My DVC Points

Sometimes you need to step back and take in Disney through the eyes of a child. In episode 048, we gain this perspective from Jakob and Evelyn. We're trying something completely new, and it may evolve into an ongoing series or podcast: DVC Kids Panel. Laura Pennycuff hosts her first episode with special guests Jakob (5th grade, age 10) and Evelyn (3rd grade, age 8) from Montreal, Canada. Their family joined DVC in 2016 as owners at Disney's Polynesian Villas and Bungalows. It wasn't long before addonitis struck, and now they're owners at Disney's Vero Beach Resort.

Spoiler Alert: This brother-sister combo will warm your heart and educate you about Disney and DVC at the same time!

This episode of the My DVC Points Podcast is sponsored by DVC Resale Market, Vacation Club Loans and by community members in My DVC Points VIP Producer Club.

Sometimes you need to step back and take in Disney through the eyes of a child. In episode 048, we gain this perspective from Jakob and Evelyn. We're trying something completely new, and it may evolve into an ongoing series or podcast: DVC Kids Panel. Laura Pennycuff hosts her first episode with special guests Jakob (5th grade, age 10) and Evelyn (3rd grade, age 8) from Montreal, Canada. Their family joined DVC in 2016 as owners at Disney's Polynesian Villas and Bungalows. It wasn't long before addonitis struck, and now they're owners at Disney's Vero Beach Resort.

Spoiler Alert: This brother-sister combo will warm your heart and educate you about Disney and DVC at the same time!

Favorite Resorts

Evelyn's favorite resorts are Bay Lake Tower, Polynesian Resort, and Animal Kingdom Villas. She loves the three different pools at Bay Lake Tower, and that two of them have water slides. She likes the kids club at the resort and the fact that Captain Hook and Smee come to visit the kids club at night.

Jakob thinks this is a hard question because they're all his favorite resort for various reasons. The kid's dinner program at Vero Beach ranks high on his list. He also loves Disney's Hilton Head resort. Jakob comments about the gradual decline of the ocean at the Hilton Head beach. He loves walking out into the sea with his dad; they walk a long way into the sea, and the water is only waist-high.

Snack Time!

Evelyn cites Mickey Bars as a favorite snack, but things it's a hard question because they're all so good. They attended exclusive parties at EPCOT and Animal Kingdom that included free Mickey bars. Jakob is confident he could eat five Mickey bars if his parents let him. The kids also have fabulous taste in Dole Whips as they are fans of the pure dole whips. The kids also give high praise to shaved ice at the beach house on Hilton Head Island.

Animal Kingdom Attractions

Jakob and Evelyn love Flight of Passage. Both love having a FastPass+ for the ride, but they would wait a few hours if necessary. They also really enjoy riding Everest at the Animal Kingdom. Laura confessed she gets a little bit scared when the rollercoaster goes backward. However, our kid's panel pointed out that it's better at night due to the projects you see on the ride. They love riding it multiple times at night when the coaster is virtually walk-on. Jakob points out the Yeti can be a little scary at night when you think he's going to grab you.

Tips About Hilton Head & Vero Beach

Thus far, the Pennycuff family hasn't had the opportunity to visit Hilton Head or Vero Beach resorts. Jakob and Evenly bring us up to speed about the pools at Hilton Head and Vero. At Hilton Head, the larger pool is at the resort. The beach house has a pool shaped like a letter H. Jakob points out that the beach house is really cool and has models of the Disney cruise ships inside. Evelyn points out there is even a baby crib in the beach house just in case your baby needs to take a nap at the beach house. They love the twisting water slide at Vero Beach. Evelyn let us know that at Vero Beach, the cast members hold time water slides races. Neither Jakob of Evelyn has won; however, Jakob's best time is 8 seconds. Laura likes typically to read a book at the pool; however, she will be sure to try out this event when we're there.

