Using DVC points outside of WDW...who's done it?

[Destination Disney]

I am curious to see who has use thier DVC points to book a vacation elsewhere besides at a WDW resort. Where did you got and how were the rooms and ammenities?

 

[Dean]

I haven't done so but likely know more than most about the process and reasonableness. Most options are a poor use of points and/or difficult to book. You may find THIS THREAD helpful for exchange options. A number have used the CC, DCL and adventurer collection as well as II and BVTC. Some have been happy, others have not. Many II exchanges are a down-trade compared to DVC so it's important to be knowledgeable up front about what you're getting into. I'm sure others will give your their take. There are other threads with the same theme you may want to search for.

 

[Scratch42]

I'll be staying at the Loews Regency in NYC over the July Long Weekend! They had a deal at the end of last year where when you booked three nights you got one night free!

It's a great way if you are cash poor and have points!

I'll let you know what I think.

j

 

[chris1gill]

We've used 85 points to stay one night at the Grand Waillea in Maui... The cash price was around 800.00 for the night, so I was more than happy to use the points... that and I've always wanted to stay there Our stay will be in December & I'll report back afterward

 

[RLevy29]

We have stayed at the Stein Erickson in Utah, the Shelburne - Murray Hill in NYC, and the Sands of Kahana in Maui. We were happy with all 3.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We used 160 points for a week at Kona Coast II resort in Hawaii. Lovely resort and spectacular views, plus a good location for doing the other stuff the Big Island has to offer. We weren't "Hawaii vigins", so we knew pretty much where we wanted to be.

 

[gtrist4life]

We stayed at the Disnelyland Hotel in Anaheim last fall. 4 nights, I think it was 23 points a night. Obviously much pricier, point wise than DVC, but we thought the hotel was great. Had a nice view of the grounds, DTD, and the Mountains of Disneyland.

 

[rocketriter]

We recently used 144 points to stay for 7 nights in a lovely 1-bedroom at the Marriott Fords Colony in Williamsburg, VA. We knew that the resort space was already "in stock" so we made an instant match on the first phone call. (It sometimes helps to call MS and simply ask them what's in stock from Interval International for a certain time period, then spend a few hours researching the places they have in inventory to see if any would please you.) The resort was Marriott's usual excellent quality and it was a joy to have a full week to explore Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown.

 

[CarolAnnC]

I have only traded out for the Disney Cruises and the Grand Californian at Disneyland but loved all of those trips.

Have toyed with the thought of DL Paris one day...

 

[Cinderella]

Portugal once - four seasons - amazing trade, well worth the money.
Spain once - nice area, but would have been better off paying cash.
Disneyland Paris twice - good trade, park tickets were included, and got cheap flights. But, points go up each year, so it may not be worth it for long.
Aruba - October this year - can't comment yet, as haven't done the trip.
Vienna - two nights, great trade.

Future trades: Would like to go to many places in America including Keystone, and also to Canada.

 

[bz8bls]

Last year (Memorial Day weekend) used 90 points for three nights; we got an extra night...some type of special at that time.

Really enjoyed it, we even drove over to Las Vegas one day. The Biltmore is really a nostelgic (sp) resort. Very quaint place...met other Disers and even introduced a NY couple to DVC and they bought later that year.

 

[Caskbill]

Grand Californian at Disneyland twice, and at DL Paris once. The Paris trade included passes into the park so that gave it more value.

Compared to cash prices, the point 'prices' were reasonable.

 

[Cruelladeville]

We stayed 3 nights at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island several years ago, definitely high end, since the cash price was then around $450 per night, including some awesome meals. Since we are from Michigan, we were familiar with the Grand Hotel, and the Island, and it was well worth it. We have since spent a weekend at the Whitehall in Chicago, also quite luxurious. It is easy to burn points doing this, though, so we prefer to stay on-property at WDW, where the points go farther.

 

[Dean]

Here are a few excerpts from a DVC members exchange to Kauai. Since it's copied from another board, I am not going to post the entire information. I feel it illustrates some of the possible issues with II exchanges.

The following "review" is in the form of a letter of complaint that was sent to the Customer Satisfaction Manager of the Disney Vacation Club following a Disney exchange into this resort using our DVC week. We initially considered NOT posting this material, however, having seen a recent flurry of activity regarding this resort, we srtongly feel that all potential exchangers should be adequately warned. We wish we were!

