An Amazing Alternative to Purchasing more DVC Points

[Paul Stupin]

I dont use a lot of buses at WDW, but the only place we have waited that long was DS at the end of the night when many people were heading back to the resort. Most often, 20 minutes tops.

But, your first sentence is key. Being just outside WDW, or at DVC resorts that are not tops, is why people feel owning DVC as a timeshare is worth it. As I shared, it is for us. If I ever bought a different timeshare, it would be only because I want it to be at a beach, and that is what it would be used for exclusively.

However, for those that want to be in a system that can do both, and don't want to invest in DVC...which can trade out as well...then it is a good alternative...but in no way, the same.

I think Sandi hit the nail on the head. DVC is worth it to us for the very same reasons: we love being on property, and resorts like VGF, Riviera, CCV, etc., are unique and special. For us, it’s more about the hotels and environments than it is the parks.

And considering the resale value, and possible appreciation, the maintenance fees pretty much pay for the vacations.

 

[DVCBeachBum]

Yea but other systems have the same discounts of owning vs renting. You have to specifically want access to on site WDW rooms for the math to make sense, which is becoming less and less worth it. I live next to WDW when I go, I keep hearing from others that the buses are sometimes even 45 mins apart. I never use them myself because car is usually faster.

Also as another example, I couldn't afford to ever go to Ko Olina if I didn't have Marriott resale. I can get a 1 bedroom there for around $1200 a week when the rack rate is 6 times that and the rent al rate is 3x. Whereas, the 1 bedrooms at Aulani are still so expensive, even for owners, that I'll probably only add a few nights in a studio when I can get a Ko Olina week. That's why I only have 50 points. It's meant to add on or be for 1 night at a time since no other systems let's me stay just 1 night.

Specifically on Ko Olina I can’t argue with that logic. We’ve stayed at the Four Seasons, Aulani and Marriott and honestly, Marriott was the best value AND the nicest accommodations for our family.

It's exactly this for me. People aren't considering their entire lifespan. I'm going mostly for my kid. Before I had a kid, I would make use of those discount 4 day tickets where it was like $100 for all 4 days, park at downtown Disney or boardwalk and take the transportation (this was 2010-2014). I wasn't a passholder. I preferred universal.

I can imagine empty nester middle age me would not care to go to WDW resorts because the theming doesnt compare to the real thing. I'd want to go to an actual lodge in Colorado (Wyndham Avon) over the the Wilderness Lodge.

I think you would be surprised. I live in Colorado and own a beach home on HHI. Having access to the “real thing” doesn’t make Disney Magic less fun. Plus, I MUCH prefer the snow at Disney. My kids are 24 and 26 and we JUST bought into DVC after probably 3 trips a year to DL and WDW over the last 25 years. We actually finally did because our younger son has specific disabilities and Disney is his thing. In May we stayed at Cypress Harbor, we are LONG time MVC renters and just said we are too old for this. The budget, off property stays are a young persons game (and there is nothing at all wrong with that). But, I will be ON PROPERTY from here on out. If you are a huge Disney fan the resorts offer a slower pace way to do all the things and so much more than the parks do. We have done the parks, now its time for us to relax and enjoy the resorts. We are buying enough points to make our 3-4 trips a year down there. Its not about budget to us but while I would never ever buy into Marriott or any of the others there is comfort that should we decide to sell DVC we can (more than likely) not incur a huge loss and can make some money off renting them out if needed.

You sound like you are really savvy with all of this and have absolutely figured out how this works for you and I totally applaud that. Former teacher myself and give you huge kudos for figuring out all these trips!

 

[sethschroeder]

Lodging (including USVI occupancy tax + energy fees): $2,100

And I could likely get something that I was for around the same price and not be locked in to specific choices because I have timeshare points to use.

Maybe its a tad more but in the end I get to choose exactly where I stay then as opposed to be limited with options.

Its just not comparable and your "argument" to start all of this seemingly has changed dramatically.

 

[RoseGold]

Yea but other systems have the same discounts of owning vs renting. You have to specifically want access to on site WDW rooms for the math to make sense, which is becoming less and less worth it.

That wasn’t my point at all. Unlike other timeshares, which are competing with other resorts and other destinations, Disney hotels are a special product and have held firm in all but peak Covid.

The market disagrees with you and Disney hotels keep going. Cash Disney bookings have gone up and up. I did the math in 2018 against an Art of Animation suite, which was then $300. Now that won’t get you on property at all. The hotel room math actually went up much faster than I estimated.

