# Need Help with RCI points, DVC and Timeshare advice?



## dpalfox (Aug 10, 2011)

Let me start by saying hello.

I have been doing a lot of research about timeshares and wanted to buy one.  My wife and I are having a baby in two months and i have family members that are part of the DVC.  We go to disney with them a decent amount and i am sure now with a child we will be going a little more.  We want something that will allow us to stay in the vacinity or on disney property.  That being said i do not want to pay the high initial costs of the DVC.  

I figured RCI is a good way to go because you can use points to stay at Disney properties.

- If i can find a RCI resort with maintence of under .01 per point is it worth while for me to do (i know the home resort cannot be in orlando area)?

- Is it realistic that i will be able to use points to book at a disney resort during peak season?

- I am thinking about getting a plan with either 60,000 or 92,000 points.  I see for example a studio at Disney's Beach Club Villas (#DV02) is 47,500 for the time that i would be interested in which is the last week in December.

- Can you use points for just a few days or does it always have to be booked as a week

- Are the point values actually what is listed on the RCI site because i noticed it says "Where applicable, Friday and Saturday night stays are 20% of the weekly value per day. Weeknight stays are 12% of the weekly value per day" .  So is it really 47,500 points to book that last week in December or is it really more.

- What fees are actually associated with booking travel through RCI besides the membership fee

I know this is a lot of questions and i have done a lot of research but just not been able to find all the answers any help would be much appreciated.


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## bnoble (Aug 10, 2011)

I would only do this if you are *also* willing to stay in a non-Disney property if it came to that.  Exchange is never certain.


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## lprstn (Aug 10, 2011)

Do not bet on exchanges - many people that do get ticked when they don't get what they want. If you want to stay at a certain place often - buy there. You'll be a lot happier.


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## chriskre (Aug 10, 2011)

DVC Points can be purchased on the resale market.  A nice package at say SSR is passing ROFR as low as in the $40s.  

RCI Points can be a great way to get into DVC but you'd have to take what inventory they have online at the time you are searching as I have not figured out how to do the ongoing search.  Maybe you can call and get it done.   

Anyway if you join here as a TUG member then you can see the DVC ex-ops and watch availability.  It's only $15 to join.  If you want DVC then you're gonna need to watch the sightings carefully anyway.  

Disney charges $95 BS fees and internet is $10 a day.  The RCI exchange fees are $149 for RCI Points.  You must book 7 nights in DVC.  Cannot book less thru RCI.  I wouldn't count on RCI for DVC.  Owning DVC is so much easier to book internally than trying to swing the RCI thing.  Not that I wouldn't do it if the dates were good for me and I could plan far in advance as you will need to with RCI but I like calling up DVC and always having something available for a last minute trip even if it's SSR and OKW.


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## dpalfox (Aug 10, 2011)

Thanks everyone for the advice.  I have looked into the DVC a couple times and i like it but i just dont like the upfront cost.   For example a 120 points at $45 a point is 5400 but with an rci deal i can get it for almost nothing although the maintenance does seem to be less with the dvc.

What is DVC ex-ops?

Also are the points actually what is published on the rci sight or does it end up being more?


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## bnoble (Aug 11, 2011)

Stop.  Do not pass Go.  Do not collect $200.

Timeshare exchange does not work at all like hotel reservations.  But, from your posts, it appears that's exactly what you expect.  You need to spend a good chunk of time learning how exchange works and, more importantly, how it DOESN'T work, before you spend so much as a dime.

Take your time.  Read up.  Timeshares are easy to buy, but they are very hard to sell.  Don't rush into anything.


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## DeniseM (Aug 11, 2011)

Timeshare exchanges are more like placing a bet than making a hotel reservation.


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## ampaholic (Aug 11, 2011)

DeniseM said:


> Timeshare exchanges are more like placing a bet than making a hotel reservation.



And betting you can get the DVC you want in high season with RCI Points is like betting on snake eyes.


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## chriskre (Aug 11, 2011)

limprizol said:


> Thanks everyone for the advice.  I have looked into the DVC a couple times and i like it but i just dont like the upfront cost.   For example a 120 points at $45 a point is 5400 but with an rci deal i can get it for almost nothing although the maintenance does seem to be less with the dvc.
> 
> What is DVC ex-ops?
> 
> Also are the points actually what is published on the rci sight or does it end up being more?



You may want to consider a small DVC package of say 50 points that you could bank and borrow so that every other year you'd have 100 points to use within DVC and then purchase another trader to use in RCI points.  These small packages usually cost a little more than $45 but if you work with one of the resellers that specialize in DVC they'll get you something you could work with.   Once you own DVC you can do points transfers in from other members if you needed to "rent" some points if you're short.  Disney will also rent you whatever points you are short up to 24 points at $15 a point to complete your reservations.  

