Official Interval International Vacation Point Chart 2003

[Shontell_Crawford]

Hi Everyone,

I attended the DVC meet at DISCon last week and received in writing the point requirements for trading through the World Passport Collection. Forgive me if someone beat me to the punch, but here it is:

Low Season 1 Bedroom = 124 pts 2 Bedroom = 207

Mid Season 1 Bedroom = 144 2 Bedroom = 252

High Season 1 Bedroom = 160 2 Bedroom = 270

I am personally thrilled to finally have this in writing! I have had clients asking about it for years and it has always been a challenge to explain.

All the best,
Shontell

 

[tfc3rid]

Is that for a night??? Or a week?

 

[RAMWDWFAN]

Since the point chart "allows" trades with as little as 124 points, does that mean that the DVC minimum requirement of 210 points to trade into the World Passport Collection no longer applies? Please let me know if I'm wrong with any of my facts.

 

[hoosiergirl]

Interesting info! Thanks Shontell! Now--could you explain it a little further? For example, since Hawaii is always considered "high season" (I think ) does that mean that it'll be 160 points for 1br and 270 points for 2br at any of the HI exchanges? Also, is the World Passport collection the category that II timeshares are in? I'm surprised that all of them would use the same amount of points. Finally, how do we know what the seasons are for each trade? Thanks to anyone who answers these questions!

 

[downontheBW]

I know that studio trading was not a given as were 1 or 2 bedrooms. I'm disappointed that they are not on the list at all now. Was there any mention of studios? That's all I'm really interested in trading.

 

[Dean]

Studios are 106/123/134 or so I've been told. High season will be Premium times like Xmas in Aruba. Mid season will be II red times but not Premium like Summer in Aruba and low will apparently be truly off season.

 

[disney4me4ever]

Dean~

I always enjoy reading your post because I always learn something! Regarding the info you just posted, if a person wanted to try a trade to Harborside, Atlantis or Westin St. John for a late Feb or early March, what "season" would this fall into?


Thanks,
Nancy

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by disney4me4ever
Dean~

I always enjoy reading your post because I always learn something! Regarding the info you just posted, if a person wanted to try a trade to Harborside, Atlantis or Westin St. John for a late Feb or early March, what "season" would this fall into?


Thanks,
Nancy

Thank you. I talked to the exchange portion of II today and frankly they couldn't answer my questions very well. They obviously don't yet have this new process down. I had sent an email about a week ago but hadn't heard back so I called. Apparently several members had sent the same type of email so they are having their "compliance" department formulate an accurate reply to those. They couldn't tell me who had control of booking using the points that were given up for exchanges. They also couldn't tell me how it would work for deposit first or when those would expire, ie 2 years from a deposit or 2 years from the date of the transaction. They also couldn't tell me whether it would still be mostly OKW deposited.

The way this is shaping up in my mind will be much to the detriment of the members. It appears the studios will be much more points than previously, that 1 BR exchanges will be less points potentially and that the 2 BR would be about the same. One of my concerns is that this means that holiday and magic season will be more likely to be deposited to II. If they use the points for the 11 month window (or before the 7 month at least) it means less availability for non home resort members. It also means that II could get more smaller units than exchanges gotten by members including BW standard view.

To answer your question specifically, they have a chart now for each area and it tells which level any week will fit into. Aruba is High season for 52-16 (or was it 17) and Mid for the rest. Aruba was low under the old season for summer so no more summer studios for 55 points. I would assume it would be 160 for a 1 BR or 270 for a 2 BR for Harborside or Westin for Feb or March.

Overall, I think we're going to see it's actually more points under the new system except for 1 BR ecxhanges. I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this change. Of course much of this is speculation at this time. It seems that if one wants to exchange, looking at the independent companies still might be the best option for many.

 

[disney4me4ever]

Dean,
As always thank you for an excellent analysis of this complicated (at least for a newbie to DVC like me) situation. Please post a follow up if/when you hear back from II on this matter. I had sent an email to Member Services for clarification, but received a reply that the matter was "too complicated" and best discussed over a phone call.

