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Disney really is the best

HolidayLover

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As someone who has owned and been part of many of the nations biggest timeshare developers... let me genuinely, honestly, say Disney is the best.

Their sales process is fair, it BY FAR holds the best with secondary market value, and its long term desirability always seems to increase.

If you can afford a Disney timeshare, go for it. They're expensive - but unlike other developers - with Disney you get what you paid for.
 

rickandcindy23

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Yes, Disney is a great product. I love my DVC.

I do love the Marriott product and won't stay in DVC while in Orlando. The units are not as nice as Marriott. There are some exceptions to that general observation, of course.
 

bogey21

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. They're expensive - but unlike other developers - with Disney you get what you paid for.

Depends on your priorities. Mine was to have as little money at risk so many years ago I bought Weeks at 6 Independent HOA Controlled Resorts. If I recall correctly, my total outlay was less than $8,000. Cost and location were my parameters, not luxury. When I divested after many years of use my loss was miniscule.

George
 

rhonda

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So your criteria for "best" hinges on the developer sales process and resale value?

Personally, I put fairly great weight on factors such as network locations, unit functionality, unit quality, trade savvy and resort amenities in my evaluation. In my view, Disney is an "also ran" ... somewhere mid-pack, largely due to lackluster unit functionality/quality and its limited destinations. That is how it plays out for my family and our use and enjoyment of timesharing. Gladly, there are many flavors of timeshare to meet the many tastes of its consumers. Glad you are content with your DVC decisions!
 
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GregT

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I am a little confused by this post -- I love my Disney, and the quality and system is terrific, but I also love my Marriotts (and my HGVC's and my Starwoods). They are all great, and for different reasons.

Best,

Greg
 

dominidude

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As someone who has owned and been part of many of the nations biggest timeshare developers... let me genuinely, honestly, say Disney is the best.

Their sales process is fair, it BY FAR holds the best with secondary market value, and its long term desirability always seems to increase.

If you can afford a Disney timeshare, go for it. They're expensive - but unlike other developers - with Disney you get what you paid for.
I wish this person would give more detail about the reason they feel that way.
I have always thought DVC to be way over priced for what you get.
On the other hand, vacation village in Orlando can be had for free (usually), they take you back and forth from the resort to Disney and their maintenance fees are lower than most.
To each its own I guess.
 

SueDonJ

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I agree, Disney timeshares are the best if what you want is a "Home-Away-From-Home" and a healthy dose of Disney theming while on location at Disney's theme parks.

But the best overall among all timeshare companies? No, I don't agree with that. DVC is more expensive to buy and own than many, has fewer locations than almost all, is not as quick as the other "big guys" with routine maintenance/refurb upgrades, and, strictly limits owner rentals and exchange opportunities. Plus they can no longer claim that they don't differentiate usage options based on direct- or resale-purchase status.
 

vacationhopeful

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Moderation is the key .. with any timeshare ownership.

I brought resale (before the demise of benefits to resale owners) AKV/DVC. A small under 100 points. At the resort I wanted. I book via bank a year and borrow the future year ... to use the current year ... at a great time of the year ... during the first 2 weeks of December. And I have used RCI exchanges into DVC also.
 

mj2vacation

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We owned 1000 points with Disney at one point. We made money on every contract when we sold.

Our Grand Californian contracts sold for nearly double what we paid for them, not factoring any use of them and the developer points that we received when we purchased.

Granted we received a cast discount on that purchase, but anyone who purchased Grand Cal, Beach Club, Grand Floridian are sitting pretty in regard to what they paid vs sale price.

DVC is a fairly liquid product. Very easy to sell. All 9 contacts that we sold were full price offers and we had contracts within 48 hours for all.

Marriott is our other favorite and even with us buying early on with an associate discount, we would lose money if we sold.

Is DVC the best for everyone in every situation ? Hell no. But for the niche of a niche that it fits for, it's hard to beat.
 

Denise L

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I love our DVC because I am a Disney fan and it is so convenient for us to stay on property at BCV. The point requirements to stay at VGC are crazy high, but we feel like we are home and know the place so well. Disney is easy to book, easy to cancel, doesn't charge crazy fees, easy to sell.

