Disney Strategies

Hello All,

What's the best strategy for landing a DVC vacation for Jun/Jul 2010. I'm planning on making a Wyn/FF points deposit into RCI in July through PartnersPlus. I'm setting my sites on a 3br + 1Br or two 2br's at any DVC resort. I'm also willing to split resorts. I've never planned this far ahead. I've always exchanged at the 45day period, but for DVC I know I must plan ahead. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Oh! Also, how should I deposit points? Should I split them to see if I pull any DVC or just go for it? My first thought is to call an RCI VC and just tell them what I want, but I'm not sure because you never know what kind of VC you're going to get. Anyway thanks in advance!

Diane

There are exchanges right now for ten months out. So if you wait until ten months before your date, it should get something Disney.

I have no idea how you search with Plus Partners, though I am considering it as one of my options for Disney later on. I have had to reconsider the ways to do these things very recently.

RPorter1 said:

Hello All,

What's the best strategy for landing a DVC vacation for Jun/Jul 2010. I'm planning on making a Wyn/FF points deposit into RCI in July through PartnersPlus. I'm setting my sites on a 3br + 1Br or two 2br's at any DVC resort. I'm also willing to split resorts. I've never planned this far ahead. I've always exchanged at the 45day period, but for DVC I know I must plan ahead. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Oh! Also, how should I deposit points? Should I split them to see if I pull any DVC or just go for it? My first thought is to call an RCI VC and just tell them what I want, but I'm not sure because you never know what kind of VC you're going to get. Anyway thanks in advance!

Diane

Click to expand...

You have literally NO chance of getting Disney using a deposit on the Weeks side of RCI. I think that most here will agree that Wyndham deposits lack the trade power to pull Disney or any of the top tier resorts.

So your best chance to get Disney via Wyndham is the partner plus option, which is basically access RCI Points. Since points are only available at the 10 month mark at most, depositing now will not get you anything or any leg up. I think you might as well just wait until you hear of disney being available via points in RCI. You can't put an ongoing search in the partner plus points resorts, because there are NO ongoing search in points, you only have access to the inventory that is available.

A 2 BR is a lofty goal for Disney a 3 BR is even more unlikely. The reason you can only access what Disney deposits in points. They may never deposit a 3 BR. Some have been seen but I am just trying to level set your expectations.

Now for the important question, Do you have "Plus Partners" on your account. Not all Wyndham accounts have this option. Just want to make sure that you know that NOT everyone has Plus Partners. Do you?

rickandcindy23 said:

There are exchanges right now for ten months out. So if you wait until ten months before your date, it should get something Disney.

I have no idea how you search with Plus Partners, though I am considering it as one of my options for Disney later on. I have had to reconsider the ways to do these things very recently.

Click to expand...

You can't search with Plus Partners, you must call Wyndham and they will transfer you over to a VC at RCI who deals with Wyndham and can do the search.

Are the exchanges available in the weeks system or the points system? I would assume if you can see them in weeks, you can get them in points, but you never know these days.

Sandy Lovell said:

You have literally NO change of getting Disney using a deposit on the Weeks side of RCI. I think that most here will agree that Wyndham deposits lack the trade power to pull Disney or any of the top tier resorts.

So your best chance to get Disney via Wyndham is the partner plus option, which is basically access RCI Points. Since points are only available at the 10 month mark at most, depositing now will not get you anything or any leg up. I think you might as well just wait until you hear of disney being available via points in RCI. You can't put an ongoing search in the partner plus points resorts, because there are NO ongoing search in points, you only have access to the inventory that is available.

A 2 BR is a lofty goal for Disney a 3 BR is even more unlikely. The reason you can only access what Disney deposits in points. They may never deposit a 3 BR. Some have been seen but I am just trying to level set your expectations.

Now for the important question, Do you have "Plus Partners" on your account. Not all Wyndham accounts have this option. Just want to make sure that you know that NOT everyone has Plus Partners. Do you?

Click to expand...

