# Trying to sort out the DVC advantage...



## doncaruana (Feb 19, 2011)

Very new to all this and trying to figure out the best way to do what our family of 3 (with 8yo daughter) likes to do. We love Disney. But we can't afford to buy a full DVC property direct from Disney. So, I have some questions...

I already see that the resale rules for DVC are going to cut out perks for people in a few weeks - too quickly for me to possibly get grandfathered in, I'm guessing. But...

1) What is the smallest points I could get and still be considered a DVC "owner"?

2) If I wanted more than my points, what options are there to get more? Do you have a discounted rate to rent direct (like Hilton claims) or do you just have to pay full price for more nights? Or can you buy/borrow points from others?

3) It seems that the points change on the DVC properties so that the value for whatever current points someone has are dwindling. Do I see that right?

4) Is there a single location for the different seasons and point totals for all the DVC properties? I think I've come across a few but not sure what's accurate, etc. If we go to Disney, we want to go during nonpeak times, but not sure what weeks are in what seasons, etc.

5) What perks do you get as a DVC "owner" exactly? Or, putting it a better way, what is the difference in staying at a DVC property vs being a DVC owner?

Thanks in advance!
Don


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## darius (Feb 19, 2011)

Hi Don,  

In regads to your questions.... 

1)  The smallest resale point membership is 25 points.

2)  You can rent from other member, or easily add on with Disney anytime.  

3)  The DVC properties points are fixed except Disney can move the points around seasonally -- however the total points for the room/resort cannot change.  However, points for Disney collection, Disney cruises, etc can and have historically changed.

4)  I would check out www.wdwinfo.com for more information.   There is a ton of Disney related information on that site.   

Also, you can still make the deadline if you want to purchase and get all the perks grandfathered in.  You need to act quick though as my understanding is that your contract has to be submitted to Disney for ROFR before March 20th, 2011 to qualify.  

Disney is a fantastic, flexible program that works really well.  I recommend (if you are comfortable with the cost) going for it! 

Good luck!


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## bnoble (Feb 19, 2011)

Don't worry about resale restrictions.  They are almost universally poor values for the use of your points.  If you want to cruise, etc. rent out points and use the proceeds to pay for it---you'll almost always come out ahead vs. using the exchange charts.

Like most other devaluations that the developers come up with, these are smoke and mirrors, no more.


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## darius (Feb 19, 2011)

Bnoble has a very good point.   You might not ever need to use the items they are removing from resale contracts -- however nice to have "just in case" but I wouldn't rush into anything just because of vanishing perks.


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## doncaruana (Feb 19, 2011)

Have another question I can't get my head around...

I've found point calculators for Disney stuff, but I don't get or can't find how the outside points translate in. For example, HGVC has a pretty clear table of how their points translate to RCI time. But I haven't seen anything like that for DVC.

For that matter, I'm wondering if HGVC points can go round about and be used for a Disney resort...

thanks all,
Don


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## MichaelColey (Feb 19, 2011)

You can currently buy ANY RCI Weeks affiliated resort (outside of the Orlando area, which is blocked) and exchange into DVC units as long as you have the trading power.

If you're exchanging in through RCI, though, you're going to be restricted to 7 day stays, Fri/Sat/Sun check-ins, and a more limited inventory. As a DVC owner (direct or resale), you can reserve any length of stay, any check-in date, and have a much wider selection of inventory.

If you choose a good trader, you'll have considerably less outfront cost and less ongoing costs than buying DVC.

Another factor is the size of rooms that you want/need. If you're fine with Studios, DVC can be a great value. If you need 2BR, exchanging in with RCI can be considerably cheaper. If you need 3BR, you probably won't find it in RCI and will have to buy DVC to get it.

Another downside of buying to trade in is that you never know when or if DVC will move to a different exchange company. They used to be at II. You can mitigate that risk by buying a dual-affiliated resort, but you still never know for sure what'll change.

It's a pretty hefty investment. I would suggest researching it further, weighing out the options, and thinking on it for a while.


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## Carl D (Feb 19, 2011)

All your questions can be answered with tangible facts, except the first one... your thread title.

The advantage is --> The theming of the resorts. Do yourself a favor and go visit Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom Villas, then come back and answer your own question.


