A silly idea to avoid weekend points. Has anyone done this?

[dairyou]

DH and I are looking at our vacation for May. Seeing the cost of weekend points for I think a one bedroom (maybe 2) is almost 100 points! We were thinking if we rented 100 points the cost would be 1,000.00 for a weekend.

Our idea is to go Monday through Thursday at a DVC resort. Then for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday go on the DCL 3 day cruise (cost for 4 is 1500.00). Come back and stay another 4 days at a DVC resort.

It's alot of changing rooms and such. Since we usually cook most meals in our room also (have 2 teenage boys who love to eat) we'd have to grocery shop twice since we'd have nowhere to keep our perishables.

Of course it sounds like a silly idea, but we could go on a cruise for 500.00 more. But then, if we did stay for a Friday and Saturday night at DVC we wouldn't be renting points either. Just borrow some from 2007.

Anyway...do you think this is outrageous? Has anyone ever tried this?

Thanks!

Deb

 

[cyiland]

I don't think your idea is silly at all. If you just look at it from a dollars and cents standpoint, for an extra $500 you're getting a cruise, including entertainment and meals for 4 people.

We are DVC owners, not renters, but the same thoughts apply, essentially. Weekend points ARE expensive, and I often can't justify putting so many of my points into a couple of days (particularly since we tend to ARRIVE... tired ... on the weekends). Instead, I'll pay to stay at a Disney hotel, and they'll move our luggage for us the next day. Others may call that "cheap"; I call it "wise".

Huh... we might also consider placing a weekend cruise in the midst of a vacation when we book next time! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Muushka]

We are doing just that this December. It is actually cheaper for 2 adults to take a 4 night cruise (including meals and entertainment to boot!) than to stay at a 1 bedroom at Christmas. I think it is a great idea.

 

[dairyou]

Muushka,

You'll have to know how it goes. Will you send me a pm and let me know?

Thanks,
Deb

 

[Muushka]

Muushka,

You'll have to know how it goes. Will you send me a pm and let me know?

Thanks,
Deb

Deb I hope I remember! Let's see, it is 80 days from now .
If I forget, please PM me. Okie dokie?

 

[dairyou]

I definitely will!

Deb

 

[DBBN]

No not silly - smart.

We did this way back in September 1998 and we've had friends do this as well while staying on our points in November 2003. We prefer the 7 day cruises now but, we'd likely sail on another 3 day cruise if our vacation scheduling brought us to WDW on a weekend.

Have fun.

 

[susieh]

We're doing it next June - 5 nights OKW, 3 night DCL, 7 nights OKW. Hoping to leave most of the luggage at OKW while we're on the cruise too.

We've booked hire cars for the stays at OKW and will use the Disney transfers to take us to/from the port/airport each end.

 

[spiceycat]

I go the cheaper way - stay in an offsite timeshare for the weekends.

start at the offsite timeshare on Sunday - stay until the following Sunday then move to my DVC resort.

 

[murphy t]

Another option is to go to Universal studios for Fri & Sat nite and stay in one of their on-site resorts. Your teenage boys would love it, and you would get front of the line access.
Murphy

 

[Macnjac87]

We usually pay cash for the weekend nights and almost always get the 25% Member Discount. It's usually cheaper than renting points for the weekend nights.
Of course, the cruise is awesome!! We did the 4 night this past April and then headed up to Disney's Hilton Head resort for another 6 nights, that was the best!

 

[dairyou]

We thought of going off site also. My husband is not into packing and unpacking, but be willing to do so for a 3 day cruise Its been over 5 years since we've done a 3 day. As DBBN said before we also usually go on the 7 day cruise every other year or so.

For those who have done this, do you feel unsettled? We talked with the kids about it. They said they would love to do this. So its up to us old foggies now

Thanks!

Deb

 

[conciergekelly]

Oh no! You got me thinking. We are going to SSR in april over spring break. I have 2 nights booked in a 2 br at SSR for the weekend. Even with the 25% discount it is over 1,000 dollars. Hmmm. Maybe we ought to spend alittle more and do a 3 day cruise. One more day and food to boot. Thanks.

