×
Hello Daddy Warbucks! It’s nice to meet you and your trophy wife/husband. Today, I’d like to speak to you about your Disney Vacation Club membership which isn’t difficult since you own ALL the points. You’ve got at least 300 of them across your one or more DVC contracts. With that many points, you have the run of Disney theme parks, and you know it. Still, I’d like to offer you a few suggestions about what you can do with your many, many points. Here are some ideas about the kinds of vacations you should expect when you own/buy one or more large DVC contracts.
Covering the Basics One Last Time
By now, you should understand how Disney constructs their points chart. The beautiful part of having tons of points is that you don’t look at it the same way. You know that you own enough points to stay when you want where you want. If that means Christmas week at a monorail resort, you can do that! If you want the nicest suite at a DVC property, that’s on the menu, too. The sky is the proverbial limit when you have a lot of points.
Think about the situation in these terms. The first article demonstrated how much a DVC owner can do with 50 points and some solid strategies. You have AT LEAST six times as many points as the person in that scenario. You can literally do six times as much. You’ve invested a lot in the Disney Vacation Club, and you should enjoy the benefits of said investment.
Still, many of the basics still apply. You must choose where you want to stay, how long you want to stay, and what type of room you want. In fact, room type becomes a critical consideration for people with large DVC contracts. You can book a room overlooking the animals at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge…and that room can have concierge club access. Alternately, you could hole up at a bungalow at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort for a long weekend. You can do it all with your contract(s). The only limit is your understanding of the best ways to utilize your points…and that’s why we’re here.
The Large Membership
The undeniable truth of a large membership is that you’ve invested $25,000 or more in DVC. Even if you purchased in the earliest years of the program, economic principles such as inflation adjustments and opportunity cost would still indicate that you’ve spent the equivalent of that much over time. In fact, the current valuation of your DVC contract(s) is probably in excess of $30,000, possibly much more. You’ve supported Disney with your wallet, and the company wants to reward you for your loyalty.
The one likely difference with a large membership is the point distribution. Members with small contracts of 50 points almost certainly own a single contract. Program participants with 160-200 may own multiple contracts, but it’s just as likely that they have only one. To acquire 300 points, you’ve probably given in to that wonderful urge of Add-on-itis, the DVC fever that drives us to buy more points. After all, more points mean more Disney, right? Who wouldn’t want to pick up more contracts as long as they can afford it?
With multiple contracts, you’ll have a few minor inconveniences. More importantly, you’ll have a wealth of options that enhance the value of your membership. The inconveniences are trifles such as having to pay maintenance fees in multiple months and having to keep up with multiple contract numbers. It’s simple stuff that you can add to your Google Calendar to maintain.
The same is true of Disney’s Beach Club Villas and Disney’s BoardWalk Villas. Do you have a soft spot for the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival? You could buy a contract at one of these resorts and guarantee your family a hotel room right by the International Gateway each year. In fact, with four annual festivals in the Epcot rotation now, owning a contract at one of these DVC properties is always a good idea.
With a large amount of points, you have that flexibility. In fact, you have another hidden option that other owners wouldn’t even consider. Should you decide that you want a contract at a new DVC resort, you can cash in on the value of your current membership. You could sell a contract at a DVC property you haven’t visited in a while and use that money to buy a different contract at a desired DVC hotel. If your contract is more than a couple of years old, odds are good that you’ve turned a profit on it. You could engage in some profit-taking while flexing your DVC muscle to turn a less useful contract into a better one. You are a DVC power user, and you SHOULD maximize that power in creative and exciting ways such as this example.
What Can You Get for 300 Points?
The short answer is anything. It’s not even an exaggeration. You can book anywhere at any point on the DVC calendar. During the discussion of the moderate membership contract, I noted that options expand dramatically with 160 points. Imagine how much more you can do with roughly double the points from there!
Last time, I used Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas as an example. At the time, I pointed out that DVC members with 160 points could book a full week of a room with a Savannah View most of the year. With 300 points, we can scratch out the word “most”. In fact, you can book a studio with Kilimanjaro Club Concierge access any week of the year! Yes, you could spend the holidays at Walt Disney World, looking out from your patio to see frolicking zebras playing beneath you. When you get bored of this marvel, assuming such a thing is possible, you can head over to the concierge lounge and gulp Jungle Juice.
The DVC points cost for this vacation would be 211 points for a week during Premier Season. You’d still have 89 points to spend during the rest of the year! With a large number of DVC points, you’ve purchased the right to take full control of your Disney vacation…whenever, wherever. And that could mean multiple Disney trips in the same year.
I’ll use one more example to make my point. Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is the gold standard in Walt Disney World accommodations today and has been ever since it opened in 1988. A few years ago, Disney finally indulged DVC owners by giving them the opportunity to buy DVC contracts and stay at this lavish hotel. To many program participants, it’s the ultimate in Disney vacations.
The only downside of a stay at the Grand Floridian is the cost. The Points Chart at this resort reflects the pristine status of the property. Few DVC members have enough annual points to spend a week at the Grand Floridian. You’re one of the lucky ones, though. You have enough on your contract to stay in a Lake View studio hotel room during Premier Season, a time when a week at the Grand Floridian costs 271 points.
Most of the year, the cost is 199 points or less, meaning that you’d still have more than 100 points to spend elsewhere. That’s the twice amount from the small contracts article! You could do so much with that surplus, and that’s AFTER you’ve spent a holiday week at the Grand Floridian. This statement alone should signal the true potential of owning 300+ points. Everything at Disney is possible
What Else Can You Get for 300 Points?