I think we just love timeshares in general. Love our Vistana, Hyatt, and my sister's HGVC, too. Love other people who rent out their timeshares so that we can spend time in places where we don't own.
 
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frank808

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I am a little confused by this post -- I love my Disney, and the quality and system is terrific, but I also love my Marriotts (and my HGVC's and my Starwoods). They are all great, and for different reasons.

Best,

Greg
I definitely agree. DVC is not the only one we need. We also need our HGVC and Marriott timeshares. We divested our sheraton years ago as we were not using them anymore.

Now am trying to slowly pare down our HGVC holdings as we are not using all those weeks anymore. One rule to go by is that timesharing needs are always changing and evolving.

Though we still use HGVC as we are just finishing a weeks stay at grand islander and our second week at hokulani. Then 5 nights at aulani before my son heads back to school. Followed by our mko stays. We use all the different systems and they offer different experiences.

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
 

Dean

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As someone who has owned and been part of many of the nations biggest timeshare developers... let me genuinely, honestly, say Disney is the best.

Their sales process is fair, it BY FAR holds the best with secondary market value, and its long term desirability always seems to increase.

If you can afford a Disney timeshare, go for it. They're expensive - but unlike other developers - with Disney you get what you paid for.
It depends, side by side they're an also ran, IMO, but they give a great location for the parks. For VB and HH compared to the Marriott's in the general area, they're not even close. They're flexible, more so in some ways, less in others. I've owned DVC for 23 years and Bluegreen plus Marriott almost as long, they are just different. I enjoy them all in one way or another, Bluegreen is my best value and DVC my worst. OTOH, it's dramatically unlikely that DVC will hold these prices.
 

mj2vacation

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It depends, side by side they're an also ran, IMO, but they give a great location for the parks. For VB and HH compared to the Marriott's in the general area, they're not even close. They're flexible, more so in some ways, less in others. I've owned DVC for 23 years and Bluegreen plus Marriott almost as long, they are just different. I enjoy them all in one way or another, Bluegreen is my best value and DVC my worst. OTOH, it's dramatically unlikely that DVC will hold these prices.

We are regulars at Marriott Oceana Palms as well as DVC Vero. With the room renovations Vero is much improved. We stayed in a newly renovated room in October 2016. They are very different resorts, but I would not put one over the other for in room. They are both awesome resorts. We actually asked engineering for the color swatches at Oceana and painted part of our house to match. Then they changed colors (won't be getting those swatches...)

We have been with DVC since 1999 and Marriott since 2004. We typically stay in Grand Floridan and Animal Kingdom. The grand are the nicest rooms we have ever stayed in, and that includes 4 Seasons and Waldorf rooms.

Sure, Saratoga and Old Key west are not my choice, but then neither is Kauai Beach Club or Cypress Harbor. We like Lakeshore and Lahaina

KoOlina vs Aulani is definitely a win for DVC. We love Ko'Olina, and renewed our vows on the beach there, but Aulani is a home run (although not for sales).
 

heathpack

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Of all my timeshares, my DVC is the one that I paid the most for- a little more than my Hyatt. But it's a no-lose proposition because it's appreciated in value by 50%. It's really nice to have a super-liquid appreciating timeshare, it doesn't really matter to me that DVC isn't all the timeshare Ill ever need. Right now I could sell and recoup all my costs- both initial purchase price & ten years of MF. That's pretty good.

I certainly like my Hyatt, my Marriott and my Starwood too. But really the DVC is the one I don't lose any sleep over.
 

alwysonvac

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SOLD (DVC, FSRC)
As someone who has owned and been part of many of the nations biggest timeshare developers... let me genuinely, honestly, say Disney is the best.

Their sales process is fair, it BY FAR holds the best with secondary market value, and its long term desirability always seems to increase.

If you can afford a Disney timeshare, go for it. They're expensive - but unlike other developers - with Disney you get what you paid for.

Ditto on what everyone else said.

Disney World is #1 in my book for a great family vacation destination.
As a DVC owner, I love the flexibility of their point systems. But I don't view DVC as the best.

It only makes sense to own DVC if you prefer to be onsite. As others pointed out, some of the offsite timeshare rooms are actually much larger and nicer overall.