Sandy,

Thanks for the information. I do have "Plus Partners" on my account. So, I guess my best bet and only option using PP is to contact RCI directly and let them do the search for me. Since, I can't do an ongoing search, will it be necessary for me to keep checking in via phone, or can I see avaialbility myself online? I know I've set my hopes high, but what the heck, it's Disney. I'm also waiting to deposit in July so I can go two years out.

RPorter1 said:

Sandy,

Thanks for the information. I do have "Plus Partners" on my account. So, I guess my best bet and only option using PP is to contact RCI directly and let them do the search for me. Since, I can't do an ongoing search, will it be necessary for me to keep checking in via phone, or can I see avaialbility myself online? I know I've set my hopes high, but what the heck, it's Disney. I'm also waiting to deposit in July so I can go two years out.

Click to expand...

You really do not deposit points in Plus Partners. You must call (every day if you have to), checking to see if there is inventory available. If there is inventory the VC will make the booking for you and take out the Wyndham points that correspond to the unit size you booked. The point values for Plus Partners is fixed, so for a red week, a Studio is 70K, a 1 BR 105K, a 2 BR 154K, and a 3BR 254k.

Normally if Weeks inventory is available in a Points resort, RCI will normally let you book that Weeks inventory.

However I don't know 2 things, mainly because I have never tried. 1) Will you be allowed to book a weeks deposit via points prior to the 10 month window opening up? 2) Will Wyndham let you book a Weeks inventory from the Points side, or will they force you to book it via your own RCI Weeks account they provide you.

Right now I do NOT see any Disney inventory in weeks for the June/July 2010 timeframe you are looking for. I was searching with my HGVC which should find anything that was available, as it is considered a tiger trader.

Diane - I have read your posts on both boards - here and on Wyn forums. I feel like you are still confused about some of the mechanics of the program. I think that you understand that you are going to need to use the PP program - but you have referenced "split up the points" and "deposit 2 years out" and see what you can get. PP is a straight forward program - it is a 'fixed deposit' - you MUST deposit the amount in the table ( 154k) to get a 2 bedroom Red week in the RCI PP program. Period. Doesn't matter "when you made the deposit", etc. It just must be available in the program pool.

"Splitting up the points" and "deposit 2 years out" and "see what it can get" is alll about making deposits into the RCI trading side. That is where 28k deposits can get you a 2 redroom, red week.....at a non-prime time, non-prime resort, etc. As Sandy L has pointed out, and as I did on the Wyn forum, no Wyndham RCI points deposit on the trading side is going to get you a DVC (at this point in time - it will take a program change and agreement between RCI and Wyn)

I see the same thing as Sandy L. - May 2010 is "out there" now - sometime "soon" June 2010 will be appearing - you are must going to have to keep checking.

Sandy Lovell said:

You really do not deposit points in Plus Partners. You must call (every day if you have to), checking to see if there is inventory available. If there is inventory the VC will make the booking for you and take out the Wyndham points that correspond to the unit size you booked. The point values for Plus Partners is fixed, so for a red week, a Studio is 70K, a 1 BR 105K, a 2 BR 154K, and a 3BR 254k.

Normally if Weeks inventory is available in a Points resort, RCI will normally let you book that Weeks inventory.

However I don't know 2 things, mainly because I have never tried. 1) Will you be allowed to book a weeks deposit via points prior to the 10 month window opening up? 2) Will Wyndham let you book a Weeks inventory from the Points side, or will they force you to book it via your own RCI Weeks account they provide you.

Right now I do NOT see any Disney inventory in weeks for the June/July 2010 timeframe you are looking for. I was searching with my HGVC which should find anything that was available, as it is considered a tiger trader.

Click to expand...

Thanks for checking the inventory. You know, I'm not sure either how the points book. When I did call a few weeks ago trying to figure the best way to deposit, the VC suggested I deposit only 70K points at a time because the PP enables me to get automatic upgrades to any size inventory above that
70K mark without additional points. Again, I'm not sure about this as the advice seems to change from VC to VC and since it is Disney, this seems like a stretch. If I got two of any DVC resort, I'd consider myself lucky.

