Does anybody use the Wolrd & Concierge collections through DVC?

[Rudyard Kipling]

I like the idea of Disney vacation club, I think Disney is a great place to visit and will be even better when all the construction is complete in a couple of years. Despite the fact that my family and I have gone to WDW for the last four years I can't see myself doing that for the rest of my life. However, I like the idea of being able to travel other places throughout the United States and the world.

Does anybody actually use points towards staying at other places other than Disney? I know I can use the points towards a Disney cruise but it's a rip off.

The only reason I would buy a DVC membership through Disney is to have access to the other non-Disney properties throughout the world. But are the places throughout the world and the United States nice? We have somewhat high standards. And no money.

Are the non-Diseny collections easy to book or is it a hassle? Has anybody had any esperience using in the world or concierge collections? Do you get a good bang for your buck?

Any insight would be appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[DVC Mike]

These two pages may be helpful:

Using Points for non-DVC options

DVC Exchange into RCI

 

[Rudyard Kipling]

Thank you!

 

[jim1051]

[
We have used our points in multiple places, Asheville NC, Maui, and Holland America lines Alaska cruise before Disney began sailing there. All the places were VERY Nice and I would return to any of them. Not always a judicial use of points but you can be sure the resorts themselves are as nice as Disney or better

 

[Phonedave]

The thing that sets a DVC contract apart from other time shares, and what convinced me to buy into it, is that Disney rooms are in demand.

When you own a time share elsewhere, and you want to trade for somethign else, or rent it out for cash, you have to convince people that they want to go there. You, along with 100's of other people are trying to convince people to stay at properties they have never heard of.

Everyone knows Disney. Thousands of people want to go there ever day. If you try to trade your room in via RCI, or to rent your points out for cash, you will have no issues doing so. DVC rooms are in demand from non-DVC owners.

-dave

 

[Lynne M]

I'm going to take a slightly different tack. You can buy many timeshares (good, reputable ones, from major brands) that trade into the EXACT same RCI resorts as DVC for a tiny fraction of the cost of DVC.

DVC is expensive, as timeshares go, because of the access to on-property Disney resorts. The ability to trade into RCI is a minor feature, almost an afterthought. And it carries additional fees ($95 per reservation, and another $95 each time you make a change to a reservation).

I once described buying DVC as an RCI trader as similar to paying $300 for an iPod so you can listen to an AM radio app, when you can buy an AM radio at Walmart for 10 bucks.

 

[Phonedave]

I'm going to take a slightly different tack. You can buy many timeshares (good, reputable ones, from major brands) that trade into the EXACT same RCI resorts as DVC for a tiny fraction of the cost of DVC.

DVC is expensive, as timeshares go, because of the access to on-property Disney resorts. The ability to trade into RCI is a minor feature, almost an afterthought. And it carries additional fees ($95 per reservation, and another $95 each time you make a change to a reservation).

I once described buying DVC as an RCI trader as similar to paying $300 for an iPod so you can listen to an AM radio app, when you can buy an AM radio at Walmart for 10 bucks.

Thats true - if all you wanted your iPod for was to listen to AM radio. I have friends who have other time shares (some are in RCI), and they do have a harder time trading their weeks. They also want to get rid of one of their weeks, but nobody wants to buy their contract - heck, nobody wants to take it for free. If you look on line you can find timesare weeks for nice island resorts for sale under a $100 - not for rental, for sale.

Just as buying DVC with the intent of using it for cruses and ABD is a bad idea, so it intending it use it for RCI trades most of the time. However, the fact that I CAN use it for RCI if I want, and can use it at a premium, and I CAN sell it for a good percentage of what I paid for it is one of the reasons it appealed to me.

-dave

 

[LuvtheGoof]

I'm going to take a slightly different tack. You can buy many timeshares (good, reputable ones, from major brands) that trade into the EXACT same RCI resorts as DVC for a tiny fraction of the cost of DVC.

DVC is expensive, as timeshares go, because of the access to on-property Disney resorts. The ability to trade into RCI is a minor feature, almost an afterthought. And it carries additional fees ($95 per reservation, and another $95 each time you make a change to a reservation).

I once described buying DVC as an RCI trader as similar to paying $300 for an iPod so you can listen to an AM radio app, when you can buy an AM radio at Walmart for 10 bucks.

Thats true - if all you wanted your iPod for was to listen to AM radio. I have friends who have other time shares (some are in RCI), and they do have a harder time trading their weeks. They also want to get rid of one of their weeks, but nobody wants to buy their contract - heck, nobody wants to take it for free. If you look on line you can find timesare weeks for nice island resorts for sale under a $100 - not for rental, for sale.

Just as buying DVC with the intent of using it for cruses and ABD is a bad idea, so it intending it use it for RCI trades most of the time. However, the fact that I CAN use it for RCI if I want, and can use it at a premium, and I CAN sell it for a good percentage of what I paid for it is one of the reasons it appealed to me.

-dave

I have to completely agree with Dave on this one. We didn't purchase DVC because we could trade out to RCI. We bought DVC to stay on-site in deluxe resorts. I don't think we would even consider trading out to RCI or using our points for a cruise and definitely not for AbD.

I'm the first person to say that DVC is not for everyone. If you are looking to trade into other timeshares, well DVC is not for you. There are a host of other reasons why DVC isn't for everyone, but it works for us.

 

[GoofGoof]

If you want to frequently trade in your timeshare for travel through RCI there are definitley cheaper options out there. You do have to be careful if you need to sell those timeshares though since they don't typically sell as easily as DVC. You might be better off just buying into DVC while you enjoy WDW and in the future if you don't plan to go back just sell the points. The resale market is pretty steady.

 

[EOD K9]

If you want to frequently trade in your timeshare for travel through RCI there are definitley cheaper options out there. You do have to be careful if you need to sell those timeshares though since they don't typically sell as easily as DVC. You might be better off just buying into DVC while you enjoy WDW and in the future if you don't plan to go back just sell the points. The resale market is pretty steady.

And if you don't want to sell, renting is a great option. With the ticket price increase I'll be using my DVC for a pre and post cruise stay and renting points to finance said cruise or earn extra cash. There are plenty of people who would happily rent to stay at a deluxe resort and go to the parks. They will save some money while I make some. Most everybody wins.

 

[GoofGoof]

And if you don't want to sell, renting is a great option. With the ticket price increase I'll be using my DVC for a pre and post cruise stay and renting points to finance said cruise or earn extra cash. There are plenty of people who would happily rent to stay at a deluxe resort and go to the parks. They will save some money while I make some. Most everybody wins.

Yep, good point. With DVC it really is pretty low risk. With other timeshares you have to be a lot more careful and selective.