2011 Points Charts

[Dyanna]

Does anyone know when this chart will be avail as I will be making my ressies next month (Feb 2010) for our trip to WDW in Jan of 2011. Also...is it possible to request a 5th floor dedicated 2 bedroom as this is the same floor you would take the walkway to the monorail.

[laprana]

I've read on another web site that the 2011 points charts are supposed to come out sometime this week, possibly by tomorrow, although I don't think anyone knows for sure! There are lots of rumors out there that DVC is making another change to the point allocations like they did for 2010, but nothing has been confirmed yet. Hopefully we'll find out soon!

[Ian]

Are out ...

Looks like weeknights went up quite a bit again and weekends went down.

Ex: A weekday nightin a 2BR at the Beach Clubduring choice seasonwent from 35 pointsin 2010 up to 38 pointsper night in 2011. Meanwhile the weekend cost decreased from 52 in 2010 to 44 points per night in 2011.

[DizneyRox]

Let the complaining begin!

Seriously, I gotta take a look at this when I get home, but I can say that usually we try to put a couple weeks around one weekend when we book, looks like we'll soon be doing a couple weekends with a week in between.

That is if we don't bail on DVC totally and start looking elsewhere for a better value. Even with DVC, the value is quickly eroding on these vacations. I figured with a little one, it might be nice to have Disney to fall back on, but more and more I'm thinking once in a while might be good enough.

That all doesn't have much to do with the actual point shift, as we bought enough to account for this type of thing, it's more about the scheduling, on top of everything else. Pretty soon local colleges will need to offer courses in Disney vacation Planning.

[Ian]

That all doesn't have much to do with the actual point shift, as we bought enough to account for this type of thing, it's more about the scheduling, on top of everything else. Pretty soon local colleges will need to offer courses in Disney vacation Planning.

I can't argue with you there. The way Disney World is set up these days, you can absolutely tell that it's run as an "inside out" organization instead of "outside in."

Everything they do has clearly been cobbled together by some committee that never once considers what it will be like to actually use the service as a consumer.

[laprana]

Yep, weekday points went up across the board and weekend points went down. For my 2 home resorts, BLT and AKV, there are lots of changes.

Based on the changes to the weekly point allocations, BLT studios seem to have gotten the brunt of the point increases along with Lake View grand villas and MK view 1-bedrooms and 2-bedrooms, depending on the season.

At AKV, also based on the weekly point allocations, points went up for Concierge level in all room categories and all seasons, and the increase is significant in most cases for that. For example, there was an increase of 17 points for a week in a 2-bedroom concierge level during Dream season. Points went up for Savanna View rooms of almost every size in almost every season. The exception is a studio during Adventure season.

Another interesting thing for the AKV points chart is that there is a new category of Standard View for grand villas. There are now Standard and Savanna View categories for GVs, and the points increased significantly for the Savanna View GVs.

I'm not sure I'm happy with these changes, but I'm still running the numbers of how it could affect our trips. I do know that if we took the same trip in 2011 that we are taking in May 2010, it would cost us 16 more points. So, that stinks. But, if we move the dates around some it could work out better in the long run. We'll see, I guess!

[Ian]

Well ... I'm not really surprised to see BLT and AKV getting the biggest adjustments. Since they're new resorts, Disney probably had to wait and get a handle on utilization levels before setting more appropriate point values for stays.

Remember that the main reason points are adjusted is to flatten out demand.

[disneydad153]

We just bought into BLT in December. I think I may have misunderstood the point systems along the way. I thought the points total for the week were locked in at our home resort when we purchased and that they could raise/lower the points for weekend/weekday as long as they totaled the same for the week. If that is so, it shouldn't matter if the points increase each year for us, only if it is not your home resort. I may be wrong on this since we are still trying to learn the process with DVC.

[DizneyRox]

That's how you understood it (obviously) however, how it should have been explained differently.

I think a better way to say it is, the daily number of points CAN change, however the total points for the year can not. So, if the cost to stay goes up someplace, it must go down somewhere else. So, say they sell 20,000 points for AKLV, that's where it stands, they can't sell more (devaluing the existing points). They can adjust how much it costs to stay at various times (some up and some down), but the total "cost" will always be that 20,000 points.

It is meant as a way for them to control inventory. Unlike a traditioal timeshare, you are not tied into any particualr week, you CAN stay any week you want (provided you have enough points). This allows them the ability to make it so not everyone wants to go on any particilar week (like XMas).

These shifts in costs really mess with people who bought the minimum number of points to stay in a particular category of room. Imagine I bought enough points to stay Monday - Thursday Magic Season at AKLV in a Standard View 1BR. In 2010 that costs 112 points, but in 2011 it will be 128. That is a HUGE difference in points.

I've always suggested when purchasing points for DVC to really look at the numbers. DO NOT plan on getting the category that you want. It's best to guess up on season and accomodations to give yourself flexibility. You can get by with banking and borrowing to some extent, but be prepared to make consessions. Those that went in without planning (or understanding) can really get hit hard by these changes.

