Trading into RCI for Disney - first timer

I own 189k at Wyndham Nashville. We are going to be trying for Disney this time and I've never done it.

A few things about us:
-Generally speaking we require a 2BR, but could do (2) 1BR if we had to
-We aren't huge fans of SSR, which seems to be the available one these days
-We prefer BWV, BCV, AKV & BLT and much prefer OKW over SSR
-My husband is a teacher and we are very limited as to when we can go. It would be a Spring Break week, June, or the week between Christmas and New Years

Can someone tell me:
-When you put in an OGS, how far in advance should this be done?
-Will the OGS ever match a 2BR at any resort, let alone any I named as our top pics?
-When is the current normal range for when OGS's are filled for dates in March, June or December?
-Is it realistic to think I could get 1BR's at BWV?

If you could share if/when you put in an OGS and for what dates, and if it was filled, how long it took, and for what resort/room type, that would be cool so I can see what I'm looking at.

Not entirely sure about which resorts are most likely with OGS, but based on what I have read here and other boards, SSR OKW and AKL are the most common. The others you mentioned are very rare. I have not confirmed any Disney exchanges so I have no personal experience to share. From what I have read, put in the OGS ASAP and don't expect any matches until after less than 7 months remain, because by then the DVC club members will have made their internal bookings. And again, from what I have read, no 2 bedrooms have been reported recently, so if you match ANY 2 bedroom you better take it.

However I see three major problems. Your first problem is that you have 189k and you need 205k to try for a 2 bedroom or 126k x 2 1 bedrooms =252k. So you will have to burn through multiple years of points. Your second problem is that you are locked into the school year so unfortunately, that really lessens your chances of an exchange, especially for Disney. So your third problem is that IF you manage to get one 1 bedroom exchange during the most difficult, high demand part of the year (school breaks) you will have to try to pull off the near impossible feat of getting another 1 bedroom exchange during the SAME week in the SAME resort. Not trying to rain on your parade, just trying to give you a realistic picture. Maybe others can chime in to let you know they have done it, who knows, but it doesn't seem very likely to me.

With your level of points and time restraints, I would try for an off property unit in the proper size and call it a day, or fill that Disney 1 bedroom capacity to the max of 5, squeeze in, and struggle through it if it means that much to you to be on property. I recently began a thread about this very subject and came to the conclusion that I am better served by staying off property on this particular trip.

alexadeparis said:

Not entirely sure about which resorts are most likely with OGS, but based on what I have read here and other boards, SSR OKW and AKL are the most common. The others you mentioned are very rare. I have not confirmed any Disney exchanges so I have no personal experience to share. From what I have read, put in the OGS ASAP and don't expect any matches until after less than 7 months remain, because by then the DVC club members will have made their internal bookings. And again, from what I have read, no 2 bedrooms have been reported recently, so if you match ANY 2 bedroom you better take it.

However I see three major problems. Your first problem is that you have 189k and you need 205k to try for a 2 bedroom or 126k x 2 1 bedrooms =252k. So you will have to burn through multiple years of points. Your second problem is that you are locked into the school year so unfortunately, that really lessens your chances of an exchange, especially for Disney. So your third problem is that IF you manage to get one 1 bedroom exchange during the most difficult, high demand part of the year (school breaks) you will have to try to pull off the near impossible feat of getting another 1 bedroom exchange during the SAME week in the SAME resort. Not trying to rain on your parade, just trying to give you a realistic picture. Maybe others can chime in to let you know they have done it, who knows, but it doesn't seem very likely to me.

With your level of points and time restraints, I would try for an off property unit in the proper size and call it a day, or fill that Disney 1 bedroom capacity to the max of 5, squeeze in, and struggle through it if it means that much to you to be on property. I recently began a thread about this very subject and came to the conclusion that I am better served by staying off property on this particular trip.

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I agree with most of this post but I do have a slight correction to the bolded. I believe some of the weeks in question are high, not prime (this can be confirmed by searching other Orlando resorts during the weeks in question - for instance, Dec 25, 2015 shows as high points, not prime). In that case, to get two 1BRs would cost 210,000 in points - you would still have to dip into a second year of points, but I don't see that as a big deal.

But in terms of the possibilities, you should follow the sightings board for the details - all I've see posted lately are 1BRs, heavily weighted to SSR. I've gotten exchanges for 2BRs in the past (in May 2014 to BLT, in early June 2012 to BCV), but I'm not holding out hope that I'll ever be able to do that again. The issue I see for me (and we're not planning another Disney trip until 2016) is that the deposits aren't coming as predictably as they were before, so what's the backup? If you can have something in place that you can cancel with no/little penalty, and then wait for the DVC deposits, it may be doable. I think it would be really hard to match with 2 1BRs at the same location unless it's SSR or possibly OKW.

nikkiwu said:

If you could share if/when you put in an OGS and for what dates, and if it was filled, how long it took, and for what resort/room type, that would be cool so I can see what I'm looking at.

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Unfortunately, DVC's deposit pattern changed substantially in the last 8 months or so, so past information will have very little value. For example, my 2BR at BLT for spring break in 2014 is something you probably cannot expect going forward.

