posted 05-31-2005 16:10            

The DVC unit was obtained on an AC trade, the Marriott booked well in advance for $129 a night (a steal for a 1BR unit IMHO, even before Bonus Bucks were applied).

Impressions? Well, some very different strengths and weaknesses.

If you're going to spend much time at Disney, there are major convenience perks to DVC. They pick you up at the airport for free and, from there, you can use their bus or boat system to do just about anything you want, including getting supplies at Downtown Disney. They also give you extended hours at the parks, both in the morning and evening. Just about every staff member we interacted with was extremenly friendly and went above-and-beyond.

As for Old Key West, the units were more of a standard timeshare experience than an above-and-beyond experience. The unit style and amenities, for instance, didn't match up with the kitchen and furniture at our recently remodeled Streamside Birch unit. There was also unusually loud noise carry-through from the lockout unit, which thankfully was only occupied for two of our seven days. The main pool was outstanding, with a well-executed waterslide that our 5-year-old would have spent all day on. An onsite restaurant, Olivia's, was near the pool, as was a small bar. I'd rate Olivia's as average, solid food, a little overprice, good service in a somewhat underwhelming space.

Now on to Grande Vista ...

Our family members were in a unit that was very similar to the OKW unit in terms of fit and finish (i.e. good, but not great). However, on the tour, we were shown a unit with much nicer appointments (granite counters, etc.) and were told all units were being brought up to that standard. If so, that would give them an advantage on the DVC property. The porch was also screen in (Disney's wasn't), which was a nice advantage given the mosquitos were running.

The main pool area was excellent, with more of an adult feel. There were also swan- and duck-shaped paddleboats, that our children were very interested in. There was a nice kids play area and planned children's activities. The staff accepted bonus bucks despite the stay being booked under the AAA rate, but were - in general - not as friendly as the Disney staff. We did not eat on site, so I can't compare the restaurant to Olivia's.

Grande Vista was probably a 15-20 minute ride from Disney depending on traffic, close enough that you could leave when the afternoon heat built up and come back at night without feeling like it was any sort of an ordeal.

Final thoughts?

If I'm trading into Orlando with my kids, whether I'm going to Disney or not, I'd look to the Old Key West property first. The staff's friendliness made a big difference. And if I was planning on going to Disney, it becomes a no-brainer.

But if I was buying in Orlando, I'd buy Grande Vista. A 2BR resale went for $6,200 on eBay the other day:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=15897&item=4384326734& rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

While that's an unusually good deal, it's easy to get a 2BR resale there for under 10k. From what I've seen of Disney points, it would cost you close to 20k resale to have enough points to book a 2BR unit during a period equivalent to Marriott's gold weeks.

It was also interesting to interact with the DVC owners.

The majority of them clearly are DVC-only people who've never even considering an outside trade. They didn't know what an AC was, didn't belong to Interval, and didn't understand how I'd gotten a DVC week without using my "real" week with Interval. However, they all displayed a nearly fierce loyalty to DVC and seemed really happy with their purchases.

posted 06-01-2005 19:22               

quote:

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Originally posted by ondeadlin:

Dean,

Thanks for the fill-in. I had no idea DVC had a different trading struction. So, if a DVC owner wants to do a II trade, how hard is it? How is the point cost determined for, say, a high-demand ski week? Was my impression that most DVC owners don't trade correct?

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Here are the plusses as I see them.

• No membership fee
  
• $75 exchange fee
  
• DVC picks the best resorts overall, with a few exceptions
  
• DVC members seem to be more successful getting "compensation" if there is truly a problem
  
• Request first up to two years out for any resort on the list.
  

• Limited to about 350 II resorts to exchange to.
  
• No wish book
  
• No getaways
  
• Little or no change to up trade.
  
• No bonus weeks.
  
• Flexchange costs the same as regular exchanges.
  
• DVC is very expensive both up front and in yearly fees and you lose many of the benefits of the system with exchanges, namely, flexibility.
  
• Most trades are downtrades in one way or another. Frequently in terms of both resort quality and in cash value of the week received.
  
• No online access.
  

In some situations the advantages and disadvantages can vary depending on the members desires. DVC can be very good for exchanging if you plan two years out and shoot for the moon. It's also a very flexible resort system, not just in terms of usage, but things like rental options and direct exchanges. Unfortunately most trades I see members make are not a good value.

posted 06-02-2005 11:02               

Member Getaways
June getaways
Each month in Member Clubhouse, we feature Last-Minute Getaways, some of the most popular Interval International® exchange destinations with limited availability for the following month. Please note that holiday weeks are typically not available.

Accommodations are currently available for June in a variety of locations, including Phoenix, Ariz.; Palm Springs and Palm Desert, Calif.; Eastern British Columbia, Canada and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Contact Member Services for additional information, and visit the World Passport Collection page at www.dvcmember.com for a complete list of getaways.

posted 06-02-2005 19:48               

quote:

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Originally posted by david1w:
Disney is now offering II Getaways:

Member Getaways
June getaways
Each month in Member Clubhouse, we feature Last-Minute Getaways, some of the most popular Interval International® exchange destinations with limited availability for the following month. Please note that holiday weeks are typically not available.

Accommodations are currently available for June in a variety of locations, including Phoenix, Ariz.; Palm Springs and Palm Desert, Calif.; Eastern British Columbia, Canada and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Contact Member Services for additional information, and visit the World Passport Collection page at www.dvcmember.com for a complete list of getaways.

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