Marriott Vacation Club v. DVC

[Angrypenguin]

Hey everyone! My wife and I have been looking at DVC as a potential future investment. Currently, my parents are Marriott Vacation Club owners, and graciously gave us a week at Marriott's Ko Olina Resort here in Hawaii for our honeymoon (we're here right now. The new DVC is being built right down the street, very exciting!)

Well, we let Marriott do their pitch to us, and I must say their vacation club is very tempting and their system is very convenient. We are big WDW fans (we just got married there), hence the interest in DVC, so I just wanted to get some owner's opinions on why they love it so much. I noticed through browsing through the 2009 Interval International book (the trade program they're affliated with) and saw the AKV, Boardwalk Villas, and Beach Club Villas as part of the program, which is almost what sold me on it.

I have to admit, the thing that bothers me the most about the DVC is the whole land-lease concept and our term expiring after X many years. I realize that it's not an investment, but it still bothers me that after so many years and putting money into the program that it'll expire out from under me. From browsing these boards, I've gathered that a few of you are owners in DVC and Marriott, or another brand. What honest likes and dislikes do you have with the DVC or Marriott program? It seems like with the Marriott club, I can still trade in for Disney Properties, yet still maintain flexibility with many other resorts and still own it after a few years.

By the way, Ko Olina is breathakingly spectacular. Disney picked a fantastic location.

 

[JLitfin]

First of all, DVC no longer trades with interval international they now trade with RCI as of Jan, 2009, so your Marriott won't be able to trade into DVC unless you can also use your Marriott in the RCI system, which I believe some can be traded in the RCI system. Most Marriotts can only be traded in the II system and not RCI.

To get the most out of DVC it's best to use your DVC pts for stays at the DVC resorts, it's not a good use of pts to exchange your pts outside of the DVC system. Some owners still trade their pts with the exchange company in order to travel to other locations, that's why we own a couple other timeshares including a Marriott. We keep our DVC pts for DVC resorts only, and our Marriott takes us to other locations mainly the Beaches at Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head Island.

I love my DVC in order to stay on property, when I travel to Disney I want to be on property and close to all the excitement and the magical experience of being at Disney.

I love both my DVC and my Marriott. Good Luck with your decision.

 

[stlrod]

Congrats on your marriage! I have owned Marriott and own DVC HHI and SSR. I loved my Marriott but sold it about 4 years ago and bought more DVC. Trading never seemed to get me what I wanted, Don't wiorry about the whole lease/ownership thing--you probably wan't want you Marriott in 50 years--newer and better will come along. DVC is much more flexible. I can stay 1, 2,7 or 10 nights, whatever I want. Timeshare ownership needs to be viewed as a prepaid vacation expense rather than an investment. With DVC, I can get exactly what I want each year--all I have to do is rent my points which is fairly easy. Laast year, we went to Hawaii--stayed in a beautiful brand new suite on Waikiki, a private home next to Volcano National Park and 3 days at the Mauna Lani Bay--total cost was about $2,000 for lodging--it was simple to rent 200 of my points to pay for it. I could not have gotten $2,000 for a Marriott week unless it was Park City at Xmas (I noticed a one week rental oceanfront on HHI in July just went for $1700 on ebay--that's pretty cheap indicating Marriott simply does not hold it's value.) This year, we are in a THV. I know I can rent it pretty easily though and am thinking about using the money for a cruise onboard the Liberty of the Seas. But, I may go ahead and use it. That's what I like about DVC. I'm not locked into a week and my options are much less limited. Think of it as Honda vs. Hyundai. I think both are good cars but Honda (DVC) will hold its value better than Hyundai. By the way, I have stayed at Marriott Ko Olina in the past and loved it--but I'll be buying DVC Ko Olina. That's my two cents. Hope it helps.

 

[Disney_Villain]

Why DVC over Marriot for us?

• We like Disney vacations over non-Disney vacations - and we also like staying on Disney property.
• We would not want to "trade out" from Marriot to go to DVC resorts, for all the issues that this can and could potentially create.
• The expiry date isn't an issue for us. We have no children. Our contracts expire when we are in our mid 90s, which is fine by us.

