Who really pays these prices?

[LIFERBABE]

We just stayed 14 nights at AKL-CL over Christmas and NYE

It's nice not having to worry about discounts.

I would not pay that amount if they offered 40% off and Free Dining!

Some people pay rack plus tax and the extra adult fees!

 

[culli]

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but how do you find the rack rates for a room? I tried on disneyworld dot com, but can only put 6 adults. Tried with extra children, but it doesn't ever return a GV - just says there's no rooms available for everyone...?

OK, i should know this. Where is the best place to find rack rates?

I go to disney website follow it to make ressies. You can pick deluxe villa or something like that, it will then come up with your prices. Make sure to pick room only rate.

 

[nyck]

I still think you pay it in your fees and dues take your payment and multiply by 12 months and your dues too. Bet it might be close say 300 X12 months

I don't know. Maybe you are right, depending on where you own and how you use it since the dues are different everywhere. My BCV dues are high because of the size of the building, unlike I think BLT which has the lowest dues I think (for now). Plus it would depend on the times of year you are traveling. The OKW 2 bedroom I am staying in is $3800 (before tax). My dues on BCV and SSR is $2400 year since I have 500 points. I am only using 197 points for that OKW vacation.That leaves me 303 points left, in which I will take at least 2 more vacations with this year. And the dues also pay for the property taxes, which if I was booking at rack rates I would still pay taxes on that anyway. I do like using my membership during high priced seasons when there isn't very many discounts (like Christmas and NYE), so I do feel like I am saving a ton cash, especially with my 2 bedroom villa habit

 

[nunzia]

I keep a running total of what all my DVC trips would have cost. It makes me thankful for DVC every time.

I actually started doing that too..but then I thought the rates quoted were just nuts so really gave up on that ($850 a night for studio at VGC, $1050 for 1 BR....really??!!!!)

 

[dizfan]

October 2010, DM paid cash for a 1BR BLT LV room.
Second half of her stay was at Poly.

With discounts, BLT 1BR LV was less per night than Poly was.
She wishes they had BLT availability the entire time.

 

[vicki_c]

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but how do you find the rack rates for a room? I tried on disneyworld dot com, but can only put 6 adults. Tried with extra children, but it doesn't ever return a GV - just says there's no rooms available for everyone...?

OK, i should know this. Where is the best place to find rack rates?

For a quick check, mousesavers.com has all the rates.

Whether Grand Villas ever come up to book on Disney's site, I have no idea, but you can select "Deluxe Villas" when filtering the resort choices. It doesn't actually matter how many people you have (under the limit I mean) because you do not pay any extra adult fees in a DVC villa. So I would think you could look up a room only - filtered on Deluxe Villas - for 6 people and see what you get. If no Grand Villa comes up, it is most likely because there aren't any available. In any case, you can always call on the phone and check availability for a GV.
(Edited - I can select up to 9 adults when I start down the path the way I described - room only - deluxe villas).

 

[patsal]

Well OP I thought the same thing, then out of the blue the security guard at my school asked me if I knew anything about Old Key West. We started talking and I assumed his wife booked a studio or 1BR with the 40% off code, nope she booked the 2BR with DDP and is spending $1400 for one night! Franklly I was in shock, but I'm glad I'm not paying that rate. He must think I'm loaded when I say I stay there every year for two weeks in the summer!

 

[DebbieB]

I still think you pay it in your fees and dues take your payment and multiply by 12 months and your dues too. Bet it might be close say 300 X12 months

But once it's paid off, you are only paying dues. I have 250 BWV points and it's $113 a month for dues. Paid off in 2001 (bought 1999).

 

[Donna M]

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but how do you find the rack rates for a room?

Another place to find rates is at allears.net Go to accommodations, then find a resort on the left, hit the fact sheet, scroll to the bottom and you'll see prices.

I love adding up what a vacation could cost; it makes me feel like I'm saving a ton of money except we would not go on a vacation that costs that much.

 

[Sammie]

No. We stayed in a concierge studio on the first night. I can't remember the exact rack rates but it was around $600/night. Then we moved to a 2 BR savanna view room at Kidani for the next 6 nights which was around $1000/night. With those kinds of rates, it's easy for a week stay to really add up!

Yikes definitely, if I ever win the lottery I am booking the suite at AKL with the beautiful thatched roof.

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

I go to disney website follow it to make ressies. You can pick deluxe villa or something like that, it will then come up with your prices. Make sure to pick room only rate.

This is exactly how I do it too. That way I'm sure I am comparing the actual price I would have paid without DVC (or other discounts) to what I have paid with DVC.

