dvc vs other timeshares

[primecap]

Just out of curiosity,
we are DVC owners, but we never did look into other timeshares like Marriott, etc. How does DVC stack up against the others in terms of price, taking into account the initial buyin per point and then the annual dues?
Jim

 

[shortbusmom]

we are also have a Wyndham Timeshare (used to be Fairfield) worst mistake we ever made-- Wyndham nickels and dimes you to death, if you have to change your reservation or make several reservations there is a charge, Wyndham timeshares charges you for banking points, then they charge you to use the bank points, if there is someone else using your points that is a charge even if it is a family member, they are also owner driven so if the owners of that particular resort decide they don't to do any upgrades that year then nothing happens -- even if it means replacing the matteress or the the roofs -- the staff is very unfriendly and not helpful in anyway. I feel that whatever the cost of Disney is it is well worth it-- also they interest rate is not a set rate.

 

[littlestar]

I LOVE my two other timeshare resorts bought resale. We bought a Marriott lock-off two bedroom (EOY - every other year) for $2,400 a few years ago. You could probably buy it for less now with the economy in the tank. I lock it off and get two trades out of it for EOY dues - works for me. Sometimes II (Interval International) even gives me a bonus week for the 1 bedroom so I get three trades out of it. I just traded the studio for a studio at Marriott's KoOlina on Oahu for my nephew's honeymoon. I'm saving the 1 bedroom for a trade into a Hilton Head Marriott next May. My dues are around $350 a year so not bad. If I would have rented the studio for my nephew's honeymoon, I would have paid around $2,000 so that alone almost offsets my purchase price.

My other timeshare is a dual affiliated resort that trades with both Interval and RCI. I paid around $1,600 for it. It's a large two bedroom that locks off into two one bedrooms since it has two kitchens in it. Maintenance fees are only $300 a year and II always gives me two bonus weeks for it since it's a 4th of July week. Since it's dual affiliated that enabled me to be able to be a member of both II and RCI (two largest exchange companies). I love the cash deals I get through II and RCI. I sometimes rent 1 bedrooms for $219 a week through RCI's Last Calls (45 days or less rentals from check-in).

I didn't want to buy the amount of DVC points it would have took to take 3 to 4 trips a year and stay in 2 bedrooms (not to mention the dues). So having these other ownerships enable me to stay in large 2 bedroom units at name brand vacation clubs in Orlando for a fraction of what it would cost with DVC. Of course, I still have enough DVC points to take a once a year trip at a DVC resort.

 

[Lisa P.]

Like littlestar, we love our other timeshares and we've also purchased many resales inexpensively. Wyndham is our family's favorite ownership. It's rare to find folks who've purchased resale who feel it's a "worst mistake" like the many, many timeshare owners who feel this way after paying full freight. We've owned DVC, Marriott, Fairfield/Wyndham, VRI, and fixed/floating weeks at resorts in NC, TX, WI and S. Africa. We currently only own in NC, WI and Wyndham points. Visit TUG - Timeshare Users Group or TS4Ms - Timeshare Forums to learn more about other timeshares before you buy. And look for a well-priced resale!!!!

How does DVC stack up against the others in terms of price, taking into account the initial buyin per point and then the annual dues?

Jim, most timeshares, including Marriott, are so much cheaper on the resale market that you'd generally save a LOT on a purchase vs. DVC. Annual dues are also usually lower elsewhere but there are some out there which are higher than DVC for similar accommodations. But the more important question is how you want to use it and which one would meet your needs best. A good resale week can vary from $1-$5,000 to purchase with annual maint fees between $400-$850 for a 1BR or 2BR week equivalent in prime time.

Wyndham nickels and dimes you to death, if you have to change your reservation or make several reservations there is a charge

Not always. We very rarely pay any transaction fees. You may benefit from learning more about how to best use your points to avoid those fees. Try looking at this Wyndham Owners' independent forum.

