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DVC 2016 Strategy Help!

MrsPants

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Hi all,
We are hoping to exchange or rent into Aulani or DVC Grand Californian next September, 2016. Also HHV in Waikiki if we cannot get Aulani.

Can also stay at Worldmark/Wyndham Anaheim if needed…but would love a Disney hotel experience for our girls. Its a long way from Auckland, so the bigger the better I say!!

Already booked and confirmed for a week at KingsLand on the Big Island, which we have stayed at before and loved.

So, would love some help in the below:
-How does RCI rental work? They are telling me we set up a search using TPUs and then they are not used if successful. Also quoting tiny tiny figures for a 7 night stay at either DVC, so we are wondering if correct….$NZ1800 for the week.
-We only have 48TPU to search with, so I know our chances are limited. What would you say the possibility is for exchange or rental?
-My parents also own, and have 50+ TPU to search with, so we were thinking to get them searching also, then guest certificate in.
-As its over a year out we think we are leaving enough time….fingers and toes crossed something comes through. If not HHV and Kingsland are the backups.

Any ideas or tips would be much appreciated :)

K
 

DeniseM

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Those are 2 very difficult exchanges - if you are requesting just one week at each resort, you are very unlikely to get them. The best way to get these resorts is to request the whole year.

RCI rentals at these 2 resorts are also unlikely. I would look at the websites for Disney Vacation Club rentals, but expect to pay around $5,000 for a 2 bdm.
 

ailin

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The Grand Californian is the holy grail of exchanging to me. I've had an ongoing search for anytime for at least a year now - nothing.

Take a look at the DVC rental prices. These are the two I looked into (or rent direct from an owner, which will be a little cheaper). They both have easy to use cost calculators.

https://www.dvcrequest.com/
http://dvcrentalstore.com/

David's charges $98 just to check availability (refundable if they do not find anything), DVC Rental Store does not. I learned the hard way that the upfront charge is actually a good thing because they go ahead and make the reservation. DVC Rental Store found 2 nights availability at Grand Californian for me, but by the time I got back to them, it was gone (this was about 6 months in advance). The Grand Californian DVC side is very small, so you may want to pay extra and book 11 months in advance.

If you decide to go for HHV, the bulk deposit for 2016 has already hit, so if the week you want is still there, I would grab it.
 

MrsPants

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Wow- thanks! Didn't realise the rentals were so hard to come by…appreciate you sending through other sites to rent through.
Should I put in for them anyway, and wait it out, plus backups like other Anaheim properties?

Shocked HHV deposited so early but maybe if I get in now I can get a cancellation?
 

ailin

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Wow- thanks! Didn't realise the rentals were so hard to come by…appreciate you sending through other sites to rent through.
Should I put in for them anyway, and wait it out, plus backups like other Anaheim properties?

Shocked HHV deposited so early but maybe if I get in now I can get a cancellation?

I don't remember ever hearing of Grand Californian as a rental through RCI. Aulani was available as a rental a while back, but the price wasn't what you were quoted (see thread).

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=200412

All the HGVC Hawaii properties were bulk deposited recently, I thought that was how you got King's Land? If you haven't already, you should check out the Sightings board. Yes, you might be able to catch a cancellation, but since your time frame is limited you'll need a lot more luck.
 

MrsPants

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We have got Kingsland, but possible to cancel :)

Is it worth considering Orlando and all the DVC resorts there, to better our chances? Huge flight from NZ (20 hours), but it would be worth it if we could get a week….

More likely to get into one of the resorts in Florida do you all think? Sorry for all the dumb questions….fairly new to this and unsure of possibilities with resorts.

Thanks in advance!!!
 

DeniseM

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Aulani and the Grand Californian are two of the most difficult exchanges anywhere.

You will have a MUCH better chance if you broaden your request to include other resorts, however, DVC is still more difficult than the other top Orlando resorts.
 

brigechols

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We have got Kingsland, but possible to cancel :)

Is it worth considering Orlando and all the DVC resorts there, to better our chances? Huge flight from NZ (20 hours), but it would be worth it if we could get a week….

More likely to get into one of the resorts in Florida do you all think? Sorry for all the dumb questions….fairly new to this and unsure of possibilities with resorts.

Thanks in advance!!!

