Wow, Weekend night in a 1br kill your point total!!

[Pennyguy23]

I was just looking for fun how many points we need for our annual trips when we move to a 1 br instead of a studio. We are young right now so its not really needed right now.

Someone stated on the latest Solo thread about going for a 1br vs studio. One person stated when staying in a studio you feel like your in a hotel room vs being at "Home" with a living room. I never really thought about it but I really couldn't agree more. So like I was saying I was tallying some #'s and WOW the weekend nights are what really kills you on the points. Between 45-75 points A NIGHT!!!! Here are the numbers I came up with:

(I just used BCV as a guide since BWV, VWL are the same and We won't stay at OKW, We dont really like it there, AKV SSR are a little less but, I would rather buy more then needed then have less )

BCV Dec 30th-Jan5 - 7 Nights 272 points
OR
BCV Dec 14th- 21st - 7 Nights 212 points ( Depends on the year on which one we will do)

BCV March 5 Nights 150 points

BCV June 10-12 Nights 358-392 points

BCV October 5 Nights 120 points

We need between 900-934 points for our annual stays

With out weekends in there 202 Less points and thats only 4 Weekend nights total. Thats a pretty big number really. I don't know if thats really worth $20,000 plus AD's for 4 extra night you know?

Right now we have 150SSR and 150AKV and soon to have 50 BCV points
so if it wasn't for the 4 nights we would be half way there. So to you guys who stay in 1 Br all the time do you just bit the bullet and spend them or move or ... WHAT?? I HATE moving so I don't think that is really an option, unless its the long 10-12 stay then we will do two different resorts(makes it feel like two vacations)

 

[robinb]

Yup. That's why we still stay in studios. Our family of 3 has owned DVC for 10 years and most of our trips are in studios. Why? Because we can make two trips with the same number of points. We do not feel like we are giving up a thing.

 

[miamimama]

I agree that weekend points are a stretch; we try to avoid spending the points. We've got an AP, so will try to take advantage of a good weekend rate at a moderate (like Coronado) then check in on Sun. I do like the extra space in the 1BR - even with just three in our family, the separate br and kitchen are really nice. We started with 150 pts a couple of years ago, but added on primarily so we could afford a 1 br - but we still try to avoid Fri and Sat nights.

 

[wilma-bride]

I totally agree - those weekend points are a real killer. We are from the UK so we usually visit for a fortnight each year. When we bought, we figured on studio stays only but in April we are taking the in-laws with us so needed a place to accommodate 7 people. Even with banking and borrowing, we came out short on points and have ended up with cash ressies for 2 weekend nights - not ideal but we really didn't want to move for a third time (already doing a split stay). I don't know if moving or paying cash is an option for you but I know that, in the future, we are probably going to look at only a 12 night stay, arriving on a Sunday so only factoring in one weekend. Either that or stay off site for a couple of days (or at a value or moderate resort).

 

[DVC Mike]

I agree that weekend points are a stretch; we try to avoid spending the points. We've got an AP, so will try to take advantage of a good weekend rate at a moderate (like Coronado) then check in on Sun.

We've been doing the same thing for some trips. We'll drive down on Saturday and spend our first night at POFQ or POR (AP discount). Then in the morning, we check-out and head over bright and early to the DVC resort.

However, it appears the AP discount is less in 2008 than 2007, plus the good discounts are only valid Sunday-Thursday -- exactly when I don't need them. I'll probably continue to book a cash ressie at a moderate, but will take the cheapest of the AP and AAA discount (looking at 2008, the AAA rate appears to beat the AP rate on weekends for Peak season).

 

[dvcnewgirl]

We still stay in a studio. We have 2 kids. I have a feeling these days will be coming to an end soon. We also go Sun-Friday. We stay off site on Sat when we get there since we are traveling and will not do much and we book something cheap on the Friday night before we leave. We are staying at AS Sports this december. I know people say to look at the weekly rates, but because we do not have a lot of points and like to go 2-3 times per year we make it work for us. That is what is so great about DVC!

 

[dianeschlicht]

We mostly stay in 2 bedrooms, but often will downsize to the 1 bedroom portion for the weekends if we don't have guests. We usually arrange trips so that our guests are not there over weekends. That way, we can have guests in a 2 bedroom for 5 nights, then switch to a 1 bedroom for the weekend and the duration of the trip when it is just the 2 of us left there. We don't do studios unless we absolutely MUST. We didn't buy a timeshare to stay in a hotel room.

