DVC Hawaii Question

[PinkTink63]

We are East coasters who in the past have gone to HI once every 5 years for a 10 day stay. The trip is just too far & the airfare too expensive to go for anything less. The other reason we only go once every 5 years is that the accomodations are fairly expensive. We HAD high hopes when they first announced Ko'Olina but now that I've seen the point charts for BLT and VGC (or whatever that's called now) I have my doubts about actually buying there. I would've hoped it would make the trip more affordable...but I'm worried what the points will run and we may have to take our chances at 7 months.

We usually island hop and Oahu is tied with Kauai for our least fav. No, actually, Kauai would be our last choice and Oahu would be the runner up. We won't stay on Kauai but we will stay on Oahu. But Maui is our island of choice for the longest part of our stay. Oahu is a stop-over island for us and the Big Island falls somewhere inbetween. Oahu is usually where we start out for 2 or 3 nights. I can possibly see splitting the stay between 5 n on Oahu and then likely paying for a cash room somewhere on Maui for 5 n now that they've switched to RCI and have cut out all of the better choices there.

Sigh. With all that in mind...once the darned place is UP and running IF the point charts are reasonable and the reviews good...we MIGHT be persuaded to go more often than once every 5 years and we might stay on Oahu for a full week. There is still too much unknown about it yet. But the price point has to be MORE AFFORDABLE than vacationing on cash and the point charts have to be reasonable for us or we'll just skip Oahu altogether. If they think they're gonna charge as much as a trade out to the Grand Wailea they can forget it! Costco's got some great cash packages. I have a limit for what I think our points are worth using them for. I want to try it at least once...but I'm really worried that they've already priced us out.

It will be a much better value for West coasters & the Asian market. Honolulu is a BIG vacation spot for the Japanese. Even the announcements in the airport are in English and Japanese and the signage is often bilingual. That tells me that there will be a big Japanese fan base.

I'm still hoping for a miracle (that it will be affordable) but am losing faith in that idea rapidly.

What does affair usually run you from the east coast to Hawaii?

 

[Buckeye Fan]

But this is EXACTLY the issue. Everyone wants to "visit" No one wants to BUY! Anyone see an issue with this model?

We live in Columbus, OH, and I just priced airfare for 4 people the last two weeks of July. It's $674 per person. My tickets to Orlando are usually around $200 - $225 per person.

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

I'm a West Coaster... and don't own DVC yet. For us, the airfare to Orlando is the issue!! So we've only gone to Orlando every 5 years (although we're going again in '09 after our Magic cruise). We've done Hawaii several times, for less money. We can get to HI often cheaper and faster than a trip to Orlando. Ko Olina is on our radar as a DVC property we might actually want to buy. We could go there every other year, and every second or third year go to WDW. And still have some points to use for a couple nights here and there at VGC. We live fairly close to DL so more than a night or two's stay there would not be worth it to us. And using points for cruises (or renting them out to get money for cruises) is a huge selling point too, especially if DCL moves permanently to California.

We love Hawaii... stayed at Hilton Hawaiian Village, and Hilton Waikoloa Village. Awesome properties! I like the Big Island a little better than Oahu, but would happily stay there for 5 days and island hop to Maui or the Big Island for a few more days OOP. We bought a "trial" timeshare at HHV, and ended up getting them to refund our money because we were unable to even get a studio room there, even though we'd bought points for a 2 bedroom. It was that booked, all the time, at the "home" resort. We were very unhappy with Hilton in that regard. It seems that DVC is superior in members actually getting accomodations. We've also stayed at Marriot Newport Coast, which was fantastic. But while I enjoyed staying there, I don't want to buy so close to home, kwim? Marriott had a NO pressure sales pitch which was really refreshing.

So I guess I am a non-DVC owner, who maybe is the target demographic for Ko Olina. Depends of course on the cost!

 

[disneydawn6]

I live on the West Coast and I see lots of people out here wanting to buy. The flights are a little more to Hawaii then Orlando but I could see myself buying points there for every other year... I could see lots of people buying in at Disneyland. With two new cruise ships being built I also see a cruise ship coming our way permanently. How would a cruise from DL to their property on Hawaii sound??? I could see this kind of marketing helping their sales. Especially since half(?) of the rooms will be cash and half DVC.. Maybe they could have some cruises from DL to Ensenada (since they have to go to a foreign country and then on to Hawaii where they drop off passengers for an allotted amount of days and then take the passengers that have already been staying back to DL? Then repeat, I like the idea... Also the cruise ships and Hawaii will be arriving around the same time. That would be a great way to market both things- a win win situation.

 

[PinkTink63]

We live in Columbus, OH, and I just priced airfare for 4 people the last two weeks of July. It's $674 per person. My tickets to Orlando are usually around $200 - $225 per person.

$674 It really depends on the time of year for us, or anyone, for that matter! I have been there twice and the last time I went I paid $334 from PDX to HI and that was in Feb. I did check on prices around the holidays and spring break before and it was around $1000/person! One thing about HI also is lodging seems to be pretty pricey!

We have never paid more than $285 RT to Orlando, and usually less than that, but we always go in the summer. We can usually get a better deal going to Orlando than even Southern CA.

