Air Travel and Purchase Potential

[Magnod]

Hi All,
We live in Hawaii (parents and 4 year old son). We recently visited the new Aulani hotel and went through the entire sales process. Our family does travel around and stay at local resorts several times a year and thought that perhaps getting a DVC membership (maybe around 160 points) would be a good option for us. Then we started doing some research...

Here's some things that do not usually apply to many of the responses that I've read. We cannot easily get to Disneyland or Disney World since we'd have to add in another $1500 for airfare. The only places we could stay locally is the Aulani and using the RCI points to stay at other local hotels (Hilton, etc.)

With our young son, we would be looking at traveling to Disneyland/World maybe around once a year. We were also looking forward to using the points on RCI rentals in Hawaii and the Disney Cruise Lines. But after reading posts on this site, it seems like most people do not feel that these are good values. From what I read, if I buy used memberships I can't use it on the cruises and possibly some other hotels around Hawaii (non-Disney hotels).

So if I cannot visit Disneyland/World very easily, is it still worth getting a membership?

Thanks

 

[abdmom]

If you plan to stay at non-Disney timeshares, you should buy RCI points (or something else) at a non-Disney timeshare. DVC points are way too expensive for what you're planning on doing. Check out tugbbs.com.

 

[Magnod]

If you plan to stay at non-Disney timeshares, you should buy RCI points (or something else) at a non-Disney timeshare. DVC points are way too expensive for what you're planning on doing. Check out tugbbs.com.

Can you use RCI points at Disney? I know you can use Disney points for RCI, but I'm not sure if it works both ways.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Can you use RCI points at Disney? I know you can use Disney points for RCI, but I'm not sure if it works both ways.

Currently, yes, and some RCI have better trading power into DVC than others.

 

[adminjedi]

If you plan to visit WDW or DL once a year, yes DVC could be right for you.

The issue would be where to buy. If you buy VGC (DL) you would only be able to book WDW or Aulani at 7 months. If you buy at WDW, you would only be able to book DL and Aulani at 7 months. If you buy Aulani, you can only book WDW and DL at 7 months. You could buy resale and be able to buy more points (maybe some at WDW and DL) than buying direct and just pay cash for your cruising and other vacation locations.

 

[disneynutz]

Just thinking out loud, since you live in Hawaii and you are surrounded by the Hawaiian ambiance, do you really have an interest in staying at a very expensive resort there?

How often do you vacation at DL or WDW now?

Many people feel that the higher the airfare cost the longer the stay to get your monies worth, 160 points won't get you very much unless you limit yourself to studios.

Bill

 

[DisneyFan68]

My family resides in Hawaii as well and we had these same concerns as you did. We have a 9 month old and plan on trying to have another. We like to go on vacations but financially we aren't able to take a trip every year especially now with a baby. So we've opted for staycations and a trip every one to two years. We used to stay at Hilton Hawaiian Village every year because in our eyes that was the best hotel. But now with Aulani, we decided to buy into DVC because we can still have our staycations but at Disney. Aulani is great because as our kids grow, there will be new things to do at Aulani since it was built with the entire family in mind. The Hilton was great but Aulani is so much better. We still plan to stay at Hilton every once in a great while but Aulani is our new home. Since using points towards non-DVC resorts or cruises aren't the best use of points, we also figured if we really wanted we could rent out our points and use the cash to book rooms at other hotels or even a cruise. The only real downsides we thought of were that Koolina isn't like Waikiki where you can walk around and there are stores everywhere but it seems like there is a lot to do at Aulani to keep us entertained anyways. And that when we do decide to go to DL or WDW, we will definitely need to book right at the 7 month mark because it sounds like they fill up quickly at certain times of the year. Hope this helps... Good luck!

 

[Magnod]

Just thinking out loud, since you live in Hawaii and you are surrounded by the Hawaiian ambiance, do you really have an interest in staying at a very expensive resort there?

How often do you vacation at DL or WDW now?

Many people feel that the higher the airfare cost the longer the stay to get your monies worth, 160 points won't get you very much unless you limit yourself to studios.

Bill

To answer your first question. Its easier for us to stay in local hotels on mini stay-cations. Usually we spend 7-10 nights a year at resorts either on Oahu or the neighbor islands. These hotels generally run between $200-300 a night. We like those places as they offer a lot of things to do (i.e. Waikoloa, Grand Wailea, Hapuna Beach, etc). So we currently spend on average $2000+ a year on hotels in Hawaii.

