Mar. 2008 QotM - DVC vs. Other TSs?

[administrator]

Sorry this has been late. The admin has been under the weather and not up for much beyond the most basic cut-and-paste thinking.

Anyway....

We all know that DVC folks tend to be dedicated to their "home away from home" and to Disney. So, please share with us where, exactly, DVC falls in terms of your TS experience. Is it your only one? Your first? Your last? What is your sense of its value beyond DVC (in terms of trades, etc, etc.)? Are you interested in purchasing other TSs beyond DVC, or is that "just not gonna happen"?

[carolina_yankee]

DVC is my second timeshare experience. My parents had a timeshare on Hilton Head (Adventure Inn), which introduced me to the concept. It was a great location and nice accommodations (2 Brs and 2 baths), but the standard 'buy a week' kind. We like the concept, but DVC is way better in quality, space, and flexibility. (Although Adventure Inn would rent our week for us if we asked.)

I love DVC and Disney, so what we have will always work for us. However, I can be convinced to buy a different timeshare for more vacation options - especially now that I know about other reputable options out there. It wouldn't happen for a couple of years, though. I don't find DVC all that useful for trades, so for us - it's just for Disney.

Dirk

[DVC Mike]

DVC is our first and probably our only timeshare. The primary reason we bought into DVC was to use it to stay at Disney resorts. We love going to WDW and DLR, and hope to visit Disney parks in Paris and Tokyo in the future.

For other vacation options, I'll pay cash and rent a hotel or timeshare, or take a cruise.

[2nd Star]

My parents had a TS with Sheraton when I was younger. This is our(me and dh) first and I think it will be our only. We just :loveisint Disney and the Bahamas...but we can use DVC to go there.

[Blue&Gold]

First and only TS relationship...

Biggest draw to DVC is the flexibility (other than location). No way I could commit to a fixed week (or even floating week system that required travel in set Sat-Sat blocks) while on Active Duty.

Have looked closely at Hilton and Marriott, but once we became "vested" in DVC, it has seemed more logical to stay with DVC as long as we're satisfied.

[Daitcher]

We own DVC and a Royal Resort (Royal Haciendas). We have some other experiences staying at Timeshare Resorts as well. We've stayed at Marriott Surf Club in Aruba, Marriott Grande Ocean in HH, Marriott Grande Vista in Orlando, Royal Carribean in Cancun, Mexico.

We have found the other Timeshares we've stayed at to be superior to DVC. DVC would rank at the bottom of the ones I listed. The other have superior rooms and services. They are also far better maintained. Those resorts also trade better and have direct access to II.

We use DVC for Disney trips or for trips to VB. Being on site at WDW is the reason we bought. We also like the flexibility with DVC concerning when we travel. We love our fixed week at Royal Haciendas but it is nice to supplement that with a flexible one like DVC. DVC has no value to us outside of the theme parks/VB and we wouldn't trade it due to the limited options and poor value.

DVC is not a top Timeshare in our view but what it does is give us on site WDW stays in larger rooms and that is the only reason we own it. It is also nice that DVC holds its value due to ROFR so we see it as a use now sell later program, not a keeper.



DAVE

[hallyho]

We own two.
DVC is much more flexible. We own a specific week in a time share condo in Naples (FL), week 24 which is usually around Fathers Day. We usually have a family reunion there and then do Disney either before or after. We come from the Washington coast and this is a wonderful change since we rarey get above about 75 degrees in the summer.

[Bacala]

DVC is our only timeshare, and probably will always be our only timeshare, as prior to DVC, I didn't really like the idea of a "timeshare".
While DVC may not have the amenities other timeshares have, it has the number one amenity in my opinion, and the reason my family likes it, larger rooms with close proximity to WDW.

I have never looked at DVC as a "timeshare" as much as a way to save on trips to WDW, period. While it is hard to imagine, if WDW loses its charm for my family, then I will probably sell and will still end up ahead.

I have actually talked friends of mine out of DVC, because they wanted it primarily for the II exchanges. Other timeshares are much less expensive if that is your goal.