 

[Dean]

Hee! true! I will say that I personally don't want to buy any timeshare in HI. But then I guess the bottom line is that if I'm not buying, I'm not buying. Thus there is no sale.

It doest occur to me that something like this could be an excellent "trader" since so many people want to visit.

With the current DVC model of trading it doesn't matter. You get no more benefit trading HI than you would HH off season, it's the number of points that are the reference. Now if DVC members were allowed to trade DVC directly with RCI WEEKS or II, that would change. But given the DVC model it doesn't matter and with RCI points, it still only determines the number of points you get.

I think you would see more banking and borrowing for HI if they keep that in place. Being from the east cost it is easy and pretty cheap to hop on a plane or drive down to FL for a couple of day stay once or twice a year. With HI I think you would see longer but less frequent trips. I plan to add on there if I can as long as I can still bank and borrow and then go every 3 years or so.

As noted, DVC can't sustain this model on add ons for every 3 years or those that want to trade to WDW .

What does affair usually run you from the east coast to Hawaii?

In my neck of the woods, affair usually costs you about half your stuff. Air fare is much cheaper no matter how high it is. (sorry, couldn't resist). Air to HI is often in the $800-1200 range from the east unless you can get it from a gateway city,.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

What does affair usually run you from the east coast to Hawaii?

'Pends on if the wife catches me or not.

 

[chalee94]

It doest occur to me that something like this could be an excellent "trader" since so many people want to visit.

i'd agree with dean on this. and with the maintenance fees most likely being in the stratosphere, people would only want to buy there in order to stay there, as trading will most likely always be a trade down in value (and with RCI, perhaps a long way down).

 

[tjkraz]

The "who will buy" question is tough for any of us to answer since we all have our own bias. Personally I couldn't imagine buying into Vero or HHI either....but other people have. So obviously my own personal tastes aren't mirrored by every DVC member out there.

Above all, I think this Hawaii project is going to be the defining resort in the future of Disney Vacation Club. This is the one resort that will determine whether DVC has any chance to be a global, non-theme park timeshare system.

Despite the logistical issues involved in getting to the island, Hawaii is a premier vacation destination. This is perhaps the most desirable non theme park location Disney could have chosen to build at. And if Disney--well, DVC to be exact--can make this one work, then it will set the table for future expansion. But if it takes another 10+ years to sell all of the points here, it will be time for DVC to reevaluate its future. If they can't make a Hawaii resort work, no sense in trying Tahoe or Vegas or any of these other niche destinations that have been discussed. Leave those to the big boys.

Although it's a combined timeshare / resort hotel, sales of the timeshare units will pay for the project. And then some. The main question is whether it will take 5 years, 10 years or 20 years to sell all of the points. A longer sell-out means more sales expenses and that speaks to the profitability of the resort. If Hawaii isn't profitable enough, they won't bother trying to expand elsewhere.

 

[DisFlan]

I wonder if this project is going to be delayed with the economic turn-down. I've heard that the three person group at Disney looking at these new offsite resorts is being disbanded for the time being.

I also wondered if we'd be hearing something like this. Has the Hawaii DVC actually started any type of construction at this point? Or is it still in the "moving dirt around" stage?

Personally, I prefer to have a Disney park with my DVC. That's why we bought what we bought in the first place - prepaid, on site accommodations for our WDW trips.

Hawaii has a TON of other attractive options. A DVC there won't have the protected allure of parks or the draw of staying "on site". It'll be on the same footing and competing with many (many) resorts that are as good - or better. I'm not sure the Disney name will be enough to make it a stand out destination in this market.


DisFlan

 

[msteddom]

I'm with the PP, if I buy Disney then I want a theme park there! I'm on the west coast, and a Hawaii DVC just doesn't hold much appeal for me.


Melissa

 

[DVCGeek]

Personally, I prefer to have a Disney park with my DVC. That's why we bought what we bought in the first place

Same here. DW & I are thinking about a night or two in Vero & HH just to try them, but it will probably only happen ONCE and I definitely wouldn't add-on at either. Especially not with Vero those dues! My favorite vacation style is going out and seeing or doing things; theme parks, museums, SCUBA diving... Sitting on board a cruise ship or parking myself in a single resort for more than a day or two would leave me stir crazy!

If and when HI opens I'd be interested in flying down, spending several nights at a dedicated SCUBA resort. Alternate dive days and sightseeing on land. Then during my no-fly deco. period spend ~2 nights at DVC to check it out.

 

[phyllisnnj]

It will be interesting...

One of the things that I love about DVC is their flexible reservation system. I think this will work in DVC's favor.
(1) Any number of nights in any type of unit and view (not a week based system)
(2) Equal access for all owners at the 11 month and 7 month window (no tiered reservation system)
(3) Banking and Borrowing (ultimate flexibility to skip years when you want)
(4) Transfer of points between members (ability to exchange points in or out of your account for those rare times when you have too many or too few points)

Also the ability to add on in small increments of 25 points is another very flexible and popular feature.