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## heathpack (Feb 20, 2011)

*Disney advantages*



doncaruana said:


> Have another question I can't get my head around...
> 
> I've found point calculators for Disney stuff, but I don't get or can't find how the outside points translate in. For example, HGVC has a pretty clear table of how their points translate to RCI time. But I haven't seen anything like that for DVC.
> 
> ...



Advantages to owning with DVC:
1.  Certainty as to being able to book into system every year for the next 40-60 years, as long as one reasonably plans ahead
2.  The ability to purchase very small chunks of time and small unit size AND TO ONLY PAY A PROPORTIONAL MF.  If you only need 1 weekend/year in a studio, you can buy that and pay mf on just that (not on a week in a larger unit).
3.  If you don't have enough pts, you can buy more from Disney either as a 1 time purchase or by buying a new contract.  Or you can rent from another owner.
4.  The experience at a Disney resort tends to be more immersive- for example, staff will be costumed rather than wearing uniforms.  The overall decor will typical try to reflect a theme other than "nicely furnished place" for example, a hunting lodge or beach cottage or craftsman mansion.  I will bet at Aulani there will be some sort of tiki torch lighting event in the evening with Hawaiian stories told by a grandmotherly type in a muumuu.  There will be lei-making for the kids.  It will be part of the background activity of the hotel.

There is a chart for RCI exchanges, I believe it is 160 Pts for a 1br.  However, Disney costs so much more than other RCI resorts that if you are interested in an RCI trade frequently, you'd probably be better off buyin a cheaper RCI trader.  You'd just have to be aware tha your ability to trade for DVC is subject o change at any Time.

My personal advice is that if you want to stay mostly at DVC, that's where you should buy.  If you are ok with other TSs offsite, then buy an RCi tradr


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## Denise L (Feb 20, 2011)

doncaruana said:


> Very new to all this and trying to figure out the best way to do what our family of 3 (with 8yo daughter) likes to do. We love Disney. But we can't afford to buy a full DVC property direct from Disney. So, I have some questions...
> 
> I already see that the resale rules for DVC are going to cut out perks for people in a few weeks - too quickly for me to possibly get grandfathered in, I'm guessing. But...
> 
> ...



Hi Don,

Is there a certain time of year when you think you and your family of three will travel to Walt Disney World?  Have you rented a DVC villa before, to try it out?  Would you really only travel during non-peak times with a school-age child?

We love love love Disney, but we first rented out points at the Beach Club Villas before we bought our own points.  Loved it so much, we had a resale contract closed within a couple of months after our first trip there with our kids.

The advantages to owning there are that you control your reservations, you can book at 11 months out at your home resort, etc.  Buying any timeshare isn't an investment for making money, but an investment in vacations.  Out of all the timeshares we own (DVC, Starwood, Hyatt), DVC is the only one that has held its value (in other words, I could sell today and not really lose much money, if any).

If you could really be happy booking anywhere at 7 months out, then you can find a reasonably priced resale at many of the properties.  The price would be less than 1/2 of buying BLT or AKV through Disney directly.  Do you know where you would want to stay?

I don't think that the new resale rules will affect you, so there is probably not a huge need to rush your purchase.


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## doncaruana (Feb 20, 2011)

Let me just say to start - thank you everyone for all the advice and info! Please keep it coming! 

Now, as for us...We've stayed at the Wilderness Lodge (proper) twice and love it, but never in any of the villas (Wilderness or elsewhere). But that's just a part of why we're interested in Disney property. But don't have necessarily a preference now. Closer to MK now, but, as my daughter gets older, that's likely to change.

We prefer the one bedroom over the studio and a 2BR would be too much.

As far as when to travel to Disney...I know it sounds horrible, but yeah, non-peak times are the target. The thing there is that I know we will get very little enjoyment out of Disney at peak levels. That's at least the Disney travel. But we also don't necessarily plan on going to Disney every year either.

And that's another reason why I'm curious in exchanges, like how many RCI "points" would it take to trade in to a DVC also.

