How Many Points is Enough?

[dizzney]

We are a family of 4. Son is 11 and daughter is 8. We are really struggling with how many points to purchase. We were thinking 150 intially, but then there wil be times we may need more. 200 is our max. My question is 150/160 is enough? We know more is better...

When we first bought in 1999 our three children were 7, and twins 2 months old. We bought 220 as we had a one bedroom villa at BWV during value times. That worked great until our 7 year old entered junior high and felt he couldnt take off at slow times so we bagan going in the summer and bought another 30 points direct and then another 25 to go to 275. (we paid cash each time - no financing) Now fast forward to 2008, DS17 about to go to college and has girl friend, we bought 100 at BLT so now we're at 375 and that seems a good number we were there in august with 14 family and had a two bedroom standard view for 8 nights as well as 2 studios for 5 nights each. We're going again in february (jsut DH and I and the twins now 13) with a Boardwalk view studio for 8 nights, and then in August we're doing the two night cruise out of New York (first time cruisers) and I borrowed about 15 points from 2013.

We manage to bank and borrow to make the trips work but as shown as the kids get older we needed more points. We never travel wtihout DS(now 20)'s girlfriend so its an automatic 2 bedroom and we suaully ahve one or two more with us.

Buy what you can afford now, BUT remember you may do add-ons in the future. We're not even sure we're done. If they offer a resort we really are intersted in, we may take the plunge again!

 

[Phonedave]

Initially it was only me and my DW. 150 points was more than enough. Then extended family began to get wind or our ownership and we slowly found that we needed to add points. UP to 240 now, usually have a one bedroom and on occassion have enough points for the 2 bedroom. I'd plan on the 200 point range at the $15.00 - the cost of points seems to go up each year.
What with the new GF coming on line in a few years - who knows how much the cost of points will go up!

And this is why I don't like the terms DW, DS, etc.

I read this as "Initially it was only me and my dear wife ..... " and then "What with the new girlfriend comming on line in a few years ...."

I was all kinds of confused


-dave

 

[Funfy]

We are up to 405. Some years that doesn't seem like enough. We like to take other family members-usually 2-2 bedrooms. For high school graduation trips we usually book a OKW grand villa. We like to go to Vero Beach and Hilton Head also. Next Thanksgiving we are planning to book a grand villa at Hilton Head and take family.

Some years we skip and bank, some years we go twice, some years three times, some years just WDW once and then to Vero or HH. I love have the options and we actually hope to add more in a few years-even it up for the kids to have equal shares.

We can't usually go during the off season-won't take kids out of school-plus BIL is a teacher, so, when they go has to be late June/early July. Once the 17 year old gets in college, we can start going in December without disrupting Christmas plans for family.

It is all a very personal decision-what you are willing to spend, when you can go and who you want to treat.

 

[harryk]

And this is why I don't like the terms DW, DS, etc.

I read this as "Initially it was only me and my dear wife ..... " and then "What with the new girlfriend comming on line in a few years ...."

I was all kinds of confused


-dave

GF in this case is Grand Floridian Villas

 

[puntagordabob]

Short answer is Yes.... because they can always add on a few points to their contract when money is better.... meanwhile they can slowly borrow from the "next" year.... and you can rent like 15 points directly from DVC every year I think.

At least they will be members and "in the door".

 

[majortom1981]

hmm

Where will the home resort be? IF it will be Animal kingode lodge Then you have 11 month access to the value rooms.

Example for a 2 bedroom villa value room in january or september its only 185 points. A one bedroom in that same time value is 135.

Keep in mind with a one bedroom your kids will have to sleep on the sofa bed in the living room.

I only have 100 points which is good for a studio every year or a one bedroom, or 2 bedroom value room every 2 years. This saved me about $5000 or so.

If you do not want to go to disney every year and can go every two years you can start out with 100 points and get a two bedroom value with akl as your home resort .

 

[brightlillstar]

We just bought 160. It's just me and DH. I think we could have gotten by with 100, but I like the cushion 160 gives us.

Look at the points charts and think about where you want to vacation for the next few years and the forseeable future.

We realized our 160 points could get us either 2 weeks in a regular studio in value season at a high capacity resort (like SSR or OKW), or 1 week with a TP view at our home resort, BLT, with a few points short.leftover in either case. We're perfectly happy with a studio, but with our points we can afford an occasional "splurge" on a 1BR if it's our only trip that year or we bank/borrow. You can basically have one year off or cheaper, and then one "all out" year, and alternate, too. We also want to visit DLR within the next year or so, plus DH and I both have big birthdays this year, where we might want to pop down for a weekend, so the buffer is nice.

For us, I figure once we have kids, until we have more than 2, or they get to the age where they need more space/privacy, we'll be fine even if we need a studio every time, and we do have enough for shorter/fewer trips in a 1BR if need be. Once our kids are older, and we need a 2BR, we have 2 options - Go less frequently and bank/borrow or add points. I am going to cross that bridge when we come to it.Maybe by that point we'll want to alternate Disney vacations with Beaches resorts or something.

I'm new at this, so my thinking could be totally wrong, but that's what went into it.

We have few enough that we can manage it, but enough that we can also splurge a little.

 

[brightlillstar]

Another thought.

With the 11 year old son approaching his teens, and DD becoming a "pre-teen" very soon, are they going to want/need separate space. In a 1BR, they are still sharing the sofa bed, or one is on the sofabed and one is on the pullout chair (depending on the resort) in the same room. I would probably make my calculations based on the fact that if not now, in a very short time, these kids are going to want/need separate space, so you might be looking at 2BRs. The question then becomes how often will you travel (Once a year or once every 2 years? Something in between?) and when/where you want to stay. I would probably get enough points so that you can get a 2BR every year (or every 2 years, if that's when you go), in the season and resort you want.

 

[Coach81]

It's NEVER ENOUGH!!! :ROFLOL:

 

[UberMouse]

Another question. If I rent 25 points a year do they add them to my total so that I can bankthem if they go unused?

 

[harryk]

If you rent them - you don't own them.
If you don't own them how can you bank them?

 

[slappy magoo]

Another question. If I rent 25 points a year do they add them to my total so that I can bankthem if they go unused?

If I understand your question correctly (and I'm not sure I do), you would only be renting points if you needed to use them for an upcoming trip. If you weren't taking an upcoming trip, why rent them in the first place, rent them when the time comes if/when you realize you need them.

Now, if you book a trip with rented points (either from a DVC owner or from DVC itself), and you need to cancel the trip, that's a horse of another color.

I guess if you rent from a DVC owner, and they officially transfer the one-time use of those points to you (as opposed to just booking a trip using their points for you), and then you cancel a trip, the points would still be usable by you but with the caveats that banked points always have (like if those rented points were borrowed by the DVC owner from their next year's allotment, you'd have to use them within their current use year, not yours, stuff like that). And I guess the rule would apply to points borrowed directly from DVC as well.

 

[UberMouse]

Thanks. Still learning how everything works.

 

[luv2ski752]

Points

We have 630 points. AKL and BLT are our two home resorts. High seasons usually. 4 kids plus two friends seem to come along every time = three bedrooms.

This year we aren't taking friends so we are going to be at BLT for 14 nights.

Like many others say - only you can decide the right number.

 

[Coach81]

We have 630 points. AKL and BLT are our two home resorts. High seasons usually. 4 kids plus two friends seem to come along every time = three bedrooms.

This year we aren't taking friends so we are going to be at BLT for 14 nights.

Like many others say - only you can decide the right number.

/bow

So you guys are paying around $250.00 per month... WOW...

But I wish I had so many points!!!