DVC through RCI

[Firepath]

The Member(s) who traded out paid dues to cover those expenses.

This is a "people will pay it" fee. Nothing more.

That's a good point. I hadn't even thought of that. I guess I'd be paying twice!

 

[summabreeze85]

If you'd like to book somewhere other than SSR you have to tell him to open an on-going search for you. I can tell you I've had the first 6 months of next year added months ago, and I've gotten a few hits on AKV VWL and even the BCV. Although like everyone mentions SSR is a great resort too.

 

[southerngirl528]

. Marriott has a different fee structure for their weeks system with lower dues and members have to join II paying regular fees.

Marriott destinations and trust owners have a different set up more similar to Wyndham and Bluegreen with club dues. For that you get free lockout's, free internal exchanges, no additional II fee, and access to Marriott trust inventory.

Dean, you bring up some interesting thoughts. But I own at Marriott too, and a premium property at that. And I paid more for it than my 500 points with DVC, so one cannot use a broad stroke to say Marriott is cheaper. My dues are very pricey with Marriott as well. VERY. I can tell you as an owner of BOTH that I think the fees in toto are quite comparable.

As for the Destination Points and trust owners, I have looked at this option up one side and down the other and every single way I crunch the numbers it is an outrageously expensive option for Marriott owners IMO. For my family it makes zero sense. I would have to pay another $35,000 to $40,000 to get another week of what I already currently own. That is comparing apples to apples btw. I am looking at being able to book precisely what I generally book with the weeks I currently already own. And on top of all THAT, there are extra fees to be in that "sweet" little program. And they are high fees, IMO. So when you say "free lockouts, free internal exchanges, no add'l II fee, etc.", they ain't free. Not even close. Just like with DVC, you are paying for it. And as I recall my lockout fee for our trip this year was $85 not $75. I do not pay a "lock off" fee with DVC.

That is just the tip of the iceberg, Dean. Again, you make some good points but unless you own at Marriott, it seems unfair to make a comparison on hearsay. And let me tell you this as well, every single time I have tried to book my home resort w/Marriott I call the very first nanosecond the inventory is released. And I have had them tell me, "no availability", before. After paying what I did, I was horrified. This was NOT an experience I have had with DVC as a 22 year member. Can it happen? Sure. But when as a DVC member I call at the very first moment with my home resort priority, I cannot recall one time that I did not get what I wanted. And I generally am booking beach cottages at Vero or GV's on WDW property.

My dues are actually more with DVC than my platinum weeks with Marriott. Here's the bottom line from my point of view as owning at 2 different premier TS companies: I have to look at what my annual dues cost, and then I factor in a breakdown on the annual cost of the membership spread out over the lifetime of the membership. I look at what I can and do book with these memberships. Then I look at what it would cost me on cash. I can tell you with great certainty that I come out better so I am overall happy with my purchases. (Yes, I understand that my way of figuring value may differ from others, but I crunch numbers based on the way WE use our memberships.) Granted the booking windows and trying to get my Marriott at the times I want make me WISH I had known what I now know because I would have bought fixed weeks….

 

[deedisneydream97]

I "inherited" a timeshare close to Disney. If you are NOT the owner, they charge a daily resort fee. A week's stay adds up to nearly $100. I need to look in to trading in to DVC. There is nothing like staying on-property, imo.

 

[southerngirl528]

Roughly 3-4% of the members exchange yearly and those members pay no RCI membership fee and a $95 exchange fee (and it's still a bad deal for other reasons). Plus as I understand it, DVC does get compensation back from RCI in that they get the ability to rent out weeks and they get reduced or no fees based on the amount of membership participation.

You and I are in agreement here, Dean. I have traded out one lonely time with my DVC membership. And that was when we had II which I MUCH, MUCH prefer to my options with RCI. And when you say it's still a bad deal for other reasons, I agree. The main reason I don't trade for RCI is that I feel there are precious few resorts that really compare to what I can book at a DVC resort. For lots of folks it works well and that's great. It is not so great for my family, IMO.

