Who really pays these prices?

[debloco]

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

Very well said!

 

[nyck]

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

Best story EVER!!! How awesome is that?? I would add on more if I could get a cast member discount!

 

[aggiemullins]

I've gotten the reputation with my friends and co-workers as the Disney travel agent because I've gotten quite good at renting points for them through the R/T Board so they can actually take a somewhat affordable Disney vacation.

I always check the current rates and promotions to show them what they're saving and to make sure I'm actually saving them money.

With the average rental price of $10/point, something I've consistently noticed is that no matter what promotions or discounts Disney is offering, the price my friends pay is usually half the current rate at the same hotel or roughly the equivalent to staying in a Value resort.

Every now and then it's a little off, but I can usually safely say I'll save them half, when comparing apples to apples or they'll be getting a deluxe resort for a value resort price.

 

[DisneyHotDog]

I agree the prices are outragous for the VC resorts. I think that they must get a lot of people from other counties to use them or people that prefer to buy food at the grocery store and cook in there rooms. Maybe they think the savings of not going to resturants will pay for the different in the price of the rooms.

 

[nolanboys]

I agree the prices are outragous for the VC resorts. I think that they must get a lot of people from other counties to use them or people that prefer to buy food at the grocery store and cook in there rooms. Maybe they think the savings of not going to resturants will pay for the different in the price of the rooms.

We stayed at OKW twice before becoming DVC members. We had limited options because we have 6 in our family plus 2 grandparents. The first time we went in 2006, we paid rack rate.Then we learned about discounts and went this past February on the buy 4 get 3 free which was cheaper. Larger families, like ours, are stuck getting 2 rooms, which put deluxe out of our price range and although we stayed in two rooms at a moderate in between those vacations, we really missed that space. So glad we bought a resale contract this spring!I always try to price my room out with the discounts offered to really compare DVC value. With the room discount offered, I am still saving $3000 and with the AP discount I got emailed today(would not be a AP holder except for DVC discount), I still saved $2200. I know that I need to factor in my buy in, but it's nice to see that the savings are there even when there are different discounts.

 

[Alan_BLT_2009]

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??!!!!)

I keep track of all my visits and their corresponding cash rates. Typically, there is a discount off the full rack rate, and I make sure I record the discounted rate for a fair comparison. However this year, we have a child of school age plus our nieces and nephew, also of school age, will be with us. Hence, we will be visiting WDW in July. Currently there is no discounts being offered from June 15th to August 13th. In addition I periodically visit the online reservations just to double check the rates. Within the last week online reservations does not show any 2BR available for cash reservations for our July dates (across all resorts). Could one conclude that Disney was able to book all 2BR available for cash reservations at full rack rate?

 

[nolanboys]

I keep track of all my visits and their corresponding cash rates. Typically, there is a discount off the full rack rate, and I make sure I record the discounted rate for a fair comparison. However this year, we have a child of school age plus our nieces and nephew, also of school age, will be with us. Hence, we will be visiting WDW in July. Currently there is no discounts being offered from June 15th to August 13th. In addition I periodically visit the online reservations just to double check the rates. Within the last week online reservations does not show any 2BR available for cash reservations for our July dates (across all resorts). Could one conclude that Disney was able to book all 2BR available for cash reservations at full rack rate?

I do the same thing. We're staying 4 days in THV and then 3 more at a 2 bdrm at BCV. You can't get a discountedTHV anymore and I've never had luck booking 2 bdrm at almost all DVC properties with a 2 bdrm. Let's hope they are sold out this summer for. Your dates

 

[alldiz]

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

Nice
Just curious.....how much is the CM discount??
Thanks
Kerri

 

[robandkelly13]

You made me curious, so I checked our room at BLT for our upcoming vacation - $11,400

LOVIN' DVC

 

[DVC SSR Owner]

My brother in law has stayed at the poly, contemp, and bc in 2 bedroom suites every other year and said his package price was about $9000 each time. He told me he would never join DVC because it is a timeshare and too expensive. I tried to tell him he could have paid for it by now with his $27,000 spent on 3 vacations but he was not hearing it. Crazy!

 

[dianeschlicht]

My brother in law has stayed at the poly, contemp, and bc in 2 bedroom suites every other year and said his package price was about $9000 each time. He told me he would never join DVC because it is a timeshare and too expensive. I tried to tell him he could have paid for it by now with his $27,000 spent on 3 vacations but he was not hearing it. Crazy!

He needs a brain transplant!

 

[rhax07]

You are so right. DVC is such an amazing deal. We've only been members for less than a year and we've got people already asking to come with us! The prices are just too high for anybody to pay regular rack rates.

