What do I do about DH???

[Shugardrawers]

Oh when it comes to some things I do let Dh take control. I'm not a complete control freak The problem with letting him do it this time is that it's very costly to go to WDW and I know my Dh. He hates, absolutely HATES to have things go wrong and an entire trip of things going wrong would stress us both badly. If this were something we could redo my way a few weeks later it would be different but it's not. Dh works mucho overtime to allow me and DSis to take these trips. He hasn't been since 1989 and that was with his previous wife for a single day. He probably will not go again with me for several years. Having been as many times as I have in the past couple of years I have learned the things he'd like to do, the things he'd like to see and what he would consider skippable. Those things require planning. Getting a good room even offsite at a good rate requires planning and knowing what websites are reputable requires research. Knowing you won't get tickets for 1/2 price requires knowledge. If he were wanting to do the research and maybe find some things I didn't know were out there, it would be different. But he wants to just show up, check in and wing it. At that time of year it *may* be possible but we are on a limited budget and I hate to see that budget get wasted when it didn't have to. I'm all for Dh planning a few activities for us but this just isn't the time unless it includes lots of research.

 

[debloco]

Not sure if this is a good idea...but could you have him read this thread?


Or would that be very bad?

 

[ohanafamily]

Shugardrawers vbmenu_register("postmenu_10166501", true); , Why not tell him that you know the lay of the land over there, and since he gets so little time off why not let you plan a few things; "Oh honeycakes, Let me and the girls stay offsite next time we go. you take so little time off that I want to spend the extra money helping YOU to relax. As a matter of fact, why not let me make a few dinner reservations to the really popular places that book up quick. I can find out when the haave Early Entry and set up reservations on those days. SugarKins, I love you soooooo much, please just let me try to make this the absolute most special trip for you. ....."

Since you are on a budget (and you are ignoring my comments about DVC) why not look into Meal Plans. They are a great way to save money, and work at some of the more expensive places. You can segway that into Not Offered Offsite, and then ask him if he really should believe that SPAM e-mail (or FAX) where they promise you "The World" to get you to look at their time-share. I think that is where he got the 1/2 off Idea; I saw one of those the other day...Ask him to look at the fine print... Offsite isn't bad, but sinceit has been so long for him I would push the on-propert...OK, now my advert for DVC... when he is all relaxed and everything is going perfectly...get him to meet with a guide. I was as bad as he is (I was lucky to take a week off every 3 years) and now we go twice a year............

mickeyfan1, I may be putting words into Shugardrawers mouth, I don't think she is trying to micro-plan the whole trip. DW and I have done that a few times and it is sort of stressful. What we do now is try to plan a few things we really want to do (most of the time it is a ADR, or meeting some friends...) This time we have a lot planned becaus we want to show off our son to friends...I digress... I think she wants to make sure the minimum requirements are met.

 

[Kimberly]

The only off site really worth it are the Downtown Disney area hotels, which aren't really "off site" really. You'd be surprised just how little money you'd actually save in the long run, especially if you rely on disney transportation. But for those who don't like public transportation (I hate it), staying offsite in a nice condo might be worth it, especially if you enjoy the quiet.

 

[Shugardrawers]

You're right, the only off site I'd consider is the DTD area. The girls and I stayed at the Grosvenor once and I actually got it for $20 a night but that was a fluke. It was a great bargain and a good hotel. The Disney bus stop was 1/2 a block away. I'd stay there again. Ohana, I'm not really ignoring your comments about DVC. We need to stay at a value resort and at that time of year they run around $50 a night with a code. I usually get one and if not can find one. I doubt DVC can match that price and we are on a tight budget for this. We just can't afford to pay $100+ per night.

I'm letting him do all the research he wants to do right now. If he finds something worth looking into I'll check it out on my own. Otherwise, I'm making plans that are easily breakable such as PS especially I'm waiting for a PS for a princess breakfast at CRT. Right now he thinks it's silly but after he gets there he'll enjoy it.

 

[Aurora63]

If you do consider offsite, Gaylord Palms is awesome. It is extremely close to the parks (located on Osceola just east of that gate) and it is a beautiful, gorgeous, luxurious resort with unbelieveable theming and awesome employees. We did have a car, but they also offer hourly shuttles to the parks. I would stay there again in a heartbeat...it was so nice.

The first night we were there, DH and I ordered room service, since it was late and we were tired from driving. They brought it up, the man set it up on the balcony for us, our balcony was looking out over the indoor atrium which had a view of a replica of the Castillo de San Marcos. It was just gorgeous. I can't rave about this place enough.

Besides all this, we got it on Priceline for $90 a night.

I guess I'm just trying to say, don't knock every offsite place unless you've tried it!