And you can bet your boots that Disney gets some sort of "deal" with RCI. I would bet money on that! I feel very strongly that is one of the main things that got DVC to switch. Plus I think Marriott was starting to play a little hardball with DVC exchanges from what I've heard. DVC gets a pretty sweet deal with RCI.

 

[Brian Noble]

I "inherited" a timeshare close to Disney.

You will not be able to use this to exchange into DVC; there is a geographic restriction.

 

[Dean]

You and I are in agreement here, Dean. I have traded out one lonely time with my DVC membership. And that was when we had II which I MUCH, MUCH prefer to my options with RCI. And when you say it's still a bad deal for other reasons, I agree. The main reason I don't trade for RCI is that I feel there are precious few resorts that really compare to what I can book at a DVC resort. For lots of folks it works well and that's great. It is not so great for my family, IMO.

And you can bet your boots that Disney gets some sort of "deal" with RCI. I would bet money on that! I feel very strongly that is one of the main things that got DVC to switch. Plus I think Marriott was starting to play a little hardball with DVC exchanges from what I've heard. DVC gets a pretty sweet deal with RCI.

The basic exchange setup is a bad deal for DVC members. Not being able to trade up and no access to cash inventory are some of the larger issues. I think II is better in some ways and RCI better in others. Other than Marriott to Marriott, I find most of my exchanges are now done through RCI. I think RCI is better for planners and less restrictive on exchange options. Basically if you take away Marriott, II isn't any better and may not be as good, it was Marriott and DVC that made it better.

Several years ago Bluegreen actually paid RCI like $50 a member to have an account. Now I'm told there is no cost but they get "credit" for volume, discounts, developer deposits and cash options. I'm guessing DVC's deal is even sweeter. But the reality is that DVC fits better into the RCI system than they did with II.

You will not be able to use this to exchange into DVC; there is a geographic restriction.

To address further, if one has a points account (rather than weeks) they may not be able to exchange to DVC at all even if most of their options are non Orlando. They currently exclude mini system like Bluegreen, Worldmark and Wyndham.

 

[Dean]

Dean, you bring up some interesting thoughts. But I own at Marriott too, and a premium property at that. And I paid more for it than my 500 points with DVC, so one cannot use a broad stroke to say Marriott is cheaper. My dues are very pricey with Marriott as well. VERY. I can tell you as an owner of BOTH that I think the fees in toto are quite comparable.

As for the Destination Points and trust owners, I have looked at this option up one side and down the other and every single way I crunch the numbers it is an outrageously expensive option for Marriott owners IMO. For my family it makes zero sense. I would have to pay another $35,000 to $40,000 to get another week of what I already currently own. That is comparing apples to apples btw. I am looking at being able to book precisely what I generally book with the weeks I currently already own. And on top of all THAT, there are extra fees to be in that "sweet" little program. And they are high fees, IMO. So when you say "free lockouts, free internal exchanges, no add'l II fee, etc.", they ain't free. Not even close. Just like with DVC, you are paying for it. And as I recall my lockout fee for our trip this year was $85 not $75. I do not pay a "lock off" fee with DVC.

That is just the tip of the iceberg, Dean. Again, you make some good points but unless you own at Marriott, it seems unfair to make a comparison on hearsay. And let me tell you this as well, every single time I have tried to book my home resort w/Marriott I call the very first nanosecond the inventory is released. And I have had them tell me, "no availability", before. After paying what I did, I was horrified. This was NOT an experience I have had with DVC as a 22 year member. Can it happen? Sure. But when as a DVC member I call at the very first moment with my home resort priority, I cannot recall one time that I did not get what I wanted. And I generally am booking beach cottages at Vero or GV's on WDW property.

My dues are actually more with DVC than my platinum weeks with Marriott. Here's the bottom line from my point of view as owning at 2 different premier TS companies: I have to look at what my annual dues cost, and then I factor in a breakdown on the annual cost of the membership spread out over the lifetime of the membership. I look at what I can and do book with these memberships. Then I look at what it would cost me on cash. I can tell you with great certainty that I come out better so I am overall happy with my purchases. (Yes, I understand that my way of figuring value may differ from others, but I crunch numbers based on the way WE use our memberships.) Granted the booking windows and trying to get my Marriott at the times I want make me WISH I had known what I now know because I would have bought fixed weeks….

