Marriott Newport Coast for Disney--chances?

[Werner Weiss]

I think this is unlikely. RCI's press release made a big deal about the "exclusive" nature of the affiliation. My guess is that they would not use that word without having it spelled out carefully in the contract. My bet is that existing ongoing searches that cannot be moved to comparable resorts in II will be canceled, refunding the Member's $95 exchange fee.

The details of what will happen to ongoing searches that continue into the new year have not been announced.

Clearly RCI will be the exclusive third-party exchange provider beginning January 1, 2008. It will no longer be possible for DVC members to request an II exchange. (DVC can continue to use their own Buena Vista Trading Company because it's not a third party.)

However, there's also a transition involved. In 2009, there will still be plenty of DVC members staying at II-affiliated resorts, and there will be plenty of II members staying at DVC resorts. In both cases, the exchanges were arranged this year, but the check-ins are next year. There is no question that these reservations will be honored.

It gets blurrier with ongoing searches. There are DVC members who put in ongoing search requests with DVC Member Services in good faith for II resorts, with check-ins next year. Some of these requests may have been pending for many months; other were made as recently as last week. The DVC members have planned their point usage around having enough points for the II exchange. DVC can suggest RCI alternatives to DVC members with such requests. However, that's not always an option.

The question is whether DVC, II, and RCI will do the honorable thing and allow these searches to continue if that is the DVC member's preference. Or will it, in fact, be the case that such searches "will be canceled, refunding the Member's $95 exchange fee."

I'm guessing that DVC will do the honorable thing, but that's also only a guess.

 

[bnoble]

Of course, time will tell. However, it may not be up to DVC to decide whether or not to be honorable, and the language in DVC's announcement

through Dec. 31, 2008, and all exchanges booked by that deadline will be honored.

suggests that honor is not their first thought.

 

[oldcarrot]

I believe if you try now to use DVC points for an II exchange, DVC will turn you down...even for the rest of this year. From DVC owner services, I believe they will attempt to complete pending requests for 2009. Only up through Dec 31 of this year. If they can't complete the exchange, I suspect the exchange fee will be refunded though the person I spoke with was unsure about that.

Although I do have a small ownership in DVC, I have a pending (unfortunately deposit first) exchange into on site DVC for early December 2009. I deposited Thanksgiving week Marriott Newport Coast (2 BR) and requested any DVC on site Disneyworld property. I believe I would have had a good shot at getting what I wanted, but I don't think DVC will be depositing any Dec 2009 weeks into II. And I called the Marriott desk of II and my week which was deposited about 2 weeks ago has been taken, so I can't get it back to use myself or private exchange. It is really too bad there couldn't have been a longer overlap period for DVC between transitioning out of II and into RCI, but I'm sure this was a business decision and Disney does what is best for Disney.

I now face the probability of exchanging my Thanksgiving Newport Coast week for one of the Marriott resorts in Orlando...which is a waste of Newport Coast (I live in Calif), especially since I own at Grande Vista and Cypress Harbour and could have just stayed there.

Since you can't exchange an Orlando Marriott property (didn't know this when I started planning), I had to reserve the Newport Coast property for the exchange.

I'll need to do some replanning...and will be calling Marriott Owner Services to see if they can help. Nothing DVC can do for me now. Maybe Marriott can get me a 3 BR as we will have at least 6 adults and early Dec is usually slow for them in Orlando.

 

[Werner Weiss]

I believe if you try now to use DVC points for an II exchange, DVC will turn you down...even for the rest of this year. From DVC owner services, I believe they will attempt to complete pending requests for 2009. Only up through Dec 31 of this year. If they can't complete the exchange, I suspect the exchange fee will be refunded though the person I spoke with was unsure about that.

As I wrote in post #24, I spoke with DVC Member Services yesterday. Until the end of this year, DVC will still make instant matches for DVC members using available II inventory, but they are no longer accepting ongoing searches for II exchanges.

I now face the probability of exchanging my Thanksgiving Newport Coast week for one of the Marriott resorts in Orlando...which is a waste of Newport Coast (I live in Calif), especially since I own at Grande Vista and Cypress Harbour and could have just stayed there.

How about using that valuable NCV deposit to request some equally valuable resort weeks? How about Hawaii or some of the top Florida Gulf Coast resorts? Your deposit is good for 2 years beyond your NCV check-in date.

I'll need to do some replanning...and will be calling Marriott Owner Services to see if they can help. Nothing DVC can do for me now. Maybe Marriott can get me a 3 BR as we will have at least 6 adults and early Dec is usually slow for them in Orlando.

