Comparing DVC & Marriot villas

[igitur]

We recently received an invitation to tour the Grande Vista (and I do hear that the tour is very low pressure) and we receive a 5 day/4 night stay there for $199. I thought it sounded like a pretty good deal so we're going to tack that onto our next DVC vacation, probably next February. It'll give us a chance to check it out as well as an extended warm weather vacation.

Deb

 

[LoveToDisney]

Originally posted by spiceycat
the studio has a king bed and queen sleeping sofa - which DVC would go this route

I agree!!!! Not sure why they opted for just a Queen bed and not a King.

 

[jmatias]

Hi Geubux,

We did trade our Marriott Kauai in 2002 for OKW and had a blast.

This June we also will be at BWV ( via II trade) in a studio after our Grande Vista weeks.

DH says lets just trade in when we want to go. I say I want to own DVC and not have to worry about a trade.

We'll see how things go this June and hopefully DH will start to feel the "magic" also

 

[Cruelladeville]

I also received the letter from GV saying I could stay for $199, which interested me, considered I own at Cypress Harbour I called and asked to tour Horizons, and was refused!!! I was told that I didn't qualify for Horizons based on my income--I earn too much! They would show me the resort, but I couldn't stay at any Marriott for $199 if I wanted to tour Horizons

 

[Nanax3]

We stayed at the Marriott Horizons. (which is across the street from Cypress Harbour) for a week while I was taking a class in Orlando. The beds in all the Marriott hotels are Jamison mattresses which are extremely comfortable. They have down comforters and pillows which I love. The rooms were spotless with big balconies, and the resort was very nice with lakefront rooms. The rooms were large, about the size of a DVC two bedroom, witht he exception of OKW which was a little bigger.


I believe I booked it through Expedia for 139.00 per night. You may want to check their prices.

They had the two resorts you mentioned for the same price I paid per night in November. 2003.


To me these were the only things better than Disney and we left one day early to stay at the BWV.

 

[MulanMom]

Seems when I stay off property, I'm attracted to Marriott Vacation Club sites. As others have said, the Marriott Grand Vista is a lovely property and comparable to DVC OKW. I think the decorating is actually a bit plusher than OKW.

I'm also planning a trip during thanksgiving and looking at the Marriott properties. The rate you state, 239/night, sounds like rack rate for a 2 bdr. If you are a member of AAA, there may be some discounted rooms, although none seem to come up for Grand Vista. Marriott Grand Vista also has some special packages involving either Sea World tix or Disney tix without the requirement of attending a timeshare presentation.

HTH!

 

[normr]

We own @ OKW but thinking of maybe selling it and buying Marriott since it is for life and seems very interesting, are we making a mistake?

It's just lately when we've been @ the parks, once we get in there, we don't feel like doing the rides again for the millionth time or it seems like there is nothing new to do (maybe we're just Disneyed out since we live in Florida).

 

[nezy]

This thread really interests me.
We have owned DVC for 5 years and every yr. agree it is the best thing we ever did. A few yrs. ago we toured CH and were impressed w/Marriott's program but since we just had DVC we knew we could not do both. However, DH really di want to and it was in the back of his mind.

Last month we went again to CH. We rec'd one of those offers to tour GV-4nts/5days for $199. We were scheduled to tour at GV but were staying at CH. We really liked CH and we ended up buying a resale there.

The kids liked the activities and the kids programs. The property is beautiful. I was told that they are re doing the rooms-some are completed, others not yet, but soon. The entire staff were great! Very nice and good w/the kids.

The 2nd BR is much smaller. The entire room(apartment) is quite large and bright and airy. We really liked itand trust the Marriott name.However, it did not have the "Magic" of our DVC resorts. It is nothing I can even point to-but just say the "Disney Magic".

Now we have both. I do think DVC is much more flexible. I have called up a day before and been ablt to get accomadations thru. DVC reort as well as Concierge Collection on very short notice.

I am very new to Marriott and look forward to some advice from othere like Joeblack and Dean who have experience w/ both.

As far the OP, it is wiorth the stay at CH. I cannot speak of GV, never went there. I can say I did not like Horizons when I went on a run one day.

 

[LoveToDisney]

Originally posted by normr
We own @ OKW but thinking of maybe selling it and buying Marriott since it is for life and seems very interesting, are we making a mistake?

Rather than selling, why don't you take advantage of exchanging through Interval...you can choose from so many places and with Disney as your resort you can pretty much choose from anywhere Interval has available. Once you get tired of going elsewhere, you can return to Disney and still have priority digs to stay in!

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by LoveToDisney
Rather than selling, why don't you take advantage of exchanging through Interval...you can choose from so many places and with Disney as your resort you can pretty much choose from anywhere Interval has available. Once you get tired of going elsewhere, you can return to Disney and still have priority digs to stay in!

