Best use of $20k right now in DVC

[dvc lover 1970]

I've been able to do it every single year I've owned Wyndham when it was through RCI (4 years). You just put your ongoing search request in at least a year in advance and you'll be first in line for the deposit. Interval International has the same system (first come first serve). Worst case scenario, you stay at the World Center or Lakeshore Reserve, which are both better than half the DVC resorts anyways. Most of the DVC resorts have basic pools. There aren't any lazy rivers and usually only 1 slide.

I agree the value is better at other timeshares, but once on disney property you never have to drive, also everyone is free to do their own thing. My kids have grown up with DVC, and while it was more than the other timeshares, at the time, it was well worth it. As they grew, they would venture into the parks, or Disney springs on their own, depending on where we were staying. This is something they could never have done nor would I have allowed them to if staying off property. If staying at BC or BW - they could walk to either epcot or hollywood studios to do a couple rides, then return to the room then venture around the countries in epcot. If staying at monorail resort they would head into MK. They would never have been able to do this if we were staying off site.

 

[cbyrne1174]

I agree the value is better at other timeshares, but once on disney property you never have to drive, also everyone is free to do their own thing. My kids have grown up with DVC, and while it was more than the other timeshares, at the time, it was well worth it. As they grew, they would venture into the parks, or Disney springs on their own, depending on where we were staying. This is something they could never have done nor would I have allowed them to if staying off property. If staying at BC or BW - they could walk to either epcot or hollywood studios to do a couple rides, then return to the room then venture around the countries in epcot. If staying at monorail resort they would head into MK. They would never have been able to do this if we were staying off site.

You can do this with a Marriott ownership though. SSR is rediculously easy to get into every year, just as it used to be with a Wyndham ownership. I was just saying I'd rather stay at SSR and save a grand.

 

[VdoesDisney]

As others have said it really depends on your preferences, I own two 2042 resorts because that is where we want to stay, but those make the least economical sense, if you are ok with SSR then buy there, otherwise don’t but a resort you don’t like because the math works out, you will end up regretting spending the money.

Some other things to consider:
- If you are most likely to plan less than 7 months out then buy SSR regarles of how you feel about the resort, at 7 months points are points.
- If you love MK then buy CCV, the math is great, resort is beautiful, and the boat ride to MK is short and easy.
- If you really want a crescent lake resort then you’ll need to accept the economics will be terrible compared to most other DVC resorts

 

[RoseGold]

If the goal is vacation value for the money, Disney is never going to be the answer. Heck, the US isn't going to be the answer.

 

[The Prophet]

Buy the DIS stock
DVC will be worthless when it expires. Not DIS

 

[Ashlotte]

From an entirely frugal perspective (classroom teacher here):

Buy a legacy 2 bedroom lock-off Marriott week at a low maintenance fee resort (Grand Chateau or Grande Vista) for a purchase price of $3,000 resale, lock off the room and trade into SSR and OKW every year for about $1300-$1350 a week for a 1 bedroom (maintenance fees + exchange fees). There are plenty of deposits just sitting there for the taking (in the picture below). The same unit using SSR points costs about $2500 a week when you factor in purchase price + maintenance fees.

View attachment 647186

Stay 1 week at SSR or OKW in the 1 bedroom and trade the studio side for a 2 bedroom in any of the Marriott Orlando locations for an upgrade fee of $198 plus $164 exchange fee. The Palms resorts (Royal/Sabal/Imperial) have access to the World Center hotel literally 2 minutes from WDW property and it has 3 body slides, 3 tube slides and a lazy river in its pool complex. If you only want 1 week a year then buy a every other year deed and alternate between a DVC and a Marriott stay.

DVC is a luxury purchase and makes 0 mathematical sense to buy over other timeshare systems. You're going to pay rediculous prices just for the brand. If the price is worth it for you, then go for it. I don't find it worth it, so I only own 50 DVC points to use in addition to my other ownerships that make much more financial sense.

I love this answer. Do you know how hard it is to trade one of the less maintenance Marriott resorts for one of the Hawaiian Marriotts, specifically Ko Olina or Maui Ocean Club?

 

[cbyrne1174]

I love this answer. Do you know how hard it is to trade one of the less maintenance Marriott resorts for one of the Hawaiian Marriotts, specifically Ko Olina or Maui Ocean Club?

A studio is almost 100% guarenteed if you deposit first and keep an ongoing search going. It's easy because a bunch of Hawaii owners will split their lock off because they only want the 1 bedroom and want to trade the studio in for another week of vacation. You could get a studio probably around 45 weeks a year. If you don't have to follow the school schedule, it's really easy to pair a short Aulani stay with a Marriott Ko Olina stay at the 7 month window. However, the larger villa deposits are harder to get outside of the school year. On another note, the Carribean resorts are an easier trade. I just exchanged the 1 bedroom portion of my Grande Vista for a 2 bedroom at Frenchman's Cove in St. Thomas for mid-June. Marriott is amazing if you mainly vacation in Orlando, Hawaii and the Carribean.

Also, the studio portion of my Grande Vista lock off can pull a SSR 1 bedroom during the slower DVC times of the year if I deposit a week with a higher demand index (4th of July etc), Having a low MF 2 bedroom lock off will get you into DVC most times of the year for much cheaper than using DVC points. Even though I own SSR, I would never actually use SSR points to stay at SSR when my Marriott allows me to do it for almost half the price (when you factor in purchase prices + annual dues).

