# RCI and DVC



## Drewperry82 (Jan 22, 2017)

So a question for anyone who might know. Seeing quite a few Disney 1 and 2 bedroom's available through Disney.com, but yet RCI turns up nothing available for the 2 weeks I've picked.

I know quite a while before I hear anything from RCI, but if they're available now, why can't I ask RCI to look into them, or do they have a certain number available to them?

Thanks

The time frame is second or third week of August for when I plan to go.

I do have a backup in mind if I have to use it.

4 Adult friends altogether, 1 of them driving from Tampa to meet us.  Just be nice not to drive while down there and to stay on Disney Property for a change


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## paxsarah (Jan 22, 2017)

DVC deposits into RCI are dependent on DVC owners exchanging out - it's completely unrelated to cash reservation availability on Disney.com. If you haven't already, all you can really do is set up an ongoing search in RCI and then just wait. Don't expect any 2BRs to be deposited into RCI, and your most likely match is SSR, but I believe mid/late August will generally give you decent odds. (I've never actually stayed in that timeframe, though, so I'm sure others will have more specific advice about your dates.)


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## elaine (Jan 22, 2017)

based on last year, there will be multiple 1BRs for mid/late August at SSR, maybe other DVCs. No 2Brs.


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## seascapemvy (Jan 23, 2017)

The biggest reason DVC units are available for cash well before RCI trades is the number of points used for the Disney Cruise  Line trips.  More DVC members trade for cruises rather than to travel to other RCI resorts .


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## icydog (Jan 23, 2017)

seascapemvy said:


> The biggest reason DVC units are available for cash well before RCI trades is the number of points used for the Disney Cruise  Line trips.  More DVC members trade for cruises rather than to travel to other RCI resorts .



Disney Vacation Club owners rarely, and I mean very rarely, use their RCI portal to reserve other resort stays. There are a few exceptions that come to mind but, for the most part, Disney Vacation Club members would lose $ on a trade.  Our points cost too much to buy, and our maintenance fees are too high, to consider using valuable DVC Points to trade.

As far as using RCI to get a one bedroom, in an exchange to SSR, for August, your chances are very good. Especially at the end of August.  However, a week at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort with 4 adults, no matter how friendly, will be close. 

My suggestion is to put in an ongoing search for Disney's Old Key West Resort.  The rooms are MUCH bigger and they sleep 5. 

You may even be lucky enough to get Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas on an exchange. Then you'd be able to sleep 5 and you'd have two bathrooms. 

My first choice would be Disney's Old Key West Resort-- just for the size of the rooms!And out of all the fancy DVC Resorts---- Disney's Old Key West Resort is still my favorite!


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## Member26 (Jan 23, 2017)

icydog said:


> Disney Vacation Club owners rarely, and I mean very rarely, use their RCI portal to reserve other resort stays. There are a few exceptions that come to mind but, for the most part, Disney Vacation Club members would lose $ on a trade.  Our points cost too much to buy, and our maintenance fees are too high, to consider using valuable DVC Points to trade.
> 
> As far as using RCI to get a one bedroom, in an exchange to SSR, for August, your chances are very good. Especially at the end of August.  However, a week at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort with 4 adults, no matter how friendly, will be close.
> 
> ...


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## Member26 (Jan 23, 2017)

Icydog- what are our chances for a one bedroom - any DVC- for the week of Oct 31-Nov 7?  (you sound as though you maybe a DVC owner and may be able to advise)-thanks


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## icydog (Jan 23, 2017)

I'd get thrown off for soliciting rentals if I answered you in a public forum like this for renting my DVC points.  I wish I could respond here but I can't.


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## Cyberc (Jan 23, 2017)

Member26 said:


> Icydog- what are our chances for a one bedroom - any DVC- for the week of Oct 31-Nov 7?  (you sound as though you maybe a DVC owner and may be able to advise)-thanks




If you mean through RCI, then your chances are okay (read just okay) meaning a lot of DVC owners are using their membership to stay at DVC at that time. Dvc will however deposit some Okw and ssr units - how many I don't know. A lot of other RCI member also search for these times.  Your best bet is to setup an ongoing search and then from around July you need to stalk the RCI website daily multiple times. 

an ongoing search will match weeks inventory and not points inventory. Some DVC units are deposited as points inventory so they will sit around the RCI website until someone picks them up. I picked up an akv this way. 

Regards


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## Member26 (Jan 24, 2017)

Thank you for the information- I appreciate it!


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## paxsarah (Feb 24, 2017)

Anne Hudick said:


> I was told flat out there was no hope, *that they were not confirming into DVC unless you owned DVC*. I continued up to chain, in disbelief, and was told the same thing.



