Use of points for stays at non-Disney resorts

[woodman5]

Over the last few days several people have posted their experiences using DVC points for stays at resorts, etc other than Disney. One of the reasons we are planning on buying DVC is so that we can use it at Disney resorts AND use it for villas in Italy and cottages in England, rooms in Hawaii, etc etc etc.
There seem to be mixed opinions as to availability, etc of this usage. Any real, live experiences out there ? Has anyone actually successfully stayed at a Concierge, Adventurer or World Passport Collections ? If so, how easy was it ?
I guess I'm not sure I want to go thru with buying 250 points just to rent them out and use the money to rent a villa in Italy or whatever. I know that this could still be equitable....but it's also a hastle, etc.
Your input and experiences are greatly appreciated.

 

[Dean]

I have a tremendous amount of general exchange experience but not for Europe. Still, the basic setup makes it unreasonable to use routinely for the purposes you quote other than DVC stays. Why not buy less DVC points then buy a timeshare at on of the locations you're interested in or possibly one where you can use it at several places that interest you in Europe as there are a few points type systems that funtion there. Go to www.tug2.net and investigate timeshares including buying and exchange to the areas you are interested in.

 

[woodman5]

Well what and how was your exchange experience for the non-Europe trips ? If we are going to own points at Saratoga for the next 50 years I assume at some point we are going to want to spend some or all of the yearly points in Colorado or Whistler up in B.C. or whatever.

 

[rocketriter]

If you can afford it, you might consider buying both DVC points and tradeable timeshare points. Get just enough DVC points to use every other year, and do the same for the other timeshare.

With advance planning it's possible to buy only DVC, trade out and get good dates at a good resort, and this is a perfectly good way to go if you view DVC as a prepaid vacation plan. But if you really want to maximize your dollar per point you should use DVC points only at DVC, where they realize the most value.

That said, we're using DVC points to go to Hawaii next March. (We started over a year ahead of time, and got our first-choice time period and one of our first-choice locations.) While it will cost us a bit more than it would cost if we went to the trouble of maintaining a second timeshare or of renting our DVC points and using the cash for a rented condo or rented timeshare in Hawaii, it will also cost us a great deal less than a first-class hotel suite. For us, the simplicity of using Member Services has a value, too.

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by woodman5
Well what and how was your exchange experience for the non-Europe trips ? If we are going to own points at Saratoga for the next 50 years I assume at some point we are going to want to spend some or all of the yearly points in Colorado or Whistler up in B.C. or whatever.

My experience is both in the DVC system in knowledge but not in actions as I don't see it a value and with II in general. I have extensives exchange experience for HI, Caribbean and the Eastern US. Most resorts in Europe can be gotten far easier and cheaper without DVC as can most other exchanges. The 50 years is exactly the reason you should buy what you think you will use and look for other ways to get non DVC trips done. that's what banking and borrowing is for. Why complicate your life trying to get the exchange with limited options and waiting until a few months before you want to travel then have air fare problems. Especially as expensive as DVC is both up front and yearly.

 

[dbond]

We have used points at Keystone CO, twice, the Plaza, NYC; Grand Californian, DL; and DCL, twice. Member Services was able to book our reservations within a day on all occasions. Sometimes we were given confirmation while on the phone with them, sometimes they had to call back. It was very simple and the transaction was handled smoothly in all situations. We have not tried a II exchange, just haven't had the time to trade somewhere for a whole week. We look forward to that in the future.

 

[woodman5]

Thanks very much.
That is great feedback.
I think that it is still worth owning DVC to use it for 1 or 2 weeks a year now and swap/rent/trade later. The economic benefits of owning for 40-50 years still make sense.
Thanks again.