DVC or other time share company

[TALB]

We are having a hard time deciding on which company to buy from. We originally thought DVC but after reading about the limited choices outside of WDW we are now hesitant. We feel that once the kids are a little older we will want to travel all over not just WDW. Does anyone belong to Marriot or Hilton? What made you buy into these? How do they compare to DVC? Any other companies you recommend checking out? Thanks for your feedback.

 

[RobDoc]

We are having a hard time deciding on which company to buy from. We originally thought DVC but after reading about the limited choices outside of WDW we are now hesitant. We feel that once the kids are a little older we will want to travel all over not just WDW. Does anyone belong to Marriot or Hilton? What made you buy into these? How do they compare to DVC? Any other companies you recommend checking out? Thanks for your feedback.

Some of the answer will depend on how you want to use any timeshare you purchase. If you will use it for Disney trips at least every couple of years, you may still want to consider a DVC contract purchased thru resale with an appropriate number of points for that plan.

If you are mainly interested in non-Disney travel, another timeshare would likely work better.

It might also serve you well to purchase both DVC and another less-costly timeshare for the best of both worlds.

Your can get some good advice by researching other timeshares at a site like Timeshare Uers Group ( www.tug2.net ) or Timesharing Today ( www.tstoday.com ). There are a number of good systems available - like Marriott, Hilton, BlueGreen and others - beyond the scope of this site devoted to DVC.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Muhlenberg]

Also, your vacations may change after the kids are gone, and you'll discover the wonderful world of WDW without kids. We visit more now that the kids are grown than we did before. We did our share of traveling other places while they were growing up, and now we've settled in with DVC.

That said...a little of each world, like Doc mentioned, might serve you well.

 

[Anthony1971]

We own DVC and I have been looking into Marriott at a Florida resort mainly for trade but I vacation in Florida so I would be fine there as well.
I like DVC as it seems to hold its value better than others --that can change--I also like that it is only for X amount of years were the others that I have looked at are lifetime. I do not know how my child will trun out and I would not want to leave something he may not want and if the resort is not taken care of it can become a liability that you can not give away. However it would seem that Marriott has a buyback clause in the contract -- at least this is what I was told. I would look on the sites listed above for more info.
I would like to buy another timeshare as well and I am starting to research it but I am in no rush as we will be going to Disney for a while and I am happy to pay cash eleswhere as it is a lot less frequent right now.
DVC does have a few off propery resorts you may wnat to look at and it seems they may be adding more but that can change--you only want to by DVC if you plan on staying at Disney at this point.

 

[dizfan]

Hopefully Dean will come along. After reading several of his posts, he's the one I would ask about non-DVC timeshares.

 

[Brian Noble]

You're asking a very good question. Unless you're pretty sure that you're going to be using it for the forseeable future, I'm not sure a DVC purchase makes sense.

If you are willing to "slum it" in one of the many wonderful off-site area resorts then buying into one of those systems resale is probably a better option. If only Disney will do for your WDW stays, just rent time from an owner. MouseSavers has a nice analysis of the "true costs" of DVC ownership, and if you are an infrequent visitor or only plan to visit for the next several years, it's probably a better idea to rent than to buy.

http://www.mousesavers.com/dvc.html#comparison

 

[BBG-BLT]

We own another timeshare (Mexico - Paradise Village). Its a beautiful place but with the 4 kids being so young its hard to get out there. We've traded it in the past few years and there's a fair amount of hidden costs and issues you should think about when buying somewhere you may not want to go each year.

1. To trade in you usually have to join RCI or II and pay yearly dues. I understand for Hilton etc you can stay within their family and may not have to pay that.
2. It is not easy to get the prime locations at the prime times. We requested a year in advnace for anything the month of July on the Atlantic shoreline and did not get it - that was about 15 resorts! We're going to have to settle for something in the off-season to not lost our 2BR deposit.
3. You have to pay to make a reservation if it is not your home resort (again RCI or II).

Just some things to consider. I bought into DVC because we LOVE Disney and know we're going to want to do a vacation a year there. I believe in the buy where you want to stay. I would not buy with the expectation that I can trade in for where I want to stay.

Good luck.

 

[littlestar]

Here's another reference website to help you do your research:

www.timeshareforums.com

We like the combination of DVC points (for at least a once a year stay on property at DVC) and an EOY (Every other year) lock-off 2 bedroom Marriott. We also own a 4th of July 2 bedroom lock-off week in the mountains (VRI managed) that is dual affiliated with RCI and Interval International (the top two exchange companies in the country).

By being members of both II (Interval) and RCI, we have access to their lost-cost cash inventory Getaways - we sometimes squeeze an off season trip in for as low as $219 a week in a one bedroom in Orlando in a gold crown resort by having access to those Getaways.

