DVC with RCI: Can't get there from here

Leturno · Feb 18, 2006

Ok, I am curious. Half of us or more are with RCI, I wonder what your strategy is if you ever wanted to be on property in DVC.

As we all know DVC is II and therefore you can't get their from RCI so what is the best alternative? Renting? Independent exchange? Direct Exchange? Booking directly with Disney when they have a promotion or sale? Buying, using and reselling?

Scott

PS.. please keep this discussion focused on how to get into DVC if you are not with II.

Steve · Feb 18, 2006

Consider Foxrun

Hi Scott,

If you have something really high end to offer as a direct exchange, you may have success that way.

What I would suggest, though, is that you consider purchasing a low cost week at Foxrun in Lake Lure, North Carolina. This resort is dual affiliated with both RCI and II...and while it's RCI trade power isn't the best...it trades great in II. There is a Foxrun Yahoo Group that you can request to join where there is a ton of information available. In fact, DVC sightings are posted there...and there are a lot of them. Mostly shoulder seasons, but some pretty decent weeks.

Just post a request for an invitation in the TUG Lounge or on the Eastern resorts forum page, and Barb, the moderator, will send you an email. It's really a reasonable way to get into II exchanging...not just for DVC...but also for Marriotts and lots of other high end properties.

Steve

Sue K · Feb 18, 2006

Leturno,
You have several options. First of all, if you are going to buy a week just to trade into DVC, why not buy into DVC. There are many second hand contracts available at reasonable price. Try looking up dvcresales.com or dvc-resales.com. I have bought from both of these and they both are reputable companies. Plus DVC points keep their value better than most t/s and have great trading power.

Secondly, you can rent someone else's DVC points and use them for your reservation. For renting points go to wdwinfo.com, find the bulletin boards and then find the rental board. That web site in general has a wealth of good Disney information.

Finally there are always a lot of great deals on Disney vacations staying on ground. You just have to keep searching for them. Good luck!

dianeschlicht · Feb 18, 2006

I would say the answer is "all of the above" If you go to the DIS discussion site, there are always lots of DVC rentals available. As for direct trades with a DVC owner...You would be best off if you are trying to trade out from Hawaii or some other more exotic destination. Most DVC folks don't trade out to anything that isn't at least as intriguing as what they are trading out of (WDW), so then don't want to trade "just anywhere". If you have a Hawaii TS to trade, that seems to be the place most DVCers want to trade to.

littlestar · Feb 18, 2006

You could always buy a small DVC points package through resale (bank and borrow strategy if you only wanted to go every 2 or 3 years). Some members just use their points Sunday through Thursday (when they are the lowest).

You could rent points from a member off of the Disboards rent/trade board for an occasional trip. Lots of options. Just depends on how often you want to go. If you bought or rented 80 points at Boardwalk Villas, you could stay in a standard view one bedroom Sunday through Thursday in January, September & October. Points usually rent for about $10.00 to $11.00 a point. A standard view studio at Boardwalk is 45 points Sunday through Thursday in January, September, and October. (You do need to book these early.) A studio at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge, Beach Club Villas, Boardwalk Preferred view would take 60 points for the same time period. An Old Key West studio would be 40 points.

Friday and Saturday points for DVC stays are double or more compared to Sunday through Thursday. We usually take 6 night trips and this allows us to stretttchh those points. Plus we like 6 night trips because we like to come back home on Friday and have a long weekend off before we go back to work on Monday.

If you want to go at Easter or Christmas, definitely make a reservation at the 11 month window. 11 months out is the earliest DVC members can make reservations at their home resort. And holidays fill up quick.

I second what was said about Hawaii. If you own something nice in Hawaii, you could probably do a direct exchange with a DVC member. Lots of DVC members looking to go to Hawaii from the posts I've read on the DIS boards.

3kids4me · Feb 18, 2006

We have done a couple of direct exchanges in the past to stay on DVC property. In order to make it worthwhile to a DVC owner (IMO), you need to be offering a timeshare in exchange that 1) is extremely difficult to exchange into in general and 2) has a rental cost of more than that $10 per DVC point you would be exchanging for.

These parameters can be hard to meet. Five days in a decent season at a DVC resort can be about 200 points, or $2,000...so the timeshare you are offering should have a rental fee of significantly more than that retail, and perhaps the same as that when renting from an owner. If you own such a timeshare, it may be easier just to rent it out yourself, and then turn around and rent the DVC points.

