DVC to affiliate with RCI! [MERGED]

[joestein]

You dont pay the $95 fee in advance anymore. It is added to your room account on check in.

When did this start? I paid the $95 fee in advance last year. Are they going to set up your Magical Express without the fee?

Joe

 

[tashamen]

When did this start? I paid the $95 fee in advance last year. Are they going to set up your Magical Express without the fee?

Yes, you can call and set up the Magical Express in advance without paying the fee until you check in. I did that for my visit this October.

 

[wuv pooh]

I saw this on the DIS board thread, but no mention of the source. If true, then I'm truly surprised!!! Maybe more opportunities for DVC owners to do direct exchanges with Marriott, Starwood, Four Seasons, et al. now.

It is the RCI press release:

http://www.grouprci.com/media_center/pr/show_release.cfm?id=190

 

[bnoble]

When did this start? I paid the $95 fee in advance last year

I want to say it was around the first of this year, give or take.

 

[Mom Poppins]

I just got back in November and did not pay until we checked in. When we went in June we paid it ahead of time.

 

[shellbelle]

Interesting, seeing as how DVC only deposits 11 months in advance...

Yeah, you're right. My bad for repeating what must have been bad information. Sorry!

 

[jerseygirl]

This is really bad news. We've traded into DVCs at least 22 times with regular and Bonus weeks, never stayed in anything less than a 1bdr. It makes me wonder if Disney is trying to encourage people to buy points packages instead of trading in.

I suspect this has a lot to do with it. I too have traded into Disney resorts at least 15-20 times. I'm glad that my dd has finally tired of the place -- we have one last upcoming exchange into Wilderness Lodge (one-BR, prime Spring Break week) that I picked up because I've always wanted to see the resort.

How much do you want to bet there will be a "1 in 4/5" rule?

 

[MuranoJo]

"Effective January 1, 2009, RCI will become the exclusive third-party exchange provider for Disney Vacation Club, enrolling Disney Vacation Club’s more than 135,000 member families into RCI’s global exchange network."

So what does this mean to non-DVC members who are current RCI members? Do we have access to DVC resorts, or do they just have access to our units within RCI? Of course, most of us would not have trade power to pull DVC.

I just can't imagine...seems like another run on RCI weeks without reciprocation.

 

[mecllap]

I recently got an II exchange into a one-bedroom at SSR for next June -- guess I just sqeaked in in time (at least I expect that will be honored, since it was prior to the announcement). One of the reasons we went for the timeshare we have was a hope/"promise" of being able to exchange into DVC. Oh well -- good old Caveat Emptor at work again.

(And yes, it was a developer purchase pre-learning about TUG and resales -- fortunately we've had some enjoyable getaways and exchanges and are happy with it -- we love our home resort [and now, with the recession, I know that if I hadn't spent the money on the timeshare unit, it would have been sitting in the mutual fund and pretty much have disappeared anyway!]. In the time we've had our unit, not very many west-side resales on Grand Cayman have come up; at least when I've checked -- they are pretty common on the east-side, but we don't really want to be over there.)

I'm still holding out a little hope that DVC will retain dual availability with both II and RCI-- which some places have. If not, we'll be happy with other nice places in Orlando -- we rarely stay "on property" anyway, because we can drive down in a day or two and prefer getting around by car.

 

[JudyS]

....
Before the DVC owners get too upset, the main thing you are losing is access to Marriott (after Mariott owners choose what they want first)....

And most of the Royals in Cancun. And the Four Seasons. And Harborside at Atlantis. And Westin St. John (which admittedly hardly ever comes up anyway.)

Of the top 10 rated resorts in TUG, all 10 are in II. (This includes some DVC resorts themselves, which of course will be leaving now.) Only 2 of the Top 10 are dual-affiliated with RCI. Of the top 30 rated resorts in TUG, 3 are dual affiliated, 5 are RCI only and all the others are II only (again, not counting DVC resorts themselves.) And, of the 5 RCI-only resorts in the Top 30, only 2 (Big Cedar Wilderness and the Grand Mayan Nuevo Vallarta) seem to attract a lot of interest from TUGgers. The others are very small (Tradewinds Cruise Club) or not conveniently located (Canary Islands.) Making things worse, Big Cedar has hardly any inventory in RCI, and there is a 1-in-5 rule covering all of the Grupo Mayan resorts, so RCI members can only go to any of them twice a decade.

