Trading into DVC with other Timeshares

[gildis]

Thanks to all who answered my 50 point question. Here is the next question:

My DH DOES want a timeshare - he is just not as Disney Crazed as I am. We are planning on purchasing some sort of timeshare by the end of the year. I LOVE Disney and would love to own DVC. However, if I knew I could have a regular timeshare and TRADE INTO a DVC resort, I would be happy doing that every 3 or so years. We also like to vacation other places.

Does anyone have experience using other Timeshare memberships to reserve a DVC accomodation?

How difficult is it?
How far in advance can you trade in?
Is it "point/week" worthy - do you get your monies worth?
What resorts are available?

Thanks again for all your great suggestions - We are saving the money while I do the research. I can't wait until we can really take the plunge with SOMETHING! I am pulling for DVC, but it has to be a decision that the whole family is happy with!

Jess

 

[DemoBri1]

From what others have told me it is extremely difficult to trade into a Disney resort from other timeshares.

You will definitely be on the fence as far as being able to get a Disney resort via another timeshare, mainly due to the fact that DVC members usually don't trade out a great deal.

Brian

 

[Geubux]

Since Disney on property is so difficult to get, you would seem to do better to get Disney and trade it away to a VERY desirable location and date when you wanted. Or, do what we plan to do: Buy dvc first and another timeshare in a few years.

 

[spiceycat]

Dean will give you the best advice.

DVC doesn't seem to space bank - they did - and good resort (not great) would get it - now you need to do a whole lot of looking at II on a weekly basis....

I am hopping that they will at least spacebank some of SSR when they have opened more than they are selling - if that even happens...

most timeshare spacebank their villas years in advance - so when one of their members want to exchange it - they don't have a problem. they have a good idea of about how many members will want to trade out.

DVC only uses II when a DVC member request an exchange that only II can handle. that doesn't happen enough to become that predictable.

 

[rocketriter]

A few ideas to share with your husband:

DVC is considered one of the most desirable timeshares on the planet for several reasons, including the on-the-grounds perks for Disney properties and the historical rise in resale values. (On the latter, no other timeshare even comes close, although there are never guarantees about the future.)

There are 7 or 8 families trying to trade into DVC for every family trying to trade out. That means, loosely speaking, that 7 or 8 attempts to trade into DVC fail, which is no way to plan a vacation.

Trading out from DVC is not effortless, either, and you have to be careful that the resort you're visiting is comparable in value to the points you're spending to do so—but that's a happy problem, not a sad one. When you do post for a trade-out, your Disney property is perceived by the rest of the timeshare world as being desirable, which increases the likelihood of your making a match.

That said, I wouldn't buy into DVC unless I wanted to come to Disney on at least every other points-based vacation which, as you can see by the count-down timers below, is exactly what my family plans to do.

 

[LoveToDisney]

Originally posted by gildis
I LOVE Disney and would love to own DVC. However, if I knew I could have a regular timeshare and TRADE INTO a DVC resort, I would be happy doing that every 3 or so years.

That's what we had hoped to do when we purchased our first timeshare through II, but being disappointed in trying to get a Disney trade for YEARS (because people who own DVC go to Disney!), we finally took the bite and bought at DVC last summer...just enough points to give us something every other year or so. When you are watching for a trade through II that is in rare supply (like DVC resorts), you can't choose the size and date very easily...drives you crazy if you are a planner and want to schedule ahead of time. With DVC I can call at 11 months before the trip and choose everything.
Also, something else that I think makes DVC a dynamite option, that you rarely get with other timeshares, is the fact that you don't have to reserve by the week-- i.e. Saturday-Saturday or Friday-Friday or Sunday-Sunday, etc.--you can choose to go anytime and stay as little (1-2 days) or as long (weeks) as you have points. That option alone is such a great asset over other timeshares.
I enjoy our other timeshare for trades (and the dues are less than DVC), but I think we still would have been better off to have purchased more points in DVC from the start rather than the other timeshare. Trading out DVC through II would have been a breeze because you are out trading a unit that soooo many want. You just have to watch and select 5 star resorts through II so you are getting the highest quality for your trade. The II resort directory clearly shows which ones are 5 star. I have never been disappointed with Marriott, so that's usually my first choice.
Hope this helps in your decision.

 

[nuthut]

Originally posted by rocketriter

There are 7 or 8 families trying to trade into DVC for every family trying to trade out. That means, loosely speaking, that 7 or 8 attempts to trade into DVC fail, which is no way to plan a vacation.

Not sure where the 7-8 failures to trade vs the 1 trade comes from, but I am guessing it to be a lot higher like 100-1. Not factual stuff to base it on, just what I have seen over the years.

 

[DVC-Don]

Friends of ours are non-Disney timeshares owners. They tried to trade in for several years w/o success. They finally bought HH points a couple of years ago and are happy now. They mostly used them for HH but have stayed at DVC in WDW.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Hi, gildis. If you only want to go to WDW every three years, why not buy a small number of resale points and use banking and borrowing to accomplish this?

Good luck...

