thinking of buying dvc

[mimeca]

my wife and i are thinking of buying in at SSR. we absolutely know we will not be going to WDW every year, more likely every other year. with us, three kids and 2 parents to take, the incidentals get expensive!! with that being said, im trying to decide if just a 150pt purchase is fine. Our plan is that we will only go in the off season since we absoltely hate the heat. In fact, we just went 9/30-10/08 and it was too hot then!! We're thinking next time of going the 1st week or so of Dec or Jan, which as I understand it, is the DVC low season, by coincidence, i suppose. In the seven times we've been, we've never gone on school vaca or in the spring or summer, or what DVC considers high season. Given that we have no plans to change the time of year we plan on going to WDW (to a more crowded season), it looks like 150pts every year (or 300 every other year, in my case) would be sufficient to get us into a 2b home at SSR, or any other resort. I know I can buy more points later if I absolutely need them, which I doubt I will. I've tried to do all my homework, but before I get swept up in the whole thing and sign irrationally on the dotted line, I thought I'd see what all you think.
Thanks all for your help
-An overanalyzing dad from boston

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

"Welcome to the DIS mimeca"

Your plans for going every other year will give you 300 pts to use. Since there will be at least 5 of you, a 2BR will be a must. Buy what you can afford now, and you can always add on later.

If you do go in the off season now.........just remember when your kids get older and can't get out of school as easy......your times for going to WDW may change.

 

[mom2alix]

Mimeca,

My 2 cents: I found that the DVC guides were really helpful for us in determining how many points we needed. Like you, we prefer to go to WDW duirng off-peak times. We were thinking 150, but after talking to the guide we ended up getting 200. This gives us the ability to easily get a 2 bedroom every other year and leave extra so we can even get a 3 bedroom sometimes when we have more family with us. It also makes it easier to use points for VB and HH where we prefer to go closer to peak times.

The good thing is you can get the 150 and easily do an add-on later if you find that's not enough for you after all.

BTW - It might sound like an upsell, but the guide was right on talking us out of 150, 200 is much better for us and we may even do an add-on soon. I don't think we would have been happy with the 150. I just like that they really asked a lot of questions and seemed to genuinely be interested in helping determine what we needed (minimally) rather thatn just trying to sell as much as possible.

 

[Lisa P.]

I agree that you will eventually (and probably sooner than you think) be unable to take the kids out of school for vacations. By middle school (if not sooner), the workload and school policies often prohibit this.

Secondly, if you think you may switch your every other year trip to early December, you may want to make sure that you buy at the home resort where you most want to stay. That time of year has become quite popular with DVCers, due to holiday festivities and low points usage. The home resort booking window will be a real benefit then, enabling you to reserve your favorite (home)resort early.

All that said, if you would otherwise expect to pay for week or so in a Disney deluxe room (or two Disney rooms) onsite for your every other year WDW vacation, then 150+ DVC points would probably be a pretty good idea for your family. HTH.

 

[goofy4tink]

We have two adults and one 10 y/o. We have found that 150 is going to work out just fine for us. On one or two occasions we will be getting a two-bedroom unit, but most often a one b/r. We will be going down almost every year also. I had the intention to travel every other year, but have found that I can do one a year, even traveling in late August. We don't plan on getting more points but who knows. A lot of people have suggested that you really need more than 150 but we are doing fine with that amount.

 

[crisi]

We have 150 points, two children, and travel every other year.

A BWV PV two bedroom in October (when our kids have a short break) is 282 points - Checking in on Satuday, checking out on Sunday. So we do just fine. We may end up with an add on, but it would be to share the points with family, not to use them ourselves.

When the kids do get old enough that we don't want to pull them from school (we are in Minnesota, our October break is 2 days, so we still pull them MTW), we will switch to the first week of June - but may choose to do our Saturday night arrival night outside of DVC, or our final weekend at a Universal hotel (and maybe even fly out on Sunday) - we still are under 300 points.

 

[zurgswife]

Off season is good...but remember that the first week of December is extremely popular for DVC members so it booked most years....

But it looks like, Sept, Oct, most of Nov & Dec would work everyother year with 150pts in a 2 bdrm.. Good Luck....

 

[Disney Doll]

Sounds like a good plan in theory. Once you styay there, you are going to want to go every other week, let alone every other year!!!!!

Seriously though, the other posters have pretty much covered it and lend credence to the fact that your idea is a good one.

One comment about the 150 vs. 200 point thing. When we purchased in 1997, 150 points was not necessarily enough to get you accomodations in some of the trade-out places in II etc. If you think soemthing like that might be important to you...to trade out and go somewhere other than WDW ...then consider 200 points. If not, then 150 should work fine. As everyone has said, you can always add on.

Last word of advice...buy where you want to stay. Sometimes that 11 month window makes a HUGE difference.

 

[mikesmom]

Iwould also do 200 if you can afford it without taxing yourself. Reasoning: As another poster said, when the kids are bigger, you may not be able to take them out of school at low point seasons. AND, once you start traveling DVC, you may find , as others have that trips increase to once a year. Not necessarily because you want to do the parks, but because you discover events you want to attend such as the Flower festival or Food & Wine.

Yes, you can addon later, but the points aren't going to get any cheaper! We joined just under 4 years ago at $67/point - $84 would be a real shock to us now.

 

[crisi]

But if your trips do increase to once a year, you may want a second home resort and 300 points. You can buy the second home resort after you travel and get a feel for the setup - you may decide you really need 150 points a WL (which is beautiful in December, and very hard to get into at that time of year). Even years at SSR, odd years at VWL. Or the lure of the Epcot area may be a pull - as the kids get older they can walk over to MGM and Epcot, while you sit in the room until lunchtime.

Also be aware that while you can add on later, once a resort is sold out you may wait to do so. Points become available as Disney exercises their ROFR and repossesses points where payments aren't being made - but people occationally wait a year or longer for a small number of points.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I think you have been given great advice here already. In Minnesota, we have a third week of October break. We will be doing that next October when we have a whole extended family going with us in a GV at OKW.

I think your plan to travel EO year in a 2 bedroom is a good one, BUT...things change, and I can tell you from experience that your needs will change as soon as you make the first trip. When we purchased, they had just lowered the minimum buy in to 150 points. That was what we were planning to do, and then decided last minute to increas to 230 so we could take advantage of exchanges if we wanted to. After the first two trips to DVC, it became obvious that we needed more points, because we were having so much fun taking family and friends along! We added on 150 points after our first year, and now the 380 seems just perfect for us. We like to take one trip of a week and another longer more relaxing one in the winter. This year, we were at OKW for 10 days in January, and a week the end of August (ugh, too hot!). We will be there again for 8 days in January and then plan a week in October followed by another 10day January trip. We like utilizing the annual pass and budgeting our passes so we only buy them everyother year. That means on the off year, we only do a January trip. WE just LOVE getting out of Minnesota in January!

 

[mimeca]

Thanks to all who've offered up such great advice. I can't wait to get back to WDW as a DVC member!!

Thanks again