With the price increase two months away it appears we're going to be bombarded with this question; it's already in many different threads. I thought it might be a good idea for all of us to try to answer everything related to it in one place. Please feel free to add anything to the thread that helped you reach your decision.
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1) First and most important!
Enrollment in the DC does not equate to a permanent exchange of your Week(s) to DC Points. With respect to existing Week(s) the Destination Club is basically an overlay exchange system, with the same availability limitations as any other exchange system. Enrollment does not change any of the traditional usage options of your Week(s). You will still be able to book your home resort in season for personal use, exchange through II, rent through Marriott or privately, etc. Enrollment simply gives you the additional option of converting your Week(s) to DC Points on an annual basis for usage in the DC system.
2) Effective 6/14/12 the Enrollment Fee will increase to $2,395 for all eligible* Weeks. Until 6/13/12, it is based upon the number of Weeks owned/being enrolled and the manner in which they were purchased:
- $595 for a single Week purchased direct from Marriott
- $695 for multi-Weeks purchased direct from Marriott
- $1,495 for a single Week purchased on the external market prior to 6/20/10
- $1,995 for multi-Weeks including at least one purchased on the external market prior to 6/20/10.
*Weeks purchased on or after 6/20/10 - on the external market OR through Resales by Marriott - are not eligible for enrollment.
3) To determine how many DC Points your Week(s) will be allotted, sign in to your my-vacationclub.com account and click on the "Learn More" button then "What Is My Week Worth?"
This link should take you directly to the page after you sign in.
The owner status levels of DC Members are determined by the total number of DC Points for which you're eligible (and not by how many you may be using in a given year.) These numbers are defined in the docs as a percentage of the aggregate total of DC Points and therefore, are subject to change. Premier Members represent the top 20%, Premier Plus Members represent the top 5%. Currently, a Standard Member has up to 6,499 DC Points; a Premier Member has 6,500 - 12,999 DC Points; a Premier Plus Member has 13,000+ DC Points.
This Benefits At A Glance chart details some of the benefits of membership status.
4) The current annual Club Dues fee is $165 for Standard Members, $199 for Premier and Premier Plus Members. If you enroll your Week(s) you will be required to pay this annual fee regardless of whether you elect to convert your enrolled Week(s) to DC Points in a given year, and you must pay this annual fee in addition to the annual Maintenance Fees for your specific resorts. If you do not pay this fee your enrollment will end; re-enrollment will be subject to the terms and fees in effect at the time of re-enrollment.
This fee covers the per/transaction Marriott fees related to Weeks usage such as cancellations, lock-offs, MRP-exchanges, etc. General consensus is that this fee will probably increase over time just as the per/transaction fees have historically been subject to increases.
5) The Club Dues fee also covers the II dues for the new/corporate II account which will be assigned to you, as well as the Marriott-to-Marriott exchange fees through that new II account. Note if you exchange your enrolled Week(s) through that new II account to non-Marriott resorts, or, if you include a non-Marriott resort in an ongoing search through that account (regardless of whether it's ultimately matched to a Marriott resort,) you will be required to pay those II exchange fees. As well, if you own non-Marriott resorts you will have to maintain a separate II account for those.
If you have an ongoing request in your old II account, that Week deposit will remain in that account and you will have to pay the II transaction fee for its ultimate exchange match.
When all of your Weeks have been enrolled and moved into your new II account, you will be eligible for AC's from II depending on how many months/years you have remaining on your old account: one AC if you have between one year and 35 months remaining, two AC's if you have between three years and 59 months, three AC's if you have more than five years remaining. They'll be issued/processed in your old/individual account on a staggered basis, and you will have to pay the exchange fees for their use. Each will expire one year from the date of issue. Some TUGgers have been able to get a partial refund of their II dues, instead of keeping their old accounts open with these AC's, by calling in to II and requesting it.
Those of us who have enrolled our Week(s) do not see any differences between our old/individual and new/corporate II accounts. The website interface is the same, inventory is the same for exchanges and Getaways, the occasional II promotions for extra intervals are the same, access to XYZ's is the same, up-grading to Gold and Plat status in II is the same, etc. Your DC Club Dues, however, will not cover any of these II extras.
6) Enrolled Week(s) that were purchased direct from Marriott will retain the Marriott Rewards Points exchange option as it was originally offered. Any pre-6/20/10 external resale Week(s) which are enrolled will gain an MRP exchange option as defined in the
MR-related governing document:
Basically, an enrolled external-resale Week will be eligible for the same amount of MRP that a similar direct-purchase Week is allotted, but on a reduced-frequency basis. For example, a SurfWatch Plat 3BR direct-purchase Week can be exchanged annually for 135K MRP. A same-interval Week purchased prior to 6/20/10 on the external market will gain upon enrollment the option to exchange it every-other-year for 135K MRP.
7) Upon enrollment you will receive 800 DC Points as a bonus incentive, which will expire one year from the date of issue.
This is the Points Chart detailing the number of DC Points required to reserve intervals. Play around with it to get an idea of how much usage value you can get out of those bonus Points - consider using them to tack on extra days to a Week(s) reservation, a weekend at a drive-to resort, etc.
Note this Points Chart is also the one you'll use to figure out usage of enrolled Week(s) that you've converted to DC Points.
8) If you do enroll your Week(s) remember that the status and usage rules of each program do not extend to the other. You follow the rules for whichever system you're using at the time. For example, if you're booking Weeks then you go by the same Reservation Windows you always have, and if you're booking DC Points then you follow the Reservation Windows for those. There are many new links on the my-vacationclub.com website to help figure out the mechanics of all the different usage options.
9) Enrollment of a Week does not transfer upon resale of the Week to the new owner, and, the new owner will not be able to enroll the Week because external resales purchased after 6/20/10 are not eligible for enrollment. Upon family transfer of an enrolled Week, the enrollment can transfer although the new owner of record may have to pay the then-current enrollment fee. (The family transfer info is based on statements from Marriott execs since the DC inception; I don't think any actual transactions have been reported to TUG.)
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Generally, enrollment in the DC makes the least amount of sense for owners of a single Week who do not routinely pay more than $165 annually in per/transaction Marriott and II fees, i.e. owners who use their Weeks at home resorts in season. It makes the most sense for owners of multi-Weeks who routinely pay annual fees in excess of $199, i.e. those who lock-off and/or exchange on a regular basis. For some, the flexible usage options - less-than-7-days DC Points stays, non-weekend check-in dates, the ability to bank/borrow Points to different Use Years, etc. - are major factors in favor of DC enrollment. Certainly, some Weeks have been valued much higher than others by Marriott and the high Points allotments of those Weeks is another major factor.
There is no one right or wrong answer. Take a look at your usage pattern and figure out if enrollment in the DC would, a) be cost-effective on a regular basis, or b) expand your options in ways that you will most likely take advantage of in the future. Then consider your gut feelings and make your decision. Finally, whatever you decide, go on and enjoy your vacations no matter how you're able to book them!
Good luck - it's not always an easy decision.
