DVC vs. Timeshare

[kiingor]

i bought mine thru timeshare store and my friend bought it direct. he put deposit down last week and already... he received a box of goodies containing a canvas bag, pins, membership card and bunch of stuff. All i got was a 2007 points book, and membership card 3 weeks later. Is it coz I didnt buy direct from disney. Anyone know where I can get one of those bag and the SSR pin? I figure I asked.

 

[Dean]

DVC is good for one thing and one thing only. To stay at DVC resorts light or neutral for weekends. There is no other argument that makes any sense whatsoever. For non DVC stays of any kind, almost any other timeshare will be better even if you paid ten times too much. And given that many of those options can give you more non DVC flexibility at a potentially MUCH cheaper price and MUCH cheaper yearly fees; if you want other than DVC, go with another timeshare. Having said that, I think one of the best options is to own DVC AND at least one other timeshare and take advantage of the positives of each system. And remember that all that great DVC flexibility essentially vanishes once you get past DVC resort stays, especially when you realize that cash equivalent trades like DCL cost you money on every point you trade.

As for the idea that resorts equivalent to DVC cost as much up front and yearly, that's simply not true in MANY cases.

 

[FayeW]

I think Diane was addressing the point about someone having to be on the sleeper sofa. All studios (and thus all 2 bedroom units, dedicated and lock-off) have 2 real queen beds in the 2nd Bedroom/Studio portion.

I know, which was my point. I don't want to stay at OKW. If that is the only resort that has 2 real beds in the second bedroom that is where we would have to stay if I wanted everyone to have their own proper bed.

Sharing beds in a studio, or sleeping on a pull out is fine for a few nights on rented points but I'm not going to spend $22K and then NOT be able to stay at the resort I prefer (BWV) because of the sleeping arrangements.

All of the timeshares we have rented have had 2 twin beds in the second bedroom. You might point out that since that isn't BWV either, I might as well stay at OKW, which would be a fair statement. My thought process is that since either way, I am not staying where I would prefer to be, I might as well save a ton of cash in the process, and be able to stay the full 7 days in one location without having to worry about the weekend DVC points.

 

[Cruelladeville]

renting is nice, but after 9 or 10 years of renting, what do you have? Nothing, except the cancelled checks. That's why I bought DVC. When I bought in, I paid $56 per pt, and if I were tired of it now, I can sell it for $85 per pt, which means my vacations are completely free! Now, that won't always be true, certainly, but after 9 years, my cost for DVC is a better cost than what anyone gets who rents. And I stayed onsite, too.

I can sell quickly if I need the money. A $3000 timeshare is a timeshare that is worthless on the resale market, I would think. It's a "throw-away"--when you don't want it anymore, you have to give it away, because no one will want it. Look at Westgate. I sold one DVC contract, and in 30 days I had a check for the full asking price!

You get what you pay for

 

[RobDoc]

All of the timeshares we have rented have had 2 twin beds in the second bedroom. You might point out that since that isn't BWV either, I might as well stay at OKW, which would be a fair statement. My thought process is that since either way, I am not staying where I would prefer to be, I might as well save a ton of cash in the process, and be able to stay the full 7 days in one location without having to worry about the weekend DVC points.

BW is the only DVC resort with no dedicated 2BR villas - all 2BRs are lock-off villas. All of the others do have 2BRs with 2 queen beds in the 2nd BR. All DVC resorts (except for OKW) have 1 queen and a sleep sofa in the studios (OKW does not have the sleep sofa, but has 2 queens).

If BWV is your resort of choice you will need to accept the fact that it is the only one without 2 queens in any of the villas. All of the others do offer that as an option. (BCV has both types of dedictaed 2BRs - most have 2 queens but a few have 1 queen and the sleep sofa.)

If having 2 queens in a 2BR is critical and BWV is the only resort you want to visit, you will need to make a personal value decision about DVC. If you would be happy staying at any of the other DVC resorts, then at least your sleeping requirements could be met.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[FayeW]

BW is the only DVC resort with no dedicated 2BR villas - all 2BRs are lock-off villas. All of the others do have 2BRs with 2 queen beds in the 2nd BR.

Thanks, Doc! I did not know that other resorts had some units with 2 beds in the second bedroom. Food for thought!

 

[BroganMc]

Thank you all for your input. We just came back from our 12/9 disney trip... stayed at All Star movies... the DVC guys at the DTD took my family and friends to check out SSR and loved. We can't wait to try out the SSR next xmas and my friend after seeing the resort... he just signed the papers today. It was his sister that got the $3000 timeshare and questioned our DVC decision. But we both are glad that we bought it.
Thanks again to all the responses.

My brother is like this. A few years ago we (he with his family and me with mine) stayed at Marriott's VC on a preview. We bought our first week (good for Spring Break and Summer with two more II weeks as incentive and around 200,000 Marriott points). He passed up on it to get a hot tub for his deck.

