When do you decide you have enough DVC points?

[hhoman]

Hi All, wanted to get people's feedback on when you decide to stop buying more DVC points.

Currently I have

- 200 VGF points I use for a week at WDW each year

- I have 125 AUL points for a half week in Hawaii each year

- 300 VGC points (My local park, 7-8 hour drive away) which I use on 3 weekend trips and 1 weekend trip in a 2 bedroom where I invite my sister's family each year

At this point I am thinking of buying another 200 points when DLH DVC opens to hopefully give me 4 more trips each year. But I am worried I am locking myself in too much to booking at 11 months versus giving myself flexibility to book a lesser hotel, like best western, a month out for more spontaneous trips. and I could save the Money for other trips....

How do you all decide when to stop buying DVCs and keep some flexibility with regular hotels?

 

[RoseGold]

I go to WDW three times a year, and this sounds like too much Disney to me, LOL.

But it's your life and your money. (And your young kids?) So spend it to make you happy.

As for DLT in particular, the chart might cure your addonitis. I expect it to be crazy, and there are so many competitors at DL. Oh, and the joy of 7AM Genie+, if you haven't experienced that cluster yet.

 

[pianomanzano]

I stopped at 585 after seeing what dues would look like!

In all honesty, I think the answer will be different for everyone depending on what resorts they plan to spend most of their time, what time of year, and what room type you'll pick. We settled on that number to have 1BRs for about 2 weeks/year + some spare points for the occasional 2br to bring family or studios for long weekend trips. Just under half of our points are Saratoga SAP points. We're thinking about adding a smallish contract (50-75 points depending on the point charts) for VDH to go every other year or every 3 years. We don't care much about the non-DVC hotels. If our kids want to go to AoA or something, we may rent out points and book them, but otherwise going to strictly use our points at DVC properties during WDW trips.

 

[kanerf]

Neveh! I just closed and got the points on a RIV resale contract and I look every week at other contracts I might want. I have 708 points spread across two accounts and 11 contracts at 6 different resorts.

 

[mrsdoubie]

I’ll let you know when I get there.

 

[cvjw]

We got to 815 and it was too much. The dues were a killer. We also decided that we don’t enjoy the parks like we used to - we like to cruise now. We have sold everything but one 270 point BWV contract. Will probably sell it in a few years and be out of the DVC business entirely.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

When additional points don’t increase our enjoyment anymore. We are at 500 and I feel we have enough. It’s enough to go for random long weekend trips 3-4 times a year, plus Christmas and March break. Effectively we go every two months or so.

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

We have 300 now, but I'm dying for 600. Our kids are prime age (9 & 10) and we're locked into the dreaded pricey school vacation weeks. We also prefer the one-bedrooms and anticipate wanting/needing two-bedrooms for bringing friends or more big family trips with my sister, BIL, and niece. 300 gets us (with bonus Riviera points and borrowing) two trips a year, which has been fun, expensive, and a life saver during Covid shutdowns as a nice diversion.

Our extended family is scattering as they marry and start their own families, and the older members are dying off/not up for traveling anymore, so I'm all about making memories with our core group while we can physically do everything. >

I'm planning a big, long 2-bedroom trip over Thanksgiving in 2024 with the sister's gang, and hopefully we'll add on our missing 300 at Poly 2.0 or CC resale if we hate the Poly 2.0 amenities and grounds.

I think 600 in dues will be expensive enough. If we can't swing it after another decade with college, we can sell half of our Riviera and half Poly 2.0 or CC if need be to still have two home resorts to pass down to the kids. I figure we can definitely recoup our initial Riviera outlay cost, not worried about a profit like Legacy 14's have produced. I'm happy with drawing somewhere close to even.

We're also thinking it would be nice as empty nesters to do January/February extended snowbird trips, and if it's just the two of us, we can stay a long time in a studio or one-bedroom off season. 600 points is a TON of points if it's just the two of us eventually if the kids tire of Disney, so downsizing may happen in another 15 years.

We ran into a guy at Riviera who owned, like, 1000+points and rents and swaps a ton out with his brother, who also has a ton of points. They seem to be making a killing doing it and had every resort covered between the two of them. I'm sure you can make money on it if you can't use them all, just have to be good about staying on top of banking deadlines and listing them with enough time.

I think the DLT might be nice for you! IDK how many points you'll want there since you already own GC, which has the better point chart and location, but I'm a sucker for shiny, new DVCs, LOL, so I certainly don't fault you for salivating over the new ones coming up.

Really, if you can afford the dues and are never letting any points go to waste, you may need more! LOL. Is this with kids in mind, or are you a Disney fanatic?