 

[toesmom]

We are staying at Jambo in March, my mom offered to join us to help with the kids, so I'm trying to find a room for her.

Standard AKL for 7 nights, just under $2000 including tax (passholder rate)

Standard 1 bedroom AKV $2700 (passholder rate, includes tax)

points required for this stay would be about 230, so even if we rented points, it would be just under $12 per point.

But, we get daily maid service, and don't get free internet. Oh well.

So mom is taking our studio and we are taking the 1 bedroom. Thanks Mom.

So excited, especially since parents are paying the discounted rate for the 1 bedroom and we are trading with our points.

 

[DVC SSR Owner]

He needs a brain transplant!

Some people are very anti-timeshare.

 

[lakohls]

We made 3 other trips to Disney in the years just prior to joining: Very first trip was just a weekend getaway with my daughter when she turned 2, and we stayed off site (March 2003). Next, we borrowed a friend's timeshare at Sheraton Vistana (April 2005). Finally, Christmas week 2007 my parents paid for a Grand Gathering type deal at the Yacht Club - those standard rooms ran about $500/night each and we had 4 of them for the week (and I cringe when I think of how much that whole trip cost Dad). By then I was convinced that our family is hooked on Disney and there was going to need to be a better way for us to vacation.

We finally joined DVC Dec 2010 and used the initial points (200) plus the extra 200 "buyin bonus" to stay a week in a 2BR Savana at Kidani over Easter 2010 with myself, husband, 4 kids and inlaws for 4 of the days. Rack for that week alone was over $7,000.

Just booked another week Nov 2011 again at Kidani in 2BR regular view, and prices seem to be $785+tax at rack through Disney - although if I assume a 40% discount that I read about then it's still about $3300+tax.

So in 2 trips alone I've made up almost half my initial investment. (Even with the $1800 I've paid in annual dues so far) And with 4 kids (now ages 2-13) we'll always be staying in 2BR for the foreseeable future and bought in planning to use Disney every 18-24 months.

Bottom line, I see us paying for our membership quickly. When I look back over the last 8 years of trips I have actually been to Disney 4 times and each trip gets bigger & better. But this is what our family loves and now with DVC I feel like it is affordable to keep coming.

I can easily see ahead to where we'll probably add some more points as well.

Just my 2 cents!

 

[LSchrow]

we paid cash (no discount) for a 2 BWV bdrm $$$$$$$

that's what pushed us into buying DVC (i was a cm at the time, getting 50% off rooms, so mostly stayed deluxe. couldn't get a discount on the 2 bdrm, so i did the math when i got home, and used the cm discount to purchase our first contract)

one of the best things i ever did

 

[MMCD]

We joined in 1998. I had just bought a resale of OKW. We had closed in February. My BIL was getting married during Easter weekend at GF. MIL told us that we had to get rooms at the Contemperary because BIL needed some family members to stay at the higher end hotels to get a better wedding package discount. Our 3 nights at the the Contemp was $400/night. Our sale had banked points. I called MS everyday in Feb & March to get us into a DVC during Easter weekend. All was booked. So we had to pay $1,200 + taxes. That is why we feel DVC was definitely our best investment.

Later, I talked to a friend of mine and told him that we paid $400 at the Contemp. He told me that they had vacationed there in the early 70's with their kids. He remembered paying $80 at the Contemp and swore never coming back.

 

[Inkmahm]

We joined in 1998. I had just bought a resale of OKW. We had closed in February. My BIL was getting married during Easter weekend at GF. MIL told us that we had to get rooms at the Contemperary because BIL needed some family members to stay at the higher end hotels to get a better wedding package discount. Our 3 nights at the the Contemp was $400/night. Our sale had banked points. I called MS everyday in Feb & March to get us into a DVC during Easter weekend. All was booked. So we had to pay $1,200 + taxes. That is why we feel DVC was definitely our best investment.

Later, I talked to a friend of mine and told him that we paid $400 at the Contemp. He told me that they had vacationed there in the early 70's with their kids. He remembered paying $80 at the Contemp and swore never coming back.

I paid $90 there for a garden view room back in 1979 for one night of our spring break trip. Yes, that was VERY expensive for back then.

 

[dizkneedreamers]

Our BLT family vacation is priced at $7000 for the rack rate, but I did catch it for $5200 on travelocity. Ahhhhhhhh, relief when I'm assured that we made a good invesment.

 

[Maleficent1974]

Yeah we just bought in September of 2010, and we will already have made up half by the end of 2011. Makes me sick that we didn't do it earlier. We have spent at least 12000 just since 2008 on vacations there (of course it was worth every penny).