Talk Me Out of Adding On Extra Points

[4luv2cdisney]

We’ve done Kidani before for 8 nights (before buying DVC) and we liked it. But he says he really liked Jambo. We would probably do split stays for 3-4 days for the latter part of our trip to have some downtime.

I definitely prefer the parking at SSR and the proximity to DS.

I could be wrong, but most teens I know prefer SSR to AKV, so yours may, too. Since your kids will be teens before you know it, I'd skip AKV.

Anyway, unless you have a strong need to stay value or club, AKV can be had on your SSR points.

 

[npatellye]

I could be wrong, but most teens I know prefer SSR to AKV, so yours may, too. Since your kids will be teens before you know it, I'd skip AKV.

Anyway, unless you have a strong need to stay value or club, AKV can be had on your SSR points.

Not going to lie: I also prefer SSR. I like the proximity to DS (my husband refuses to eat park food that he calls “junk” and he really hates the sit down meals), the easier parking, and the multiple pools available.

 

[DVCanadian]

More points are better!
Find a fully loaded 160 AKV (most common contract I think) rent 1-2 years of points to decrease your buy in.
You are now ready for a few 2 bedroom trips when your kids are teens.

 

[bakerworld]

For the College years - Spring and Winter breaks - SSR was a great location. My younger two rarely go to the parks and love to sleep late, pool hang and head for the Springs in the evening. While College peers were heading for Cancun and Fort Lauderdale, our youngest and her cronies would head for SSR. We don't own any point there but it's never a hassle finding a studio.

Our original 2008 contract came with developer points which doubled our 160 to 320. By 2013 we owned 315 points. With Kidani as a home a 1br value at AK is steal.

 

[davidl81]

I made a few offers today. I had good counter offers on two for 160 points at SSR and same at AK. Different UY but that’s what we were looking for to better accommodate fall trips. Both come with all 2021 points; SSR comes with 29 banked 2020 points (which I likely could not use unless something was still open for our January trip after closing). Now I need to figure out which one to actually say yes to Obviously my husband is pushing for AKV, my girls don’t know we are adding on because they’re just kids.

Honestly there is very little difference in owning between SSR and AKV (I own at both). Neither resort has any real advantage at 11 months unless you want the Club or Value rooms at AKL. Between those two I would buy based on price, if the UY matches better, and amount of banked points. SSR does have cheaper fees, and AKV has a few more years on the contract. Neither one is a deal breaker on a 160 point contract IMO. Point is you really won't go wrong in picking one over the other.

 

[MomOTwins]

Honestly there is very little difference in owning between SSR and AKV (I own at both). Neither resort has any real advantage at 11 months unless you want the Club or Value rooms at AKL. Between those two I would buy based on price, if the UY matches better, and amount of banked points. SSR does have cheaper fees, and AKV has a few more years on the contract. Neither one is a deal breaker on a 160 point contract IMO. Point is you really won't go wrong in picking one over the other.

Agree with this. OP can already use their Riviera points at the 7 month point at SSR/AKL no problem, so it sounds like these are really just points to get a bigger room or longer/more frequent stays, and there is no real home resort advantage OP is seeking here. Given that, would decide solely based on price. Don't forget to factor in maintenance fees--SSR is about 1% lower than AKL at the moment.

 

[npatellye]

Thank you, all! We’ve accepted the SSR counter offer. Fingers crossed all goes well.

 

[gisele2]

Maybe that imaginary contract will come along again!

I was just looking .... and found a contrat with one of my UY at a great price . Trying really hard not to make an offer . This is so hard .... It would be a third resort . I already have 400 points .

 

[kmorlock]

OKW Priced similar to SSR BUT - Unless you buy direct or find a 2057 contract(rare), your expiration is 2042. When kids are bigger, 2 bedroom might be needed. OKW has 2 beds vs bed & sleeper and rooms are way bigger with huge patios. The ambiance is unique and truly feels like home.

SSR - expires 2054, usually has available rooms in various categories at 7 months or less.

AKV - Biggest pro is of course the animals. No other resort is quite like it. 2 baths in a 1 bedroom plus a slight edge on the value rooms even though they are often taken at 7 months. 2057 expiration adds edge resale or direct.

I’m all for more points for flexibility if I find the best contract at a price that works. I would not buy resale OKW 2042 at $140 a point when buying direct gives me a lot more. SSR AND AKV are similarly priced direct so, I’d go with AKV FOR 3 more years on contract.

If buying another contract isn’t optimal, you can buy extra one time use points from DVC if special circumstances arise or, but a cash night or two if your points are limited for one season vs another. We added another contract when we consistently found ourselves renting the max of OTUP 3 trips in a row. The reconfigured points charts have a also created a need for add-ons which I’m sure is no coincidence.

 

[npatellye]

OKW Priced similar to SSR BUT - Unless you buy direct or find a 2057 contract(rare), your expiration is 2042. When kids are bigger, 2 bedroom might be needed. OKW has 2 beds vs bed & sleeper and rooms are way bigger with huge patios. The ambiance is unique and truly feels like home.

SSR - expires 2054, usually has available rooms in various categories at 7 months or less.

AKV - Biggest pro is of course the animals. No other resort is quite like it. 2 baths in a 1 bedroom plus a slight edge on the value rooms even though they are often taken at 7 months. 2057 expiration adds edge resale or direct.