 

[hhoman]

In my family I am the Disney fanatic, and our 1 child, girl, loves it too. My wife is super nice and is tolerating all of this, . It's so hard to decide, I know I want to do a monthly weekend trip, but don't know if booking all 12 trips 11 months in advance is crazy.

 

[tom1944]

I do not recall on what thread or if it was even this site but I saw a post by someone with a significant number of points and they mentioned selling some number of points every year to offset the yearly dues

They had worked out some formula that took them over the points they actually wanted to use and bought more to offset the maintenance fees for all they owned

It seemed risky and complicated to me but seemed to work for them

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

My husband claims to be "dragged along to the Mousetrap," but he's drank the Kool-Aid and gets merch, etc., and wants to try the new rides and restaurants. He just doesn't want to plan anything, which is fine with me. We also really enjoy the resorts -- but having a ton of entertainment options with the parks and other nearby things to do. I don't see any difference doing DVC versus going to the same old summer cottage my cousins do, but that's just me.

Is your wife totally opposed to adding on, can you afford the trips and dues, and are you still in the honeymoon mania period where you're so excited to go and get use out of an AP it's consuming you, looking at resale listings and obsessively checking these boards? LOL. You don't need to answer that, just putting it out there. If Disney is your thing, why not?

I fully realize I am still in the honeymoon period of DVC, so I'm viewing the lack of funds for adding as a good breather until Poly 2.0.

 

[BamaGuy44]

Nobody can really answer that question for anyone but themselves, but generally people wish they had a little more (or a lot more) than they do, the dreaded add-on-itis.

I used to be heavily into cycling, and the running joke to answer "how many bikes do I need?" is "n+1, with n being the number you currently have"
So I guess the equivalent in DVC would be "n+100"

 

[Sandisw]

We have 900 and it just doesn't seem like enough!! I enjoy being in the WDW bubble and its my retirement plan to go from December to March, every month for 3 to 4 nights....some trips will include parks and some may not, and a few over the past few years have been solo trips!

My adult kids enjoy Disney as well and while they don't currently go but more than once a year, they do enjoy it at this point.

 

[Carol_]

We have enough to visit regularly, sometimes in the pricier accommodations. But every time I see some Disney product that doesn’t have for its main, second, and third goal to entertain me, I think about selling.
I sold my stock this year when the company as a whole made a string of quite terrible decisions. I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying a bunch of off property resorts with more space, great lazy rivers, and non-Disney entertainment in Orlando. So armed with that knowledge, it’s easier to consider not buying more DVC points.

 

[tom1944]

We have 900 and it just doesn't seem like enough!! I enjoy being in the WDW bubble and its my retirement plan to go from December to March, every month for 3 to 4 nights....some trips will include parks and some may not, and a few over the past few years have been solo trips!

My adult kids enjoy Disney as well and while they don't currently go but more than once a year, they do enjoy it at this point.

I daydream about spending a month between MLK Day and Presidents Day. It would have to be a combination of studio and 1 BR. It would be enough time out of NJ for the winter. Maybe drive down and stop in HH on the way back

 

[hhoman]

I think I am past the honeymoon phase of DVC, been a member since 2016.... now I am on the, if I am going monthly anyways, why not go fully in with more points. I am leaning on just doing it and selling it later if I don't like it. I have sold a few DVCs, and really haven't lost any money on them. I think my wife just thinks it feels crazy, she says she is ok with whatever I decide, but thinks it feels crazy to get more. We were on a Disney Cruise DVC event once, and we were the second highest group for points. She keeps mentioning, we shouldn't be the group that has the most, that it was a sign to stop buying.

 

[Frugal Fairy Tales]

I am stopping at 160 for my yearly “plan ahead” vacation. If I want to go more often it would be more spontaneous and cash works well for that.

 

[Spivey378]

I bought 250 points at CC one year ago and I think it is enough. We typically do 2 weekend trips a year. Next year I’d like to do a week at CC in a 1 bedroom in December. I will have enough points for that.

 

[Straulin]

How many points would it take to get a guaranteed week for each week of the year?

I guess I could make do with a 2 bedroom with enough unassigned points to upgrade to a 3 bedroom villa a couple weeks a year.. you know… when extra family comes to visit.

…
We currently have 360 BCV points. We had been tossing around buying another 150-175 at VGF before the price went up a few days ago. We decided for our purposes (both have jobs with a 13 and 11 year old) that we can’t manage to use many more points right now. We have more than enough for a 1br for a week each year then left over to do a 2 br or extra trip every couple years. We can’t get away and all the way to WDW any more than that.

If Dollywood ever gets a vacation club for their resorts (2nd one opens next year) that would be a “take my money” situation as we are close enough for weekend trips.

 

[softballmom3]

My bank account decided for me lol! Wish I could get more but other things are pressing right now!!!