Far more Disney resorts in Florida than California or Oahu :D Yes, you are more likely to successfully exchange into DVC Florida than the other locations. How old are your girls? They may be more excited about spending time at Bippity Boppity Boutique and a behind the scene tour of Disney rather than staying onsight.
 

presley

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The DVC in California is very tough to get because they have less than 50 units at all and only some of those will ever be deposited to RCI. It's a great location and worth paying out the big bucks to an owner to rent it for a once in a lifetime trip.

Worldmark (RCI) has 2 properties nearby and they are both fine, but more apartment living than a resort like the Disney property. So does Shell's Peacock Suites. If you won't spend much time in your room, you can do what I do which is to stay at one of those and still go to eat or go to the lobby bar at DVC. We find that we only sleep in shower in our room and it wasn't worth the expense for us to stay at the DVC property when most parts of it are available to the public anyway. You won't be able to use the pool, but you can do anything else you want to do while there.

I think you have plenty of time to put in a request for HHV for 2016 and be able to grab a cancellation. When I wanted a 2 bedroom on Oahu, I entered HHV, Aulani and the Wydham in my search and Lagoon Tower for HHV was what matched. Being an owner with HGVC I am blocked from the bulk deposits and I can only book those 9 months out and the match came in about 8 months out during a very popular travel time. So, you aren't too late, but there are never any guarantees with exchanges.

If you have your heart set on DVC California or Aulani, check out mouseowners.com and you can rent from an owner on their rent/trade/transfer board. I recommend TomandRobin (Robin is also a travel agent). If they don't have points for rent at the time you want to travel, they can suggest other owners to contact.
 

MrsPants

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Thanks again everyone- you guys are amazing!

The girls are 7 and very little (just under 2) so great suggestion about doing things on park instead.

Think we are now sorted- will stay in a local Anaheim hotel for say 5 days to do the parks, then try for an exchange in Carlsbad or something around there, to do Legoland and just chill out for a week after the parks, then to Hawaii (either Big Island or Oahu, or both if lucky!) on the way home.

Putting in all searches today, so fingers and toes crossed… :)
 

DeniseM

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Grand Pacific Palisades is right across the street from Legoland, and it's a very nice resort.
 
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ailin

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Thanks again everyone- you guys are amazing!

The girls are 7 and very little (just under 2) so great suggestion about doing things on park instead.

Think we are now sorted- will stay in a local Anaheim hotel for say 5 days to do the parks, then try for an exchange in Carlsbad or something around there, to do Legoland and just chill out for a week after the parks, then to Hawaii (either Big Island or Oahu, or both if lucky!) on the way home.

Putting in all searches today, so fingers and toes crossed… :)

Sounds like a great trip!

I second the recommendation for Grand Pacific Palisades. They haven't bulk deposited 2016 yet, so your changes are good. It's great for kids, they have a cute water play area and a play structure. To get to the Legoland entrance, all you do is cross one street (there's a crosswalk) and go through the Legoland parking lot.

Legoland is a lot of fun especially for little kids. The water park was just expanded last year. My daughter was 2 the last time we went, afterwards, she kept asking when are we going back to "Wegoland". :)
 

MrsPants

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Had a confirm come up with HHV Lagoon Tower today…..what are the chances!!! So ended up canceling Big Island (KingsLand) as we have stayed there before, and confirming in Waikiki. That way, we could spring for a few nights at Aulani as well, to round out the Disney experience :)

So now, its searching around Anaheim for a week from 17th September….hopefully should come up. Hoping for Wyndham/Worldmark but guess Dolphins Cove is an ok second?

How fun!!!!!

K
 

presley

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So now, its searching around Anaheim for a week from 17th September….hopefully should come up. Hoping for Wyndham/Worldmark but guess Dolphins Cove is an ok second?

That is a low demand week and you are searching over a year out. I'd be very surprised if you didn't get the exchange.

I haven't stayed in the Wyn/WM Anaheim, but I have stayed in Dolphin's Cove. It was like a small apartment, but very convenient. Casual family restaurant next door and you can walk to a nearby Disneyland parking lot and catch the Disneyland bus that will take you to the front of the park.
 

MrsPants

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Thanks- we only have 35TPUs to search with, so I have my parents searching for us also at DVC as well as Wyndham/Worldmark Anaheim….they have 60TPUs so much more likely to strike :)
 
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