Seems Vero Beach is dirt cheap and might be the key to a "combo" purchase for me. Is there something wrong with Vero Beach?

thanks again everyone!
Don


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## dvc_john (Feb 20, 2011)

doncaruana said:


> Seems Vero Beach is dirt cheap and might be the key to a "combo" purchase for me. Is there something wrong with Vero Beach?



There's nothing wrong with Vero Beach. It is a great resort. But to buy Vero Beach for use at WDW is not advisable.
You wouldn't have the booking window advantage that you would if you bought a WDW resort. And, the maintenance fees at VB are much higher, and, over time, would more than offset any purchase price cost advantage.


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## sfwilshire (Feb 20, 2011)

I keep getting the emails about buying before the restrictions kick in. I wonder if there will be a window of opportunity where sales will be down just after the deadline. I don't care about the restrictions.

I've been looking for a small package partly to get the annual pass discounts. I've inquired about a few, but the closing costs have always been unacceptable for such small packages. 

Sheila


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## elaine (Feb 20, 2011)

If you like DVC, I suggest that you buy a smaller points contract resale and get your feet wet.  Buy a 75 point contract---then you can bank and borrow to get up to 225 points. You can see how you like it--plus, you can easily get a points transfer (just post on disboards and you can get one in less than a week, exactly where you want) at about $10 per point if you need more points.  If you find that you love it and love the system and want more, then you can easily add-on thru DVC (there add-on deals for 100+ points are usually very good), or buy another resale.
If you decide it just doesn't work for you, a contract under 100 points is relatively easy to sell (you will pay 10% commission). We loved DVC, but could not justify another TS purchase, so I bought a 50 point contract and love it. I have done 2 points transfers when I needed more points. 
If you decide to buy a larger contract to start with--only buy enough points for EOY--that way, you have smaller payment and are not locked into DVC every year. As others have said, trading out with RCI using DVC is not really cost effective. You would be better buying points for EOY and then picking up an inexpensive EOY TS that trades well via RCI (tuggers can give you lots of advice on what to get---I like summer HHI weeks, but others have good ideas, as well). If you have a good trader (not in Orlando), you might be able to trade in for the times you don't want to use your DVc points (I have traded in 2X using RCI to DVC resorts in the past year). good luck. Elaine


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## chalee94 (Feb 20, 2011)

3) It seems that the points change on the DVC properties so that the value for whatever current points someone has are dwindling. Do I see that right?

the points were reallocated over the last couple of years, but as stated, they cannot change for the total points for the resort as a whole for a year.

so if weeknights went up in point cost, then weekends had to come down a little to even things out.  if 1BRs got cheaper then maybe studios or 2BRs got a little more expensive.  early december might move to a more expensive season, but something else would have to get cheaper to compensate.

5) What perks do you get as a DVC "owner" exactly? Or, putting it a better way, what is the difference in staying at a DVC property vs being a DVC owner?

perks can change at any time, so i wouldn't make this a big factor.  but at this point there is an AP discount (roughly $100 off, i think) for DVC owners.  DVC owners can also hop to other pools (like the GF or poly) subject to a number of restrictions (and some pools - like those at AKV, BLT and BCV are not hoppable.)

there are also varying, small dining/shopping/tour discounts for DVC owners.


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## chalee94 (Feb 20, 2011)

As far as when to travel to Disney...I know it sounds horrible, but yeah, non-peak times are the target. 

not sure exactly when you mean "off-peak" but be aware that early december is very busy from a DVC-booking standpoint.  many owners like that period and book at 11 months out.  similarly october is sometimes slower for the parks, but many BCV and BWV owners book at 11 months to get their resorts during the food and wine festival next door at epcot.

And that's another reason why I'm curious in exchanges, like how many RCI "points" would it take to trade in to a DVC also.

it takes about 25 TPUs to trade into DVC on the weeks side of RCI.  not sure about points. it might be worth signing up for TUG membership to look at the sightings board and see what kinds of DVC units have become available at what times in the past...

Seems Vero Beach is dirt cheap and might be the key to a "combo" purchase for me. Is there something wrong with Vero Beach?

VB is tempting but there are definitely risks there - you might not get into an onsite resort at wdw at 7 months (kinda rare if you're ok with larger resorts like SSR and OKW but it has happened) - storm damage on a coastal resort might result in a special assessment and/or possibly limit your ability to use that contract.


