Adding on vs Swolphin

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

Aww thank you

that was some A+ analysis. Off to go convince my husband we need another 100 points at Crescent Lake.

 

[RichVIII]

The bus changes, parking fees is annoying. It was our backup since we would often cash in Marriott points. Sometimes you can get a free fifth night if you book four on points. That was a great value. The dynamic pricing is insane now. They are also pushing their convention and conference business (which I am also in) so that impacts room rates. I do love the flexibility it offers.

 

[Genie+]

that was some A+ analysis. Off to go convince my husband we need another 100 points at Crescent Lake.

Goodluck!

Some of these BW/BC listings are hard to resist. The closer 100pts gets to $100pp the harder waiting for Poly gets.

I saw loaded 50pt Feb UY BW listed 125 yesterday. 19 yrs of points is ~$6pp/py at 115pp. Possibly 2 of them listed?

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

Goodluck!

Some of these BW/BC listings are hard to resist. The closer 100pts gets to $100pp the harder waiting for Poly gets.

I saw loaded 50pt Feb UY BW listed 125 yesterday. 19 yrs of points is ~$6pp/py at 115pp. Possibly 2 of them listed?

I saw it too—but I’ve sworn to myself I won’t add anymore new UYs.

I’m actually having decision paralysis about which UY(s) I would add to— Sept to match BCV? AUG because it’s the biggest single contract and good for long stays on one res? Oct because it’s where my other WDW direct points are?

I did at least rule out Jun though.

 

[JackosinDIS]

I saw it too—but I’ve sworn to myself I won’t add anymore new UYs.

I’m actually having decision paralysis about which UY(s) I would add to— Sept to match BCV? AUG because it’s the biggest single contract and good for long stays on one res? Oct because it’s where my other WDW direct points are?

I did at least rule out Jun though.

Well you have more restraint than me! I purchased it and added a new UY to boot

 

[PaddingtonStation]

Tldr version: DVC is complex

I think it comes down to what makes you most comfortable after considering all factors and how they apply to you. Some are predictable, others not. It always involves guesswork. The best we can do is try choosing the path most likely to have least regret.

Even with decent Swolphin pricing, the fees kill it. $45+tax resort fee, $36+tax parking, $35+tax for 3rd adult (18+), $35+tax 4th. For my family of 4, this equals OVER $165 PER NIGHT. Doesn’t matter if I get the $227/nt date or $457/nt date, I must also add this $167/nt. Dealbreaker. We’re starting to do 2 studios for the 4 of us or just go as a couple, but fees still add $100/nt in those comparisons.

We keep returning to the Crescent Lake area with car/family, don’t have Marriot points, and enjoy using DVC. BW and BC resale prices stay at the top of cost per point per year breakdowns because there’s probably alot of other people like us that looked beyond just the buy-in cost/pt.

Some of what pushed us to buy BWV:

Lower average points per night meant smaller contract could suffice. Has the added benefit of lower dues/nt avg. We have averaged 13pts/nt for our BW studios reservations (mix of std and BW view) with an average dues cost per night of $110. That makes the $6pp/py buy-in so much more acceptable.

After applying high TVM to the buy-in, and booking expensive seasons more regularly, I’m still near ~$350/nt avg cost. Only regularly booking Easter or Christmas breaks past $400/nt territory. And if I instead paired those trips with May/Dec/Jan trips alternatively, the average comes back down under $350/nt. What’s going to matter most is which rooms we choose and get, and their cost per night on average. Mixing in 10pt/nt trips drives that average down.

Even comparing SSR’s $3pp/py resale cost, BW’s $3 premium per point delivers on location and partially offset by BW lowering our average points used per night. We popped into BW 5 nights for 50pts with no regrets on buy-in premium paid. They’d need 60pts for those 5 nights, which makes my premium nearly a wash. (Without applying TVM to either) my BW per night ($6+$8.67)x10pts=$147/nt to SSR ($3+$8.14)=$133. The difference is $14/nt. Sold! I’d pay that to quadruple my chances at staying Crescent Lake 5 nights in a row (especially on top of a very reasonable price).

In the end the risk felt greater that S&D has little under $400/nt, leaving me to regret either accepting that price or moving to a moderate that is still costing me what BWV could have. I took the bet our most likely outcomes end up $300/nt avg cost to use our BWV, including reasonable TVM. Only time will tell how we actually used the contract, how enjoyable it was, how much we paid per night, what other competition arises, etc. We plan to use until the end but I can’t predict we won’t sell in 10 years or even what that price may be. Weigh the knowns and likelihoods - decide a path probably best for us to take.