You really have to do your research and take your time because every family is different on what they like quality wise and where they like to travel. Different systems have different strengths for different areas.

Good luck with your research.

 

[Golden Rose]

We're DVC members as of about a year ago, but we're likely to buy another timeshare (probably Hilton or Marriott) in a few years. Right now, we have one small child and we're hopefully soon to have another (we're waiting to adopt). DVC makes a huge amount of sense for us. We were going to WDW every year, sometimes twice a year, because we have always loved spending time together there as a family. I have always really enjoyed it, so I know we'll continue to want to visit even after the kid/s grow less interested.

We bought DVC first because we were consistently going to WDW, we always stayed at deluxe resorts, and we often went with additional family members and so needed two rooms or a large suite. We bought enough points to get a two bedroom for a week at just about any resort in at least one season. In practice, we think we'll generally go for 5 or 6 days in a two bedroom and do a second smaller trip for a few nights. (We had double points this first year, so we've taken extra trips.)

Once the kid/s get older, we plan to do a lot more diverse vacations again. (I'm afraid the vacations I most enjoy with young children are cruises and Disney. Long plane flights with toddlers fill me such dread that it doesn't make for a relaxing vacation.) We love Hawaii, and so we think we'll either buy an every other year timeshare there or get enough points to do every 3 years at the DVC they are building there. We're not going to make that call yet, as we don't know what we'll think of the DVC at Ko'Olina and we don't know how it will compare in price to the timeshares already there. We like the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Waikiki, and my DM just stayed at the Marriott Ko'Olina and liked it pretty well. We know we could be reasonably happy with either of those options, but we are also tempted by the fact that with the Hawaii DVC, we'd be able to very easily use the points at WDW if we didn't feel up to the long flight some year.

We've also thought about buying something just to use as a trader. I've spent time reading over on TUG, which I really do recommend if you're weighing your options. We're holding off on buying anything else until we feel like we understand the ins and outs of the particular system, and until we're ready to drag young children to more exotic destinations.

Hopefully, Dean will chime in soon. He's generally got great advice.

 

[Dean]

We are having a hard time deciding on which company to buy from. We originally thought DVC but after reading about the limited choices outside of WDW we are now hesitant. We feel that once the kids are a little older we will want to travel all over not just WDW. Does anyone belong to Marriot or Hilton? What made you buy into these? How do they compare to DVC? Any other companies you recommend checking out? Thanks for your feedback.

As noted, the answer is, it depends. Variables include how you'll use it including a full week vs a few days, how much Orlando vs other places, whether staying on property is worth a lot more to you, etc. For one person, DVC would be perfect but not good for another and one of the other choices might be best for that person.

If you'll give us a break down of your usual party size, number of days you'd normally stay, where you like to go besides WDW, how flexible you are, the number of nights and trips a year you'd take, some idea of how much WDW vs how much non WDW and non Orlando; I think we can make more specific and better recommendations. The short answer is that you should ONLY buy DVC points for DVC stays that are not heavy on weekends. Do NOT buy DVC to exchange. Often buying DVC AND something else is the best choices for many.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

This is only somewhat related to timeshares...

After purchasing DVC, we started traveling more than once a year, and then noticed the great Annual Pass Rates. With APs, we can stay at POP for $64/nt.

Another thought...

Once you purchase DVC, and then either purchase APs or 10 day tickets with water parks to use for many years...you find that you are going to WDW for the price of food and transportation. Priceless

 

[mecllap]

I was just saying on another thread that I wish I'd discovered timesharing a long time ago -- but you have to exercise some caution and "buyer beware" with it. Check out http://tugbbs.com/forums/ ( http://www.tug2.net/ ) as well for lots more info -- it's a great resource.

DVC makes sense if you go to WDW at least every other year and want that type of accommodations.

The main advice is buy where you want to stay, and lots of folks now seem to prefer a points-based system (which DVC is, but it's not very cost effective for trading). DVC holds its resale value than many(most?) other systems.

It's a luxury purchase (not an investment) however you go about it, and a long-term commitment that is not easy to get out of. But timesharing is a great way to vacation, if you can afford it.

 

[jreed1920]

We own both DVC and Hilton Grand Vacation Club and love them both.

Love DVC, we have a 6 yr old with autism and Disney is just a magical place for her. We are able to travel off season because we have year round school so we can maximize point usage and staying on Disney property makes it so easy and fun.

HGVC we love for get togethers with family and to travel to other spots. The flexibility with HGVC is great and the ability to plan last minute travel. We have relatives all over the south and we have been able to use HGVC to get 3 bedroom villas in Orlando for family vacations which have been wonderful. We have also used points to stay at Hilton hotel properties all over.

Hope this helps!