# DVC Region Block



## Piscesqueen (Nov 10, 2009)

Just a quick question,

Is the DVC block only for Orlando area resorts or is it all of Florida? I'm thinking about buying in Weston and was just curious if it would still see DVC resorts.

Thanks!


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## timeos2 (Nov 10, 2009)

*It's a limited area*



Piscesqueen said:


> Just a quick question,
> 
> Is the DVC block only for Orlando area resorts or is it all of Florida? I'm thinking about buying in Weston and was just curious if it would still see DVC resorts.
> 
> Thanks!



It's a 100 mile radius so Weston is out of the block.


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## Piscesqueen (Nov 11, 2009)

Thank you so much for your reply. 

I've heard mixed responses on Disney and that shows that it's up to the individual or family. We would personally love to stay onsite but have to consider other options as well.

Our trip will be strictly Disney this time and maybe other Orlando attractions at a later time. We probably won't do Disney again for many years but may visit Orlando area EOY; unless we get drawn in and addicted to the 'Magic'!

Do any of you know if it's even possible to get into a DVC resort in early December 2010? I know it's a busy DVC time of the year and don't know if it's even possible to get a reservation/exchange with RCI points. ~*I'm a Newbie*~ Would it be way too late to get into DVC if we can't reserve until Feb. 2010?

We are purchasing our first timeshare and are starting out with RCI points (points resort) and I noticed that there are many Orlando resorts that have good point value vs MF's but they are blocked by DVC. I just didn't know if Disney was worth the extra costs (both upfront and MF's) when we could stay offsite for less $$. 

We could get into an Orlando resort with lower MF's and higher point value (which is more affordable) but that would exclude us from ever being able to visit DVC.  OR, we could buy an RCI points resort in Weston and pay higher MF's for lower points but would be able to get into DVC. I don't know if, in the long run, taking a few Disney trips will be worth the added costs and loss of points. And that's where I'd like to get some opinions from all of you!

Is staying offsite while on a Disney vacation really that bad? I understand that you have to take car rental, parking fees, and traffic into consideration but is offsite really so bad? (By the way, is it true that AAA offers free parking at Disney?)

Thanks again for any help you can offer!


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## timeos2 (Nov 11, 2009)

*How much can you stand? Have a sweet & sour tooth? It can be too much*



Piscesqueen said:


> Is staying offsite while on a Disney vacation really that bad? I understand that you have to take car rental, parking fees, and traffic into consideration but is offsite really so bad? (By the way, is it true that AAA offers free parking at Disney?)
> 
> Thanks again for any help you can offer!



That BAD? Quite the contrary, it is a superior experience in almost every way. It is more flexible, more reasonably priced, more featured, many more things to do etc .  And you aren't forced to follow the Disney Think lifestyle. Until you experience being force fed EVERYTHING Disney 24 hr/day you cannot imagine how irritating it can get. We tired of it in a day or two. Then had 5 more days to go! Almost torture. And we were paying for it! Never again. It actually helped ruin Disney for us.  Prior to that time we enjoyed our one day here - one day there stays and looked forward to them. Now we really don't want to even enter the property as it brings back shivers of robot music, inane tv stations and frozen cast smiles that couldn't be more fake. It's sad. And its all cash driven now. 

Disney is a shadow of what it was 20 years ago and it doesn't take much exposure to say "too much". Staying offsite is a reprieve and helps maintain sanity if you decide to deal with the Disney group.


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## Piscesqueen (Nov 11, 2009)

timeos2 said:


> Disney is a shadow of what it was 20 years ago and it doesn't take much exposure to say "too much". Staying offsite is a reprieve and helps maintain sanity if you decide to deal with the Disney group.



Thank you for that honest response; it's appreciated!

Where do you typically stay and how is your experience with that resort? Where would you recommend off-site?

Again, thank you!