Right now we don't go to DL or WDW at all. We have been waiting for our son to get a little older. Now's he is around the age that we'd like to start going once a year, or maybe once every two years if its going to be for something special or for a long period of time.

We'd probably like to stay for around 7-10 days. I'm not sure, since we haven't been to either location since we were kids. So we have difficulty gauging the amount of time most families stay at DL or WDW.

 

[Magnod]

If you plan to visit WDW or DL once a year, yes DVC could be right for you.

The issue would be where to buy. If you buy VGC (DL) you would only be able to book WDW or Aulani at 7 months. If you buy at WDW, you would only be able to book DL and Aulani at 7 months. If you buy Aulani, you can only book WDW and DL at 7 months. You could buy resale and be able to buy more points (maybe some at WDW and DL) than buying direct and just pay cash for your cruising and other vacation locations.

Thanks for the insight.

We'd most likely want to go during the cheapest/off peak periods. Are those the times that fill up the fastest?

If you buy from Disney, then buy some from a resale place, do the points combine together?

 

[Magnod]

My family resides in Hawaii as well and we had these same concerns as you did. We have a 9 month old and plan on trying to have another. We like to go on vacations but financially we aren't able to take a trip every year especially now with a baby. So we've opted for staycations and a trip every one to two years. We used to stay at Hilton Hawaiian Village every year because in our eyes that was the best hotel. But now with Aulani, we decided to buy into DVC because we can still have our staycations but at Disney. Aulani is great because as our kids grow, there will be new things to do at Aulani since it was built with the entire family in mind. The Hilton was great but Aulani is so much better. We still plan to stay at Hilton every once in a great while but Aulani is our new home. Since using points towards non-DVC resorts or cruises aren't the best use of points, we also figured if we really wanted we could rent out our points and use the cash to book rooms at other hotels or even a cruise. The only real downsides we thought of were that Koolina isn't like Waikiki where you can walk around and there are stores everywhere but it seems like there is a lot to do at Aulani to keep us entertained anyways. And that when we do decide to go to DL or WDW, we will definitely need to book right at the 7 month mark because it sounds like they fill up quickly at certain times of the year. Hope this helps... Good luck!

Sounds exactly like us. This year alone we've stayed at Hilton Waikoloa and Hawaiian Village for a few nights each. We will also be staying at Aulani as hotel guest in November. Is renting the points easy?

I was trying to rationalize it like this. It will cost approximately $50,000 over the 50 years (assuming dues are around $500-600 and we buy in for around $18500). That means that we'd have to spend more than $1,000 a year on hotels and we'd be even.

Not sure if that logic is right, but it makes sense to me.

 

[DisneyFan68]

I haven't rented out points before but it seems like many people do it. If you go through a broker it sounds pretty simple in that they do the leg work and you get the proceeds less their commission.

I'm sure it'll be more than $50K over the long run but you have to figure that if you were to stay at Aulani as a kama'aina, you'd easily pay $1,000+ for 2-3 nights each year and say in 10 years it could be down to just 1-2 nights a year and that is kama'aina prices with taxes and parking. It's hard to compare to other resorts because they have different amenities and may not be deluxe accommodations and/or have the Disney touches. This might not be the most practical but I rationalized it as if we got tired of it or couldn't afford it anymore, we could always sell it or rent out the points to at least hopefully cover the annual maintenance fees.

 

[frank808]

Whats up to a fellow local! I live on Oahu also. I live about 5 minutes away from Aulani. I will try to help you as we are a 3 member family and my son is now 6 years old. We own at Aulani and SSR points. We also own a few other timeshare systems (HGVC, SVO, Wyndham Points, and a few Hawaii TS for trading). My word of advice is to rent DVC points FIRST for a couple of nights and then decide if that is what you want. Make sure it fits you and your familys lifestyle. I have stayed at Marriott Ko Olina, Villas Grand Cal, Hilton Hawaiian Village, Hilton Waikoloa, Westin Kaanapali, and quiet a few others with timeshares I own or have traded for. I would never advise anyone to trade their DVC points for RCI trades as you would be better off using a broker and renting out your points for cash.