...
I'm still holding out a little hope that DVC will retain dual availability with both II and RCI-- which some places have....

DVC has said they will be RCI only. In fact, I called today about depositing some expiring DVC points into II, and was told that DVC had already stopped taking ongoing requests in II.

I do think there is a chance that DVC will switch back, if they get enough complaints from members. But, I wouldn't expect it to be anytime soon.

 

[icydog]

And most of the Royals in Cancun. And the Four Seasons. And Harborside at Atlantis. And Westin St. John (which admittedly hardly ever comes up anyway.)

Of the top 10 rated resorts in TUG, all 10 are in II. (This includes some DVC resorts themselves, which of course will be leaving now.) Only 2 of the Top 10 are dual-affiliated with RCI. Of the top 30 rated resorts in TUG, 3 are dual affiliated, 5 are RCI only and all the others are II only (again, not counting DVC resorts themselves.) And, of the 5 RCI-only resorts in the Top 30, only 2 (Big Cedar Wilderness and the Grand Mayan Nuevo Vallarta) seem to attract a lot of interest from TUGgers. The others are very small (Tradewinds Cruise Club) or not conveniently located (Canary Islands.) Making things worse, Big Cedar has hardly any inventory in RCI, and there is a 1-in-5 rule covering all of the Grupo Mayan resorts, so RCI members can only go to any of them twice a decade.


DVC has said they will be RCI only. In fact, I called today about depositing some expiring DVC points into II, and was told that DVC had already stopped taking ongoing requests in II.

I do think there is a chance that DVC will switch back, if they get enough complaints from members. But, I wouldn't expect it to be anytime soon.

I called Nicole Florio, who is the DVC Member Satisfaction Manager. I was furious. There are NO resorts in RCI that can compete with DVC. All of the top resorts are in II. I can only guess that parties in the DVC organization might have benefited from this. Otherwise why would they do this. They are undervaluing Disney by putting DVC in with subpar resorts. None compare in cost of maintenance fees, none in amenities, none in service, none in buy in price, none in value, and none in quality.

I invited Nicole to do a Google Search under Class Action Suit and RCI. I told her about them selling weeks, their lower quality resorts, their non service etc, but she seemed immune to my protestations. She said they, DVC, were going to give RCI a chance, and that RCI would bring more opportunities to members for different types of vacations like, all inclusive resorts, like anyone cares, cruises, and most importantly, daily use of resorts.

I told her I was upset that I would not be able to exchange into DVC with high quality resorts, like Marriotts, that cost the same as DVC and that have similar maintenance fees. I told her the only resort of value in RCI is the Manhattan Club and that is not that valuable either. She said DVC would NOT be Using II in the Future.

She said that they (DVC) had done its homework and had been offered a wonderful contract from RCI. She told me to try it out since this was the way DVC was going in the future. I hung up and felt sick to my stomach.

 

[ocdb8r]

Wow...

Here is a link to the above posted Press Release. Just to confirm it is legit....

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Group-RCI-Disney-Vacation-Club/story.aspx?guid={CD71FFDB-675B-4377-BF87-51498D3944EE}

My take: I don't have a lot of experience with RCI but my impression is that is offers a much wider selection of resorts - certainly more international options. With that benefit comes a couple of concerns: 1) More resorts (usually)means a wider range of quality. There's been some back and forth about which system offers better quality. I think the reality is that they both do but RCI offers a wider range of options and thus some have the impression it is lower quality - I don't buy it. 2) The brand factor. Related to #1, the one benefit of the II resorts is that many of them have the "branding." For me, that means it is easier to know what is a safe trade. If I see a Marriott or Starwood resort, I can be fairly confident of the quality of the resort. For small independents, it's very hit and miss. I have very little trust in the RCI and II supposed rating system so if I start using RCI I'll have to do a lot more work on researching resorts to trade.

