DVC Points Inflation

[Pluto 32]

Many moons ago I purchased my first direct DVC contract (AKL 160) for approx. $90/pp. Two years later I purchased my second direct DVC contract (AUL 100) for approx. $100/pp. I currently am waiting on the ROFR for a resale contract at BLT (stripped, 160 pts, $130, which I'm 99.9 sure it will get taken). Fast forward to today...

Today points are double the price and the amount to stay in a room at newer resorts has also almost doubled (depending on the resort and accommodations). The value of the points you purchased at an older DVC resort just does not hold the value if you tried to use it at a newer resort.

So what has happened to the value of our initial purchase? Yes the dollar value of our point has gone up BUT the value of our points have gone down as new point charts continue to increase on future resorts.

In my eyes, a fair value of inflation would be where the price per point increases but the amount of points per night for accommodations would stay the same across the board throughout DVC.

Unfortunately, DVC members (or potential members) are getting hit on both sides. It makes me wonder is it still worth it?

What are your thought?

Happy Disney Days! °O°

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Points have doubled in some cases? Where? Up until the 2020 point charts that were pulled DVC has held to the if something increases then it was decreased elsewhere so I'm not certain of your premise.

 

[Pluto 32]

Points have doubled in some cases? Where? Up until the 2020 point charts that were pulled DVC has held to the if something increases then it was decreased elsewhere so I'm not certain of your premise.

Do you not feel like it was easer to use your points and they went a lot further 15 years ago? I sure do.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Do you not feel like it was easer to use your points and they went a lot further 15 years ago? I sure do.

There's no doubt that availability has tightened up but if I book in the home priority period I do not find it difficult to get a room and because we have flexibility in our travel times I actually do a fair amount of non-home resort bookings still. There are many things contributing to the demand IMO. It is true that times that were slow have gotten busier and left less availability. I never really expected it to be like booking a hotel though where I might find availability a week or two in advance.

That points went further? On one hand no and on the other hand yes. I've been fairly analytical of all the point changes and the older resorts have done some shifting but no overall increases. I'm guessing though that what you are referring to is the chart point creep of the new resorts? You actually own 2 of the resorts where it really started to kick in. And yes, that I can agree with you on. DVC has both raised point pricing and the point requirements for the new resorts to levels that do approach double what the earliest resorts are. Double dipping on the price increases really. However the early resorts are still at the same levels they always were, with the few minor changes. Our original VWL purchase doesn't get us the exact same room that it did when we started but we can borrow and I do at least know where the points went to other room types. And it was just 4 points or so and hasn't changed since that one time in 2011. The resorts we bought into are still pretty much the same point requirements so if DVC has increased the new it's just the choice to trade or not. For those buying new today? It's not the same payback but Disney hotel prices have gotten crazy too. People are reporting Values close to the $200 mark for next Spring! If you want onsite I do think DVC can still make sense for the same groups of buyers that it always has. I'd personally not be buying direct though when I could get the DVC contract for much less resale. And overall Disney prices do start to raise questions on how much longer it might remain a regular vacation for us So far we're still in but I'm tossing around some end dates in my head that weren't happening before. And I've been visiting for a very, very, very long time now.

 

[rg35]

Do you not feel like it was easer to use your points and they went a lot further 15 years ago? I sure do.

I bought AKV resale in 2012. I looked at points charts for 1 BR standard rooms and the points requirements for a week are the same as they were then.

Are you referring to the higher points requirements at some of the newer resorts? If so, I guess that's a valid complaint, although a primary point of advice on DVC is to buy where you want to stay. There was never any guarantee that future resorts would be as easy to access as the one you purchased as your home resort. We bought the amount of points we needed with some padding (250) to stay at AKV the majority of the time in the summer for at least a week in 1BRs, assuming yearly trips.

 

[Pluto 32]

I bought AKV resale in 2012. I looked at points charts for 1 BR standard rooms and the points requirements for a week are the same as they were then.

