do a longer stay in the MK area or somewhere else, using VGF or BLT points. Then a shorter stay at Riviera. If we are there over winter break, we stay at VGF for Christmas and RIV at New Years. (it's all about the fireworks) I think we will use BLT as SAP less after the refurb. The walk to MK can't be beat.



LOL Can you get a 100pt CCV and rent out your BRV points to offset the cost? For the size of your contracts, I feel like it would be too much of a hassle to do 50 CCV and 50 BRV. And maybe with a better room request you could find a quieter room? Plus murphy beds ...

FWIW - We ended up transferring some SSR points to help with our stay at Aulani last spring. Then we bought more last summer (VGF sale). I'm glad we didn't buy points to cover Aulani because then we would have missed out on the VGF sale!

Are you out of points for Jan 2025? Maybe WL a standard BW studio for January with your BRV points and see what happens

We have VGC points we can use for January 2025. That's actually what we did for BRV this past January.

Right now, we have a VGC studio booked for 6 nights in January. But we're thinking we'll end up wanting to wait until June 2025 for the next DLR trip. So we'd likely cancel and switch to WDW instead. (Though a lot of this will depend on what flights look like once SWA releases things for January. That might be the bigger determining factor for this trip.

I basically did this last year. I bought a 50 point BRV in April. By August, I had bought a 50 point CCV and sold the original BRV. It wasn’t the most efficient way to dip my toe into DVC, but it ended up being fine.

There is no rush on these decisions, though, and you’ve made strong arguments for why BRV is a better resort for your family. Also, the jump to a 1-bedroom is substantial for us 50-pointers!

Yeah, I'm realizing now that a small contract makes things so much trickier! Another problem I can see myself running into is booking flights. We flight SWA and they don't release flights 11 months in advance. So I hate having to pick hotel dates that may not line up with the best flights. If we had extra points, I can book extra days and then just drop the ones we don't need. But can't really do that with banking/borrowing.

Guess where we are right now!

I spy a Matterhorn macaroon! I hate you. How many days will you be there?
We hit the road for our trip out in 86 days. Seems so far away!

 

[AstroBlasters]

We have VGC points we can use for January 2025. That's actually what we did for BRV this past January.

Right now, we have a VGC studio booked for 6 nights in January. But we're thinking we'll end up wanting to wait until June 2025 for the next DLR trip. So we'd likely cancel and switch to WDW instead. (Though a lot of this will depend on what flights look like once SWA releases things for January. That might be the bigger determining factor for this trip.



Yeah, I'm realizing now that a small contract makes things so much trickier! Another problem I can see myself running into is booking flights. We flight SWA and they don't release flights 11 months in advance. So I hate having to pick hotel dates that may not line up with the best flights. If we had extra points, I can book extra days and then just drop the ones we don't need. But can't really do that with banking/borrowing.


I spy a Matterhorn macaroon! I hate you. How many days will you be there?
We hit the road for our trip out in 86 days. Seems so far away!

5 nights in a 2Bd

 

[kboo]

If we had extra points, I can book extra days and then just drop the ones we don't need.

yup - a few points here and there, it's easier to manage if you're not borrowing, since no matter what you're modifying, you can use your banked points.

Does it make sense in the meantime to rent out your VGC points and then rent/transfer the home resort points you want at WDW? Could be close to, or even better than, a break even since VGC points are so special. And that way you can take your time and wait for the "perfect" contract.

I think when we we first buying in, the advice here was not to buy such that you'd need to use 3 years of points for that very reason. So far we've kept it at "use banked points and up to all current UY" and it's worked out ok. When we know we are done planning we bank what's left over - some years its a few, some it's a lot so we can do a big trip at Xmas, or a family trip. Now that we've added on, I generally eyeball to make sure we use (most) of our points and bank a little. Our BLT contract is the fewest points - even though I wanted to have mostly BLT as SAP+, prices got higher, 2019 restrictions kicked in, and we ended up loving VGF and RIV too... So if i want to do a bigger stay at BLT, I have to plan that more.

 

[kboo]

Right now, we have a VGC studio booked for 6 nights in January. But we're thinking we'll end up wanting to wait until June 2025 for the next DLR trip. So we'd likely cancel and switch to WDW instead. (Though a lot of this will depend on what flights look like once SWA releases things for January. That might be the bigger determining factor for this trip

I think I remember you saying you had a relatively flexible travel schedule - can you rent points or a confirmed reservation for a lower points time in early December? (Any time between Thanksgiving and Xmas) - points are low, and you have holiday decorations and holiday parties. We are tied to the school schedule right now, but that's becoming my favorite time of year at WDW. You could check out WDW at the holidays, and check out a few resorts.

