Staying at other DW resorts

[mcfamily]

We are looking into DVC and I am getting a vibe from this board that I need clarified. We recently took a Disny cruise and loved it. I see more cruises in our future but I often see posts like "using the poits for a cruise is not the best use of points" and we also see the convenience of the monorail to the Magic Kingdom almost a necessity with the current ages of our children (5, 4 and1). We just stayed at the GF and we could shoot over to the Magic Kingdom even if we only had an hour and a half to kill. Transportaion from BW would eat up too much of that time. I get the feeling that using points to stay at other resorts (GF, POLY, etc) is not "the best use of points" Is this because there is a set rate for DVC members to trade off to these resorts and I could get a better deal through a TA or Disney promotion? Given these facts and the fact that even when we have stayed in a BWV unit we barely used the kitchen is DVC for us right now?

 

[Pa@okw95]

Staying at other resorts at WDW using DVC points is not a smart thing to do. It costs a lot of points to do so. You seem to love the monorail resorts and like the short trip for your kids to MK. DVC is not for you at this time. I am a member of DVC and never use the kitchen and I mean never, but for me the one and 2 bedroom units are just great, but we spend a lot of time in the units themselves, the parks are not a big attraction for us. There is no fast way to get to MK from any DVC resort and it looks like MK is going to be for you the best park for the next 10 years until the kids get older.

 

[PamOKW]

Of course you are free to use your points as you like but to consistently use them for non-DVC trips is expensive. In most cases, the points needed for a regular hotel room at a deluxe would get you at least a one-bedroom and sometimes a two-bedroom at a DVC resort. To be close to the MK, VWL is always a good option. If this purchase is something you are thinking about "down the road", you might want to spend a night or two at VWL on your next trip to get a feel for whether it is close enough to MK for your purposes. Of course, nothing is as close as MK. You should also consider the trade-off in what you feel is important today and what is needed in 4-5 years versus the size and luxury of accomodations at DVC.

I'm betting most people don't make a lot of use of the kitchen. But being able to spread out and relax in a "home" is what I really enjoy.

 

[Dean]

You will get all type of responses. What any member choses to do with their points is up to them. To answer your question, there are 3 problems with the areas you ask about. One is that these options may not remain as they are not guaranteed or built into our membership. Second is that the points can and do change from year to year, usually with an increase. Third is that the points are too high for what you get and that makes them not a good value from a financial points. Why do I say that? There are 2 ways to value points in terms of dollars. One is what you spend up front (divided per year) plus your yearly dues plus any other factors you chose like lost income on savings. The other is to compare what you would get with those DVC points if you stayed at a DVC resort.

When you figure the lowest time in the lowest view at GF is as many or more points than a 2 BR unit at any DVC resort almost any times of the year, something is wrong. Using that same comparison, the lowest cabin at the lowest time is almost that many points as well for TWO people only. Then you add to that the fact that if you cancel either of these reservations, you don't get your points back in a fully usable way. They go into a holding account that expires at the end of your use year and can only be used for certain things and not DVC units.

If you understand how DVC pays for these, you'll understand why the inequities are there. DVC gets a discount rate from the resorts/DCL. Lets assume that's 10-20% at most based on RACK rates. Then you give DVC the points and they use them to book rooms that they rent themselves (for a 25% discount) or through CRO (I assume they pay them a fee, my guess is about 25-35%) and that not all of the rooms are rented. DVC basically pays too much and gets too little in return so we pay for it by giving them "extra" points.

Don't get me wrong, it's nice to have options but unless I'm in a use it or lose it situation, I'm not going to do this. I'd rather rent out some of my points and use the cash to pay for the other items. I come out ahead and have many more options.

 

[mikesmom]

You might try and look to the future a bit also. With your brood eventually a room at the Poly or GF just isn't going to be sufficient space. You'll be looking to get 2 rooms. The extra room at a DVC will be almost a necessity for a truly relaxing vacation. The flip side of that, of course, is that with a family of 5 you will be looking at a 2 bedroom.

If you see that the DVC is the answer for you a few years down the road, it may make sense to get in now before the cost gets any higher. As almost any owner on these boards will tell you "my only regret is that I didn't buy in sooner".

 

[InstImpres]

Originally posted by Pa@okw95
[B I am a member of DVC and never use the kitchen and I mean never, [/B]

That's funny, I could say that about my true home but at my WDW Home I "cook" several times. We really like to have a few breakfasts (eggs or pancakes) in the room when there isn't a character meal and we do everything from pizza bagels and mozzeralla sticks for afternoon snacks to spagetti and meatballs for dinner. We find this usually saves us time, money and large discussions.

As for convienience, what has been said is true, MK is only quickly accesible at VWL. You should consider BWV and BCV though. Soon your children will enjoy all the parks and the boat option to MGM and epcot is great! Also, a few years and SAG at BCV will be something they love. I also think it is easy to love these resorts as much as the monorail hotels and than you can either visit DIsney more because of the money savings (that kind of math use to always get me in trouble with my DH ) or have "extra funds" for other terrific things.

JMHO
Sandy

 

[mcfamily]

Thank you all for you honest opinions. I just have to get an index to all the abbreviations. I used these boards extensively for my recent land/sea vacation and have told everyone I know how wonderful and helpful the members of the boards are. Thanks again for your help with my research.

Also, though I am a CPA I can't quite figure out "extra money" Is that what is left over after paying bills, vacations, eating out, retirement savings and saving for college? If that is the case I should have some "extra money" in about 30 years. Is Disney Planning a retirement village?