The next year he went down with his in-laws and stayed at their time share in Liki Tiki. He bought a week there for about half the price of Marriott. It's nice, I guess. He raves about the pool with the water slide for the kids. And he keeps talking about buying another resale week for II trades. Something dirt cheap as he is the perennial dealmaker. Did I mention in the years since he's owned Liki Tiki he's never gone anywhere else at any other time of year?

Meanwhile, my family has used our Marriott weeks (we know own 4) to stay in Orlando, HiltonHead, Williamsburg, and our points to stay just about anywhere else. (We're planning a trip to London next year.)

We added on DVC this year because we wanted to be able to easily stay on Disney property. DVC is more expensive than Marriott but it also gives us a few features Marriott doesn't: free onsite transportation, discount on Annual Passes, the ability to do easy short fly-in trips, and the ability to stretch enough points for a one two bedroom summer week into 12-15 night stays through out the year in smaller accommodations.

The expiration thing doesn't concern me anymore. Not since I figured I'd be in my ripe old 80's by the time it expires.

You won't be able to convince the dealseekers the value of a deluxe timeshare. Best you can do is send them some post cards from your most recent travels. Eventually they'll figure out what they're missing.

 

[dumbo71]

The truth is DVC makes absoluetly no sense at all. People buy because it is Disney and they love to stay there.

There are far better Timeshares out there with lower buy in and lower dues with WAY more trading power.

You won't hear that here but DVC makes no sense for the vast majority of people. The few perks of staying on site do not justify the price any longer. In the ealry days of OKW, yes, now, NO.

Now the $3,000 Timeshare....... it is likely a dump. Also, you DO NOT want a Timeshare with no expiration. Imagine the dues when the resort is 50 -100 years old. How many rehabs over that time?

 

[Dean]

All of the timeshares we have rented have had 2 twin beds in the second bedroom. You might point out that since that isn't BWV either, I might as well stay at OKW, which would be a fair statement. My thought process is that since either way, I am not staying where I would prefer to be, I might as well save a ton of cash in the process, and be able to stay the full 7 days in one location without having to worry about the weekend DVC points.

The sleep 6 configuration with two twins in the second was a fad in the late 70's & 80's but is rare now for newer resorts. Most are going with a larger bed with a pull out in the second or two larger beds frequently two queens. Marriott does a fair amount of kings with a pull out queen in the second when lockoff's are involved and more two queens in the second for non lockoff's.

 

[Dean]

Now the $3,000 Timeshare....... it is likely a dump. Also, you DO NOT want a Timeshare with no expiration. Imagine the dues when the resort is 50 -100 years old. How many rehabs over that time?

It depends and I'm sure you'll know this but many others here simply don't have a clue in this area. Some timeshare are a bargain at $3K and some a bargain at $20K. Others might be overpriced by 10 times at $3K. There is no one answer. It depends on the resort, exact week or season, location (including beach or just close), management, internal trading options, how you will use it, whether it's a lockoff, yearly fees and the like. That's why it takes quite a bit of self education to make an appropriate decision on what's the best timeshare for one to buy. I think that's what makes DVC so popular is that people can buy and use it without putting the effort into learning what one needs to know about timeshares. Lazy and stupid IMO but still the route some have taken it seems to me.

 

[Slakk]

It depends and I'm sure you'll know this but many others here simply don't have a clue in this area. Some timeshare are a bargain at $3K and some a bargain at $20K. Others might be overpriced by 10 times at $3K. There is no one answer. It depends on the resort, exact week or season, location (including beach or just close), management, internal trading options, how you will use it, whether it's a lockoff, yearly fees and the like. That's why it takes quite a bit of self education to make an appropriate decision on what's the best timeshare for one to buy. I think that's what makes DVC so popular is that people can buy and use it without putting the effort into learning what one needs to know about timeshares. Lazy and stupid IMO but still the route some have taken it seems to me.

Call me lazy and stupid! I have no interest in any other timeshare simply because I love staying onsite at WDW and do not want to try to trade in or stay offsite. And since HH is a few ours away it is an extra perk.

I do not plan to trade out at all so for me it made the most sense. For some other timeshares work because they like to travel to other places.

 

[Dean]

Call me lazy and stupid! I have no interest in any other timeshare simply because I love staying onsite at WDW and do not want to try to trade in or stay offsite. And since HH is a few ours away it is an extra perk.

I do not plan to trade out at all so for me it made the most sense. For some other timeshares work because they like to travel to other places.

Only if you made the decision to buy because it's easy and you didn't want to research the others.

 

[dwelty]

One thing that had always concerned me about timeshares was how well they would be maintained 20 or 30 years down the road. This fear was eliminated for us when Disney joined the timeshare scene. We have AP's at Disneyland and WDW. Disneyland park is over 50 years old and the Magic Kingdom is over 35. Both parks are kept up so well, they look like they were built yesterday. We know that DVC maintains the same maintenance standards. This was a big factor in our decision to buy.

 

[Slakk]

Only if you made the decision to buy because it's easy and you didn't want to research the others.