Are you referring to the higher points requirements at some of the newer resorts? If so, I guess that's a valid complaint, although a primary point of advice on DVC is to buy where you want to stay. There was never any guarantee that future resorts would be as easy to access as the one you purchased as your home resort. We bought the amount of points we needed with some padding (250) to stay at AKV the majority of the time in the summer for at least a week in 1BRs, assuming yearly trips.

I guess the real question is would it be worth us now. I had the chance to buy BLT when it was $101 pp. Now it's around $150 on the resale market. Kind of kicking myself for that one. Haha!

 

[JenboJambo]

I think I hear what you are saying. Looking at studios, it does seem that the newer DVC resorts cost more points per night (for the most part). I'm a newer owner (bought in 2018) but this is why Poly and BLT were out of the question for me (even though I love them). Ended up buying AKL and BRV because the points per night were more reasonable and am always happy staying there.

 

[rg35]

I guess the real question is would it be worth us now. I had the chance to buy BLT when it was $101 pp. Now it's around $150 on the resale market. Kind of kicking myself for that one. Haha!

For me, I don't think so. We jumped on DVC because resale prices were still depressed from the recession and we only paid $65/point for a LOADED contract - 70 2011 points that were banked and full UY points for 2012 and 2013. I'm not sure I could bring myself to pay today's prices. I guess I'm glad it worked out the way it did as the timing was perfect based on our childrens' ages and knowing we wanted to vacation at Disney regularly and stay in deluxe villa-style rooms.

 

[AvidDisReader]

The point is well taken, look at the point chart for Riviera, it takes massive points to stay there compared to say AKL. For all the sometime negative talk of SSR, it is a really great fall back resort with reasonable number points and availability, plus if you like roaming Disney Springs it is convenient.

 

[sethschroeder]

The point is well taken, look at the point chart for Riviera, it takes massive points to stay there compared to say AKL. For all the sometime negative talk of SSR, it is a really great fall back resort with reasonable number points and availability, plus if you like roaming Disney Springs it is convenient.

Its less than both the GFV and Poly. Its going to be the "extra" luxury resort of the Epcot area with the new fancy gondola. I don't see it as out of line especially when you consider what it's supposed to be.

 

[stewart715]

Comparing point charts is tricky business as they offer different things. This is another important part of your home resort. But you are right, the point charts keep going up with each new resort. Which is why we purchased BWV: 76 points for an Adventure Season week in a studio. Points may be more expensive with less years, but I need less points to stay there so the math isn't apples to apples.

 

[CraigInPA]

By increasing the number of points needed for a room, DVC is increasing the total pool of points to be sold at a new resort. More points=More Revenue without a price increase over currently selling (not previously sold-out) resorts. It's a clever strategy, but one which I suspect will come back to bite them. The cost of a room per night (calculated using maintenance fees and the fraction of the original purchase price of those points) originally was compared to value rooms to show you were getting deluxe but paying value prices. Ten years ago, they compared it to moderates (get a deluxe room at moderate prices!). Now, we're almost to the point that, for new resorts, you need to compare it to deluxe resorts to see a savings.

 

[Pluto 32]

By increasing the number of points needed for a room, DVC is increasing the total pool of points to be sold at a new resort. More points=More Revenue without a price increase over currently selling (not previously sold-out) resorts. It's a clever strategy, but one which I suspect will come back to bite them. The cost of a room per night (calculated using maintenance fees and the fraction of the original purchase price of those points) originally was compared to value rooms to show you were getting deluxe but paying value prices. Ten years ago, they compared it to moderates (get a deluxe room at moderate prices!). Now, we're almost to the point that, for new resorts, you need to compare it to deluxe resorts to see a savings.

I completely agree with you. Great analysis!

 

[ypv]

I've owned for more than 10, but less than 15 years. I'd say booking has gotten more difficult. The point charts at some of the newer resorts are high enough to discourage me from buying there or wanting to stay there frequently. I think the point charts at some of the older resorts are attractive. I think that is why the resale prices of resorts like BCV and BWV are as high as they are.