 

[ohanafamily]

Ohana, I'm not really ignoring your comments about DVC. We need to stay at a value resort and at that time of year they run around $50 a night

[DVC Soapbox]
Aha!, a foot in the door... I will say this and then I will stop my DVC "Sales Pitch"...
Adventure Season, (September 1-30 of 2006) A Studio at OKW...Sun-Thursday- 8 Points a night (Friday and Saturday are a lot more 20pts/night). If you BUY in, it costs about $6 a point. Most people try to get $10 a point for a rental...I usually can find people willing to rent for $8 a point...

Figure $8 a point, 8 points a night is $64 a night for weeknights.
($160 a night for friday and saturdat.)
so, if you get there on a Sunday Morning and leave late Friday,,,
Plus, you might be able to spring for one night at $160...

The weekly rate is 80 points, so you can figure $640 a week...Less than $100 a night

(if you bought in $6 a point at 80pts $420 a week... $48 a weeknight)

BTW, there are NO TAXES on top of this, I think it is 11.5% room tax in Orlando)

Did I get close???
[/DVC Soapbox]

Please let us know how the talk with your DH goes, PM me if you want to know more on the DVC stuff.....

 

[MELSMICE]

BTW, there are NO TAXES on top of this, I think it is 11.5% room tax in Orlando)

If you do consider renting DVC points, remember this. Sometimes the cost without tax is comparable to the price with tax.

Also, in a DVC studio you'll get a kitchenette, so you could save on food. Easy to cook breakfast in the room, you can keep drinks in the fridge, make coffee every morning & also get things for sandwiches & late night snacks if you want.

Just something you might want to compare - even to a value.

 

[ohanafamily]

Hey there MELSMICE, How hove you been? it has been a while since our threads have crossed (I meant to say hi a couple of days ago...). Are you thinking about the 2006 Member Cruise??? I am starting to obsess about 12/3 (the call in date).

So Shugardrawers, Your DH is going to do research for a month... does this mean we will have to wait and see??? I wish I had more poatience

 

[Shugardrawers]

I just can't get past the idea that renting DVC points is going to cost us as much as a moderate and is going to be a bigger pain in the tushy. Can you direct me somewhere to compare?

 

[ohanafamily]

Here is some simpified info, there are some screwy restrictions but I think you were looking for this info.

Here is a link to a primer on "Why DVC" from AllEars...
http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/dvc.htm

The best place to look for rental points I have found is here on the Dis. I just checked, and right now $9.00is about the lowest rate availabe... It changes over time. With a little patience you can find the occasional $8. point rental.

Since you are not DVC, you need a reservation, not just the points. It is really the same thing, but you are a little more reliant on the seller. Here is a link to Webmaster Doc's buyer beware wrning about renting...
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=269518

Here is also a link to a thread where tey asked "Why should I buy DVC?"
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=918423

The official call in number for new peopleis (800)800-9100. They can connect you with a guide who can answer all of your questions about ownership and perks.

DVC Planning Board Link:
http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=89

DVC Rent/Trade Board Link:
http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=29

One more thing, to be honest, I picked the least expensive resort and the time you specified was during the cheapest season... but then again, that is when you getthe $50 rate...

Since spare cash is not somehing you seem to have a lot of right now (as in you specified Value resorts at the lowest cost season, the buy-in might be too steep. I will tell you about the costs, how I calculated them, and a little about resale (which may be a better option for you..).

The first question is usually "How much do these points realy cost me and when do I pay what...Currently, the only place that they are selling new contracts in is Saratoga Springs. They want you to buy in at 150 points, and the points are selling for $98 a point (less the buy in bonus whatever it currently is). They will finance it, and I am not sure how good the rates are. There is also an annual fee (last year at SS it was $3.80 a point). What this means is that you give them $14,700.00 for the 150 points, and about $570 a year. Again, they have financing available, and there is usually a special discount available. They can also deduct the fees monthly from your checking account.

How did you come up with the $6.00 a point figure... Dividing $98 a point by 49 years gives you $2.00 a point per year. Add this to the annual dues ($3.80) and you get $5.80 a point as your basis.

What is to stop them from raising the number of points I need to rent a room, or the cost of the annual fees.... They can raise the annual fees a few percent every year, and they can adjust the points between seasons for individual room classes, but they have a set number of points that they can charge per room totalled up at the end of the year (this is a fancy way of saying that if they raise the rate in one season, they must lower it in another).

Banking and borrowing points...simplified, if you aren't going to use all of your points this year, you can bank them into next year (certain restrictions apply), you can also borrow from the next year. This means that you could feaably use 3 years worth of points in one year (I don't know anyone who has done it, but the guides love this scenario.)

