Hilton Grand Vacation vs. DVC?

[supersnoop]

so your great, great, great grandchildren could still get stuck paying annual dues for something that at that point is useless and will be unable to even give them away.

You can refuse an inheritance. Death is one of the few ways to really get rid of a worthless timeshare.

 

[TCRAIG]

We almost got suckered into this as well and luckily things didn't work out for us, here are some key differences:

• DVC is more of a membership that has a set end date, the Hilton version lasts forever. While lasting forever sounds like a good thing, keep in mind when they say forever, they mean it, so your great, great, great grandchildren could still get stuck paying annual dues for something that at that point is useless and will be unable to even give them away.
• It is pretty much impossible to trade into Disney Owned Resorts from a non-DVC timeshare, because everyone wants to go to Disney. On the other hand, if you have DVC, you can pretty much get an instant confirmation that a trade through RCI has been approved.
• Hilton does have some nice resorts near Disney, some of which even have shuttles, but they do not get Extra Magic Hours, etc.
• At DVC resorts, Bell Services will handle your luggage (at the Grand Californian, they will even unload your car for you), yes you need to give them a tip for doing so, but still nice. With Hilton, there are no bell services, you have to deal with the luggage yourself.
• With Hilton you are expected to leave the room clean and tidy for the next guest, including making the bed, vacuuming, etc. and if you don't there is a fee of $50 to $150 per room. DVC does not do this.

As for buying direct or not, it depends on what you are offered, with DVC, you can often get enough in incentives to make it pretty close to the resale market these days, especially if you buy while on a cruise (probably the best time to add on points unless you are a cast member, as they get a pretty good discount from what I have been told).

I am not saying Hilton is or isn't worth it, but I am saying that if you go to Disney on a regular basis, DVC probably makes more sense.

Not sure where you got the idea that you had to clean, make beds, vacuum, etc at HGVCLUB or pay a fee - but that’s not true - at least it’s never been for us and we stay multiple times a year. That being said - I always have HGVCLUB points to bank but I’m always in borrow mode with DVC and I have over 1000 points! If you want to stay at Disney - you need to buy DVC and not try and RCI into one.

 

[Zach Levon]

It would be a miracle to get a DVC resort through RCI. I've never been able to that's for sure, and neither has my extended family that used to bank dvc points. I agree with the above too; never buy Hilton direct. Judi Kozlowski is a resale expert in Orlando, call her. you can even finance a Hilton resale through Vacation Club Loans. However just like DVC you lose some of your "buying direct" benefits but in the person's opinion worth the big savings. In closing, if you really want to stay at DVC then buy DVC! It's the only way to ensure you get what you pay for. good luck!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Go over to the DVC Boards and check out the Resource Thread at the top of each board. The Resource Thread is packed with all kinds of information on DVC and the various DVC resorts. Information like annual fees since the resort first opened, number of villas for each resort, all sorts of details. You'll find out all the expiration dates of each of the resorts. Most expire in about 24 years from now. SSR was the first resort that they extended the expiration date. All the resorts since then have longer dates. OKW has two expiration dates, 2042 and 2057, depending on whether or not the member bought the 15 year extension about 15 years ago.

 

[Belle & Ariel]

I will add that if you buy DVC resale there is a good chance you can sell it at a profit. We paid about $24000 for our two DVC resale contracts and could sell for the low thirties after having enjoyed many vacations over the last 5-10 years.
OTOH, there are companies you can pay over $1000 to get you out of your other timeshares.