 

[ondeadlin]

Sounds like RCI really cut DVC a great deal behind the scenes, and Disney is under serious financial pressure right now (just heard a story on NPR this morning about how, for the first time every, the parks are really being crushed by the recession).

All that said, this is short-term thinking that will come back to bite them.

As soon as DVC members start exchanging into RCI resorts and encounter the huge quality gap, complaints will go through the roof.

I expect they'll be back with II eventually, but not very quickly, because there's no doubt been a contract signed. Five years would be my prediction.

 

[bnoble]

As soon as DVC members start exchanging into RCI resorts and encounter the huge quality gap, complaints will go through the roof.

I'm not entirely sure. I suspect that DVC will limit the set of resorts their members can "see", just as they did with Interval. That will keep out the worst of the riff-raff.

 

[ricoba]

As a HGVC owner, I am sort of annoyed with y'all who think that all of us who are linked to RCI are a bunch of country bumpkins and only stay in converted motels!

In my not so humble opinion, Hilton ranks right up there with other hotel clubs, but I will admit we have a lack of locations. As well, the trades that I have had through RCI, have been quite nice and very pleasant resorts....and none were converted, run down or trashed former motels!

 

[icydog]

Disney Press Release on New RCI affliation

[New thread starts here.-DeniseM]

Press Release:

Quote:
Group RCI, the global leader in vacation exchange, and Disney Vacation Club, one of the world's most innovative and fastest-growing brands in the vacation-ownership industry, announced today a new multi-year affiliation relationship. This new agreement allows subscribing members access to a broad array of exciting vacation opportunities.

Effective January 1, 2009, RCI will become the exclusive third-party exchange provider for Disney Vacation Club, enrolling Disney Vacation Club's more than 135,000 member families into RCI's global exchange network. RCI has one of the most expansive portfolios of high-end affiliated vacation resorts, as well as more choices in more countries than any other exchange network.

Disney Vacation Club Members will be able to enjoy vacations at a variety of destinations across six continents and 25 countries and will have access to a significantly broader range of resort experiences, including more all-inclusive options, more nightly exchanges than ever before and even a selection of luxurious, high-end fractional properties.

Similarly, RCI's more than 3.6 million members will now also enjoy the opportunity to exchange into Disney Vacation Club resorts and may rent at Disney Vacation Club resorts throughout the year.

"Group RCI has the management depth, technology resources and global marketing infrastructure to align with Disney Vacation Club's strategic growth plan," said DVC President Jim Lewis. "This relationship will provide our member families with the most diverse experiences possible beyond our signature Disney Vacation Club resorts."

Geoff Ballotti, President and CEO of Group RCI, notes that the company is looking forward to working with Disney Vacation Club and its member families in the coming years.

"It's an honor for all of us at Group RCI to have been selected by one of the most internationally recognized and revered brands on the planet," commented Geoff Ballotti, President and CEO of Group RCI. "For more than 50 years, Disney has been offering unique family vacation experiences with legendary service, superb accommodations and magical touches at every turn. We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Disney Vacation Club members into the world's largest vacation network and we look forward to working closely with Disney Vacation Club to continue to build new and innovative programs that will provide even more member benefits and opportunities."

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Similarly, RCI's more than 3.6 million members will now also enjoy the opportunity to exchange into Disney Vacation Club resorts and may rent at Disney Vacation Club resorts throughout the year.

"Group RCI has the management depth, technology resources and global marketing infrastructure to align with Disney Vacation Club's strategic growth plan," said DVC President Jim Lewis. "This relationship will provide our member families with the most diverse experiences possible beyond our signature Disney Vacation Club resorts."


It's all about Marketing. New meat to attend presentations. New people to buy the product. Nothing gets done until something is sold and, with the new RCI presence, and its likely one in four rule, Disney will have the opportunity to sell more points to more folks. Its the economy, and the mindset away from customer satisfaction and toward corporate greed.