Only buy DVC if you know for certain you want to stay on property other than OKW and SSR and are willing to pay more than double for the same quality of accommodation. I personally wouldn't have boughten DVC if I lved anywhere else other than Tampa. Its only value to me is the ability to book 1 night stays at a beautifully themed resort within an hour of my house. DVC member services and the DVC website are abysmal compared to their competitors. You don't get what you pay for compared to the other major players.

 

[cbyrne1174]

You can do the trading game, and many people do it successfully. But I would argue if you are doing that just go and rent on redweek since there is tons of availability there for about the same cost.

If buying DVC for 20k your best use of money is still SSR resale. You should be able to get 150 points and at 7 months out you can switch and find a decent amount of options.

I wouldn't rent off Redweek. Those are all RCI/Interval weeks that people are renting out. They are breaking Interval International's exchange policies. If the reservation gets flagged as a rental, the person who rented it out can get their Interval account banned and the renter could have their reservation cancelled for violating the terms of service.

 

[CarolynFH]

I wouldn't rent off Redweek. Those are all RCI/Interval weeks that people are renting out. They are breaking Interval International's exchange policies. If the reservation gets flagged as a rental, the person who rented it out can get their Interval account banned and the renter could have their reservation cancelled for violating the terms of service.

Not all Redweek rentals are RCI/II exchanges. Many TUG members post their rentals there.

 

[davidl81]

Not all Redweek rentals are RCI/II exchanges. Many TUG members post their rentals there.

Almost all of the DVC rentals are exchanges, that being said I’ve rented about 5 times through it and I have not had any issues, although I know it’s a possibility.

 

[mousehouse23]

A studio is almost 100% guarenteed if you deposit first and keep an ongoing search going. It's easy because a bunch of Hawaii owners will split their lock off because they only want the 1 bedroom and want to trade the studio in for another week of vacation. You could get a studio probably around 45 weeks a year. If you don't have to follow the school schedule, it's really easy to pair a short Aulani stay with a Marriott Ko Olina stay at the 7 month window. However, the larger villa deposits are harder to get outside of the school year. On another note, the Carribean resorts are an easier trade. I just exchanged the 1 bedroom portion of my Grande Vista for a 2 bedroom at Frenchman's Cove in St. Thomas for mid-June. Marriott is amazing if you mainly vacation in Orlando, Hawaii and the Carribean.

Also, the studio portion of my Grande Vista lock off can pull a SSR 1 bedroom during the slower DVC times of the year if I deposit a week with a higher demand index (4th of July etc), Having a low MF 2 bedroom lock off will get you into DVC most times of the year for much cheaper than using DVC points. Even though I own SSR, I would never actually use SSR points to stay at SSR when my Marriott allows me to do it for almost half the price (when you factor in purchase prices + annual dues).

Only buy DVC if you know for certain you want to stay on property other than OKW and SSR and are willing to pay more than double for the same quality of accommodation. I personally wouldn't have boughten DVC if I lved anywhere else other than Tampa. Its only value to me is the ability to book 1 night stays at a beautifully themed resort within an hour of my house. DVC member services and the DVC website are abysmal compared to their competitors. You don't get what you pay for compared to the other major players.

I just want to say that I never knew this was a possibility, and you've given me a lot to think about. My husband and I love the 1 BR's at OKW, especially, but cringe at the point cost.

I wish there were a simple explainer for how all this works, but I will try to do some research when I find the time. Thanks!

 

[CarolynFH]

I just want to say that I never knew this was a possibility, and you've given me a lot to think about. My husband and I love the 1 BR's at OKW, especially, but cringe at the point cost.

I wish there were a simple explainer for how all this works, but I will try to do some research when I find the time. Thanks!

Spend some time on the TUG forums. Ask lots of questions. TUG is populated by people who use their TSs and are very willing to share their wealth of knowledge.

 

[Ashlotte]

A studio is almost 100% guarenteed if you deposit first and keep an ongoing search going. It's easy because a bunch of Hawaii owners will split their lock off because they only want the 1 bedroom and want to trade the studio in for another week of vacation. You could get a studio probably around 45 weeks a year. If you don't have to follow the school schedule, it's really easy to pair a short Aulani stay with a Marriott Ko Olina stay at the 7 month window. However, the larger villa deposits are harder to get outside of the school year. On another note, the Carribean resorts are an easier trade. I just exchanged the 1 bedroom portion of my Grande Vista for a 2 bedroom at Frenchman's Cove in St. Thomas for mid-June. Marriott is amazing if you mainly vacation in Orlando, Hawaii and the Carribean.

Also, the studio portion of my Grande Vista lock off can pull a SSR 1 bedroom during the slower DVC times of the year if I deposit a week with a higher demand index (4th of July etc), Having a low MF 2 bedroom lock off will get you into DVC most times of the year for much cheaper than using DVC points. Even though I own SSR, I would never actually use SSR points to stay at SSR when my Marriott allows me to do it for almost half the price (when you factor in purchase prices + annual dues).

Only buy DVC if you know for certain you want to stay on property other than OKW and SSR and are willing to pay more than double for the same quality of accommodation. I personally wouldn't have boughten DVC if I lved anywhere else other than Tampa. Its only value to me is the ability to book 1 night stays at a beautifully themed resort within an hour of my house. DVC member services and the DVC website are abysmal compared to their competitors. You don't get what you pay for compared to the other major players.

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, we would want at least a one-bedroom, preferably a two-bedroom, and do have to follow the school schedule.

I agree about trading into DVC being the way to go if you don't mind SSR. We have traded in with our WorldMark (Wyndham) points and it ends up being about half the price of what DVC owners are paying for the same week if you compare our maintenance fees.

OP, sorry to steer your thread off course!