I'm sorry for your experience. They told you incorrectly, though - there are plenty of us who are not DVC owners who have exchanged into DVC via RCI since that time. Although you can't really count on a particular week being deposited, 1BR units at SSR tend to be pretty reliably available.


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## icydog (Feb 24, 2017)

I can't understand RCI's comment about the necessity to be a Disney Vacation Club owner to trade into DVC! 

I'm an owner and I can't use the DVC portal into RCI to make a trade into DVC.  We make our trades into other, non owned, DVC resorts --internally through DVC Member Services or the online reservation system.

My RCI points contract is tied to my Grandview Las Vegas Resort. I get 122,000 RCI points every year. RCI hasn't a clue that I'm a Disney Vacation Club member!

And, using those points I've made three successful trades into DVC in the last year (2 SSR one bedrooms and, 1 OKW one bedroom)

Bottom line, what they told you is not only untrue-- it's in direct contradiction-- with the way things actually run and will continue to run.  (That's if RCI doesn't muck it up)


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## rickandcindy23 (Feb 24, 2017)

RCI has inept people.  That is the ugly truth.  You cannot believe a thing any of them says.


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## littlestar (Feb 24, 2017)

As far as October 31 through first week of November, wonder if they meant that is a high demand week and gets booked internally by DVC owners so Disney does not deposit as much into RCI?  Part of those dates may cross over into Jersey week, too.  I hear complaints over on the Dis boards about Jersey week in November being brutal for availability. I have heard Halloween is busy, too.

To the original poster, you should be able to snag a one bedroom in late August at SSR or maybe OKW.


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## lrazor (Feb 26, 2017)

You can trade into DVC easily(At least last couple years has been good), you just have to have the TPU, be willing to be flexible on dates (getting a specific date is more of a challenge), and stick to 1BR.   2BRs don't every really happen anymore so I wouldn't try..  Right now, only Animal Kingdom lodge, Old Key west, Saratoga Springs, and a few Boardwalk Villas show up.  Mostly Saratoga springs.  

Last year, I got 2 weeks at Saratoga Springs and 1 week at Animal Kingdom Lodge.   In the past, I've gotten Bay Lake Tower and Beach Club through trades but it doesn't really happen anymore.   I'm not DVC, have timeshares with lower dues ($400 year) that get great TPU (23-27) so I combine and then book from there.   

Key to getting first dibs is putting in advance search (most people have this going 15-18 months out) and then stalking the site.   When I was trying to get my weeks last year, I literally checked RCI site EVERY DAY but I got the weeks I wanted!!!


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## vacationhopeful (Feb 26, 2017)

littlestar said:


> As far as October 31 through first week of November, wonder if they meant that is a high demand week and gets booked internally by DVC owners so Disney does not deposit as much into RCI?  Part of those dates may cross over into Jersey week, too.  I hear complaints over on the Dis boards about Jersey week in November being brutal for availability. I have heard Halloween is busy, too.
> .


3 or 4 years ago ... I took my TX sister to DVC twice. Once in mid May and then again, the first week in November. We had an okay trip in May .. but I was pretty sick and had to have surgery a few days after I got home.
The November trip was much more fun, I was say "HI" to lots of very new BFF ... sort of pointing & laughing together. My sister was getting a little un-nerved .. until I explain how I knew all these people ... H&W with families .. and mostly just the guy and I grinning and laughing. I live in NJ and the fathers had either Philadelphia or New York sports team tee shirts/jerseys on. I would point and say my local town ... they would response with their local town name. Both of us ... smiling and a little giggle for escaping down South.

Jersey Week at WDW is the first week of November. Tuesday is Election Day and Thursday and Friday is the NJ Education Association annual 2 day convention in Atlantic City for all public school teachers ... all public schools in NJ are closed. Thus, families head to WDW (and other vacations locations) .. low season at WDW and way fewer crowds than Christmas and Easter .. cooler than the summer.

And that is why there is an event at WDW called "Jersey Week".


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## haras (Feb 27, 2017)

do you mind sharing some of the timeshares that you own with $400 annual dues that give you high TPU?  i'm new at exchanging still.

thanks!




lrazor said:


> You can trade into DVC easily(At least last couple years has been good), you just have to have the TPU, be willing to be flexible on dates (getting a specific date is more of a challenge), and stick to 1BR.   2BRs don't every really happen anymore so I wouldn't try..  Right now, only Animal Kingdom lodge, Old Key west, Saratoga Springs, and a few Boardwalk Villas show up.  Mostly Saratoga springs.
> 
> Last year, I got 2 weeks at Saratoga Springs and 1 week at Animal Kingdom Lodge.   In the past, I've gotten Bay Lake Tower and Beach Club through trades but it doesn't really happen anymore.   I'm not DVC, have timeshares with lower dues ($400 year) that get great TPU (23-27) so I combine and then book from there.
> 
> Key to getting first dibs is putting in advance search (most people have this going 15-18 months out) and then stalking the site.   When I was trying to get my weeks last year, I literally checked RCI site EVERY DAY but I got the weeks I wanted!!!


