Saratoga Springs

[topdog]

I've exchanged via RCI into DVC Boardwalk Villas and enjoyed it very much. I wonder why availability for DVC is now mostly limited to Saratoga Springs? Any thoughts please?

 

[Shankilicious]

The cynical side of me says it's mostly Disney's doing to make buying into DVC more attractive for the prices they charge.

 

[TheHolleys87]

I've exchanged via RCI into DVC Boardwalk Villas and enjoyed it very much. I wonder why availability for DVC is now mostly limited to Saratoga Springs? Any thoughts please?

The cynical side of me says it's mostly Disney's doing to make buying into DVC more attractive for the prices they charge.

@Shankilicious may be right, but I think it’s mostly because DVC owners book up BWV before Disney can put it out for RCI. SSR is probably the least desired WDW DVC resort; it and OKW are usually the last to book up, especially in the fall. In contrast to BWV and most of the other resorts, many SSR owners bought there with the intention of booking elsewhere at 7 months instead of staying at their home resort SSR.

 

[rhonda]

Seems that RCI may also be playing favorites and "awarding" some corporate members "first pick" over other members. I'm getting this from reading the sightings board and other threads reporting different results offered through different portals. Once upon a time, my Worldmark was a "top trader" using RCI's B2B portal. Now, especially compared to @Shankilicious' results from the Welk B2B portal, the exchanges offered to Worldmark appear slightly restricted.

So ... I'm thinking RCI has set up a way to "favor" various developers allowing their members a broader set of trade options. We seem to have returned back to the smoke and mirror exchange ways that 2009 (?) class action suit was intended to dispel? Oh, well. What was old is new again.

 

[Shankilicious]

While trying to research how RCI awards resorts with a gold or silver crown, I was told by a couple long time TUGgers that resorts can essentially buy their award status. I wouldn't be surprised if Welk is paying RCI or has some kind of agreement that benefits RCI somehow and Welk owners MF will prolly go up even more. But Welk is also growing and about to finish a new resort in Breckenridge and break ground on their Hawaii resort in 2020. But Hawaii is just talks at this point.

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[rickandcindy23]

More and more people are flocking to Disney, and owners are renting instead of depositing units to RCI. Fact is, owners at Disney are unhappy with their exchange choices through RCI, so they talk to other owners who explain how to use their points by renting. I know this because I have told owners personally not to bank points in RCI. I told one of the chiefs of the DFD to rent his points through David's Rentals, now that his kids are older and they don't go as often. He was thrilled. He asked if I use the site, and I told him I rent mine myself. It takes time and patience to do it, but it's worth it.

When the area with Star Wars opens, it will be a crazy time at Disney. I am sure I will rent all of my points for this year and next in a short period of time.

Meanwhile, I put ongoing requests through RCI for 1 bedrooms at OKW and SSR for our trip to Disney with our kid that is crazy about Star Wars. He and his wife and daughter want to go in January. We hope to get 3 units for the same week, check-in day no big deal. I don't care where we stay. I like all of the resorts, and the buses are great, plus the early magic hours to Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom will be welcome. Plus FP+ is great.

 

[alwysonvac]

I've exchanged via RCI into DVC Boardwalk Villas and enjoyed it very much. I wonder why availability for DVC is now mostly limited to Saratoga Springs? Any thoughts please?

The primary reason is because Saratoga simply has the highest number of rooms compared to the others. The restriction also gives RCI members a reason to become an owner vs a trader

From https://dvcinfo.com/dvc-information/resort-information/dvc-room-inventory/
Saratoga has 432 one bdrms

 

[littlestar]

I think DVC is favoring their members with first chance at inventory (which is as it should be in my opinion). Saratoga is the largest WDW DVC resort and usually has availability when other DVC’s do not - although studios are now spotty (believe it or not) during fall frenzy time. So even Saratoga runs out of rooms at times.

Today I tried to book a Saratoga 2 bedroom standard view during October fall break and I cannot find availability for my dates. Maybe Hilton Head, Vero, and Aulani owners are booking Saratoga up and I may need to start using my 11 month window at Saratoga to get what I need. I know I have to use my Beach Club points at 11 months to book, but was surprised it may start being necessary for Saratoga at certain times of the year.

 

[Dean]

I've exchanged via RCI into DVC Boardwalk Villas and enjoyed it very much. I wonder why availability for DVC is now mostly limited to Saratoga Springs? Any thoughts please?

They're simply holding back allowing members to book then looking where best to use up the points they have to give RCI. There was a time when DVC members exchanging had to give up home resort.

 

[Shankilicious]

The only Disney resort I can see now is 17 1BR @SSR between June 2 and the last weekend of September.