Sharon

BocaBum99 · Feb 18, 2006

If you don't want to buy DVC, then there are really only 2 good options for getting into DVC.

First, buy an inexpensive, strong trader. You won't get prime times, but you will be able to get off season pretty easily (mostly Jan and Sept) and some flexchanges if you are flexible. The good part of this strategy is that if you get an AC, you can break even on your purchase in the first year of ownership. This doesn't happen too often with other timeshares.

Second, rent off the disboards site. It'll be pricey, but you can get just about anything you want.

lisa1001 · Feb 18, 2006

You could buy FF points that are associated with an II resort. You would have to make sure this is a separate account from the current FF account you have. I have just recently made 5 trades into DVC and got them for "green" point values. I got a studio for 28K points, 2 1BRs for 63K each and 2 2BR for 77K each. I think I got the point values right, I always forget the exact number, but it was the lowest possible for the unit size.

Was off season, but that's when we like to go to Disney. I have a 1BR and a 2BR for OKW in May, a studio for SSR in Oct, and a 1BR and a 2BR at Vero beach in Oct. Vero Beach seems to be the easiest of the DVC trades.

BocaBum99 · Feb 18, 2006

lisa1001 said:
You could buy FF points that are associated with an II resort. You would have to make sure this is a separate account from the current FF account you have. I have just recently made 5 trades into DVC and got them for "green" point values. I got a studio for 28K points, 2 1BRs for 63K each and 2 2BR for 77K each. I think I got the point values right, I always forget the exact number, but it was the lowest possible for the unit size.

Was off season, but that's when we like to go to Disney. I have a 1BR and a 2BR for OKW in May, a studio for SSR in Oct, and a 1BR and a 2BR at Vero beach in Oct. Vero Beach seems to be the easiest of the DVC trades.

This is a GREAT strategy. Congrats. I'm gonna have to try it myself.

Leturno · Feb 19, 2006

Great posts one and all. This gives me quite a bit to think about and consider. I am sure this posting will be of value to all the other RCI members who may want to stay on property at Disney World one day.

Thank you again!
Scott

JudyS · Feb 20, 2006

Sue K said:
... if you are going to buy a week just to trade into DVC, why not buy into DVC. There are many second hand contracts available at reasonable price...

I own at Disney's Boardwalk, but after I bought there, I learned that I could trade in via II in the off-season if I bought the right II trader. I bought one, and have now traded in twice to the DVC in the past year. Otherwise, I agree with just about everything that's been said here.

The advantage of trading in is that (if you use a low-cost resort) it is much, much, cheaper than renting or buying DVC points. I get an AC for my resort, so, as BocaBum said, it paid for itself the first year. Actually, by renting out DVC points that I would otherwise have used to stay at the DVC, I more than paid for my resort purchase, my II membership for the year, and all exchange fees, even Disney's dreaded $95 "resort fee."

This disadvantage of trading in is that the dates are very limited (mostly May, September, January) and that it's hard to get a onsite resort other than SSR or OKW. Also, 3 bedrooms (Grand Villas) are never available via II, and two bedrooms aren't common.

spiceycat · Feb 20, 2006

Leturno said:
Ok, I am curious. Half of us or more are with RCI, I wonder what your strategy is if you ever wanted to be on property in DVC.

As we all know DVC is II and therefore you can't get their from RCI so what is the best alternative? Renting? Independent exchange? Direct Exchange? Booking directly with Disney when they have a promotion or sale? Buying, using and reselling?

Scott

PS.. please keep this discussion focused on how to get into DVC if you are not with II.

there are several timeshares that trade with both RCI and II.

Don't book directly with Disney. First of all Disney never discounts their rooms much less their timeshares to the general public. Now they do have discounts for Annual passholder and AAA members. but you are better off renting points from a DVC member.

I still can't believe the Polyn - when we were first there in 72 it rented for $39 a night now the same time period - $435 per night.....okay it was 72 and this is 2006 - but I am very glad that the other things in my life has not increased that much....

OKW is probably the best bargin rent wise.

BCV is probably the highest priced rent wise - just because it is the one with the most demand.

when do you want to go?

spiceycat · Feb 20, 2006

here is the dis site -everyone has mentioned

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=29