BNoble is right you'll want to stop and learn all you can before jumping into anything as once you do you may be stuck with it for a long time.  It's a buyers market but not a sellers.  There is also nothing to say that DVC will stay with RCI.  They were with II for a few years so it's possible that they may switch back and if you bought your TS in RCI points to use exclusively with DVC then you'd be SOL, so you might want to consider something that is dual affiliated with II/RCI so you're not stuck.  That's why it's usually recommended to buy where you want rather than rely on exchanges.

Ex-Ops = Exchange Opportunities.  It's a benefit of becoming a member here on the site.  It will give you a heads up on Disney availability for exchange.  It's essential IMO if you want to be booking DVC but also is great for other timeshares.


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## rickandcindy23 (Aug 11, 2011)

RCI Points purchased in Orlando have a regional block and will not get DVC.  I would never buy RCI Points, because it's not working all that well anymore.  We own both weeks and points, so I can compare the two honestly.  

If you are very flexible, and you buy a good trader, you can get DVC resorts through exchange, but it isn't all that easy.  Flexibility is key.  Saying, "I would like to exchange into Disney sometime in September," is more realistic than, "I am going to get airfare for this particular date, and wait for the exchange to happen."  

My two goddaughters wanted 11/5 and asked if I could get them something. They purchased airfare based on their vacation dates, so they bought airfare and counted on me.  I told them I thought I would get something, but nothing happened yet. We are going to be there at the same time, with our kids and grandkids.  I was sure I would get something by now.  I entered ongoing searches months ago.  Now they have reserved Disney's value hotel rooms.  You cannot count on exchanges.  You just cannot. 

I was hoping to get anything but SSR and OKW for our big family trip with kids and grandkids, because we have never stayed at Beach Club, and our daughter's favorite is VWL.  Nothing ever happened elsewhere, so we are going to SSR and OKW for our two weeks.  Our daughter is thrilled, but we have been to SSR a lot (still love it), and OKW is a close second for our trips.  I just wanted to impress the kids by getting either a Grand Villa at SSR or OKW, or Beach Club or VWL.


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## tschwa2 (Aug 11, 2011)

Even in RCI Points DVC only appears as a full week.  You can book 3 or 4 days through RCI rentals but they are very expensive.


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## dpalfox (Aug 11, 2011)

thanks everybody for the help i still need to decide what i want to do but lets say in theory that i do not care about staying on Disney property and decide to sign up for a points program.  

Might it be better to go with a Wyndham Resort rather than a RCI points resort.  

Also is there a place on the forum that describes a real life example with fees of how the points exchanges work.  So for example i booked a stay at Vacation Village at Parkway - #4940 during week 52 it cost 42,500 points.  The exchange fee was___ etc etc


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## bnoble (Aug 11, 2011)

I think if it were me, I'd buy something I could *use* rather than *exchange* to get started in timesharing.  I usually recommend looking at the point-based mini-systems, including Wyndham, Bluegreen, and WorldMark. Look at the portfolios of each system, focusing only on the "club" resorts and ignoring associate, affiliate, etc.  If you see one of them with several resorts you might enjoy over many years, research the system a little more, rent from an owner to try it out, and then go from there.

FWIW, I've stayed in the main Wyndham resort in Orlando, bonnet creek, and *really* enjoyed it, along with several others.


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## rickandcindy23 (Aug 11, 2011)

You should consider buying a high demand week, something maybe coastal summer, somewhere you would like to go sometimes.  Buy a week or two, then open an RCI account and enjoy wonderful exchanges.  

So for my prime summer Colorado week (not coastal, I know, and coastal summer would be far more valuable), I get 25 points in RCI weeks.  I can get two weeks at the Vistana Fountains (all two bedrooms), back-to-back at this gorgeous resort, for 8 points per week, so I could actually get three of those weeks for my one week.  

Add in $179 per week for exchange fee, and the $500/3 for my Colorado week, and I am at $167+ $179 for a really wonderful vacation week, in a 2 bedroom unit.  

Granted, these weeks are off-season, basically October weeks, but who wants to go to Orlando in the summer, when it's hot, or spring break, when it's crowded.


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## Lisa P (Aug 11, 2011)

Welcome to TUG, btw!

Given your individual circumstances, I'd second the suggestions that you consider buying a small, resale DVC contract and also purchase in a mini-system that you may like to use in alternate years.

You sometimes vacation with DVC family members.  The best way to do this in the future would be as members yourselves.  With a young family, you already anticipate many return vacations to Disney so you're likely to use DVC points at DVC resorts.  Costs are a concern so you may not want to buy enough DVC points to cover all of your vacations but with a small contract, you'd be certain that you'd be able to get some of them at DVC resorts.  Further, you won't need to budget for exchange fees or concern yourselves over the tendency of exchange companies to increase their exchange fees - currently nearing $200 per exchange.