I’m leaning on some of the advantages but tried to be fair. Main point is to explain why people still choose BW/BC.

Another option for existing owner is getting a transfer of BW points to take a ride around the block. Good fit or not so much?

I had NO idea about the fees for extra adults, thank you so much. There is a 25 pt BWV in my use year for $135/ pt but no points for current year, what would you offer?

 

[AstroBlasters]

I had NO idea about the fees for extra adults, thank you so much. There is a xx pt BWV in my use year for $1xx/ pt but no points for current year, what would you offer?

When I purchased my loaded 55 pointer it was listed for $131pp and I went full ask. The agent said they got an offer 15 minutes before me but it was for $1 less pp and so I got the contract…..

In general, I would say if you want a very small points contract don’t nickel and dime.

 

[vdangelo239]

We’ve been staying at the Swan pretty exclusively for the last 15 years and FWIW I just bought a BWV resale contract (currently in ROFR).

The Swan/Dolphin prices have always been pretty reasonable - especially when you could use points/ corporate rates during quieter seasons. But recently I’ve been finding it’s VERY dependent on conferences. A week that would historically run $300 p/n inclusive of tax/resort fees could suddenly jump to $450-$500 (and even $1000 p/n). No thanks

I think it’s still fine for a few nights - especially if you are somewhat flexible with dates - but for the length of our trips, it was no longer worth it.

The other factor with this we considered before buying our 50 BWV points was the parking fee at the Swan / Dolphin is NOT CHEAP. If you usually bring or rent a car, $38 per night to park adds up quickly on top of the hotel reservation price.

 

[Genie+]

When I purchased my loaded 55 pointer it was listed for $131pp and I went full ask. The agent said they got an offer 15 minutes before me but it was for $1 less pp and so I got the contract…..

In general, I would say if you want a very small points contract don’t nickel and dime.

Yes. Especially so with a 25pt contract. For every $10 offered under asking price it only saves $250. If it’s reasonably priced and finding your UY is taking forever, do you want to risk losing it to $250.

I had NO idea about the fees for extra adults, thank you so much. There is a 25 pt BWV in my use year for $135/ pt but no points for current year, what would you offer?

It would depend how much time I was willing to keep trying. Offering $125 would bring it down closer to $7pp/py from the $8pp/py asking price. It’s tricky though. 25pt contracts pose extra challenges* for bookings, so first I’d seriously think about the possibility of me seeking more points afterward. The math of buying one 50pt contract is much better than two 25pt contracts, where you’d be paying two closings along with higher price per point.

*challenges - having less ‘cushion’ of extra points increases chance of having issues. 25pt contracts tend to rely on a combo of low point seasons and bank/borrow. There’s a higher risk leaving unusable points because there’s less options to pivot. If you don’t get booking or need to make changes, it could be hard finding new dates before some points expire. This is why some people ‘walk’ their reservation but that usually takes extra points to start walking in more point heavy season/dates. 50pts is more workable because it opens more options to plan and pivot.

Well you have more restraint than me! I purchased it and added a new UY to boot

CONGRATS!!!! That one was super tempting.

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

It would depend how much time I was willing to keep trying. Offering $125 would bring it down closer to $7pp/py from the $8pp/py asking price. It’s tricky though. 25pt contracts pose extra challenges* for bookings, so first I’d seriously think about the possibility of me seeking more points afterward. The math of buying one 50pt contract is much better than two 25pt contracts, where you’d be paying two closings along with higher price per point.

*challenges - having less ‘cushion’ of extra points increases chance of having issues. 25pt contracts tend to rely on a combo of low point seasons and bank/borrow. There’s a higher risk leaving unusable points because there’s less options to pivot. If you don’t get booking or need to make changes, it could be hard finding new dates before some points expire. This is why some people ‘walk’ their reservation but that usually takes extra points to start walking in more point heavy season/dates. 50pts is more workable because it opens more options to plan and pivot.



CONGRATS!!!! That one was super tempting.

Another great Genie+ post— a lot of people around here like collecting small contracts but the per point cost is very high after you count in the fees and costs (often raising your per point price another $10-20 above sticker price)— this is fine if you truly want/need a small contract for a specific purpose, but bank/borrow at high demand resorts is somewhat risky and relying on standard room availability at BWV is also risky. I personally have decided (because of the $20-50 all in price difference) that I’ll borrow contracts or pay OTUP until I’m ready to buy at least 50 points, and ideally closer to 75 (unless I’m buying direct for some very specific reason).