Non-Disney Trips

[DisneyBarretts]

Hello everyone! I just joined today! We are looking into buying a DVC membership, but my husband wants to be sure we can take our kids on fun vacations other places, too. I'm like ' What's better than, Disney!?'

Would you mind sharing places around the states you have visited using your DVC points, and how many points per night, if you remember. We are looking into starting at 100 pts. Wondering if that will be enough for places outside of Disney.

Also, we've heard it is hard to book outside of Disney even during non-busy times. How has your experience been?

Thank you!! I'm looking forward to learning a lot from you!

(I also posted this under DVC Misc.)

 

[Ben E N]

Really with 100 points you would be fine doing Disney once every other, or every 3 years, using banking and borrowing. I'm sure people can share RCI trade in stories, but you seem best off just using DVC points for Disney World and saving the cash you would have spent on that to go on other trips that you are interested in. Aulani, HHI, and Vero Beach are all options to use points if taking a year away, but that's all I plan on spending my points on outside of WDW.

 

[disneynutz]

While Disney advertises that you can use your points at other places, that's for marketing purposes only. Technically you can but it's expensive and sometimes difficult to do. In addition IMO they really don't want you to do it, so much so that they added a $95 fee a few years ago to deter you from doing it. DVC points are best used for DVC stays.

Bill

 

[Ben E N]

It's also worth adding that the rental market is pretty strong, so if you really want that European vacation or something, you could rent out 130 points, etc, to help cover that cost.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Buy another timeshare, like Hilton or Marriott to take those non-Disney trips and use your DVC points only for DVC.

 

[chalee94]

use your DVC points only for DVC.

Yes.

Get a different timeshare. Pay cash for a rental. But don't buy DVC to trade.

 

[motherof5]

Hello everyone! I just joined today! We are looking into buying a DVC membership, but my husband wants to be sure we can take our kids on fun vacations other places, too. I'm like ' What's better than, Disney!?'

Would you mind sharing places around the states you have visited using your DVC points, and how many points per night, if you remember. We are looking into starting at 100 pts. Wondering if that will be enough for places outside of Disney.

Also, we've heard it is hard to book outside of Disney even during non-busy times. How has your experience been?

Thank you!! I'm looking forward to learning a lot from you!

(I also posted this under DVC Misc.)

How big is your family size would depend on points needed, also time of year you usually travel. Bigger rooms= more points. But if you were only going once every 3 years you can essentially have 300 points (for example bank 2018 points and in 2019 use those points and borrow 2020 points) I would only buy what you are comfotable with. Are you buying direct or resale? You can buy minimal direct and then buy resale and it would also be cheaper.

 

[Marionnette]

Hello everyone! I just joined today! We are looking into buying a DVC membership, but my husband wants to be sure we can take our kids on fun vacations other places, too. I'm like ' What's better than, Disney!?'

Would you mind sharing places around the states you have visited using your DVC points, and how many points per night, if you remember. We are looking into starting at 100 pts. Wondering if that will be enough for places outside of Disney.

Also, we've heard it is hard to book outside of Disney even during non-busy times. How has your experience been?

Thank you!! I'm looking forward to learning a lot from you!

(I also posted this under DVC Misc.)

We only use our points to stay at DVC resorts. If we want to vacation elsewhere, we just rent out the points and pay cash for the non-Disney vacation. The point rental covers our annual dues and gives us some cash for the vacation.

It's a poor use of points to use them for Disney cruises, the Disney Collection or to trade into RCI. I agree with PPs who have suggested that you either buy into another timeshare as well as DVC, or rent DVC reservations when you go to Disney and get a timeshare for your other trips. Or as a third option, keep your cash and just pay as you go.

 

[Annie Michelle]

We have done everything they tell you not too. Went on a Caribbean and Alaskan Cruise, Aruba and Vegas on RCI trades. I have also rented my points. I say do what you are comfortable with and fits you needs. I found the RCI trade to use very little points. The cruises were a lot but it was easy to do and we were happy with all our choices. We have a motor home and go to the Fort for a couple months so at this point I look for other ways to enjoy my points.

 

[rg35]

We pay cash when vacationing outside of Disney, and bank points on non-Disney years to take longer trips the following. Some years we do Disney + something else.

While you can certainly use your DVC points in other ways, it is not a good value for your points, and that is the key to understand. It might be convenient, but it's not a good use of your money.

 

[Dean]

Hello everyone! I just joined today! We are looking into buying a DVC membership, but my husband wants to be sure we can take our kids on fun vacations other places, too. I'm like ' What's better than, Disney!?'

