Several Questions (Long)

[DanG]

I first want to thank everyone on this Board for all the information and lively debate provided on this Board. This discussion likely has swayed us to either purchase from at VWL or OKW resale.

I will address most of our questions with our guide, but several questions seem better answered outside of official Disneydom:

1. Can anyone with a large family (we are expecting our 5th) share their experiences with using points for non-Disney accomodations? Were you satisfied with the alternatives and the point costs? We need 2BR or larger and most of the non-DVC places seem to be hotel rooms.

2. Has having DVC as an intermediary with Interval International hindered your trading ability or costed more points then seemed reasonable? Is it better/easier/more rewarding to trade outside the Disney system?

3. Has anyone experienced any problems from Disney in buying a resale?

4. What resale brokers can you recommend?

Thanks for the help.

DanG

 

[drusba]

I will let others answer 1 and 2 as I do not engage in much trading out, except to mention that there are a couple of places on the Disney list that are more condo like resorts,also those through II obviously are, and that some have reported trading out through II you can often get a 2BR at another place for a week for the points required for a 1BR at WDW.

Disney treats all resale owners the same as others. Only issue in resale is that Disney has a right of first refusal which it has a policy of exercising if it believes the price is too low (currently below $55 a point). Also, with resale you have to wait until you close to make a reservation (usually about 30 days after the sale)--if you buy through Disney you can reserve as soon as you agree to buy.

Two on-line brokers recommended are
www.dvc-resales.com and www.atimeshare.com. The first is a sponsor of this site. Right now demand is high and supply is low so people are on wait lists with those brokers.

 

[workingmom]

I may be able to help with some of your questions!
A two bedroom will comfortably accomodate 8 people. One bedroom has a king size bed, the other bedroom as 2 queen beds and the living room sofa will pull out to a queen size bed. Plus you can get a crib or cot for children under 3.

If you plan on going to Disney each year or at least every other year, DVC is an economical way to accomplish this!

Boardwalk and Old Key West are the two on-sight Disney resorts that are available through resale. We have purchased 3 packages through Jaki Apetz at A Timeshare Broker and she has been great! The Timeshare Store is another source. You can negotiate prices on resales and generally the buyer has to pay closing price, although we negotiated that as well. If you want to buy into the Wilderness Villas then you have to buy through Disney, the price is set currently at $72 per point and is non-negotiable. However, Disney does pay closing costs and will provide you with financing if you need it.
Hope this helps

 

[Ed T]

Here is another vote for Jaki Apetz at A Timeshare Broker 888-345-2622. she was great to deal with, very professional, low key and kept good communication through out the transaction.

The current issues with resales is that there are not very many available right now so it is in your best interested to get registered with a resale broker and tell them what you are looking for so that when a resale does hit their inventory they can be on the phone to you immediately. Timing is everything with resales. they are very negotiable but since Disney has raised their pricing to $ 72 a point resellers are expecting to get their asking prices but you can certainly negotiate with them.

Good luck

Ed
DVC 1994

 

[Peggy Sue]

We have used Member Services once for a trade to Hawaii through II. It was a quick, seamless experience and we were very pleased with the results. The amount of points used was actually less than I anticipated the transaction would take. MS does try to complete exchanges using the lowest amount of points. The exchange fee is also $75. I believe (but not certain) that this is higher when trading with a traditional time share. (Is that correct??)

The exchange was a beautiful resort. We exchanged a 1 bedroom for a 1 bedroom, and it was just as large as our OKW resort, and offered the added convenience of an additonal full bath room. The unit had a king bed and a full size sleeper sofa. I seem to recall there was also a love seat in the living room.

We do not have any other time shares, but others here who do have advised DVC is not a good investment if you plan to use your membership for a lot of exchanges. (when comparing DVC to the cost of traditional time shares, you make out better exchanging with a traditional time share) Doc, Dean and others can address this issue better than I can. If you search prior posts here you will find a wealth of information on this subject.

I do agree that you get the best value for your investment dollar when you use your points to stay at DVC resorts. It is amazing how many vacations you can stretch your points into with a little creative planning! Others here have also used their points for the DVC cruise. (We paid cash for our Disney cruise)

We've been members since 1997. Never regretted our decision..and the only issue we've ever had is the age old question ... do we have enough points for the the things we want to do! From our first DVC vacation experience we were hooked..and we find ourselves returning to WDW on a more frequent basis!

Good luck with your decision.

Have a wonderful day!

 

[dianeschlicht]

We also were able to do an Hawaii exchange with little problem and for fewer points than originally quoted. When you do the II exchange, you request the size accommodations you need, so if a 2BR is what you need, that is what you request. A 2BR will cost more points than a 1BR exchange, but we were very lucky on that front.

As for on site, Disney 2BR accommodations at OKW are very roomy for your family of 5 as long as you have compatable groups. The second bedroom has 2 queen beds and the living room has a pull out queen size sleep sofa. The master bedroom has a portable crib for toddlers or younger.

Disneydiane

 

[AnnK]

Hi Dan,
Buying DVC was great for us. We have 5 children. We bought at BWV, and we just love it! We were getting two adjoining rooms in the premiums.We NEEDED the space! Now we stay in a 2BDRM or Grand Villa, it is so nice to have the jacuzzi tubs, washer/dryer, everything you could possibly need!
We have not done the cruise or exchange through DVC because we own another timeshare in Aruba and use that to trade out, so I can't comment on trading through DVC, but I can say that MS does a fantastic job, and I am sure you will be pleased.
Good Luck!

 

[DanG]

Thank you to everyone for the helpful responses.

AnnK, I especially appreciate your perspective with all the challenges that travelling and finding accomodations for 5 children entails. DO you find that other timeshares with 2 bedrooms typically can accomodate your family?