The only reason DVC resale values are great is because of Disney's active ROFR. If Disney decides to cut back on ROFR (due to less demand) you will see a drop in resale values. DVC only has Orlando, Anaheim, Oahu, Hilton Head and Vero Beach. Having limited locations makes ROFR easier.
 
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Lisa P

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As someone who has owned and been part of many of the nations biggest timeshare developers...
If you can afford a Disney timeshare, go for it.

As a newer poster here... Welcome to TUG.

Just curious, do you sell DVC now? Which timeshare companies have you worked for?
 

Dean

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We are regulars at Marriott Oceana Palms as well as DVC Vero. With the room renovations Vero is much improved. We stayed in a newly renovated room in October 2016. They are very different resorts, but I would not put one over the other for in room. They are both awesome resorts. We actually asked engineering for the color swatches at Oceana and painted part of our house to match. Then they changed colors (won't be getting those swatches...)

We have been with DVC since 1999 and Marriott since 2004. We typically stay in Grand Floridan and Animal Kingdom. The grand are the nicest rooms we have ever stayed in, and that includes 4 Seasons and Waldorf rooms.

Sure, Saratoga and Old Key west are not my choice, but then neither is Kauai Beach Club or Cypress Harbor. We like Lakeshore and Lahaina

KoOlina vs Aulani is definitely a win for DVC. We love Ko'Olina, and renewed our vows on the beach there, but Aulani is a home run (although not for sales).
All of these issues could change next round of refurbishment so I take a bigger picture approach. I've stayed in all DVC resorts other than HI and CA and been on property/seen rooms at those. I've been on most Marriott properties/seen rooms as well and stayed at many. DVC does theming and they have location. When it comes to refurbishment they've been less than second class though there are signs that may be changing. When it comes to ongoing maintenance, they don't come up to that level and when it comes to on the fly issues, they're even lower than that.
 

cayman01

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I think a person's opinion depends on their amount of love/hate you have for Disney. My DW and DD are Disney addicts. They would live there if they could. It's is a truly magical experience for them when we stay at DVC. Me, not so much. I like the convenience to the parks, the rooms are fine as far as I am concerned, and the ability to rent your extra points to offset MF'S is a major plus.

But it is extremely expensive in my mind. What you pay to get in and the actual cost of your stays. I wouldn't mind a small contract (100 points), but it will not ever be my go to TS. We stay at Bonnet Creek for less than half of what it would cost at any of the DVC resorts and the rooms are just as nice I think.
 

ljmiii

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Plus they can no longer claim that they don't differentiate usage options based on direct- or resale-purchase status.
It is interesting to see the differing opinions on the topic. To me DVC is by far the 'best' of the timeshares I've purchased. I never have to worry about getting the reservation I want, the value has appreciated, and I can easily rent any points I don't need at a tidy profit. Plus the location is uniquely valuable (from BLT I walk to MK and from BCV I walk to EPCOT and HS) and while BCV needed a refurb BLT is nicer than the Orlando MVCI resorts in which I've stayed.

HGVC is second best - I never have to worry about getting a reservation at Hilton Hawaiian Village, the value has held steady, and getting reservations at other locations isn't a problem...so long as the location you want is Las Vegas, Orlando, or the Big Island. However, you can't rent out HGVC points and I'm currently a bit panicked that I won't be able to use my 2018 points other than to put them into RCI and hope for the best.

MVCI is third...mainly because reservations are so difficult. I love the resorts and many of the locations. Hate the process...even before DPs.

(Oh...and I quoted SueDonJ because *usage* is still the same for new DVC resale purchases - you just are considered as an 'owner' and not a 'member'. Practically speaking, what that means is that you don't get an Annual Pass discount and can't go to the 'member' lounges, parties, and cruises. But you can become a member for about $1,500. And yes, it also means that you can't throw your money away by using DVC points on things that you should never buy with DVC points instead of cash).
 

SueDonJ

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I think a person's opinion depends on their amount of love/hate you have for Disney. My DW and DD are Disney addicts. They would live there if they could. It's is a truly magical experience for them when we stay at DVC. Me, not so much. I like the convenience to the parks, the rooms are fine as far as I am concerned, and the ability to rent your extra points to offset MF'S is a major plus.

But it is extremely expensive in my mind. What you pay to get in and the actual cost of your stays. I wouldn't mind a small contract (100 points), but it will not ever be my go to TS. We stay at Bonnet Creek for less than half of what it would cost at any of the DVC resorts and the rooms are just as nice I think.

