DVC question - hope this is the right place :)

[Sugar Jones]

My brother and sister in law just bought a timeshare while they were in Las Vegas. At first I was like meh, big deal. However she informed me that they have access to Disney DVC villas. Could this possibly be true???

And how does that work? I thought you had buy directly with Disney DVC. I believe they bought with Worldmark?

She hasn't got her login for her timeshare sight yet, so she doesn't know what kind of points/credits they need for them. We are all planning a sept.2013 trip so this would be awesome.

I don't want to get too excited yet

 

[dapod423]

She may have an option to trade out to DVC. She would forego her timeshare for the time and place she has it and get Disney instead. Us DVCers have that option with the RCI timeshare. We can trade out and use our points at a ton of RCI destinations around the world. It is more points for us than Disney and requires a $95 transaction fee.

She may have something like this. So it's not impossible.

 

[Sugar Jones]

Oh wow! I hope it works out that they will have enough points for us all to stay in Sept/2013 then! That would be great. If not at least they will be able to. That's awesome and now I AM jealous

 

[dianeschlicht]

Just as we DVC owners can trade into other programs through RCI, she too would have that option. The question is if her timeshare has enough pull to get into DVC. RCI rates resorts differently, so some take more points to trade into than others. DVC requires quite a few.

 

[Sugar Jones]

Just as we DVC owners can trade into other programs through RCI, she too would have that option. The question is if her timeshare has enough pull to get into DVC. RCI rates resorts differently, so some take more points to trade into than others. DVC requires quite a few.

Yes she doesn't know yet if they will have enough credits/points yet. They just joined and haven't recieved their log in information yet. She can see the resorts but not how many points they would need for them.

I'm just happy they are coming with us, even if we have to stay at different resorts! We will either stay at a value or moderate because we need two rooms.

If they do have enough points they would get a two bedroom and my mom would stay with them......am I bad that I'm happy about that

 

[bwvBound]

We've owned Worldmark for 12 years and have been exceptionally happy (thrilled!) with it. We've completed at least 8 trades into DVC against our Worldmark credits (points). Trading into DVC Villas via Worldmark will require the following number of Worldmark Credits:
* 8000 WM Credits for a Studio unit (any time of year)
* 9000 WM Credits for a 1BR unit (any time of year)
* 10000 WM Credits for a 2BR unit (any time of year)
* 12000 WM Credits for a 3BR Grand Villa (any time of year)

Exchanging Worldmark > DVC through RCI Weeks is not subject to RCI's "Trade Power Unit" (TPU) variations.

Personally, I think your brother and his wife did just great! We've stayed at over 40 Worldmark resort locations and have conducted many great trades through both RCI and Interval International (II) using this timeshare tool. Tell them to have a really great time with their new toy!

 

[bltpoppins]

Are the exchange rates for a full week? Does Worldmark allow for nightly exchanges?

 

[Sugar Jones]

We've owned Worldmark for 12 years and have been exceptionally happy (thrilled!) with it. We've completed at least 8 trades into DVC against our Worldmark credits (points). Trading into DVC Villas via Worldmark will require the following number of Worldmark Credits:
* 8000 WM Credits for a Studio unit (any time of year)
* 9000 WM Credits for a 1BR unit (any time of year)
* 10000 WM Credits for a 2BR unit (any time of year)
* 12000 WM Credits for a 3BR Grand Villa (any time of year)

Exchanging Worldmark > DVC through RCI Weeks is not subject to RCI's "Trade Power Unit" (TPU) variations.

Personally, I think your brother and his wife did just great! We've stayed at over 40 Worldmark resort locations and have conducted many great trades through both RCI and Interval International (II) using this timeshare tool. Tell them to have a really great time with their new toy!

Awesome, thank you for posting!!! I know when they joined there was some sort of promotion. They got 2x the regular amount of credits. So maybe a Grand Villa will be an option

And I was just thinking if they only have enough credits for a 2bdr then we may look into renting points so we can all be at the same resort.

 

[bwvBound]

FWIW, exchanging into DVC through RCI is limited to the inventory released by DVC to RCI. We've only booked a Grand Villa once in the many years we've been playing these exchange games. They don't show up often!

 

[bwvBound]

Are the exchange rates for a full week? Does Worldmark allow for nightly exchanges?

Yes, the values I showed were for full-week exchanges through RCI Weeks.

Some Worldmark owners, specifically those who also subscribe to a program called "TravelShare," have access to nightly exchanges through RCI Points. TravelShare is only available to WM owners who made a minimum purchase of 5000 WM credits directly from the developer since 2006. (I'm not a TravelShare member ... oh, well.)

 

[Sugar Jones]

FWIW, exchanging into DVC through RCI is limited to the inventory released by DVC to RCI. We've only booked a Grand Villa once in the many years we've been playing these exchange games. They don't show up often!

That is good to know, I won't get my hopes up

 

[bltpoppins]

Yes, the values I showed were for full-week exchanges through RCI Weeks.

Some Worldmark owners, specifically those who also subscribe to a program called "TravelShare," have access to nightly exchanges through RCI Points. TravelShare is only available to WM owners who made a minimum purchase of 5000 WM credits directly from the developer since 2006. (I'm not a TravelShare member ... oh, well.)

Thank you. We love to take small trips and that is why DVC works for us. Was just wondering if any other timeshares really have a nightly program. Thanks for the response.

 

[dbs1228]

For what it is worth I just saw on the RCI exchange thru Wyndham a GV at SSR and OKW for Aug 26 date 7 nights! I have seen more and more inventory lately and last year I remember a lot of inventory for Sept! Good luck

 

[JimMIA]

If I were a betting man (I'm not, but the venue IS Las Vegas after all), I would bet they bought Wyndham directly from the Wyndham Grand Desert Resort in LV. Worldmark is owned by Wyndham, but I'd bet they were sold Wyndham with the promise that they can use it for Worldmark...which is kinda-sorta partially true.

