Staying at non DVC resorts?

[Gaskorvan]

I have been thinking of buying into DVC and I am trying to do all the research. The one thing I can't seem to find any details on is staying at non DVC resorts and how that works. The Disney site indicates that the non DVC resorts at both WDW and Disneyland are available to members as well as many non-Disney resorts but I can't find anywhere how a DVC member would use these resorts and how the points system applies?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[chalee94]

generally speaking:

1) you pay a $95 fee to trade out of the DVC resorts. (sometimes not at DLR - may change after VGC comes online.)

2) you pay a lot more pts than you would pay for a DVC resort studio.

it's a miserable deal. it's nice if you've got points to burn and want to do something different...but it's a bad idea in general...which is probably why it's not regularly discussed.

 

[RobDoc]

DVC reservations are divided into several opportunities.

DVC resorts may be reserved 11 months ahead at your Home resort and 7 months ahead for other DVC resorts.

The Disney Collection includes reservations at WDW Deluxe and Moderate resorts, DisneyLand resorts and Disney Cruise Line. In addition to higher point costs than comparable accommodations at DVC resorts, there is also a $95 reservation fee for most of these options.

Concierge Collection offers a number of resorts which may be reserved for individual nights - again at a higher point cost than DVC resorts. The $95 fee also applies.

The World Passport Collection offers about 500 resorts world-wide trading thru RCI. There is a $95 fee here too.

Adventures by Disney is also an option - also with the $95 fee.

While once-in-awhile use of these options can be a nice diversion from using points at DVC resorts but in general they are costly programs compared to DVC resorts -- especially when you consider that DVC essentially values the points at what was paid for them each year.

If you plan to mainly travel outside of the DVC resorts it might be wise to consider purchasing a minimal DVC contract to meet your Disney needs and research other timeshare possibilties for travel to other destinations.

 

[ccgirl]

I actually own timeshare at Non-DVC resorts. Although we love to travel to Disney, we also like to see other parts of the world. I was able to trade in to Disney for a 2BR at BWV. I would say that if you do not plan to go to DVC at least 1 week a year to look into non - DVC properties. You can always trade in or rent points from other members. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Gaskorvan]

Thanks for all your responses. This has been very helpful.

 

[scroot]

We are currently at the Grand Californian on our developer points for buying into BLT. We have been watching them put the finishing touches on the DVC section here over the last couple of days. Yesterday the temporary wall came down while we were at the pool.

It was painless for us to get this reservation and, having paid to say here before, we felt is was a tremendous value for our devloper points. We may even use our yearly alotment for the same sort of stay in the future.

 

[Deb & Bill]

You also have to compare what you are getting for your points. If you don't mind giving up a one or two bedroom villa with separate sleeping areas, full kitchen and washer and dryer (and a jacuzzi tub) for a standard hotel room, it's okay to trade into the non-DVC Disney resorts from time to time. Especially if you have always wanted to stay in the GF or YC or wherever and have the points to do it.

DCL and Adv by Disney require a whole lot of points and you might have to use three years' worth of points or pay cash for some of the guests on the reservation.

 

[majortom1981]

I dont understand why people dont like using points to other places. Wer went with my fiances parents to vegas using the points. 270 points for a 2 bedroom villa at polo towers (with the $95 ) and it was actually pretty good. So why do people not like using points to stay in other places?

 

[crisi]

Because if you are going to trade a lot, there are timeshares with cheaper initial purchase prices and cheaper dues to do so. And cash works well, too, especially in the current economy. Around here, we tend to look at that 270 points and value them at the rental rate of around $10 a point - you can usually get a pretty nice place for that in cash if you dig around a big - there are no shortage of timeshares in Vegas to rent from their owners for less than rack rate.

 

[CarolMN]

Because if you are going to trade a lot, there are timeshares with cheaper initial purchase prices and cheaper dues to do so. And cash works well, too, especially in the current economy. Around here, we tend to look at that 270 points and value them at the rental rate of around $10 a point - you can usually get a pretty nice place for that in cash if you dig around a big - there are no shortage of timeshares in Vegas to rent from their owners for less than rack rate.

And if you sign up for the resorts' (in Las vegas) players' cards, you get offers for hotel stays at a reduced rate. If you gamble at all you even get offers for free lodging. This is especially true right now, since tourism is down in Las Vegas.

 

[chalee94]

270 points for a 2 bedroom villa at polo towers (with the $95 ) and it was actually pretty good.

270 pts plus $95 equates to roughly $1500 in maintenance fees, at a purchase price of over $20,000.

as overbuilt as vegas is, you could have bought a decent timeshare on ebay for less than $1,000 with maintenance fees of less than $700-800 and made the same trade.

it's a nice option once in a decade or so, but if you do it on a regular basis, there are much better ways to approach it.

 

[Chuck S]

And if you sign up for the resorts' (in Las vegas) players' cards, you get offers for hotel stays at a reduced rate. If you gamble at all you even get offers for free lodging. This is especially true right now, since tourism is down in Las Vegas.

In 2001, when tourism tanked after 9-11, I got an offer for 3 nights free and one night at $19 from Palace Station, for a tower room, and was able to book an additional room for friends at the same deal, and honestly, I don't gamble all that much.

In general, RCI trades aren't that bad of a deal, but still pricier than using your points at a DVC resort...so an occasional RCI trade when available isn't awful, but the Concierge Collection, and even the Disney collections aren't the best use of points.