I have heard very good things about Marriot. If I get into timeshare discussions with other people (who aren't the Disney nutcases we are) I tend to recommend Marriot to them over DVC.

 

[logan115]

If you decide to buy into Marriot I think you'll be able to get a much better deal if you buy in via resale as opposed to straight from the developer.

Check the TUG (Timeshare Users Group) website and do your homework, you'll find some incredibly knowledgeable folks there that can provide a lot more information than I can, there are also plenty of folks here that can help so I'd make sure you do your homework before signing anything.

The first thing they'll tell you is this - DON'T BUY FROM THE DEVELOPER, GO RESALE AND SAVE THOUSANDS.


You don't have to buy on your trip, and many would advise against it as it's wayyyyyyy to easy to get sucked in by the thrill of the moment and overpay. This inevitably could lead to a serious case of buyers remorse when you get back from your trip and find out you could've bought the same thing (or better) for thousands less if you had just known more about it.

Full disclosure - I'm not a timeshare guru, and know virtually nothing about any timeshare other than DVC (and my knowledge about DVC is intermediate at best), but am amazed at the price differences I've seen between what certain timeshares cost if you buy from the developer vs resale.

Good luck with whichever route you take,

Chris

 

[MrsG]

Congrats!!!!!

The point that DVC now uses RCI and not Interval International is a major issue if you want to trade into DVC. If Marriott does not trade into RCI, that may make your decision if you plan to use it at Disney.

Another consideration is the time when you can vacation. If you plan to have children, you will eventually need to trade in during peak times like summer and school vacation breaks. As you know, this is a long term committment and your vacation plans will change as time goes on. I'm not sure how availability will be to trade into during high times. Or how far in advance you will have to put a request in.

We love our DVC because we use it not only for property stays, but also for Disney cruises and Adventures by Disney. We have also used it to stay at hotels in the US and plan to use it to stay in Europe. Is it the most cost effective way to use it? No, but we love the convenience of not having to come up with a big chunk of cash for our hotel stay each year.

Honestly, if you are sure that you want to stay on Disney property, I'd buy into DVC. If you only want to visit every few years at low occupancy times, Marriott might be for you.

 

[DeeCee735]

Congrats!!!!!

The point that DVC now uses RCI and not Interval International is a major issue if you want to trade into DVC. If Marriott does not trade into RCI, that may make your decision if you plan to use it at Disney.

Another consideration is the time when you can vacation. If you plan to have children, you will eventually need to trade in during peak times like summer and school vacation breaks. As you know, this is a long term committment and your vacation plans will change as time goes on. I'm not sure how availability will be to trade into during high times. Or how far in advance you will have to put a request in.

We love our DVC because we use it not only for property stays, but also for Disney cruises and Adventures by Disney. We have also used it to stay at hotels in the US and plan to use it to stay in Europe. Is it the most cost effective way to use it? No, but we love the convenience of not having to come up with a big chunk of cash for our hotel stay each year.

Honestly, if you are sure that you want to stay on Disney property, I'd buy into DVC. If you only want to visit every few years at low occupancy times, Marriott might be for you.

Hi Malverne, we're neighbors, we are in Woodmere and have owned DVC since 2000.

To OP:
I'd say buy where you want to stay the most, or in the case of a Marriott (which I do not currently own), buy in a place you'll go most often, or one with the greatest trade power to give you the best chance of getting the trades you want.
We bought DVC because our fav place to vacation is actually at Disney. We haven't traded out with it in the almost 10 years that we own. We have, however, used points a hotel in the conceirge collection, and we have stayed at the DVC Hilton Head resort 2x so far (with more to come....LOVE that resort), as well as using our points for a land/sea vacation in the first year of ownership, when the kids were younger

We aren't worldly travellers, however when we do talk about venturing overseas, staying at Disney Paris with points is a consideration. Once the DVC Hawaii is available, I'd like to travel there (been to Hawaii once so far) one time.

I guess the point I'm rambling to make is....DVC offers flexibility that has worked quite well for us, and continues to do so. We got 17 nights out of it in the last 12 months with stays ranging between studios and two bedrooms.