MG

 

[bynum66]

For anyone interested here is what's available on II:

OKW Studio, 8/21/04
VWL Studio, 8/21/04
OKW 1 BR, 9/04/04

 

[Cruelladeville]

You also need to consider the cost to purchase vs. what you receive back if you sell. One of the best non-Disney timeshares is Marriott, which loses 1/3 to 1/2 of it's value once you sign on the dotted line. They have many lovely resorts to visit if you don't mind staying a week in one location, and you need to consider that there are many hidden costs associated with staying in any resort other than the resort you buy into. DVC sells for approximately the cost of purchase if you hold onto it for approximately 5 years or more, and there are no costs involved with trading into other DVC resorts.

My sister has been trying to trade into DVC for four years, and she isn't picky on the time of year, but the only time she has stayed in a DVC resort was when I treated her to a couple of nights.

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

Originally posted by Cruelladeville
You also need to consider the cost to purchase vs. what you receive back if you sell. One of the best non-Disney timeshares is Marriott, which loses 1/3 to 1/2 of it's value once you sign on the dotted line. They have many lovely resorts to visit if you don't mind staying a week in one location, and you need to consider that there are many hidden costs associated with staying in any resort other than the resort you buy into. DVC sells for approximately the cost of purchase if you hold onto it for approximately 5 years or more, and there are no costs involved with trading into other DVC resorts.

My sister has been trying to trade into DVC for four years, and she isn't picky on the time of year, but the only time she has stayed in a DVC resort was when I treated her to a couple of nights.

I don't know that there are "many" hidden costs. The only costs I've experienced so far are the fee to maintain my II membership (the amount escapes me but it isn't high) and the trading fee which is about $125. If you buy a different high quality timeshare that isn't located in Orlando via resale and then a small DVC resale you might wind up with exactly the situation you want.

 

[Dean]

Actually it's not that difficult to trade into DVC if you know when and how to do so. Generally one finds most availability at OKW and in studios and 1 BR units. January, early Feb, May, Sept and Oct are best of WDW. Some July and August times will show up as well but usually studios it seems. there have been studios for 3 July and studios and 1 BR at BCV, BWV, OKW and VWL for mid and late August. Sept seems to be the best time and I've even seen 2 BR at OKW for then to early Oct. VB OTOH, seems to be more Oct to Mid November. HH is very easy for Nov through Feb excluding Holidays. It helps to be flexible and is not for the faint of heart.

As to what QUALITY and trade power it takes to trade in, this varies dramatically. What I normally do is use my Summer HH Marriott as bait to search II. That tells me what DVC units are available except for HH. Then I play with the other II options I have. Many times I can define a very clear deliniation of trade power between the weeks I own. Since many of them are floating and one allows me to search with any unit size (studio to 3 BR) for any time of the year. I then find that one unit will pull OKW but not BCV or BWV. Another unit choice might get 2 of the 3 but not all three. It is very clear that the trade power required for a specific trade varies dramatically from one time to another and sometimes one day to the next. To me it appears that the number of units for a given DVC resort available affects the trade power. If there are several OKW units, they are easier to get, if less, they are harder to get. This would make sense.

I just did the searches yesterday where I first go through with the Monster trader and see what's there. I then go back with my main current trading resort and vary the searches by unit size and sometimes season. Currently it appears VWL had the lowest trade value with OKW next then BCV and BWV. Usually VB is easier to get but it is currently harder than the rest. I could pull VWL stuido (August) with a studio off season in MX. If I changed it to a 1 BR, I could pull the OKW studio and 1 BR but not with the MX studio. I had to go to a 2 BR to get the 1 BR VB unit in Sept.

Since I am close to being able to travel consistently during these off times, I must reconsider how many points I own. I could easily travel for several weeks a year to DVC and not even be an owner. I've been three times in the last couple of years with 1 BR BW and 2 BR OKW for Jan, May and Sept.

 

[gildis]

These are exactly the stats I have been looking for. I actually presented the idea to DH last night of a SMALL DVC contract to use every 3 years (with banking and borrowing), then purchasing a resale from another timeshare company. He actually liked the idea. When I explained that you could get 50 OKW points for around 4K, he realized that we could pull off a vacation to DW every few years and be happy with that. Then, we could purchase a resale from Marriot or someone to get our Mexico, Hawaii, etc. fixes.

THEN he floored me when he expressed how much he liked the SSR resort. Now, we visited DW for the first time at Christmas, did not take the DVC tour, nor did we even go look at SSR any closer than from the boat from POR to DTD. But he really liked what he saw, the location, the style etc. SOOOOOO, maybe someday I will get my wish of 150 SSR points and won't have to worry about a small contract. I still can't imagine us making it to Disney more than every other year, but 300 points to use would be WONDERFUL!!!

Now, I just have to start saving every penny I can - as we will pay cash for any timeshare we purchase!

Thanks again for all the information - I kinda figured it was difficult to trade in, but I wanted some real experiences to base the decision on! I am a teacher, so can't really be felxible on dates which is a big issue! I am a planner - and LOVE to read these boards and plan for the day that I too will own at DVC - I just hope I don't drive myself mad in the meantime!!!

Jess