Dvc vs Marriot

[Adedis]

this is a super tough decision if Disney made all resorts equally nice it would be less so but

Has anyone looked at Marriott while considering DVC and if so what made you choose DVC?

 

[Deb & Bill]

this is a super tough decision if Disney made all resorts equally nice it would be less so but

Has anyone looked at Marriott while considering DVC and if so what made you choose DVC?

Buy DVC for Disney. Buy Marriott if you plan on going places other than Disney. Don't buy DVC to trade out.

 

[Adedis]

Buy DVC for Disney. Buy Marriott if you plan on going places other than Disney. Don't buy DVC to trade out.

I wouldn't trade out we own at blue tree in Buena vista but it's not that nice and we usually trade via II.

I guess what about the Disney resorts makes it worth it? The magic express and buses cannot be it.

What makes your stay happier than the family who only stays at the Marriott right outside the Disney gates?

 

[disneynutz]

I wouldn't trade out we own at blue tree in Buena vista but it's not that nice and we usually trade via II.

I guess what about the Disney resorts makes it worth it? The magic express and buses cannot be it.

What makes your stay happier than the family who only stays at the Marriott right outside the Disney gates?

Staying inside the Disney gates.

Bill

 

[Adedis]

See and that's the answer you get when lurking in the forums.

What is different inside the gates? I see lots of complaints about stuff being run down, dirty and yet still impossible to book.

Are people just lulled in the mystique that is Disney? Your either Disney it your not? This might be the wrong place to ask. I mean I get it part of me wants to buy the 200 points right now but the other part of me wants to know why the other half is doing it.

 

[JimMIA]

I agree with what Deb said above, and also what Bill said.

DVC can't be beat for WDW. We've made about 30 DVC trips to WDW and enjoyed every one. But I would make that more specific and say ONLY for WDW.

Anywhere else, IMHO, something else (Marriott, Hilton, Wyndham, etc) will be better. I don't own Marriott and don't really know much about them, except that their resorts and system are highly regarded. Same with Hilton. I can't say personally, but I've seen many comments saying that at least some Marriott and Hilton resorts were better than DVC.

I do own Wyndham, so I know and like their system and all of the resorts I've stayed at have been great.

To me, the big difference between DVC and Wyndham is that DVC has 13 resorts, 9 of which are at WDW -- and Wyndham has at least 105 that I can access with just a basic membership...in 25 states and the US Virgin Islands. We spent two weeks in AZ this summer, most of it at Wyndham Sedona and Wyndham Flagstaff -- two great locations where DVC has nothing. We're now planning trips to Northern California and Washington DC, both places where DVC has nothing. And for WDW, Wyndham has 5 resorts in the WDW area, including 2 which probably compare pretty well with DVC.

So, if your vacations every year for the next few years (10 or so) are going to revolve around WDW, I think DVC is hard to beat. If you only plan on going every other year, every third year, or less often...I would really think long and hard about DVC.

I think it's also critical for folks to really think seriously about whether ANY timeshare -- with their ongoing annual financial commitment, whether you use them or not -- is really the BEST vacation alternative for their family's specific needs.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We bought our DVC points in 1997 on our first trip. Our son was 4. He's now 22 and working as a full time gardener at WDW with a degree in Horticulture. He has plans to move up in the organization. Going every year for 19 years may have played a part in that. As long as he is working there, we will keep going there. We enjoy it and we don't spend as much time in the parks. We like the pools, we like the dining and we like the various events, like F&W and Flower & Garden (we usually hit them both each year). We buy APs (used to buy PAP until the price became obnoxious) and usually get three or more trips out of them and we get a slight discount because of DVC. Now our son can get us into the parks as long as he doesn't have someone else visiting and using his guest passes.

I like being able to hop a bus or walk to a park and leave my car home if I don't want to drive. I don't leave the property that much, just a run to the grocery store or to see our son at his apartment. We used to get the TIW card, but during the times we go, some of our favorite places are blacked out for discounts.

