World Passport Option, PLEASE HELP!!!

[reedycreek]

i just got back from WDW and am thinking about purchasing a DVC membership (200 points for now) and have a few questions. hopefully someone can help me out here.

1) has anyone used the world passport collection? did you have problems booking it or getting the dates you wanted?

2) am i reading this correctly, or for 200 points, i could take a 7 day trip to aruba in low season (124 points), and a 5 night stay at say BWV in oct (approx 60 points) and still have points left over each year??? that seems too good to be true.

thank you!!!

 

[manning]

You do not get soap and shampoo every day.

 

[castleri]

I think the "seasons" for the world passport collection are determined by the individual resorts as November on Cape Cod might be low while the same time in Mexico might be regular.

We have never run out of soap between check in and trash and towel day but I imagine you could ask mousekeeping for more. We always bring our own shampoo so that has not been an issue.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[dianeschlicht]

No, you don't get soap every day, but they will bring a fresh supply on T&T day or a full cleaning day.

 

[reedycreek]

sorry i have to bump this i really need answers to my two OP questions, PLEASE!!!

 

[dianeschlicht]

1) has anyone used the world passport collection? did you have problems booking it or getting the dates you wanted?

2) am i reading this correctly, or for 200 points, i could take a 7 day trip to aruba in low season (124 points), and a 5 night stay at say BWV in oct (approx 60 points) and still have points left over each year??? that seems too good to be true.

1) Booking World Passport collection depends a lot on where and when you want to go and how many owners in that location want to trade into WDW. The best way to get a trade is to be VERY flexible and start your search early. Don't necessarily plan on a specific resort.

2) A week in low season (if the area you are trying to trade to has a low season), would be 124 points for a 1 bedroom. Booking the BWV standard view studio would be 60 points, but you would need to book that at exactly the 11 month booking window, since that is a very popular time and place in October.

 

[reedycreek]

wow, so it is hard to get a studio room at BWV in oct? what else should i know about booking studio rooms throughout DVC since that is all i am interested in? what other months are tough? thanks!

 

[dianeschlicht]

wow, so it is hard to get a studio room at BWV in oct? what else should i know about booking studio rooms throughout DVC since that is all i am interested in? what other months are tough? thanks!

Not so hard to get a studio, but a STANDARD view studio during October for the food and wine festival is difficult because of the walking distance to Epcot Word Showcase. Early December is another time that will be difficult as well as holiday times. Standard view studios go quickly because of the lower amount of points needed. Other times wont be as difficult.

 

[reedycreek]

Not so hard to get a studio, but a STANDARD view studio during October for the food and wine festival is difficult because of the walking distance to Epcot Word Showcase. Early December is another time that will be difficult as well as holiday times. Standard view studios go quickly because of the lower amount of points needed. Other times wont be as difficult.

thanks for the heads up, its only me, so a studio is plenty of room. i am not picky at all, am buying into SSR, but like BWV, and BCV the best after touring all the DVC resorts.

btw, you have a lot of posts!

 

[lovwdwalot]

Not so hard to get a studio, but a STANDARD view studio during October for the food and wine festival is difficult because of the walking distance to Epcot Word Showcase. Early December is another time that will be difficult as well as holiday times. Standard view studios go quickly because of the lower amount of points needed. Other times wont be as difficult.

October is a hard time as dianeschlict stated at both the BWV & BCV becausde of the F&W festival, also as I have read on these boards Dec. at the WLV can be hard to get a studio too.

For the World Passport, we have stayed in Miami and San Francisco with no problems, but you should always have some diffrent dates to work with just in case that you won't be able to trade out on that one week that you thought you could.always have some type of back up date to play with.

 

[reedycreek]

my problem with world passport is that i cant really plan a vacation more than 4-5 months ahead of time, usually i dont do it till 2 months prior just because of my work schedule and the way my vacation leave is determined. i am nervous about world passport because of that. has anyone experienced an advantage to not planning till 1-2 months prior to departure with WP as things might open up? also, would it hurt me when booking my DVC reservations for off-peak periods?

 

[dianeschlicht]

If you are not fussy about where you go, you might be able to get an exchange on short notice, but a trade through another route like TUG or any other place to do a direct trade might be the way to go. You can also do some of the Concierge Collection on short notice.