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## timeos2 (Nov 11, 2009)

*So many - take your pick*



Piscesqueen said:


> Thank you for that honest response; it's appreciated!
> 
> Where do you typically stay and how is your experience with that resort? Where would you recommend off-site?
> 
> Again, thank you!



Like Carl who only has eyes for DVC my view of the "perfect" timeshare stay in Orlando tends to be a bit shaded by my association with a resort for nearly 18 years. First as a proud owner then as a Board member eventually being elected President of the HOA.  That resort is Cypress Pointe which is our #1 pick in Orlando. It has, we feel, the best location, a small feel yet fully equipped with all the right amenities, has services all around it in nicely landscaped (planned community) setting so you can literally walk to nearly anything including Downtown Disney!  Tough to beat. 

We also frequent Celebration World Resort so we can bring the dogs along. A nice change for them & us.  We own at Westgate, but that grew too large and too much sales oriented for our taste - we don't like it as much as we once did. It is a nice mega resort if you can avoid all sales & management.  We also own Wyndham so we enjoy a stay at one of their many resorts in Orlando from time to time. We generally like the pace & feeel of Orlando vs the older, slower feel of the coastal areas.  

There are plenty of other top shelf resorts from Hilton, Marriott, etc - so many you can take your choice without ever dipping into the non-ranked, lower levels that lack the pizzaz of the top tier.  I'll bet you could stay at a different top resort twice a year for ten years an never repeat once if you wanted to. There are that many in Orlando.  We know what we like & we go back there most often. We bought that one first because we liked it and it remains our favorite of all.  When we think Orlando we think Cypress Pointe.


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## brigechols (Nov 11, 2009)

Piscesqueen said:


> Is staying offsite while on a Disney vacation really that bad? I understand that you have to take car rental, parking fees, and traffic into consideration but is offsite really so bad? (By the way, is it true that AAA offers free parking at Disney?)



I do not find staying offsite too bad. We stayed at Westgate and it took ~ 10 minutes to drive to the WDW parking areas. For trips to Orlando, we do not hang out at Disney 100% of the time. We visit Universal Studios and also enjoy the character breakfast at Nickelodeon suites. AAA does not offer free parking. There are designated parking areas where persons with a AAA diamond parking pass can park but it just saves you some steps to the tram and not $$$.


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## Piscesqueen (Nov 11, 2009)

All of these responses have given me the encouragement I needed. I was beginning to wonder if Disney was worth it if we couldn't stay onsite but now I see that even if we can't ever trade into DVC, we'll have a great time and great resort anyways.  Maybe we'll do just fine with the DVC block. We'll only be visiting Disney a couple times anyway. It's much easier for us to get to Disneyland instead anyways.

It's mainly my DH that wants to stay onsite and it's funny because he wants our timeshare purchase to be about "whether or not we can get into DVC" but he admits that this will be his ONLY trip to Disneyworld !! Sorry but I kind of think it's silly to make a "Lifelong" purchase based off of "One" vacation. Especially, when it sounds like there are wonderful options all around Disney.

I've read about tons of people giving Bonnet Creek all kinds of great kudos and that place is not blocked using RCI points just because I own in Orlanod (well, _may_ own in Orlando, haven't decided 100% yet but it's looking much better to save on $$ for more points and lower MF's).

John, I haven't looked into Cypress Pointe yet but I will now. Thanks for the recommendation (even if your biased it's okay because that means your passionate about the resort and that's a plus)! Are there activities for kids do for when we are not at the Disney? We plan to spend at least 2 days resting within our resort.

You all have been great with your responses and I love hearing the different opinions...keep 'em comin!!


