where do you trade when you already own one of the best?

[lodgelady]

Hi all. Just spent some time on the TUG website. Looked at options to trade thu II and have gotta say, I am underwhelmed!
I liked about 6 properties out of the list in our member guidebook for Florida, S.C., VA and Caribbean(granted I am making a snap judgement from the looks of photos and reviews only) BTW, The ones that appealed to me most were Hyatt or Marriott owned.
I just can't see parting with a week at a DVC resort for a glorified condo on a shadeless beach with a boring little pool!
Anybody got a favorite trade you want to share info on???

 

[Dean]

I have several points to make that apply to your observations. It's true that there are relatively few trades worthy of a DVC exchange and even those aren't on WDW property. I'd guess around 30-40 on the list are truly worthy. Many of the Hyatt's and Marriott's would fit that catefory as would the Royals in Cancun. Add to those St. James Place, CO; the 2 four seasons, the Westin in Maui, many of the Captiva/Sanibel options, the 2 Canadian Club Intrawest options and the Galleon are the ones that come to mind. This is just taking the resort and ambience into account and realizing that a resort I like might not be one you'd like. The Marriott's are by far the largest group that are worthy.

I'd caution you to find out as much as you can about exchange options. The pictures are not at all a good way to compare. Read the reviews and see if the resorts will fit what you need. As for not wanting to part with DVC, that's why I started investigating other timeshare options, both to use and to trade. There are other resorts outside the DVC list to consider which may be accessed through direct exchanges or independent exchange companies.

 

[Werner Weiss]

In the past few years, we've stayed at excellent timeshare resorts that are on the DVC World Passport (II) list, including:

• Marriott's Kauai Beach Club, Lihue, HI
• Marriott's Custom House, Boston, MA (1BR units only)
• Marriott's Manor Club at Ford's Colony, Williamsburg, VA
• Marriott's Newport Coast Villas, Newport Coast, CA (2BR units only)

(We used our Marriott ownership, not our DVC membership, for these stays.)

All of the above are very high quality resorts in the same league as DVC -- although, of course, they're different from DVC resorts and different from each other.

As Dean pointed out, there are other timeshare resorts of similar high quality -- but not many. Trading into one of these resorts can be a good use of point, especially if Member Services can make the trade with Adventure Season or Choice Season points at OKW (where the points per week are lower). Remember, you don't have to own at OKW or HH to use those resorts to trade, as long as MS can find suitable availability within the 7-month window if you don't own there.

For example, if you could get week in a 1BR at the Custom House or Kauai Beach Club for 172 points (an OKW 1BR Choice Season week), I think you'd have get excellent value for your points.

However, Marriott Vacation Club (MVCI) owners get a priority at MVCI resorts, so, you're "in line" for exchanges behind MVCI owners.

 

[Cinderella]

Also think about what you can trade. If you are flexible you may well end up trading a studio for a one or two bedroom.

We just managed to get a three bedroom four seasons villa in Portugal with it's own swimming pool, gas barbeque etc, in exchange for a 2 bedroom unit in March at HH (we are WLV members). This seems like a great resort and a v good deal - we go in 9 days time so I will report back. Do keep checking TUG, it is a brilliant resource.

I also remember reading on here that a member got a week in January in a studio in Playa Linda, Aruba for 55 points. I don't know how it works out to get the best deal - we had already swapped for another reservation, then cancelled when a better choice came up. I am wondering if it is best just to deposit a low season studio in II (think you have 2 years to use it) and see what comes up?

Good luck finding something. We ended up having to be more flexible with our dates and call several times before getting what we wanted.

 

[lodgelady]

Thanks Dean, Werner Weiss and Cinderella for your educated responses and advice. Trading is new to me and is not well explained in the DVC member guidebook.
Are you all satisfied with your Marriott ownerships? I found their website explanations of their vacation club confusing, but their properties look excellent.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We were satisfied with our trade to Kona Coast II resort in Hawaii.

 

[Dean]

Hopefully this isn't OT enough to get us in trouble! LOL. Marriott is different than DVC in many ways and similar in others. They have more resorts in more places than DVC. The top Marriott resorts compare very favorably to DVC, the lessor ones do not and would definitely be a step down for both DVC owners and Marriott owners at the top resorts. Marriott is more of a traditional timeshare where you buy either a specific week and unit or at least a specific season and unit size/type, depending on property. There is no direct exchanging like DVC but you do have priority for other Marriott properties through II. Marriott can be cheaper than DVC but that varies a lot depending on where and how you buy.