Selling and buying Marriott would be much cheaper in the long run than this method. Of course MVCI and DVC complement each other nicely. One should spend 6 months and get educated before making a commitment to Marriott. Then buy resale, the difference is somewhat more than with DVC. Don't fall for their points program, the value is minimal in the long run.

 

[joepoe]

Originally posted by SleepyatDVC
I totally agree with KANSAS and LoveToDisney. I have stayed at both Marriotts. The units in both were nicer and more spacious than even OKW. BUT they're not Disney, of course.

...
Good luck with your decision.

They are nice, but I wouldn't go that far. OKW is a little bigger and the furniture at OKW is much nicer. Some of the tables at Grand Vista were cheap fiber board with fabric draped over.

One other thing that bugged me about Grand Vista is there is no light fixture in the shower/commode room except a dim one above the shower. I like to read on the throne.

 

[joepoe]

Originally posted by Dean
Selling and buying Marriott would be much cheaper in the long run than this method....Don't fall for their points program, the value is minimal in the long run.

Why is the points program value minimal in the long run?

 

[GoForLife]

We are currently staying at the Cypress Harbour. The Grand Vista is much better. We have stayed at all Marriotts in the area.

We also own at Marriott Sabel Palms and at DVC - SS, VB, BC

With our experience I would stay at the Vista over the Cypress

Russ

 

[Joeblack]

quote:
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Originally posted by Dean
Selling and buying Marriott would be much cheaper in the long run than this method....Don't fall for their points program, the value is minimal in the long run.
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I don't agree completely on this with Dean. It depends on how you spend the rewards points. For instance, my 2 weeks in Ocean Pointe give me 220.000 points a year. With them, I could get 2 tickets and one week at Rio de Janeiro's Marriott. The value of this would be $3350. Also, if I plan ahead, I could get (with 270.000 points) s tickets and 7 nights at Marriott Champs Elysees in Paris or THe ROme Marriott. Value of this would be around $5500. Is it good value or not? I think it is uless you can get more than that by renting your 2 weeks (which is unlikely IMHO). Of course if you choose to use your points for renting cars, buying stuff or staying single nights in Marriott hotels, the value is decreased substantially.

I agree with Dean's statement, however, in the sense that you can get way better value if you exchange your Marriott property for another property with a higher value through II. FOr example, I exchangedmy 2 weeks this year for 2 summer weeks in Grande Ocean in HH. Now, Dean can correct me if I am wrong, but I am sure that the value of those 2 weeks at HH would be around $4500. Much better than having exchanged for rewards points, renting my 2 weeks or even using my own weeks at Ocean Pointe.

My sister got lucky last week, she has one Marriott week at Grande VIsta. She called II, requeste Aruba in the summer and she got a whole weet in July in Aruba's resort right then and there. Now, a week in Aruba's Marriot is waay more valuable than a week in Grande Vista (just a matter of supply and demand). It cost my sister nothing more than the $79 exchange fee. Needless to say, she's a happy camper.

Marriott is awesome for such exchanges. The rewards options is nice to have if you plan to use it wisely or if you simply cannot travel each year (the resards points never expire).

DVC is the best way to go for Disney lovers, Magic addicts and people who love themeing and convenience when visiting WDW.

 

[Dean]

I'll answer collectively. Marriott's points program is simply a FF mile program, no more and no less. One could invest $20,000 or more for the priviledge to convert a timeshare for points to stay at a hotel. Pay yearly fees plus a fee to convert to the points. All this to get roughly 100K points per year per week, depending on season and resort. Two weeks at say $40K per year plus yearly fees to get 200K points. Assuming one wanted to use points exclusively, the lost invome on the $40K plus the yearly dues and extra fees to convert would easily be $3500 to $4500 depending on property and assumptions. It could be more if one bought the higher end resorts and weeks, maybe a little less for resorts like Monarch. I'd value 200K points at no more than $3500. The Marriott valuation of $6K for 200K points is way over.

Of course, one needs to compare to what they would do with the points. The main time the numbers work out are in the specialty times like Joe posted above. Top resorts in top places that are very expensives for both the hotel and air fare. Still, one must remember that this program functions like a FF mile program with blackouts and limited availability. It's double the points for a guaranteed availability. It's nice to have options but overall Marriott's program is more of a frill than a perk. There are exceptions of course, especially for those who get a fair amount of points from other sources and the occasional points trade in gets them over the top consistently.

 

[Joeblack]

Great Analysis Dean. I agree with everything you said. Just one little correction. It takes 50% more rewards points to override blackout dates.

If you plan ahead and can get top notch destinations (amazingly last month they still had availability for a 7 night package in the Paris Champs Elysees Hotel for mid April 2004, probably due to the high exchange rate of the Euro), you can make the rewards program work out. It is also a helpful resource when you cannot travel or rent your weeks in a year. Other than that, just using your weeks or getting a good exchange are the best bang for your money.