There was debate on if Disney was properly explaining this or not, however it is clearly outlined in the "fine print" of the paperwork that everyone signs to "join".

[disneydad153]

Thanks for the reply. I was basically correct so I am ok with it. We purchased 200 points to allow us to go once each year in almost every time catagory. I see how it can mess with your planning though since each year it can change.

[DizneyRox]

BTW - In 2011 our 2010 trip would actually cost less. So I can't complain too much about these changes! WOOHOO!

Problem is 2011 was going to be a cruise year.

Also, home resort makes no difference. DVC points are DVC points, although you get priority booking windows at your home resort.

[DVC Mike]

Remember that the main reason points are adjusted is to flatten out demand.

Yep, it is supposed to be about balancing supply and demand.

[TinksDH]

In a couple of the scenarios I priced out, I found that the breakeven from this year compared to last year is a 4 night stay using 2 weekend days.

For instance, if you stay in an AKL 2BR Savannah View in Magic Season for 4 nights, Wed-Sat, 2011 points are 222 while 2010 points are 226. Similarly, if you stay at BCV for the same length of time during the same season, 2011 points are 206 while 2010 points are 218. Same with BLT 2BR Lake View in Magic Season - 2011 is 228, 2010 is 242.


If you stay 5-6 nights you are screwed, and if you stay a whole week the differences are mixed; some resorts went up, some down, but most only by 3 point or so a week.

The one that hurts us the most are the beach cottages at Vero Beach over the summer. In 2010 you could get 5 nights in a row in Dream Season (Sun-Thur) for 315 points. Now the cheapest 5 nights in a row are Tues-Sat and it now costs 383 points. Ouch!

[mjstaceyuofm]

The charts are now out and they did indeed rearrange how the points were distributed. They further reduced the lopsidedness of weekday vs. weekend rentals. In 2011, the points are very close for these.

[Ian]

The one that hurts us the most are the beach cottages at Vero Beach over the summer. In 2010 you could get 5 nights in a row in Dream Season (Sun-Thur) for 315 points. Now the cheapest 5 nights in a row are Tues-Sat and it now costs 383 points. Ouch!

Having seen those beach cottages and just how gorgeous they are, I think I can see why!

[Tinkermom]

Having seen those beach cottages and just how gorgeous they are, I think I can see why!

Actually, this past summer we were able to get 5 nights in a beach cottage (Sun-Fri) for 265 points. It has been 265 since we joined. Now it is 355 - up 90 points!

[disneyboundagain]

6 months before BLT opened, we were one signature away from buying. Between the changes in the parks, the prices going up, and the overall "making more and more money is #1 priority" attitude, there is a 0% chance we'll buy now.

Disney has been offering so many incentives to keep the parks full during the slow times that there aren't really any slow times any more. The free dining is KILLING the quality of the restaraunts. In my opinion, they are going to slowly rearrange the DVC point allocations to level the demand. They'll use it as yet one more way of filling the parks during the slow periods. No thanks.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind the high prices as long as the overall quality and experience corresponded accordingly. The higher prices keep the rift-raft out, which is one of the things I really like about Disney World. Also, although I am ranting, we'll continue to go at least twice a year, hopefully, and we'll love it there. With all of the current trends, I am just afraid to commit to a 50 year deal...

OK, end of rant.

[luvDaMouse]

I was just on DVCmember.com playing with the points caculator I was planning on taking a trip this Thanksgiving staying at the GV in Jambo from Wed before Thanksgiving to the following Friday 9 nights (but we decided to wait till 2011 to make the trip) The points for 2010 would be 757 but for the same 9 nights in 2011 it would be 811? thats 54 points more! Now I know that they can change around weekends and weekdays but that seemed a big difference to me. I went on to look at the point chart and they now have a GV with a Standard view and a GV with a savanna view?? I thought all GV had a savanna view?? Huh? did they move animals away from some of the GV? I am confused? Anyone understand this and could you explain?
Thanks,
Dana

[DizneyRox]

There's already a thread on this. But yes, they moved the points around. Some weeks went up, some went down, some categories went up, some went down. I don't know where the new category came from, I can only assume that the changed their mind on finishing out a section of Kidani, or people complained there really isn't a view from a room or two. Before they sold out, I think they can do this...

They do this to even out demand... Hopefully you have enough points for 2011...

[laprana]

I went on to look at the point chart and they now have a GV with a Standard view and a GV with a savanna view?? I thought all GV had a savanna view?? Huh? did they move animals away from some of the GV? I am confused? Anyone understand this and could you explain?
Thanks,
Dana

Yeah, I think the standard view GVs are in Kidani, so all of the Jambo GVs are still savanna view. But, from what I've read, there are not many standard view GVs at all. With the creation of that new category, they really increased the points for the savanna view GVs. In fact, savanna view went up for many of the room types in most of the seasons.