You can't compare DVC at WDW to Maui, you've got to compare it to Orlando. For HI you'd need to compare like for like s well. A 2 BR for a week for Aulani is in the range of $3K, Ko Olina and Kauai will be closer to $2K. Maui is special in many ways for a lot of things but even then a 2 BR is a little over $2K. The fee issue for Maui is the 1 BR/2BA units which are almost as much as the 2 BR is. The thing you get with DVC is the flexibility to make less points give you close to the same as a larger fixed size would which is good for some than others. In general DVC is around 30% more expensive than Marriott like for like, more VB compared to Singer Island.

My Destinations fee was under $2K and it essentially converted ALL my resale weeks to qualified weeks but I own 9 weeks, for a single week it likely doesn't make sense, esp now that the fees are higher and likely not even initially. For availability, Marriott's system is different. When I saw the same risk as you experienced trying to reserve at 12 months out, I went and bought an extra week so that I could reserve at 13 months out. Anyone that wants to understand how to do this might want to contact me privately. Now I reserve my high demand options more likely 14-15 months out with Marriott, you've just got to understand the system and put yourself in a position to be successful. Our last HI trip I had a 2 BR OF 4th of July week in one of the new towers using the system how it works including the wait list. Headed down soon for 2 weeks to Aruba 2 BR Ocean Side and OF. BTW, there's a reason I don't own on Maui even though we go every few years and I've looked at it from when they announced the conversion.

 

[southerngirl528]

Dean, I never said my Marriott was in Maui. I said I owned a premium Marriott property. There are several high end Marriott properties. I do own 3 weeks with Marriott so I book at the 13 month window as I book a few weeks at a time consecutively.

 

[JimMIA]

I often refer to the $95 exchange fee as a "because we can" fee because you get exactly zero for it.

But there is another explanation. I think it's actually DVC's way of splitting the normal RCI exchange fee (+/- $200) between the DVC owner exchanging out and the RCI member exchanging in. In that context, it's a benefit to the DVC owner...and a "because we can" fee to the RCI member.

 

[JimMIA]

If you'd like to book somewhere other than SSR you have to tell him to open an on-going search for you. I can tell you I've had the first 6 months of next year added months ago, and I've gotten a few hits on AKV VWL and even the BCV. Although like everyone mentions SSR is a great resort too.

This is a VERY good point, and often overlooked by folks who are dying to get "onsite" and just list any DVC resort as acceptable. Although SSR will be just about the only resort you'll ever see as available right now, an ongoing search in RCI will often give much better results. I've seen a number of BLT, BWV, OKW, and AKV sightings over on TUG's Sightings board.

One thing to be aware of, though -- it's been a LONG time since anyone's reported snagging a DVC TWO-bedroom anywhere. Everything I've seen for the last year or more has been only 1 BRs.

 

[Dean]

Dean, I never said my Marriott was in Maui. I said I owned a premium Marriott property. There are several high end Marriott properties. I do own 3 weeks with Marriott so I book at the 13 month window as I book a few weeks at a time consecutively.

I apologize if I misspoke but I took from this previous post that you did own at the Maui Marriott Changing rooms at check-in I'm glad you're taking advantage of the 13 month option. So which HI Marriott(s) do you actually own at if you don't own Maui? Regardless compared reasonably DVC is considerably more expensive 2 BR for a week.

This is a VERY good point, and often overlooked by folks who are dying to get "onsite" and just list any DVC resort as acceptable. Although SSR will be just about the only resort you'll ever see as available right now, an ongoing search in RCI will often give much better results. I've seen a number of BLT, BWV, OKW, and AKV sightings over on TUG's Sightings board.

One thing to be aware of, though -- it's been a LONG time since anyone's reported snagging a DVC TWO-bedroom anywhere. Everything I've seen for the last year or more has been only 1 BRs.

I've had a 2 BR in the last year (May I think it was) but I think the match occurred in Oct, 2014.