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## tombo (Nov 11, 2009)

Piscesqueen said:


> I've read about tons of people giving Bonnet Creek all kinds of great kudos and that place is not blocked using RCI points just because I own in Orlanod (well, _may_ own in Orlando, haven't decided 100% yet but it's looking much better to save on $$ for more points and lower MF's).
> 
> John, I haven't looked into Cypress Pointe yet but I will now. Thanks for the recommendation (even if your biased it's okay because that means your passionate about the resort and that's a plus)! Are there activities for kids do for when we are not at the Disney? We plan to spend at least 2 days resting within our resort.
> 
> You all have been great with your responses and I love hearing the different opinions...keep 'em comin!!



My advice is not to buy a timeshare in Orlando even if you wanted to visit Orlando every year, but especially don't buy Orlando for a one time trip! If you buy an Orlando resort you won't ever be able to trade for DVC thanks to their regional block Buy a timeshare RESALE from e-bay or somewhere else CHEAP at a location that is within driving distance of your home and at a resort you would like to visit most years. With any decent resort you can trade for most anything you want in Orlando with the possible exception of DVC. You can stay at Bonnet Creek one year, HGVC Sea World the next, Sheraton Vistana Villages the next, Orange Lqke Country Club the next, Cypress Point the next, Westgate the next, and on and on until you decide to repeat. These are great resorts and most I have listed have much larger rooms, nicer amenities, and most have a lot more activities than DVC resorts. 

Never buy in Orlando because it is too easy to trade into Orlando (and Vegas) into top rated resorts using most any week you want to deposit. Buy a good trader that you actually want to use every year and trade for Orlando whenever the urge hits you.

In addition to trading for weeks you can get them cheap using last call and extra vacations, in fact extra vacations are usually available for prime summer weeks with rental rates lower than you would pay in MF's f you owned. On last call there are November and December weeks available at Cypress Point, Sheraton Vistana, Summer Bay, Villas at Summer Bay, Westgate, and Wyndham Cypress Palms for 7 day rental for a total of $284. Next summer in June and July there are weeks available to rent from RCI using extra vacations (no trade needed, just pay rental price) at every Disney resort, weeks in 2 bed rooms at Orange Lake Country Club for $1052, Sheraton Vistana Villages 2 bed room week for $647 (cheaper than MF's), Summer Bay 2 bed room weeks for $818 (about what MF's cost), Wyndham Bonnett Creek 2 bed room weeks for $1142 (a little more than MF's), Cypress Point 2 bed room weeks for $818 (close to MF's), etc, etc, etc. Why buy when you can get weeks for about as cheap as the owners pay in MF's and you never have to worry about assessments or MF increases.

Bottom line is that  most of the Disney resorts would not be rated as top 5 Orlando resorts if they weren't located "on Disney property", in fact few of them would crack the top 10. Many non Disney Orlando resorts have huge rooms, granite counters, huge pools, tons of activities, on site golf courses, and many other things that DVC resorts are lacking. 

I personally outgrew the "Magic" a long time ago after 15 or 20 weeks spent at Disney when I was younger and also spent with my kids when they were young. My whole family is over Disney and we like the theme parks with thrill rides. I now never go on Disney property when I am in Orlando. For my family and myself the Disney rides are mostly boring kiddie rides, the lines are long, and the ticket prices and food are ridiculously high. I love Universal, Universal Islands of Adventure, Sea World, and Bush Gardens for the thrill rides and great ticket prices. If you have young kids or somehow still feel the Disney Magic then staying on property might be what you need. If not trade into or rent one of the great non Disney resorts in the Orlando area and you will not be disappointed.


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## Piscesqueen (Nov 11, 2009)

*HELP!!*



tombo said:


> Never buy in Orlando because it is too easy to trade into Orlando (and Vegas) into top rated resorts using most any week you want to deposit. Buy a good trader that you actually want to use every year and trade for Orlando whenever the urge hits you.



I'm confused now. I thought that with RCI points, your home resort doesn't really matter. I was under the impression that you try to find the lowest MF's with highest points, am I wrong?

I thought RCI points gave you the ability to reserve using 'points' not necessarily an 'exchange.' Can someone please correct me if I'm wong? I don't want to buy if I'm under the wrong impression. I'm in the middle of negotiations right now with a company and I'd like to know BEFORE I sign on the dotted line.