Wyndham timeshares charges you for banking points, then they charge you to use the bank points, if there is someone else using your points that is a charge even if it is a family member

Again, there are usually ways to avoid these fees.

they are also owner driven so if the owners of that particular resort decide they don't to do any upgrades that year then nothing happens -- even if it means replacing the matteress or the the roofs -- the staff is very unfriendly and not helpful in anyway. I feel that whatever the cost of Disney is it is well worth it-- also they interest rate is not a set rate.

Not all or even most Wyndham resorts are owner controlled. All the newer ones are developer controlled. Goodness, you've had a bad experience - that's a shame. Ours has been totally different. Hope the links help.

 

[JimC]

We use DVC for Disney vacations at WDW, at VB and soon at DL. We use our Marriott timeshares for non-Disney vacations, primarily to the Southwest US. Marriott is not as flexible, has more nuisance fees and lacks DVC's excellent internal trade system. But its consistent quality in product and service at a reasonable price (at least so far) yield good value.

 

[bwvBound]

Just out of curiosity,
we are DVC owners, but we never did look into other timeshares like Marriott, etc. How does DVC stack up against the others in terms of price, taking into account the initial buyin per point and then the annual dues?
Jim

DVC is the most expensive of our 5 timeshare products, both in purchase price and average cost per night (dues). We consider it a specialized product, good at doing one thing: booking stays at DVC resorts. Thus, we use our DVC points for booking DVC stays and we use our other timeshare for all the other stuff. (Ok, sometimes we use our other timeshare to book more DVC stays ... my, my ... too much Disney?? )

 

[Dean]

We have DVC, Marriott to use, Marriott to trade, Bluegreen which we use and trade, A MX resort that uses points and RCI points. That gives us access to II, RCI weeks and RCI points as well as all the independent exchange companies. As for what's best it totally depends on what you want, when you want to travel, unit size, flexibility, quality demands, where you want to go, how well you can plan in advance (1 vs 2 years) and other similar factors. With limited exceptions, there are timeshares to use and timeshares to trade with not a lot of overlap for the higher demand options. It's true that some others have additional costs in many situations but even with that, they will still be much cheaper than DVC for almost every situation. And in many cases you can avoid many of the extra costs by positioning yourself. And if you get the right timeshare at the right up front cost, your costs will be worth it. However, the wrong timeshare can be a weight around your neck. The savings in timeshares is essentially always made on the front end and by learning to use whatever system you buy to your advantage. Overall Bluegreen is one of the best values I've seen and Marriott one of the best options due to it's consistent quality.

My experience with Marriott is different than JimC's. In many ways Marriott is more flexible, in others not so much. Not in allowing reservations one day at a time or endless free exchanges, but it trades to other Marriott's using their internal trade preference and we find it more consistent in getting the times we want reserved. We find BG to be our most flexible option. While I want to save money with timeshares, I'm more looking at value so I own DVC and Ocean Front Marriott's to use consistently and other options to supplement and for trade.

I'd suggest you spend 6 months of active investigation as to what's best for you and how best to get what you want as cheaply as possible. The Timeshare Users Group is one of the best ways to do this but there are other options, esp for certain timeshare types. And other timeshares are not right for everyone. If one can't plan ahead and/or won't/can't put the effort in to learning the ins and outs, it may not be a good idea of go that route.

 

[culli]

DVC is the most expensive of our 5 timeshare products, both in purchase price and average cost per night (dues). We consider it a specialized product, good at doing one thing: booking stays at DVC resorts. Thus, we use our DVC points for booking DVC stays and we use our other timeshare for all the other stuff. (Ok, sometimes we use our other timeshare to book more DVC stays ... my, my ... too much Disney?? )

Exactly our situation!!!! We have Wyndham to use as we have one with 45 min drive - Glacial Canyon which is an indoor waterpark. Wyndham is an awesome value right now as you can pretty much get the pts for closing only. I have about 500k pts and paid around $2,500 including my closing costs, the MF run me a little under $2,300 a year. I have two traders, one trades awesome in both II and RCI and the other just in II, they are 2 br and MF about $615 each. We will use those to trade into DVC when we can and save our points.