Reality is Poly is $800 a night. That’s just math. And that’s the comp for DVC points.

 

[zavandor]

2 weeks worth of Marriott points are about $20,000-$30,000 buy-in on the resale market when you include transfer fees. That's why I don't own them because of their price. IDK where you're getting $3k from. That's weeks, not points. Marriott usually does take back weeks to turn them into Destination Club points because it's cheaper than ROFR on the points that were already converted from weeks.

You just explained why I own so much Wyndham. I know I can rent out Bonnet Creek for 2x my maintenance fees in the current market so I know that no matter what I can always rent to at least break even because WBC is the economical choice. I can rent out a 12 night stay in the fall when the Christmas decorations are up and the weather is tolerable for $770 for all 12 nights ($64.50 a night) and break even on my costs because I have good deeds.

Thank you again for raising this topic, I had no idea!
With what I could rent my 215 DVC points for, I could stay 2 months in Orlando at a Marriot resort in a 1BR. And I am actually thinking about doing this next year. Car rental will probably cost more than the hotel stay. I'll probably add one week onsite with DVC points and stay offsite while working remotely (if my company will allow to work from the USA for a month+), I have to decide if I want to do that at the beginning or at the end of my stay.

Does Windham has anything similar to cash gateways to get into WBC for cheap? Looking forward to the Windham videos as well. Regarding the sentence I've highlighted, are you going to explain how to find out what a good contract is? I guess one has to balance the cheap buy in and low MF. Or are there a few resorts that are renown to be good deals?

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

You can also do cash stays through II for a great deal for as little as $300 for a week.

 

[dioxide45]

Does Windham has anything similar to cash gateways to get into WBC for cheap?

Wyndham has Their Extra Holidays and such, but I don't know think they are as good of a deal as one can get for non DVC resorts through Interval International. WBC used to be a hugely popular resort for owner rentals and many couple get great deals to stay at WBC by renting from an owner. There is even a whole thread (several threads actually) dedicated to WBC over on the "offsite board". Those days are now behind us because Wyndham has really cracked down on owners renting their points by limiting the number of guest certificates an owner can attach to reservations and even limiting certain prime times of the year to only allow owner stays. Thus prices for WBC rentals has gone up and there aren't as many people willing to rent out their points.

DVC is a great product and if someone wants the onsite experience, there is really no viable alternative. Even WBC won't provide the same benefits and convenience even though it is practically on Disney property. Technically it isn't, but you have to drive through Disney property to get to it. For us, I couldn't imagine ever staying onsite a lot. We did it years ago when my wife any I started going to WDW. We outgrew it pretty fast. We had a five night stay at five DVC resorts back to back in January 2021 and have a week long stay at SSR coming up in September. So far, outside of the theming and convenience the rest of the experience is the same if not better with an offsite stay. We have probably stayed off site a cumulative 6-8 months in our time going to Orlando. All stays have been at Marriott or Sheraton timeshare resorts with a stay at WBC and a couple at Worldmark Orlando.

We have spent less than $8000 for all the timeshare weeks we own (four of them) and it is only that high because we bought our first Marriott in 2007 before the market crash. What we own now could all be had for less than $3,000 with a maintenance fee that is probably higher than DVC. The higher maintenance fee does tend to provide a bit better accommodation. From what I have heard about Boulder Ridge and even some other resorts like SSR, DVC doesn't seem to do refurbs as often as some of the other brands like HGVC and Marriott. So I find the Marriott rooms tend to be superior to what we stayed in with DVC.

Interval International also has a lot of specials and promos. We recently booked some ShortStay getaways (6 nights or less) for under $100 for six nights in Orlando. How can that be beat? For us it is much easier since we only live two hours away and drive, so we don't need a rental car. A car rental these days can just about break the bank, so I can see how onsite transportation is very attractive. The first time we stayed at Coronado Springs in the mid 2000s we had a car but tried to use the bus. After waiting 20 minutes for a full bus to pull up, we went back to the room for the car keys and just drove to the park instead (this was when you could still park onsite for free). Other than the Disney Skyliner, we simply don't use Disney transportation.

Perhaps after our SSR stay this year, we will be sold on DVC and I will be out there looking for a contract! We shall see.

If one is looking for vacations outside of Orlando, owning Marriott offers a lot of flexibility with the ability to travel to the Caribbean, Hawaii, California, Arizona and so much more. All for far less buyin than DVC.