I know some people buy into home resorts that they may use and the home resort is important to them. I've even heard that people buy home resorts that they enjoy because one day RCI points may not be offered...but, I don't see that happening anytime soon.

I don't plan on trading outside of RCI points and that's why I thought that buying in Florida wouldn't matter.  

We are also looking at purchasing an RCI week that we will be using ourselves that we may use for PFD every few years but I was told that you need to buy an RCI points resort FIRST! Is that true?

PLEASE HELP!!


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## timeos2 (Nov 11, 2009)

*You have it right*



Piscesqueen said:


> I'm confused now. I thought that with RCI points, your home resort doesn't really matter. I was under the impression that you try to find the lowest MF's with highest points, am I wrong?



No. Where you buy does not matter except that, according to some, they might impose the 100 mile block on home resorts in Orlando. I don't think so as points are points and they do not track where they came from but if you wanted to be super safe & have the points to use for DVC then it may make sense to avoid a points resort purchase in Orlando. Actually there are far better annual fee to RCI Point values outside of Fl, so I would recommend a non-Orlando points resort anyway. 



Piscesqueen said:


> We are also looking at purchasing an RCI week that we will be using ourselves that we may use for PFD every few years but I was told that you need to buy an RCI points resort FIRST! Is that true?
> 
> PLEASE HELP!!



Buy the week first or after your Points resort. If it is for PFD all it has to be is a non-Points based resort. When purchased / where it is located doesn't matter.


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## Piscesqueen (Nov 11, 2009)

timeos2 said:


> No. Where you buy does not matter except that, according to some, they might impose the 100 mile block on home resorts in Orlando. I don't think so as points are points and they do not track where they came from but if you wanted to be super safe & have the points to use for DVC then it may make sense to avoid a points resort purchase in Orlando. Actually there are far better annual fee to RCI Point values outside of Fl, so I would recommend a non-Orlando points resort anyway.



Thank you so much for the quick reply; I was beginning to panic.  

Do you have any suggestions for where I should be looking?

I've been considering Vacation Village @ Parkway because the MF's are $696 and it gives 92,500 points and I read that as long as your MF's were less than 1 cent per point, then it was a good deal. Is the above a bad deal? 

Thanks again!


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## tombo (Nov 11, 2009)

Piscesqueen said:


> I'm confused now. I thought that with RCI points, your home resort doesn't really matter. I was under the impression that you try to find the lowest MF's with highest points, am I wrong?
> 
> I thought RCI points gave you the ability to reserve using 'points' not necessarily an 'exchange.' Can someone please correct me if I'm wong? I don't want to buy if I'm under the wrong impression. I'm in the middle of negotiations right now with a company and I'd like to know BEFORE I sign on the dotted line.
> 
> ...



I am not the best to answer point questions as I am a new RCI point owner myself, but I always beleive that the underlying week you own should be a huge factor in a purchase. If in the future the points program changes or the amount of inventory available using points diminishes you will always own what you bought. However if you buy somewhere you never want to stay just for the points and the points become worthless, then what you own will be worthless to you.If you buy somewhere you like to stay then you will own a week you like to use personally.

The RCI weeks program currently has a lot less inventory than it used to, and if you had purchased a week you didn't want solely to trade for places you did want, you might not be able to trade for any prime week at any resort anywhere. Many in the weeks program are going through this now with weeks that used to get great trades which now will not get anything worth having. Will points become like weeks in the future (limited inventory, lower points values placed on a week(s) you own), only time will tell, but I would like to know that if points do take a bad turn that the points week(s) I own are weeks that I am glad to own. Of course if you buy a week you would like to own which has a lot of points for low MF's, you can't go wrong.

