Which resort is best for sleep around points?

[Brian Noble]

Many people say that a Timeshare is worth only to stay in larger accommodations.

I'm one of those people. Even traveling alone I prefer to be in a 1BR if I can help it; it is just more comfortable. And that goes way back. During my first sabbatical, before we bought our first timeshare, I was spending one week a month in another city consulting. Rather than get a hotel room nearby, I'd typically get a 1BR in a Residence Inn a little farther from the office. Having a kitchen is great--and having a Trader Joe's a block away from the office bus stop was a nice way to use it! But, for me there is something I really like about having a place to work, relax with a book, or watch a movie without having to stare at (or worse, sit on) my bed.

I will book a studio if there really isn't another option (this sometimes happens in downtown locations) or if I'm on a last-minute unexpected trip and don't want to feel guilty about booking it. I did that last summer to hike RMNP, but even that was a studio with a loft and a kitchen with apartment-sized appliances.

But we don't want to sleep in the same room with our kids

Different rooms, separated by a door that locks, because it is our vacation too . @crisi refers to this as the "nookie tax."

Even when it is just the two of us, it is nice to have a separate space if one of us wants to be a night owl or an early bird without worrying about disturbing the other one.

 

[davidl81]

We end up doing 1 bedrooms 80% of the time its just our family (myself, wife, 7yr and 4yr). Having the full kitchen really helps out with dining (mostly breakfast) and I love having the washer and dryer. I guess the math may not check out as well on value for points, but by the time we started doing 1 bedrooms we were already bought into DVC so oh well.

 

[My3kids1989]

I have played through many scenarios and looked at the math, that some of you have done. Does anyone think it makes sense to spend less money on more points upfront while their kids are young? I can buy approx twice as many points at lets say VB than AKL. So my maintenance fees will be approx 2$ more a point, or 400$ a year but I would have 2x as many points. My youngest will be 25 in 22 years. I feel like maximizing the amount of points I can comfortably pay cash for with a little bit higher MF over the years might make sense more sense to me. I don’t really care where I stay and I don’t care if I resort hop. Being able to have a 1 bedroom and go somewhere a couple times a year is what’s most important to me while my kids are little. My expensive BWV points are for my planned trips. My SAP points will probably be more of last minute within a month or so of a trip, so the 11 mo window doesn’t really mean too much to me for these points. Maybe this will make sense to some of you or I could be totally off here. Could it be worth the “premium” of higher MF to pay cash and have more points?

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

. Could it be worth the “premium” of higher MF to pay cash and have more points?

I'd have to do the math but I think in the not so distant past it was approx 11 years before the higher dues compensated for buying a location like SSR.

 

[My3kids1989]

I'd have to do the math but I think in the not so distant past it was approx 11 years before the higher dues compensated for buying a location like SSR.

My math obviously isn’t exact but I guess my thinking was, for not financing, is one extra trip a year worth paying a bit more overall in the end. I think it might be. The more time on trips and with my kids has non monetary value. I have paid the 4-5k trips for two rooms at deluxe resorts so even at approximately $325 for a 1 bedroom (calculating 13$ a point, based on some calculations here, for 25 points a night) it’s still less than cash and I know what I’m paying up front. Except small maintenance fee increases but hotel rates will increase too and so does everything else.

 

[a1tinkfans]

You get Points for sleeping around? ..better than other things you can get

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

I have played through many scenarios and looked at the math, that some of you have done. Does anyone think it makes sense to spend less money on more points upfront while their kids are young? I can buy approx twice as many points at lets say VB than AKL. So my maintenance fees will be approx 2$ more a point, or 400$ a year but I would have 2x as many points. My youngest will be 25 in 22 years. I feel like maximizing the amount of points I can comfortably pay cash for with a little bit higher MF over the years might make sense more sense to me. I don’t really care where I stay and I don’t care if I resort hop. Being able to have a 1 bedroom and go somewhere a couple times a year is what’s most important to me while my kids are little. My expensive BWV points are for my planned trips. My SAP points will probably be more of last minute within a month or so of a trip, so the 11 mo window doesn’t really mean too much to me for these points. Maybe this will make sense to some of you or I could be totally off here. Could it be worth the “premium” of higher MF to pay cash and have more points?

Putting the math aside, Vero Beach is about a 2 hour drive from Disney World. If you're planning on getting sleep around points to stay "anywhere at WDW," I'd want the 11-month window at a WDW resort.

While it's technically feasible to drive to/from WDW and VB on a park day, I don't believe it's sustainable for a trip with multiple park days. The cumulative fatigue would make it dangerous.