DVC is the most flexible and easy to use system we own. You can book one day or one week and not have to pay pesky reservation fees. I would reccomend you rent some points to stay at Aulani before you commit to buying into DVC direct or resales. If you are like us and goto the west coast every other year and take many staycations DVC will probably work for you. I own Aulani but wish that we bought VGC points when it was available instead. I would rather have the 11 month priority booking into VGC as that is the smallest resort to book into. The only problem is that you have to be physically in california to buy VGC point direct from disney. But you could always buy resale VGC points, but the contracts all cost more than buying from Disney when we were contemplating it. I figure since you live here like our family it would be no problem to book into Aulani anytime there is availability for spur of the moment staycations. If you don't own VGC you had better be calling in exactly 7 months out for a chance at your dates. Now I have had good luck so far using my SSR points to get into VGC but I have always called at the 7 month mark at 3am in the morning.

You might also want to look into HGVC. The best part of HGVC is the open season rates. Within the 30 days of check in HGVC discounts available rooms. You can pay $80 for a studio, $100 for a 1bedroom and $120 for a 2 bedroom. At HHV I have always seen good availabilty for rooms at the 30 day mark. For waikaloa you can count on having something at the one of the three HGVC timeshares for a room 30 days out. You can buy a 1 bedroom every other year platinum 4800 points membership for about $5000 or less. Then you would be able to use open season rates to supplement you DVC points for staycations.

Another question is have you stayed at the Marriott Ko Olina? It is the nicest timeshare I have stayed at on Oahu. The furnishings and rooms are superior to Hiltons and DVC. At the Marriott Beach Club it is very easy to find an empty Jacuzzis and the pools are empty compared to VGC and HHV in waikiki. Also Marriott leaves the pool are open till 11:00pm. VGC and Hilton closes the pool at 7:30pm.

I guess my long rambling post might confuse you more than it helped. I just want to tell you that you and your family have a lot of choices for vacations and staycations than buying only DVC. You might want to see what all the other big timeshares have to offer. You guys/gals are experiencing the same timeshare questions I had about 3 years ago. If you want to pick my brain or discuss more things about the timeshare systems, just PM me or if you are at Aulani this weekend we can meet for a drink.

I don't think you could go wrong with a Disney, Hilton, Marriott or Sheraton timeshare because each operator has their good and bads. You might even want to own 2 different timeshare networks to fit your vacation needs. I know in the 3 years of timesharing we have liked the big players for what they each have to offer or we would have never bought in. BTW DVC was the only timeshare we have bought at retail.

Hi All,
We live in Hawaii (parents and 4 year old son). We recently visited the new Aulani hotel and went through the entire sales process. Our family does travel around and stay at local resorts several times a year and thought that perhaps getting a DVC membership (maybe around 160 points) would be a good option for us. Then we started doing some research...

Here's some things that do not usually apply to many of the responses that I've read. We cannot easily get to Disneyland or Disney World since we'd have to add in another $1500 for airfare. The only places we could stay locally is the Aulani and using the RCI points to stay at other local hotels (Hilton, etc.)

With our young son, we would be looking at traveling to Disneyland/World maybe around once a year. We were also looking forward to using the points on RCI rentals in Hawaii and the Disney Cruise Lines. But after reading posts on this site, it seems like most people do not feel that these are good values. From what I read, if I buy used memberships I can't use it on the cruises and possibly some other hotels around Hawaii (non-Disney hotels).

So if I cannot visit Disneyland/World very easily, is it still worth getting a membership?

Thanks

 

[Magnod]

Sorry I can't PM or email you...

Hey
I appreciate all of the information.

We'll be staying at Aulani in November as guest (not as Timeshare owners) so I guess we'll get some idea of what its like.

Have you traded between HGVC and DVC? Someone had mentioned that getting a RCI (which I think HGVC is under) may be better than the DVC membership.

Also, when you are booking 7 months out, is that for the busiest time of the year? Or the slowest? We'd be trying to maximize our points to going during the least amount of points period. So if its difficult to book during those times, we may have to rethink our options. I'd hate to buy a certain number of points with the notion that we'd be spending the minimum points per stay, only to find out that its all booked during those times and we can't stay.

How is renting out the points? Your suggestions to rent out the points then use the cash for other hotels (Waikoloa, Hawaiian Village, etc) seems like a great idea.

Thanks and enjoy your stay at Aulani.