There are a couple of resellers out there, I have been told that there is a good aftermarket for buying points from others. You can also buy in at less than the 150 points if you use a reseller. They have a lower cost basis, so you can generally buy a little cheaper. There are several warnings about resold points... Have all of Next years points been borrowed already, what are the closing costs (disney pays them on a new purchase), does the Use Year match mine?, Disney has the first right of refusal, they use this to keep the resale rates up. Call ******** Crawford, she specializes in DVC resale (and is a DIS Sponsor). www.***********.comis her web address, and she is really nice. She can show you how to lower your costs even more with a resale.. Warning though, the only resort thatt goes to 2054 is SS, the rest only go to 2042.

Which resort is right for me? I would say a resale at OKW; the costs will be lower on the points, and it gives you an 11 month window to book at OKW (the least expensive DVC resort).

That should be enough for now... Please let me know when you want more specifics...

 

[MELSMICE]

Hi ohanafamily - don't think we'll be doing the Member Cruise this year. Hopefully we'll be on one soon though.

Shugardrawers - head on over to the Rent/Trade Board for info on renting DVC points. The first time we stayed at a DVC resort (OKW) was through rental points from "the boards".

If you should decide you want to look into it make sure you ask lots of questions of the renters. Also, if you find someone you'd be interested in renting from ask for references & don't be afraid to check them before making any commitment.

Here's what would need to happen for you to rent: Renter (DVC owner) "advertises" on the Rent/Trade Board that they have points available. You say that you're interested & give the dates you'd be going & also the resort you want to stay at. Considering price is a factor, OKW is probably your best bet - lowest point values.

The owner then checks availability for you. If it's available & you've checked references the owner then makes the ressie for you. Ask them to make it in your name & to have a confirmation sent to you. You then pay them - we did it once with a check & once through PayPal - which is very easy!

You said you're going in January - correct? Just a little calculation:

This is using $10 per point. You could possibly get $8 or $9/point, but we'll go with $10 just in case...........

Weeknights at OKW in January = 8 points = $80/night
Weekends at OKW in January = 20 points = $200/night

Arriving Saturday - checking out following Saturday would be $800 total
There is no tax, so that is the price per night.



Value resort - right now in January 2006 is $79/night = $89.28 w/tax

Arriving Saturday - checking out following Saturday would be $624.96

That is for one full week at both places & includes 2 weekend nights, which are high point values at DVC.

With this scenario DVC point rental would cost you $175 more, however, you do get the kitchenette & like I said, if you cut off weekend nights or moved to a value for the weekend nights it would definitely be a better value to stay at OKW.

If you were staying at a moderate then you'd probably get a better deal with DVC.

Those value rates are what's posted on the WDW site - you may get a better deal if there is a code.

Let me know if you need help. It can be confusing, but honestly, I think it would at least be worth looking into.

 

[ohanafamily]

Melsmice, sometimes I think I get so excited that I loose my perspective. YOUR Explanation was much Better than mine....

 

[MELSMICE]

Melsmice, sometimes I think I get so excited that I loose my perspective. YOUR Explanation was much Better than mine....

LOL Thank you! I love DVC too!

 

[dcgrumpy]

I just can't get past the idea that renting DVC points is going to cost us as much as a moderate and is going to be a bigger pain in the tushy. Can you direct me somewhere to compare?

we rented points thsis past May, it cost us $95 a night for a studio at OKW. A value resort would have been $99 plus tax. We are staying in a preferred view studio at BWV in November for $120 a night a mod would be $134 and a value $77.

 

[mtblujeans]

So, how did the research work out....???

 

[Shugardrawers]

He's tabled the discussion for now but if this Sept trip actually does come off I know him well enough to know I haven't heard the last of this.

 

[ead79]

Is there a way you could sit down with your DH and ask him what are his most important priorities for this trip? Is his biggest goal cost savings, a relaxing experience, not having to live by a schedule, etc.?

Perhaps if you got an idea why he feels the way he does you could address his concerns. For instance, perhaps he is tired of living by a routine, so that’s why he doesn’t want to plan out his days. If that’s the case, maybe you could compromise by planning out part of the trip, but not the entire thing. If he’s concerned about the cost, perhaps you could let him know that some of the dates he is considering are more expensive than others and you want him to get the best deal (like avoiding June and Christmas week in favor of value season). Also, you could consider making some ADR’s but then canceling them if you don’t feel like dining there. We often make a plan but ditch it if we’re too tired. Maybe your DH is afraid that having a plan means he’ll have to stick with it even if he’s not in the mood to.

 

[disneyfreakjackie]

NEVER stayed off site . . . NEVER will!! DH agrees. We never have to rent a car or drive our entire vacation! We also don't have to remember where the car is parked in those huge parking lots!! In our opinion, it's just to inconvenient to stay off site!! Staying on site in part of the whole Disney experience for us and we wouldn't have it any other way!! Since DH and I have four daughters we have to get two rooms . . . and it's worth every penny!