P.S. From the RCI points questions is another reason to like the underlying resort you buy, your points could be reduced in the future:

Will my Points ever go up or down?  
Yes, Point Values could change. If there was a distinct quality or amenity change at your resort that impacted comment card scores over time, then the values could change. Example, if your resort built two, new outdoor Olympic-sized swimming pools, your Point Values could go up. RCI would not make any arbitrary changes.


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## elaine (Nov 12, 2009)

*buy where you will use most years*

since you are in Idaho, I have to caution you about even thinking of buying in Orlando.  It is a VERY easy trade (except for DVC).  And, many Orlando TS are not the best traders.  I would either buy a TS out West or a points system with many Western places that you might use in the future years.  We have stayed 10 years off-site and 2 years onsite and are DVC owners----trust me--your vacation will be just as good off-site.
If you are doing an all WDW trip, I highly recommend Bonnet Creek.  If you can't get that, then Orange Lake County Club.  The pools are very nice, units are big, but the best part for OLCC is the easy access to WDW via the back road by AKL. OTher resorts (some of the Marriotts) near Lake Buena Vista are good, as well.
But, there are so many nice TS in the area, you don't have to worry.  If you are doing more than just WDW, then I would consider HGVC or certain other Marriotts that are farther from WDW, but clsoer to SeaWorld.
The benefits to DVC are the free airport shuttle, free buses to the parks and ease to come back for mid-day naps, etc., and the great kids' clubs.  But, we have had 10+ years of great WDW trips staying offsite and if we are going to the park for a full day--it REALLY does not matter at all whether we were at DVC or BC or OLCC or a Marriott. Even when we stay at DVC, we do not tend to come home during the day--and when we stay at OLCC, we have come home for dinner and then gone back at 8 PM, no big deal.


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## AKE (Nov 13, 2009)

Buy a timeshare where want to go to every year AND you can afford to go to every year.  Regardless of what you read re exchanges, NO exchange is guaranteed... the same applies to renting your unit or even reselling your unit (i.e. there are no guarantees).  We own a fee simple resort (i.e. own it forever) but if I was to do it again I would lean towards a RTU which has a lifespan of 25 or whatever years (i.e. after 25 years the unit reverts back to whoever you bought it from - there are no resale worries and after 25 years you can always buy another if you are still so inclined).


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## tombo (Nov 13, 2009)

AKE said:


> Buy a timeshare where want to go to every year AND you can afford to go to every year.  Regardless of what you read re exchanges, NO exchange is guaranteed... the same applies to renting your unit or even reselling your unit (i.e. there are no guarantees).  We own a fee simple resort (i.e. own it forever) but if I was to do it again I would lean towards a RTU which has a lifespan of 25 or whatever years (i.e. after 25 years the unit reverts back to whoever you bought it from - there are no resale worries and after 25 years you can always buy another if you are still so inclined).



I agree with the ONLY buy a timeshare you want to visit every year with reasonable MF's. If you can rent at a resort for about the cost of MF's, why own there? Research, rent at a resort you are interested in from an owner and stay there for a week, and only buy at a resort you would love to stay at if there were no such thing as exchange companies or points. The only thing you are guaranteed is that you can stay in the week you own as long as you pay MF's. People in II who bought a week so they could trade for DVC are now owners of the week they bought with no chance for DVC. People who bought II to exchange for Marriotts could be out of luck if Marriott does start it's own internal exchange company. RCI weeks inventory is shrinking and formerly great traders are not so great anymore. Those weeks owners now own a week to use in most cases since they can rarely trade for any inventory that they want to trade for. Just read the leaving in leaps and bounds thread in the exchanging forum here on TUG to get an idea of how things can change with regards to exchanging.

 RCI points seem to be the best exchange option available now, but that could change tomorrow. You aren't even guaranteed that your number of annual points will remain the same, you sure aren't guaranteed that you can trade for 4th of July week on the beach or New Year's week at a ski resort. The only way you can be sure to be on your favorite beach in the summer or at your favorite ski resort in the winter is to buy a week that guarantees you that you can vacation there when you want each year.