As for booking DVC off peak seasons...That depends on WHICH off peak season and which DVC resort. Most DVC resorts will be heavily booked during October, early December and holiday times, but there will usually be something available if you are willing to go on a waitlist. Remember that off peak times at the parks are also low point seasons at DVC, so many others are looking to conserve points too. SSR and OKW will usually have more available rooms than the others because they are much larger resorts. Be aware that 60 days before the end of your use year, points can be released to CRO, so I would try to book at least 60 days out.

 

[lovwdwalot]

my problem with world passport is that i cant really plan a vacation more than 4-5 months ahead of time, usually i dont do it till 2 months prior just because of my work schedule and the way my vacation leave is determined. i am nervous about world passport because of that. has anyone experienced an advantage to not planning till 1-2 months prior to departure with WP as things might open up? also, would it hurt me when booking my DVC reservations for off-peak periods?

On our trip to Miami we booked our stay at about 4 months out, so it can happen that you could find a trade out.

 

[reedycreek]

If you are not fussy about where you go, you might be able to get an exchange on short notice, but a trade through another route like TUG or any other place to do a direct trade might be the way to go. You can also do some of the Concierge Collection on short notice.

As for booking DVC off peak seasons...That depends on WHICH off peak season and which DVC resort. Most DVC resorts will be heavily booked during October, early December and holiday times, but there will usually be something available if you are willing to go on a waitlist. Remember that off peak times at the parks are also low point seasons at DVC, so many others are looking to conserve points too. SSR and OKW will usually have more available rooms than the others because they are much larger resorts. Be aware that 60 days before the end of your use year, points can be released to CRO, so I would try to book at least 60 days out.

i am new to this, what is CRO and what does releasing my points mean? and what is TUG? thanks so much for your help.

 

[Daitcher]

i just got back from WDW and am thinking about purchasing a DVC membership (200 points for now) and have a few questions. hopefully someone can help me out here.

1) has anyone used the world passport collection? did you have problems booking it or getting the dates you wanted?

2) am i reading this correctly, or for 200 points, i could take a 7 day trip to aruba in low season (124 points), and a 5 night stay at say BWV in oct (approx 60 points) and still have points left over each year??? that seems too good to be true.

thank you!!!

Buying into DVC with the idea of using the World passport options every year or regularly is a mistake IMO. These are tough to get unless you can plan far ahead and are very flexible. The program does offer direct booking of the Concierge collection, see if those interest you. The best use of the points is at WDW or the 2 beach resorts. You can also book the cruise line but even that is better off done with cash. To sum up, if you plan to visit WDW or the beach resorts every year or 2 then the program is great. If you are looking at using the World passport collection every year or two this program is not for you. WDW is the base of the plan, everything else is a bonus. Marriott Vacation Club sounds like it would be a better fit for you. Just buy into a place like Aruba or Hawaii with high trading power and you'll be able to go all over the world. Good luck and I'm sure this board will give you tons of opinions.


DAVE

 

[wtpclc]

CRO - Central Reservations Office. (Ressies for general public)

When DVCers use theri points for non-DVC resorts (World Passport, COncierge, DCL...), Those ponts are released from DVC inventory and put in to CRO inventory. At 60 days out, any other ununsed points can be released to CRO for them to rent out. So, it's best to try at least 60 days in advance.

TUG - Timeshare Users Group

TUG is a group on the web where timeshare owners can go to do private exchanges and get info on other timeshares. I believe there is a small fee to join tug, but I've heard it's more than worth it. There is some info you can get w/o being a member though.

 

[dianeschlicht]

i am new to this, what is CRO and what does releasing my points mean? and what is TUG? thanks so much for your help.

CRO is the Disney reservations system and rooms can be released to them on a need basis at the end of a use year. They in turn rent out the rooms at rack rates to recoup some of the loss.

TUG is Timshare Users Group. It is a web site that lists many timeshares and also has lists of folks looking for direct trades. You have to join as a member to see those, but the cost is VERY minimal and well worth it in my opinion.

 

[reedycreek]

wow thanks for all the advice and knowledge, i will take all the tips into consideration!