What do you do with all those points?

[Stargazer65]

560 points, mix of direct and resale. We usually only go once a year, and when we do we usually go big. Usually about two weeks at a time minimum, and I may go for almost three weeks in a row this year to get some use out of annual passes. If it's just my wife and I we get 1 BR villas, but often we have family along and stay in a 2 BR. We've hardly ever been in a studio, except a few days here and there to use up some straggler points, or kill some time before a villa stay.

Maybe when I retire the dynamic will change and we'll go more for more frequent but shorter stays. I doubt if it will change too much though.

 

[lovin'fl]

A few years ago we had 650 points with the goal of having enough to do a couple months at WDW in the winter. Our kids were becoming adults so just the two of us were doing little trips here and there. Then covid hit. DH went to WFH and had the idea that we could be anywhere so we decided to buy a rental townhome down near WDW. It was a crazy market and prices were skyrocketing and buying a place was tough but we did end up with a 4BR townhome in Davenport. It was a mostly STR community and we rented it out when we were not using it. But we made no money on it with paying for a property manager and taxes and repairs (renters mucked up the place). After a year of that, we decided to sell our northern home and live in FL full time. We sold the townhome too (made good profit) and bought a SFH closer to WDW (12 mins to AK).

We also sold down our points to 301 (yes 301, long story). We use them to do 1-2 nighters so we can go and drink and not drive home. And get a little Disney fix. We do that about 10 times a year. We stalk for a night at AKV club level and love to do that whenever we can. ANd we just bought 100 HHI points resale to make our total 401. I think it's too many but we find we are always looking to book something and have to borrow a lot. Two of our adult kiddos live in FL now too and we can book them a room sometimes. We have other family and friends we might book a bigger room type to share with. And recently, we like to do weekend trips to Vero or stop in HHI on our way home from a visit up north. ANd someday, maybe, we will have grandbabies to bring and do longer stays in larger room types.

Edit to add...I don't work but the husband still does. Once he retires (5-10 years), he looks forward to being able to do weekday trips to WDW when it's a little less crowded.

 

[Girlstar30]

@Girlstar30 im curious with your mix are you thinking of more direct or do you think you’re happy long term with your mix of resale and direct?

So it depends on the resort im wanting to buy in the future. I havent stayed at aulani, but I have a feeling my wife and I are really going to like it!

My wife is all about nature and im about that Disney resort life and it seems like it will have the best of both worlds for us and since we live on west coast, Hawaii trips make sense. That will def be resale given the very low cost and possibility for SUB dues, which i would hold out for given that i already have lots of points.

Im already thinking of adding 50 points more vdh if the 200 point incentives are better than now, next incentive round im straddling so we will see. Those extra 50 points are the only direct im possibly buying for now and i doubt the incentives will be better.

My reasoning is I feel there are lots of hotels I like available for me to book resale before the 2042 horror arrives lol. While I like riv, I dont love it and I love split stays so if I ever want to stay there, 4 nights would be enough for me and my 150 direct will cover it. I dont believe in future proofing for resorts I may not even care for.

I dont anticipate loving LSL or needing a home resort priority there. CCV still has a lot of years left so if i want my Wilderness life, i will end up buying resale there, it is very attractive with the low dues, long life, and would compliment my christmas stays at AKV.

The Cabins seem fun, but its not somewhere I see myself returning to every year. I like being in the disney bubble and cabins trip would be more to stay there only, which I doubt will happen a lot. The point chart is low enough to have decent coverage with 150 direct points.

The resorts I see myself wanting to own at in the future havent been built yet. Im intrigued by Disney forward and what other Disneyland hotel that may bring. More of interest to me is Crescent lake, which I own no resorts at and given our age I will not buy a 2042. I want something longer, I expect to go to Disney for life and feel they are overpriced at this stage. With the low point chart and how hard it is to get anything even as an owner, i am perfectly happy with a one bedroom pb view. 1 bedroom is my preference anyways. BWV is one of my favorite hotels and a repurposed BWV appeals to me much more than LSL. Tons of woodsy hotels already, nothing like BWV.

If it doesnt happen and bwv is no more, im still interested in owning very near epcot at that time. I feel if I dont wait, it would result in me selling at that time and I never want to sell a direct contract.

After LSL, I dont anticipate any more new hotels to be built for a few years. Im not interested in another monorail resort as I already have one and I already have a Disneyland hotel, therefore I see no need until Crescent lake happens really unless they do something out of this world at Disneyland which i doubt given the recent cost saving trends.

The thousands ill save holding off will more than make up for whatever price increase that will come in the future. DVC may look different then with the trust and all that and maybe I dont even want in. I'll be grandfathered with whatever I have so thats good.

I refuse to buy a resale restricted. I just cant justify the cost with zero flexibility when theres so many other resorts with long contracts that offer many resorts To trade into. It would have to go down to like $40 a point which is what i think it should be for one resort and thats not happening i dont think lol.

I love Disneyland hotel, but I have enough points to hold myself over with other disney trips if I want to bank those points for longer trips the next year. Also with no kids, the duo studios can go really far for us some years.