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[JohnB3]

I own DVC @ SSR and trade in using RCI as well. I'm sure the reason we only see SSR is disney seems to hold making deposits until about 1 to 6 months out. Since all DVC members can book any resort at 7 months and as alwaysonvac mentioned SSR is one of the larger DVC resorts I think many of the other resorts book up between 7 and 6 months out with DVC members. SSR is generally available to DVC members after 7 months but many of the others resorts are not . I think disney deposits those SSR weeks to balance the weeks traded out (and for any other purpose disney corporate may have). I also think rickandcindy23's comment about the ease of renting is likely reducing the number of units disney need to deposit as many DVC owners rent our points vs trading in RCI since its really easy to $14 or more a point when we cant use them (which at least for me does not happen that often). I'm happy as a DVC owner that disney hold the most desirable properties for owners but the RCI OGS looking for other resorts or for any 2 bed units are likely mostly unfilled

 

[Chris B]

If you booked through RCI to DVC are you considered a DVC member as far as perks are concerned? I've read about the discounts available for DVC members like pool hopping and I have a dvc # for booking purposes. So in the eyes of Disney, am I considered a DVC member for my stay at Sarasota Springs?

 

[Dean]

If you booked through RCI to DVC are you considered a DVC member as far as perks are concerned? I've read about the discounts available for DVC members like pool hopping and I have a dvc # for booking purposes. So in the eyes of Disney, am I considered a DVC member for my stay at Sarasota Springs?

No, you would only be eligible for perks that you would get staying non-DVC.

 

[Chris B]

No, you would only be eligible for perks that you would get staying non-DVC.

Thanks Dean!

 

[simpsontruckdriver]

AS a side note, I drive for LYFT in Orlando (until I go back to truck driving next week). I've taken LOTS of families from Disney Springs to their Disney hotels and timeshares. Apparently, people would rather pay a few bucks for a Rideshare versus sitting in a bus that only runs every 15 minutes or so, filled with sweaty tourists. I've driven to SSR and AK, I would be perfectly fine with buying/renting SSR. It is a nice DVC resort, not as feature-filled as AK, OKW, Polynesian, etc. But, most people won't spend a lot of time at the resort, they will be out and about at the parks.

TS

 

[elaine]

agree with TS. although SSR would be one of our least fav DVC, it's still a fine resort IMHO--we just like others more. DD18 really likes it as she can walk to Disney springs. The feature pool is very nice and they have pool movies every night. Adding the Paddock pool helped ease crowding at the Rocks pools. If my kids were young, I'd like the Paddock even better. If a King and sofabed worked for us, we'd exchange in more often.

 

[icydog]

If you need more space, and if you have enough RCI points, then you can reserve 2 one-bedrooms for the same time.

What I do is a reserve a one bedroom in the RCI website. Then I call RCI and reserve another one bedroom for the same time.

Very often RCI will have multiple DVC SSR units available for the same date.

It would be nice if they would let you reserve a studio so that way you could put the studio and one bedroom together to make a two bedroom. But I haven’t seen a studio in a long time

 

[blakefamily]

Does anyone know if you book SSR thru RCI is it for standard or preferred ?

 

[Dean]

Does anyone know if you book SSR thru RCI is it for standard or preferred ?

You will get whatever was deposited. Once you have the DVC confirmation number you can ask them directly but RCI won’t be able to tell you.

 

[rhonda]

Does anyone know if you book SSR thru RCI is it for standard or preferred ?

Agreeing with Dean, above, it depends on what was deposited.

FWIW, we booked two trades into SSR via RCI this summer; both were Standard view.

 

[Shankilicious]

What's the difference in standard vs preferred? I see preferred units through my Welk ownership but I've never been to SSR. I thought the "preffered" icon just meant I was seeing the unit before other RCI members.

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[bnoble]

What's the difference in standard vs preferred? I see preferred units through my Welk ownership but I've never been to SSR. I thought the "preffered" icon just meant I was seeing the unit before other RCI members.

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This a different sense of "preferred," and you are probably right about what it means when you see it. The DVC sense of "preferred" is which neighborhood the deposit is drawn from. Preferred units are in either Congress Park or Springs. Standard units are in one of Paddock, Carousel, or Grandstand. RCI will tell you they don't know where the deposit is drawn from. In principle, it might be *possible* they could---the unit codes suggest to me that DVC could label them as one or the other. For example, 14U is presumably a Standard Sunday 1BR, while 1PU is presumably a Preferred Sunday 1BR. But either DVC doesn't actually use the *P* codes, or RCI VCs can't see them.

 

[rickandcindy23]

We always get Paddock, we also got Carousel once, both are standard and not preferred. I like Paddock's new pool for the grandkids. They could spend hours there.

 

[blakefamily]

We have an upcoming stay in a studio at ssr in a few weeks for our 1st time....but we could like to go back to WDW before our ap expires at end of Feb. Unsure if I should grab a 1bdrm thru rci as I haven't stayed before or if I'd be happier at another rci like HGVC.....it will be just hubby and I in feb

 

[rhonda]

We have an upcoming stay in a studio at ssr in a few weeks for our 1st time....but we could like to go back to WDW before our ap expires at end of Feb. Unsure if I should grab a 1bdrm thru rci as I haven't stayed before or if I'd be happier at another rci like HGVC.....it will be just hubby and I in feb

I'd suggest: GRAB IT.

FWIW, we are DVC members since 2004 and have stayed at most locations through the system. We were still happy to have two 1BR exchanges into SSR this summer as extra visits on our WDW APs. Paid full price (45 TPU through RCI) and still happy. Go for it!