We have almost 40 trips under our belts. We went to Sea World twice (once on free tickets from HGVC to tour their product and the other on partner passes with Discovery Cove), but we stayed at a DVC resort for most of the trip. We keep telling ourselves that we need to go to Universal some day.

We like OKW. It's older, but the rooms are more spacious. The studios have two queen beds. It's like being away from the hustle and bustle. We also like Kidani Village and have added a few nights there twice because we like the quiet of the resort and watching the animals. We like being to go early or late for Extra Magic Hours. We don't fly, so we don't use Magical Express. We don't do the dining plan; it's too much eating for us. We'll do maybe two or three TS dining reservations for a week's stay.

I never paid anything close to what people are paying now for direct points. I think the direct price now is just crazy. I don't care for the Polynesian villas and bungalows, even though Moorea was the first place we stayed on that first trip. We could stay in the same room we stayed in 1997, but it would be way more crowded than it was back then even though we had five of us on that trip (we brought our nieces). GFV look very nice, but I don't need to compete for those. Not a fan of BWV. We did own BCV but sold those points years ago because we were paying way too much in dues.

It comes down to we like Disney. We put up with the problems with DVC because we really haven't had that many with our many stays. OKW is just fine for us. We don't need theme park views. We don't need club level. We don't need commando trips from sun up to early in the morning.

And we can combine a few nights at Disney with a trip to our other timeshare (HGVC affiliate) on the Gulf Coast.

 

[disneynutz]

Theming and location but I will tell you that if DVC keeps messing with the room theming, we may have a problem. As far as cleaning and maintenance issues we have tried the talk to front desk, we have tried the talk to management, we have tried the, send emails to member satisfaction, ( a hundred times), we have tried the, bring it up at association meetings, and I have tried the talk to the President or SVP of DVC. I'm working on what to do next if they don't start doing their job.

Bill

 

[Lynne M]

Well, I've owned for 14 years and I haven't ever had a room that I would call run down or dirty. And if you're booking at 11 months, nothing's impossible to book.

But, opinions vary, of course, and mine is no more valid than anyone else's. And I know that I've been very lucky in never having had a housekeeping problem. So, I would suggest that you take your time and try stays in DVC resorts, and stays in the Marriott's you'd choose offsite. The "is it worth the extra cost" question is one that only you can answer.

Because some of the advantages to staying onsite are tangible - proximity to the parks, ability to use EMH and DME, earlier access to FP+. But some are completely subjective. Some people love the theming - the Disney 'feel', and being surrounded by Disney 24/7. Some just like the sense of being inside WDW.

I think a lot of us longtime members bought DVC because we'd already stayed onsite and off, and for reasons that are probably different for each of us, prefer being onsite. So, try both yourself, and see what YOU think.

If you don't have a strong preference for onsite stays, go with Marriott.

 

[Adedis]

The extra costs are worth it to me

It's just do I care about Disney enough.

I have been staying at Marriott mainly off season or on getaways for years. But my daughter goes to school next year and off season is no longer an option.


I guess I should start looking into renting some DVC points.

 

[JimMIA]

Well, I've owned for 14 years and I haven't ever had a room that I would call run down or dirty.

I have to say, we never have had a dirty or run-down room either.

I've seen enough complaints from reasonable people to believe their complaints are justified, but our family personally has never experienced those kinds of problems at DVC.

Or at Wyndham either.

 

[djohn06]

How often are you planing to go to Disney? Disney is just a niche product, while Marriott is all inclusive and much more robust. Tough to compare the two. It's like comparing a sports car to a SUV.

 

[RAD]

We've owned BWV since 1999 and lately the bloom has come off the rose. Between cut back on maintenance in the entire resort I'd have to think long and hard if I had to make the decision today. If it wasn't for the option to rent out our points to cover the annual dues we might even consider selling. If you do want to go with Disney I'd recommend taking a hard look at the resale market to help keep the costs down and to pick the resort you'd really like to stay at vs. what DVC is selling at the moment,

 

[Adedis]

How often are you planing to go to Disney? Disney is just a niche product, while Marriott is all inclusive and much more robust. Tough to compare the two. It's like comparing a sports car to a SUV.