RTU offers little advantage. If you buy a25 year RTU week and in 5 years don't like it, have huge MF increases, or have a life change preventing you from using it, then you have to sell it or pay 20 more years on a week you either don't want to use or can't use. That is about the same as being stuck with a lifetime deed you don't want. If you love the week and the end is coming near you will have the option to renew for many $1000's of dollars exxtorted from you by the resort or the week you paid for for years will revert to the resort. Finally as fewer and fewer years are left on your RTU contract, the contract will become worth less and less to any potential buyer. This is when owners at DVC are going to start realizing that RTU is designed for no other reason than to give developers inventory to sell forever. Right now DVC is enjoying the highest resale value of any timeshare group. That will change when there are only a few years left on the contract. When someone tries to sell a DVC contract for $20,000 with only 5 years left on the contract there will be no buyers.  Who would pay $4000 a week to buy the short term contract plus pay MF's whch will probably exceed $2000 a week by then for a total of over $6,000 per week for the 5 weeks you get to use? That would be $30,000 or more for 5 weeks of vacation and something that will be firtually impossible to unload.  For the DVC owners (and all RTU owners) who love what they bought, they will either have to let it go or buy it again at the end of the contract for whatever price Disney feels like charging.

 I am not a fan of RTU for the reasons listed above. Buy a deeded week and keep it if you like it or sell it if you no longer like it. Either way you actually own the week and have the choice because you are an owner, not a renter.


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## timeos2 (Nov 13, 2009)

*The days of upfront cost recovery are over or soon will be*



tombo said:


> This is when owners at DVC are going to start realizing that RTU is designed for no other reason than to give developers inventory to sell forever. Right now DVC is enjoying the highest resale value of any timeshare group. That will change when there are only a few years left on the contract. When someone tries to sell a DVC contract for $20,000 with only 5 years left on the contract there will be no buyers.  Who would pay $4000 a week to buy the short term contract plus pay MF's whch will probably exceed $2000 a week by then for a total of over $6,000 per week for the 5 weeks you get to use? That would be $30,000 or more for 5 weeks of vacation and something that will be firtually impossible to unload.  For the DVC owners (and all RTU owners) who love what they bought, they will either have to let it go or buy it again at the end of the contract for whatever price Disney feels like charging.
> 
> I am not a fan of RTU for the reasons listed above. Buy a deeded week and keep it if you like it or sell it if you no longer like it. Either way you actually own the week and have the choice because you are an owner, not a renter.



Oh my, there you go bringing up facts again! You are actually daring to say that DVC will, in fact already has, lose resale value as the years left dwindle. The "I can always sell it for what I paid" mentality for DVC isn't true! Heresy! Add in the high annual fees which the owners have zero say over and every piece is in place for the same dramatic drop in resale value that every other timeshare has shown, except that with DVC the zero value is guaranteed as are the high fees to the very last year. 

Overall DVC is a nice middle of the road timeshare product with unique locations in Orlando and CA, little to offer elsewhere, some of the highest fees in the industry, no owner control and a guaranteed zero value in the future. Hardly something most people would consider a good deal when looked at in simple, no "magic" blindness terms. Fine to enjoy if you understand the game but certainly not any kind of special deal or one insulated from the realities of loss of purchase price, just like every other timeshare. It can be a savings over the wildly inflated (and rising) costs of paying Disney for on site stays, but most understand that isn't any type of deal either. It costs plenty if you must for some reason stay on site to be happy. Thinking you will get back the purchase price for DVC because there was a short period when it accidentally occurred is fooling yourself (but who better to trick?).


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## Carl D (Nov 13, 2009)

Piscesqueen, quite frankly, your question as posted on TUG is like trying to find a Red Sox fan in the Bronx.