 

[frank808]

I have not traded HGVC for DVC yet as Aulani has not been made available to trade. Bay Lake Towers and Grand Cal have just started to show up for trade in RCI a few months ago. It has been 4 years since those resorts have opened so I guess Aulani will take 4 years before being able to trade into RCI. I hopeit will be sooner as there is a lot of rooms at Aulani and have not been able to sell any since July 8th. Also phase 2 will open in december adding 200+ more timeshare rooms to inventory. It would be great as HGVC is a very strong trader in RCI. This would allow me to use my DVC points for the "must have" confirmations and use RCI for the easy "go when you can" staycations.

For grand california villas it is imperative that you book exactly at the 7 month mark in low or high season. There are only 48 2 bedroom villas so you have less than 100 rooms available to ALL DVC members to book. I have had luck at 7 months for my vacations to grand california but I can tell you I have not been able to get requests at the 6 month mark. Have to tell you that it is probably harder to book at the low DVC point times as that is when more DVCers want to visit as to stretch their points.

I have had great success using a broker to rent my points in the years we do not use the points. I use the proceeds to pay the maintenance fee for my timeshares. I liked HGVC enough to buy into their system (resale of course) and use it for HHV and Waikoloa staycations. Also have had great success with their open season rates as it comes out cheaper than using points or when I run out of points. HGVC is the second most flexible points system after DVC. You can borrow points from future years and bank points to future years. The only problem that I have with HGVC is that they charge you fees for making a reservation, banking, etc. To me they try to nickle and dime you with these small charges that DVC does for free. Could be that the buy in cost for HGVC is a lot less than DVC too.

I have sent you a pm with my email addy if you want to discuss more about DVC, HGVC, Marriott Vacation Club, Sheraton Vacation Network or what I have learned over the years.

 

[Magnod]

Just thinking out loud, since you live in Hawaii and you are surrounded by the Hawaiian ambiance, do you really have an interest in staying at a very expensive resort there?

How often do you vacation at DL or WDW now?

Many people feel that the higher the airfare cost the longer the stay to get your monies worth, 160 points won't get you very much unless you limit yourself to studios.

Bill

Here's what I've learned so far. Please correct if I'm wrong.

1. Its better to rent off points and use that money to pay for annual fees or to stay at RCI or Cruises.

2. Off peak times book fast, so getting the right home resort is important.

3. Points are best used to stay for long periods of time and for better-than-hotel type rooms.

4. Overall, if we're planning on going to Disneyland or WDW frequently and meet provision #3 then the DVC is a good deal.

Questions:

1. I've been skimming through the point rental page on this forum, and it looks like the cost of renting points is pretty low (i.e. $10 a point) so I'm not sure how people rent their points and get enough money to pay for a family cruise. Did I misread the other posters suggestion of using this technique?

2. Is it extremely difficult for non-DGC people to stay there during the "adventure season"? Everyone says to book as soon as that 7 months comes around. The airline situation throws a kink in our ability to plan that far ahead. Seeing as we live closest to DGC that would be our first choice.

3. Is staying in studios a bad use of points? We're a small family that really doesn't need much. So while we enjoy nice rooms, we'd probably enjoy being outside of the room visiting the local attractions even more.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Here's what I've learned so far. Please correct if I'm wrong.

1. Its better to rent off points and use that money to pay for annual fees or to stay at RCI or Cruises.

2. Off peak times book fast, so getting the right home resort is important.

Almost anytime books quickly.
3. Points are best used to stay for long periods of time and for better-than-hotel type rooms.

4. Overall, if we're planning on going to Disneyland or WDW frequently and meet provision #3 then the DVC is a good deal.

Questions:

1. I've been skimming through the point rental page on this forum, and it looks like the cost of renting points is pretty low (i.e. $10 a point) so I'm not sure how people rent their points and get enough money to pay for a family cruise. Did I misread the other posters suggestion of using this technique?

Most of the time, the number of points you need to pay for a cruise is pretty high. If you have the points and want to use, them use them for the cruise. It's the easiest way. But if you don't have enough points to cruise and need to pay cash for some of the family, rent out your points, use that money and other cash to pay for the cruise.
2. Is it extremely difficult for non-DGC people to stay there during the "adventure season"? Everyone says to book as soon as that 7 months comes around. The airline situation throws a kink in our ability to plan that far ahead. Seeing as we live closest to DGC that would be our first choice.

The Grand Californian Villas are the smallest DVC right now. They are hard to book for extended periods of time past the 11 month time frame.
3. Is staying in studios a bad use of points? We're a small family that really doesn't need much. So while we enjoy nice rooms, we'd probably enjoy being outside of the room visiting the local attractions even more.