Probably every other year - we are at the Marriott next to Aulani as I type this and my daughter would rather be at Disney.

 

[Popouri DVC]

We like to be on property. More to the point we like VGF. Since I don't want to spend rack rates for The Grand but I want to stay there every year DVC was our choice.

We could've bought the SUV, but we wanted the sportscar. It was just a personal preference.

 

[Minniesgal]

We bought DVC because we wanted to go to Disney regularly and stay onsite I have to say we never seriously considered buying anything else

We don't do Disney every year. AT the moment we haven't been for two years and our next trip is Easter 2016. In between visits to Orlando we like the flexibility to chose somewhere different every time and sometimes just stay home. So we wouldn't consider any other timeshare

 

[Dean]

See and that's the answer you get when lurking in the forums.

What is different inside the gates? I see lots of complaints about stuff being run down, dirty and yet still impossible to book.

Are people just lulled in the mystique that is Disney? Your either Disney it your not? This might be the wrong place to ask. I mean I get it part of me wants to buy the 200 points right now but the other part of me wants to know why the other half is doing it.

I own both, they both offer advantages and disadvantages. It really depends on how you want to use it and your personal preferences. And for Marriott one can chose Trust points or resale weeks, each also with advantages and disadvantages. If I were trying to get one item to do both, Marriott is a much better choice. There is a little more variability within the Marriott system but if one cuts out the older, lessor resorts; Marriott does offer some advantages. If you aren't willing to pay at least 30% more to stay on property, I wouldn't buy DVC.

• For shorter stays than 1 week DVC or Marriott trust points would be a better comparison.
• For smaller units or different size units for a week, all 3 are reasonable.
• To use at high demand Marriott resorts one might either buy at a specific Marriott resort or Trust points.
• To use at multiple Marriott's, either Marriott trust points or weeks will work but what's best depends on specifics.
• Marriott will be cheaper to buy and to own but not dramatically so.
• DVC's biggest plusses are the on property location and the increased flexibility of the points system though the flexibility falls away with Marriott Trust points. That's esp trust at Marriott's Grande Vista for Orlando.
• For 3 BR villas Marriott wins hands down in this comparison.

For me personally and if I had to chose between the 2, I'd go with Marriott weeks. For most, Marriott trust points might be a better choice but more expensive. I'd also encourage you to look at the other mini systems such as Bluegreen, Hilton, Worldmark and Wyndham. I own with 4 of those 6 and find BG to be my best value. I'm either staying at SSR on exchanges at a cost of around $600-650, staying at the Fountain's on cash at around $750 for a week in a 3 BR 2500 sq ft presidential or I'm at Marriott's Grande Vista on an an internal Marriott exchange or using Destination points (no longer available to new buyers). If I were starting fresh with Marriott and looking at weeks, I'd buy 2 weeks that can be booked together, not just one, because you get a 1 month booking advantage and you'd need this for some locations. For Marriott Trust points I'd buy enough points to be VIP at least.

 

[dsnydaddy]

I looked at both Marriott and DVC before buying. We really liked the Marriott Ko Olina. Problem was, I just couldn't wrap my head around the Marriott system. I dug and dug but found nothing online that truly explained it to me. DVC, for better or worse, was easily understandable and when I didn't know something there's always someone I can ask on the DIS. So, I bought DVC and bought into SSR for the price and to make sure I always had a home base in WDW. And I'll book the Aulani whenever I can.

 

[zavandor]

For what it's worth, Marriott has a lovely resort at Disneyland Paris (the only timeshare there, until the opening of Village Nature).

 

[Dean]

For what it's worth, Marriott has a lovely resort at Disneyland Paris (the only timeshare there, until the opening of Village Nature).

And it should have been a DVC but was likely a fallout of the poor VB & HH sales.