 

[Sandisw]

I have played through many scenarios and looked at the math, that some of you have done. Does anyone think it makes sense to spend less money on more points upfront while their kids are young? I can buy approx twice as many points at lets say VB than AKL. So my maintenance fees will be approx 2$ more a point, or 400$ a year but I would have 2x as many points. My youngest will be 25 in 22 years. I feel like maximizing the amount of points I can comfortably pay cash for with a little bit higher MF over the years might make sense more sense to me. I don’t really care where I stay and I don’t care if I resort hop. Being able to have a 1 bedroom and go somewhere a couple times a year is what’s most important to me while my kids are little. My expensive BWV points are for my planned trips. My SAP points will probably be more of last minute within a month or so of a trip, so the 11 mo window doesn’t really mean too much to me for these points. Maybe this will make sense to some of you or I could be totally off here. Could it be worth the “premium” of higher MF to pay cash and have more points?

Here is the thing to consider. Since WDW is your primary goal, if your planning changes, you will be locked out until no more than 7 months,

Also remember that you are only guaranteed stays at your home resort and that there are ways a resort can be removed from DVC which means you’d be stuck with only having Vero.

While this isn’t something that seems likely, I am not sure I would anything for WDW that is not. Over the course of time, it seems wiser to buy where you’d at least like to visit.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

My math obviously isn’t exact but I guess my thinking was, for not financing, is one extra trip a year worth paying a bit more overall in the end. I think it might be. The more time on trips and with my kids has non monetary value. I have paid the 4-5k trips for two rooms at deluxe resorts so even at approximately $325 for a 1 bedroom (calculating 13$ a point, based on some calculations here, for 25 points a night) it’s still less than cash and I know what I’m paying up front. Except small maintenance fee increases but hotel rates will increase too and so does everything else.

There are some that have done what you are thinking about. You might be underestimating the point requirements for the dates when you'd be most likely to book a month or so out as that probably won't be the lowest point times. The best comparison is to the lowest cost WDW resort vs VB which when you look at a low upfront cost plus MF's is SSR. The dues difference between SSR and VB is $3.36 and approx $40/pt in purchase price so it would be around 12 years before the difference is made up and the purchase now starts costing more. And if you've doubled the number of points the increase in that MF cost gets doubled. Going off the age you list for your son it seems that you are thinking you would hold on to the contracts more than 12 years? One question would be if you are looking to lower the overall costs of trips you will otherwise take? Or if you are looking at it as a way to go more often for a lower cost than paying cash to Disney resorts?

 

[davidl81]

There are some that have done what you are thinking about. You might be underestimating the point requirements for the dates when you'd be most likely to book a month or so out as that probably won't be the lowest point times. The best comparison is to the lowest cost WDW resort vs VB which when you look at a low upfront cost plus MF's is SSR. The dues difference between SSR and VB is $3.36 and approx $40/pt in purchase price so it would be around 12 years before the difference is made up and the purchase now starts costing more. And if you've doubled the number of points the increase in that MF cost gets doubled. Going off the age you list for your son it seems that you are thinking you would hold on to the contracts more than 12 years? One question would be if you are looking to lower the overall costs of trips you will otherwise take? Or if you are looking at it as a way to go more often for a lower cost than paying cash to Disney resorts?

I would also add that VB only has 22 years left on it, so 10 years from now who knows what value those points will have. SSR at least still has 34 years left so it’s value should hold up better longer term.

 

[My3kids1989]

Here is the thing to consider. Since WDW is your primary goal, if your planning changes, you will be locked out until no more than 7 months,

Also remember that you are only guaranteed stays at your home resort and that there are ways a resort can be removed from DVC which means you’d be stuck with only having Vero.

While this isn’t something that seems likely, I am not sure I would anything for WDW that is not. Over the course of time, it seems wiser to buy where you’d at least like to visit.

I’m okay with not always going to Disney but you make a great point. We don’t have to go to DW, but if I bought 200 points I couldn’t use at DW at all that would kind of stink. Maybe I’ll start with adding on 100 at VB since we want to go there in the next year anyway and then 50 - 100 on property. I think that would meet my goals in the middle. Some cheap points and then some that will last longer than my BWV and VB. I wanted AKL but only for the concierge, which seems like a bad reason to buy AK over SSR.

Now that I have access to the reservations, I can see how having the same UY on SAP could make things easier.

Going off the age you list for your son it seems that you are thinking you would hold on to the contracts more than 12 years? One question would be if you are looking to lower the overall costs of trips you will otherwise take? Or if you are looking at it as a way to go more often for a lower cost than paying cash to Disney resorts?