Yes, I am an enabler. This is how I scratch my DVC itch without buying more points (all my points are currently tied up in reservations through the end of 2024... )

 

[ClaraOswald]

yup - a few points here and there, it's easier to manage if you're not borrowing, since no matter what you're modifying, you can use your banked points.

Does it make sense in the meantime to rent out your VGC points and then rent/transfer the home resort points you want at WDW? Could be close to, or even better than, a break even since VGC points are so special. And that way you can take your time and wait for the "perfect" contract.

I think when we we first buying in, the advice here was not to buy such that you'd need to use 3 years of points for that very reason. So far we've kept it at "use banked points and up to all current UY" and it's worked out ok. When we know we are done planning we bank what's left over - some years its a few, some it's a lot so we can do a big trip at Xmas, or a family trip. Now that we've added on, I generally eyeball to make sure we use (most) of our points and bank a little. Our BLT contract is the fewest points - even though I wanted to have mostly BLT as SAP+, prices got higher, 2019 restrictions kicked in, and we ended up loving VGF and RIV too... So if i want to do a bigger stay at BLT, I have to plan that more.

The problem I keep running into when I write out different "plans" is that even with mostly every other year trips...we end up with extra points if we have more than 100 to work with each year. Basically we'd only want to stay 6-7 nights in a studio or 1-bedroom. I guess we could just rent out overflow points but I wouldn't want to have to do that every year. (Do you take any kind of tax hit on this? I imagine it can't be much, right?)

I think I remember you saying you had a relatively flexible travel schedule - can you rent points or a confirmed reservation for a lower points time in early December? (Any time between Thanksgiving and Xmas) - points are low, and you have holiday decorations and holiday parties. We are tied to the school schedule right now, but that's becoming my favorite time of year at WDW. You could check out WDW at the holidays, and check out a few resorts.

Yes, I am an enabler. This is how I scratch my DVC itch without buying more points (all my points are currently tied up in reservations through the end of 2024... )

So just rent for our next WDW trip instead of using VGC points? I guess that would be an option but I'm not really a fan of cancellation policies when renting so it's a bit less desirable for me.

I actually looked at the cabins (cash rate) yesterday for January it that was slightly enticing to me as well. We've never stayed at Ft. Wilderness but, in general, we are "camping"/cabin people.

Sorry...I know this is the SAP+ and I'm derailing. I should start a "Brainstorming my future trips" thread.

 

[kboo]

The problem I keep running into when I write out different "plans" is that even with mostly every other year trips...we end up with extra points if we have more than 100 to work with each year. Basically we'd only want to stay 6-7 nights in a studio or 1-bedroom. I guess we could just rent out overflow points but I wouldn't want to have to do that every year. (Do you take any kind of tax hit on this? I imagine it can't be much, right?)

When we first bought BLT, we bought points so that we could save on 6-7 nights in a studio, bank the extra points and have enough for banked + current to stay in a 1BR without borrowing, etc. Well, that did not last long because we ended up favoring a 1br or larger at BLT and only the larger studios elsewhere. We also thought we'd only go for 5-8 days in late August/Labor Day, which is also a low points time.

IOW, if you have extra points, bank them to take a longer trip next time, a preferred view, or a larger unit. There are other resorts worth trying that are slightly more points hungry - give yourselves that flexibility.

 

[kboo]

So just rent for our next WDW trip instead of using VGC points? I guess that would be an option but I'm not really a fan of cancellation policies when renting so it's a bit less desirable for me.

Since you already own DVC, you could get a transfer - I did that with SSR points from another member to help cover our Aulani trip. It helped that they were the same UY as our BLT points, so I could use them together. Leftover points went to supplement another booking with BLT (added a night) later that year.

 

[ClaraOswald]

When we first bought BLT, we bought points so that we could save on 6-7 nights in a studio, bank the extra points and have enough for banked + current to stay in a 1BR without borrowing, etc. Well, that did not last long because we ended up favoring a 1br or larger at BLT and only the larger studios elsewhere. We also thought we'd only go for 5-8 days in late August/Labor Day, which is also a low points time.

IOW, if you have extra points, bank them to take a longer trip next time, a preferred view, or a larger unit. There are other resorts worth trying that are slightly more points hungry - give yourselves that flexibility.

My concern with banking is if we go every other year, some points will go unused. Let's just say we take a trip in early 2026 and we use ALL of our 2025 points (june UY) and a few 2026 points. The leftover 2026 will be banked into 2027 for a January 2028 trip. We likely wouldn't need all of those points since we have no desire to stay in a 2-bedroom or for more than 7 nights (8 would be the max, I think, but that's a stretch.) So leftover 2027 points would have to be banked into 2028. However, our next trip wouldn't be until January 2030 (2029 use year) so those points would need to be rented out.

