Sister's Time Share

[graphite1326]

My sister assures me that even though her time share is with someone else she can, for a small fee, use one of the time shares at WDW. That being said, and if we can use it, can we still use some of the perks such as Magic Express and Disney Dining Plan? How would that work?

 

[njDizFan]

possibly(not sure) if they have a timeshare with sheraton they can use to book at the Swan/dolphin. they are part of the Starwood Network. I don't think disney can be used to trade through Interval International or RCI.

 

[DVCOwner]

Yes RCI can book with DVC if units are available. I do not know about pecks that you get but I am sure things like the dining plan can be used.

If you search the RCI site for Florida the first things that come up are DVC.

 

[Britt]

Yes, she can use one of the DVC...she will have to book SOON in advance and she will definitely have to up her shares, it's unlikely she has enough to be able to "afford" the share with the current one most people have : )

Yes you can use the dining plan (have to buy it) and yes you get to use the DME as long as you're staying on site : )

 

[graphite1326]

possibly(not sure) if they have a timeshare with sheraton they can use to book at the Swan/dolphin. they are part of the Starwood Network. I don't think disney can be used to trade through Interval International or RCI.

Not the Swan/Dolphin. Her book has Boardwalk, Beach Club & Wilderness Lodge as the resorts she can use.

 

[graphite1326]

Yes, she can use one of the DVC...she will have to book SOON in advance and she will definitely have to up her shares, it's unlikely she has enough to be able to "afford" the share with the current one most people have : )

Yes you can use the dining plan (have to buy it) and yes you get to use the DME as long as you're staying on site : )

Thank you. I imagine I have to book everything myself or for Magicla Express I could purchase seats when we get there. But probably can't use the luggage to your room tags.

Could we purchase dining plan when we get there also?


This would not be until next fall so we should have time.

 

[WWWD]

DVC is in RCI, but trading to use DVC rooms can be expensive and hard to get. Friends of mine bought into a timeshare in Mexico and were told they could even go to Disney. They bought enough "points" to get one week in a grand villa down there. Well later when they wanted to trade into DVC, they were told it would cost them 4 weeks of points. Thus, they didn't trade.

Remember, there is a reason DVC is more expensive than most timeshares.

 

[dreamfinder]

Thank you. I imagine I have to book everything myself or for Magicla Express I could purchase seats when we get there. But probably can't use the luggage to your room tags.

Could we purchase dining plan when we get there also?


This would not be until next fall so we should have time.

You would need to book ME and purchase the DDP in advance. You can't do it when you show up. However, assuming it is through RCI, which it sounds like, they would get an RCI confirmation number. They would then need to contact RCI and ask for the WDW confirmation number. It may take them a few days to get back to you on that as most timeshares don't care about the second number, but you need it for WDW purposes. Once they have the WDW confirmation number they can treat it like a normal reservation, book DME, making dining reservations, etc.

 

[Rob562]

Dreamfinder is exactly correct. My parents have a week at their timeshare on Cape Cod that they weren't going to be able to use before it expired a couple years ago and allowed me to use it. They're still in the "Weeks" system and not the "Points" system of RCI, so I don't know how it works with Points.Their timeshare week is very in-demand (Cape Cod, 2-bedroom, mid-August) so they've always done well in their exchanges.

A few key points to know:
-As mentioned elsewhere, you need to put your request in ASAP. We opened an "Ongoing Search" online months before our trip. It took us almost a month before we got a confirmed exchange.

-It helps to be as flexible as you can. We were unfortunately stuck with a very small travel window, so we only had one or two possible checkin dates in our search. (I think RCI Weeks trades could only provide a Friday, Saturday or Sunday checkin)
But we were flexible in accepting any DVC property. We had a two-bedroom unit banked with RCI, but since there would only be two of us on the trip we would accept a 1-bedroom or a 2-bedroom unit.

We lucked out and snagged a 1-bedroom at Beach Club for the exact Friday checkin that we wanted.

-In addition to any RCI exchange fees, there is an extra fee ($99, I think) that you must pay to DVC. This covers Magical Express and the amenities that are normally included in your room rates.

-RCI will give you the confirmation number and a phone number at DVC. On the phone menu there is specifically an option for RCI trades. The DVC rep will take the confirmation number and give you the actual reservation number. They'll also need the names of the guests at that time, and I think they can take your Magical Express info and add any special requests to your reservation. The reservation number can be used for things like online check-in, MyDisneyExperience, etc.


-Rob

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

While others have stated you can use the Disney resorts through RCI, there is a rule that if your timeshare is within 30 miles of Disney, you cannot book a DVC property. We tried to book a DVC property last year but since our home resort is right outside the main gate, we couldn't exchange it.

 

[dreamfinder]

A few key points to know:
-As mentioned elsewhere, you need to put your request in ASAP. We opened an "Ongoing Search" online months before our trip. It took us almost a month before we got a confirmed exchange.

-It helps to be as flexible as you can. We were unfortunately stuck with a very small travel window, so we only had one or two possible checkin dates in our search. (I think RCI Weeks trades could only provide a Friday, Saturday or Sunday checkin)
But we were flexible in accepting any DVC property. We had a two-bedroom unit banked with RCI, but since there would only be two of us on the trip we would accept a 1-bedroom or a 2-bedroom unit.

We lucked out and snagged a 1-bedroom at Beach Club for the exact Friday checkin that we wanted.

-In addition to any RCI exchange fees, there is an extra fee ($99, I think) that you must pay to DVC. This covers Magical Express and the amenities that are normally included in your room rates.

And to expound a bit further on what @Rob562 said, RCI is fairly limited with their selection. I noticed that they seemed to get new listings around 10 months, and 6 months, (or shortly after the 11 and 7 month DVC owner booking windows). You are limited to Fri, Sat, or Sun checkins, but at least when we traded a week of RCI from my parents in, we were able to select from Studio, 1BR or 2 BR. Not sure if their week just had high demand, or if that was how the system works. Holding out for a certain resort might be a long shot. I'd suggest jumping on the first one that works with your dates, as you may not find something better.

 

[stillgoofy]

We own with RCI and have traded into DVC on many occasions. We also own weeks not points so we get a whole week at a time in DVC. As previous said you can't be picky when you see a DVC property during your time frame, jump on it or it will be gone within minutes. Sometimes when I am trying to book DVC I check RCI website 2 or 3 times a day sometimes with very different results within a few hours.

 

[graphite1326]

Wow thanks for the help everyone. She is on "weeks". When we use her timeshare we check in on a Saturday and leave on the following Saturday. We are not planning on going until fall of 2014. We want to make this a family trip that includes my mother. I can see this is going to be hard getting everyone together.

 

[dreamfinder]

Wow thanks for the help everyone. She is on "weeks". When we use her timeshare we check in on a Saturday and leave on the following Saturday. We are not planning on going until fall of 2014. We want to make this a family trip that includes my mother. I can see this is going to be hard getting everyone together.

The day of their week check in doesn't matter You do need to look into this sooner rather than later, both from the lack of availability on the DVC side, and also the worth of their trade in. RCI has complicated math to determine the value of a week. Some are worth more than others, but the earlier they are banked, the more they are worth as well. So banking a week a year in advance might get you a 4 star resort, but 6 months in advance only gets you a 3 star resort. (Over simplifying, but the point holds true) Check with RCI for the details since the points get handled differently than weeks do.