What is interesting about DVC, I know people who don't like the parks, but love to just relax at OKW. I personally beleive that they could have had a similar expeirence for less money, but they are just thrilled with OKW and love DTD. I think that is one thing to be said about DVC, and I think this will only be more true in the future as Hawaii and other DVC resorts away from the parks are built, it has a large fan base because DVC, as WDW, can appeal to such a broad audience. ( I personally think that as DVC offerings expand, 10 or 15 years from now, they will drop the II, but that is another thread altogether)

Finally, I think the point system is far superior to a fixed week, at least the way my family travels.

[Niki]

My motto is "why rent when you can own." I guess I picked this up when I sold TS while I was in college. Back then, the only option was a certain week per year at one resort, with the option of joining an exchange program RCI. Even then, I thought that paying up front for a vacation was a great idea, and exchange possibilities making it even better. We sold two timeshares at the time, one in Banff Canada and Bahamas. Having visited, I can say that DVC was far superior to these two places. They were nice, but not as nice as DVC.

As soon as I got a big bonus at my career job (not selling timeshares) I purchased DVC. We love :beatinghe DVC because we are Disney fanatics. The rooms are nice, the place is always clean and you just can't beat the proximity of the resorts to the park. The points system really works for us, because we use anywhere from a studio to 2BR and travel from off season to peak (although probably no more peak for DH.) Also, DVC is easy to rent out if for some reason you can't go. On the down side, DVC is more expensive than several other quality TS products available on the market. Also, the exchange value is not nearly as good as many others. We use it only for Disney and HHI. Someday I would like to exchange for the Blue Water and Green Fairways resort in Boracay, Philippines, and II resort, but the points are just so high for that exchange I can never stay away from Disney long enough to accumulate them. My only real complain about the units is the bedding. Far inferior to other TS I have stayed at. They need higher thread counts and a better matress pad to come close to others. The best thing about DVC IMHO is the service. We have received better service there than at any other TS place.

I also know about Vistana, as many friends own there. I like DVC rooms better, and you just can't beat DVC service. The good point about there is that you have several pools and dining options without leaving the resort. Much more than Disney.

I also own Hilton Grand Vacation Club. Having purchased re-sale, I am able to get more vacation for my $$ than I do through DVC. It was much cheaper than any comparable DVC purchase. I have alot of mixed feelings about HGVC. I love the units. They are beautiful. The kitchens mostly have granite counter-tops and are much bigger than DVC. The 2BR units have tables for 6, as large as you would probably have at home. The jacuzzi is always bigger. The balconies are always bigger and better equipped with real furniture. You can still get smoking rooms for DH. The bedding at Hilton is better than any other TS I have ever stayed at. After staying at one the first time, I had to go find the wonderful pillow-like mattress pad for home. Everyone that has stayed there with us have been impressed with the bedding. The 2BR only sleep 6, but the spare BR has a King bed, making up for it. Exchanging through RCI is a dream.s I can exchange alot easier than through Disney, and I can actually exchange for additional time, since HGVC has such good exchange value. Hilton has a much bigger core exchange compared to DVC. Even with the addition of Hawaii, DVC has only a handful of exchanges. HGVC has many, many, many resorts in its core. Several Hawaiian islands, a handful of European countries, Vegas, Mexico, Colorado, all over Florida, and more. Some even include free golf and other activities to those staying there. This is much better than any "perks" through DVC. Although I like the II resorts better, RCI has a much larger exchange pool and many more locations to exchange through. So if you can't find a Hilton affiliate you want, and there are many, RCI will likely have something for you.