Nancy

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by disney4me4ever
Dean,
As always thank you for an excellent analysis of this complicated (at least for a newbie to DVC like me) situation. Please post a follow up if/when you hear back from II on this matter. I had sent an email to Member Services for clarification, but received a reply that the matter was "too complicated" and best discussed over a phone call.

I'll post when I know more. Funny they told me they were formulating an email response that would explain the entire thing for a number of us that had emailed them and when I called, they had no idea about the questions I had. All I could get was the points levels quoted and how simple it is now compared to how complicated it was before. I couldn't even get the counselor on the other end to understand the fact that the 2 BR are far more "expensive" now compared to the 1 BR units. At least I could get the studio points though it was "OUCH" when I heard them as they are now the most expensive option relatively speaking when they were the cheapest. The other end result was that what was low season before (adventure season) is now the Mid level in the new points scheme.

It appears to me that the average studio exchange just went up some 30 points for truly high season and doubled for lower season. I'd say 1 BR stayed the same or went down slightly and that 2 BR exchanges went up slightly overall. I still remain concerned more about what DVC units and resorts are given to II and the time of year.

Warning, strictly speculation follows. I've also been pondering the reasoning behind the change in the first place. My concern is that it was instigated by II rather than by DVC and that raises the question as to WHY. My guess is they simply didn't want off season HH weeks and felt they were getting hoodwinked getting them for red season exchanges. This has the possibility of affecting every single DVC member and not just those that are interested in exchanging but it depends on how it's actually done. If II says I want X weeks and DVC is willing to do that before the members have a chance to pick over, we're screwed. If DVC looks at historical data and matches up deposits to traditionally lower weeks, it's OK. Still it appears that those wanting to exchange a studio are going to lose out, at least if the numbers they gave me are accurate.

 

[disney4me4ever]

Originally posted by Dean
If II says I want X weeks and DVC is willing to do that before the members have a chance to pick over, we're screwed. If DVC looks at historical data and matches up deposits to traditionally lower weeks, it's OK.

Dean--

This is probably way over my head, but do you mean that this could adversely affect people's booking at the 11 month/7 month window?

I would guess that it is a relatively low number of people that trade out their "on property" time, no?

Nancy

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by disney4me4ever
Dean--

This is probably way over my head, but do you mean that this could adversely affect people's booking at the 11 month/7 month window?

I would guess that it is a relatively low number of people that trade out their "on property" time, no?

Nancy

That is exactly what I'm worrying about. If DVC gives II the ability to chose when and where and it's before the 7 month window then that's less rooms for you and I. It also means that it's very possible that many of the rooms given out will be the higher demand resorts like BWV standard view. As to relatively low number of people, it was 1.9% of members last year. That's still some 1300 exchange unit weeks, enough to fill up all DVC resorts at WDW for a full week.

 

[Shontell_Crawford]

While Dean's answer our very thorough...it might help to know Interval rates all resorts season by red, white and blue....red being the "high".
I'm assuming the charts will work accordingly, but as far as using them and seeing the season's on each resort, I don't know that they are readily available if you are not an II member.

As always, calling MS will be necessary.

Keep us posted, Dean.

Kind regards,
Shontell

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by Shontell_Crawford
...it might help to know Interval rates all resorts season by red, white and blue....red being the "high".
I'm assuming the charts will work accordingly, but as far as using them and seeing the season's on each resort, I don't know that they are readily available if you are not an II member.

Not true from what I can tell and hasn't been in the past. Actually this is more to the members advantage. It's the true premier time like Caribbean weeks 52-16 that's DVC high time and the rest even though it's II red time is now Mid season for DVC. I'm assuming all else (yellow and green) is low season. It sounds like they've actually done it individually for each resort area so it may vary a little from one example to another. The one I asked about that I knew well and felt it could give me a good feel was Aruba.