I am a Disney freak, could do a two-week WDW vacation every year and never get tired of it, and love the feeling of being immersed in the experience despite knowing that it's specifically manufactured. I have always said that a marriage of Disney's points system with Marriott's extensive portfolio would be a match made in timeshare heaven. (The day Marriott introduced its points system and allowed existing Weeks to integrate with it, I was over the moon!) If Don liked WDW even half as much I do then we would have bought there.

It's not dislike or indifference to Disney that makes me personally rate them lower than MVC. But I think MVC sets a pretty high bar all things considered and DVC isn't far behind. :)
 
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SueDonJ

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... (Oh...and I quoted SueDonJ because *usage* is still the same for new DVC resale purchases - you just are considered as an 'owner' and not a 'member'. Practically speaking, what that means is that you don't get an Annual Pass discount and can't go to the 'member' lounges, parties, and cruises. But you can become a member for about $1,500. And yes, it also means that you can't throw your money away by using DVC points on things that you should never buy with DVC points instead of cash).

For years DVC touted itself as the only timeshare player among the big guys that didn't differentiate at all between direct and external-resale purchases. No difference in membership status, no difference in usage, no difference in resale value. Everything and everyone were equal, nobody was a second-class owner/member, all was perfect in DVC Membershipland. DVC owners were justifiably correct when they'd criticize the other timeshare companies for withholding perks and usage options from resale owners. Even when owners of those other companies pointed out that the things withheld wouldn't be a good economical use of ownership, such as with exchanging direct-purchase Marriotts to Reward (hotel) Points, DVC owners/members could counter with the fact that value or no value, DVC didn't do that. Period.

When DVC announced there would be changes and they would start differentiating between direct- and resale-purchases, owners/members split into two groups: those who were saddened to see DVC join the others in what many call "sleazy timeshare practices," and those who took up the rallying cry that owners of other companies had been saying for years, i.e. "it doesn't matter because what they're withholding isn't an economical use of your points anyway." If I owned DVC at the time I would have been in the first camp - DVC did used to be separate and distinct in not treating resale owners/members as second class citizens, and that's just simply not true any more. It is sad.

The only reason it hasn't affected the resale value of DVC Points is because those have to be propped up by DVC in order to not impact the pricing of Disney hotel properties that share the same footprint as DVC timeshares. If ROFR weren't exercised on a continuous basis then there would be bargains galore in the DVC properties, both in owner rentals and on a direct cash basis, and the hotel side would have to adjust to keep competitive with their captive audience. (I'm not saying this to criticize DVC - I can only wish that there were a reason Marriott would have to continuously exercise ROFR!)
 

elaine

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I have both direct and resale DVC points. I think the big deal about the resale distinction is silly. Who care if you can go to the Epcot lounge? Or go to a special event (which is likely booked up before you go online at 8am bc others got the jump at 6:48 am), or save $100 for an annual pass (used that 2X), or the DVC members cruise (went on that--great, but a regular DCL is still pretty awesome). I would buy resale DVC over and over and be fine to be a 2nd class citizen, as long as the booking windows are the same.
We would rather do onsite with 5 in a 1BR (summer) than a 3BR at HGVC (spring break) any day! HGVC is very nice--but DH felt like a shuttle bus driver for our teens. I agree, DVC is the bomb! My only complaint is that it is $$$ compared to other TS and RCI trades for those who know how to work the system.
oh, yeah, and selling--listed and got a great offer in less than 24 hours--where else can you unload a TS like that?
 

rickandcindy23

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The decline of benefits in resale really did hurt DVC. I was going to buy more points and add our son's name to get the AP's at a discount, and this is no longer possible.
 

Denise L

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The decline of benefits in resale really did hurt DVC. I was going to buy more points and add our son's name to get the AP's at a discount, and this is no longer possible.

When did they stop offering the AP discount to resale buyers? I guess I haven't been paying attention. I own both resale and direct purchases, and haven't bought an AP since 2014.
 

rhonda

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When did they stop offering the AP discount to resale buyers? I guess I haven't been paying attention. I own both resale and direct purchases, and haven't bought an AP since 2014.
April 4, 2016
 
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