 

[Jerry@dvcstore]

DVC is definitely the way to go if you want to greatly reduce your accommodation costs. I love my membership and look forward to the next vacation every time.

 

[The 6 J's]

DVC is an emotional thing anyway. You either get it or you don't.

I very much agree with this sentiment. We just bought DVC recently and in trying to forecast where our "break even" point would be it's tough. If we look at rack rates, even with seasonal discounts, on 2BR deluxe accomodations we approach it very quickly. If we look at value accomodations, like we stayed in before we bought DVC, and factor in the fact that we wouldn't go as often so we would not rack up additional costs in airfare, food and park tickets, we don't reach that point nearly as fast.

For me the "break even" point is when I will walk into MK with my wife and 4 kids on Mar 20. Everything after that is gravy.

 

[nunzia]

I couldnot find rates for VGC at allears or mousesavers or Disney site..where are you finding these? I'm once again inspired to figure out my 'break even' time.

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

I couldnot find rates for VGC at allears or mousesavers or Disney site..where are you finding these? I'm once again inspired to figure out my 'break even' time.

Just go to Disney's main site and fill out the reservation form to book a room only with your exact dates of travel and resort. Then you will have an apples to apples comparison of what you would pay direct to Disney versus what you have spent via DVC.

http://bookwdw.reservations.disney....ework/components/processEngine?startOver=true

 

[nunzia]

Just go to Disney's main site and fill out the reservation form to book a room only with your exact dates of travel and resort. Then you will have an apples to apples comparison of what you would pay direct to Disney versus what you have spent via DVC.

http://bookwdw.reservations.disney....ework/components/processEngine?startOver=true

Thank you but this takes me to WDW site. I went to Disneyland site and put in dates for Grand Californian, but rates for the villas were not posible to bring up.

 

[culli]

This is exactly how I do it too. That way I'm sure I am comparing the actual price I would have paid without DVC (or other discounts) to what I have paid with DVC.

I like when they show you other suggestions too.....WOW it is expensive to stay at Disney. Actually that is how I stumbled upon DVC, we went and stayed at a moderate. We had such a blast I thought I want to do this every year and was looking at cost and wanted to stay at Contemporary or some deluxe places. I about passed out when I saw the prices, and we are a family of 6 and my Mom usually comes with us making it 7.

Long story short I'm now a timeshare junky (not just DVC) love staying in Condos.

 

[jenifred]

I had friends who would stay at SSR in a 2BR for 6 nights each year. Drove me nuts. Five years later, I finally got them to consider DVC. They joined last year. But they could have paid for their membership in what they threw away. What a waste.

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

Thank you but this takes me to WDW site. I went to Disneyland site and put in dates for Grand Californian, but rates for the villas were not posible to bring up.

Hmmm, I don't know what to suggest then. The rates for Vero Beach and HHI are there on the Disney World site listed under Disney Beach Properties. There's a separate Disney site for Aulani that allows you to get the rates. I wonder where Disney allows non-DVC folks to book those villas... or perhaps they don't. It's a puzzlement!!!

 

[DeeCee735]

Okay, so here's our story about rack rates and DVC, for those of you who want to read alittle

DH and I found ourselves with no more points for this year, after having used points to book the 1/2 land 1/2 sea, which was/is the big vacation for this year

Then our son decided to apply to and was accepted to the Disney College Program
So now, we drove down from NY to move him in and get him settled, but decided we'd stay a few days and have a little fun

We had to book a resort, and I didn't want to stay off property (spoiled, oh so spoiled). Originally I booked a value resort, but realizing our son would have his car most of the week, and we'd be carless, we decided to be closer to our home resort of the BWV ....our most FAV place! I got a discounted rate at Swan. After adding the $10 a day for the internet, and the taxes, etc, it was still $1300 for 6 nights and, above all, my DH really really hated being in a NON DVC room, wanting more than just 2 beds and a chair (our son was with us for the first couple of nights so we needed the 2 queens, oh and the $11 a day park your own car charge while he was with us!)

When we attended the parent orientation of the college program on check in day, we were informed that we would get a Cast Member discount ON TOP of the current incentive for an add on.....
Well, that was my cue! I immediately ran over to DH and laid this on him

My DH asked if they could get us out of our hotel room and into a DVC studio and they did the very next day. We still had to pay for three nights in Swan...yuk....but....what we saved on the rest of the week there was 3/4 of the deposit on our add on! WOOO HOOOO WELCOME HOME US! (AGAIN!!!)

Talk about DH needing to see the value in our ownership! And now, we have more points in the bank and more coming every year for the rest of our lives. My DD already asked if she can use some in March to come with her friends! Whew, I'm am one happy lady!

Just thought I'd share