 

[tombo]

And most of the Royals in Cancun. And the Four Seasons. And Harborside at Atlantis. And Westin St. John (which admittedly hardly ever comes up anyway.)

Of the top 10 rated resorts in TUG, all 10 are in II. (This includes some DVC resorts themselves, which of course will be leaving now.) Only 2 of the Top 10 are dual-affiliated with RCI. Of the top 30 rated resorts in TUG, 3 are dual affiliated, 5 are RCI only and all the others are II only (again, not counting DVC resorts themselves.) And, of the 5 RCI-only resorts in the Top 30, only 2 (Big Cedar Wilderness and the Grand Mayan Nuevo Vallarta) seem to attract a lot of interest from TUGgers. The others are very small (Tradewinds Cruise Club) or not conveniently located (Canary Islands.) Making things worse, Big Cedar has hardly any inventory in RCI, and there is a 1-in-5 rule covering all of the Grupo Mayan resorts, so RCI members can only go to any of them twice a decade.

Of the top 10, 2 are Disney Resorts which will now be RCI, and 5 are Royals in Mexico (one of which exchanges with RCI). Unless you want to go to Mexico every year you will only lose 4 Royals in the top 10 (that is 4 of the same thing in the same county, not a big loss since one is available through RCI), and you will lose 2 -4 seasons resorts out of the top 10. So in RCI you will be able to stay in top 10 resorts in Orlando (on Disney property),Mexico (at one of the royals II has 5 of), and Beaver Creek Colorado (where you can walk to the ski lifts). With II you will be able to stay in Carlsbad Ca (not even on the ocean), Scottsdale AZ (great if you like golf), and Mexico. I like RCI's top ten choices better than II's.

Out of the next 20, 7 will be RCI. Of the other 13 left in II, 8 are Marriotts (which you could only exchange into after Marriott owners had chosen the best weeks for themselves due to their II trade advantage). So as I said the main thing you are losing is picked over Marriott inventory. If Marriott starts their own exchange and pulls out of II, you will be even happier that DVC moved to RCI.

You are focusing on the top 30 where most resorts have always had very limited exchanges available at prime times. If you don't own a top 30 resort, how many years do you actually stay in one of those? Overall RCI has almost double the number of II resorts (4700 RCI vs 2400 in II), and RCI has many more locations than II. To see how many more resorts you get in RCI over II, pull up the Smokey Mountains (24 in RCI, 12 in II), the Florida Panhandle(20 in rci,11 in II), the Florida Keys (11 in RCI,5 in II),and please try comparisons at other locations to compare both the number of resorts available, and the actual resorts themselves. RCI will have almost every resort that II offers (except for Marriott's, Hyatts) to trade for in most areas of the country, but RCI will offer many additional resorts you can't trade for in II. Do a side by side comparison and see. Many II people don't look at anything but Marriott, DVC, and Hyatts when comparing the exchange companies, but in many area of the USA, parts of the Caribbean, several areas in Hawaii, and numerous places in the rest of the world, II doesn't offer a single option that you can't get through RCI, and RCI will give you many options you never had through II.The sky is not falling, you have been forced into a better trading company than II by DVC.

 

[icydog]

Please make your voice heard

For those who wish to complain, and I already did, you can do so to Jim Lewis, President DVC, 407-566-3830 AND to Nicole Florio, DVC Customer Satisfaction Manager, 321-939-4498.

ALSO, YOU CAN USE THIS EMAIL ADDRESS TO COMPLAIN: members@disneyvacationclub.com

 

[bnoble]

Marylyn, how long have you been going to Disney?

If you are only now discovering that the Rat is mostly interested in money, you've not been paying attention. Remember, this is the company that convinced Florida to give it its own governmental entity so that it didn't have to worry about those pesky zoning laws.

 

[elaine]

am I the ONLY one who noticed the "MAY RENT DVC"?

what's this RCI members "may rent" DVC? So, RCI members with top traders will (ALSO) be afforded the chance to RENT DVC--how great for me with a good trader---I can rent instead of trading!