 

[DougEMG]

I don't think that the point charts at the newer resorts are totally out of whack. If you compared against the deluxe hotel side, VGF and POLY are the most expensive of the deluxe hotels, Boardwalk and Beach Club are in the middle with ANIMAL kingdom and Wilderness lodge being at the bottom of the deluxe hotels. DVC rooms match up pretty closely with this.

Will the Riviera match up to the VGF, it might. The rooms look real nice and if the gondolas work out it could justify being called the VGF of the Epcot area and thus justify the point cost.

In general I think the points for rooms across resorts isn't that bad. I always thought SSR points should have been lower, and after the Treehouses and view categories were added, it did end up lowering the points for a lot of rooms at SSR.

 

[Brett Wyman]

I don't think that the point charts at the newer resorts are totally out of whack. If you compared against the deluxe hotel side, VGF and POLY are the most expensive of the deluxe hotels, Boardwalk and Beach Club are in the middle with ANIMAL kingdom and Wilderness lodge being at the bottom of the deluxe hotels. DVC rooms match up pretty closely with this.

Will the Riviera match up to the VGF, it might. The rooms look real nice and if the gondolas work out it could justify being called the VGF of the Epcot area and thus justify the point cost.

In general I think the points for rooms across resorts isn't that bad. I always thought SSR points should have been lower, and after the Treehouses and view categories were added, it did end up lowering the points for a lot of rooms at SSR.

Which is why Im confused that BRV is the same point cost as CCV.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Which is why Im confused that BRV is the same point cost as CCV.

VWL (aka - BRV) was built with the exact same point charts as BCV and BWV non-standard views back when they weren't inflating point charts. I think SSR may have matched also? Anyway I think DVC had a quandry about adding rooms at a resort (CCV) that already had DVC and trying to have the inflated point charts that were part of all the new resorts built in the past 10-11 years. So they eventually decided to match the charts in this case to VWL (aka BRV). A lot of people were curious how DVC would handle adding CCV. If somehow it would be folded into the VWL association, an extension for VWL to be able to add CCV or just what. In the end it was done as a separate association with matching point charts for room types that were the same size. Then they went crazy with Cabin and GV points to help make up for it.

 

[Brett Wyman]

VWL (aka - BRV) was built with the exact same point charts as BCV and BWV non-standard views back when they weren't inflating point charts. I think SSR may have matched also? Anyway I think DVC had a quandry about adding rooms at a resort (CCV) that already had DVC and trying to have the inflated point charts that were part of all the new resorts built in the past 10-11 years. So they eventually decided to match the charts in this case to VWL (aka BRV). A lot of people were curious how DVC would handle adding CCV. If somehow it would be folded into the VWL association, an extension for VWL to be able to add CCV or just what. In the end it was done as a separate association with matching point charts for room types that were the same size. Then they went crazy with Cabin and GV points to help make up for it.

Mentally it makes me never want to book BRV since I could be staying in the newer and more centrally located CCV for the same points. But for cash reservations the BRV rooms ARE much cheaper the CCV.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Mentally it makes me never want to book BRV since I could be staying in the newer and more centrally located CCV for the same points. But for cash reservations the BRV rooms ARE much cheaper the CCV.

Cool! Given the choice I'm picking VWL. I was thinking I'd enjoy a stay back in the main building but continually found I was missing the villas separation. Plus VWL has a pool right out the door, the health club just down the stairs, it's own quiet lobby and game room and fireplaces and buses right out the door. To me, it's the better location. New rooms become old eventually. I do want clean and kept up though and prefer a more lodgy rustic theme vs industrial rustic. CCV is nice though of course. I did think you were commenting that VWL points ought to be less than CCV and I 100% believe CCV would have been more in line with newer resorts if it hadn't already been there.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Yup... spin it however you want, but point creep is real. Not for old resorts, but.....
Another money grab.