If they did buy Wyndham direct, and they are still within their recision period, tell them to CANCEL their purchase immediately following the instructions in the paperwork they received.

If they bought Wyndham direct, they paid thousands of dollars for something they could literally buy on eBay for $1.

I OWN Wyndham, and I'm a Wyndham fan -- and yes, we can exchange into DVC.

But Wyndham timeshare salesmen are near the bottom of a putrid barrel in the sleazy timeshare sales industry. If they purchased from Wyndham, they can BANK on the idea that almost anything the Wyndham salesman told them was either a lie, or such a gross exaggeration that it will have zero value to them.

If they bought direct, tell them to cancel and then go to TUG (the Timeshare Users Group) and research any potential purchase thoroughly through knowledgeable sources who aren't trying to sell them a timeshare!

 

[arthur06]

Oh wow! I hope it works out that they will have enough points for us all to stay in Sept/2013 then! That would be great. If not at least they will be able to. That's awesome and now I AM jealous

I don't think that I would be the least bit jealous of their purchase.

If I were a betting man (I'm not, but the venue IS Las Vegas after all), I would bet they bought Wyndham directly from the Wyndham Grand Desert Resort in LV. Worldmark is owned by Wyndham, but I'd bet they were sold Wyndham with the promise that they can use it for Worldmark...which is kinda-sorta partially true.

If they did buy Wyndham direct, and they are still within their recision period, tell them to CANCEL their purchase immediately following the instructions in the paperwork they received.

If they bought Wyndham direct, they paid thousands of dollars for something they could literally buy on eBay for $1.

I OWN Wyndham, and I'm a Wyndham fan -- and yes, we can exchange into DVC.

But Wyndham timeshare salesmen are near the bottom of a putrid barrel in the sleazy timeshare sales industry. If they purchased from Wyndham, they can BANK on the idea that almost anything the Wyndham salesman told them was either a lie, or such a gross exaggeration that it will have zero value to them.

If they bought direct, tell them to cancel and then go to TUG (the Timeshare Users Group) and research any potential purchase thoroughly through knowledgeable sources who aren't trying to sell them a timeshare!

I agree with all of this!

 

[mecllap]

I agree with Arthur and Jim -- they probably paid way too much for their timeshare and should rescind if possible and look into resale options if they can really afford the long-term financial obligations involved with timeshare ownership. Have them read the DVC and RCI and Wyndham threads on tug2net.com (the Timeshare Users Group).

Exchanging is great when it can work out, but it is not always possible to get what you want when you want it, especially during popular times and popular places. I bought my first timeshare when DVC exchanged with II (another company similar to RCI), because I was supposed to be able to exchange into DVC. However, I had barely gotten to do that once before DVC changed to the RCI system and it was no longer an option. So, it's an iffy thing. I'm hopeful that someday DVC will go back to II (which will be a disappointment for RCI members who wanted to exchange to DVC) -- altho that may never happen.

They may, however, have access to Wyndham's Bonnet Creek, which is a pretty neat place and as close as some DVC's -- just without the Disney perks.

 

[bwvBound]

Thank you. We love to take small trips and that is why DVC works for us. Was just wondering if any other timeshares really have a nightly program. Thanks for the response.

Oh! Worldmark is a true points system with a very strong nightly program if you stay within the network of 70+ "native" Worldmark resort locations or their close affiliations. Most of our stays at Worldmark resorts are short, weekend visits at drive-to locations.

It is the nightly program through RCI that isn't as strong a value, in my view.

Edited to add: Below, I've pasted and annotated our 2011 Vacation History using Worldmark locations. Looking it over, you'll see that most of our stays are short; some are over holidays; some are using special "cash rates" instead of credits. We also hit several different locations w/in the year

Resort			Ck-in		Ck-Out		Credits	Comments
Dolphins Cove	        12/17/11	12/18/11	0	3BR unit; booked on Bonus Time	
Oceanside Harbor	12/2/11		12/4/11		4,400	2BR unit
Big Bear		11/11/11	11/13/11	0	1BR unit; booked on MondayMadness	
Dolphins Cove		8/18/11		8/22/11		5,375	1BR unit; easy walk to D23 Expo!
Ballarat		8/15/11		8/18/11		900	throw-away nights required to meet "Red Season" reservation rules; tied to D23 reservation
Reno			7/28/11		8/1/11		0	2BR unit; booked on Bonus Time	
Las Vegas Spencer St	6/20/11		6/23/11		0	1BR unit; booked on Bonus Time
Park Village		5/3/11		5/7/11		5,550	2BR unit; part of our "land/sea" after DCL Wonder cruise that ended in Vancouver
Palm Springs		1/3/11		1/6/11		3,000	1BR unit
Indio			12/30/10	1/2/11		9,800	3BR Penthouse unit (with private hot tub on balcony)

Granted -- Worldmark locations favor the western states. If you live within easy driving distance to 4-5 resort locations and could enjoy using the native Worldmark locations then I'd highly recommend the program.

 

[Scrappy_Tink]

We were able to use my sister's Interval (before it was changed to RCI) to get into the Boardwalk for a week for our Honeymoon. It was REALLY, REALLY hard to get ressies into a WDW resort...when I'd go into the Interval website every day to try their Orlando selections, it took forever for anything to show up. We finely were able to secure at Sarasota Springs, and then after that I called daily to see if I could switch to The Boardwalk (which eventually came through, but not the dates we had originally wanted, so we decided to change our wedding (pretty much elopement) date.

I say if you want to stay predominately at WDW, go through WDW....I think it'd be easier to elsewhere through RCI, than using RCI to rent Disney.