 

[robinb]

We mostly stay in 2 bedrooms, but often will downsize to the 1 bedroom portion for the weekends if we don't have guests. We usually arrange trips so that our guests are not there over weekends. That way, we can have guests in a 2 bedroom for 5 nights, then switch to a 1 bedroom for the weekend and the duration of the trip when it is just the 2 of us left there.

Interesting! Do you ever have to move, or do you have the same 1BR the whole time?

ETA: I thought we were to never assume that we could drop or add a studio onto a 1BR to make or break up a 2BR.

 

[spiceycat]

hey the studios work just fine for me!

just depends upon your budget and what you have to work with - money vs room.

 

[jodifla]

I was just looking for fun how many points we need for our annual trips when we move to a 1 br instead of a studio. We are young right now so its not really needed right now.

Someone stated on the latest Solo thread about going for a 1br vs studio. One person stated when staying in a studio you feel like your in a hotel room vs being at "Home" with a living room. I never really thought about it but I really couldn't agree more. So like I was saying I was tallying some #'s and WOW the weekend nights are what really kills you on the points. Between 45-75 points A NIGHT!!!! Here are the numbers I came up with:

(I just used BCV as a guide since BWV, VWL are the same and We won't stay at OKW, We dont really like it there, AKV SSR are a little less but, I would rather buy more then needed then have less )

BCV Dec 30th-Jan5 - 7 Nights 272 points
OR
BCV Dec 14th- 21st - 7 Nights 212 points ( Depends on the year on which one we will do)

BCV March 5 Nights 150 points

BCV June 10-12 Nights 358-392 points

BCV October 5 Nights 120 points

We need between 900-934 points for our annual stays

With out weekends in there 202 Less points and thats only 4 Weekend nights total. Thats a pretty big number really. I don't know if thats really worth $20,000 plus AD's for 4 extra night you know?

Right now we have 150SSR and 150AKV and soon to have 50 BCV points
so if it wasn't for the 4 nights we would be half way there. So to you guys who stay in 1 Br all the time do you just bit the bullet and spend them or move or ... WHAT?? I HATE moving so I don't think that is really an option, unless its the long 10-12 stay then we will do two different resorts(makes it feel like two vacations)

We tend to do Sunday through Friday stays in a 2 bedroom for the 3 of us...My DH works VERY late on Fridays, and we enjoy having some time at home to unpack and decompress after we get back. So we normally don't use more than one weekend night.

For most weekend stays, we tend to do studios and at a place that we don't go to often so it's novel.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Interesting! Do you ever have to move, or do you have the same 1BR the whole time?

We've had it both ways. Usually we get to stay in the same unit if we have requested a lock off for the 2 bedroom, but sometimes we specifically request a dedicated, and then we have to move. We kind of like doing that anyway, because we have discovered that even though you have a new reservation for the 1 bedroom portion, they follow the cleaning schedule from the 2 bedroom ressie, so if we move, we KNOW we get a cleaning after our guests leave. We don't mind so much when it is just to two of us anyway. Our trip in 2 weeks WILL be a move, since we have a dedicated 2 bedroom the first week and a 1 bedroom the second when it is just the two of us.

 

[robinb]

Diane: Have you ever added the studio to the 1BR? My guess is that's a bit more problematic.

 

[disneynutz]

Looks like it's time for that second job. You need to buy more points.

 

[robinb]

Looks like it's time for that second job. You need to buy more points.

Isn't that a bit self-fulfilling? You need the extra job to be able to afford a 1BR and then you need the 1BR to relax properly from having two jobs!

 

[disneynutz]

Isn't that a bit self-fulfilling? You need the extra job to be able to afford a 1BR and then you need the 1BR to relax properly from having two jobs!

The Mouse is pretty smart.

 

[pilferk]

I was just looking for fun how many points we need for our annual trips when we move to a 1 br instead of a studio. We are young right now so its not really needed right now.