 

[Paul Stupin]

Wyndham has Their Extra Holidays and such, but I don't know think they are as good of a deal as one can get for non DVC resorts through Interval International. WBC used to be a hugely popular resort for owner rentals and many couple get great deals to stay at WBC by renting from an owner. There is even a whole thread (several threads actually) dedicated to WBC over on the "offsite board". Those days are now behind us because Wyndham has really cracked down on owners renting their points by limiting the number of guest certificates an owner can attach to reservations and even limiting certain prime times of the year to only allow owner stays. Thus prices for WBC rentals has gone up and there aren't as many people willing to rent out their points.

DVC is a great product and if someone wants the onsite experience, there is really no viable alternative. Even WBC won't provide the same benefits and convenience even though it is practically on Disney property. Technically it isn't, but you have to drive through Disney property to get to it. For us, I couldn't imagine ever staying onsite a lot. We did it years ago when my wife any I started going to WDW. We outgrew it pretty fast. We had a five night stay at five DVC resorts back to back in January 2021 and have a week long stay at SSR coming up in September. So far, outside of the theming and convenience the rest of the experience is the same if not better with an offsite stay. We have probably stayed off site a cumulative 6-8 months in our time going to Orlando. All stays have been at Marriott or Sheraton timeshare resorts with a stay at WBC and a couple at Worldmark Orlando.

We have spent less than $8000 for all the timeshare weeks we own (four of them) and it is only that high because we bought our first Marriott in 2007 before the market crash. What we own now could all be had for less than $3,000 with a maintenance fee that is probably higher than DVC. The higher maintenance fee does tend to provide a bit better accommodation. From what I have heard about Boulder Ridge and even some other resorts like SSR, DVC doesn't seem to do refurbs as often as some of the other brands like HGVC and Marriott. So I find the Marriott rooms tend to be superior to what we stayed in with DVC.

Interval International also has a lot of specials and promos. We recently booked some ShortStay getaways (6 nights or less) for under $100 for six nights in Orlando. How can that be beat? For us it is much easier since we only live two hours away and drive, so we don't need a rental car. A car rental these days can just about break the bank, so I can see how onsite transportation is very attractive. The first time we stayed at Coronado Springs in the mid 2000s we had a car but tried to use the bus. After waiting 20 minutes for a full bus to pull up, we went back to the room for the car keys and just drove to the park instead (this was when you could still park onsite for free). Other than the Disney Skyliner, we simply don't use Disney transportation.

Perhaps after our SSR stay this year, we will be sold on DVC and I will be out there looking for a contract! We shall see.

If one is looking for vacations outside of Orlando, owning Marriott offers a lot of flexibility with the ability to travel to the Caribbean, Hawaii, California, Arizona and so much more. All for far less buyin than DVC.

Well, as you said, there's really no viable alternative if you want to stay onsite.

 

[sethschroeder]

With what I could rent my 215 DVC points for, I could stay 2 months in Orlando at a Marriot resort in a 1BR.

For $2300 a month you can get vacation homes with a private pool as well. Tons of vacation homes in Orlando area.

we only live two hours away and drive, so we don't need a rental car.

Which is the primary difference. I wouldn't own anything if I lived in Florida and would simply look at distressed points from DVC and weeks from the other timeshares in Orlando.

Having a vehicle and driving to the parks negates some of the value of DVC which is easily getting to the parks without a vehicle and in a variety of resorts avoiding busses for a good portion of your trip.

 

[cbyrne1174]

Thank you again for raising this topic, I had no idea!
With what I could rent my 215 DVC points for, I could stay 2 months in Orlando at a Marriot resort in a 1BR. And I am actually thinking about doing this next year. Car rental will probably cost more than the hotel stay. I'll probably add one week onsite with DVC points and stay offsite while working remotely (if my company will allow to work from the USA for a month+), I have to decide if I want to do that at the beginning or at the end of my stay.

Does Windham has anything similar to cash gateways to get into WBC for cheap? Looking forward to the Windham videos as well. Regarding the sentence I've highlighted, are you going to explain how to find out what a good contract is? I guess one has to balance the cheap buy in and low MF. Or are there a few resorts that are renown to be good deals?

