Interval Who?

[Keith Francis]

Hi all
I'm still researching the system of DVC points before we buy 100-150 for the first time. we've been told that Disney won't sell less than 150 points but if you buy resale they will allow the sale to go through. We have been told that the reason Disney won't approve a sale of less than 150 is because of Interval International.
Who is interval international?
we have also been told that "Interval International requires a full week's worth of points to trade".
What does that mean?
Were getting there but we don't want to commit until we are certain we can trade with the amount of points we will have.

 

[MickeyMcMouse]

Keith - can't tell you very much ( haven't used them ... yet) but try this link. Interval International

Think you can take a tour as a guest.

I was having a chat with my guide ( Jim McCoy - excellent guy ) last week and he says that the exchanges are changing very shortly ... for the better, couldn't give me any examples, so maybe worth waiting a short time.


David

 

[mickg7dyd]

Hi,
There are a few options for using your points at places other than DVC Resorts.There is the Disney collection which includes most of their non DVC hotels and the Cruise Line. These can be booked for a minimum of just one night and the points per night are shown in the members guide book.Then there is the Concierge collection which consists of non Disney hotels in the USA and also other countries,again these are one night minimum and the points per night are shown in the guide book.Next is the World Passport Collection these are properties that are exchanged with other timeshare companies and Interval International is one of these.They are generally only available on a per week basis and you need to check availability with Member Services and then they try to "exchange" a week at a DVC property for the week at the property you are requesting. Member Services should always try to get you the "best deal" available and at a recent members meeting we were told that at worst you should get like for like,that is the points needed for a similar DVC property will be very similar to the points needed for your exchange.The other exchange option is the Adventurer Collection which consists of activity holidays and a safari as well as an Alaska Cruise.These are on a points per trip basis.
Hope this hasn't confussed you too much.!!

Mick.

 

[lovesdisney]

I would post this on the main DVC board. I'm sure our US friends have much more knowledge on this than us but it sounds like a sales ploy to me.

 

[Bexx]

I'm sure it is a sales ploy to a certain extent - the only thing that can be guaranteed for the life of your DVC membership is the right to stay at your home resort, all these other things like exchanges and pool hopping are just icing on the cake. But I believe this sort of thing has been offered in some form or another right from the start and isn't likely to be stopped in the near future. It's a nice extra to know about and I hope to do an exchange myself one day.

As far as the number of points needed, it says in the Member Guidebook that it will 'cost' approximately the points needed for a weeks stay in a one or two bedroom villa and is also dependent on the time of year. So to exchange a villa at Old Key West it's around 170 - 220 for a one bedroom, and 230 - 300 for a two bedroom. At the other WDW resorts it's 220 - 270 for a one bedroom and 280 - 350 for a two bedroom. (These figures are not exact!) Don't forget you can bank and borrow.

Hope this helps with your decision, though it may come a bit late as I've just noticed that you posted this thread a while ago!

 

[Cinderella]

Hi, most trades in the World Passport Collection are through interval international and require a full weeks stay. A handfull are thru the Buena Vista Trading company and you can stay for any amount of nights you wish.

The amount of points you need to trade varies depending on when you book, where you are going, time of year etc. I exchanged a March HH week in a two bedroom for a week in May in a three bedroom with pool at a Four Seasons resort in Portugal. That cost me 200 points and was a brilliant trade. On the other board, I also read about someone exchanging a Hilton Head December week in a studio for a week in a studio in Aruba in January for only 55 points.

Apparently some trades are better than others. When you join you get a list of them in guidebook. What I did was to join www.tug2.net for $15 per annum. The site has ratings and reviews on a lot of timeshares and helps you decide where to swap to.

We only own 150 points at WLV since January 2001 but, this has worked out well with banking and borrowing - we have had four nights in a one bedroom at Old Key West, 2 nights DLP and our Portugal week already and not even used this years points. We are using them towards a bigger trip to WDW next year.

We would love to add points eventually but, 150 was enough for us - a family of four, to begin with.

Good luck in making your decision.