 

[dairyou]

Oh no! You got me thinking. We are going to SSR in april over spring break. I have 2 nights booked in a 2 br at SSR for the weekend. Even with the 25% discount it is over 1,000 dollars. Hmmm. Maybe we ought to spend alittle more and do a 3 day cruise. One more day and food to boot. Thanks.

Watch out, over thinking this can consume your life. I'll be washing dishes thinking how I can make it all work. But then that's me We are DVC members, but also have a disease called CVD...compulsive vacation disorder!

Hopefully posters with experience in WDW/DCL/WDW will post.

Deb

 

[jaysue]

Seems like a great idea to me

We are trying out for our March trip starting in a studio for the weekend then moving to a 2BR to avoid the very high weekend points

cheers
jaysue

 

[mbb]

Watch out, over thinking this can consume your life. I'll be washing dishes thinking how I can make it all work. But then that's me We are DVC members, but also have a disease called CVD...compulsive vacation disorder!

Hopefully posters with experience in WDW/DCL/WDW will post.

Deb

*raising her hand*

Never done it, but what a great idea!!

We've done the Weekend Point Saver Shuffle:
1)stay in the studio over the weekend to save points
2)but then "had" to change to a 1 bedroom
3)Gone to another onsite resort
4)Planned offsite stays around Sun-Fri DVC

And now another option! My DH will just love you , Deb!!

 

[dairyou]

*raising her hand*

Never done it, but what a great idea!!

We've done the Weekend Point Saver Shuffle:
1)stay in the studio over the weekend to save points
2)but then "had" to change to a 1 bedroom
3)Gone to another onsite resort
4)Planned offsite stays around Sun-Fri DVC

And now another option! My DH will just love you , Deb!!

Thanks! You can never have too many options! So how was it when you switched midway through your stay? Was it a total pain?

I'm glad I'm not the only one with CVD...which you know is DVC backwards

Deb

 

[jenny2]

Our idea is to go Monday through Thursday at a DVC resort. Then for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday go on the DCL 3 day cruise (cost for 4 is 1500.00). Come back and stay another 4 days at a DVC resort.

This sounds like a great idea!! You'll have to let us know how it goes Deb!

Oh oh... I already have 2 DVC trips planned, booked and paid for... should I start thinking of a 3rd... with a cruise in the middle? hmmmmm

I DVC!!

 

[DBBN]

...For those who have done this, do you feel unsettled?Thanks!
Deb

No one feeling unsettled here. We had no regrets either, for that matter our DVC/DCL/DVC vacations seem to be our most memorable. We did this once in 1998 just as you described in your OP when it was just me and DW. We stayed at OKW on points before and after the DCL cruise that we had paid for with cash. By the way we were blown away when we learned DCL had given us a complimentary upgrade from the CAT 3 one bedroom suite we'd reserved to the CAT 1, Roy Disney suite. What a way to travel!

We talked with the kids about it. They said they would love to do this.

I'm not surprised your boys are up for this. Are there any teenage boys who would say skip the cruise? We did DVC/DCL/DVC again in Sept 2001 with two of our nieces who were 11 and 13 at the time. For this vacation we used our DVC points to pay for both - our stay at VWL and the cruise. Again no regrets and the nieces loved their vacation.

The transfers from the DVC resort to the DCL terminal and back were the only low points in both vacations. On the first cruise we used the DCL transfers and that was just OK. As I recall I didn't like the scheduled pick up time so on the second cruise we took a rental car and that was just OK as well. Paying for the car and paying for parking at the terminal seemed overpriced. What do we do now for transfers? We hire a car service and we love it...the convenience can't be beat.

Take the cruise. If you find the moving more than you like just don't do it again. Have fun.

 

[dairyou]

Thanks DBBN! If our plans to HH don't go through (waiting for the 7 month window to go through), I think it's ago. DH said he would like to try it. Also, like you said, we tried and if we don't like it, won't do it again.

Now, do we have the cash funds available for the cruise? We'll see

Deb