Why did you purchase DVC over purchasing Hilton or Marriott timeshare ? It looks like every other timeshare is wayyyy cheaper than DVC by the 1000s$

[Chili327]

To stay at Disney resorts, within the bubble and very close to the parks

Amen.

 

[Mikey15]

May as well ask in this thread,

We use a non-Disney timeshare in Orlando that exchanges into RCI. By paying into RCI membership (which is an extra fee on top of our annual maintenance fees) we’re able to access their last call / extra vacations and get weeks at central FL timeshares for as little as $500.

I know DVC includes II access. Are you able to get last calls around that price in Orlando without paying for some extra II membership? Seems like a nice way to get a lot of Florida time on even a small DVC contract, if you don’t mind part of your stay not being in the bubble?

 

[Chili327]

part of your stay not being in the bubble

Blasphemy.

 

[Cfabar1]

May as well ask in this thread,

We use a non-Disney timeshare in Orlando that exchanges into RCI. By paying into RCI membership (which is an extra fee on top of our annual maintenance fees) we’re able to access their last call / extra vacations and get weeks at central FL timeshares for as little as $500.

I know DVC includes II access. Are you able to get last calls around that price in Orlando without paying for some extra II membership? Seems like a nice way to get a lot of Florida time on even a small DVC contract, if you don’t mind part of your stay not being in the bubble?

Yes it is called Interval Getaways and it is fantastic. We like the parks, but really we like the amenities of a vacation in Orlando and the shopping/dining.

So, we do a week at VGF, and the rest of the time we do short trips at S&D, and then we use Interval Getaways, or Hyatt hotel points for other stays. We tend to use suites, which, while they don’t have W/D or a full kitchen, work okay for our needs.

II lets us do cash getaways at a lot of great resorts near the parks, and we always have a car so not having a bus to the parks isn’t a huge deal. To us, we either want to walk to a park or stay off property. The price premium for us isn’t there to stay at Coronado Springs or All Star Movies for example —- all the hassle of off property with the prices of on property. OKW and SSR we would even consider to walk to the Springs or take a boat ride maybe.

 

[sethschroeder]

Why would I buy a timeshare at Hilton or Marriott? Seems like a complete waste. I can easily rent hotel rooms and not have to deal with the issues of their timeshare.

Plus I want flexibility. When we went to Turks and Caicos earlier this year as an example there is no Marriot or Hilton we would want to stay at. When we went to St. Lucia it was for a Sandals stay. When we go to a resort near us its a completely different brand but I can buy super discounted rooms directly from them during the fall because its low season.

Seems like a complete waste as outside of Disney I could imagine repeating a stay at the same location. Then when going other locations I love the flexibility.

Oh and earlier this year got a 4 bedroom cabin with a private indoor pool in the mountains down by Gatlinburg which if you had a timeshare you would be stuck in a hotel room.

 

[sethschroeder]

really we like the amenities of a vacation in Orlando and the shopping/dining.

What exact shopping and dining is not found elsewhere? Maybe I am missing something and when I research I never find Orlando on any lists other than it has Theme Parks.

That being said even if I was coming to Orlando yearly don't you want to move around some? Or is there a specific shopping/dining zone you can walk to from your timeshare that you have?

 

[Brian Noble]

which if you had a timeshare you would be stuck in a hotel room.

It appears you may not know what most non-Disney timeshares are actually like. Very few other timeshare developers depend on studios (aka "glorified hotel rooms") the way that DVC does. I can't think of a single other timeshare developer that would do what DVC did with Big Pine Key.

 

[Cfabar1]

What exact shopping and dining is not found elsewhere? Maybe I am missing something and when I research I never find Orlando on any lists other than it has Theme Parks.

That being said even if I was coming to Orlando yearly don't you want to move around some? Or is there a specific shopping/dining zone you can walk to from your timeshare that you have?

for us orlando is not too far and is more developed than where we live. It is like a trip to the big city in a family friendly environment where you don’t have to worry going to nice restaurants for dinner with your kids.

 

[sethschroeder]

It appears you may not know what most non-Disney timeshares are actually like. Very few other timeshare developers depend on studios (aka "glorified hotel rooms") the way that DVC does. I can't think of a single other timeshare developer that would do what DVC did with Big Pine Key.

Edit to add:
When I have traveled for work over the years I was a big Hilton brand person who stay at Doubletree, Homewood Suites, and others. So I think I misused "hotel" because to me a "normal" hotel room could either be the dorm style room or a suite with a kitchen and 1br/2br. I likely should preface that in the future.


-OG Message-
Its exactly what I had looked at.
When going to Gatlinburg the Hilton and Holiday Inn both had timeshares but their inventory was largely no different than other hotels in the area which had 1 and 2 bedroom variants. So it was essentially no different than getting a hotel room around town.

Flip side when renting through Airbnb (we did a direct rental with a home company though) you had a huge variety of locations including places with amazing overlooks on the Smokies (which is where we ended up).

This is the same concept I have run in to elsewhere and I would happily stay at a Hilton Timeshare (historical Diamond status level) if it actually met the requirements of being in the location that is best with the best amenities.

