Other Facilities Around the World

[Tamplain]

Ok still pondering what we will do but getting closer.

Big question I have is has anyone used there points for travel outside the US or say the Ski Resorts or Vermont, etc.

I have been looking but not found much with regard to this as it seems all everyone here does is go to Disney multiple times every year. Now please do not take this as a knock cause we love Disney as well and if that is what floats your boat fantastic. But I have always been a world traveler and have gone to many places and countries over the years. I would now like to make my little girl a world traveler and have her experience other places. We will still be going to Disney many times but just curious if anyone has used there points to go to some of the foreign destinations because this is a major thing we are looking at with regard to DVC and being able to travel to many different destinations.

Appreciate any feedback.

 

[dd08]

Ok still pondering what we will do but getting closer.

Big question I have is has anyone used there points for travel outside the US or say the Ski Resorts or Vermont, etc.

I have been looking but not found much with regard to this as it seems all everyone here does is go to Disney multiple times every year. Now please do not take this as a knock cause we love Disney as well and if that is what floats your boat fantastic. But I have always been a world traveler and have gone to many places and countries over the years. I would now like to make my little girl a world traveler and have her experience other places. We will still be going to Disney many times but just curious if anyone has used there points to go to some of the foreign destinations because this is a major thing we are looking at with regard to DVC and being able to travel to many different destinations.

Appreciate any feedback.

What most people here will tell you that it's a bad deal to trade into RCI, etc, that DVC points should be used only for DVC resorts to get their value. And that if you are looking to trade out you should buy a cheaper timeshare to do so....

That said, we probably won't ALWAYS use our points to go to Disney, as we like to travel around and we will trade into RCI to try it out at some point. I've been looking at their stuff via the member website and there are some that seem pretty darn nice.

And if other people here think I'm "throwing away my money" then so be it, we are the ones who paid for our points to use how we see fit. It's to each their own....

 

[tjkraz]

It's going to be really difficult to give a quality answer to that question right now. When you go to those destinations outside of DVC, technically it is a "trade." The DVC owner is exchanging a week at his DVC timeshare for a week at someone else's timeshare.

There are two big companies who help manage these trades: Interval International and RCI. After a decade of using Interval for its trades, DVC changed to RCI...oh, about 8 days ago.

While we have access to lists of the +/- 500 RCI destinations available to us, most members have yet to trade into any of them.

Another element to timeshare trades is the amount of "power" you have to trade within the system. Those who deposit a highly sought-after destination will have the greatest ability to chose a prime RCI resort/timeframe to withdraw. Those who deposit junk (bad weeks, bad resorts) will only be able to trade into junk. Since DVC's relationship with RCI is so new, it remains to be seen how much power we have to trade within the system.

It will probably be 6-12 months before we have any real sense of how DVC members will make-out in the RCI system.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

The Manhattan Club resort has pretty good reviews on TUG......it is almost $400/night and is 20 pts./night or 160 pts./week for a 1 bedroom suite. So far, this looks like a wonderful trade for DVC points. Its location is great, 53rd St. I plan on trading for 3 nights in the near future. Even with the $95 fee and $25/nite resort fee, its still worth it.

 

[ohtarabell]

Ok still pondering what we will do but getting closer.

Big question I have is has anyone used there points for travel outside the US or say the Ski Resorts or Vermont, etc.

I have been looking but not found much with regard to this as it seems all everyone here does is go to Disney multiple times every year. Now please do not take this as a knock cause we love Disney as well and if that is what floats your boat fantastic. But I have always been a world traveler and have gone to many places and countries over the years. I would now like to make my little girl a world traveler and have her experience other places. We will still be going to Disney many times but just curious if anyone has used there points to go to some of the foreign destinations because this is a major thing we are looking at with regard to DVC and being able to travel to many different destinations.

Appreciate any feedback.

That's right, everyone on the board has never been anywhere other than their home town and Disney Just a little joke thrown in, nothing personal. I think that most here will tell you that they use their disney points for Disney, not that they couldn't imagine going anywhere else. Many would tell you that there are better and cheaper ways to trade for world travel. In other words, they use DVC for Disney and own other resorts to do what you would like to do. If you only want to go to Disney once in awhile, there are better options. If you only want to travel the world occasionally, but mostly go to Disney, then DVC may be a good option for you. I suggest you read here and the tug boards (www.tug2.com). Tug will give you a great perspective on other options. Luckily, some of the smartest people on maximizing your travel desires post on both boards

 

[Tamplain]

We will be going to Disney quite a bit, especially with the economy in the shape its in, etc but we want to still go to other destinations. Talking to my guide he told me going to places listed on the concierge list, etc is as simple as calling up reservations and they handle everything and many of the places are fantastic.

Plus there is a good chance I will be having to go to Singapore for a few years if things fall together with our office and my family would be coming. So we would definalty be looking to make the short hops to Hong Kong, Tokyo and perhaps even Disney Euro. But also places like New Zealand, etc that are listed seem very interesting so that is why my interest in anyone that has gone outside of the disney resorts so to speak.

Will definatly look at the other board for some info.

As a side note and I am not kidding with regard to your little joke about people not having gone anyplace except there home town and disney. Well I know quite a few people who have not gone anyplace outside there home town and not even Disney. Kinda sad when you think about it

Thanks for the info.

 

[tjkraz]

Talking to my guide he told me going to places listed on the concierge list, etc is as simple as calling up reservations and they handle everything and many of the places are fantastic.

For the Concierge Collection, that is true. They are booked on points and everything is typically handled in a single call.

But there are less than 20 resorts in the CC right now and that number will change over time. Disney has actually trimmed that list quite a bit in recent years--used to be about twice that many. Also the point costs are adjusted annually so there's no way to predict how many points it may cost in 5 years, 10 years, etc.

 

[bwvBound]

I have been looking but not found much with regard to this as it seems all everyone here does is go to Disney multiple times every year. <...> But I have always been a world traveler and have gone to many places and countries over the years. I would now like to make my little girl a world traveler and have her experience other places. We will still be going to Disney many times but just curious if anyone has used there points to go to some of the foreign destinations because this is a major thing we are looking at with regard to DVC and being able to travel to many different destinations.

We are also world travelers -- but very clearly, we do not use DVC to book this travel. We find it far more favorable to book cruises, travel packages and other independent travel using cash or less expensive timeshare. As such, we might own fewer DVC points than others here -- but use those points exclusively for our DVC visits. In summary, we use our DVC points for Disney stays ... and cash, cheaper timeshare or other "deals" for everything else.

Please do continue to seek unrestricted travel options!