Someone stated on the latest Solo thread about going for a 1br vs studio. One person stated when staying in a studio you feel like your in a hotel room vs being at "Home" with a living room. I never really thought about it but I really couldn't agree more. So like I was saying I was tallying some #'s and WOW the weekend nights are what really kills you on the points. Between 45-75 points A NIGHT!!!! Here are the numbers I came up with:

(I just used BCV as a guide since BWV, VWL are the same and We won't stay at OKW, We dont really like it there, AKV SSR are a little less but, I would rather buy more then needed then have less )

BCV Dec 30th-Jan5 - 7 Nights 272 points
OR
BCV Dec 14th- 21st - 7 Nights 212 points ( Depends on the year on which one we will do)

BCV March 5 Nights 150 points

BCV June 10-12 Nights 358-392 points

BCV October 5 Nights 120 points

We need between 900-934 points for our annual stays

With out weekends in there 202 Less points and thats only 4 Weekend nights total. Thats a pretty big number really. I don't know if thats really worth $20,000 plus AD's for 4 extra night you know?

Right now we have 150SSR and 150AKV and soon to have 50 BCV points
so if it wasn't for the 4 nights we would be half way there. So to you guys who stay in 1 Br all the time do you just bit the bullet and spend them or move or ... WHAT?? I HATE moving so I don't think that is really an option, unless its the long 10-12 stay then we will do two different resorts(makes it feel like two vacations)

Yup...that's why a lot of owners either use their points for STUDIOS on the weekend nights...or pay cash for them.

For example:

We drive down in a straight shot. Leave on a Thursday afternoon, and arrive just after lunch the next day, Friday. I'm dead tired by that point, and could care less where I am, so long as the bed is clean, the pillow soft, and there's stuff for the kids to do OUTSIDE the room with my wife (who gets to sleep while I drive) so that I can get 4 or 5 hours of sleep. We get a hotel room for that night, which cuts off one weekend night from our stay. We use points for the other (Saturday night), but it kills the sting a bit to only have ONE to pay for, and not two.

 

[DVCLiz]

Yep, those weekend nights are tough, aren't they? For my family, we usually use those weekends as a chance to stay at a resort we wouldnt' otherwise get to see - Grand Floridian or Polynesian, usually. We are a family that doesn't mind moving, though - and that's the key. Lots and lots of DVC folks hate the thought of moving and so they either buy enough points to stay the entire time in the unit of their choice, or they stay in a smaller unit but they don't move.

Our trips the past two summers have been 5 nights in a 2BR, a weekend at the Poly, and 3-5 nights, depending on how many points we have, at a second 2BR. We like the BCV and the VWL in the summer. Heck, we like them in the winter, too!!!

 

[dianeschlicht]

Diane: Have you ever added the studio to the 1BR? My guess is that's a bit more problematic.

Yes, we have, and the problem there is that they clean the studio before adding it, but they don't clean the 1 bedroom portion! Kind of crazy, and a bit of a change from how it was when we first joined.

 

[0hmyheck]

I don't mind moving but have never tried it yet. I know Disney will transfer the luggage and we could get a van pick up.

Is it hard to move? Does it cause too much interruption in the trip? I have to agree that a weekend is just a point killer!

 

[DVCLiz]

I don't mind moving but have never tried it yet. I know Disney will transfer the luggage and we could get a van pick up.

Is it hard to move? Does it cause too much interruption in the trip? I have to agree that a weekend is just a point killer!

It really seems to be a personal preference kind of thing. There are a lot of people that like to get to a villa, settle in, and stay the whole vacation. They say that it doesn't feel they have really "settled" into being on vacation if they are anticipating having to pack up and move in the middle. And that's a really valid point - but it's not a better/worse thing, just a personal preference.

I also think if you stock the kitchen that can add to the stress of moving. Because we don't use the kitchen for anything other than snacks, we are always willing to eat the last ice cream bar or pour the milk down the drain if we have to. Some people don't like the idea of that, and it would be more of a hassle to have to move food, especially cold food.

As far as the actual move, we have always had a car, so we just pack, call Bell Services, request our car from valet parking, load our luggage into the car and drive to the new resort. If the room is ready we go ahead and have our luggage moved. If not, we usually store it with Bell Services, although we've been known to just keep it in the car, drive to a park, and then have Bell Services take it to our room when we return at night and have a room number.

Honestly, it's easy for us so we do it a lot, but it's the last thing others would want to do. As far as interrupting the trip, it depends on whether we've planned for the move day to be a sort of rest day, or if we have things to do. If it's a rest day, we take our time packing and moving, then have lunch somewhere and do a park in the afternoon. But if we need to be up and at 'em, I've been known to make everyone shower and pack the night before, and lay out what they want for the morning. Everything else is packed the night before. If we have to, we can be up, dressed, and out of a room in 15 or 20 minutes.