I love my Marriott weeks for different reasons than DVC. I love the Marriott Grande Ocean directly on the ocean in HH. It's a great resort, in many ways superior to HH-DVC, IMO (which is also a great resort, it just doesn't have the same location). But like DVC, most trades are down trades and it's expensive. I love my Harbour Pointe week at HH which I use for trading though it's nice enough to stay at as well but definitely a step below DVC and the top Marriott's. The larger group of Marriott resorts to trade into is a big plus as well.

What's best for one is not the same as another. I think that Marriott and DVC fit together very well for many people and complement each other nicely.

 

[llp479]

We're lucky because we can arrange our own "trades" within the family. My parents have three Marriott timeshares - HH, HI, and FL. My sister has Marriott Grand Vista in Orlando. We looked at Marriott in January when we "got the bug" and decided to buy a resale at OKW. For me, it was the flexibility of not having set weeks that I could use the resort.

But I must admit it is funny to hear my mother say her FL resort is better than my sister's - sound familiar? LOL

 

[Werner Weiss]

Originally posted by lodgelady
Are you all satisfied with your Marriott ownerships?

Originally posted by Dean
What's best for one is not the same as another. I think that Marriott and DVC fit together very well for many people and complement each other nicely.

I agree completely.

We really enjoy our stays at OKW, and we wanted to stay in comparable resorts elsewhere -- East Coast, West Coast, Hawaii, Florida, and who knows where. I did a fair amount of research and considered many options, including buying more DVC points, buying a "cheap trader" on the resale market, buying a Marriott resale, and buying a developer week at a new resort where we'd like to stay at least every other year.

We bought one "Platinum" (summer & fall) floating week -- and later a second week -- at a Marriott's Newport Coast Villas, a spectacular resort in a great location that's underserved by timeshares. We paid a lot, similar to DVC pricing. All indications are that we're in at the top tier of the food chain when it comes to II exchanges, especially within the Marriott Vacation Club system.

As Dean wrote, "What's best for one is not the same as another." But for us, this was the right choice. And it's working out well. I have some great exchanges lined up at top Marriott Vacation Club resorts at peak times. And, since we bought, Marriott has announced several new locations that I know we'll want to visit, including Disneyland Paris, Lake Tahoe, and Ko'olina on Oahu.

By the way, I didn't buy directly from the resort. I bought from Marriott's national telesales center, using a phone number I found on the Web. There was no pressure, and the salesperson and I were able to discuss the relative merits of various Marriott properties.

 

[Diznut84]

There are MANY timeshares that offer very good quality for the dollar. I would recommend that DVC owners rent out their points and then rent a unit from another owner or through sites like sky auction. You may want to join TUG to access resort reviews. TUG also has a Classified section with many owners willing to rent out their units. You'll probably find that you can rent any 2BR unit in the world for between $700 and $1500 (70 to 150 DVC points if rented).

JMHO!

 

[sueg]

After we owned at DVC, I arranged a stay at Marriot - Ford's Colony in Williamsburg, using a "please buy" incentive. The place was beautiful. The furnishings were colonial, there even was a fireplace, great for our Aug. stay LOL Colonial Williamsburg & Busch Gardens were nearby. There was great golfing. We would not like to own there, but it was a nice alternative stay & I'd consider a DVC trade to stay there again.

 

[ng6ny]

After reading the reviews about Harborside Atlantis on the TUG board, if DVC ever adds this resort to the list, I will gladly submit a request for an exchange there.

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

I have to say that if I were to trade into a like resort then I might agree with you. However I can't imagine trading DVC for another warm weather resort. What would be the point? But I do plan to trade or do concierge into a ski location...and in with regard to skiing DVC is definitely lacking! The trick may be to trade for what DVC can't give you rather than trying to top it.

 

[Werner Weiss]

Originally posted by doubletrouble_vb
However I can't imagine trading DVC for another warm weather resort. What would be the point?

I want to enjoy vacations in locations other than WDW. It's really not an issue whether those are "warm weather" or "cold weather" locations. And there are places such as coastal California that have much more pleasant summer weather than central Florida.

 

[lodgelady]

Thanks again for great responses to my questions!
I am intrigued by gthorsen's idea of renting out points then renting directly from another owner....although, never having traded before, it seems a bit overwhelming to me. I have to get more timeshare saavy!!!