Buying vacation club points to save??

[bgoebel]

A friend of mine is a Vacation Club member and I was just reading in the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, that you can buy points from a vacation club member and they will make the reservations for you and it will end up saving you significant amount of money. My questions are .....
1. Has anyone does this and does it indeed save money???
2. Can I still do the Dining Plan (loved it when we did it this year) and Magic Your Way Park Tickets seperately (I don't think she can use her points for this)?
Thoughts anybody??

 

[DisneyPhD]

There are lots of DVC owners that do this when they know they are not going to use points in a particular year. The going rate is around $10 per point (it depends on how desperate the owner is). A typical week in a studio requires around 120 points depending on the resort and time of year. So for $1200 dollars you get 7 nights in a deluxe hotel (or about $170 per night compared to rack rates of $250 - $350 for the same rooms).

We own DVC and have never rented because we always use up all of our points (and some of next years too).
DVC members can get the Dining plan but I'm not sure how that would work if you were renting. We request it when we make our reservations and pay for it when we arrive. You would have to purchase your theme park ticket media from Disney, points only work for lodging.

 

[bgoebel]

Thank you so much. I haven't posed the question to my DVC friend but her children are all grown and she went 2 last year (once for Disney Cruise and Parks) and has mentioned it to me. I'm sure she'd give me a deal and with 2 young children (they'll be 5 and 2 next year when we go) it would be nice to stay on monorail line for a good price. That is the exact price the Unofficial Guide quoted as well. Thanks again!!

 

[slappy magoo]

Thank you so much. I haven't posed the question to my DVC friend but her children are all grown and she went 2 last year (once for Disney Cruise and Parks) and has mentioned it to me. I'm sure she'd give me a deal and with 2 young children (they'll be 5 and 2 next year when we go) it would be nice to stay on monorail line for a good price. That is the exact price the Unofficial Guide quoted as well. Thanks again!!

FYI, none of the "monorail resorts" are techincally part of DVC. The only Magic Kingdom area resort that has a DVC wing is the Wilderness Lodge (which has ferry service to MK).

DVC members ARE able to use their points for stays at a monorail resort, but not at any significant savings. In other words, if you wanted to rent points from DVC members to stay at a monorail resort, you'd have to rent SO many points, it'd be comparable to just renting the room direct from WDW. Unlike a studio room at the Wilderness Lodge Villas, which would cost you a maximum of 184 points during the Easter & Christmas holiday weeks, and signifcantly less any other time of the year (depending on the season, 104, 106, 123 or 134 points per week).

For the sake of comparison, in order for a DVC member to spend a week at the Contemporary resort, the least expensive monorail resort, during the least expensive season of the year, he or she would have to use 249 points.

Besides the Wilderness Lodge (which as I previously wrote has ferry service to MK), the other DVC resorts are the Boardwalk Villas & Beach Club Villas (which are within walking/ferry distance to both Epcot AND MGM Studios), Old Key West and Saratoga Springs (which, in theory, are within walking distance and have ferry service to Downtown Disney/Pleasure Island). Also, some Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas are open and more are being built.

I'd suggest at least getting the free Vacation Planning DVD, maybe even getting the DVC potential member DVD. The first will show you which resorts are fully DVD or at leaat have DVC wings. The latter might answer any question you may have about how DVC works, even if you only ever wind up using it by renting a friend's points one year or every so often.

 

[bgoebel]

Thank you again. I have already sent away for the DVC video? Is the Animal Kingdom Villa's at a significant savings for DVC members?

 

[jasondiff]

Thank you again. I have already sent away for the DVC video? Is the Animal Kingdom Villa's at a significant savings for DVC members?

Yes, the AKV has about the same point costs as Boardwalk. I'm staying there in October!

 

[slowbee]

we've actually just purchased AKV thru DVC (mailed back our paperwork yesterday).

They say over the life of the contract... a DVC memeber will average 11 bucks a point each year.. so if a studio costs us 8 points, then it comes out to 88 bucks a night... Granted.. it's not that simple... but when you rent points from a DVC member... the usual rate for renting is 10 - 14 bucks a point... so it would cost you around the same.