DVC is expensive and by far the most expensive thing in our portfollio especially for what you get - a mid quality timeshare with rooms on the smallish side. However, with that said it is our favorite and the one I keep adding too because we love staying on grounds that much and the system works great for our situation. I can stay at bonnet creek for much cheaper than I can get into any DVC and have much larger accomidations but at this point we will only do that if we can't get into DVC.

Do your research and you can get great buys. DVC keeps their prices up through ROFR and to my knowledge only Marriott does this but still no as aggressive as DVC. With our family size and the way want to travel TS condos is the only way to go, so much cheaper than a hotel and much better accomidations. I can't imagine staying in a stnd hotel room again for vacation, just isn't relaxing to me.

 

[Starr W.]

I agree with Culli about staying in a std. hotel room with kids. It's not relaxing. With a 2br it's more like our home routine, no tiptoeing around trying not to wake the kids.

We use our DVC points for DVC stays, by far they have the highest MF's of the other TS's we own(Starwood 2br ski week in CO, fixed week with Bluegreen in Michigan and a just closed EOY Wyndham points contract).

From our trips to non-DVC TS's, DVC villas tend to be a bit smaller and the layouts of the other TS seem to do more with the space than DVC(VB and OKW are the exceptions).

 

[bwvBound]

primecap,

You've only asked about price comparisons (purchase + annual dues) ... let us know if you are interesting in exploring other attributes as well?? Perhaps flexibility, availability, room size/layout, decor/quality, perks, locations, extended uses, hidden charges, exchange affiliations, etc.?

 

[littlestar]

I can stay at bonnet creek for much cheaper than I can get into any DVC and have much larger accomidations but at this point we will only do that if we can't get into DVC.

Does Bonnet Creek have frequent shuttles to the parks and Downtown Disney and if so, are they free?

The reason I'm asking is I saw a niced priced cash Getaway on RCI for Bonnet Creek and thought I might give it a try. The location looks great. I thought I might try for a 10 day trip and do three nights on DVC points after a week at Bonnet Creek.

 

[culli]

Does Bonnet Creek have frequent shuttles to the parks and Downtown Disney and if so, are they free?

The reason I'm asking is I saw a niced priced cash Getaway on RCI for Bonnet Creek and thought I might give it a try. The location looks great. I thought I might try for a 10 day trip and do three nights on DVC points after a week at Bonnet Creek.

I have not stayed at Bonnet Creek because I always want to stay on site and will only use BC as a last resort to DVC. But yes Bonnet Creek does have shuttles and they are free, I don't know about frequency or reliability. I have heard wonderful things about BC and I have stayed at a resort who's room layouts are the same......NICE ROOMS! However, I just love staying on WDW grounds and one of the reasons I own DVC. BC location is right in the WDW complex so to speak, I have driven by it on the Disney busses. Actually I know some people prefer BC to DVC.

 

[kaelarad]

We bought a marriott time share instead of another DVC contract because Marriott offers better accommodations and we find it far more flexable. You get far more for your money as well.

We have become very disappointed in DVC and are glad to have other options. This may be the first year we do not use DVC.

 

[CBork1]

Does Bonnet Creek have frequent shuttles to the parks and Downtown Disney and if so, are they free?

The reason I'm asking is I saw a niced priced cash Getaway on RCI for Bonnet Creek and thought I might give it a try. The location looks great. I thought I might try for a 10 day trip and do three nights on DVC points after a week at Bonnet Creek.

We've stayed at Bonnet now a couple of times and have enjoyed it greatly...It's NOT "Disney" and you lose that Magic when you are there, but it is a great alternative to staying DVC...I'd rather stay in a studio at the Beach Club than a 2-bedroom at Bonnet any day of the week...Can't put a price on Disney Magic!

And yes they do offer free shuttles!

