Disney Vacation Club or Hilton Grand Vacations?

[JesNJakesMom]

I asked this question on the Community Board and they told me to post here for better responses.

We are going to be doing a Hilton Grand Vacation Club presentation on our next trip and wondered if anyone here was a member? Obviously we'll have lots of Disney Vacation Club info. but I'm looking for reasons to choose one over the other?

Any info I can find would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks.

 

[palmtreegirl]

One I thought of is that if you are going to be using the club for mostly Disney and want to stay on property I've heard it's almost impossible to trade into DVC from another timeshare.

If you don't mind staying off-site then that really doesn't matter I guess.

Hopefully someone else can help you out on this one!

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Hi, JesNJakesMom. I agree with palmtreegirl. If Disney will be your main destination, than there is no substitute for DVC. If you want to visit a variety of places over the next many years, there are better options. I don't know anything about the Hilton program specifically.
Another option may be to buy a small amount of DVC points, and with banking and borrowing you can go use DVC for WDW every two or three years. Then you could also buy something else for other destinations.

Good luck....

MG

 

[TnRobin]

I concur with the others, if Disney is going to be you destination most of the time, DVC is the best. If not, I would look into other timeshares.

 

[phyllisnnj]

Try Timeshare User Group for info on HGVC. It's only $15 to join TUG to find about the other timeshares. However I would look here for your answers regarding DVC.

Here's a summary from the advice page. The fees for Club Season and Open Season reservations have gone up but the basic concept is covered here.

http://www.tug2.net/advice/hgvc.htm

Disney is associated with II (better timeshares) and HGVC is associated with RCI

Similar to DVC, HGVC is a point based system. You can stay any number of nights (2 night minimum). You have the same types of reservation rules - home resort can be booked earlier than non-home resort. But the point system is not as flexible as Disney.

There are four types of HGVC weeks (similar to DVC Dream Seasons, Magic, Choice, etc)
- Platinum
- Gold
- Silver (not available in all locations)
- Bronze (not available in all locations)

For HGVC, all points are the same value - a 2 bedroom standard view Gold week in Orlando is the same number of points as a 2 bedroom standard view Gold week in Hawaii. Not all HGVC locations have different views. Maintenance fees and the dates asociated with the types of week (ie. Platinum week) vary depending on location.
For example January is considered low season in Las Vegas therefore the first four weeks in Las Vegas is considered Silver Week however in other locations such as Hawaii January is considered high season (Platinum Week)

There are basically three Reservation Seasons (somewhat similar to DVC 11 month and 7 month window) :
-Home Resort Season (15 months to 9 months)
-Club Season (9 months to 31 days)
-Open Season (30 days to 1 day prior to check-in)

Here are some of the main differences that come to mind:
(1) Your initial points are based on a unit size and type of week. Your home resort resevation window is based on this unit size and season.
For example if you own one week in a two bedroom during gold season this is the only type of unit and season you can reserve during the home resort window and it must be reserved for the full week (no reservation fee incurred - HGVC's incentive for members to book early)

(2) During Club Season you can reserve any size unit for 3+ nights. HGVC has a $49 non-refundable fee for reservations made during Club Season window.
For example if you own a two bedroom during gold season but you waited to reserve 3 months before check-in (beyond the home resort window) you will be subjected to the $49 fee.

(3) During Open Season you have a two night minimum. You can use points or open season member only rental rates which are great if you can find availability. If you use points, you are subjected to the $49 non-refundable reservation fee.
For example: Open Season Rental Rate for a two bedroom standard view is $100/night Sun-Thurs and $120/night Sat & Sun

Additional Fees:
$85 Annual Club Dues
$69 Banking fee
No fee for Borrowing
$69 Club Partner Perks (for example Hilton Hotel, Cruise, etc)
$49 Guest Confirmation Fee
$139/ $179 RCI Domestic/International Fee

**DVC has no fees for disney resort reservations (fees are built into the DVC maintenance fee).

Similiar to DVC, the HGVC Club Partner Perks is not the best usage of points

I'm currently a HGVC owner and a soon to be DVC owner. I'm only planning to go to WDW every 2 or 3 years and when I do, I can use a combination of DVC & HGVC during my trip.

I hope this helps.

 

[kathyseb]

I can offer a little insight. We did the opposite. We went to the Hilton presentation first. The guide we were dealing with was down right rude. Their motto is to not waste your time and be honest. Trust me, that was not the case. It was everything we could do to get out of the place. We did not want to walk out as they had promised us a $90.00 gift card to a number of restaurants, plus we ACTUALLY paid them a $30.00 deposit when we agreed to attend the presentation the next day. They would not pick us up, so we had to find our own way over there, which we got lost. After telling us time and time again that the only way they did business was to insist you sign that day, we finally had enough.
Then the hard sale person came in to the room and offered to let us think about it for a week, buy a reduced number of points, etc. We walked
We got our gift card and our deposit back.
BUT, what it made us realize was we could afford DVC. We made an appt with Disney that afternoon. The first thing we were told was they do not expect you to sign tht day. Take the material home and think about it. We were sold at that point!!
Bought 313 points at SSR, first trip in Sept.

 

[jkfreeman33]

We have our timeshare with DVC and I really love it. However, if you are planning on going to Hawaii, we stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, Lagoon Tower, which is their timeshare tower. It was very nice!! I was sorry we couldn't trade the week. I did get a great price on a one bedroom unit at $275.00 a night. The one bedroom usually goes for $508.00 per night. I booked thru Travelweb.com. Still love Disney.

 

[nezy]

While I am not familiar w/HGVC's program, I know that the DVC is the most flexible. I have used our points for one and two night stays without much advanced notice. For example, last Dec. I called Member Services on 12/28 or 12/29 and I booked i night at Vero for 12/31. IT WAS AWESOME. We have also done the same type of short notice to book The Sagamore and The Shelbourne Murry Hill in NYC.