I guess the point requirements, price per point and overall unit design will determine DVC's success. The Marriott Vacation Club next door looks very nice. I would hope that DVC would at least offer the same spacious room size and upscale design to be competitive.

Here's a link to the Marriott Vacation Club at Ko Olina - http://www.timeshares.marriott-vaca...brochures/koolina/villa-amenities.jsp?ref=yes

Here are some additional photos of the Marriott resort and villas (not mine)
http://www.vacationlovers.net/oahu/oahu_hawaii_01.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Location..._Ko_Olina_Beach_Club-Kapolei_Oahu_Hawaii.html

 

[PrincessDuck]

This is what my husband and I are hoping to do. I don't see us going all the way out there every year, but every 2 or 3 years would be awsome!!

Also would like to add that we have stayed at the Marriot resort and it is really nice, but the rooms were comparable in size. I think that some features were a bit more upgraded, but that seems to be the way that DVC is trending now. I think that it may really be a comparable product!!!
Oh! and Marriot really needs to replace the sofa beds. I walked funny from sleeping on that thing!

I think you would see more banking and borrowing for HI if they keep that in place. Being from the east cost it is easy and pretty cheap to hop on a plane or drive down to FL for a couple of day stay once or twice a year. With HI I think you would see longer but less frequent trips. I plan to add on there if I can as long as I can still bank and borrow and then go every 3 years or so.

 

[ACDSNY]

What does affair usually run you from the east coast to Hawaii?

'Pends on if the wife catches me or not.

I saw this last night and wondered who would be the first to take the bait. Yes it could be very expensive if you get caught.

As a west coast owner I'm like bethy, I'll want to visit every few years, but I doubt I'll buy. I'd have to sell SSR or AKV in order to buy.

I loved our exchange to the Marriott Waiohai and have been watching the prices for an EOY, but I seem to have my hands full at the moment with our DVC. Maybe someday...

 

[gtrain219]

We don't live on the west coast but close (Idaho) we are interested in HI not every year but every few years (just like we are in BLT). Althought it is a few years out we could see ourselves buying in.

 

[Anal Annie]

In my neck of the woods, affair usually costs you about half your stuff. Air fare is much cheaper no matter how high it is. (sorry, couldn't resist). Air to HI is often in the $800-1200 range from the east unless you can get it from a gateway city,.

Good one!

I was going to say probably about $1,000 as an average amount. I priced air as an add-on with a Costco pkg. a couple years ago and it was just under $800 for the package air. Costco will only sell air if you book accomodations with them tho.

For our last trip we ended up converting Amex Rewards points to Delta Skymiles and were able to cover all 3 of our flights that way. At the time, I priced the Delta tix and they were running between $1,100-1,200 each so it was a hefty savings. However, it DID use a LOT of Skymiles. I like the Delta connections best from our area. We usually either connect thru Atlanta or Salt Lake City and can find the shortest overall flight durations that way (between 12-13 hours total travel time). I am VERY picky about the total time involved and if you don't watch you can end up with too many x-fers or long layovers and it will take you 15-17 hours each way. We have also used American thru Dallas with some success. My worst flights ever for our HI trips were all on United. Won't book them to HI again.

If I was going to book on cash I would probably set up some fare alerts on kayak.com and watch for a bargain to pop up & be ready to grab it. We are saving up Reward Points and miles on our credit card tho to hopfully be able to cover our next trip in 2011. Should have enough of one or the other saved up by then to cover our flights again.

 

[JasonDVC]

While I will not buy in to HI, I am hoping to get something at a 7 month window. I may only go to HI once ever so it won't be worth it for me to buy there. I will try at some point to get in at 7 months. I'm not worried about it, I don't see having any problems at 7 months.

 

[kerickson]

Similar to a previous poster, HI DVC appeals to me due to Disney's reputation of their kids and family programs. While it is easy to make your own fun in Hawaii, experiencing the Disney touch will make it worth a trip every few years. Same reason we are paying extra for a Disney cruise this year vs another line.

Ideally I'd like to stay a few nights at the HI DVC then a few nights on another island. I'm actually looking forward to a DVC property that doesn't require the extra cost of park tickets, but we'll end up spending that on airfare since SWA doesn't fly there...

Not planning on buying points. I chose VGC instead as I think I'll be able to reserve at 7mo due to the planned size and year round appeal. VGC will probably be a high demand resort for many of the HI owners, so I can also trade points if I want to book during a busy season and need the 11mo advantage.

 

[lapeter]

We live on Maui and fly to West and East coast all the time. We fly United and I am currently seeing the lowest fares within 30 days of departure. We will buy our tickets 3 to 9 months out and watch the website for airfare changes. With United, if the fare goes down, they will let you rebook and get a credit good for 12 months. We went to the World in Jan. and original tickets from Maui were $1200 each. about 45 days out the fares went to $700 and we got a voucher for $500 each. Right now we are looking to go to NYC in April. Tickets are $700. If I went to NYC in Mar. I can get tickets for $450 RT. That's cheap!!! I am hopping in a couple of weeks that I can get that same fare for April. You can get low fares to Hawaii, but it takes a little effort. Come visit Maui, the economy here is hurting.