So yeah this is really long again lol, but I am resale all the way, direct 150 and possible direct 50 more at the one I already own until probably the next 16 years

 

[Cfabar1]

I just don’t know…. Retirement is, at a minimum 20 years away for me, likely 25-30 years… so much could change between now and then…

What I do know, is OKW is the place to stay if the goal is to maximize square footage and points cost, which is what I would be aiming to do…. VB & HHI go away in 2042 most likely, and who knows what happens to OKW after 2042, and certainly 2057…

As much as I love Disney, I imagine that retirement will take us other places… Perhaps we will come down for a week in a 1 BR every Winter, but I think banking points and coming every other year is just as likely, as is selling the entire thing…. Maybe we have a home up north and a condo in Celebration? Or somewhere else in Orlando… Who knows!

Who knows where Disney will be in 30 years… and if it will have the same appeal/niche for me… I do think DCL is very unlikely to be part of my retirement plans compared to HAL, Princess, and Celebrity for example… But 20-30 years is a long horizon…. Who knows!

 

[Steelers0854]

A few years ago we had 650 points with the goal of having enough to do a couple months at WDW in the winter. Our kids were becoming adults so just the two of us were doing little trips here and there. Then covid hit. DH went to WFH and had the idea that we could be anywhere so we decided to buy a rental townhome down near WDW. It was a crazy market and prices were skyrocketing and buying a place was tough but we did end up with a 4BR townhome in Davenport. It was a mostly STR community and we rented it out when we were not using it. But we made no money on it with paying for a property manager and taxes and repairs (renters mucked up the place). After a year of that, we decided to sell our northern home and live in FL full time. We sold the townhome too (made good profit) and bought a SFH closer to WDW (12 mins to AK).

We also sold down our points to 301 (yes 301, long story). We use them to do 1-2 nighters so we can go and drink and not drive home. And get a little Disney fix. We do that about 10 times a year. We stalk for a night at AKV club level and love to do that whenever we can. ANd we just bought 100 HHI points resale to make our total 401. I think it's too many but we find we are always looking to book something and have to borrow a lot. Two of our adult kiddos live in FL now too and we can book them a room sometimes. We have other family and friends we might book a bigger room type to share with. And recently, we like to do weekend trips to Vero or stop in HHI on our way home from a visit up north. ANd someday, maybe, we will have grandbabies to bring and do longer stays in larger room types.

Edit to add...I don't work but the husband still does. Once he retires (5-10 years), he looks forward to being able to do weekday trips to WDW when it's a little less crowded.

So it depends on the resort im wanting to buy in the future. I havent stayed at aulani, but I have a feeling my wife and I are really going to like it!

My wife is all about nature and im about that Disney resort life and it seems like it will have the best of both worlds for us and since we live on west coast, Hawaii trips make sense. That will def be resale given the very low cost and possibility for SUB dues, which i would hold out for given that i already have lots of points.

Im already thinking of adding 50 points more vdh if the 200 point incentives are better than now, next incentive round im straddling so we will see. Those extra 50 points are the only direct im possibly buying for now and i doubt the incentives will be better.

My reasoning is I feel there are lots of hotels I like available for me to book resale before the 2042 horror arrives lol. While I like riv, I dont love it and I love split stays so if I ever want to stay there, 4 nights would be enough for me and my 150 direct will cover it. I dont believe in future proofing for resorts I may not even care for.

I dont anticipate loving LSL or needing a home resort priority there. CCV still has a lot of years left so if i want my Wilderness life, i will end up buying resale there, it is very attractive with the low dues, long life, and would compliment my christmas stays at AKV.

The Cabins seem fun, but its not somewhere I see myself returning to every year. I like being in the disney bubble and cabins trip would be more to stay there only, which I doubt will happen a lot. The point chart is low enough to have decent coverage with 150 direct points.

The resorts I see myself wanting to own at in the future havent been built yet. Im intrigued by Disney forward and what other Disneyland hotel that may bring. More of interest to me is Crescent lake, which I own no resorts at and given our age I will not buy a 2042. I want something longer, I expect to go to Disney for life and feel they are overpriced at this stage. With the low point chart and how hard it is to get anything even as an owner, i am perfectly happy with a one bedroom pb view. 1 bedroom is my preference anyways. BWV is one of my favorite hotels and a repurposed BWV appeals to me much more than LSL. Tons of woodsy hotels already, nothing like BWV.

If it doesnt happen and bwv is no more, im still interested in owning very near epcot at that time. I feel if I dont wait, it would result in me selling at that time and I never want to sell a direct contract.

After LSL, I dont anticipate any more new hotels to be built for a few years. Im not interested in another monorail resort as I already have one and I already have a Disneyland hotel, therefore I see no need until Crescent lake happens really unless they do something out of this world at Disneyland which i doubt given the recent cost saving trends.

The thousands ill save holding off will more than make up for whatever price increase that will come in the future. DVC may look different then with the trust and all that and maybe I dont even want in. I'll be grandfathered with whatever I have so thats good.

I refuse to buy a resale restricted. I just cant justify the cost with zero flexibility when theres so many other resorts with long contracts that offer many resorts To trade into. It would have to go down to like $40 a point which is what i think it should be for one resort and thats not happening i dont think lol.

I love Disneyland hotel, but I have enough points to hold myself over with other disney trips if I want to bank those points for longer trips the next year. Also with no kids, the duo studios can go really far for us some years.

So yeah this is really long again lol, but I am resale all the way, direct 150 and possible direct 50 more at the one I already own until probably the next 16 years

Thank you both so much. Very very helpful for our discussions.