Favorite Rides and Characters

Jakob awards Space Mountain and Everest are his top two rides. Flight of Passage comes in a close third. Evelyn ranks them as Everest, Slinky Dog Coaster, and then Flight of Passage. Jakob LOVES Stich! When we were recording, he set his name to Jakob 626 as a reference to Stitch. Evelyn's favorite characters are Baymax and Angel from the Lilo and Stitch series. They have matching st

Tonight's show was a fun and highly interactive show! Shannon provided a trip report and her take on the Disney Skyliners, Moonlight Magic at DCA, and we played a game with the audience: Something's Gottta Go: Disney Restaurant Edition

Meet Brad Coates from the DVC Round Table at the Resort Loop Podcast and former co-host of DisDads. Tim from Resort Loop recruited Brad to join Resort Loop for an episode on DVC and he's been a regular on the monthly DVC Round Table for years now. The original round table show was a mixture of owners, renters, and prospective members in the Resort Loop community. At the time, this was probably the only people creating content in the DVC community.

We discuss tips for planning a large family gathering at Walt Disney World. It may be multi-generational or several families vacationing together at Disney. We present our thoughts, ideas and best practices. Join the conversation and see what resonates with your family!

James (Jim) and Martha joined Disney Vacation Club in 2005 by purchasing a contract at Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa. In this episode, we follow them through 15 years of membership. Everything from bringing their kids to Disney, coming with their children's spouses, having adult children and traveling with other couples, and now planning a multi-generational trip. Join the conversation as Jim and Martha share 15 years worth of experience with the My DVC Points community.

Originally, James and Martha purchased 210 points direct and then added on via the resale market. James explains that their initial use year is February; however, they bought an October Use Year contract in the resale market. Owning different use years created a lot of issues in transferring points. The couple typically comes to Disney once a year with an occasional weekend trip. They sold the October contract and found another resale contract with the same use year. However, like most DVC families, they wish they had another 50 points.

The Santos family Disney journey dates back to when Martha worked for Chase bank. Due to the partnership with Disney, the Santos first vacationed in Walt Disney World using a Chase employee exclusive package deal. This trip piqued their interest in Disney back in 1986 and 1991. Back in those days, families couldn't spend an entire week at Disney. James and Martha ended up spending time at Sea World. On subsequent trips, the Santos investigated DVC multiple times.

James explains on the 2005 trip, when the couple left the house, they were reasonably sure they would be joining on that trip. James was ready to become members; however, Martha did most of the family's budgeting. James recalls that time in the sale meeting when the guide left them alone to discuss. Although they didn't have grandchildren at the time; James rationed that they could take their future grandchildren to Disney with this contract. At that time, Martha joined in. It's been 15 years, and the couple thinks joining DVC was one of their best decisions ever. Like most happy DVC members, their only regret was they didn't do it sooner.

The Reason We Go to Disney

Jim and Martha's extended family includes a son and daughter. Both of their children are married, and they have three small grandchildren. They're saving points and planning on coming to a week-long vacation in Grand Villas. They're planning on two nights at the Animal Kingdom and the rest of the time at Bay Lake Tower. We all agreed this is the ideal stay for a trip with smaller children. This way you get the Animals and a short stroll to the Magic Kingdom.

Thus far, the Santos have stayed at Beach Club, Boardwalk, Aulani, Hilton Head, and Vero Beach. If they're not using DVC points, their favorite resort is Port Orleans French Quarter. Beignets! Enough said. James's ideal DVC property has recently shifted from Beach Club to Bay Lake Tower. Martha agreed that Bay Lake Tower has taken over as the family favorite. Given they are from upstate New York, Saratoga Springs is their least favorite DVC resort. Jame loves the walk to the Magic Kingdom and each access to Top of the World. They haven't done anything at Wilderness Lodge nor stayed at the Polynesian resort yet. Throughout their membership, the Santos have vacationed in a wide variety of accommodations. They have so much variety; they don't have a typical room size. Studios, one-bedrooms, two bedrooms, and even a couple of trips to the Treehouse Villas at Saratoga Springs. James is the planner in the family. He is very diligent about taking advantage of the 7-month, 180-day, and 60-days windows at WDW the second they become available. James explains he plans all the vacations, and Martha handles all the family finances.

The Santos and the Quicksells have a tradition of taunting their other friends by posting pictures of them eating a Mickey Bar on all their Disney Trips. This one was take

James (Jim) and Martha joined Disney Vacation Club in 2005 by purchasing a contract at Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa. In this episode, we follow them through 15 years of membership. Everything from bringing their kids to Disney, coming with their children's spouses, having adult children and traveling with other couples, and now planning a multi-generational trip. Join the conversation as Jim and Martha share 15 years worth of experience with the My DVC Points community.