I don't think Marriott Owner Services will be able to do much for you. You deposited the NCV week with II, and II probably no longer has it. So the week is out of Marriott's hands. From an II perspective, it's now a deposit to be used, not a week that can be returned to you.

If you want a 3BR in Orlando, you should have no problem getting Imperial Palms through II with a search, using your NCV 2BR. Imperial Palms has only 3BR villas.

Or you can start checking IntervalWorld.com regularly until you see a 3BR at Grande Vista. Deposits from owners should begin at 12 months out, but early deposits may go to ongoing searches before you see any 3BR villas sitting in inventory. Your NCV 2BR should have no problem pulling a 3BR at Grande Vista if there is one in inventory. You can't do an ongoing search for only a 3BR with your 2BR.

Good luck, and please let us know what happens.

 

[SueDonJ]

... If you want a 3BR in Orlando, you should have no problem getting Imperial Palms through II with a search, using your NCV 2BR. Imperial Palms has only 3BR villas.

Or you can start checking IntervalWorld.com regularly until you see a 3BR at Grande Vista. Deposits from owners should begin at 12 months out, but early deposits may go to ongoing searches before you see any 3BR villas sitting in inventory. Your NCV 2BR should have no problem pulling a 3BR at Grande Vista if there is one in inventory. You can't do an ongoing search for only a 3BR with your 2BR ....

(Mods, I know you're trying to contain these threads but I have no idea if this is too off-topic to continue here. Feel free to move it, delete it, answer it, frame it .... thanks! )

Ugh, I don't know what to do. We put a 3BR Surfwatch '09 week in for a trade to late October '09 in a 2BR at any of the DVC resorts - no match yet and there probably won't be before the II/RCI switch. I'm thinking several things:

- Change the ongoing request to a 3BR Grande Vista unit, which my week should pull if one's available. (One hasn't shown up in the last two weeks, searching x2 a day.) At least they appear to be more available than DVC 3BR anyway, and we'd prefer to stay at Grande Vista over any of the other Orlando Marriotts.

or

- Search for a Getaway for the Orlando 10/09 week and ask II to hold the deposit until 2010 weeks can be booked, to match it up for a 2-week 2011 trade to Spain or London (to celebrate our 30th. ) The deposited week had a reservation date of 4/3/09 so it expires 4/3/11, right?

Whatever we do, the 10/09 Orlando trip doesn't have to happen, we could take it or leave it. I'd hate to take it, though, if I'm losing value somewhere between what was deposited and what we accept.

If we hadn't gotten and used an AC for the deposit, I might have at least attempted to work with II to get the week back and try to change the reservation to 10/09. That $29 fee would be okay, but I'd hate to pay the fees to trade back in to my home resort. For those folks who didn't get AC's or matched DVC requests, it can't hurt to try calling the Marriott desk at II for ideas.

so much to think about...

 

[oldcarrot]

As I wrote in post #24, I spoke with DVC Member Services yesterday. Until the end of this year, DVC will still make instant matches for DVC members using available II inventory, but they are no longer accepting ongoing searches for II exchanges.


How about using that valuable NCV deposit to request some equally valuable resort weeks? How about Hawaii or some of the top Florida Gulf Coast resorts? Your deposit is good for 2 years beyond your NCV check-in date.


I don't think Marriott Owner Services will be able to do much for you. You deposited the NCV week with II, and II probably no longer has it. So the week is out of Marriott's hands. From an II perspective, it's now a deposit to be used, not a week that can be returned to you.

If you want a 3BR in Orlando, you should have no problem getting Imperial Palms through II with a search, using your NCV 2BR. Imperial Palms has only 3BR villas.

Or you can start checking IntervalWorld.com regularly until you see a 3BR at Grande Vista. Deposits from owners should begin at 12 months out, but early deposits may go to ongoing searches before you see any 3BR villas sitting in inventory. Your NCV 2BR should have no problem pulling a 3BR at Grande Vista if there is one in inventory. You can't do an ongoing search for only a 3BR with your 2BR.

Good luck, and please let us know what happens.

Well, I cancelled my Disney request using my Newport Coast week. I'll use that as a trader for something else.

I was able to exchange a previously deposited 2BR Grande Vista into a 3 BR Grande Vista for the exact dates I wanted by watching for availability on II. Wish I could have gotten Disney, but I guess that won't happen anymore through II. And we will have a lot more room for us now.