Would you mind sharing places around the states you have visited using your DVC points, and how many points per night, if you remember. We are looking into starting at 100 pts. Wondering if that will be enough for places outside of Disney.

Also, we've heard it is hard to book outside of Disney even during non-busy times. How has your experience been?

Thank you!! I'm looking forward to learning a lot from you!

(I also posted this under DVC Misc.)

DVC is a dramatically poor choice for other locations. It would be a poor choice, far more than paying cash and technically difficult to use DVC for non DVC resorts. IF one wants to do both Disney and non Disney, a non DVC timeshare is likely the best option. In some cases one may still be able to exchange to Disney using RCI affiliated timeshares.

 

[yesdnil]

We're new members, so I could be totally off base with this, but I've looked at several of the RCI properties, and the points are super low compared to what we'd spend at Disney or what the realistic cash price vs rental point price would be. For our family, I think it makes sense to spend 100-120 points on a ski lodge for a week one year, then bank our remaining points for a big Disney vacation the following year. DCL certainly would be too many points for us to think about using, but we're looking forward to doing the cash option on a DVC members cruise sometime when our kids are a bit older

 

[Dean]

We're new members, so I could be totally off base with this, but I've looked at several of the RCI properties, and the points are super low compared to what we'd spend at Disney or what the realistic cash price vs rental point price would be. For our family, I think it makes sense to spend 100-120 points on a ski lodge for a week one year, then bank our remaining points for a big Disney vacation the following year. DCL certainly would be too many points for us to think about using, but we're looking forward to doing the cash option on a DVC members cruise sometime when our kids are a bit older

You're getting misleading and partial information. You shouldn't compare to what you'd spend at Disney, you should compare to what the same item would cost you other ways. Value DVC points at around $13 per point (give or take) and look at that like cash. Then see what you could get the other item for on direct cash as well as a private rental. And for ongoing needs, compare to owning other timeshares. Here's an extreme but real world example. We stayed for 2 weeks in Cabo a few years ago. My total costs were maybe $300 a week if that and it would have been 1500 points (RCI registry resort). For MX and AI that them is repeated time after time. For the rest, the other issue is availability. IF it's available there are some options that are a good value but that's just it, not only are they unlikely to be available but if they are, it's often a year or more in advance and DVC owners aren't accustomed to planning quite like that. High end options for 1 BR can be an especially good situation, think Maui or Ski options. But many resorts don't have 1 BR in that situation so planning for a 1 BR severely limits one's choices and availability.

 

[yesdnil]

You're getting misleading and partial information. You shouldn't compare to what you'd spend at Disney, you should compare to what the same item would cost you other ways. Value DVC points at around $13 per point (give or take) and look at that like cash. Then see what you could get the other item for on direct cash as well as a private rental. And for ongoing needs, compare to owning other timeshares. Here's an extreme but real world example. We stayed for 2 weeks in Cabo a few years ago. My total costs were maybe $300 a week if that and it would have been 1500 points (RCI registry resort). For MX and AI that them is repeated time after time. For the rest, the other issue is availability. IF it's available there are some options that are a good value but that's just it, not only are they unlikely to be available but if they are, it's often a year or more in advance and DVC owners aren't accustomed to planning quite like that. High end options for 1 BR can be an especially good situation, think Maui or Ski options. But many resorts don't have 1 BR in that situation so planning for a 1 BR severely limits one's choices and availability.

I don't see how my information is misleading or partial. I've been researching exactly what we'd spend in points for the locations we're interested, and then researching those same locations for private rental, and comparing cost that way. Some locations would be more expensive cash, and some wouldn't be.

 

[Dean]

I don't see how my information is misleading or partial. I've been researching exactly what we'd spend in points for the locations we're interested, and then researching those same locations for private rental, and comparing cost that way. Some locations would be more expensive cash, and some wouldn't be.

Because there's an availability issue. When you look at RCI and the points that assumes availability. In reality the top choices are basically never available and if they are, one has to be searching 1-2 years out in many cases. The numbers you're looking at are for studios and likely for 1 BR units. Many resorts don't have those so that further reduces the options unless you're willing to pay the extra points for a 2 BR. If available, the 1BR is the sweet spot. For most options, one would be better off renting on cash privately or even buying a non DVC timeshares for future use and where that's not the case those options are often not available.

You mentioned what you'd spend at Disney and I'd suggest that's irrelevant just like looking at what's included in a cruise is not relevant to what the points costs when using points because you get the included items no matter how you book the cruise. Now if you got extras based on being a DVC member, that's be appropriate to compare if it was guarantees or one was only looking at the short term like park discounts for qualified DVC ownership. Assuming the discount for many years is not a reasonable option.