Community Buzz – October 6, 2019

DVC Resale Market Monthly Update for September 2019 – ROFR – Right of First Refusal Report for September– Average Market Prices– Inventory Analysis – Great time to buy –  Polynesian – Inventory Analysis – Great Time to Sell – Vero BeachDisney Polynesian Resort Podcast Series Follow UpDisney Mobility Partner Program Change – ScooterbugEPCOT Forever Launches!Skyliners Collision Creates “Downtime” – Reedy Creek Fire Department Evacuations – Nobody Hurt – Community Buzz, Response and Memes

1. DVC Resale Market Monthly Update for September 2019

- ROFR – Right of First Refusal Report for September

- Average Market Prices

- Inventory Analysis – Great time to buy - Polynesian

- Inventory Analysis - Great Time to Sell - Vero Beach

2. Disney Polynesian Resort Podcast Series Follow Up

3. Disney Mobility Partner Program Change - Scooterbug

4. EPCOT Forever Launches!

5. Skyliners Collision Creates “Downtime”

- Reedy Creek Fire Department Evacuations - Nobody Hurt

- Community Buzz, Response and Memes

The Polynesian Bungalows are the most point expensive accommodation in all of the Disney Vacation Club. They come in at 53,903 points a year and average 147.68 points a night. The Oceanview Grand Villa at Aulani (146.35 average points) and the spacious Grand Villa at the Grand Floridian (145.83 average points) take the silver and bronze medals. A single weekend night at Christmas or Easter week requires 227 points. However, guests can stay the entire month of September at the Animal Kingdom value studios for 248 points. However, the members point out the bungalows are also the most magical accommodation in all of DVC. The view of the castle and fireworks show at night cannot be beaten.

Historically, we had joked on the show before that the bungalows were an epic fail in DVC. They appear to sit empty most nights. You rarely hear of a member staying in the bungalows. That made finding the cast for this show a near-impossible feat. Finding members who have visited here and were willing to join a podcast was a year-long endeavor. However, it was worth the wait.

The cast for this episode packaged up some pixie dust in the podcast:

Melisssa Bernhardt – a very active member of the My DVC Points Community Group on Facebook is making her first appearance on the podcast.Marissa Moolman from DVC Resale Market is returning.Debbie Ely from Vacation Club Loans also returns.

How did you end up at the Bungalows?

Melissa – had to cancel a reservation and ended up with excess points that were not bankable. She had always wanted to try out the Bungalows but never could convince herself to do so until she was in use or lose scenario.

Marissa – as we heard in episode 033, Marissa is an Orlando local and loves to use her points on splurge stays. She considers the bungalows the biggest splurge out there; however, she prefers the grand villa at the Grand Flo. Marissa delayed her vacation due to expecting a baby. She was also in use or a lost scenario. After her son was born, Marissa decided to book a splurge stay at the Bungalows. The Moolman's invited their friends and family to meet their newborn son at the bungalows.

Debbie – although she is an owner at the Polynesian resort, she was lucky enough to stay in the Bungalows on a work trip. She was contracted to host this video. However, if she were in a party of four, she would prefer the bungalows over the Grand Floridian's Grand Villa.

As we heard in episode 040, Marissa also highly recommends ordering the twilight feast from room service. This is the meal from Ohana with huge portions. Pro-tip – order room service for one, and it will feed two people. The horns from the ferry boats are an issue frequently discussed in the DVC community when staying at the Polynesian resort. The horns didn't phase Debbie and Melissa. Marissa commented that she heard them at 6 and 7 AM; however, they had a newborn, so they were up early anyway. However, the consensus was if you were there for an entire week, the horns may be an issue.

Another issue we hear about is the private pool attached to the bungalows. All of our guests used the Lani pool; however, none of them were there in winter months, where the unheated pool could be an issue.

One thing that all three guests had in common was that they all invited guests with them to visit them at the Bungalows. They figured if they were splurging on this accommodation; they wanted to share the experience with friends and family that could come join them. However, they all commented that they were the only families on their patios watching the fireworks.

Debbie believes the bungalow porch is the absolutely perfect place to watch the fireworks show. She was almost moved to tears. Marissa agreed. Melissa added that the electric light parade was also an incredible experience from the bungalows. All three ladies agreed that this is by far the most magical locatio