I’m not planning to buy and resell, buy of course I’m sure that can change too. I plan to keep them for the life of them and not looking to pass them on to anyone either.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I’m not planning to buy and resell, buy of course I’m sure that can change too. I plan to keep them for the life of them and not looking to pass them on to anyone either.

Then I'd strongly recommend buying onsite at WDW for the sleep around points. SSR

FWIW - buying AKV for concierge is something a lot have done and a lot have trouble ever booking. I've never recommended it or buying any of the resorts for the small difficult to book room categories. It's only gotten more and more difficult to book them and there are quite a few complaints every year from disappointed owners in that regard.

 

[My3kids1989]

Then I'd strongly recommend buying onsite at WDW for the sleep around points. SSR

FWIW - buying AKV for concierge is something a lot have done and a lot have trouble ever booking. I've never recommended it or buying any of the resorts for the small difficult to book room categories. It's only gotten more and more difficult to book them and there are quite a few complaints every year from disappointed owners in that regard.

Seriously thank you for responding to me on this, I can’t talk to my SO about it because he doesn’t understand and no one else IRL gets it either. I just don’t want to pay thousands again for cash rooms this year so I feel a sense of urgency to make a choice. I have only 300 unloaded points and they are BWV (150 from 2019 and 150 from 2020). And they are my Food and Wine points so I would rather not use them up.

 

[EM Lawrence]

I live close enough to WDW that I could easily drive down for last minute trips. But I’ve been told on these boards to expect almost zero availability 60-90 days out, which is as far out as I would make plans for a “last minute” trip. You might be better off booking moderates with cash for last minute trips.

 

[Lorana]

Then I'd strongly recommend buying onsite at WDW for the sleep around points. SSR

FWIW - buying AKV for concierge is something a lot have done and a lot have trouble ever booking. I've never recommended it or buying any of the resorts for the small difficult to book room categories. It's only gotten more and more difficult to book them and there are quite a few complaints every year from disappointed owners in that regard.

Seriously thank you for responding to me on this, I can’t talk to my SO about it because he doesn’t understand and no one else IRL gets it either. I just don’t want to pay thousands again for cash rooms this year so I feel a sense of urgency to make a choice. I have only 300 unloaded points and they are BWV (150 from 2019 and 150 from 2020). And they are my Food and Wine points so I would rather not use them up.

So I do agree with this - you shouldn't buy AKV only for concierge because of how hard it is to get. However, if these are SAP and you DO want the opportunity to stay in AKV Concierge, then you're going to want to own at AKV so you can book at 11 months.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Seriously thank you for responding to me on this, I can’t talk to my SO about it because he doesn’t understand and no one else IRL gets it either. I just don’t want to pay thousands again for cash rooms this year so I feel a sense of urgency to make a choice. I have only 300 unloaded points and they are BWV (150 from 2019 and 150 from 2020). And they are my Food and Wine points so I would rather not use them up.

Here's a thought - with so many having extra points right now where you can find points pretty easily for $12 and sometimes less that maybe you want to just do that for a last minute rental right now to supplement a smaller SSR or other WDW resort purchase? Since VB MF's are over $10/pt in essence it's just that $2 or maybe even less that is being "thrown away" and of course the VB contract has it's own up front purchase price. You might even come out ahead at the moment if you find a rental for $10/pt. Then take a little more time to gather up some more funds and to keep an out and maybe catch a good priced contract. Or maybe you'd find a low cost transfer. The thing with the VB is that the MF's are approaching the cost of some point rentals and even transfers. Very different from earlier this year but will likely continue for at least a year while the extra points work their way thru the system. And since you're an owner you can look and see what the availability is ahead of time so you wouldn't spend a lot of time going thru the availability questions.

 

[Cyberc1978]

I haven’t read all the other replies but among others I used BLT as sleep around points.

The price was too high to use as SAP so I bought VGF and just recently sold my BLT contract.

Now my SAP are SSR.

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

You get Points for sleeping around? ..better than other things you can get

But those points are offset by the "nookie tax."

 

[heapmaster]

I use SSR for our sleep around points

 

[My3kids1989]

I decided SSR is best for my SAP and made an offer on the same UY as my BWV. If I decide to splurge on a club level in the future I will, but it doesn’t make sense to buy AKL especially when I’m not usually booking 11 months out. Also I think to maximize points I’ll pay cash at a mod or value for our first nights since we usually don’t get in until late then transfer. That seems to make some sense too.