Wyndham has been making it really hard for non owners to access the good inventory. Owners can only rent out 2 reservations a year in the most sought after locations/times. WBC doesn't have cheap getaway options for non owners. That's why I'm able to always rent it out for double my maintenance fees. I made a video last week about how to get a good Wyndham contract for budget stays.

For example, I'm currently finishing up my Orlando trip. I spent 13 DVC points to spend 1 night at the Boardwalk. I spent almost 2 full days using the pool there. Amenity access is good until 11:59 at night. I did Epcot in the morning and rode Frozen, Test Track and Mission Space (all basically walk on), then went back to my room at Boardwalk, showered and checked out. I then used my Wyndham ownership to stay an additional 2 nights at Cypress Palms for $36/night (I have low MF) in a 1 bedroom suite (fully equipped). The room was ready at 11 when I got there (which it always is on weekdays) and ate and napped. After I went back to the Boardwalk to swim (because you're allowed 2 days access), kept my car there and did the extra 2 hours of Magic Kingdom for deluxe guests (I checked out earlier that day) and got on Pirates, Mansion, Peter Pan, Mine Train, Buzz Light-year and Space Mountain. I took the bus back to my car at the Boardwalk and drove 10 mins to my super cheap Wyndham room. So my $36 hotel was a 10 minute difference in commute after the extended evening hours event that I got access to for booking 1 night for 13 DVC points. That's why I own DVC. I can stretch 50 points to 4 trips a year using Wyndham and Marriott.

Here is my video I made on how to buy Wyndham resale. If you're worried about being able to resell it later, Canterbury and Bali Hai are the ones you'd want to get. There will always be someone who wants to take them because they're maintenance fees are literally half the average. The video was meant for TUG members. Idk if you have an account there, but it's the best place to learn all the systems.

 

[cbyrne1174]

Wyndham has Their Extra Holidays and such, but I don't know think they are as good of a deal as one can get for non DVC resorts through Interval International. WBC used to be a hugely popular resort for owner rentals and many couple get great deals to stay at WBC by renting from an owner. There is even a whole thread (several threads actually) dedicated to WBC over on the "offsite board". Those days are now behind us because Wyndham has really cracked down on owners renting their points by limiting the number of guest certificates an owner can attach to reservations and even limiting certain prime times of the year to only allow owner stays. Thus prices for WBC rentals has gone up and there aren't as many people willing to rent out their points.

DVC is a great product and if someone wants the onsite experience, there is really no viable alternative. Even WBC won't provide the same benefits and convenience even though it is practically on Disney property. Technically it isn't, but you have to drive through Disney property to get to it. For us, I couldn't imagine ever staying onsite a lot. We did it years ago when my wife any I started going to WDW. We outgrew it pretty fast. We had a five night stay at five DVC resorts back to back in January 2021 and have a week long stay at SSR coming up in September. So far, outside of the theming and convenience the rest of the experience is the same if not better with an offsite stay. We have probably stayed off site a cumulative 6-8 months in our time going to Orlando. All stays have been at Marriott or Sheraton timeshare resorts with a stay at WBC and a couple at Worldmark Orlando.

We have spent less than $8000 for all the timeshare weeks we own (four of them) and it is only that high because we bought our first Marriott in 2007 before the market crash. What we own now could all be had for less than $3,000 with a maintenance fee that is probably higher than DVC. The higher maintenance fee does tend to provide a bit better accommodation. From what I have heard about Boulder Ridge and even some other resorts like SSR, DVC doesn't seem to do refurbs as often as some of the other brands like HGVC and Marriott. So I find the Marriott rooms tend to be superior to what we stayed in with DVC.

Interval International also has a lot of specials and promos. We recently booked some ShortStay getaways (6 nights or less) for under $100 for six nights in Orlando. How can that be beat? For us it is much easier since we only live two hours away and drive, so we don't need a rental car. A car rental these days can just about break the bank, so I can see how onsite transportation is very attractive. The first time we stayed at Coronado Springs in the mid 2000s we had a car but tried to use the bus. After waiting 20 minutes for a full bus to pull up, we went back to the room for the car keys and just drove to the park instead (this was when you could still park onsite for free). Other than the Disney Skyliner, we simply don't use Disney transportation.

Perhaps after our SSR stay this year, we will be sold on DVC and I will be out there looking for a contract! We shall see.

If one is looking for vacations outside of Orlando, owning Marriott offers a lot of flexibility with the ability to travel to the Caribbean, Hawaii, California, Arizona and so much more. All for far less buyin than DVC.