For my yearly stays at WDW I was uninterested in offsite so I bought DVC.

I am looking for another timeshare and am researching options. I am looking for something that I can trade to Hawaii or the Caribbean every once in a while but mostly use at HH.

Not sure if I should buy in HH or not or what group I should go with. I love the BlueGreen Charleston property but the price is so high - even on the resale market. So far Marriott looks to be my best bet but I am taking my time trying to find the best bang for my buck.

 

[Dean]

For my yearly stays at WDW I was uninterested in offsite so I bought DVC.

I am looking for another timeshare and am researching options. I am looking for something that I can trade to Hawaii or the Caribbean every once in a while but mostly use at HH.

Not sure if I should buy in HH or not or what group I should go with. I love the BlueGreen Charleston property but the price is so high - even on the resale market. So far Marriott looks to be my best bet but I am taking my time trying to find the best bang for my buck.

There are as many different choices as Carter has little liver pills as they say. You should be able to buy bluegreen points for 40-50¢ per point, maybe even less if you try hard. 9-10000 should get you a 1 BR there every year. Given the way their system works, unless you're going to buy a Spoleto Week there and use it as a fixed week and not trade it, it wouldn't matter where your points were based for BG points. Other than the exact week your points are based on, there is no home resort priority for BG. The single BG option for HH is not up to par.

For HH Marriott unfortunately there is no great option to trade AND use at least for HH. Unfortunately none of them are lockoff's. In many ways the best combo of use mostly and trade occasionally would be the garden view units at SW and Barony. Or you could buy a lessor property, reserve the week you want and try to trade in to the better Marriott's for HH stays and have a cheaper option for trading off years. Unfortunately you get in to much the same road blocks with HH Marriott for mostly personal use as you do with DVC, too expensive to trade. You could likely get a top Harbour Point week for trading for $6-7K, Monarch for $10K or so but if you are looking at the DVC quality resorts you're looking at $17-18K for gardenview, $20-22K for ocean side and likely around $30K for ocean front. I'm not sure if Marriott is selling Surfwatch as an every other year but if they are, you might consider buying an EOY there and something more suited to exchanging like Ocean Pointe lockoff ocean side. Or you might keep your eyes open for the next early presale for a property that interests you. I have heard that Marriott may proceed with the HH sequel option which is rumored to be an off island timeshare in the Blufton area, if so, it would likely be cheaper than many of the other options. Remember you don't get the points options with Marriott resales but you can save more than enough money to make it worthwhile giving up this option if most cases.

As this is getting far off topic, you're welcome to email me directly if there is anything I can help with.

 

[mlshields]

Where else can you stay in 5 star resorts for as little as one night?!?!?

We have stayed at the Hotel Del Coronado, The Grand Californian, The Disneyland Hotel, The LaQuinta resort and spa in LaQuinta California, OKW, The Boardwalk, Went on two 7 Day Cruises, Hilton Head......

Who else gives you this kind of flexibility?!?!

 

[BroganMc]

For HH Marriott unfortunately there is no great option to trade AND use at least for HH.

Last presentation I went on for Marriott did not have any weeks at HH going for less than 30k. I have stayed there however (at the Monarch) on an II depisot incentive week. It was a two bedroom in early September. Trouble with HiltonHead is that it's near impossible to get a summer week there unless you own. Same for Myrtle Beach and Hawaii.

And with the Marriott system, all trades outside your home resort must go through II (with an additional though nominal fee) now. In practice, I've found very little difference what season week I use once it's in II. I've gotten a 3 bedroom at Grande Vista with a 2 bedroom unit, and find availability is the highest the closest to my arrival date.

Usually I just keep a few weeks on II as a deposit for searching, then gab whatever works best. Only Marriott week I book direct these days is Manor Club in Williamsburg, but that is because I usually go during the summer with my nephews and must work around their school schedule. if you aren't a slave to school schedules you'll find availability is good throughout the Marriott/II system.

Oe exception is that I've never been able to book a DVC week through II. You can't trade one Orlando area resort for DVC. There's some rule blocking it. And I've never wanted to give up my Williamsburg week enough to try it. Instead, I added DVC to give me that luxury.

And again I will say, if you are limited by transportation issues (I use a powerwheelchair and must either drive my van 900 miles South or rent an accessible van for $100-$200 a day to vacation offsite), the onsite perks DVC gives you are invaluable and not even touched by what the other timeshare resorts give me. That was a major selling factor for me.

 

[Dean]

Last presentation I went on for Marriott did not have any weeks at HH going for less than 30k. I have stayed there however (at the Monarch) on an II depisot incentive week. It was a two bedroom in early September. Trouble with HiltonHead is that it's near impossible to get a summer week there unless you own. Same for Myrtle Beach and Hawaii.

Resale is the way to go and that is the info I provided on resale. DVC utilizes the regional block which keeps one from trading Orlando into DVC there are also from trading other HH resorts to DVC HH.