 

[MaryJ]

It's the true premier time like Caribbean weeks 52-16 that's DVC high time and the rest even though it's II red time is now Mid season for DVC.

For those of us who have no experience with timeshares other than DVC, this is all very confusing. I understand that red is the most popular season for resorts, but what is meant by 52-16? And how do you know what color season a particular resort will be for the time you want to vacation there?

 

[David in Manassas]

Well...I see where the chart is now on the members only DVC site....I guess the only question I really have now is what constitues the seasons? From's Dean's note it looks like High is Christmas week and the other II Red weeks would be mid season for us? Everything else at II would be low season for us....does that sound right??? or am I simplifying too much..

David

 

[Simba1]

Actually, I found the point chart to be very user-friendly. It didn't seem complicated at all to me. And, in my experience, Member Services was helpful.

Thank you, DVC for making this so simple!!!

 

[Lisa P.]

I understand that red is the most popular season for resorts, but what is meant by 52-16?

52 weeks per year. #1 is the first full week in January, generally beginning on either the first Friday, the first Saturday or the first Sunday of the year. #47 is usually Thanksgiving week, #51 is usually Christmas week and #52 is usually New Year's week (the week including the holiday). There are exceptions, depending on the calendar each year. 52-16 means the time spanning from New Year's week through the end of traditional spring break weeks, including Easter week.

The exchange companies (like II) or Member Services can tell you the week number of the specific dates that interest you, if you don't know it.

And how do you know what color season a particular resort will be for the time you want to vacation there?

Again, Member Services can tell you, from their charts, depending upon this new arrangement they've made with II. Orlando is considered red year round. But it's not really all high season, some will trade as mid-season. Vero has mostly red, some yellow/mid-season. HHI has mostly red, some green/low-season. II normally denies upgrades of trades from green to red but DVC has arranged for it in the past (January HHI for a red week elsewhere).

Perhaps this has something to do with why DVC and II made a change. Or perhaps there were too many DVC members who felt that the real/varying number of points given up was unfair when two members could make the same exchange and have to pay different amounts of points, just because availability of deposit week reservations was different due to the time of year when they placed their requests.

Anyway, just as DVC has varying value to their red weeks, so do other regions. Everyone would agree that a July 4th beach week would have more value than a late September beach week, though both may be red. DVC will still want to deposit the lower season red weeks to obtain higher value red weeks for DVC members. But how they have determined this by the charts has still to be seen.

I would guess that the midseason DVC points figures will be used most often, other than for the highest of prime holiday week requests. Since DVC members probably tend to request prime weeks the most (like everyone), this would be fair, IMHO, allowing for a slight upgrade in the exchange due to the quality of DVC resorts. JMHO.

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by David in Manassas
Well...I see where the chart is now on the members only DVC site....I guess the only question I really have now is what constitues the seasons? From's Dean's note it looks like High is Christmas week and the other II Red weeks would be mid season for us? Everything else at II would be low season for us....does that sound right??? or am I simplifying too much..

David

Week 51 is usually Xmas. Each area will be different and it's not always how you would assume it is. Caribbean and MX high season is usually Xmas to Easter or so, the rest is lower but still more demand than many areas. You'd have to ask DVC about each area in question.

 

[Dean]

A little more info. The studio points I posted earlier are indeed correct. Apparently DVC will have the say so in chosing weeks to give up to II and will do so at all resorts in a season to match the level of exchange received. Deposit first will follow the new points schedule but will expire based on the actual week given up (2 yrs from the week actually deposited). LIke always, if you deposit first, you can only search for requests that match or are lower than what you've deposited.

That means that one of my fears is alleviated but the others remain. And the end result is that exchanges will cost on average more points under the new, more user friendly system. DVC needs to expand the BVTC and forge alliances with some of the other points systems out there beyond Cordial and Club Intrawest OR give DVC members more direct access to II with bonus weeks, access to short term rentals and a wish book. As it turns out II generates all type of membership books for different organizations like Marriott. Maybe they should do so for DVC as well.