 

[Brian Noble]

Does Bonnet Creek have frequent shuttles to the parks and Downtown Disney and if so, are they free?

Sort of, and yes. The bus service is scheduled, does not get to bypass the TTC, and makes multiple stops, but it is relatively frequent and complimentary. Here is the schedule from August 2008, from the Wyn owners' forum (registration may be required):
http://forums.atozed.com/viewtopic.php?f=267&t=4811

I would never stay there without a car. You have to pay to get yourself from the airport and back, and at that point, a rental car is a pretty modest additional expense for a big increase in flexibility. Then again, I usually rent one onsite, too. As it happens, we have our first-ever stay at Bonnet Creek scheduled for this July. It will be interesting to compare the experience.

We always chuckle a little as we drive by it---DVD has placed a big 3D billboard advertising DVC, angled right at anyone leaving Bonnet Creek and turning left into the "rest of" WDW.

Edited (again) to add: Werner Weiss has a great photo of the billboard here:
http://www.yesterland.com/bonnet.html

 

[gkrykewy]

Edited (again) to add: Werner Weiss has a great photo of the billboard here:
http://www.yesterland.com/bonnet.html

What an interesting article! Thanks for posting it. I have to get around to reading Married to the Mouse at some point. I've read excerpts... love this stuff (I'm an urban planner )

 

[JimC]

What an interesting article! Thanks for posting it. I have to get around to reading Married to the Mouse at some point. I've read excerpts... love this stuff (I'm an urban planner )

A bit off topic, but Married to the Mouse is a fascinating book and is a worthwhile read.

Now back on topic: I agree with Dean's comments about value. That is why we went with Marriott as our non-DVC timeshare option. DVC is just too expensive for us to justify using elsewhere. Marriott is a much better value in that regard. I use them almost exclusively on the hotel side for business travel and occasional leisure for the same reasons -- consistent quality and good value.

 

[gkrykewy]

A bit off topic, but Married to the Mouse is a fascinating book and is a worthwhile read.

Now back on topic: I agree with Dean's comments about value. That is why we went with Marriott as our non-DVC timeshare option. DVC is just too expensive for us to justify using elsewhere. Marriott is a much better value in that regard. I use them almost exclusively on the hotel side for business travel and occasional leisure for the same reasons -- consistent quality and good value.

Just ordered a used copy! Also looking at a book called Realityland on Amazon. Looks similar...

Re: the OP, we have DVC for on-property Disney stays, and pay cash for everything else. I don't like timeshares enough to bother with any that aren't DVC.

 

[Tara]

Edited (again) to add: Werner Weiss has a great photo of the billboard here:
http://www.yesterland.com/bonnet.html

Thanks for sharing that link - it's fascinating! Who is behind the scenes, I wonder??

 

[Starr W.]

Sort of, and yes. The bus service is scheduled, does not get to bypass the TTC, and makes multiple stops, but it is relatively frequent and complimentary. Here is the schedule from August 2008, from the Wyn owners' forum (registration may be required):
http://forums.atozed.com/viewtopic.php?f=267&t=4811

I would never stay there without a car. You have to pay to get yourself from the airport and back, and at that point, a rental car is a pretty modest additional expense for a big increase in flexibility. Then again, I usually rent one onsite, too. As it happens, we have our first-ever stay at Bonnet Creek scheduled for this July. It will be interesting to compare the experience.

We always chuckle a little as we drive by it---DVD has placed a big 3D billboard advertising DVC, angled right at anyone leaving Bonnet Creek and turning left into the "rest of" WDW.

Edited (again) to add: Werner Weiss has a great photo of the billboard here:
http://www.yesterland.com/bonnet.html

maybe DVD is not as silly as we think. DH looked up the bus schedule somewhere and came to the conclusion BC stay=rental car. BC would probably be one of the last places I would look to use my Wyn. points not because of the resort, have plenty of DVC pts to cover 2 trips per yr. And I think 2 trips per year to WDW is our threshold.