Calling all DVC experts

[jjj444]

I know you have no way of knowing for sure, but I have a situation I could really use some help on! So I traded in our timeshare to trade into RCI so that we could trade for DVC. We have 39 tpu's and was offered a 1 bedroom at the Animal Kingdom Villas for the last week of October. Here in lies the problem. I confirmed it and have til 8 pm tonight to accept it. I called RCI today to ask them what type of view the room is. They told me to call DVC members services and they told me they won't know for about a week what room we would have until RCI sends them our confirmation. So now I am in a pickle. Do i blindly take this room and hope that I get a savannah view or get stuck with a parking lot view??? Any thoughts or insight would be helpful

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Don't know. I'm a DVC owner and have never traded IN but there are folks here that DO know. Hang tight and don't get discouraged. You WILL get your answer well before your deadline gets here. I'd be willing to bet on that.

You are not being ignored because you're not a DVC owner (which would be easy to think if you're fairly new to this section of the DIS and 30 minutes passes without an answer).

Lots of great folks on here but many are just starting to get off work. Many/most of us check in religiously every day/multiple times per day.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Just as a sidebar, I find it incredibly hard to believe you wouldn't be able to specify what kind of room and view you want. Surely you can specify the number of bedrooms or for a suite. Can't you specify a view?

All the point charges are different for us depending on number of rooms and the view. I would have thought that, for example, a savanna view room would have to have more points traded in than what we call a standard view room. Is that not the case when trading in via RCI?

Granted, I don't really know much about trading in but there are essentially around 10-15 room types and combinations for AK and they would all be different points for us. I would assume they would trade in somewhat accordingly.

 

[wench]

I've stayed at AKL once as a regular guest in a standard view room & once as DVC in a savannah view room. Truth be told, there wasn't a huge difference in my experience. The animals normally stay pretty far back from the building, so even when we did see them from the room, it wasn't the best view. And we wouldn't normally spend more than a couple minutes looking even when they were there. Plus, we spent most of our daylight hours, when you could get the best views, in the theme parks.

If I were you, I would go for it & just let it be a nice bonus if you get the savannah view. Most DVC resorts are booked pretty solid for October because of F&W. So, if you were to try & wait for another opportunity, you might not get anything. All in all, AKL is a gorgeous resort & there are plenty of common areas where you can stop to see the animals that often allow for a better view than many of the rooms. I'm not sure you can go wrong with a stay at AKL, regardless of the room view.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

I've stayed at AKL once as a regular guest in a standard view room & once as DVC in a savannah view room. Truth be told, there wasn't a huge difference in my experience. The animals normally stay pretty far back from the building, so even when we did see them from the room, it wasn't the best view. And we wouldn't normally spend more than a couple minutes looking even when they were there. Plus, we spent most of our daylight hours, when you could get the best views, in the theme parks.

If I were you, I would go for it & just let it be a nice bonus if you get the savannah view. Most DVC resorts are booked pretty solid for October because of F&W. So, if you were to try & wait for another opportunity, you might not get anything. All in all, AKL is a gorgeous resort & there are plenty of common areas where you can stop to see the animals that often allow for a better view than many of the rooms. I'm not sure you can go wrong with a stay at AKL, regardless of the room view.

We own there. Very well said.

 

[bwvBound]

If I were you, I would go for it & just let it be a nice bonus if you get the savannah view. Most DVC resorts are booked pretty solid for October because of F&W. So, if you were to try & wait for another opportunity, you might not get anything. All in all, AKL is a gorgeous resort & there are plenty of common areas where you can stop to see the animals that often allow for a better view than many of the rooms. I'm not sure you can go wrong with a stay at AKL, regardless of the room view.

Ditto!

I've seen reports on the Timeshare User's Group forum (TUG) of folks receiving the savannah view on inbound trade. Let's say that as far as trading in is concerned, getting a Savannah view at AKV via RCI is far, far more common than getting a Boardwalk view at BWV.

