Potential DVC Member w/ Q's

[dmccartney5]

I'm thinking of joining DVC for 7nt 2br at AKV (need 350pts).

If I plan to alternate each 3 yrs w/ WDW 1 yr, a different DVC trip 1 yr (Ski or Cruise) and a non-DVC vacation the other. Will this 3 yr rotation cause lots of shifting point headaches?

What kind of point range will I need for a Disney Cruise for 5 (3 land/4 sea)? Point range for 7 days at Keystone?

It's implied, but do DVC trips to WDW include park passes (if so w/ water parks and park hopper)?

And since my kids will stop vacationing with us at some point, could I sell a portion of my contract in 10 yrs or would I need to buy 2 different contracts to be able to sell a portion later? Or is it just better to split the contracts to have 2 home resorts anyway?

The more I research, the more questions I seem to have...

[KNWVIKING 2.0]

Park passes are NOT included with membership. We do, however, receive a sizable discount on AP's.

You cannot sell a portion of your contract, but you don't need to buy just one contract. Buy a 250 and 100, sell the 100 later if you chose. You will find though that you won't sell, you'll actually want to buy more. Points are kinda like pistacio's (sp).

You will hear from anyone asked that using your points for the Disney Cruise line is a bad deal. I'll let the cruise experts advise you.

Your usage plan is easy very easily done with advanced planning. You will become very familiar with the banking/borrowing system, which in your case could mean purchasing less points.

[djplong]

Points are kinda like pistacio's (sp).

They make your fingers turn red?

[KNWVIKING 2.0]

They make your fingers turn red?

No, they make you want to dring beer.

[Niki]

Beer . Yum
Posted via Mobile Device

[MatterhornMiss]

You will hear from anyone asked that using your points for the Disney Cruise line is a bad deal. I'll let the cruise experts advise you.

I guess I have a different point of view. I bought my DVC interest to enjoy Disney vacations. If that means I splurge on an Adventures by Disney trip or take a cruise, or even swap out for RCI, then that's what I'm going to do. No, it's not the most points-efficient, but I still figure it is cheaper to just pay whatever the small fee is for booking some of these trips (eg, to book a non DVC WDW resort is a $95 fee) is still cheaper than paying out of pocket for the whole thing. While I love WDW, I enjoy experiencing other vacations, too. If you routinely do this, yeah, you probably will lose money. But I don't think occasional use of your points for non-DVC resort vacations is a bad thing.

But the Viking has been doing this much longer than me. I just really enjoy the flexibility of using my points how I like. They are your points--enjoy them!

[KNWVIKING 2.0]

What I keep hearing is that instead of using your points for the cruise, rent your points for cash & pay cash for the cruise. Depending on the going rate per point and the level of cabin you want, you can save a lot of points by doing it this way.

I like getting the best value for my points so I only use them at our resorts. Looking at the Timeshare industry in general, my Starwood week at Port St Lucie is easier and cheaper to swap for other location than my DVC points.

[lllovell]

Here is a link which has the DVC Collection points which includes the Cruise line. That will help you to see how much a cruise will run.

http://dvcnews.com/index.php?option=...149&Itemid=135

Financially, your points go the furthest (thus are "worth" the most) at the 7 DVC resorts. The requirements for hotels, cruises, and other plans outside of those resorts is much greater than if you chose to stay at Boardwalk Villas for a week for example.

I think it is important that you understand this difference in point structure and decide if it works for your family BEFORE you purchase.

Laura

[lllovell]

Here are a couple of other links that shows what prices are like for a week's stay using the Adventures by Disney services.

http://advc.disney.go.com/media/dvc_...larBooking.pdf
http://advc.disney.go.com/media/dvc_...rlyBooking.pdf
http://advc.disney.go.com/media/dvc_...Collection.pdf

Laura

[DiZ NeE 08]

I have also been looking at the point charts for the cruises, Disney collection, and RCI and the point cost is crazy and if you were to figure out how much each point costs you then you would be in awe at how much it will cost you which is A LOT more than even buying directly from disney.