The gist of the review was that 2 couples went to Hanalei Bay Resort in HI with a confirmation for a 2 BR unit. None was available and they were placed in a 1 BR daily rental unit which was below standards. After 3 nights with one couple sleeping on the floor, they were finally moved to a 2 BR unit in the timeshare side which they felt was still substandard. It does illustrate one of the risks of exchanging at a fairly highly rated 5* resort.

 

[larry_poppins]

Let's see 3 Disney cruises
2 trips to Disneyland (Grand Californian and Disneyland Hotel
1 trip to Disneyland Paris (Sequoia Lodge)
1 trip to Tokyo Disney Resort (MiraCosta Hotel)

While not a great use of points some of them are not that bad. For instance I stayed at the MiraCosta at the lowest point season I think it was 47 points.
Rooms were at least $400 plus 15% tax if I paid cash. They also threw in monorail tickets for my length of stay.

If you have never visited Tokyo Disney, you must go. It is the best Disney on Earth. I am very happy to be able to use my points there.

Larry

 

[oybolshoi]

We used our points on a 7-night cruise a couple of years ago when it was a better deal than it is today (keeps going up, just like everything else.)

We've also used some "leftover" points to stay in Washington DC - this was at the Jefferson, which is no longer on the exchange list but it was a wonderful hotel within walking distance of everything that out-of-towners typically want to visit. They also upgraded us to a junior suite while we were there and lemme tell you - there was no way the hubby and I would have booked a room like that on our own (pricey!).

We look at it like this - if it's a trip someplace we really want to go and our DVC points will help get us there then why not give it a try? We really like the flexibilty and are looking forward to many new experiences in upcoming years (definitely want to give the Grand Wailea a try - ).

 

[funhouse8]

Have never used mypoints in WDW yet. Our first trip with points is in 28 days. Staying at the Grand Californian at Disneyland. Can't wait. WooHoo

 

[tic-toc-croc]

Let's see 3 Disney cruises
2 trips to Disneyland (Grand Californian and Disneyland Hotel
1 trip to Disneyland Paris (Sequoia Lodge)
1 trip to Tokyo Disney Resort (MiraCosta Hotel)

While not a great use of points some of them are not that bad. For instance I stayed at the MiraCosta at the lowest point season I think it was 47 points.
Rooms were at least $400 plus 15% tax if I paid cash. They also threw in monorail tickets for my length of stay.

If you have never visited Tokyo Disney, you must go. It is the best Disney on Earth. I am very happy to be able to use my points there.

Larry

I couldn't resist to post when I saw your travel adventures and remarks about Tokyo DL. We'll be going to Tokyo and Hong Kong Disneyland next month. Not using points to stay there, can't part with our points for what DVC charges. We've traded for DCL cruises and Disneyland Hotel. Happy with the trades. For DL Paris, we stayed offsite which allowed us 1 day DLP and a few days to see Paris. Worked out well.

Any tips on Tokyo DL is appreciated. Has anyone seen any trip reports here for these parks? So glad to have found the disboards, everyone is so helpful.

 

[mrsdon]

We traded our points about 6 years agoto go white water rafting trip.
It was AWESOME. I dont thnk its an option any more.
We also used our poitns to sail on Carnival( that was before DCL)
Weve used our points to stay at Big Cedar Lodge in MO
ALso the Sagamore in NY
We also used our points to trade out for Gatlinburg Town Square in TN
While not always the best use of points..
They are my points and I can decide whats best for me.
I havent regreted any of my trades.

 

[aclov]

Have traded to:

Whitehall Hotel in Chicago for one night

Disney Grand Californian Hotel - can't remember how many nights maybe 6

Sands of Kahana in Maui for a week - ended up trading for a two bedroom but got a three bedroom (it was hard getting a third couple to go for FREE accomodations, so this was not used. What a shame!)

Disney Cruise 4-nights - this was really worth it vs. paying cash. Did the least amount of points Cat 11 maybe and ended up getting upgraded to Cat. 8.

I wouldn't have been able to afford to go on any of these trips without DVC