Personally, I would rather stay at Bonnet Creek in a 2BR than spend the same number of points (plus two exchange fees, plus two $95 nuisance fees) for two DVC 1BRs. It's not worth the extra $500 to me, though I'd rent a car either way.

My advice: think about which resorts you'd rather stay at vs. Bonnet Creek. List all of those resorts in an OGS for a 2BR, and then hope it comes through, because right now exchangers don't have the luxury of being picky. The earlier you start the search, the better. List all possible dates.

One more thing to note: the exchange costs into Orlando for a 2BR during most of the weeks you are thinking about is 165K, much less than the 224K to book internally. One strategy would be to just deposit that, and run a search for Bonnet Creek for your preferred week(s), and establish a second search for DVC. Bonnet will hit first---confirm it, buy the cancel protection, and see if your DVC search hits later. If so, cancel the Bonnet confirmation and confirm the new one.

Thank you for the info - a few additional notes about me

First - if I do Disney, I only stay on property. Bonnet Creek looks fantastic and I intend to try it, but not for Disney. I was a DVC member and am a Disney travel agent, so understandably - I've been drunk on the Kool-Aid for years :hysterical:

Additionally - I can get a pretty good room rate discount for a Studio or 2nd 1BR on TA rate, so should I land a unit via exchange, I also have the option of paying cash on a deep discount to get the appropriate arrangement. There are, suprisingly several units on cash a lot of the time.

Thirdly - we had a surprise when we received our contract and info in the mail. There were 189k points for 2014/2015 that expired in 30 days. They were listed nowhere in the buying agreement, and I assume the sellers and title company assumed that they were not going to be used due to Wyndham transfer turnaround time. I received the transfer, logged in immediately, saw the points and immediately put them into RCI. So, technically speaking I have two years of points to work with.

I guess the main thing I really do want to know is - who has gotten a 1BR or 2BR at BWV, BCV, BLT or VWL in the past 6-12 months and how long was it in OGS and how soon was it filled, and for what point amount. My very favorite place to stay is Boardwalk and I would pretty much do whatever to stay there again in a villa.

However, for the exchange rate, even at 126k for a 1BR - which isn't what I've seen, mostly 105k, I would gladly take OKW. Very reasonable rate compared to DVC, cash or even DVC rental.

I'd like to suggest that you search for DVC resorts on the TUG Sightings Forum, where exchange info. is posted.

I have - but much of the time it's a sighting only, and unable to tell how it was gotten, etc. Just looking for a few personal experiences.

and for what point amount.

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All Orlando-area resorts cost the same number of points for a given size/check-in week. So, you can find out the point requirements for any of your desired weeks without having to see DVC inventory available. For the most part, you will find the 2BRs go for 165K except during Spring Break weeks, and maybe Christmas.

But, again: the experiences of people who got exchanges more than about 4-5 months ago are NOT going to be helpful, because in late Fall of last year, DVC appears to have significantly changed their deposit strategy. If you read the threads in the Sightings section, you will see a lot of conversation about this.

No one has reported a 2BR match at any resort in several months, and almost no one has reported a 1BR match to your preferred resorts. I think there *might* have been one, but that's from memory.

alexadeparis said:

With your level of points and time restraints, I would try for an off property unit in the proper size and call it a day, or fill that Disney 1 bedroom capacity to the max of 5, squeeze in, and struggle through it if it means that much to you to be on property. .

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Do Disney properties allow 5 in a 1 BR?
RCI says max 4 but I know that some resorts that do allow 5 especially if the 5th person is an infant.

OKW, BLT, and most AKV 1BRs officially sleep five. BLT and AKV were designed that way (and also have two baths in the 1BR). OKW had sleeper chairs added.

There might be others I am forgetting.

bnoble said:

OKW, BLT, and most AKV 1BRs officially sleep five. BLT and AKV were designed that way (and also have two baths in the 1BR). OKW had sleeper chairs added.

There might be others I am forgetting.

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Thank you, thats helpful.

The reason you only see SSR is probably because Disney deposits 10X or more SSR than any other resort. Another reason is people don't like SSR and let go of SSR matches, or leave SSR off of the request to begin with.

I love staying at Disney when we go with the grandkids, so I get it. I am a DVC member and rarely use my own points because I would rather stay at SSR for the little bit I pay (and I get a 1 bed), so I am not nearly as picky as you. When I am in the unit, the units all look alike (except OKW, AKL and BLT) The floorplan is the same, but the decor is slightly different. So staying at Boardwalk is not all that different from SSR, except Boardwalk has the boat to Epcot and HS, which is very nice. Boardwalk has become very tough to get lately. After the updates, I think more owners are staying there.

Rick does not love the Disney kool-aid, and he is actually sick and tired of staying onsite. The only advantage is transportation to Magic Kingdom, in his mind. The units are not as comfortable as Marriott and Vistana Villages. The beds are so much better elsewhere! The bed is important when you are 60, believe me. There is limited television station choice and very poor internet signal at Disney. We prefer Marriott over Disney when we go.

My goal for our next trip with the grandkids is to get them a 2 bedroom, even SSR, so we can drive from the Marriott each day and ride the bus with them to the parks.