What the VC was talking about was generic point deposits - NOT PP. It is basically true that a 70k generic (studio) will pull the same units as a 105k (1 bedroom) and 154k (3 bedrooms). VCs have told me they trade the same (pre June 1 RCI change) and I validated it myself. I have not re-validated since the June 1 RCI change up. But again - that is NOT PP, it is weeks deposits for searching in RCI - and these deposits are NOT pulling Disney, and are not expected to unless there is a big agreement change between RCI and Wyn.

As I stated in my previous post - you are mixing up PP and generic deposits.

If you want Disney - you need to use the PP route. If you "deposit 70k" points thinking you are getting "an upgrade" - you are going to get a 70k, generic deposit in RCI that is good for searching (NOT PP) for 3 years. You will then not have the points available for PP when you see a Disney in the RCI Nightly Stays program (which is where you use the PP program.)

sandkastle4966 said:

What the VC was talking about was generic point deposits - NOT PP. It is basically true that a 70k generic (studio) will pull the same units as a 105k (1 bedroom) and 154k (3 bedrooms). VCs have told me they trade the same (pre June 1 RCI change) and I validated it myself. I have not re-validated since the June 1 RCI change up. But again - that is NOT PP, it is weeks deposits for searching in RCI - and these deposits are NOT pulling Disney, and are not expected to unless there is a big agreement change between RCI and Wyn.

As I stated in my previous post - you are mixing up PP and generic deposits.

If you want Disney - you need to use the PP route. If you "deposit 70k" points thinking you are getting "an upgrade" - you are going to get a 70k, generic deposit in RCI that is good for searching (NOT PP) for 3 years. You will then not have the points available for PP when you see a Disney in the RCI Nightly Stays program (which is where you use the PP program.)

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Thanks so much for the advice. For a newby it's all very confusing. I think I now have a good idea of what I need to do to have the best chance of pulling a DVC resort. Once I deposit points through the PP program, is it possible to view availability online, or will I need to contact a VC everyday?

RPorter1 said:

Thanks so much for the advice. For a newby it's all very confusing. I think I now have a good idea of what I need to do to have the best chance of pulling a DVC resort. Once I deposit points through the PP program, is it possible to view availability online, or will I need to contact a VC everyday?

Click to expand...

You do not deposit points to Plus Partners---as many people have said. You have to call----but you don't need to do so everyday, as people have *also* said, because Points units can only be deposited at 10 months.

You should probably read up on the program at the Wyndham owners forum:

http://forums.atozed.com/viewforum.php?f=173

bnoble said:

You do not deposit points to Plus Partners---as many people have said. You have to call----but you don't need to do so everyday, as people have *also* said, because Points units can only be deposited at 10 months.

You should probably read up on the program at the Wyndham owners forum:

http://forums.atozed.com/viewforum.php?f=173

Click to expand...

I'll call next week and talk to a VC, I've read all the post from the link you attached, and quite honestly, the information there was not much help. My only other question is, if I call a VC and start a PP search for available DVC resorts, can I check for them myself online, or do I have to rely solely on a VC to contact me if something becomes available?

If you call a VC and ask them to start a "PP Search for DVC" - in all likelihood you will get a generic deposit and start an on-going search. You will not be able to see the generic search online. VCs do call when on-going searches get a match. However, the odds of getting a call with a match are basically zero as you will have gotten a generic deposit.

To repeat **again** what Brian, Sandy and myself have said - these are 2 different things:

1) Wyn deposit into RCI - can do on-going searches. Can start 2 years out from desired date. Will NOT get Disney. 70k trades (red studio) trades (more of less) the same a 154k (3 bedrooms studio)

2) PP Program. NO searches. You call Wyn, ask for a reservation thru PP (do not say deposit or search). If it is in the program, and it is within the rules (10 months), they will take points, and fees according to the program as posted.

On Friday - you got this response on the Wyn Forum:

You should read up on Plus Partners section - Nightly stays. It is more like using you points inside wyndham. You look for availability and if it is there you pay the price - points. No trading power. Points are points. You do not deposit. You pay the points at the time and an exchange fee Also with Disney you will pay a transportsion fee for each unit.