Sorry that I can't report from experience ... all of my inbound DVC trades through RCI have been to BWV (10?) and Vero Beach (1). I'm sure you'll have a great time independent of the specific view.

 

[3 Hobbits 2 Disney]

So having been at Kidani 2BR with a savannah view, I have to say that while it was nice, we loved the views from the Library and fire pit area as much. It is a lovely resort WITH REALLY LONG hallways. If you want AKL, book it Dan-o!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[dbs1228]

We got AKV on a trade recently and it was a Savanna view room and that was for Presidents week! I am a balcony dweller so Savanna view was important and we had a great view. Saw all kinds of animals from our balcony every day great views of them right in front of us. Loved watching the Giraffes! I hope you took it!

 

[Dean]

I know you have no way of knowing for sure, but I have a situation I could really use some help on! So I traded in our timeshare to trade into RCI so that we could trade for DVC. We have 39 tpu's and was offered a 1 bedroom at the Animal Kingdom Villas for the last week of October. Here in lies the problem. I confirmed it and have til 8 pm tonight to accept it. I called RCI today to ask them what type of view the room is. They told me to call DVC members services and they told me they won't know for about a week what room we would have until RCI sends them our confirmation. So now I am in a pickle. Do i blindly take this room and hope that I get a savannah view or get stuck with a parking lot view??? Any thoughts or insight would be helpful

I'm presuming you took it. DVC won't know until they get the info back from RCI, likely next Tuesday. RCI should be able to give you enough info that you can figure out savannah view vs standard but not likely which building (most are Kidani). I'd say it's about 50/50 standard vs savannah or a little over in favor of savannah. I hope you took it, I sure would have in this situation.

 

[jjj444]

We did take it!! We figured it's a little of a gamble, but we like to gamble so let it roll!! Either way you slice it it's a beautiful resort and if we were to book it out right we would never had paid as much as they go for. i will keep you all posted on what type of room view we get. Thanks for the comments

 

[WilsonFlyer]

I'm presuming you took it. DVC won't know until they get the info back from RCI, likely next Tuesday. RCI should be able to give you enough info that you can figure out savannah view vs standard but not likely which building (most are Kidani). I'd say it's about 50/50 standard vs savannah or a little over in favor of savannah. I hope you took it, I sure would have in this situation.

Hey Dean. You were one of the ones I was hoping would chime in. Don't they get to specify rooms coming in? It sounds like maybe they get to specify size but that's it (no "view"). Is that the way it works?

 

[Dean]

Hey Dean. You were one of the ones I was hoping would chime in. Don't they get to specify rooms coming in? It sounds like maybe they get to specify size but that's it (no "view"). Is that the way it works?

First the disclaimer that DVC could do essentially anything they wanted in terms of unit assignment including downgrading view. That said, the way it's worked for some time is they give EXACTLY the booking category that was reserved initially and given to RCI just like you or I booked it directly. If it was a Kidani standard view 2 BR dedicated, that's what you'll get. My experience suggests Kidani is about all they deposit but that it's pretty evenly spread between standard and savannah view possibly slanted slightly to savannah view. For RCI weeks they tend to get a code that will tell you the view type but RCI points doesn't get the same information. I have been able to get RCI to give me a longer cancelation window when I had multiple rooms to make sure they were all in the same building but that was before it was evident to me that it's almost always Kidani. I doubt they'd do the same on view type due to the fact view is not guaranteed, RCI doesn't even track view info. The good news for exchanges (and bad for members) is that as an exchanger you have just as good a chance of getting a request as a DVC member and even an owner there.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Gotcha, Dean. Thanks.

 

[mkarizona]

The OP traded tpu, so weeks. That means the confirmation letter from RCI should have the code following the word "unit." The first two characters are the size of the unit, the next three are the view, and the last two are the check in day. For example: 1BSTDSU is a 1 bedroom with a standard view and a Sunday check in.