Changes ahoy for Bay Lake Tower in 2013

Some of the latest discussion about the Disney Vacation Club or DVC for short has been about the latest points charts for 2013.

What do these mean if you’re not a Disney Vacation Club member? Essentially, they outline how much members will have to “pay” for their stays in 2013, so they’re really important in helping to plan future vacations.

The points charts have just been issued for the 11 Disney Vacation Club resorts, located in Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Vero Beach, Hilton Head, and ‘Oahu. Because your home Disney Vacation Club resort can be booked (the resort you purchased your points in) up to 11 months in advance, they needed to be out by February. Usually they come out a bit earlier than that – in 2010, they were actually issued just before Thanksgiving – but this year the DVC were making one or two changes.

No-one quite knew what those changes were until the charts were published, and or course people were keen to find out, as these charts can influence how much of a vacation you’ll be able to have. In the end, I thought they were less radical than perhaps I’d been anticipating. I was expecting almost a wholesale change, along the lines of what we saw in 2010, and 2011, when the number of points for Sunday through Thursday night stays increased substantially, while at the same time, the points needed for Friday and Saturday night stays decreased.

So what’s changing for 2013? Bay Lake Tower for one…

This time though, the changes centred on just two resorts, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, and Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

The Disney Vacation Club explained the changes to Bay Lake Tower as being down to a re-classification of about 10 rooms, which they took out of the theme park view category, instead putting them in the standard view category. This resulted in various changes across the board, although interestingly not to the three-bedroom grand villas, so if you were after one of those, they’re still going to cost you the same points as they would’ve done in 2012.

There aren’t any major changes to any of the other accommodations at Bay Lake Tower. Many of the alterations are literally just a couple of points a week. The more significant changes see 13 points being added to a two-bedroom villa during the Magic Season, covering mid February to the end of April, with the exception of the period around Easter, mid June to mid August, and Thanksgiving.

Inside a studio at Bay Lake Tower

There’s a five point change for anyone wanting a studio with a lake or theme park view for a week in Choice Season (early October to mid December with the exception of the Thanksgiving weekend) or a theme park view in a one-bedroom villa for a week in Dream Season, covering early February, early May to mid June, and late August. There’s also the same weekly increase of five points for a theme park view in Dream Studio in a one-bedroom villa.

For two-bedroom villas, theme park views all go up by seven points for a week’s stay in Adventure Season (January, September, and early December), Choice or Dream Seasons. It’s not a huge increase, but it could be enough to make a day’s difference to some people’s vacation.

Treehouse Villas to cost more…

With Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, it’s a lot more clear cut. The most obvious change, when you look at the 2013 points charts, is that the three-bedroom Treehouse Villas are now in their own category, rather than as previously, when they were lumped in with the two-bedroom villas. While that may be disappointing for anyone wanted to book a Treehouse Villa, I’ve got to say, I can understand it. There did always seem to be a discrepancy there, that you could pay the same for a two- and three-bedroom villa that just didn’t exist at any resort. Obviously, the Disney Vacation Club have recognised that, and rectified it.

So what difference is it going to make? If you wanted a week in a Treehouse Villa in the Adventure Season (January, September or early December), it’s going to cost you 281, 35 points more than in 2012. By the time you get up to Premier Season (essentially Easter and Christmas), a week is going to set you back 477 points, 60 points more than in 2012.

Generally, that’s the only change in the Premier Season, and anyone travelling in the Magic Season (mid February to the end of April, except Easter, mid June to mid August, and Thanksgiving) won’t see much change either, unless they’re after a three-bedroom grand villa. The change isn’t massive though, literally just an additional point on Sunday to Thursday nights.

Elswhere at Saratoga Springs

It’s when you look at the other times of year to visit that there are changes across the board to all types of accommodation. For anyone who wants to travel in the Adventure Season, the number of points needed have universally gone down across the board, making it even more of a value for money time of the year to travel.

Saratoga Springs, nestled across the lake from Downtown Disney

It’s a more mixed story for the Choice Season (early October to just before Christmas, with the exception of the Thanksgiving weekend), with stays in one-bedroom villas costing nine points more for a whole week, while a week’s stay in a two-bedroom villa goes down by the same amount. Equally, it’s two points more for a week in a studio, and two less for a week in a three-bedroom grand villa.

So, in as much of a nutshell as is possible with these things, that gives you an idea of what you can expect from the changes to the 2013 points charts. It’ll be interesting to see what 2014 brings, but that’s starting to look a little too far ahead … even for a planner like me!