Studios are okay, but nothing more than a hotel room (with a microwave and maybe fewer real beds). They only sleep four and four will be tight. We bought DVC for the one bedroom or larger villas. Staying in the villa is part of the vacation experience. If we just wanted to use the room as a place to sleep, we could pay a lot less and get a value resort.

See above.

 

[Magnod]

See above.

Thanks Bill.

I'm getting so much information that I'm sharing it with my friend who already bought into Aulani without really doing her own research. Now she's having second thoughts because like me, she was led to believe that it was going to be easy and efficient to book rooms at any Disney resort, to use the points for the cruises, or to switch out with RCI.

I'm now trying to learn more about the resale options. Do you have suggestions on companies that sell resale timeshares?

I've been reading mousesavers and a few other sites and would like to start price comparisons.


Thanks again.

 

[frank808]

Here's what I've learned so far. Please correct if I'm wrong.

1. Its better to rent off points and use that money to pay for annual fees or to stay at RCI or Cruises.

2. Off peak times book fast, so getting the right home resort is important.

3. Points are best used to stay for long periods of time and for better-than-hotel type rooms.

4. Overall, if we're planning on going to Disneyland or WDW frequently and meet provision #3 then the DVC is a good deal.

1. I rent DVC points when I do not use them for stays at DVC. I use it to pay for maintenance fees on all my timeshares. I use the other timeshares to trade into RCI for other resorts.

2. At VGC you have to pretty much book at 7 months because it is so small. Because of it's Grand Cal size it books up quickly unlike WDW resorts where you can find find a room at one of the 5 resorts.

3. You can use points to stay for 1 day or 10 days. It is advisable to use them whenever you visit a location that has a DVC room.

4. yes

 

[frank808]

Questions:

1. I've been skimming through the point rental page on this forum, and it looks like the cost of renting points is pretty low (i.e. $10 a point) so I'm not sure how people rent their points and get enough money to pay for a family cruise. Did I misread the other posters suggestion of using this technique?

2. Is it extremely difficult for non-DGC people to stay there during the "adventure season"? Everyone says to book as soon as that 7 months comes around. The airline situation throws a kink in our ability to plan that far ahead. Seeing as we live closest to DGC that would be our first choice.

3. Is staying in studios a bad use of points? We're a small family that really doesn't need much. So while we enjoy nice rooms, we'd probably enjoy being outside of the room visiting the local attractions even more.

1. Let's pretend a cruise will cost 500 points for a room with 4 passengers using your DVC points. If you then go and try book the same room but pay cash, the same room costs $3200 for 4 passengers. I would rather rent the 500 points for $5000 and then paying cash for the cruise and have $1800 to spend on other things. You could also just use your points for the cruise and never mind trying to rent your points instead. They are your points and use them however you want. Some people would rather have the convenience of just using the points for the cruise instead.

2. Explained in previous reply.

3. I donot mind staying in studios to stretch points out. My family is just me, wife and 6yr old son. He has no problem sleeping on the pull out sofa. It is more like a hotel room than a suite though. But for our past trip it was either stay in a studio for 14 nights or about 7 nights in a 1 bedroom. We decided we would rather have a longer trip in a studio. I have to admit though once you have stayed in a 1br or bigger it is pretty hard to stay in a studio again. That is where addontitis kicks in for me.

 

[Magnod]

1. Let's pretend a cruise will cost 500 points for a room with 4 passengers using your DVC points. If you then go and try book the same room but pay cash, the same room costs $3200 for 4 passengers. I would rather rent the 500 points for $5000 and then paying cash for the cruise and have $1800 to spend on other things. You could also just use your points for the cruise and never mind trying to rent your points instead. They are your points and use them however you want. Some people would rather have the convenience of just using the points for the cruise instead.

2. Explained in previous reply.

3. I donot mind staying in studios to stretch points out. My family is just me, wife and 6yr old son. He has no problem sleeping on the pull out sofa. It is more like a hotel room than a suite though. But for our past trip it was either stay in a studio for 14 nights or about 7 nights in a 1 bedroom. We decided we would rather have a longer trip in a studio. I have to admit though once you have stayed in a 1br or bigger it is pretty hard to stay in a studio again. That is where addontitis kicks in for me.

Awesome help.

Thanks again and I hope you are enjoying Aulani.