As an example I was not getting this view (below) in Gatlinburg from a Hilton Timeshare and Marriot didn't even have a timeshare there. So now if I am jumping through hoops to try and trade for a possible stay I might as well have a complete open book.

Not to mention I booked our cabin like 3 weeks out from the trip with a wide variety of options available.

 

[sethschroeder]

for us orlando is not too far and is more developed than where we live. It is like a trip to the big city in a family friendly environment where you don’t have to worry going to nice restaurants for dinner with your kids.

Ah okay that makes perfect sense then. So you treat it like your weekend vacation home.

We have places like that around us as well and can see the draw. We looked at buying a vacation home thats part of a indoor waterpark resort like 15 mins from us just because we could be in town and use the facilities for not too bad of a price while renting it out during high season.

 

[Brian Noble]

Maybe it's me, but when I hear "stuck in a hotel room" I do not think of a 1200 sq. ft. 2BR condo. (And many of the timeshares in Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/Sevierville have some very nice mountain views.)

Of course, it's also not either or. No one who owns a non-Disney timeshare is stuck vacationing only with that timeshare, any more than someone who owns DVC is forbidden from renting 4BR cabins in the Smoky Mountains.

 

[peder]

It appears you may not know what most non-Disney timeshares are actually like. Very few other timeshare developers depend on studios (aka "glorified hotel rooms") the way that DVC does. I can't think of a single other timeshare developer that would do what DVC did with Big Pine Key.

Precisely. I've looked at Marriott Vacation Club because when we travel with the 5 of us (and sometimes more if we're traveling with the extended family) we can't stay in a typical studio hotel room. If MVC had greater availability throughout Europe and Asia, we'd probably look at it more closely because it is really hard to reliably find hotel options for larger groups over there (we've been pretty successful with aparthotels, but it's still a ton of research into each option, and they tend to be pretty expensive).

 

[Mikey15]

So people have an idea what a non-Disney Florida timeshare is actually like, this is what you get from a timeshare you can buy for “$1,” plus $1,200/yr fees. Or! Even better, the same thing but for ~$500/week through an exchange like RCI/II:

 

[reddog21]

So people have an idea what a non-Disney Florida timeshare is actually like, this is what you get from a timeshare you can buy for “$1,” plus $1,200/yr fees. Or! Even better, the same thing but for ~$500/week through an exchange like RCI/II:

View attachment 890358View attachment 890360View attachment 890361
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As someone has used interval for the last 20 years before I bought DVC there a ton of timeshare dumps around the orlando area(thruout the us for that matter). The other part which I'm just stating my experiences thru the years are the there is an entirely different clientel with other timeshares that I have yet to deal with at a DVC resort.

 

[E2ME2]

What exact shopping and dining is not found elsewhere? Maybe I am missing something and when I research I never find Orlando on any lists other than it has Theme Parks.

That being said even if I was coming to Orlando yearly don't you want to move around some? Or is there a specific shopping/dining zone you can walk to from your timeshare that you have?

We move around quite a bit while at WDW - we stay at Beach Club, Boardwalk, Animal Kingdom, Saratoga Springs, all on DVC points. We spend 8 weeks there every winter; DVC is the Best Snow-Bird option for us!

ETA: Convenience of Shopping/Dining/Entertainment at Disney Springs is very nice when staying at Saratoga Springs!

 

[E2ME2]

So people have an idea what a non-Disney Florida timeshare is actually like, this is what you get from a timeshare you can buy for “$1,” plus $1,200/yr fees. Or! Even better, the same thing but for ~$500/week through an exchange like RCI/II:

View attachment 890358View attachment 890360View attachment 890361
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Nice Amenities & Lovely Views - but how far is the walk from there to EPCOT & Hollywood Studios ??

 

[Cfabar1]

Nice Amenities & Lovely Views - but how far is the walk from there to EPCOT & Hollywood Studios ??

Practically speaking not any further than the walk from Saratoga Springs, Wilderness Lodge, or, AKV, or Old Key West, among others…

 

[Mikey15]

Nice Amenities & Lovely Views - but how far is the walk from there to EPCOT & Hollywood Studios ??

Practically speaking not any further than the walk from Saratoga Springs, Wilderness Lodge, or, AKV, or Old Key West, among others…

Very true! Being a drive away doesn’t stop us from enjoying Disney. We’re at Boma or Sana’a in 20 minutes, Beaches & Cream in 25, or Whispering Canyon / Geyser Point / O’hana in 30,

 

[Brian Noble]

there is an entirely different clientel with other timeshares

I'm just quoting this part so that you understand why I am saying what I am about to say:

Welcome to my ignore list.

 

[reddog21]

I'm just quoting this part so that you understand why I am saying what I am about to say:

Welcome to my ignore list.

Ok, if I ask a question I expect the good and the bad. I appriciate the whole picture if I was trying to decide between DVC and other timeshares. Having interval for 20 years and DVC for the past 3 years there's more to the story then just being inside the Disney bubble or having a nice room. Having a bad hotel expeirance can really put a damper on a vacation quick. I'm not trying to be disrepectful just honest.