Now on to the down side of HGVC. They are high pressure sales. Almost every activity on-site is geared toward convincing you to purchase more. Their "members meets" are nothing more than a meeting with a sales person, not other members in a social setting. Hilton's marketing is not shy or low key like DVC. The service isn't as good, either. Security doesn't work half of the time. Sometimes anyone can get onto the resort, others I can't even get in as the gate is broken and the security guard is MIA. The pools might or might not be as good as DVC, depending on the resort. Some are really plain, but some are far beyond what even Disney as done. In general, the resorts are not all that clean. Trash sits, housekeeping doesn't always come when they are supposed to. Have had to call a reminder. Never had to do that DVC. The Tuscany HGVC in Orlando (next tot he Premium Outlet Mall) has ferral cats. Lots of them, with ticks. You usually only see them at night, but sometimes during the day as well. I wil not stay there again for this reason. As a whole, service is not as good as at a Hilton hotel, or even DVC. People are not as friendly as DVC, not by a long shot. It took two days to get my free internet working. Once in Hawaii, my DF had to switch rooms because he had to submit a report and the internet access wasn't working. DH had to fix a leaky faucet in the jacuzzi himself because we couldn't get maintenance to come fix it. After a couple of days, no joke. Once the management got involved (I threw a hissy fit at the member's meet) all went well, I got a tea and pastry basket and 2 free nights in a 2BR at any HGVC resort out of the deal. I guess that great service makes up for the bad service during our vacation, but there is no excuse for it. Basically, I'm just so used to smiley, happy Disny CMs. I forget not everyone is like that.

Long and short of it, I love the idea of timeshare. Points rock (both DVC and HGVC.) DVC is awesome!:thumbsup:

[tomandrobin]

We own two timeshare systems, DVC and Starwood. We have accumalted 735 DVC points at two Disnet resorts, SSR and AKV. We have two 2 bedroom lock-off units at Westin Kierland and two Studios at Westin St John. We feel that we have the best of both worlds.

We use are DVC strictly for Disney and probably will never use my points for anything but Disney. We use our Westins to go everywhere else. Funny thing with our Westin units is we have not stayed in any of our units yet.

I'll agree with Dave about where DVC ranks in timeshare resorts. Its definately a middle of the pack. A rooms are definately smaller then every other timeshare we have seen or stayed.

We love both systems and do promote both (to anyone who will listen).

[tinkerbella's mom]

For us it is DVC, doubt we will buy elsewhere. It justs suits our needs, we love Disney and hotel rooms were fine prekids, now we like the extra room. We have been there with kids twice first time 1 wk at AKL in SV rm. All 4 of us- we survived and had a great time. Second time with kids 1 wk - rented SSR 2bdr heavenly loved everything about it. Furniture made by Thomasville nice touch.

Now we do have other ts experiences some hit some miss. My mom owns a ts in Vir. Beach and the exchanges are through RCI. Hers is 2 fixed wks , she can deposit them and exchange to stay elsewhere. Her dues have gone up to a thousand yearly , but her ts is payed for deedable and does not expire. IMHO the resorts can be great or not. After our Disney stay we went to a Wyndham resort ( RCI exchange) at Pompano Beach. Looked beautiful online, had gold crown category. We checked in at 9 pm got a pushy salespitch . Went to out dated 2 bdr. with torn vinyl on the banquette in the dining area. Old appliances, semi renovated, semidate bath. Bring you pool towels down daily, exchange for clean oned mid week on 2nd floor. Oh and the best the hooker outside our buildings door talking prices a man. Lifeguard told us management rents out to any locals to fill up the resort on weekends. We did not stay the week. Few yrs ago exchanged for a Vegas resort toured that 2 bedroom and checked right out. My friends husband is a cop out there and he thought it looked like buildings he patrolled at night. We have stayed at a gem in N. Miami Beach very unassuming exterior, but prisitine clean, every unit renovated top to bottom from tiles to apliances to utensils. My mom has also had lots of great vacations, and some where she had to request they change her resort.

So after our SSR stay, then Wyndham it was a no brainer, came home bought DVC. I know there are better out there, but this works for us.

[OttawaWendy]

We own at DVC and nowhere else. I doubt we will buy anywhere else although who can predict the future.

We aren't likely to be able to swing a fixed week ts into our lives. In terms of points, we've attended sales pitches twice from GeoHolidays, which is hooked up with RCI. We really didn't like the hard sell ("you have to decide now or the discount I'm offering goes away" compared to "this price offer will hold for two weeks until you are home from vacation to allow you time to assess what you want" etc.).

