Marriott Vacation Club v. DVC

[Slakk]

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.

Me Me Me!!! Thanks to Dean we took the plunge to Marriott and are THRILLED. When we only owned DVC I felt trapped at WDW for all of our trips and now we can visit the whole world AND keep our WDW fix.

We are doing Aruba this year and are already looking forward to where we will go in 2011 - thank you Dean!

Jodie

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

My parents own at Marriott, so those were the resorts we stayed at for many of my Disney vacations. They're beautiful resorts, and we always had wonderful times.

When I began looking at buying my own ownership, I was somewhat biased toward Marriott myself. My father made a comment once about the fact that DVC ownerships expire, and I was certain I didn't want that.

Before we bought, we took a trip on our own and stayed at the Wilderness Lodge (on a cash reservation). I was sold for life to want to stay on site.

We really enjoy getting on-site perks; Magical Express, Disney transportation, extra magic hours, dining plan are all very nice. We don't use them all on every trip, but it's nice to have them available.

When we're staying at SSR, there isn't a big transportation difference between onsite and Marriott. We need to take a bus back at night, or take the same shuttle out to the parking lot to take our car back. It takes just about as long as getting back to the World Center area. However, when we're staying at Beach Club, Boardwalk, Wilderness Lodge, or (soon) Bay Lake Tower, I can tell you it's a lot nicer to be right back at your room than to have to drive back to an off-site location.

I think Marriott now has more flexible options, but the plan my parents have is for week-long rentals with limited check-in days of the week. I really like the fact that DVC allows you to choose the length of stay you want, and any check-in day.

My parents also have limited flexibility for room size with their Marriott ownership. They have a 3-bedroom unit. They can split one week into two by using their lock off separately, but I find the DVC ability to use points for whatever size unit you want a lot more flexible.

As to the ownership expiration, the more I thought about it, I realized that I'll be 90-some years old when my membership expires. Even if I did have kids, I'm not sure it would be that valuable of an asset to pass down. What would the material condition of a resort that old be -- the annual dues would be very high.

 

[Dean]

I've always felt the fee simple vs leasehold argument was silly until you got under the 30 year window. Some of the Marriott's are leasehold as well though most are not.

We are doing Aruba this year and are already looking forward to where we will go in 2011 - thank you Dean!

You are welcome. We were at Surf Club in Jan, very nice.

 

[gkrykewy]

Me Me Me!!! Thanks to Dean we took the plunge to Marriott and are THRILLED. When we only owned DVC I felt trapped at WDW for all of our trips and now we can visit the whole world AND keep our WDW fix.

We are doing Aruba this year and are already looking forward to where we will go in 2011 - thank you Dean!

Jodie

You know, paying cash for some trips IS acceptable. You don't have to use a timeshare for every vacation

 

[Dean]

You know, paying cash for some trips IS acceptable. You don't have to use a timeshare for every vacation

Certainly, better yet is matching the right timeshare to the right vacation options. I generally pay pennies on the dollar for most timeshare trips, the ones that cost me the most are when I stay at the ones I actually own, esp DVC and HH Marriott's.

 

[littlestar]

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.

Yep, and thanks again for being willing to share the information.

I've been really happy with the DVC points and the Marriott weeks system. Very nice combination. I've even made the comment to my family that once DVC at KoOlina is built, I can see using a Marriott week and DVC points together for a big family trip to Hawaii at the two resorts.

 

[Angrypenguin]

Everyone, thank you for your informative opinions! Buying resale sounds like a great idea; we're not ready to buy this second (we're buying a house, so that takes first priority!) but we'll be seriously thinking about purchasing in a year or two. I will definitely check out TUG.

We're enjoying our honeymoon here in Ko Olina; unfortunately a lot of our plans got dashed today because of the rain.

For DVC owners, how difficult is it to trade into one of the other resorts that you're not the owner of? Does the 4 month head start make a large difference?

At this point, we love Disney, but we'd love to have the flexibility that Marriott offers as well. Especially if we're buying resale, perhaps we can swing an every-other-year with Marriott Vacation Club as well as a DVC.

 

[Chuck S]

For DVC owners, how difficult is it to trade into one of the other resorts that you're not the owner of? Does the 4 month head start make a large difference?

It can make a difference for higher demand seasons and special events. For instance, the Epcot area resorts during Food & Wine fest, and of course almost any DVC resort books early for Christmas and New Years Eve week.

Spring Break can also be difficult at 7 months. Even in January for the WDW Marathon can book up early. And of course any room type that has limited availablility, like AVK concierge rooms and most Grand Villas book pretty early.