Vacations Outside of Disney

[scoochie75]

Hi - I am a brand new DVC Member. I haven't been able to find any posts from people who have gone other places outside of the DVC resorts. Has anyone used them for other vacations and if so where and what were your thoughts on them? I am trying to decide if it is really something we will use outside of going to Disney every year (ie - do we want to purchase more points before our closing - we bought 210).

Thanks for any thoughts/opinions!
Scoochie75

 

[bom_noite]

Has anyone used them for other vacations and if so where and what were your thoughts on them? I am trying to decide if it is really something we will use outside of going to Disney every year (ie - do we want to purchase more points before our closing - we bought 210).

Thanks for any thoughts/opinions!
Scoochie75

I have not, but, have seen other posts. The consensus I have gained (from this board) is that it is not economical to buy DVC in order to trade for other places.

I think that is because of the price of WDW vs. other destinations.

For example, I just rented 5 days at OKW in a GV. Rack Rate = $6500. For the 180 pts I used I could have rented them out for $1800 to $2000 then got a oceanfront rental in North Carolina (mid summer) for $1500 to $1700.

I am not an expert - but - that math makes sense to me.

 

[littlestar]

An occasional trade through the World Passport collection is a nice alternative to just going to Disney. Do a search on the boards with the words - World Passport or Interval International and you'll find lots of information.

I haven't traded our DVC points yet, but I have stayed on cash at some of the resorts that Disney trades into and enjoyed them very much. I've stayed in a 1 bedroom on Maui at Sands of Kahana (enjoyed my week very much there). While on Maui, we toured the Maui Marriott and the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas and thought they were gorgeous properties. My sister has stayed at the Royal resorts in Cancun and loved them (all these resorts trade through Interval International which is listed under the World Passport Collection in our member guidebook).

The main thing about trading is not to expect to be able to get holidays or busy school vacation times easily. Just like DVC, a lot of the people that own prime time in other timeshares bought to use during prime time. If you're flexible and can go off season, I think trading out through Interval is a nice option for DVC members.

Good luck.

 

[Dean]

Only about 3% or less of DVC owners actually exchange each year through II and given the points specifics, I'd say less than 2% of points are actually exchanged that way. If you add BVTC, DCL, DC, CC & AC; I'd say you might get up to 10-15% of owners at the outside. As noted, it's not a good use of points from a value standpoint, some worse than others. Ultimately you must decide what a given option is worth to you.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We have been members for nearly 10 years and have only exchanged once, and that was to Hawaii. While I agree that for the most part, DVC is an expensive timeshare that is best utilized at DVC resorts, an occational trade to a high end area or resort is certainly worth it. I probably wouldn't use it for something a few miles from home though.

 

[mark&sue]

Perhaps it is different for us in the UK as the flight prices are soooooo expensive during our school vacations.

We have used our points for a stay at Disneyland Paris and also an exchange with II in the UK.

I am using points for the Disney Cruise next Summer and taking two families with us over to SSR and BCV in two weeks time.

I am more than happy with our purchase and hope to go to WDW every other year once we buy our second home in Spain.


Susan

 

[Bama Penguin]

I did an exchange through Interval for a week in Hawaii during 2004 at the Marriott Ko-Olina on Oahu. The key is long range planning, starting the exchange process early and being flexible in the size & location of the accommodations you will trade for.

That said, the best utilization with an ocassional exchange is to use the points at DVC resorts.