It's so much easier with my VGC points because we know we want to go at least once during every UY.

 

[Cabius]

My concern with banking is if we go every other year, some points will go unused. Let's just say we take a trip in early 2026 and we use ALL of our 2025 points (june UY) and a few 2026 points. The leftover 2026 will be banked into 2027 for a January 2028 trip. We likely wouldn't need all of those points since we have no desire to stay in a 2-bedroom or for more than 7 nights (8 would be the max, I think, but that's a stretch.) So leftover 2027 points would have to be banked into 2028. However, our next trip wouldn't be until January 2030 (2029 use year) so those points would need to be rented out.

It's so much easier with my VGC points because we know we want to go at least once during every UY.

I think this strategy works when you bank and borrow, right?.

So if you get 50 points a year, and use 95 every other year, you'll have wasted points.

But if you use 105 points every other year, it works out:

The first time, that's 50 banked, 50 current, and 5 borrowed.​

​

The next time, that's 45 banked (because 5 were borrowed already for the previous trip), 50 current, and 10 borrowed.​

​

Eventually, of course, you have to use skip a year or something. But it kicks the problem down the road.

 

[tom1944]

I think this strategy works when you bank and borrow, right?.

So if you get 50 points a year, and use 95 every other year, you'll have wasted points.

But if you use 105 points every other year, it works out:

The first time, that's 50 banked, 50 current, and 5 borrowed.​

​

The next time, that's 45 banked (because 5 were borrowed already for the previous trip), 50 current, and 10 borrowed.​

​

Eventually, of course, you have to use skip a year or something. But it kicks the problem down the road.

The year you are short you buy one time use points.

 

[kboo]

However, our next trip wouldn't be until January 2030 (2029 use year) so those points would need to be rented out.

Let's check in in 2030 on how that's going ...
Say you have a 125 point contract and a studio is 100 points and a 1br in 200 points:
Year 1: Studio + bank 25
Year 2: Use 25b + 75 for a studio, bank 50 if you plan on going the next year; or use 150 for a shorter stay in a 1br if you want to skip next year, now you're down to 0 current UY
Year 3: If you skip: bank 125. (if you don't skip, just keep using banked and current UY and banking the extra until you want to skip)
Year 4: 250 points - 1br in a different season, different resort, etc.

I think this strategy works when you bank and borrow, right?.

So if you get 50 points a year, and use 95 every other year, you'll have wasted points.

But if you use 105 points every other year, it works out:

The first time, that's 50 banked, 50 current, and 5 borrowed.​

​

The next time, that's 45 banked (because 5 were borrowed already for the previous trip), 50 current, and 10 borrowed.​

​

Eventually, of course, you have to use skip a year or something. But it kicks the problem down the road.

I think you can do it with borrowing, but I think what I'm saying above is that the year before you take off, you try to use all your points, then the year you take off, you bank the while year and skip. Or (this was what we thought we would do when we first bought in - numbers are hypothetical):
150 point contract, studio costs 100, 1br costs 200:
Y1: studio, bank 50.
Y2: 1br (50b+ 150)
Y3: if skipping, bank all 150. If not, repeat Y1, Y2.

In other words, for @ClaraOswald - a slightly larger contract works more easily if you go 2 out of every 3 years. Another way to look at it is if you get a little bit more than you need, you have the flexibility to walk if you need to, book a preferred view if you need to, splurge on VGF or RIV if you want to, go at a different season if you want to, etc.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Man..it's confusing! I'll probably need to read through that 400 times before it clicks. Ha!

I really don't see us ever going outside of December/January/February. Even though months can be too hot for me so anything else would be a disaster. And we avoid 3-day weekends/holidays so the points charts for those times are definitely on the lower end. I didn't consider using the "extra" points to pick a more expensive resort. That's a good idea.

I'm still thinking 100 points (total) at WDW is probably best. But honestly, I'm just not sure. Right now we just have the 50 but if another 50 shows up that looks good, I'll probably try for it. And I suppose if a few years in, we're feeling we need more, I'll just keep my eye out for another small contract.

 

[Chili327]

Sorry...I know this is the SAP+ and I'm derailing. I should start a "Brainstorming my future trips" thread.

No worries, i think this type of discussion is very SAP+ related.

My concern with banking is if we go every other year, some points will go unused.

Can be an issue i think anyway you do it, p0int charts change, etc.

It's so much easier with my VGC points because we know we want to go at least once during every UY.

Could be an issue for the same reason, one day you'll either catch up on banked points, or run out based on how much you spend each trip.

I think this strategy works when you bank and borrow, right?.

So if you get 50 points a year, and use 95 every other year, you'll have wasted points.