In addition to the flexibility and great quality, I refuse to give Hilton any money to support the exploits of Paris!

 

[phyllisnnj]

I've added more info about HGVC to my original posting - see above

Note: If you decide on HGVC, don't buy directly from HGVC. Buy a HGVC resale. Just like DVC you don't lose any member benefits by buying resale. The only thing you will miss are any developer incentives (such as HHonor Points, Financing, etc).

Based on the Timeshare User Group BBS (www.Tug2.net) HGVC has just started to randomly exercise ROFR on some resales but not quite to the level that DVC has done.

If you have other HGVC questions please feel free to PM me.

Good Luck

 

[walt gestalt]

I don't know if you're still reading these replies, but we have a unique perspective on this discussion. Last Thanksgiving, we spent a week with the inlaws at the HGVC Orlando, followed by a week at our WLV.

The Hilton resort was very nice, and very large. We shared a three bedroom suite. Kitchen was nice and large, and the master bath had a beautiful jacuzzi tub. Location is handy if you're doing SW and US/IOA, as well as other attractions.

That being said, HGVC did not compare to WLV for "Magic." As most people on this board will tell you (and you might already know this yourself), there's just no substitute for staying on Disney property. That will be especially true for your kids. When you leave the parks every day, you find that same great feeling and atmosphere waiting for you at your resort. We own at WLV, but the new SSR looks pretty specacular, and it's in a fabulous location.

People have different tastes, and I can't tell you which you would like best, but--just my two cents here-- DVC is special.

 

[Doug Wolfe]

My friends have HGVC. I have DVC.

They love HGVC. My issues with HGVC when I look at it are the fee's, so nicely outlined by phyllisnnj. They are also locked into going certain times of the year.

I love DVC's flexibility. I go when I want to go.

However, if I did not own DVC, I would own either HGVC, or in the Marriott time share program.

 

[laceemouse]

Gracey has the best idea. We own another TS which we trade through RCI (no complaints here) to go other places and see the country. We bought a small amount of DVC points because when we go to Disney we prefer to stay onsite. I would definitely look into resales and skip the hard sell presentation. On a side note, prior to buying DVC we stayed at HGVC in Orlando through a trade and I must say it was GORGEOUS!!!! Also, RCI incudes Fairfield and they are building the Bonnett Creeek resort super close to Disney. Good luck in your decision.

 

[phyllisnnj]

Originally posted by Doug Wolfe
My friends have HGVC. I have DVC.

They love HGVC. My issues with HGVC when I look at it are the fee's, so nicely outlined by phyllisnnj. They are also locked into going certain times of the year.

I love DVC's flexibility. I go when I want to go.

However, if I did not own DVC, I would own either HGVC, or in the Marriott time share program.

FYI.... HGVC members are not locked into going certain times of year.

During Club and Open Season HGVC members can use their points for any size unit anytime of the year but the HGVC member will incur a $49 fee as stated above.

It is similiar to DVC, if you bought enough points to always go to BCV for a week during Choice Season, you can still go to WDW during the other Seasons but you will not have enough points for a full week depending on the season.

 

[missyndda]

My parents and sister have HGVC with home resort of Hilton Hawaiian Village and my husband and I have DVC with home resort of BWV. Hubbie and I chose DVC because we tend to go to Disney as least once a year. (It has special meaning to us since he proposed in front of Cinderella's castle.) My mom chose Hilton Hawaiian Village for its location (Waikiki is prime real estate and there is no beachfront land left there.) I have been through HGVC presentation and it was higher pressure compared to DVC.

I have stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and Fiesta Americana Los Cabos through HGVC and both were fantastic.

I would say that it depends on whether staying on property at Disney is important to you and how often you plan to visit Disney. If yes and frequently are your answers, pick DVC.

 

[MDonley]

We own at both OKW and HGVC SW. HGVC doesn't have that 2042/2054 stuff going for it. If you buy into it, you can pass it on in a will or whatever. Wasn't a issue for me, since by the time 2042 rolls around, I'll be the one that's "Goofy". LOL
We'll be at HGVC next week ... they offer cheap rides to SW, IOA/US, but you're on your own for WDW to get transportation. You'll also find that at DVC, you have early entry to the parks on certain days (not so w/ HGVC) ... which also means that you can go "home" for a quick bite or a nap (great for the little ones).
We've had good and bad experiences with both. Hilton had problems finding us a place in England because most of the RCI places "weren't up to their standards" .... our trip to Las Vegas Flamingo was a blast. HGVC doesn't clean the smoke smell out of their non-smoking rooms that well either. Our trips to OKW have been memorable too. Slower bus service, waiting for a bus after the EPCOT fireworks even while other resorts have had 3 busses come and go. Carrying luggage up 3 flights of stairs. Even a bad South Pointe pool experience where DS and I were diving for something that we'd toss in the pool. We had a family that brought a kid that decided to empty his diaper in the pool. Imagine our surprise! Love getting into the parks early though

 

[JesNJakesMom]

Thank you to everyone, your response has really helped, (I think). We've stayed both on-site and off and our kids don't really care as long as there is a pool/jacuzzi to go back to. Right now we are doing Disney almost every year but that will change (We'll never give it up!) just won't go as often in the comming years. That is why we were considering HGVC.

The idea of buying a few DVC points and banking them for two or three years and using them for Disney and our points from HGVC for our other vacation years might just be the ticket.? We'll have to see how things go, I guess.

You've all be so wonderful, I worried about posting this 'cuz I didn't want to get flamed about considering a non-Disney property. Thank you all, I'll be reviewing your notes before our trip so I can be a "well-informed" purchaser.

Thank you!