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## AnnaS (Feb 22, 2011)

If you enjoy staying on-site and love the Disney themed resorts, I also suggest buy the smallest package you can afford and are comfortable with.  Plan on banking and/or borrowing and going every other year.

We loved Vero but I would not buy here either if I planned on using my points for WDW.

As Elaine posted, transferring is another option if you need more points and if you decide down the road, it's not what you wanted, small contracts sell pretty quick.

Good luck deciding!  Enjoy!


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## capjak (Feb 22, 2011)

doncaruana said:


> I already see that the resale rules for DVC are going to cut out perks for people in a few weeks - too quickly for me to possibly get grandfathered in, I'm guessing. But...
> 
> 1Don



You still have time.  Your contract only has to go to Disney for ROFR before March 20 deadline.  As long as you work with one of the larger resellers they will get the contract to Disney before the deadline.  I would guess you have about 2 week window.


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## Twinkstarr (Feb 22, 2011)

We've been owners for 5yrs now(SSR and VB). My kids are in school and we only at the most pull them out for 2 days(depending on your district/kid, once they hit Jr High, it's tough to pull them out for longer if they are on the college prep/honors track). 

Plus we like the fact we don't have to book a full week, we do a lot of 4 day trips. The flexiblility is my favorite part of DVC. We can bank/borrow points to stay longer/book a bigger unit. 

We've had no problem at 11 months booking 3brs units at SSR or VB for Thanksgiving or Spring Break. For some of our non-major holiday trips, I've booked at SSR and switched at the 7 month mark, but I've found I can usually wait and just book at the 7 month. I've booked Boardwalk view at BWV, MK view at Bay Lake Tower and Beach Club. We go with 2brs. 


Buying a unit to trade into DVC can be a bit of a risky. DVC changed from II into RCI a few years ago and the traders that easily got DVC in II didn't work in RCI. Now RCI has changed their system. Plus if you are limited on when you can or want to go to DVC you are at the mercy of what is deposited.


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## tombo (Feb 22, 2011)

You said you don't want to go to Disney every year. You live a long way from Orlando so weekends and short stays are not an option (small DVC points pkges only good for short stays or borrowing fromfuture). You can travel off season. No way I would pay for DVC if I was you. People who go every year might make the high dollar outlay required to buy DVC RESALE and the high annual MF's worth it, but you never will IMO.

The points required to book DVC through RCI points is much more expensive than the TPU's required in RCI weeks, so I suggest buying RCI weeks resort and exchanging.

Buy at a resort you like that you will use most years within driving distance of your home that has high TPU's in RCI weeks and exchange. If you are not tied to summer/Christmas weeks there is plenty of DVC inventory to trade for. In fact there is consistently a high number of summer DVC exchanges available on RCI too.

You can currently buy PLENTY of RCI weeks with TPU's of 35 to 55 for $1 on E-bay, and some will have the 2011 MF's paid and closing costs paid by the seller.I recently saw a week that sold on E-bay for $1 with no closing costs, 2011 MF's paid by the seller, and the fixed summer week on the beach had an annual TPU of 45 with MF's of $650 a year. You could go to the beach 3 years out of 4, exchange for DVC, exchange for the caribbean, and no matter what you do each year it will cost you less than $850 annually even counting in exchange fees.  

The worst value for your dollar IMO is buying Disney and not actually using it. If you purchase DVC for big bucks  and pay the high dollar annual MF's and you only go every few years why not rent or exchange? It is crazy to deposit Disney with RCI to exchange for any but a few places. Manhatten Club and a few others yes, but very few. I will grab a Disney exchange easily for a week I paid $600 in annual mF's for, and if Disney goes away there are so many great orlando resorts who cares? Bonnett Creek, Orange Lake, Vistana, HGVC, etc, etc, etc. You will always be able toexchange for a great place in Orlando if Disney becomes impossible to get or goes away.

Buy a week with 45 TPU's (for example) and you can reserve a Disney week each year (with TPU's left over) and you will not have a purchase outlay of $10,000 or more. You will pay less than $700 a year in MF's vs $1000 or more a year by owning Disney. You can take 2 years worth of TPU's and combine them (for a total of 90 in this example)  and book 3 DVC weeks with TPU's left over (DVC exchanges require about 25 tpu's on average) for $1300 total MF's and 3 exchange fees. Try being a DVC owner and booking 3 weeks for $1300 in fees.

For some DVC ownership is a great thing. From your description I think being a DVC renter or RCI weeks exchanger would be a much better choice. JMHO.

DVC announced to all that they are going to take away perks and rights away from resale purchases they are trying to kill the value of resales. Why buy something the developer has announced they are trying to destroy the value of? In fact if I was a current owner I would be trying to sell to someone before the value of what I owned dropped even more. When you sell, no matter whether you are grandfathered in or not, the people you try to sell to will be buying the devalued points. It will be harder to sell in the future and worth less. Why buy something with that knowledge?


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## MichaelColey (Feb 22, 2011)

If you're buying to exchange in, I would suggest getting a dual-affiliated timeshare that isn't in RCI Points, so that you maximize your chances of being able to continue to use it for DVC when/if DVC moves to a different exchange company.  A dual-affiliated resort will allow you to exchange into both RCI Weeks and II.  If it's not in RCI Points, you can PFD your week to get points.


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## littlestar (Feb 22, 2011)

If you buy something else to trade into DVC, I'd personally (if it were me) make sure it's something you wouldn't mind using if DVC leaves RCI.  Timeshares are EXTREMELY hard to sell so I wouldn't want to own anything I wouldn't mind using myself. 

We own 200 DVC points at SSR because I know I get to stay at SSR (any time I want) at least once a year by owning points there.  I can also book a 3 bedroom SSR treehouse (those never come up in RCI by the way). 

Saying that above, I also own Wyndham points bought resale (deeded at Smoky Mts within a day's drive of home) because I like Wyndham's vast stable of internal resorts  - _I especially like Wyndham's Bonnet Creek resort that sits next to Disney's Caribbean Beach hotel_.  With Wyndham points I have the option of using them for DVC or I can book internally for Wyndham Bonnet Creek and basically be within the Disney arches that way.

A really nice feature with owning Wyndham points is that it includes a fully paid RCI membership.  I just used that RCI membership to book some Last Calls (cash inventory within 45 days of check-in) for Hilton Head over spring break the end of March.  I was able to snag a 2 bedroom at Waterside by Spinnaker for just over $300 for the week on a Last Call.  I've also got Disney's Hilton Head resort booked on DVC points, but I needed another unit because more family decided to go.  I love the cash inventory deals I get with RCI and II (Interval International).


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## 6scoops (Feb 22, 2011)

*dvc advantage*



tombo said:


> You can currently buy PLENTY of RCI weeks with TPU's of 35 to 55 for $1 on E-bay, and some will have the 2011 MF's paid and closing costs paid by the seller.I recently saw a week that sold on E-bay for $1 with no closing costs, 2011 MF's paid by the seller, and the fixed summer week on the beach had an annual TPU of 45 with MF's of $650 a year. You could go to the beach 3 years out of 4, exchange for DVC, exchange for the caribbean, and no matter what you do each year it will cost you less than $850 annually even counting in exchange fees.



I am currently trying to find something to trade with. ... I have a question.  How do you find out what the TPU is?  No one on ebay advertises that.  I would like to know the TPU, before I buy something.  I do not have a RCI account.  I'm trying to buy something that will get me into a 2br at disney.  Any info would be appreciated.  Thanks


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## tombo (Feb 23, 2011)

6scoops said:


> I am currently trying to find something to trade with. ... I have a question.  How do you find out what the TPU is?  No one on ebay advertises that.  I would like to know the TPU, before I buy something.  I do not have a RCI account.  I'm trying to buy something that will get me into a 2br at disney.  Any info would be appreciated.  Thanks



You have a PM. I sent you some resorts for sale on ebay with reasonable MF's and high TPU's to browse. If you are not a member of RCI you can't know what TPU's a resort costs/and receives on exchanges. Someone who is an RCI weeks member will have to tell you what TPU's the resort gets.

Studios and 1 bed rooms are easy to exchange for at most Disney resorts. 2 bed room units are harder to trade for, not impossible, but you will probably have to be more flexible on exact travel dates. Just an FYI.

PS As I said earlier if Disney ever leaves RCI there are sooo many high quality resorts which are easy to trade for in the Orlando area that you will never have a problem stayin in a nice place in Orlando. In fact my kids are older and my family no longer goes to Disney prefering Universal, Busch Gardens, Sea World, etc over Disney so staying on site not a real advantage. Most of the nice resorts in Orlando are equal to Disney in plushness and amenities, but the rooms are MUCH larger than the rooms at Disney. If your plans are not to spend the week at Disney you might actually rather stay at either HGVC location, Bonett Creek, River Island, Vistana, or other very nice resorts in the area. Most of these are easier to trade for than Disney and you can get a 2 bed unit at most of these really nice resorts for less TPU's than a 2 bed Disney would cost you.


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## doncaruana (Feb 23, 2011)

tombo said:


> You have a PM. I sent you some resorts for sale on ebay with reasonable MF's and high TPU's to browse. If you are not a member of RCI you can't know what TPU's a resort costs/and receives on exchanges. Someone who is an RCI weeks member will have to tell you what TPU's the resort gets.



How do you see the TPUs for example at Disney units? I have a good friend who is on RCI points and we couldn't see anything related to TPUs. Is it only an RCI weeks thing?

Thanks!
Don


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## kanerf (Feb 23, 2011)

Yes, it is a weeks thing.  For points your friend should be able to see available inventory.  As for points required my recent experience was 42500 for a May week at BCV and 56500 for an Oct week during F&W.  These are both in a 1 bedroom unit.


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## tombo (Feb 23, 2011)

On RCI weeks (only), you go to the deposit calculator, select resort, select exact room (or room type on a floating week), select fixed week (or average week during float period ( i.e. week 28 for a resort that floats weeks 22 through 34), hit year (one year from now is good), and hit calculate. It will show you how many TPU's you will get if you deposit a week you own a year in advance. 

You can also enter the information from a week you are considering buying and find out what it will be worth before you buy it. 

You can also pick a  resort with no availability that you are hoping to exchange for and see how many TPU's it will cost you if it ever bcomes available so you will have enough TPU's deposited to grab an exchange if it comes avaialble.


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## tombo (Feb 23, 2011)

No matter how long you have been on TUG you can learn more. A new TUGGER found a floating week worth 50 TP's for $602 a year in annual MF's. Yes I double checked it after I got the PM. I won't say where/when/or which resort so as to not drive bidding for weeks at that resort up since they have not purchased yet, but that is about the best MF cost to TPU value I know of. Good find.


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## 6scoops (Feb 23, 2011)

*dvc advantage*



tombo said:


> You have a PM. I sent you some resorts for sale on ebay with reasonable MF's and high TPU's to browse. If you are not a member of RCI you can't know what TPU's a resort costs/and receives on exchanges. Someone who is an RCI weeks member will have to tell you what TPU's the resort gets.
> 
> Studios and 1 bed rooms are easy to exchange for at most Disney resorts. 2 bed room units are harder to trade for, not impossible, but you will probably have to be more flexible on exact travel dates. Just an FYI.
> 
> than a 2 bed Disney would cost you.



Thanks again!!


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## rsackett (Feb 23, 2011)

6scoops said:


> I am currently trying to find something to trade with. ... I have a question.  How do you find out what the TPU is?  No one on ebay advertises that.  I would like to know the TPU, before I buy something.  I do not have a RCI account.  I'm trying to buy something that will get me into a 2br at disney.  Any info would be appreciated.  Thanks



This is info I have been wondering as well.  I wish there was a data base available with the TPU for RCI resorts.  I have often thought about what the OP is contemplating.

Ray


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## tombo (Feb 23, 2011)

rsackett said:


> This is info I have been wondering as well.  I wish there was a data base available with the TPU for RCI resorts.  I have often thought about what the OP is contemplating.
> 
> Ray



You can get the TPU value of any RCI weeks resort if you are a member of RCI weeks. There is no way a database could be established with 1000's of resorts with different room configurations, different weeks, seasons, holidays, and all the other factors. When you enter a room number it will be higher if ocean front, lower if parking lot view. There are just too many variables.

Joining RCI weeks or having someone who has joined look specific weeks/resorts/unit size/room numbers up for you is the only way to figure it out.


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## billeagan (Feb 28, 2011)

elaine said:


> If you like DVC, I suggest that you buy a smaller points contract resale and get your feet wet.  Buy a 75 point contract---then you can bank and borrow to get up to 225 points. You can see how you like it--plus, you can easily get a points transfer (just post on disboards and you can get one in less than a week, exactly where you want) at about $10 per point if you need more points.  If you find that you love it and love the system and want more, then you can easily add-on thru DVC (there add-on deals for 100+ points are usually very good), or buy another resale.
> If you decide it just doesn't work for you, a contract under 100 points is relatively easy to sell (you will pay 10% commission). We loved DVC, but could not justify another TS purchase, so I bought a 50 point contract and love it. I have done 2 points transfers when I needed more points.
> If you decide to buy a larger contract to start with--only buy enough points for EOY--that way, you have smaller payment and are not locked into DVC every year. As others have said, trading out with RCI using DVC is not really cost effective. You would be better buying points for EOY and then picking up an inexpensive EOY TS that trades well via RCI (tuggers can give you lots of advice on what to get---I like summer HHI weeks, but others have good ideas, as well). If you have a good trader (not in Orlando), you might be able to trade in for the times you don't want to use your DVc points (I have traded in 2X using RCI to DVC resorts in the past year). good luck. Elaine



I'm up in the air on whether I wanted to buy a full week or not.  I like the idea of buying a smaller set of points.  Has anyone done the research to see as long as your paperwork is in before 3/20 you retain the rights of an owner even if you buy on the resale market?  

I just found this board and a newer time share person and love the site... Any suggestions where to buy points from besides people advertising on this site?


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## littlestar (Feb 28, 2011)

billeagan said:


> I'm up in the air on whether I wanted to buy a full week or not.  I like the idea of buying a smaller set of points.  Has anyone done the research to see as long as your paperwork is in before 3/20 you retain the rights of an owner even if you buy on the resale market?
> 
> I just found this board and a newer time share person and love the site... Any suggestions where to buy points from besides people advertising on this site?



Here's three of the major DVC resalers that I see advertised the most:

http://www.dvc-resales.com/
http://www.resalesdvc.com/
http://www.DVCbyResale.com/

And here's two more:

http://www.fidelityresales.com/dvc.php
http://www.sellingtimeshares.net/category/listings/disney/

I've bought and sold multiple times with the first one listed - The Timeshare Store.  According to the e-mail I received from the Timeshare Store, as long as you have an offer submitted to Disney by the deadline, you should have full privileges.  

Not being able to trade for Disney Cruises or Adventures by Disney is not that big a deal to me.  I've never done it in nine years of DVC ownership.


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## billeagan (Feb 28, 2011)

Thanks.  Not being able to trade for a cruise doesn't bother me either... 

My poorly worded question was meant to ask:  does the 3/21 apply to all resales.  So, if I'm a "member" before 3/20 and then buy on the resale market after 3/20 do I get the normal benefits or is everyone cut-off from "full" member benefits unless they buy direct?


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## frank808 (Mar 1, 2011)

billeagan said:


> Thanks.  Not being able to trade for a cruise doesn't bother me either...
> 
> My poorly worded question was meant to ask:  does the 3/21 apply to all resales.  So, if I'm a "member" before 3/20 and then buy on the resale market after 3/20 do I get the normal benefits or is everyone cut-off from "full" member benefits unless they buy direct?



Only your resale points submitted prior to 3/21 have no restrictions.  If you buy any RESALE points after 3/20 they will have the restrictions.  Does not matter if you were a member already. The restrictions are on resale points submitted to ROFR after 3/20.