IF we were to consider a timeshare outside of DVC though it would be Marriott. However it is my understanding that one does not receive points for timeshare to hotel exchanges within the Marriott network unless purchasing directly through Marriott - which is much more expensive than the resale market, and this is only based on my very limited research so far.

Good luck with your decision!
CONGRATS on your wedding and have a GREAT honeymoon!

 

[Slakk]

I own both.

I own a 2BR EOY at Aruba Surf Club, 100 AKV 50 pts, 50 HHI pts, 160 BLT pts.

What we do is odd year summers we use the Marriott, even years WDW.

We also do a long weekend (now in October) with DVC.

I love the Marriott for the options outside of WDW - I would not use it for Orlando.

For WDW I love DVCs flexibility - I find that they are a great blend. We are spoiled for regular hotel rooms...it is a win win.

 

[musical2]

I also own both. I have points at OKW and own an every year Marriott Manor Club in Williamsburg, and an every-other-year Marriott at Ko Olina. We love the Marriott for the choices in the Marriott system and it's great trading in Interval International (although I have only traded for other Marriott's thus far).

I love DVC for WDW and would only use it for WDW, although I would consider trying to book at Grand Californian, Hilton Head, Vero Beach, or the new one in Ko Olina if they ever became available at the 7 month mark.

My only advice is to buy where you want to stay most often. We bought enough points to go to WDW every other year for two weeks, and two Marriott's for the other years. It works out great for us.

 

[rgmac516]

I too struggled with this.

I wound up buying with Disney b/c my family loves Disney and I found it more flexible than Marriott.

One thing that I found was that in Marriott, you bought into particular seasons and that if you traded your higher demanded season (ie, Platinium) for a lesser season (ie Gold), you did not get compensated for the trade down for that use. I also found that if you wanted to stay a bit longer (ie, 8 or 10 day stay) the extra days greater than a week, you had to pay for.

DVC in that sense seems more flexible since it costs you less points for less popular seasons and if you wanted to stay longer than a week, and if you had enough points, you can stay longer with out additional cash outlay.

from what I gather from the other other posts I have looked at, trading out of DVC or your Marriott timeshare into other properties or Marriott Rewards points are convenient but are not an efficient means of using your timeshares. I looks like to me trading out of DVC or your Marriott timeshare diminishes your purchase of either property since trading out your use of the property for that year is done at a significant discount.

I generally agree though with the threads, if I did not buy into DVC, Marriott would have been the one I went with.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[KLR-wlv]

Definitely by a resale - i've been keeping an eye on some on ebay the past couple months and platinum newport coasts marriotts are going for around $11,000 (every year 2 br with about $900 per year maintenance fees) - other places/weeks go for much less. For 11,000 in dvc you could buy 150 resale contract (at about $75 per point) and that would get you a 1 br every other year peak season (on average) for around $600 per year mf - depending on what resort you buy. So Marriott would be a lot more economical with WAY more resorts to trade to - just not disney.

I love dvc but I'm definitely going to buy a marriott sometime in the next year. I was going to add on at dvc but it's just gotten too expensive imho. We're now a family of 5 and would like to go for a week but would need to spend another $20,000 on points to be able to do that - and when I see I could buy 2 weeks in a 2br with marriott or hyatt for that much and go to hawaii and caribbean, sedonna, key west, etc- I think it's a better deal. Or buy an rci timeshare and trade into dvc (sheraton vistana beach resorts are selling for about $300 - that's a 2br red week/rci gold crown - MF's are a bit higher at $1000 per week - but still less that dvc mf's on the amount of points you'd need for a week in a 1 or 2br)

Have a great honeymoon!

 

[littlestar]

I like and own both. Marriott has very nice quality like DVC. Marriott is cheaper to own and use for larger units - 1, 2, and 3 bedrooms - even when you consider the trading costs. DVC dues are considerably higher than Marriott (for the most part) for larger units.

Marriott has a lot more locations/resorts than DVC does. I like this very much because I can stay within their system and I know the quality will be there when I check into the resort. I especially love Marriott's Hawaii locations and Hilton Head resorts - outstanding. Also, their Orlando resorts are A+.

