Most you have paid for TS

[jackio Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close jackio]

Probably my most expensive stays have been in DVC where a week in a 2 bedroom costs roughly $1400 not including what I paid for the points.

My second most costly exchange was a 2 bedroom in SW Florida thru RCI/VRI, where I exchanged an $800 MF plus exchange fees of about $150 to make about $950 for the week. The resort rents those weeks at that time of year for a little more than I paid for the exchange but they hardly ever have 2 bedrooms available so I was happy to get the exchange. Since then I bought into HGVC so I don't have to try so hard to get a nice exchange with RCI. This is one instance when it is just worth paying a little more for the convenience.

My friends just rented a 2BR villa at Saratoga Springs through Disney and paid $500/night!

[Hobbitess Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hobbitess]

Wow, that seems like a pretty good deal considering some of BlueGreen's own resorts are 8000 points for the week. Guess it really goes back to whether or not you want to pay the premium for DVC.

It totally is a good deal, for most BG owners. We have so few points that a DVC 2BR (also very comparable to BG prices) isn't a great deal for us (our cost-per-point is high). Even when I indulge myself on one vacation, I can usually find ways to stretch our points somewhere else so that our cost per night averaged over the year is good, and I'll do that if we go DVC as well, but for us, it's pricey. Well, and we usually stay 12 nights in Orlando, and at that price I'm not going to be staying DVC both weeks, so we'll be doing a split stay, which is another "cost" of doing DVC.

We're doing our first split stay next year, maybe it'll turn out I don't mind it much, have to see.

[gandalf252002 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close gandalf252002]

By split stay do you mean in different resorts or different rooms? I am doing one myself in NH Easter Week next year at Crotched Mountain and South Hampton. Looking forward to a nice relaxing week, since nothing is open then! I split it though since BG was less expensive on the weekend then the other property.

We're doing our first split stay next year, maybe it'll turn out I don't mind it much, have to see.

[gandalf252002 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close gandalf252002]

OMG! So not worth it, not in a million years. I love Karen dearly, but for that much I'll buy her a diamond ring!

My friends just rented a 2BR villa at Saratoga Springs through Disney and paid $500/night!

[Hobbitess Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hobbitess]

By split stay do you mean in different resorts or different rooms?

Different resorts, about 15 minutes apart if I remember rightly. I needed to burn off some points before they expire and couldn't get into the resort I wanted the day I wanted anyhow, so I decided to try two nights in one then five nights in another (which means hubby has to take off an extra day but whatever). I had planned on going to Big Cedar in June; instead in January we're going to the Falls Village for a couple of nights and then to the Cliffs at Long Creek for a "video vacation." The kids ganged up on me while we were on a June vacation in Michigan and demanded this change.

We didn't do a dead-of-winter vacation this year, and apparently they've had enough of sun and warmth and outdoor pools for a while.

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

My friends just rented a 2BR villa at Saratoga Springs through Disney and paid $500/night!

Lots of people do this, I have many friends who just don't "get" the TS thing.

Shoot before I bought DVC, I paid ridiculous prices just for a hotel room on property. Now I just can't stomach paying for a Poly room anymore. Even with DVC prices I've become spoiled. See what you guys have done to me

[gandalf252002 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close gandalf252002]

I think Big Cedar is one that I would spend a little more on and will probably stay in the Lodge. It would be the one I would spend the most on right now.

However having seen the cabins that is something I would love to do. The difficulty in getting them would be the only thing preventing me from doing that.

Different resorts, about 15 minutes apart if I remember rightly. I needed to burn off some points before they expire and couldn't get into the resort I wanted the day I wanted anyhow, so I decided to try two nights in one then five nights in another (which means hubby has to take off an extra day but whatever). I had planned on going to Big Cedar in June; instead in January we're going to the Falls Village for a couple of nights and then to the Cliffs at Long Creek for a "video vacation." The kids ganged up on me while we were on a June vacation in Michigan and demanded this change.

We didn't do a dead-of-winter vacation this year, and apparently they've had enough of sun and warmth and outdoor pools for a while.

[Hobbitess Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hobbitess]

I think Big Cedar is one that I would spend a little more on and will probably stay in the Lodge.

We'd have to be in the Lodge unless we somehow snagged a 3 BR cabin because we need a unit that sleeps at least seven. We talked about doing Big Cedar instead of Falls Village but my girls decided they'd rather have the two beds in the second bedroom instead of having a studio, which means Branson. I'm guessing the difference between the two isn't as great in the winter but of course I haven't been to either. I figure we'll see Big Cedar when we go to check in for the Cliffs.

Or at least I think you still check in there. Should probably find out sometime between now and then.

[chellej Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close chellej]

The most I have paid is ~$1300 for oceanfront 2 bdrm on Kauai (shell points)
the least is $246 for off season 2 bedrm Pend Orielle through RCI

Average is $649 for exchange through II or TPI

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

We'd have to be in the Lodge unless we somehow snagged a 3 BR cabin because we need a unit that sleeps at least seven. We talked about doing Big Cedar instead of Falls Village but my girls decided they'd rather have the two beds in the second bedroom instead of having a studio, which means Branson. I'm guessing the difference between the two isn't as great in the winter but of course I haven't been to either. I figure we'll see Big Cedar when we go to check in for the Cliffs.

Or at least I think you still check in there. Should probably find out sometime between now and then.

When I see posts like this, and see people coming to visit this area, I think how fortunate we are to live like we are on vacation every day.

[Hobbitess Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hobbitess]

Shoot before I bought DVC, I paid ridiculous prices just for a hotel room on property.

When I first started hanging out on Disney boards I was already a TSer, and people would go on about their "great" deal on some resort and either state the deal or I'd go look it up and say, "What?" I rapidly learned their definition of "huge" room wasn't mine, either.

Sad thing is, I've wanted to stay in the Contemporary since they built the thing, and now when I consider it, I'm, "eh, I'd rather have a condo." Happily they built Bay Lake Tower -- and by the time I've gotten rid of enough kids to actually want to stay there, should be full selection available on RCI!

When I see posts like this, and see people coming to visit this area, I think how fortunate we are to live like we are on vacation every day.

We live right near "Michigan's Sunset Coast", and for all we sometimes make jokes about those "picture perfect tourist towns", we love that picture perfection -- not to mention the fact that the tourists mean we can have smallish towns with good art galleries and children's museums and all kinda cool stuff. And if we get tired of that, we're less than two hours from Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, or Toledo's Art Museum (which has an extraordinary collection), and a day's drive from all kinda great stuff.

Which is a good thing, because hubby only gets a few weeks vacation every year, but I can run off to Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids or do the quilt garden tour or take in a free performance of Shakespeare or we can take a weekend in a bed and breakfast in "Amish Country" at a moment's notice (perhaps not in the summer but when we need the weekend away is offseason anyhow). Helps tide me over (I'm the vacation maven). Hubby can't live like he is on vacation every day, but he always has to touch base with his job when we're on vacation anyhow, whether they need him to or not.