Can someone explain how buying dvc points works?

[jess_g]

I know there is a dis board where you can buy and sell points, but I just don't get it. Is there a list of all the dvc resorts and which ones are near mk? And which ones are on the monorail (if any are)? And how do you know how many points you need for a one week stay? Does it depend on your dates or on which dvc you want to stay at? I know its a lot of basic questions, but a condo type accomidation might be the best type for us and I want to know what all my options are. If we go we will have 1 or 2 adults, 1 teenager, and 2 kids so one hotel room seems kind of small to me for all of us.

Thanks,

Jessica.

[KrisM]

Here is the website I found and it lists how many points are needed at the various places. It does depend on where and when. The "when" is not only date, but whether it's a weekday or Fri-Sat.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/index.html

[egoldber]

There are only a few resorts where 5 people could stay in one room and I doubt it would be very comfy.

The only DVC on the monorail is Bay Lake Towers (BLT) which is part of the Contemporary. The Villas at Wilderness Lodge are a boat ride from the MK.

With older kids you may also want to consider what is called the "Epcot resort area". The two DVC resorts there (Boardwalk Villas and Beach Club Villas) are walking distance to Epcot and DHS.

Old Key West is the oldest DVC resort, but has the most spacious rooms. Saratoga Springs offers the ability to walk to Downtown Disney. Animal Kingdom Villas has fabulous theming, but is really convenient to nothing.

For that many people I think you would want either a 2BR villa OR 2 studios.

A much less expensive option would be be to get two connecting Value or Moderate rooms.

[Momof3Labs]

For 5 people with DVC, you're limited to a 1br at AKV or a 2br anywhere (I'm not sure about BLT 1brs - if they hold 4 or 5 people). Which will still be quite expensive; certainly more than 2 rooms at a value or moderate.