We own DVC points at SSR because I like that resort and I wanted a guarantee that I could stay there once a year no matter what exchange company DVC was affiliated with.

 

[gkrykewy]

The more important question is... why are you comparing timeshare merits on an internet message board while on your honeymoon in hawaii? Land-lease concept? On your honeymoon?

(went with DVC because the whole point was to pay ahead for our recurring on-site trips to WDW).

 

[snackyx]

I own both DVC and Marriott. In fact, I own at Ko Olina and was just there three weeks ago. It is a beautiful resort and DVC will be a great neighbor. The DVC program does expire after "X" years, where Marriott goes forever. In my opinion the DVC program is much more flexible. Marriott must be booked by the week at one resort, arriving on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday only. I own Ko Olina 2-bedroom ocean view. I "traded" my 2008 use year for a 2-bedroom unit in 2009, along with my 2009 year (we then has two 2-bedroom condos--took friends--worked great). The only problem is the ocean view gets lost in the trade. Interval International, Marriott's trading partner, does not recognize "views", so the trade went through but my 2008 ocean view week became a 2009 mountain view week when the trade was matched up (many mountain view owners use these Hawaii weeks as trades, whereas the ocean view onwers tend to occupy them). The Marriott sales rep does not tell you this--the devil is in the details. If you buy ocean view and use it every year no problem--its just not as easy to switch them from one year to another as the sales people make it sound. In Disney this is no problem--much more flexible.

We still love the Marriott ownership, but previous posters have noted that if you want to buy--BUY RESALE. In this economy there are many owners who are looking to sell. Just as an example--MVC is currently selling 2-bedroom Ko Olina ownership, ocean view, every year usage for about $42,000 (retail is higher but they are currently offering 15% off to new purchasers). On the resale market I just saw the exact same contracts (you still own them forever) going for about $25,000. Take the $17,000 savings and also buy Disney!

 

[DeeCee735]

I also own both. I have points at OKW and own an every year Marriott Manor Club in Williamsburg, and an every-other-year Marriott at Ko Olina. We love the Marriott for the choices in the Marriott system and it's great trading in Interval International (although I have only traded for other Marriott's thus far).

I love DVC for WDW and would only use it for WDW, although I would consider trying to book at Grand Californian, Hilton Head, Vero Beach, or the new one in Ko Olina if they ever became available at the 7 month mark.

My only advice is to buy where you want to stay most often. We bought enough points to go to WDW every other year for two weeks, and two Marriott's for the other years. It works out great for us.

I have gotten HH at the 7 month marker or less twice. Both for April vacations - gorgeous time of year to be there.

 

[Chuck S]

Also consider that with many true deeded timeshares, what happens when the buildings themselves reach the end of their useful lives. After 50 or 60 years, many timeshare buildings will be outdated, worn and ready for replacement. Will your children WANT to pay for that through a special assessment, or could it be a burden to them? Will your future heirs even want a timeshare?

I'm perfectly happy that my DVC ownership ends while I'm likely in my failing years and there will be little value left to it for anyone to haggle haggle over or an ongoing responsibilty to fret over.

 

[DVC Gary]

We were also deciding between MVC and DVC. Yesterday I spoke with a salesperson at Marriott Vacation Club and she said that there is an $84/year fee for the II network. There are exchange fees if trading from Marriott to Marriott ($99/week), Marriott to Non-Marriott ($139/week) and Marriott to International Non-Marriott ($154/week). This was something I was not aware of and just wanted to pass it on.

 

[littlestar]

We were also deciding between MVC and DVC. Yesterday I spoke with a salesperson at Marriott Vacation Club and she said that there is an $84/year fee for the II network. There are exchange fees if trading from Marriott to Marriott ($99/week), Marriott to Non-Marriott ($139/week) and Marriott to International Non-Marriott ($154/week). This was something I was not aware of and just wanted to pass it on.

That $84 membership fee (around $100 for Gold) to Interval makes you a full member of II. With that membership I frequently book cash Getaways at Marriott and Sheraton in the off season for $204 to $600 a week - I love my full membership with II. My family and friends book Getaways, too, under that membership.