I’m all for more points for flexibility if I find the best contract at a price that works. I would not buy resale OKW 2042 at $140 a point when buying direct gives me a lot more. SSR AND AKV are similarly priced direct so, I’d go with AKV FOR 3 more years on contract.

If buying another contract isn’t optimal, you can buy extra one time use points from DVC if special circumstances arise or, but a cash night or two if your points are limited for one season vs another. We added another contract when we consistently found ourselves renting the max of OTUP 3 trips in a row. The reconfigured points charts have a also created a need for add-ons which I’m sure is no coincidence.

All great points! We’re in ROFR now for 160 SSR at $115/point. If they take it, we will add direct at OKW. We do love the space and laid back feel of OKW so we would be okay with that direct if the SSR contract is taken.

 

[npatellye]

I was just looking .... and found a contrat with one of my UY at a great price . Trying really hard not to make an offer . This is so hard .... It would be a third resort . I already have 400 points .

If you need more points then you should make an offer!

 

[gisele2]

If you need more points then you should make an offer!

I don’t need more points. I need a vacation at WDW ! I think a lot of us buy points because we can’t travel right now .

 

[npatellye]

I don’t need more points. I need a vacation at WDW ! I think a lot of us buy points because we can’t travel right now .

I’m sorry

 

[gisele2]

I’m sorry

Don’t be , with this forum I travel a little and dream a lot. Hope your contract pass ROFR .

 

[npatellye]

Don’t be , with this forum I travel a little and dream a lot. Hope your contract pass ROFR .

They took it I was expecting it but was also hoping they would let it go.

I’m trying to pin my husband down on adding direct at AKV, OKW, or RIV. Adding 150 direct at RIV is a little more than I wanted to spend but it’s only $900 more than adding on 150 direct at AKV but RIV has 13 extra years. RIV would play nicely with our other 200 there. But, with point chart shifts, I don’t know that 350 there would be enough for a Thanksgiving week trip in a 1 bedroom every year.

We do like OKW a lot. I dislike the elevator situation but our kids will soon be old enough to help haul luggage up flights of stairs. I also like the lower time of OKW (I’m 40 so 2057 is fine with me; 2070 is likely going to be well past my Disney-going years) and slightly lower cost of OKW. But I like the Skyliner at RIV.

So, changing the topic a tiny bit: would you add on 150 at RIV, OKW, or AKV?

 

[gisele2]

They took it

I am so sorry

 

[Lorana]

My heart says AKV, but we ended up adding on more points at RIV rather than AKV. Admittedly, we (a) already own at AKV, and (b) bought last summer during the crazy summer sale incentives when we were already buying CCV direct, so we got RIV for significantly less (effectively ~$147/point; if need to go back to check exactly what we got it for).

Our thinking was that the rooms, even the studios, are good-sized, the Skyliner to Epcot and HS is soooo convenient, our boys are now teens and enjoy HS a lot more now, and it would give us the 11-month advantage during Food & Wine Festival to get a room at Riviera. The only thing I wish we had done was get a Guaranteed Week, but we wanted to split our contracts into smaller ones so we could pass them along to the boys down the line. And the longer expiration means they’ll have more value for our kids/grandkids.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

They took it I was expecting it but was also hoping they would let it go.

I’m trying to pin my husband down on adding direct at AKV, OKW, or RIV. Adding 150 direct at RIV is a little more than I wanted to spend but it’s only $900 more than adding on 150 direct at AKV but RIV has 13 extra years. RIV would play nicely with our other 200 there. But, with point chart shifts, I don’t know that 350 there would be enough for a Thanksgiving week trip in a 1 bedroom every year.

We do like OKW a lot. I dislike the elevator situation but our kids will soon be old enough to help haul luggage up flights of stairs. I also like the lower time of OKW (I’m 40 so 2057 is fine with me; 2070 is likely going to be well past my Disney-going years) and slightly lower cost of OKW. But I like the Skyliner at RIV.

So, changing the topic a tiny bit: would you add on 150 at RIV, OKW, or AKV?

I would do RIV. If you think there is any way you might have to resell soon, do one of the others. But otherwise, RIV is the best value.

 

[npatellye]

I would do RIV. If you think there is any way you might have to resell soon, do one of the others. But otherwise, RIV is the best value.

That’s how I was leaning for value but we still don’t think we will need this contract for too long. Our plan was to try to buy this add on resale and to sell in in about 10-15 years. With the contract being taken yesterday, we are going to add on direct instead. The purchase of this is to just get us through the kids being in school and us needing to stop pulling them out for a week beginning with the 2022-2023 academic year (which would likely push us to Thanksgiving trips). We weren’t planning to keep this add on forever.

 

[Stargazer65]

That’s how I was leaning for value but we still don’t think we will need this contract for too long. Our plan was to try to buy this add on resale and to sell in in about 10-15 years. The purchase of this is to just get us through the kids being in school and us needing to stop pulling them out for a week beginning with the 2022-2023 academic year (which would likely push us to Thanksgiving trips). We weren’t planning to keep this add on forever.

I think it would end up being a wash in the end when you resell in 10-15 years, and not matter from a money perspective which one you get. Even if there's was significant difference in resell price difference from one to the other, it's impossible to predict. I'd go with whichever one provides the most bang for the buck for you right now.