We rented from a DVC member last year for a 6 day stay at SSR. Cost us 11 points a night, total of 650 for 5 nights. Staying at SSR with a lake view right next to the pool for 110 bucks a night was WELL worth the money.

Only bad thing about renting/owning is the towel service. They only come every 3rd day... :/

 

[wannabeBelle]

I thought it was every 4th day for the towel/ tidy thing? Belle

 

[wannabeBelle]

Slappy is correct on the renting points to do a regular resort. It is AMAZINGLY expensive that way. To give a comparison, I stayed at the Yacht Club, water view at the beginning of February. For a three night stay it was 155 points!!!! It would be less expensive to just pay for the room. Belle

 

[slowbee]

weekends are more expensive than week days... but 155 points.. that's insane...

but the GF and Poly are even more points than that...

The GF would cost you 40 points for the lowest level room during the slow season...

 

[wannabeBelle]

It was definitely over a weekend, plus factor in the Water View room. The 155 points was the total, not the per night points. So if you are looking at 40 points for the GF per night you would probably be looking at 120 points or so. Upgrade the view from the lowest room as well. Also the resort rooms are not just whatever is open. Only a number of these rooms are put aside to be accessed by DVC members via points. I would imagine this is to encourage the DVC members to utilize the DVC properties over the regular resorts. Belle

 

[slowbee]

I agree.. unless you are doing something special.. anniversary.. etc, there is just no value in using your DVC points for anything at WDW other than DVC properties.

You can get a decent deal at the Disneyland Resort.. but you have to be flexible for that....

 

[slappy magoo]

I agree.. unless you are doing something special.. anniversary.. etc, there is just no value in using your DVC points for anything at WDW other than DVC properties.

....

Seems like the "trick" might be to use your DVC membership to get an annual pass, rent your points for the year and use that cash to get a AP discounted room at a non-DVC deluxe resort, if a Deluxe resort is what you really want.
Anyone ever try this?

 

[prberk]

I just found this thread in a search for the same topic.

I am interested in how to purchase points from a DVC member, but what if you do not actually KNOW any DVC members personally? Will Disney arrange this for you? Is there some other way to do it?

I have never done this before. I am looking into it as an option to help arrange vacation options for a family of 5 that I know who might benefit from villas but can't necessariyl afford the normal rental prices from Disney for villas.

They are specifically looking at March 12-16.

Any ideas? The Wilderness Lodge Villas would be especially good...

Thanks,
Paul

 

[DVC Mike]

You can certainly save a lot of money on great accommodations in a “Disney Deluxe Villa Resort” (Disney Vacation Club) by renting a reservation direct from a DVC member rather than making the reservation with WDW reservations (aka CRO).

However, please be sure and educate yourself on how a DVC reservation is very different from a regular hotel reservation, and the basics of “renting points”, as it is often referred to.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=261350

 

[TheKeeler7]

Were renting OKW in 2 weeks from a member. You can get the dining plan but that and anything else for that matter has to be arranged by the member. We did the math and the savings substanial, especially when you are talking about a large family that would need 2 rooms, and the cost savings of making dinner instead of dining every nite.

 

[MickeyLover404]

I just had a question about the DVC, and figuured that this was the best place to ask it.
Does anyone know, if i were to buy DVC right now, or in the next year, what resort property i would be getting with my membership? Or do i get to chose which resort i would like my "homebase" to be?
Thanks to everyone in advance

 

[rjwalter]

I Think

I think they are still selling Saratoga Springs....If not then maybe Animal Kingdom Lodge. That would be the only two. All of the others are sold out.

 

[MickeyLover404]

Thanks rjwalter!

And just one more question. Aabout how much are the points going for now, and about how many points would it be to stay at say Saratoga Spring during the summer? I did send away for the DVC dvd, just wanted to get some insight from all the great members of WDWmagic!
Thanks again in advance!