dvc vs Marriott Vacation club

[Macagno]

Does anyone know of or heard of anthing regarding the Marriott Vacation club?

I am a DVC member and my sister in law is trying to decide between DVC or the Marriott Vacation club. The only thing that I know is the following

Marriott does not use a point system
Once you join you own it for a lifetime and you can pass it down to your children. Other than that I am in the dark. My husband and I and 2 kids LOVE LOVE disney. My sister-in-law has 2 children (8yrs) and her and her husband like disney, not as much as we do. So, if anyone has any negative or positive feedback I would much appreciate it.

Thanks

 

[dianeschlicht]

You will want Dean to comment here. I do know that Mariot has some nice places, and I think that too is very flexible.

 

[JimC]

We own at both DVC and MVCI. Marriott is a deeded week system. Most of the resorts are floating seasons -- you buy into a season and can reserve within that season's time frame. All exchanges -- even to another season within your resort -- are done through Interval International. Marriott has a great roster of resorts around the world and continues to develop new properties. We like the consistent high level of upkeep and service at Marriott and bought into MVCI for non-Disney vacations. We find the program to be complimentary to DVC -- each having its own advantages and disadvantages. You might want to visit the TUG site as it has much information on Marriott. The FAQ section has lots of information on how MVCI works. Use this link:

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=29

 

[RobDoc]

Some of the answer will depend on how they intend to use the timeshare. It they primarily want to go to Disney, then DVC would most likely be the better choice. If they like the location of the resorts in the Marriott system, then that might serve them better.

Marriott does have some great resorts, but if they really want to travel to Disney on a regular basis, DVC may be the better choice.

TUG is a great spot for information.

 

[llp479]

We purchased DVC first, then ended up buying with MVCI also. DVC spoiled us as far as vacation accomodations.

We mainly purchased a MVCI property to get the priority trading status within II. There is a 21 day window for MVCI trading between properties.

I too would recomend TUG for additional information.

 

[disney gadabout]

We own and love both. Disney, obviously for Disney...and we enjoy the Concierge Collection. Marriott for their wonderful resorts and hotels worldwide. If they're not Disney nuts, Marriott may be a better fit, and they do have lovely resorts in Orlando...they're just not on site.

 

[manning]

What would be the advantage of owning a timeshare over just going the hotel route if you want to travel to many places (different places each year)?

 

[Viki]

My sister, up until a year ago, had a prominent position within Marriot, but when it came time for us to buy a vacation club plan she strongly recommended Disney, hands down. We took her advice and have never regretted it.

 

[JimC]

What would be the advantage of owning a timeshare over just going the hotel route if you want to travel to many places (different places each year)?

The same advantages one has belonging to DVC instead of just staying at the regular Disney resorts each year.

 

[Dean]

I can't disagree with anything above. We own both and they are complementary in many ways. But there are also many similarities. Both tend to be high cost/high demand and as such can be a poor trading value unless you buy a cheaper Marriott options mainly for trading. For anyone that prefers to go to Disney and stay on property, DVC may be the better choice, esp if they can take advantage of the flexibility of the system and the lower weekday points. Do not buy DVC to exchange, period. Same can be said for many MVCI options but to a lessor degree for many of the options.

There are actually those that prefer to stay off property. For anyone in that situation or anyone who always goes the same time of year in the same size unit, might be better off buying off site or trading in to Orlando every year. Plus there are many other options out there, many might be better than DVC or MVCi for specific situations and certainly many are much cheaper and give as many or more choices.

However, if you're a timeshare snob (like many DVC and MVCI owners are, myself included), you may find it hard to live with the lessor options.

 

[Caskbill]

There's one big difference not mentioned yet and that's the fees associated with Marriott that Disney doesn't have.

We own both. Everyone is familiar with Disney so no explanations needed there. But for Marriott:

You purchase a Week. The week may only be used during it's 'season'.

Your vacation will be 7-days. If you want, you can split up your 2-B/R unit into a 1-B/R and a Studio, thus haveing 1-week in a 1-B/R and 1-Week in a Studio. There is a fee ($79 ??) to do this.