I second about what Dioxide says about Marriott. Lakeshore reserve is at the end of it's refurb cycle (it's already started) and I could barely tell. My kid loved the Boardwalk pool, but didn't really like the room. We booked it just for the pool and the extra 2 hours with no crowds.

My favorite room to stay in is the Presidential Reserve units at Bonnet Creek in tower 6 on floors 16-19. They usually prioritize owners for the rooms that have Epcot fireworks views so you have roughly 2/3rds chance of getting that room if you book a 2 bedroom. I can get an entire 2 bedroom 1400 sq ft unit with stainless steel appliances and high end furniture for the same exact price as my shoebox Boardwalk studio if I book sun-fri. Disney used to be superior in quality to everything else, but since they've gotten greedy this last decade, it just isn't there anymore. I've literally waited over 90 minutes before to book a room since I get the dwarves glitch when I try to borrow. The longest I've EVER waited to talk to someone at Wyndham or Marriott was 2 minutes.

 

[Paul Stupin]

I would urge everyone to research these timeshares being discussed thoroughly before even considering buying. Though the tone hear is overwhelmingly positive, there are more unbiased reviews online, and there are a ton of “cons” to go with the “pros.”

 

[cbyrne1174]

For $2300 a month you can get vacation homes with a private pool as well. Tons of vacation homes in Orlando area.




Which is the primary difference. I wouldn't own anything if I lived in Florida and would simply look at distressed points from DVC and weeks from the other timeshares in Orlando.

Having a vehicle and driving to the parks negates some of the value of DVC which is easily getting to the parks without a vehicle and in a variety of resorts avoiding busses for a good portion of your trip.

Honestly if you can swing it with work, two week trips via driving is so much better than flying nowadays. Places that have a 20 hour drive costs $500+ per person to fly. Theres no such thing as cheap airfare anymore because of staffing (pilot) shortages that make it even more inflated than fuel. So unless you're west coast, driving is becoming the better option for most. I've also seen a lot more Midwest and north east license plates in Orlando than before.

 

[cbyrne1174]

I would urge everyone to research these timeshares being discussed thoroughly before even considering buying. Though the tone hear is overwhelmingly positive, there are more unbiased reviews online, and there are a ton of “cons” to go with the “pros.”

The biggest cons are with buying developer. The only developer I would even consider is Disney because I can liquidate it still because the resale value is close to retail. Less than 10% of all Wyndham owners are resale only so it's hard to find them to get an opinion. Idk the statistics of Marriott, but I imagine it's the same. The sales tactics with Wyndham are awful, but you can just go on a "do not call" list and they leave you alone.

My opinion is unbiased because I own all products resale. If I had gotten everything retail, DVC would be the best one imo. I don't think Wyndham/Marriott are worth their retail price. The reason they're so cheap is because of their high sales pressure. I can see the year that the original owners bought my resales and the longest they held onto their ownership was 15 years. The resale value is low because of sales tactics, not quality (both in Marriott and Wyndham). I don't really ever hear about people being unhappy with their resale ownerships because they did their research.

The salesmen at Wyndham all hate me. I always get asked to do "updates" for $150, so I go into them with 8 resale contracts. They ask if I ever thought to get developer, I explain why it makes no financial sense using all the "benefits" I don't have. They realize I know more than 99% of owners and I'm done usually in 10-20 minutes. Some salesmen don't even bother with resale owners and you get your gift without even having to sit down and talk to them. That's usually the main complaints; the upselling. I don't mind it because it's easy money. 5 minutes of my time pays for my dinner at Toppolinos and Boma lol.

 

[Paul Stupin]

The biggest cons are with buying developer. The only developer I would even consider is Disney because I can liquidate it still because the resale value is close to retail. Less than 10% of all Wyndham owners are resale only so it's hard to find them to get an opinion. Idk the statistics of Marriott, but I imagine it's the same. The sales tactics with Wyndham are awful, but you can just go on a "do not call" list and they leave you alone.

My opinion is unbiased because I own all products resale. If I had gotten everything retail, DVC would be the best one imo. I don't think Wyndham/Marriott are worth their retail price. The reason they're so cheap is because of their high sales pressure. I can see the year that the original owners bought my resales and the longest they held onto their ownership was 15 years. The resale value is low because of sales tactics, not quality (both in Marriott and Wyndham). I don't really ever hear about people being unhappy with their resale ownerships because they did their research.