When you have this many points, you may discover that you have a taste for suites. One- and two-bedroom suites at DVC resorts are spectacular hotel rooms that will add that extra level of luxury to your vacation. Plus, suites come with washer/dryer appliances and kitchens. You’ll feel like you’re at your home away from home when Disney welcomes you home in a DVC suite.
The additional space is something that quickly grows addictive. I have a friend who will only stay at Disney’s Old Key West Villas due to their size. The one-bedroom suites that his family prefers are a whopping 942 square feet. A lot of people who live in metropolitan areas stay in apartments smaller than that! The suite life will elevate your Disney vacation into something mythic and unforgettable. Don’t sleep on this option.
You should also investigate some of Disney’s upscale hotel room offerings. Perhaps the most famous one is the Treehouse Villa, a special room type at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. It’s an octagonal standalone hotel room in the middle of the woods. You’ll relish in a serenely rustic setting when you stay here. Plus, you’ll stretch out across 1,074 square feet of cleverly used space. It’s one of the best floorplans at Walt Disney World.
A night’s stay in a Treehouse Villa ranges between 39 and 76 points. During Adventure or Choice Season, you could spend a full week here at a cost of 281-295 points. During 49 out of 52 weeks of the year, a Treehouse Villa is 366 points or less. You can easily bank or borrow the points you need to stay here when you have 300 points annually. Alternately, you can just indulge your Add-on-it is and buy a few more if you want to make a Treehouse Villa stay a regular thing! Why shortchange yourself, big spender?
May I Interest You in Some Hawaii?
Oh, so you have ALL the points, eh? Well, don’t feel like you’re stuck in the continental United States. Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa is the pride of Kapolei on the island of Oahu. Yes, the DVC program stretches out to the Hawaiian Islands and, yes, the resort here embodies every fantasy that you’ve ever had about an island vacation.
The glorious part of Aulani is that Disney structured the DVC points chart in a clever way. There is an option to fit almost anyone’s membership contract. A one-week stay could cost as little as 112 points for a standard hotel room. A studio with Standard View is only 119 points to start. From there, the prices stretch out in a way that suits the needs of most members.
As a power user, a person with more than 300 points, you’ll want something special. I’d suggest a one-bedroom suite with an Ocean View. After all, you’re there for the view, right? During Adventure Season, which I should note isn’t the same as Adventure Season at Walt Disney World, you can book a week in a one-bedroom with an Ocean View for 322 points. The cost goes up to 350 points, 405 points, and 434 points for the other three seasons. You may need to bank or borrow a bit, but it’s a small aggravation to spend a week in Hawaii, right?
I should also point out that there’s a weird nightly room tax for “transient guests” in Hawaii. It’s a modest fee of $17.66-$23.94 per night, depending on the season when you visit. Given that the room is otherwise totally free via DVC points, it’s the best deal you’ll ever get on a Hawaiian vacation. You’re staying at an award-winning property that’s equal parts decadent and family-friendly. There’s a reason why reviews of Aulani are glowing. It’s in the conversation for best overall property in the DVC lineup.
Hey, Don’t You Deserve that Bungalow at the Poly?
With so many points under your belt, don’t you deserve some bragging rights? Wouldn’t you like to post on social media that you’re staying at the most extravagant suite at Walt Disney World? Seriously, who wouldn’t? And with 300+ points, you can!
A few years ago, Disney introduced a new room type at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. They constructed Bungalows, the best of the best at Disney today. Later, Disney mimicked the idea with the Cascade Cabins at Copper Creek Villas and Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. The concept is the same at both places. When you stay at these deluxe villas, you’re holing up in a two-bedroom suite that’s isolated from the rest of Walt Disney World. It’s spectacular.
The cost of a Bungalow or Cascade Cabin is price-prohibitive to some. The lowest cost for a Cabin is 87 points on a weekday, 102 points on a Friday/Saturday. Let’s be clear about the fact that 102 points is a decent DVC contract for a lot of people. To wit, the small contracts we discussed originally are 50 points. A small contract owner would need to use two years’ worth of points just to spend one night in a Cabin.
A Bungalow is that much more expensive. The cheapest weeknight costs 115 points, while a Friday/Saturday is 133 points. You’d either have to buy extra points to go with your two years of points or you’d have to bank AND borrow points to have enough to book a Bungalow. Seriously, the price on these is obscene.
What do you get for your points? A Cascade Cabin sits on the waters and delivers a wonderful rustic experience. The suite is 1,700 square feet in size, with two bedrooms. One of them has a queen bed while the master has a king plus a private bathroom. The highlights are the living room with a fireplace and a screened patio area. The latter space includes a hot tub and a picnic table/sitting area with a view of the lake. It’s amazing.
The Bungalow isn’t quite as big, but it’s that much more impressive. Its 1,300 square feet of space is ideal for fans of the Polynesian, one of the original two resorts at Walt Disney World. Again, the smaller bedroom has a queen while the master has a king plus a private bathroom. You may think that the star of the Bungalow is either the impeccably themed living room or the large kitchen, but that’s not the case. Each Bungalow has an exterior sitting area featuring a line of sight to Magic Kingdom! You can sit in a swing on the deck and gaze at Cinderella Castle. In a way, it’s the best seat at Walt Disney World…and it’s your HOTEL ROOM!
With a large DVC contract, you’re one of the lucky few who can stay at a Cabin or Bungalow. For that matter, you could spend a long weekend in a Bungalow for 381 points. You’d need to borrow or bank those extra points, but it’s a small price to pay for the unforgettable romantic backdrop that’s also decidedly Disney in tone. You deserve that kind of happiness, don’t you? Well, with 300+ DVC points, you’ll have it!
Posted By: