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Initial RCI Observations on a Low Value Trader

Why pay premium for not so certain time

bnoble said:
Some people with kids (i.e.: Disney's target market) still follow the quaint but antiquated custom of not pulling their kids out of school for vacations.
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True - and a wise choice as well! But picking Orlando in that specific time frame is what I don't get. If you're going to have to deal with the high demand/use times anyway why not go with a use time that is far more likely to have the weather people expect in FL. Far too often this s a period where is barely gets to a high of 60 - and lows can be near or at freezing - leading to big disappointment when a FL vacation means fun in the pool and at water parks, sun & warm temps. To have spent the higher prices these types of peak times bring and then risk less than ideal weather as a normal part of the season just doesn't make sense to me.

I'm willing to risk the heavily discounted times right around then if the school / family situation allows. That can be a great. low cost time to visit and if it isn't perfect weather not much lost. But if it's my one "big" splurge then Christmas and Orlando isn't the combo I'm going for.
 
For most people with kids, they have two main choices: Christmas, or Summer. The weather sucks in Orlando during both of those times, but for different reasons.

We normally go down during late February/early March; the kids have a mid-winter break, and the University has its "Spring" break then. Weather in O-town is still iffy, but you usually get at least 2-3 swimmable days during the week.

The weeks used to be coordinated, but the school district adjusted its calendar, and the kids now have P-Week off, while I have the first or second week *after that*. That leaves me with...Christmas and Summer.
 
timeos2 said:
True - and a wise choice as well! But picking Orlando in that specific time frame is what I don't get. If you're going to have to deal with the high demand/use times anyway why not go with a use time that is far more likely to have the weather people expect in FL. Far too often this s a period where is barely gets to a high of 60 - and lows can be near or at freezing - leading to big disappointment when a FL vacation means fun in the pool and at water parks, sun & warm temps. To have spent the higher prices these types of peak times bring and then risk less than ideal weather as a normal part of the season just doesn't make sense to me.

I'm willing to risk the heavily discounted times right around then if the school / family situation allows. That can be a great. low cost time to visit and if it isn't perfect weather not much lost. But if it's my one "big" splurge then Christmas and Orlando isn't the combo I'm going for.
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I'm with you - though I skip Christmas because of the crowds, not the weather. I think many people choose Christmas because they often have more than a full week away from school, plus the parents often get Christmas and New Year's Day off as holiday, so a week-long vacation doesn't eat us as many vacation days. Add to that the"magic" of spending the holidays at Disney. Plus, plenty of locals have those days off too - for those who have visited during Thanksgiving week, the impact of the locals having a holiday becomes obvious. The days leading up to Thanksgiving are relatively slow, but the weekend following is very crowded.

If it weren't for the crowds, I could see us visiting at Christmas. I don't care that much about swimming when we're visiting the parks - it takes time away from the parks. Leave that for the next vacation at the beach!

This shows precisely why Orlando has year-round appeal. Families boost the demand during school vacations, but Disney and other area attractions have enough to offer other visitors, that they provide for plenty of demand during the rest of the year. For us, the best time to visit would be the full week before thanksgiving (often week 46), because you get the tail end of the Food & Wine Festival, and the beginning of the Christmas celebrations, when the decorations go up.
 
For the record, Disney World has the highest attendance Christmas week.

(For those who want to chime in "That is exactly why I won't go there then," remember the old Yogi Berra line "No one goes there any more, it is too crowded.")
 
I actually will be going to Disney this Christmas with my 2 sons 6 and 10 not that we love fighting the crowds but not only are my kids in school but I also work in the school system. So for me the only time I can vacation is when school is on break also I will be interested to see all the festivities at Disney on Christmas. We will be at Fort Wilderness 12-18 12-25.
 
Count me in the group that would rather avoid the crowds rather than the weather. I was at Disneyland six times last year. One of those times was in January, which was great. Decent weather (wished I had brought a jacket one day) and very small crowds. One of the other times was during spring break (didn't even think about it!), and it was far busier. The weather was better, but we didn't get to do as much. This year, we went to Disneyland Paris in January. It snowed on us. But we were able to WALK ON virtually every ride. My son and I rode Space Mountain three times in a row with no wait. I have a picture of the "line" (about eight people) at It's a Small World. My daughter and I rode Tower of Terror something like half a dozen times in a row with no wait.

We usually schedule our vacations during the off season because we have the flexibility to do so, the crowds are smaller, and the costs are usually less.
 
brankatz said:
I actually will be going to Disney this Christmas with my 2 sons 6 and 10 not that we love fighting the crowds but not only are my kids in school but I also work in the school system. So for me the only time I can vacation is when school is on break also I will be interested to see all the festivities at Disney on Christmas. We will be at Fort Wilderness 12-18 12-25.
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The week before Christmas is not that bad. It is the week between Christmas and New Years that has the highest attendance.
 
"Roger" said:
The week before Christmas is not that bad. It is the week between Christmas and New Years that has the highest attendance.
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The week before Christmas (up to the 23rd usually) is actually a great time. It is about as slow attendance as you'll find. Then the explosion hits for a week + and goes out like a light bulb 1/1. It is amazing to see. That week before has all the shows, lights, etc and none of the crowds. If you can do that and don't mind the rather iffy weather its a great week to use.
 
MichaelColey said:
I was at Disneyland six times last year. One of those times was in January, which was great. Decent weather (wished I had brought a jacket one day) and very small crowds. .
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You mean RELATIVELY small crowds. Small crowds do not exist at Disneyland any longer since they allowed financing of the annual pass. In the past, since the annual pass cost $150-$450, many familiies could not come up with that much coin in a single transaction. Now, you can finance it for $12 - $40/month. Everyone can afford that. So, the place is always a zoo now. We let our passes expire last June and that will be the end for awhile.

Knotts Berry Farm, Magic Mountain, Sea World...all of those places have empty parks during many months of the year and you can really enjoy yourself.
 
MichaelColey said:
3) It looks like I can exchange the 1BR (or 2BR) side of my Summer Bay Resort for a 3BR at the same. Lots of weeks are available.
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Okay, I just have to admit that I just did this with one of my 1BR deposits. I exchanged it for a 3BR (10/12) for next Fall, checking in two weeks before our annual passes will expire. I figure we can find some friends or family interested in going with us for the week, and then I'll try to exchange into a DVC or other nicer resort for the week before or after to make our stay two weeks.

We'll end up getting six weeks out of our annual passes (two annual two-week trips, slightly less than a year apart, plus another two week trip in the middle), then probably wait about a year before doing it again.
 
MichaelColey said:
and then I'll try to exchange into a DVC or other nicer resort for the week before or after to make our stay two weeks.
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I thought you didn't want to exchange into DVC. :D I understand it, truly I do, and once you experience the ease of going in and out of the parks with their transportation, there is no going back. Well, I shouldn't say that, because most of our exchanges are still to area resorts, particularly the Marriotts and Hiltons, and we also love Vistana Villages.

The really annoying thing about DVC is the lack of television stations. We have been so bored with the lack of selection. They don't have much. Quite a few religions channels (okay but how much can you watch?). Disney channels galore, selling their DVC points and advertisng the parks. ESPN channels. Ho hum! I think they have CNN, but not sure.... I miss my Fox News while there.

Rick loves DVC too and wishes they would change that one thing about the resorts. More television choices would be ideal.

We are staying at Grand Beach next time, two weeks, and I had lots of DVC choices, but Rick said to save the RCI Points and get us some television. :rofl: Free internet would be nice. I wonder if they have free internet at GB?
 
I don't think I said I didn't want DVC, just that it wasn't worth considerably more to me. And it wasn't more. My cost was $270 (half of a $540 maintenance fee on a lockoff unit) + $179 (exchange fee) + $95 (Disney resort fee), or a total of $544 for the week.

If I had got the same 2BR unit renting from Disney, it would have been $6500 (rack rate), or $3900 with a 40% off disney (the best I've seen). If I had got it as a DVC member, the maintenance fees alone would have been about $1250 (on top of about a $20k initial investment). If I had got the week through RCI Points and value the points at a penny each, it would have been about $1300. I don't think it would be worth any of those amounts, personally, when I could get another good quality unit for $250 - $600.

With a family of five (including a newborn), a stroller, a backpack, and a diaper bag, Disney Transportation just isn't that appealing. We'll either drive or have a rental car. We don't watch TV, so that downside won't affect us at all. About the only perks we'll get from DVC will be the magic of being on site, the proximity, and possibly taking advantage of the dining plan (about $850 for a week for 2 adults and 2 kids). We might not even do that.
 
I am a Disney nut, but I am not fond of Disney food. Some people just love the DDP, but for us, after trying it once, it was blah. And we were always going to a particular park, specifically to eat. That makes eating on vacation a major priority, when actually it isn't usually a priority for us. Know what I mean?

We take a cooler with canned sodas with us to the parks, and we take snacks, too, so we can stay in a park longer before we get hungry for something good to eat. Sometimes we even take sandwiches to avoid the burgers and other fast food places. We have actually made a roast during the winter and fall trips, and then we have two dinners with it, complete with mashed potatoes and a big salad. Then we have several sandwiches with the leftovers. We take aluminum foil with us, buy the roast and bake it all day in the oven on low, and we come back to a delicious aroma in the kitchen. Peel a few potatoes, and 45 minutes later--dinner!

The sandwiches are the best part. We stop at the Disney FF places with lettuce, tomatoes, mayo and such. We enjoy those sandwiches and potato chips much more than the burgers you buy. We love Pecos Bills and the America Pavillion for sandwich fixin's. :cheer:

Okay, so some people will hate that we do that.:rofl: Oh, well.

Michael, you are so much smarter than most newbies. I think you have learned more about timeshare than most anyone else here, in that short time period. The only one that probably matches you in timeshare savvy, and in getting it all right away, is Boca Bum.
 
rickandcindy23 said:
I am a Disney nut, but I am not fond of Disney food. Some people just love the DDP, but for us, after trying it once, it was blah. And we were always going to a particular park, specifically to eat. That makes eating on vacation a major priority, when actually it isn't usually a priority for us. Know what I mean?
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There are people who don't make eating on a vacation a major priority? LOL. It's always a central part of any trip we take. If we go to Chicago, we have to have Chicago style pizza, Chicago style hot dogs, and other favorites. Vegas is a culinary delight. If we go to Key West, we have to have Key Lime Pie. Boston... Speed's Hot Dogs. Maryland... Crabs. Maine... Lobster. Springfield, MO... Springfield Style Cashew Chicken. San Antonio... Tex Mex. Portland, OR... Salmon. New York... Delis, pizza, certain street carts, and more. Oahu... Alan Wong's and a ton of other places. Jamaica... Jerk Chicken. Italy... Pizza, pasta, cappuccinos and pastries. When we go to WDW (or at least this has been the case with the free dining promotion...), it's the nicer Disney restaurants.

If you're eating in the parks, I can understand why you're not impressed with the food. Most of the food in the parks is blah. Most (but not all) of the best restaurants are at the resorts. Of the 12 dinners we have booked for our next trip, only 5 of them are in the parks (and two of those are Le Cellier).
 
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