The salesmen at Wyndham all hate me. I always get asked to do "updates" for $150, so I go into them with 8 resale contracts. They ask if I ever thought to get developer, I explain why it makes no financial sense using all the "benefits" I don't have. They realize I know more than 99% of owners and I'm done usually in 10-20 minutes. Some salesmen don't even bother with resale owners and you get your gift without even having to sit down and talk to them. That's usually the main complaints; the upselling. I don't mind it because it's easy money. 5 minutes of my time pays for my dinner at Toppolinos and Boma lol.

Interesting! But when the developer is so sleazy, doesn’t it cast a negative light on the whole product?

 

[pianomanzano]

The salesmen at Wyndham all hate me. I always get asked to do "updates" for $150, so I go into them with 8 resale contracts. They ask if I ever thought to get developer, I explain why it makes no financial sense using all the "benefits" I don't have. They realize I know more than 99% of owners and I'm done usually in 10-20 minutes. Some salesmen don't even bother with resale owners and you get your gift without even having to sit down and talk to them. That's usually the main complaints; the upselling. I don't mind it because it's easy money. 5 minutes of my time pays for my dinner at Toppolinos and Boma lol.

Sounds like they're pretty aggressive while you're staying on property. Are you required to sit down for a presentation every time you stay or something?

 

[cbyrne1174]

Interesting! But when the developer is so sleazy, doesn’t it cast a negative light on the whole product?

Only sales is sleazy. Every other service is great . The only people who treat me any differently is sales. To every other employee, I'm just as much of an "owner" as everyone else.

 

[cbyrne1174]

Sounds like they're pretty aggressive while you're staying on property. Are you required to sit down for a presentation every time you stay or something?

You can be put on a list to be left alone. I just chose to do them because it's easy money. I get around $600-$800 back every year. Like I said, they hate me lol. They can see how often I go.

 

[dioxide45]

Interesting! But when the developer is so sleazy, doesn’t it cast a negative light on the whole product?

For some people it can, but even the some of the worst systems for sales practices have fantastic resorts. Even some Diamond and Westgate resorts are nice, but I would never go to one of their sales presentations. Okay, I might do a Westgate one day just so I can experience it. For research purposes.

The main problem with timeshare is that people buy something without researching the product first. They sign up for some presentation and buy at the end of the 90 minutes. They would do more research buying their next TV or cell phone than they did buying the $25,000 timeshare. That probably goes for some DVC buyers too. When you buy resale, you are buying in after the depreciation. Just like buying a used car, but many still buy new or lease for whatever reason. The difference with a car is that it at least retains some resale value and can help you make money in that it is transportation to a job. Timeshare is simply a luxury purchase and too many people buy them that have no business doing so. Timeshare developers are happy to sell to anyone, even without a credit check because they know they can easily acquire the week and sell it to the next person.

We own Marriott and Vistana and both have been proven to work great for our needs. The title of the thread is about an alternative to buying DVC. Not everyone has $25,000 sitting there to dump into a timeshare purchase. $3000 is probably easier to come by, so getting a non DVC can work great and gets one to many more locations than DVC ever could for a comparable price. If someone owns DVC and they are considering adding on, off site brands could be appealing. Back to back stays on and off property. We are actually doing that in September (though we don't own DVC). Just because a timeshare has little or no resale value doesn't mean it is a bad thing to purchase. Most name brand timeshare weeks can be given away so you are rarely stuck in anything. You just need to know what you are buying and not buy the wrong thing.

 

[Dizzydizney]

I would urge everyone to research these timeshares being discussed thoroughly before even considering buying. Though the tone hear is overwhelmingly positive, there are more unbiased reviews online, and there are a ton of “cons” to go with the “pros.”

Very much agree with this. They make it sound so easy. It can be very difficult to a newcomer. Just like newcomers to DVC....and I think DVC is pretty easy compared to trying to learn other systems. Why are there SO many companies out there (which are a waste of money because they usually can’t help you) that guarantee they will get you out of that timeshare you can’t afford, why is the market flooded with $1 timeshares on resale? You need to think about the yearly fees that always increase.....and you can’t just walk away because you bought it for a dollar. Many timeshare systems treat resale buyers worse than DVC. Do your research! Think ahead about how you can get rid of it if you have to. At least for now if you have a DVC you can’t afford you can easily rent out the points.
Much easier to do a last minute timeshare rental from redweek or eBay. Or check out the getaways as mentioned if you qualify.