You may also split your week into a 4-day week and a 3-day weekend. (Thus it's still the full 7-days, but you can take them at different times.) There is a fee ($79 ??) to do this also.

You can exchange your week for a similar unit at another Marriott within the system. You must go through II to do this. Again there is a fee ($79 ??) to do the exchange.


So bottom line, suppose you purchased a 2-B/R villa for a week. You break that up into a 1-B/R villa and a Studio, and you further break each of those up into 4-day and 3-day vacations, giving you a total of 4-different vacations for a total of 14 days. Now say you exchange each of those segments to a different Marriott resort from your home resort. You must go through II.

Total fees are (1) Split the villa into Studio/1-B/R for $79. Now split each of those into 3-day and 4-day weeks ($79 for the Studio week split, and $79 for the 1-B/R week split. Now book each of those segments into a different Marriott resort ($79 each)

So your total to get the above only costs you about $553. This of course is on top of your annual dues.

I may be off a little bit on the fees as I'm trying to remember. Some of them may be $75 instead of $79. Of course if you exchange outside the Marriott system then I think the fee goes up to about $119 or something. So far the only thing we've done is either use our week as is, or exchange the full 2-B/R week at other Marriotts.

Of course with DVC you can book any length of stay at any DVC resort during any season, and there are no fees involved at all.

We definitely like our Marriott for what it is, but let me just say:

I know DVC. DVC is a friend of mine. And Marriott is no DVC.

 

[Lisa P.]

Caskbill, you raise a good point about the fees with other timeshares. Sometimes, this is just to avoid having those who simply use their home resort pay higher maintenance fees for the added cost of split reservations for all. So if someone loves having many short stays, a higher, inclusive maint fee (like DVC offers) may be preferable. For people who generally take a vacation week for their vacations anyhow, paying inflated maint fees to service everyone else is less desirable.

AFAIK, one could not split their Marriott week into 3 or 4 night stays, then deposit them for exchange in II. II only accepts full week trades. I could be wrong but I thought that the 3 and 4 night splits were only possible for Florida Club (?) Marriott locations. Maybe someone with more knowledge could clarify.

Marriott has beautiful resorts in MANY locations. DVC has beautiful resorts in just a few locations but they're great for those who prefer them. The preference for one over the other may be more clear when one considers where they want to vacation most years.

Manning, we own a different timeshare points system (Fairfield). We love vacationing in nice, large, condo-style resort rooms. It's MUCH more comfortable and accommodating for our family than hotel rooms... even the Embassy Suites and Homewood Suites type of places. And in the long run, it's cheaper (we purchased resale) than renting hotel rooms for our vacations. On a few hotel trips with just DH, we both still missed the comforts and amenities of our timeshares. Depends on what you want, I guess.

Macagno, if your SIL plans to stay onsite at WDW at least every other year, not overly frequently on long weekends only, not during Premier season, and if they would plan to buy only as many points as they expect to need for those DVC vacations, they may really love it! There are a lot of happy DVC owners and a lot of happy Marriott owners. The programs should suit them. TUG would answer a lot of their questions. Either of these is a big purchase and should be evaluated well by the purchaser before buying. HTH.

 

[Caskbill]

AFAIK, one could not split their Marriott week into 3 or 4 night stays, then deposit them for exchange in II. II only accepts full week trades. I could be wrong but I thought that the 3 and 4 night splits were only possible for Florida Club (?) Marriott locations. Maybe someone with more knowledge could clarify.

What I understand is that you can split a week into the 4/3 day trips, but may only exchange with other Marriott resorts. You cannot exchange those splits outside of Marriott.

You still go through II since all Marriott trades are done thru II, but it's a little different procedure than that used when generally trading regular weeks for non-Marriott timeshares.

When trading Marriott for Marriott, II has a different set of rules (and fees).

 

[Dean]

What I understand is that you can split a week into the 4/3 day trips, but may only exchange with other Marriott resorts. You cannot exchange those splits outside of Marriott.

You still go through II since all Marriott trades are done thru II, but it's a little different procedure than that used when generally trading regular weeks for non-Marriott timeshares.

