vacationman
Don't take your kids to WDW unless you are prepare
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2000
- Messages
- 249
Due to my planning for a 7 day June 2005 Hawaiian cruise and an additional one week in Honolulu (if I am flying that far, I had to make it at least a two week vacation), I looked into, and then purchased, a resale for the Hilton Grand Vacaton Club. While I have no intention in selling my DVC points, there are some things I really like about HGVC.
First, and most important, is their Internet site where you can check availability and book online. I just made my first reservation (Orlando, Christmas week) online and it was easy. I was able to run through several different scenarios and the site was able to give me unit availability at each of the HGVC properties. While I have heard rumors that DVC will have this capabilty soon, I hope it is as smooth - not like the new DVC site (so far).
Second, you have the opportunity to book leftover units up to 30 days in advance for a reduced price. While you can't count on this for necessary trips, I have checked the Internet booking site for availability and most, if not all, of the properties have some during the next 30 days - including some for Memorial Day weekend. What a great way to fill the empty rooms. I wish Disney would adopt this policy for unused rooms. They would make more money and our costs may go down.
Third, their maintenance dues are about half of that for DVC. The downside to this is that you get charged for certain transactions like banking or converting points, open season reservations, etc. For example, i had to pay $49 for my Orlando reservation. While this is a bit annoying, I doubt I will spend $650 in fees in any year (which is about half of my DVC dues/taxes).
I do need to mention that HGVC does not have a ROFR so their resales cost about half of what a new purchase would be. Bad for full price purchasers, but good for resale buyers.
I hope the DVC folks invest the money to make their Internet site workable for on-line reservations and at least look into the other two points above. I sure would welcome these changes. Am I missing a downside?
First, and most important, is their Internet site where you can check availability and book online. I just made my first reservation (Orlando, Christmas week) online and it was easy. I was able to run through several different scenarios and the site was able to give me unit availability at each of the HGVC properties. While I have heard rumors that DVC will have this capabilty soon, I hope it is as smooth - not like the new DVC site (so far).
Second, you have the opportunity to book leftover units up to 30 days in advance for a reduced price. While you can't count on this for necessary trips, I have checked the Internet booking site for availability and most, if not all, of the properties have some during the next 30 days - including some for Memorial Day weekend. What a great way to fill the empty rooms. I wish Disney would adopt this policy for unused rooms. They would make more money and our costs may go down.
Third, their maintenance dues are about half of that for DVC. The downside to this is that you get charged for certain transactions like banking or converting points, open season reservations, etc. For example, i had to pay $49 for my Orlando reservation. While this is a bit annoying, I doubt I will spend $650 in fees in any year (which is about half of my DVC dues/taxes).
I do need to mention that HGVC does not have a ROFR so their resales cost about half of what a new purchase would be. Bad for full price purchasers, but good for resale buyers.
I hope the DVC folks invest the money to make their Internet site workable for on-line reservations and at least look into the other two points above. I sure would welcome these changes. Am I missing a downside?