RCI (or II) exchanging is too unreliable to plan on it consistently for getting your prime season trades.  As your first child reaches school age, this may be a greater need - or whenever you wish to travel with others who are tied to school schedules.  Most mini-systems offer at least one resort in the Orlando/Kissimmee/Lake Buena Vista region.  Again, if the mini-system allows you to book your stay at any resort in their system without an additional exchange fee, you don't need to budget for RCI/II fees if the mini-system's resort option(s) please you.

Currently, with Wyndham, exchanging into any 1BR that's available in RCI, you would need 74K/95K/121K/143K Wyndham points (K=1,000) depending on the season.  Oddly, a studio exchange costs the same as a 1BR exchange.  Prime DVC weeks, when available, tend to be 121K or 143K, of course.  Looking ahead to an expanding family or the possible desire to bring relatives or friends, a 2BR RCI exchange is 109K/140K/184K/224K Wyndham points.  Remember to add the exchange fee to your cost figures.  If you wanted enough Wyndham points to reserve at Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort directly (no exchange fees), you'd want to have 166K for a prime 1BR weeks or 224K for a prime 2BR week.  Wyndham reservations at Bonnet creek in April (weeks 15-19) and November (even Thanksgiving week) are a real bargain at 84K for 1BR or 112K for 2BR.  So, given that you anticipate Disney vacations in the future, if you opt to buy Wyndham points, I'd suggest that you look for a cheap (or "free") resale for 224K or more at a home resort with low per-point maint fees.

Other points-based mini-systems with very nice resorts in the area include HGVC (Hilton), Diamond, Bluegreen.  I'm not as familiar with the ins-and-outs of these.  To reiterate what others have said though, make sure you'd be very happy to stay at the resorts you own, if you buy any other than DVC.  For us, staying at DVC is a bonus and it's not missed when we stay elsewhere.  If you really want the themes and the onsite transportation and the airport transfers, offered by DVC, and if you want to own timeshare yourselves, then you ought to seriously consider buying enough DVC points to stay there every 2-3 years by banking and borrowing.

If you don't not have the cash to buy any of these and you'd have to take out a loan or increase your debts to do so, DON'T DO IT.  With a baby on the way, this is a very BAD idea, in my opinion.  Also, if you cannot plan at least 6 months out, don't buy DVC.  If you cannot plan at least 10 months out, you may not be a good candidate for timeshare ownership, in general.  People who like the convenience of making reservations only a couple months ahead are often sorely disappointed and frustrated with timeshare ownership.  Hope that helps.


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## dpalfox (Aug 11, 2011)

Lisa P said:


> Welcome to TUG, btw!
> 
> Given your individual circumstances, I'd second the suggestions that you consider buying a small, resale DVC contract and also purchase in a mini-system that you may like to use in alternate years.
> 
> ...



Thanks a lot, i think that is very good advice.  Originally i was thinking of getting a resort that has already been converted to RCI points (like vacation village parkway) but now i think i am going to opt for a Wyndham Package because i like a lot of the locations and dont think that i would have to exchange at least for a few years until we got tired of seeing the same places.  I think i would want maybe around 166,000 points to start so i could stay for a week in prime season or maybe two smaller vacations not during prime seasons.  
-What resort for Wyndham has the lowest maintence (dolphin cove, lake tahoe maybe).
-Is there a place to see points values because it appears you have to be a member on their website to see it?

As for the DVC i will probably keep my eyes open for a cheap plan with low points.  Maybe use it every other year or rent points like you were saying if we want to do two years in a row.
-Where is the best place to look for this  (besides the classified ads here)

Thank you everyone i appreciate all the advice and comments


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## chriskre (Aug 11, 2011)

Wyndham is a great alternative to DVC because of Bonnet Creek and BC is available pretty much all the time.  When I run out of DVC points I stay at BC.  I've yet to use my points there though, as it's actually cheaper for me to rent from a megaowner than to use my own points, cause they can upgrade to Presidential units for free, where it would cost me more to do that.   

It's alright cause it's actually a pretty good deal to trade Wyndham points into DVC thru RCI where you can get a studio or 1 bedroom in off season for only 74K Wyndham points plus exchange fee which represents a great value for me with DVC.  (74K is about $350 in MF's plus the $199 exchange fee and $95 BS fees to Disney).  That comes out to less than $100 a night in a studio or 1 bedroom.  Surprisingly using Wyndham points to trade into DVC is not such a bad deal.  Not the cheapest way into the Mouses house but a fair deal and certainly cheaper than owning DVC points or renting from Disney.  So Wyndham points can get you the best of both worlds, using internally for free at real nice resorts or exchanging thru RCI when you felt the need or just gotta be in the Mouse Trap.


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