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## hyperjewl (Mar 2, 2017)

haras said:


> do you mind sharing some of the timeshares that you own with $400 annual dues that give you high TPU?  i'm new at exchanging still.
> 
> thanks!



I own at summit at Massanutten in Virginia - 2 sleep 6 floating (red/anytime) weeks. My maintenance fees are paid up 2 years in advance, so I can request my floating week 2 years in advance. For both weeks combined my maintenance fees are $785. I call & choose Christmas week each time. That gives me 23-24 trading power credits each week (46-48 total each year). Took us upgrading there twice to actually get what I wanted (trading power wise, but we love it). The only thing tempting to me would be to buy Disney - either through resale or direct. We're a family of 6 (with 4 young girls), but always travel with family too so we'd always need at least a 2 bedroom. 

Can someone tell me - is it better to buy resale Disney or direct with the new restrictions on resale owners.


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## littlestar (Mar 2, 2017)

hyperjewl said:


> Can someone tell me - is it better to buy resale Disney or direct with the new restrictions on resale owners.



It is still better to buy resale.  You could save at least half if you buy resale at SSR.  The only perk worth anything is the Annual Pass discount. And it could go away tomorrow - it is not guaranteed.  You could do a small add-on direct through Disney for as little as 25 points to have a developer purchase show in your account for the annual pass discount.


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## elaine (Mar 2, 2017)

I traded into very nice offsite WDW TS for 10 years (and still do sometimes, including this spring break in a 3BR HGVC). But, once I stayed at DVC, I had also had the Kool-Aid (magical WDW drink that brainwashes one into immediately calling to buy DVC). DH humored me with a small contact, until he stayed a few times and got an even bigger Kool-Aid serving. The theming, pools, buses to parks, service, kids clubs, extra activities at the resorts are amazing for kids your ages thru tweens, IMHO.
Assuming you are set on DVC, buying resale for an EOY trip is a good option. This is a smaller contract that it easier to sell if your get tired of DVC or your gets grow out of it--my older one did at 15. That way, you're not locked into DVC as  your family gets older and has other activities. You can also easily trade into a large offsiteTS in summer with your M points, to supplement, if you want.
If you find that you MUST have more points, just buy another contact. But, you will be happy that you have that smaller contract when you go to sell. For the past 20 years, DVC has held it's value well, unlike most other TS. Buy resale at either SSR or AKV. We bought at AKV b/c we loved the theming, pools, atmosphere and great kids club (hidden over at Kidani). We have used The Timeshare Store 2X and they are very reputable, imho, and have a lot of listing. But there are a few other resellers. Be sure to look at DVC points charts for the seasons you would go, as the number of points required varies a lot. Christmas-NYE and week before/after Easter are always much higher.


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## lrazor (Mar 22, 2017)

haras said:


> do you mind sharing some of the timeshares that you own with $400 annual dues that give you high TPU?  i'm new at exchanging still.
> 
> thanks!


Paradise isle in gulf shores al.   Their num is 251-948-6811.  I've bought couple weeks for $500.  TRU is  27 for good weeks, lower 20s for weaker weeks.


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## elleny76 (Dec 4, 2017)

How much is the whole cost to book DVC through RCI?..I sow a fee of $190? what is that for? any other fee?  thanks


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## paxsarah (Dec 4, 2017)

elleny76 said:


> How much is the whole cost to book DVC through RCI?..I sow a fee of $190? what is that for? any other fee?  thanks



In addition to RCI's exchange fee (which I think is currently $239) Disney charges a $190 fee for each exchange, basically because they can. The Disney fee is paid upon check-in.


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## thatgirl913 (Dec 8, 2017)

I can't seem to find the Sightings board.  Can someone post the link?


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## Eric B (Dec 8, 2017)

Sightings shows up only if you’ve got your account set up as a member.


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## thatgirl913 (Dec 8, 2017)

Ok, thank you


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## asherry25 (Jan 10, 2018)

I’m looking to trade RCI into SSR in late June and early July. I had luck last year about 5 months out, for a mid July stay.

Are deposits running on a similar track this year? I’ve had an ongoing search in since October, and I’ve been checking multiple times a day on points, but I’m getting a little worried that I may have missed the likely window. At some point, I’m going to need to go for somewhere else like Vistana (nice, but I really do like staying on property).


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