 

[Bon1423]

This is a VERY good point, and often overlooked by folks who are dying to get "onsite" and just list any DVC resort as acceptable. Although SSR will be just about the only resort you'll ever see as available right now, an ongoing search in RCI will often give much better results. I've seen a number of BLT, BWV, OKW, and AKV sightings over on TUG's Sightings board.

One thing to be aware of, though -- it's been a LONG time since anyone's reported snagging a DVC TWO-bedroom anywhere. Everything I've seen for the last year or more has been only 1 BRs.

I considered having him open up an ongoing search but I hate to seem so picky about a gift...I may try to set it up myself on his account.

What is TUG's Sightings Board??

 

[Dean]

I considered having him open up an ongoing search but I hate to seem so picky about a gift...I may try to set it up myself on his account.

What is TUG's Sightings Board??

It's not so much an issue of being picky as it is risk vs more certainty. The reality is if you do an ongoing search that doesn't include SSR, you're significantly reducing your chances of success. And if you do one that does include SSR, it's very likely you'll get SSR though AKV and OKW are possible. Unless you're planning to not go rather than taking a SSR 1 BR, I'd take the more certain options. The TUG sightings board is a board on TUG (Timeshare Users Group) where people post what they've seen. I believe it's for paid members only.

 

[JimMIA]

It's not so much an issue of being picky as it is risk vs more certainty. The reality is if you do an ongoing search that doesn't include SSR, you're significantly reducing your chances of success. And if you do one that does include SSR, it's very likely you'll get SSR though AKV and OKW are possible. Unless you're planning to not go rather than taking a SSR 1 BR, I'd take the more certain options. The TUG sightings board is a board on TUG (Timeshare Users Group) where people post what they've seen. I believe it's for paid members only.

The other strategy you can use is to start with a narrow search, and then if you get nervous, expand the search to include SSR. If you do it that way, you establish your place in the queue and you don't lose it by modifying the search later.

I haven't been following the Sightings board closely, but I believe most DVC deposits are now being made about 5 months out from checkin.

Dean is right -- the TUG Sightings board is an excellent resource, and it DOES require a paid membership. But a membership is only $15 per year, I believe.

 

[Dean]

The other strategy you can use is to start with a narrow search, and then if you get nervous, expand the search to include SSR. If you do it that way, you establish your place in the queue and you don't lose it by modifying the search later.

I haven't been following the Sightings board closely, but I believe most DVC deposits are now being made about 5 months out from checkin.

Dean is right -- the TUG Sightings board is an excellent resource, and it DOES require a paid membership. But a membership is only $15 per year, I believe.

TUG is well worth the investment. I was thinking the first year was slightly higher than $15 but I haven't looked in a while. I was considering this option when I posted but the reality is it does reduce the chances of success somewhat and it really doesn't offer much of a chance of getting the less likely options. All you really pick up would be if you started 10-24 months out for those few villas that were deposited during the home resort window. If I did this I'd change my search by 6-7 months out. OTOH, it's a great option to use to add non DVC options late if you are looking for DVC but don't get it because you can always get something reasonable except about 3 weeks of the year.

 

[Brian Noble]

those few villas that were deposited during the home resort window.

Based on what I am seeing, this isn't happening anymore. At least, not for the periods covered in my well-aged searches, and probably hasn't for the past year.

OTOH, it's a great option to use to add non DVC options late if you are looking for DVC but don't get it because you can always get something reasonable except about 3 weeks of the year.

This is great advice.

 

[Dean]

Based on what I am seeing, this isn't happening anymore. At least, not for the periods covered in my well-aged searches, and probably hasn't for the past year.

I've seen a couple but IMO it really doesn't matter, if you don't get it during that time most wouldn't want to lose out on getting on property. It's the only reasonable way to approach this situation for either a larger unit or a high demand resort unless one wants to go for all or nothing. I think it's too risky with not enough benefit for someone that wants to go to hold out for something over SSR. Now it might be that one wants to get SSR AND try for something else but most people don't have enough volume to make that a reasonable approach. I could see doing that myself and wasting the SSR reservation if I matched something better but I doubt most would be able/willing to do so.