How Much Can DVC Change Point Allocations at the Polynesian?

With the addition of the Island Tower to the Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, many DVC members have been pondering what this means for the points chart.  Specifically, what can change for the existing Deluxe Studios and Bungalows?  Can there be a shift in points to help level out the cost of the point-heavy Bungalows?

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The Parameters According to the Public Offering Statement

The 20% Rule

The multi-site public offering statement helps explain what DVC can do with the Polynesian points chart when the Island Tower is added.  According to the statement, DVC may change the number of DVC Vacation Points required to make reservations in response to DVC Member use patterns or demand.  

Nevertheless, DVC will not “​​reallocate DVC Vacation Points by more than twenty percent (20%) for any Use Day from year to year except for special periods of high demand based upon Club Member use demand (including use demand during special or holiday seasons).”  An example of this is the shift from year-to-year for Easter, the most expensive travel period along with Christmas, since it does not fall on the same day every year.  A reallocation of points can be across all or any room type.  Any reallocation above the 20% limit would need approval from at least 60% of DVC Members who own at that particular DVC resort.    

Since the total number of points for a particular resort cannot increase or decrease (minus fluctuations such as with holidays or the number of weekdays vs. weekend days from year to year), this of course means that an increase in points for any room type or season leads to a decrease in points for another room type or season or vice versa. 

For the Polynesian, a decrease in the points needed to book a Bungalow would need to be offset by an increase in the points needed to book a Deluxe Studio or a shift of some points towards the new room types or view categories in the Island Tower, as alluded to on a recent episode of The DVC Show. As an example, a 20% increase in the point value for a Standard View Deluxe Studio during the cheapest travel period would be a change from 14 points per weekday night to about 17 points.

Maximum Point Reallocation

The public offering statement also includes a maximum point reallocation chart (page 81), which displays the values of different DVC accommodations in the event that maximum reallocation occurs, and there is no variation in point values for different travel periods or days of the week.  Based on this point maximum reallocation chart, Polynesian Deluxe Studios would be 22 points for Standard View or 26 for Lake View, and Bora Bora Bungalows would be 147 points.  That’s somewhat comparable to the current October/November travel period, which is near the middle of the pack when it comes to ranking the travel periods from least to most expensive.  

The removal of all variations for seasons and days of the week is highly unlikely. However, it is interesting that the maximum reallocation chart notes that “With respect to each DVC Resort, each Club Member will always be eligible to reserve at least one (1) Use Day in the different Vacation Home types at his or her Home Resort, subject to availability, for the following number of Home Resort Vacation Points.”  Between the 20% rule and the values in the maximum reallocation chart, any shifts in point values will never be that drastic.  

Possible Hints from the Grand Floridian

In terms of precedence, the addition of the Big Pine Key building to the Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is somewhat similar to the addition of the Island Tower to the Polynesian.  Like the Island Tower that is joining the existing Polynesian condo association, the Big Pine Key building was added to the existing Grand Floridian condo association.  

At the Grand Floridian, the points chart remained more or less the same except for the addition of a section for the new Resort Studios and its three views: Standard, Lagoon, and Theme Park.  The point values for the Deluxe Studios, One Bedroom, Two Bedroom, and Three Bedroom Villas did not shift.  However, it is worth noting that unlike the Polynesian, the Grand Floridian did not have any point-heavy accommodations like the Bungalows to balance out.

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With cash stay reservations for the Island Tower beginning on June 4 for DVC Members and point-based reservations at a later date, stay tuned to DVC Fan for all the latest developments on the new Polynesian Tower!