Glenn Benscoter
Did you read this section?

You need to make your mind a clean sheet and start again - the material at Wyn is very thorough but there is a lot of it. You have it in your head that it works a certain way and it is does not. The material is not helping, because either you have not read the read the right stuff yet, or it is conflicting with how you think it works.

FYI - I have a 2 bedroom DVC Animal Kingdom confirmation that I booked 2 weeks ago. I booked another week last night (3 bedroom ski !!) - the Wyn/RCI VC saw my confirmation and said "WOW -how did you get that? It must NOT have been a Wyn deposit - those just can't get that !" and yes, it was my Summer Beach non-wyn fixed week.

Diane, try this, starting from scratch...

There are two RCI programs, both of which you may access using your PlusPartners-eligible Wyndham points.

One program is "RCI Weeks" and here's the procedure to use it with Wyndham Points:

• All Wyndham points owners who trade through RCI may use this system.
• Ask Wyndham to make a generic Wyndham weekly deposit (28K, 42K, 70K, etc.). This may be done on the phone or online at Wyndham.
• If you ask for and receive a visible deposit, you may use it to search online at RCI. Otherwise, to use your deposit, you must call RCI.
• Transfer to or call RCI's desk for Wyndham owners.
• Request an ongoing search for an exchange against your deposit. (You may do this online if you have a visible week, but they usually trade poorly.) Upgrades in size or season may or may not be possible in RCI Weeks.
• Pay the exchange fee and confirm if your request is available or wait for a match.
• These deposits expire 2 years after you've deposited them.
• DVC does deposit some of their inventory into RCI Weeks, but not all.
• These Wyndham deposits into RCI Weeks do NOT currently have the trade power to secure a DVC exchange.

The other program is "RCI Points" and here's the procedure to use it with PlusPartners:

• Only Wyndham points owners who have PlusPartners may use their Wyndham points within this system.
• Call Wyndham's PlusPartners line and ask about using PlusPartners for an RCI Points reservation - you'll end up speaking to someone who can access RCI Points inventory.
• Ask if there's availability (1-7 nights) that interests you within the next 10 months.
• They'll look in the RCI Points inventory and tell you what's available. (This cannot be done online at this time with PlusPartners. But you can read about RCI Points Exchange Opportunities or Sightings on these forums.)
• If you want something they have, you pay the exchange fee and they withdraw the appropriate number of Wyndham points from your account for the received exchange. They use a standard chart (ex., red 1BR = 105K).
• DVC does deposit some of their inventory into RCI Points, but not all.
• This is currently the only way to trade Wyndham points into DVC resorts through RCI.
• With PlusPartners, you make no deposits and so there are no expiration dates and no ongoing search requests. It's more like "search first" but using the RCI Points system and inventory.
• You do need to call often, starting 10 months before your desired check-in date.
• With PlusPartners, there are no trade power restrictions. As long as you have enough points to get whatever is available, it's yours.

Hope that makes sense.

Lisa, that is about as clear as you can make it for RPorter.

Wyndham has 3 programs really. 1) Within Wyndham itself. And then it has 2 flavors within RCI. 2) RCI Weeks, which every Wynd owners has. and 3) RCI Points which only Wynd owners with "Plus Partners" have.

So RPorter, you keep mixing up RCI versions with each other. Have we gotten it straight for you yet?

By the way Disney, although it is in RCI Nightly stay, is ONLY available for 7 day increments. You must take a whole week.

I'm pleased to report that this old lady has finally got it! I want to thank all of you so much for your kind advice and most especially your patience. In the past I've always been able to call a VC, put in a request, and just sit back and wait. I knew getting a DVC resort would take allot more effort and a little different approach. Thanks to all of you here, I now have a clear understanding of what I need to do to maximize my chances. Lisa P., you made it crystal clear. I hope this string will help other newbie’s who also find the exchange process confusing to say the least. When I land my vacation (and I know I will) I’ll be sure to respond back to this post and let everyone know.