The DVC resorts are themed to the extreme, to the point you don't even realize you're in Florida. You really need to see it to believe it. Animal Kingdom Villas actually has a safari right off your balcony with exotic African animals. Most employees are also from Africa. Even if you don't stay at a DVC resort, do your family a favor and visit some of the Disney properties. It truly is a great use of your vacation time, and it's free. 
I predict you will be absolutely blown away, then wish you had stayed there.

Resorts that are must see:
- Animal Kingdom Lodge (both Kidani Village and Jambo House)
- Wilderness Lodge / Villas at Wilderness Lodge (don't confuse with FT Wilderness)
- Polynesian Resort (non DVC resort, but still Disney Resort)

Other Disney resorts are also nice, but the ones above are the ones that will blow your socks off.


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## wise one (Nov 14, 2009)

We stay off Disney property most of the time.  One time we stayed on at the DVC Old Key West property with relatives that own there.  We got sick and tired of the "WELCOME HOME" comments.  However, we did enjoy not having to use our car to get to the theme parks, etc., but the bus transportation to get around were slow.  We used our car to get to many of the locations simply because we did not want to take all day to get there.

I agree with Carl, several times we have parked at DD and taken the bus transportation to see the animals at AKL and visit WL for lunch.  Those resorts are very nice, but the time to get from DD to AKL is slow.


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## logan115 (Nov 16, 2009)

We own DVC (SSR) since we want and enjoy the 24/7 Disney-blitz.  Clearly not for everyone, but it is for us.  Agree with the others that there are some great non-Disney options in Orlando, Vistana being one that my parents bought into over 20 years ago and that I've been to several times.

If you're only going to use your TS for WDW once or twice you're going to spend a lot more money than you need to by buying DVC.  You don't want to own DVC as a trader because quite frankly you're better off renting your points and taking the proceeds to rent at a different TS as opposed to exchanging.

If you want the DVC experience without shelling out the cash, rent points from a DVC owner for the trips you will go on to WDW, and buy a TS much cheaper for your other needs.

Chris


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## gjw007 (Nov 18, 2009)

I enjoy my offsite timeshares more than I do DVC but DVC is fine for many people.  Regarding the fees, there needs to be a little comparison of Apples to Apples rather than Apples to Oranges.  It actually makes DVC fees look better. 

Consider these:

Annual membership fee
   RCI - $89
   DVC - $0

Exchange fee
   RCI - $99 (RCI Points or $164 for a weeks resorts or slightly less if less than 7 days at a RCI Points resort)
   DVC - $0

Housekeeping fee
   RCI - $0 if 7 days
   RCI - $50-$75 if less than 7 days depending on the resort (RCI Points)
   DVC - $0

Additional
  DVC - no annual membership fee for RCI use

DVC may be slightly higher overall but not as much as first appearance  I like the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge but I like several Orlando offsite timeshares just as much.  I do agree the theming at DVC is better.

I'm certainly not suggesting DVC ownership or any other timeshare but facts sometimes get lost in shuffle of opinions.  Sometimes people feel so strong about something that that is the only way they see how it should be done.  This thread shows an example where one person is extremely pro-DVC and another for offsite.  

If you are only planning to do exchanges, the timeshare you own really doesn't matter except for the costs involved in the timeshare.  But if all you plan to do is exchange, it may be better not to own a timeshare at all as there are other alternatives that may give you the same use, quality, etc. but allow additional flexibility and at a lower overall cost.


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## elaine (Nov 19, 2009)

*OT--I also love the flex of DVC*

book only the days you need, if family changes their mind--cancel those days, book other times--more family coming, but only for a few days, book an extra studio for 2-3 days.  you can also cancel 31 days out and get all your oints back and even cancel up to 1 day before arrival and get your all your points into special account where you canonly book at 60 days out, but if you are willing to stay anywhere, you can almost always get a spot, unless it is Christmas week.  I don't know of another TS that offers you that flex. Elaine


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