 

[Pa@okw95]

Sandy--You know in 15 trips and 76 nights at OKW we never used the stove or the microwave--I do use the toaster for bagels in the morning when we do not eat out. It is a funny thing about OKW we have that nice kitchen and never use it. I would not factor in for my purposes the money saved by using the kichen maybe some others can. OKW is intended to be a place where you can cook, "home away from home" I wonder how many do use it for that purpose? What I think is great about OKW is the living space, something this person who posted here might want to consider with 3 kids. My favorite spots in the whole resort are the couch right in front of the TV and the shower. I have often thought of installing one like it in my home. Funny thing how different people use the villas.

 

[Snowgod]

You might like the BCV as an option. While it does not have the monorail, you are just steps from Epcot and a boatride from MGM. There is so much to do at the Boardwalk area that you might not miss the monorail as much Oh, don't forget Stormalongbay, your kids will love it.

 

[childsplay]

I would like to second, or third (which ever one we're up to now) the Storm-Along-Bay(SAB) angle at BCV. We have three children as well, ages 5, 3, and 2 and we just added on at BCV for the sole purpose of using SAB. We pool hopped there last June from OKW and our kids fell in love with the place......being close to EPCOT provides no great benifit for us now, BUT...that is the great thing about DVC it,"grows" and changes with your needs.

Ten or twenty years from now SAB may not be that big of deal for us, but being close to EPCOT for the Food and Wine Festival might.

Look at the long term picture, not the present.....you could probably "get away with" using points at monorail resorts for a few years and then when your ready try other places whamo....there you go the points are there and probably paid for.

 

[jaysue]

Hard to tell whether you are ready or not

If you were ok with taking a 10 minute boat ride to the MK then I would say you are ready to buy into Villas at Wilderness Lodeg (VWL)

As someone stated, thinking to the future, Beach Club Villas (BCV) or Boardwalk Villas (BWV) might work as well since they are between Epcot and Disney Studios and have the Boardwalk as well

Using points for the Resorts (Grand Floridian, Contemporary, Polynesian GF/CR/Poly) is not a good value for the money spent

We did use the kitchen (only one trip so far to DVC) at OKW for Breakfast and some Dinners but I do not figure savings into the equation since we may decide not to use the kitchen and would hate to have to because the economics of my decision were partially based on that

Stormalong Bay (SAB) is acknowledged as the best theme pool in all of WDW and is not accessible by pool-hopping (neither is Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL)) - pool-hopping is a permissable activity of being a DVC member when conditions and crowds allow it.

Thanks
jaysue

 

[Maistre Gracey]

While I agree that using DVC points for non-DVC resorts is not the best use of points, I would argue to the death that it is not a bad use of points. More often than not, if you figure your cost per point, using points for things other than DVC resorts can be a bargain.

That being said, I think you would like the DVC resorts better anyway!

Good luck...

 

[crisi]

Here are some numbers for you to chew on.

Currently 7 nights in a GF Garden View room during value season would run you 320 points.

A 7 night cruise for a family of four in a category 8 stateroom: 512 points.

A studio at VWL in July for 7 nights: 134 points. A 1 bedroom 270, a 2 bedroom, 350 points.

Ten years from now, all bets are off on how many points it will take you to cruise or stay at the GF - generally speaking, it goes up every year. But we are pretty sure that you could still stay in a VWL 2 bedroom villa for around 350 points.

People around here value their points at between $6 and $10 per ($10 is the going rental rate, $6 is closer to their actual cost per year - original purchase price plus dues) - if you'd like to put dollar values to those numbers and compare them against current hotel room prices.

 

[Lesley]

Just trying to jump into your shoes here for a minute....what would I do if I had three children all under five?

Well, it seems like the deluxe resorts' rooms work well for you at this time. If you can afford to visit WDW as often as you like and stay in those rooms...that's probably the thing to do for the next 3-5 years. DVC rooms do not really have adequate accomodations for 5 people in a room smaller than a 2 br....you can do it until that baby is 3 but after that its not technically permitted (in actual practice it often is....and this is a huge debate issue here). And I can't see getting a 2br when the kids are little since most little ones want to be close to their parents at night while on vacation.

On the other hand, DVC accomodations are more affordable than those deluxe resort rooms...when you average out the costs over time. There is no way my own family could afford the lengthy trips we've taken with DVC if we were paying cash for a deluxe room. And DVC accomodations are equivalent to, if not better than, those rooms (except for the sleeping space for 5 thing...) We like having either a microwave and fridge or a full kitchen. Eating out all the time with little ones can be hard. Also we can reheat leftovers from our restaurant meals.

Eventually, when the kids get older you may want the space in a DVC 2br unit...even if you don't use the cooking facilities. Having a washer and dryer in the room is a huge plus (and something I find to be a near necessity with younger kids). And then there's the opportunity to really feel like you're in a home and not just a hotel room. And then there's the parks issue...

My kids are 3 and 8....and we've never really been hyper-focused on the MK. I have never really understood the idea that the main focus at WDW for kids is the MK. My ds has consistently listed either Epcot or MGM as his favorite park. There are things for kids to do at all the parks...and we tend to spend about equal time in all of them. For us, the BWV or BCV are our choices for location.....but we also love VWL for the themeing and OKW for its own particular reasons. So, anyway, don't automatically think that the MK has to be the focus of your trips just because you have kids....and remember that kids grow up quickly...in a matter of just a couple years your oldest 2 may be seeking out thrill rides as well as playgrounds!

Just some thoughts...maybe DVC isnt' for you right now...but its definitely something to consider for the future.