We also didn't like that they used false math in their comparison of the value of a time share compared to the cost of hotels. Most particularly, they couldn't confirm that the value we purchased today would have the same value tomorrow. (i.e. they could say that if we bought 22,000 points, we'd always have 22,000 points, but they couldn't say that 22,000 points would buy the same thing in 10 years as today. So we didn't know what the inflation factor was.). At DVC they were able to confirm that they were permitted to change points between seasons, but the entire number of points to book a unit in a year had to remain constant. That was a huge selling factor for us.

[TW1]

Just a quick Thank You to Kim for posting this question. It is something we've tossed around for a few years now, whether to add on at DVC, or just add a different TS to augment our Disney trips.

I look forward to the reports from other MouseOwners.

[dlpmikki]

DVC was our first timeshare and is the most flexible. We also own a Marriot (Paris) and that is less flexible and more expensive (except for a deal that lets us bank one week in Paris for two weeks in Orlando - which ends next year). We have stayed at Grand Vista, Cypress Harbour, Sabal Palms etc and they are nice but not in DVC league. If we were to sell one timeshare it would be Marriott. BY the way - lot easier to sell VC!

[KevGuy]

DVC is our first and only TS relationship so far. We enjoyed the fact of the flexability, plus our kids are "Disney" kids and the perfect age so it made sense for us given our love for Disney. We are interested in Marirott timeshare though as well and may explore that or others in the future as well as more points in DVC, you know you can never have enough points lol.:bunny:

[aamove]

We have three other fixed week TS, 2 in Branson and One in the hill country north of San Antonio. All are with a company called Silverleaf Resorts. This is a local/ regional TS company. Prefer DVC hands down and the only reasons we keep the Silverleaf TSs is the exchange possibilities with RCI and the fact that the yearly dues for all three are cheaper than with the points we have with DVC.
Silverleaf, very high presure. Disney not. Silverleaf fair resale value. DVC great.
If we were to do it all over again we would probably have one of the Silverleaf condos and more points at DVC. We always found we were trading our Silverleaf condos to get to Orlando and that is why we finally bought at DVC.

[Niki]

I am going to Silverleaf Holiday Hills resort in June. Any suggestions? We chose to exchange our Hilton for there because we can travel with our dog there. The Ozarks will have some great hiking and boating opportunities (we will have a speed boat in tow.) Where should we eat? How is the golf course? How much better are the DVC rooms than Silverleaf? I hear it is not as nice as DVC or HGVC, but it was hard to pass up a pet friendly resort. Any info would be appreciated.

[OL60]

DVC is one and only. I actually bought into another TS the day before DVC and returned the cancellation papers about 2 hours before the DVC tour.

Will I ever own another TS? Probably but will most likely be the ones that my parents have when they pass to be with God.
They like the one they have but since I have never stayed via their TS I can not comment.

[harmrose22]

We only own at DVC. I doubt we will ever own anywhere else... I had a heck of a time convincing DH to even buy here. He was very against vacationing at the same place every year and probably always will be. He knows how much I wanted this and that is why we bought.

When I was growing up, my dad always extolled the virtues of being able to vacation when and where we want to. He ways always very anti-TS. Some of that rubbed off and I just don't see us owning elsewhere. At this time, we are young, have a small family, and don't travel a ton. As DS gets older, and DH's career settles down (he has been in 3 diff. positions in the last year and a half) one week when we can get away works for us... with just a few smaller trips throughout the year.

In the future, I would like more DVC points but I doubt we will get anything else!

[spiceycat]

brought DVC first, then Westgate (which I hate) - then got wise thru www.tug2.net

and got a timeshare on Panama City Beach in Florida - looked before for an exchange and couldn't find one - why because I only looked at II not RCI....

anyway this one is both RCI and II - so I have it listed with II. II likes it so I get 2 weeks for my one. plus it trades into DVC!!! :thumbsup:

now I have also stayed in other places - Marriott Grand Ocean in HH, SC - agreed it is lovely. but their service was not up to what I expect at Disney. Also they only had one very, very small outside pool heated. that was it. so that pool got far too many people - plus of course their inside pool.

also stayed at Marriott's Manor Club at Ford's colony in Williamsburg, Va - it was okay - but the pools were not heated and May in Va is cold.

so love DVC still.