But if you use 105 points every other year, it works out:

The first time, that's 50 banked, 50 current, and 5 borrowed.​

​

The next time, that's 45 banked (because 5 were borrowed already for the previous trip), 50 current, and 10 borrowed.​

​

Eventually, of course, you have to use skip a year or something. But it kicks the problem down the road.

Say you have a 125 point contract and a studio is 100 points and a 1br in 200 points:
Year 1: Studio + bank 25
Year 2: Use 25b + 75 for a studio, bank 50 if you plan on going the next year; or use 150 for a shorter stay in a 1br if you want to skip next year, now you're down to 0 current UY
Year 3: If you skip: bank 125. (if you don't skip, just keep using banked and current UY and banking the extra until you want to skip)
Year 4: 250 points - 1br in a different season, different resort, etc.

Strategy is what I love speculating!!!

I used to think once every 3 years would be the way (banking and barrowing), but now I think every other year is the best plan of attack. You bank one year & use 2 years worth per trip, anything leftover gets banked, anything needed gets barrowed. It may balance out every few years, or eventually you either have to do something odd (like buy OTU points or rent/transfer extra), but not very often.

 

[Chili327]

Man..it's confusing! I'll probably need to read through that 400 times before it clicks. Ha!

I really don't see us ever going outside of December/January/February. Even though months can be too hot for me so anything else would be a disaster. And we avoid 3-day weekends/holidays so the points charts for those times are definitely on the lower end. I didn't consider using the "extra" points to pick a more expensive resort. That's a good idea.

I'm still thinking 100 points (total) at WDW is probably best. But honestly, I'm just not sure. Right now we just have the 50 but if another 50 shows up that looks good, I'll probably try for it. And I suppose if a few years in, we're feeling we need more, I'll just keep my eye out for another small contract.

That's where I'm at right now too, I keep running different scenarios at different resorts to see how many points each would cost.

Use David's Cost Calculator to see.
https://dvcrequest.com/dvc-guests/cost-calculator

 

[LittleBitGoofy]

That's where I'm at right now too, I keep running different scenarios at different resorts to see how many points each would cost.

Use David's Cost Calculator to see.
https://dvcrequest.com/dvc-guests/cost-calculator

I use that tool on David's all the time and it's how I populate my spreadsheet for projecting future years' usage. It's a great reference. Likewise, terribly dangerous for speculative "hmm, and if I had twice the points..." scenarios!

 

[chazas]

Had to run the BLT numbers just to see. Too funny. lol

BLT @ $130 = $13,000 / 35 = $371.43
$3.71 + $7.59 = $11.30ppp

CCV - $11.29 (SAP+)
BLT - $11.30 (SAP+)
SSR - $11.31 (SAP)
VGF - $11.33 (SAP+)
Poly - $11.70 (SAP+)

*edited to add Poly & VGF*
Poly @ $146 = $14,600 / 42 = $347.62
$3.47 + $8.23 = $11.70ppp

VGF @ $160 = $16,000 / 40 = $400
$4.00 + $7.33 = $11.33ppp

Admittedly I’m new at this, since I just signed my first contract and haven’t even closed yet. I definitely look at these calculations, and one of the aggregators (apparently I can’t name it) basically does them for you on all the listings. But they ignore the time value of money - I’d rather pay the a lower price up front because the money I keep grows in the meantime. When you look at the lowest overall cost points over time including dues, the buy in for SSR is always by far the least expensive. Like, not even close. And who knows what will happen in the next 30 plus years, it’s highly unlikely I’d keep the contract that long, which means I’ll be avoiding dues after I sell.

I’m not saying people shouldn’t buy where they want to stay, but every time I look at it SSR just makes the most economic sense.

 

[Chili327]

Admittedly I’m new at this, since I just signed my first contract and haven’t even closed yet. I definitely look at these calculations, and one of the aggregators (apparently I can’t name it) basically does them for you on all the listings. But they ignore the time value of money - I’d rather pay the a lower price up front because the money I keep grows in the meantime. When you look at the lowest overall cost points over time including dues, the buy in for SSR is always by far the least expensive. Like, not even close. And who knows what will happen in the next 30 plus years, it’s highly unlikely I’d keep the contract that long, which means I’ll be avoiding dues after I sell.

I’m not saying people shouldn’t buy where they want to stay, but every time I look at it SSR just makes the most economic sense.

Very true, the buy-in is definitely lower with SSR, but the dues stop on any resort you sell so that’s no issue for comparison.

You can definitely look at it from different ways, but not keeping it “that long” may be where you lose that low buy-in value… depending on when you sell. SSR won’t be worth as much in 25 years as the others. (But that also may not matter)