Cash discount for DVC members?

[Stimpy]

Not sure if this is the right place...sorry if it's not!!

We're planning a trip in May but we're out of points! (And we just did an add-on about 6 months ago) Can someone give me an idea of about how much the cash discount is for the DVC resorts? We would only need a studio, or room, for 3 nights. Do we also get a discount on the resort rooms at BC and BW, or just the DVC accomodations? Thanks!

[tjkraz]

The DVC member discount is a flat 25% off of the rack rate. You do have to pay the 11.5% taxes after the discount is applied. It is valid ONLY at the 7 DVC resorts--not the BC or YC rooms, just the villas.

The discount is only offered when DVC's reservation system projects (based upon past trends) that all of the units at a resort will not be booked by members using points. May is probably a good time to be able to get this discount, but I don't know about at the smaller resorts like the BCV. Seems like that resort would fill-up just about the entire year.

Friday and Saturday nights are a good time to get th discount.

Also note that when you book under this rate you do NOT get daily housekeeping. Cleaning falls under the DVC schedule.

For weekdays, I suspect you'd do better renting (transferring) points at $10-12 each rather than using the cash discount. On the weekends you'll probably be able to get the discount rate.

[gopherit]

I have had some experience with this.

Last year I tried, wayyyy back at my 11 mos window when I was making my ressies, to get a 2BR (using the DVC cash discount) at BCV. No dice. We were looking for a fri or sat night - but nuthin' there. We could, however, get one at BWV or OKW. ANd we could, however, get a studio and a 1BR at BCV - just not a 2BR. THis of course meant paying more (drats) but considering it was a wkend night, it was still a better deal than renting points. So that's what we did, and it was no problem.

THis year, I'm making ressies for our August vacation to OKW. I really need to save some pts (kids want to do HHI again next summer and I promised BCV on our next WDW trip... big pts costs there!) SO we're doing 4 nts at Universal then paying a cash nt at OKW. Granted, it's $375 for the Sat night on cash - but it would have cost $500 rack rate, and would have been 73 pts (which, had we rented the points, would have been at least $730). So all in all, not a bad deal.

Getting the discount depends just upon the resort and what's in the inventory. Hard to say until you try. And whether or not it's the optimal thing to do depends on the day of week you are staying and relative pts cost.

[CRSNDSNY]

We wanted a studio at VWL for this August, but they didn't have it available at a discount. Right now we're at BCV in a discounted studio.

We got it for $229/night

$340.08/night regular price

$111.08/night savings

[gopherit]

CRSNDSNY, your post reminded me - we often go in August, and while we make our ressies at 11/7 mos out, depending upon resort, my sister will invariably make up her mind 3-4 months later and call for a ressie. She didn't have a problem at all getting a studio at BWV, she could have gotten a studio at BCV, and she has easily gotten any size room at OKW, and last trip, she considered SSR (and it was available) but elected to go with BWV (since we were there.) The one place she's had a problem getting a studio?

VWL.

She ended up only getting 2 nights there, and then had to switch on Sunday to OKW. ANd guess where they put her for those 2 nights - you got it, the dumpster view! And they (the VWL CMs) kinda insinuated she was lucky to have that, based on how full they were! (SHe didn't care - in fact, she had no idea she was even in a "threads-famous" room, LOL. I think in some weird way, it added to her trip to know she had stayed in THE DUMPSTER VIEW and lived to tell about it, haha.)

As for VWL being so tough to get - I guess lots of folks want to feel 10 degrees cooler in that August heat, LOL!

I think it would be an interesting study to know which resorts tend to book out at what times of the year. I bet Disney has the numbers on it... to bad they won't share, LOL! It might help us decide where we would want an add-on....

[Pumpkinboy]

We've mixed DVC discounted weekend nights with points weeknights on a few vacations so far. Back on 2004, they still let us get BWV Std views for cash (only points now, like BW views, AFAIK). I still have a spreadsheet comparing points vs rack rate vs DVC discount, but it is only updated thru 2005 prices. Most recently, we reserved (at about 6 months) Fri & Sat of Presidents' Day weekend in Ocean View inn rooms at VB - After tax, the cost is about the same as the points cost, but we are looking a little short on points (and here I had thought that 495 points would be enough for our family).

I have found that DVC Cash Discount availability is spotty. I have gotten them as far out as 10 months and as close out as about 60 days.

[jaysue]

Pumpkinboy, I did not know you were over here too! :beaniepro

Any experience on whether DVC Member cash discounts better than AP discounts?

Cheers
jaysue

[CRSNDSNY]

VWL.

She ended up only getting 2 nights there, and then had to switch on Sunday to OKW. ANd guess where they put her for those 2 nights - you got it, the dumpster view! And they (the VWL CMs) kinda insinuated she was lucky to have that, based on how full they were! (SHe didn't care - in fact, she had no idea she was even in a "threads-famous" room, LOL. I think in some weird way, it added to her trip to know she had stayed in THE DUMPSTER VIEW and lived to tell about it, haha.)

As for VWL being so tough to get - I guess lots of folks want to feel 10 degrees cooler in that August heat, LOL!

I think it would be an interesting study to know which resorts tend to book out at what times of the year. I bet Disney has the numbers on it... to bad they won't share, LOL! It might help us decide where we would want an add-on....

Very interesting!

I wanted to update my previous post to say that I was able to get a 1BR at VWL in August for 4 nights instead of the studio at BCV. It is $300/night. I think that's a good deal.

And now from the sound of your post, I'm glad I called now to get it!

[CRSNDSNY]

Pumpkinboy, I did not know you were over here too! :beaniepro

Any experience on whether DVC Member cash discounts better than AP discounts?

Cheers
jaysue

I wish I had the numbers still written down, but unfortunately I do not. In September I used the DVC member discount for 2 nights more for a 1BR at BWV. It was far better than what I could have gotten with the AP discount.

[Pumpkinboy]

Pumpkinboy, I did not know you were over here too!
Any experience on whether DVC Member cash discounts better than AP discounts?
Cheers
jaysueNice to see you too, JaySue. I see a few more of our fellow Finance Wonks over here too. :beaniepro

The 25% Member discount has been better than any AP discount for the times we were going. The Member discount has the advantage of being bookable thru MS and being connectable to your points ressies; that is not the case with AP discounted rooms. Our points-plus-cash connected ressies have been seamless, with one check-in at the beginning and one parking pass for the whole stay (and in one case our cash nights were in the middle of the stay, with points nights on either side).

[CRSNDSNY]

Our points-plus-cash connected ressies have been seamless, with one check-in at the beginning and one parking pass for the whole stay (and in one case our cash nights were in the middle of the stay, with points nights on either side).
We've had similar seamless experiences like this. I was a bit nervous about having to do two checkins but it wasn't necessary -- even with a pool view at BWV. :blueflowe

[jaysue]

Nice to see you too, JaySue. I see a few more of our fellow Finance Wonks over here too. :beaniepro

The 25% Member discount has been better than any AP discount for the times we were going. The Member discount has the advantage of being bookable thru MS and being connectable to your points ressies; that is not the case with AP discounted rooms. Our points-plus-cash connected ressies have been seamless, with one check-in at the beginning and one parking pass for the whole stay (and in one case our cash nights were in the middle of the stay, with points nights on either side).

Finance Wonks :worship: :hyper:

Thanks for the info

cheers
jaysue
:Pinkflami :Pinkflami :Pinkflami