now I did like Marriott in HH - better than DVC. but it was because the ocean was right there.

also stayed in Marriott's Grande Vista in Orlando and like DVC better. I guess to love the Marriott it helps to be a golfer.

have enjoyed Sheraton Vistana Resort - it is nice and big - but again like DVC more - also stayed in Cypress Pointe, CWR (of course - pets allowed here), Orange Lake, Vacation Villa in Parkway, bryan's Spanish Cove, Sheraton Vistana Resort, Hilton Grand vacation club at Seaworld -

of all of them probably like Sheraton Vistana & HGVC - liked sheraton because it is big enough that everyone will find something they liked. Like HGVC because at the time loved Seaworld - being able to walk to SW was a treat.

still love DVC the best - but yea the WDW parks play a big role.

also have a south africia which I trade to Orlando and get most of the above.

[skibum]

We own at the Maui Marriott as well as DVC. Like them equally well - they both have different purposes. Really like being on-premise at the World and the flexibility of DVC points, but also like the lock-off feature in our 2-bedroom Maui unit, allowing us to get two weeks out of a one week purchase. Service at the Maui Marriott is equal to DVC.

[aamove]

I am going to Silverleaf Holiday Hills resort in June. Any suggestions? We chose to exchange our Hilton for there because we can travel with our dog there. The Ozarks will have some great hiking and boating opportunities (we will have a speed boat in tow.) Where should we eat? How is the golf course? How much better are the DVC rooms than Silverleaf? I hear it is not as nice as DVC or HGVC, but it was hard to pass up a pet friendly resort. Any info would be appreciated.

The Golf course is exceptional. Holiday Hills is close to Branson, but just far enough out so you don't get all the noise from the strip. They have basically four type of units at Holiday Hills. The cabins, (think rustic cabin, Master downstairs with a loft bedroom upstairs). The standard condo type, (two bedrooms two bath with pull out sofa). Lodge units (2/2 little more upscale with units on three levels, 2nd level is the entry level. First level is down and third level is up). The last type is the Presidential, these are the most like DVC and they are the roomiest. They are also on three levels and are the closest to the golf course.
As far as Branson goes, we always enjoy it. There is a lot of entertainment on the strip and the traffic can be quite heavy. They've just redone the downtown waterfront on Lake Taneycomo (more of a wide river than a Lake), and there is always something to do in town. The Lake that is the best is Table Rock Lake. It is a big lake and we always end up renting a boat to spend the day. There's just something about being able to swim in two states and still be on the same lake that appeals to me. It would take two or three days to see the whole lake.
As far as dining there are a lot of varieties. There is a good restaurant close at the entrance to the College of the Ozarks, if you like southern cooking. And another good one for family style dining is MacFarlands on the northwest side of town, ( ask the hostess to set you at the special table, you won't be disapointed). It's located right by the IMAX theatre. Most of the food is decent casual fare around Branson. A lot of dinner shows, ( Branson Belle, Shepard of the Hills) and the only thing we were ever disapointed with was the lack of a good tex-mex restaurant.
As far as non-show entertainment there is Silver Dollar City and Celebration City.
Silver Dollar City is sort of like having a Six Flags built on a hill. And it is sort of surreal to see some of the rides that resemble some of the lower end Disney rides like Dumbo, Teacups, BarnStormer. Silver Dollar City is sort of like a country fair in a lot of aspects. Celebration City is more like your standard fair rides and is only open in the evenings. And of course you can ride the Ducks, which is a great tour.
Everything in Branson is built on a hill and as I stated earlier the traffic on the strip is bad. Make sure you get a city map and follow the alternative routes whenever you can. It usually takes about 30-45 minutes to get from one end of the strip to the other on the main route. If you take the yellow route you can cut the time in half.
Feel free to PM if you have any more questions.

[WDWfan]

My parents own 3 HGVC timeshares - both Orlando locations and Las Vegas. I have stayed at the Flamingo HGVC in Las Vegas at least once a year since it opened. (Mom and Dad are very generous with their timeshare points). They bought 3 because they have 3 kids. One of these years I'll inherit one of them. I've just stayed at the Tuscany Orlando HGVC this past December for a couple of nights. I find their rooms are larger than DVC and furnished better.

