Where in the world have you traded...........

[DisNDat]

It's also not on the DVC exchange list any more.

You're right...I forgot to mention that. I'm kinda glad I got in when I could. And yes I still insist "there's no place like home!"

 

[Synonymous]

We booked the regular room and they upgraded us to club level without us asking. The club level was VERY nice and really increased our enjoyment quite a bit. I wouldn't have chosen to pay the points at the time, but now if I went back I would feel I was missing something if I didn't have it.

Drinks were complimentary any time you wanted them. Breakfast was quite good; there were always snacks available. At night they had some very good hors d'ouvres and I seem to remember great desserts, as well. It was also nice to have a place to sit and relax outside the room- it seemed almost like we had a big living room right outside our "bedroom."

question on Charleson Place, would you use the points to do club level there? Is it worth the extra points? Thanks!!!

 

[Daydreamin]

As you can see from my signature, we've traded both using Concierge Collection to the Jefferson in Washington DC (no longer on the list) and then to Cancun at the Royal Caribbean.

We enjoyed the Jefferson in Washington DC for the location (only 5 blocks to the White House) and the quietness of the hotel. It was in a nice location and we ate at several local restaurants that were fun and reasonable. We never ate in the hotel due to the prices. Since it was Concierge Collection it was very easy to book. We had a 1 bdr suite and got rollaway beds for our children. The beds worked great and we weren't charged for them either though we expected to pay for them. As an adult, it was great having a king size bed. The only change we would have liked would have been to have a swimming pool on site rather than having to go to a club close by.

Our stay at the Royal Caribbean was great. We had a fun time and would go again but not sure that we would want to go through the wait for the trip. I tried booking it 1-1/2 years in advance. The trade didn't come through until 5 months prior which had us fairly nervous. I was just about to cancel request when we got the call. We only had a 2 week window in which we could travel due to our teenagers' schedules which we know didn't help. We said we'd take ANY of the Cancun resorts and were pleased with what we got.

I'd like to try a trade for Hawaii, but am concerned that it will be as difficult to get the trade as Cancun. Anyone have any experience with booking...how far out did you try to trade and when did your trade come through? What times and locations are best? We'd love to go but are somewhat limited based on teenagers' school schedules.

 

[rigsby25]

We're pretty new to the DVC. As a matter of fact, we are going home for the very first time in two weeks. There isn't a "trading" forum here is there? I don't quite understand how to do it.

 

[DJR]

Debs Hill - the Polo Towers were very nice, not quite Disney but nice nonetheless. It is on the Strip right next to MGM and across from what was the Holiday Inn (this was in '96). It was very convenient and within decent walking distance to many attractions.

Dave

 

[DisNDat]

Now ya'll are tweaking my ol brain. I too exchanged into Royal Caribbean...that is a wonderful resort with many amenities included. I'm not wild about the architecture which is a bit "clinical" and austere, but it's a resort with a great staff and many activities included for guests. Highly recommended!

 

[MinnieInMI]

We have used our points to trade into the Marriott Kauai Beach Club (in October) and the Royal Caribbean in Cancun (January 2005 stay - just returned). For Kauai, we put in a request about 11 months in advance, and for Cancun, we put in a request 10 months in advance.

 

[wintergreen]

We have not done any II trades, but we have done a few Disney Collection trades: 4 day cruise, Disneyland Hotel in CA, Newport Bay Club in DL Paris, AKL; and Concierge Collection trades: The Broadmoor in CO (best pool of any hotel I have EVER stayed in), Keystone in CO, and Kapalua Bay in HI (beautiful!). We have a trip planned in March to Tanque Verde Ranch and Arizona Biltmore in AZ.

 

[downontheBW]

Thanks for all the great responses so far:
* How was Polo Towers in Las Vegas..........where in Vegas is it, which hotels is it near? How did you rate the accommodation in comparison to Disney?

* DownontheBW: I was really interested to hear that you'd traded to Four Seasons Aviara.........we are thinking of adding this to our current request for Four Seasons in Scottsdale. Tell me more about the resort and Carlsbad itself as I don't know the area. Is it nearer to San Diego than LA? What time of year did you visit? How long in advance did you request?

Still no luck on our resorts and dates.........but it has only been a month so far!!!!
Debsx

Debsx,

We traveled in September but did not use DVC II, we did a private trade. I had an ongoing search out for about 4 months but it was more than 12 months out so I hadn't really expected much. I put an ad on TUG (tug2.net) and an owner at FS Aviara contacted me. We emailed each other a few times more than a year before our travel dates, made reservations for each other at the 11-month window. It worked out very well for each of us.

FS Aviara was very nice - a resort tucked into a primarily (upscale) residential area. Aviara is perfect for those who want to do the "resort things": tennis, lay by the pool, spa, etc. We loved Carlsbad and plan to go back but will look for a TS within walking distance of the beach, restaurants and shops so we'll stay in the village area of Carlsbad or possibly La Jolla or San Clemente.

Carlsbad is closer to San Diego. We flew into San Diego and used Carlsbad as a base to see some of southern CA, mostly by rail - we have to drive in traffic enough and prefer not to do it while on vacation. One day we took the Coaster (light rail, www.sdcommute.com) to San Diego and did a sightseeing tour - the trolley tour (http://www.historictours.com/sandiego/) has a stop (Seaport Village) near the rail station so we got on there then it stops at various other attractions around San Diego such as Coronado Island, Old Town, etc.

Another day was spent at the San Diego Wild Animal Park which was great. If you have kids along, Legoland looks good but we were on our own with no kids this trip

We also took Amtrak to Burbank and stayed overnight there 1 night, did a Warner Bros. studio tour and a taping of a TV show. All in all, it was a great trip.

 

[disney4me4ever]

Anyone traded to Palm Springs, Arizona , Las Vegas or Portugal?!!!

We are trading into the Marriott Desert Villas II in the Palm Springs area at the end of this month. The resort was highly rated on www.tug2.net. I will post a trip report when we return. This will be our 1st exchange using DVC.

Nancy

 

[Debs Hill]

DisneysRock Chick: HOw was the Arizona Biltmore? I looked at their website and it looked nice, but had awful reviews on 'tripadviser'. What were your impressions? What time of year did you visit and what sort of room did you have? Lots of people were complaining about the staff....how did you find them!!
Debsxx

 

[Debs Hill]

Anyone else tried the Arizona Biltmore?!

 

[wintergreen]

We have a stay at the Arizona Biltmore booked for the end of March. Does not help you now, but I will definitely post a report when we return.

 

[dougmatt]

I have put in for trades 3 times. 2 times I cancelled the search before I got any hits as I was able to get cash reservations I was happy with (at >8 months out). The 3rd time, I mentioned on this board that I was trying to trade (HI at xmas) and someone offered an individual trade to me. Next time I trade, I will look for a private trade FIRST. No exchange fee's, I handle "details" myself. May also be flexible on "number of days" etc...

FYI on the HI trip I did get a match about the same time my trade came through. Asking around, everyone said it was "inferior". We had also put in Aruba as an alternative. A hit came through for that as well about the same time, and again everyone said "inferior"... Seems like a common thread!

D