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## elaine (Mar 1, 2011)

Also, if you buy resale, you can later buy add-ons thru DVC, and all your add-ons would qulaify for all benefits. Usually the add-on price is pretty high (the same price as DVC is selling to new owners), but you can add-on in amounts as low as 25 points and you can add-on at any resort. There are no closing fees as long as you keep the same UY (use year) and you get your points the next day. 
That is what we plannned to do--bought 50 points, then were going to add-on another 50 points 2 years later at AKV. But, then when DVC started trading thru RCI, we decided to wait and see. Since I am such a DVC maniac, I got a points transfer and booked a studio for Easter week at AKV (just in case), but then an RCI trade for OKW at Easter came thru. Same thing happened at DVC-HHI for this summer. Both times, I could have just banked the DVC points used for the stuiod and used them later---very flexible. In my case, I offered the studios to other family members--and we had a bigger family trip.
Trading via RCI is pretty good right now--as long as you aren't picky in prime times--we know we might have to stay at OKW or SSR, but that's OK with us.


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## littlestar (Mar 1, 2011)

Ditto what frank808 said.   Another option to buying DVC points is just renting DVC points from a member.  The disboards and mouseowners sites both have active rental boards. 

Personally, I still like owning points.  That way I KNOW that I can stay at my home DVC resort no matter what - like if DVC started using the Buena Vista Trading Company to facilitate exchanges rather than RCI.  When I did my latest add-on from Disney, I got a disclosure statement about the agreement with RCI.  This is what it says:

"The first sentence of the disclosure with regard to DVCMC's agreement with RCI is restated as follows:  The initial term of the RCI agreement began January 1, 2009 and extends through December 31, 2013.  The agreement shall be automatically renewed for successive 2-year periods unless DVCMC or RCI elects to terminate the agreement."


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## chalee94 (Mar 1, 2011)

billeagan said:


> My poorly worded question was meant to ask:  does the 3/21 apply to all resales.  So, if I'm a "member" before 3/20 and then buy on the resale market after 3/20 do I get the normal benefits or is everyone cut-off from "full" member benefits unless they buy direct?



yep - as already stated - some members will own some add-ons direct from DVC and some resales after 3/20, meaning that some of their pts can be used for cruises and some can't.  

you always follow DVC ownership by the contract - so if you buy 1000 SSR pts and add-on a 25 pt BLT contract, then you have 25 pts with a BLT home resort advantage that can be used to book BLT at 11 months out...and 1000 pts with the SSR home resort advantage.  but you can't combine those contracts' points till 7 months out.

i would also add that whether you buy direct or resale, if you are SELLING after 3/20, then you cannot transfer those extra benefits (like trading for a cruise) even if you paid extra directly to get them...


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## MichaelColey (Mar 1, 2011)

Even if you bought from Disney, are grandfathered in, or don't ever plan on using the restricted features, it still affects you [if you ever plan on selling].  When you sell, your buyer will be subject to the restrictions.  And that lowers the resale value.


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## littlestar (Mar 1, 2011)

MichaelColey said:


> Even if you bought from Disney, are grandfathered in, or don't ever plan on using the restricted features, it still affects you [if you ever plan on selling].  When you sell, your buyer will be subject to the restrictions.  And that lowers the resale value.



It will be interesting to watch how resale prices are affected.  I still think the Walt Disney World Resort hotel prices are more of a factor on what DVC sells for more than anything else, though.  

Say a Beach Club resort room is going for $400 plus a night, that has to have an effect on what BCV points go for.  I personally didn't buy my DVC points for anything else but DVC stays.  Before we bought DVC points, we stayed at Disney moderate resorts or the Wilderness Lodge. I felt that buying DVC points enabled me to upgrade my Disney resort accommodations for more of a fixed cost.


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## kanerf (Mar 1, 2011)

I think I am sitting in the catbird seat.  I have generous amounts of RCI points, Wyndham points, and HGVC.  I also just bought a small (40 point) OKW resale so I have access to DVC goodies.  I can bide my time on buying more DVC and still have the advantage of the discounts.  I had no problem trading into BCV in May and during F&W in Oct/Nov with my RCI points, also if I feel the need for a mouse fix, I can always get into one of the HGVC resorts or Wyndham Bonnet Creek if I can get DVC via trade.  I have had an AP for the last few years and I am looking forward to the DVC discount on renewal.

It seems like the only bennie that DVC owners get during a stay that traders do not is the free WiFi and I have a Virgin MyFi to deal with that issue (probably faster too).


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