That being said I bought into DVC because I :love: to go to WDW and stay on site. I go at least once a year and so it made financial sense for me. I get to stay in a nicer resort for less money.

Both systems work on a point basis, but HGVC seems to have more booking fees. They're part of RCI and while I've never tried to trade my parents, sister and brother have all used the points that way and have been very happy with the resorts they were able to stay at.

I think having the 2 different timeshares will work for me. I enjoy travelling and this will give me more options.

[spiceycat]

We chose to exchange our Hilton for there because we can travel with our dog there.

there is also Celebration World Resort in Kissimmee - that is pet friendly.

stayed there alot.

It is RCI and you can find it on skyauction often.

[pycees312]

DVC is our Second Timeshare. We also own Worldmark(now Whyndham resorts)
We purchsed DVC because I am a Disney Fan. This will be our last timeshare the two we have seem to suit us best. However i wil buy points into Disney California when that goes on sale since I live in the Bay Area.

It's hard to compare the two resorts because for us they serve different needs. Worldmark supplies the local resorts(Bay Area) and our points of interest such as Vegas and Hawaii, Anaheim, and San Diego. DVC supplies onsite accomodations and really is not of much use outside a Disney Site.But I purchased DVC for this reason so it works.
Worldmark does have a nice online reservation system and the BONUS TIME is such a great feature!!!! If DVC ever offered bonus time I would be in heaven!!!
For those who don't know Bonus time allows it's members to books rooms that have not been rented 14 days until arrival time for cash but at a discounted cost without using points. Some resorts they allow up to 30 for bonus time. They also have inventory specials avail during off season that provides really nice discounts for rooms as well. I've only been a member with DVC for about 1 year so im not sure how well the availibility is at DVC . So far i've been able to book what i wanted unless it's been for California .Tthis upcomming April i have been having some issues but other that that i've been okay. With worldmark ive never had an issue booking the dates i wanted so far and i've been a member with them for 3 years. My Maintenence fees with Worldmark are higher but i own a pretty good chunk of points with them.
I notice on the worldmark site sometimes they offer Disney packages that im sure is part of the World collection Agreement but there is no value at all. and I would never use my worrldmark points to purchase a Disney package.

i forgot so im editing.. someone mentioned other resorts being superior to DVC i do agree to some extent. Some worldmark resorts put dvc to shame and others are comparable. I have also stayed at HGVC(hilton) and they are wonderful.

[pycees312]

So after our SSR stay, then Wyndham it was a no brainer, came home bought DVC. I know there are better out there, but this works for us.
this is a huuuge concern for me. Now that Whyndham owns Worldmark will they allow worldmark to become run down? And i have heard some of the Wyndham resorts are not so nice..

[Don13875]

I love the set up of DVC and plan on using all the options rent, stay at DVC resorts trade and go where ever DVC can take us . So far its been great:birhdaypa

[musical2]

Our first timeshare bought was on Aruba. It is now known as the Aruba Renaissance Beach Club and Casino. Although it is on the Aruba, it has its own private island off the coast as well for guest to go to and just sit on the beach and swim in the ocean. We bought it back in 1992. We haven't been back since, but use it as our main trader through II. It has been known to trade for DVC resorts in the off-season. I notice the other day that it pulled in an OKW 2 bedroom in September.

Our second timeshare is the Marriott Manor Club in Williamsburg, VA. We love it in Williamsburg and tend to go there every other year and trade for other Marriotts in the off-year. This year we traded it for the Marriott Ko' Olina in Hawaii during the 4th of July week. We love the history of Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown (Historic Triangle), as well as the Busch Gardens Europe theme park.

Finally, we bought into DVC in 2000, resale at OKW. We bought enough just to go for 12 nights every two years during the summer, or two weeks in the off-season. We would never trade this for anywhere else, since our other two are very good traders for the years we do not go to WDW.

[emb1963]

This is our first venture into the ts world. We loved the flexibility of the DVC program and since we were planning Disney trips for 3 of the next 4 years it just made sense for us.