 

[bnoble]

Unless Disney has rocks for brains, they negotiated a deal that allows them to control the pricing, using RCI as a front for Central Reservations. Remember: Disney is very much not fond of competition.

There are a couple of other arrangements like this already in RCI---there's a whole-ownership development in Davenport that uses RCI as a front for its own rental operation.

 

[ondeadlin]

Out of the next 20, 7 will be RCI. Of the other 13 left in II, 8 are Marriotts (which you could only exchange into after Marriott owners had chosen the best weeks for themselves due to their II trade advantage). So as I said the main thing you are losing is picked over Marriott inventory. If Marriott starts their own exchange and pulls out of II, you will be even happier that DVC moved to RCI.

You are focusing on the top 30 where most resorts have always had very limited exchanges available at prime times. If you don't own a top 30 resort, how many years do you actually stay in one of those?

... The sky is not falling, you have been forced into a better trading company than II by DVC.

These statements are so far off as to qualify as propaganda.

First off, there is so much Marriott stock that almost anyone can trade into the Marriott they want if they're patient. I regularly get Marriott ski weeks with non-Marriotts, which is supposed to be impossible.

Marriott, Hyatt, Starwood, etc. the quality and availability at II is so much better than RCI that it's almost a different product.

There is no way a DVC owner will like the switch.

Why would he, when he can buy a cheap RCI trader or RCI points at a much lower cost and get the same (limited) trade opportunities.

 

[Polly Metallic]

Well there goes the great deals of using my II accomodation certificates for DVC vacations at $199.00 to $249.00. No doubt that's the idea behind this. DVC is starting to become like all the other Orlando timeshare projects which just keep building, and building and building. It used to be hard to pull a trade into DVC or use a bonus week there, but now that they have several resorts, and some very large ones like Saratoga Springs, it was getting fairly easy to grab a DVC unit. All of this will go away now. There will probably be very few trades, and Disney and DVC will rent all excess inventory. I'm glad I just spent a week at the Beach Club a couple weeks ago, because I dropped my RCI membership about a year ago, and now if I want to stay at DVC I'll need to rent directly from an owner. While I like DVC and staying on property, there are plenty of other great resorts in the area, so I can live without it, and can get my on-site fix by staying at any of the hotels an extra couple days before or after my timeshare week.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Walt Disney Spared No Expense To Make Money.

Remember, this is the company that convinced Florida to give it its own governmental entity so that it didn't have to worry about those pesky zoning laws.

That's exactly right.

Click here for a TUG-BBS entry about a book that tells the whole story.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[timeos2]

Until you try it don't knock it

As a HGVC owner, I am sort of annoyed with y'all who think that all of us who are linked to RCI are a bunch of country bumpkins and only stay in converted motels!

In my not so humble opinion, Hilton ranks right up there with other hotel clubs, but I will admit we have a lack of locations. As well, the trades that I have had through RCI, have been quite nice and very pleasant resorts....and none were converted, run down or trashed former motels!

They believe the rumors and haven't used RCI or they would know the quality and selection is much better than in II. For one thing if you want quality you can safely pick an RCI Silver or Gold Crown and KNOW it will be a great resort. The Pineapple Rind/old 5* "award" in II gave no such assurance as they seemingly assigned them not on quality but if they were a favored resort/group or not. Many 5* wouldn't have been a standard RCI resort (although some where top notch - just no guarantee based on the ranking).

Both systems have more than their share of small, run down resorts and/or converted motels. II has more on a percentage of total resorts than RCI. but both also have a top tier group and, again, based on total numbers RCI would have the edge in percentage. Naturally each has a few that are exclusive and, in name brands, II has had an edge as they really pull ot the stops to capture "the names". But their service is poor - especially on the resort/group level - and this may not be the last defection from II we see.

I know overall my satisfaction in direct comparison of the two systems is with RCI despite some of their policies/actions. They get what I want, when I want and with a quality level I can rely on. II did none of that when we were paying members so my preference is easy. RCI all the way.