We own a 2 bedroom Marriott lock off that we trade in II. Marriott charges $75 to lock off a 2 bedroom into a 1 bedroom and studio. My dues on that 2 bedroom are around $700 a year. I get at least two trades out of that ownership (sometimes more if Interval offers me a bonus week for the 1 bedroom deposit). Here's the cost breakdown per trade:

Maintenance Fees = $350
Half II Membership = $ 50 (Gold)
Half Lockoff Fee = $37.50
Marriott Trade Fee = $99

So for a little over $500 in costs, I'm trading into top 2 bedroom Marriott, Hyatt, Sheraton, and Westin resorts. DVC maintenance fee costs for 2 bedrooms will start at around $1,000 (Adventure season). The fees are definitely there for DVC, they are just built in.

 

[OurDogCisco]

I own at both as well. I even own at Starwood. I like all the systems for various reasons. I like Starwood the least. But I love my unit in Maui. It rents really easy when I don't use it. You can check out all the Marriotts I've visited over the years:

http://community.webshots.com/user/ciscogizmo?vhost=community

I've traded to 3 non-Marriotts: Worldmark Depoe Bay (Oregon Coast), The Suites at Fisherman's Wharf in SF & The Cliff's Resort in Kauai.

I do love the quality of Marriotts, Starwoods & Disney. They definitely have an edge. I like staying in nice mega resorts so these places are right up my alley. So I think you should only buy a timeshare if you want to PREpay for your vacations (definitely not an investment), you like condo accomandations, you don't mind planning a year in advance, you don't mind being limited to what is available in certain areas (II resorts come to mind).

Good luck deciding...

 

[Dean]

Hey everyone! My wife and I have been looking at DVC as a potential future investment. Currently, my parents are Marriott Vacation Club owners, and graciously gave us a week at Marriott's Ko Olina Resort here in Hawaii for our honeymoon (we're here right now. The new DVC is being built right down the street, very exciting!)

Well, we let Marriott do their pitch to us, and I must say their vacation club is very tempting and their system is very convenient. We are big WDW fans (we just got married there), hence the interest in DVC, so I just wanted to get some owner's opinions on why they love it so much. I noticed through browsing through the 2009 Interval International book (the trade program they're affliated with) and saw the AKV, Boardwalk Villas, and Beach Club Villas as part of the program, which is almost what sold me on it.

I have to admit, the thing that bothers me the most about the DVC is the whole land-lease concept and our term expiring after X many years. I realize that it's not an investment, but it still bothers me that after so many years and putting money into the program that it'll expire out from under me. From browsing these boards, I've gathered that a few of you are owners in DVC and Marriott, or another brand. What honest likes and dislikes do you have with the DVC or Marriott program? It seems like with the Marriott club, I can still trade in for Disney Properties, yet still maintain flexibility with many other resorts and still own it after a few years.

By the way, Ko Olina is breathakingly spectacular. Disney picked a fantastic location.

The two are very different, each has their benefits. They actually fit together quite nicely. Marriott can be MUCH cheaper or it can be more expensive depending on what you buy and how you use it. DVC ONLY work swell for DVC resorts while Marriott works well for Marriott locations and II trading in general. Spent time getting info and being comfortable, I usually recommend at least 6 months. TUG (timeshare users group) is the best source for additional non DVC info. Several on this board who own both did so in part due to the info I helped them learn and to my knowledge, each and every one of them has been happy with the outcome.

We were also deciding between MVC and DVC. Yesterday I spoke with a salesperson at Marriott Vacation Club and she said that there is an $84/year fee for the II network. There are exchange fees if trading from Marriott to Marriott ($99/week), Marriott to Non-Marriott ($139/week) and Marriott to International Non-Marriott ($154/week). This was something I was not aware of and just wanted to pass it on.

DVC has some exchange fees as well but not as much. The one thing you get with those fees is preferred access to trade to other Marriott's and in most (but not all cases) for the $99 fee plus the yearly II membership fee. Don't let the fees deter you as even with the extra fees, marriott is often MUCH cheaper than DVC and returns more overall.