When trading Marriott for Marriott, II has a different set of rules (and fees).

You can only split certain resort weeks, mostly those in the FL club. YOu have to wait until 6 months out to do so and can't do the lockoff and split week both. This is not a choice available throughout the Marriott system of resort.

 

[PrincessDadx2]

Of course with DVC you can book any length of stay at any DVC resort during any season, and there are no fees involved at all.

We definitely like our Marriott for what it is, but let me just say:

I know DVC. DVC is a friend of mine. And Marriott is no DVC.

Don't kid yourself, the fees are just buried in the higher initial cost and higher maintenance fees. In Marriott you only have to pay them if you use them.

My experience is the opposite, DVC is no Marriott:

You have to pay for extra towels
You have to pay for kids activities
You have to pay for local phone calls
You pay more at the bar
Porch isn't screened, so you can't use it in Florida
Etc.

The biggest disadvantage is not being able to rent on a less than weekly basis, but this does not matter to us. We like weekends!!

Our tally this year for our Williamsburg Marriott.

Maintenance fee - $600
Lock off fee - $75
II Membership - $50
2 trade fees for the lockoff - $158
Bonus week fee - $299
Transportation fee for trading into DVC - $95
Total Fee - $1,277

For this we received:

1 week 2br in Marriott Williamsburg for Easter
1 week 2br in Orlando at Marriott Horizons
1 week 2br in Orlando at OKW in September - 210 points worth

I think that this is good value and flexibility if you can make the system work for you.

As was said earlier I think the programs are very complementary and depending on your vacation profile either or both can be very good.

 

[Dean]

The fees and value of each are dependent on how you use it and what you prefer. Neither are cheap systems. If you do weekdays only and take advantage of the points flexibility, DVC will be the better cheaper system. For full week stays and for exchanging, Marriott will be light years ahead. Both have a lot of fees. Marriott too charges for extra towels at many of their places, sometimes they don't even offer pool towels at a couple of resorts. It seems that just like the dining plan, many prefer to pay up front even it the total out of pocket is more.

 

[spiceycat]

you won't find either DVC or Marriott on this list - but you can get a good timeshare in Orlando without buying one.

www.skyauction.com

www.condodirect.com

 

[nezy]

We have both. We had DVC first. I love the flexibility-from one night stays to as many as your points will allow. I also love the options of room size. Dh wanted a deeded property and we liked the MVCI product--reputable company, very nice resorts. After several presentations plus added info from both TUG board and here, we felt comfortable w/ our MVCI-resale of a Sport season.

The resort is in Orlando and if we want to stay during high season we do have to pay the $79 exchange. We do not have the option of a split week or split 1 or 2 br. That is not an option if you purchase Cypress Harbor-2BR only.

My chlidren LOVE the Cypress Harbor resort because there are so many things for thme to do when we don't go to the parks.

Again, as said here before either choice is a good one. For me, if I could only have one-it would be DVC. As a matter of fact- I would have bought MORE points rather than buy MVCI, but DH wanted that deeded option.

MY SIL should do a tour of both-stay on the properties of the resorts shw would purchase and get a feel for both. Then sit down w/ the money options and check resales! Good Luck.

 

[nezy]

My sister, up until a year ago, had a prominent position within Marriot, but when it came time for us to buy a vacation club plan she strongly recommended Disney, hands down. We took her advice and have never regretted it.

Just curious: WHY did your sister recommend DVC rather than Marriott?

 

[Viki]

Just curious: WHY did your sister recommend DVC rather than Marriott?

She had numerour reasons, including, but not limited to:

1. She thought Disney was a much better company,
2. At one point she was an interior designer for Marriot, working directly on designing their rooms, and yet before that she had done independent contracting with Disney (the Candy Cauldron in DD? All hers), so knew the quality that went into Disney,
3. Having seen firsthand all sorts of vacation plan options, she thought Disney's was by far the most creative, and
4. She thought 30 years down the road Disney properties had a much better chance of standing the test of time (again, she's both an architect and interior designer so she thinks that way).

All of that, plus more that I can't recall in the moment, was persuasive for us.