REFERNCE request for www.DreamVacationNetwork.com especially from ECVC members

[flexible Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close flexible]

We would like to check references for http://login.dreamvacationnetwork.com/ especially from members of who use DVN primarily to pay in FULL for cruises using timeshare deposits INSTEAD of http://www.iceenterprise.com/ (ICE) aka http://OurVacationCenter.com/ (that uses about 100 business names). We only recently learned about DVN http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/9/prweb8801378.htm from Donita Cilch , a timeshare pioneer. We want to hear from DVN cruisers regarding DVN's business practices, integrity, and whether they DELIVER the PUBLISHED rates on their website. We are too familiar and VERY disappointed with ICE/OVC and unwillingness to honor OVC redemption rates for ECVC members published rates on http://ElCidVacationsClub.com/ We’d like to pay http://www.DonitaVacationNetwork.com ‘s membership fee and use DVN for our 2013 cruises IF what we viewed in their website is true. Thanks in advance for any advice.

I think I posted a request on TS4MS about July 2012 similar to the one below but I need to search this site to find it.

http://www.timeshareforums.com/forum...eedback-needed

19 July 2012
RCI Cruise OurVacationCenter.com & ICE Enterprises feedback needed

We have enjoyed many wonderful cruises using our http://ElCidVacationsClub.com contract with El Cid’s cruise fulfillment provider which uses many company names & websites including:
http://www.iceenterprise.com/
http://www.icegallery.com/
http://ourvacationcenter.com/
http://www.myplatinumrewards.com
http://carnivalvacationclub.com
They also book all RCI Cruise reservations.
SFX appears to be one of their subsidiaries too.

Our El Cid contract for 3.8M annual points includes 4 AI (all inclusive food & beverages) at no additional cost whenever one of us is a registered guest. Reservations are handled by http://RCI.Latam.com in Mexico City. We can use our points for many Wyndham resorts with no exchange fee. We can bank them for RCI as 3.8M ECVC = 3.8M RCI annual points. Please do no consider my comments as an endorsement of the program. We paid $356,901 for our ECVC contract which expires in 2029 when my husband is 103 & I am 73. Our annual MF is currently $7564. There are days when I would love to cancel the contract and walk away from the grief of making cruise reservations. But overall it has provided wonderful experiences traveling the world.

http://RCI.Latam.com recently said we are limited to 700,000 points per transaction with RCI Points Partners per year. My understanding is that RCI initially sold RCI Point programs allowing UNLIMITED use of RCI points for RCI Point Partners but later changed the rules to ONLY allow 1/3 of the annual contracts for point partner transactions. Does anyone with a similar contract perhaps Wyndham know what the rule is or if it is really only 700K?

My husband purchased many timeshares beginning in the 1980s. He paid separate membership fees with ICE/OVC affiliates with Velas Resorts, Pueblo Bonito, Polo Towers contracts etc. Polo Towers sent us a letter stating they decided to drop their affiliation with ICE/OVC about a year ago because ICE/OVC required them to pay a huge amount (perhaps 90K?) and they determined only a very small number of Polo Towers members were trading their week for a cruise discount.

I have NEVER found any of those ICE/OVC memberships or RCI Cruise (or II cruise program) to provide a fair value. But since we could use unlimited ECVC points to FULLY pay for some great cruises, we were happy to book them.

I have been exchanging emails with executives at both OVC & El Cid regarding their programs. ICE/OVC/ECVC is starting to modify their contract. I would be very grateful for feedback from others who have booked or tried to book cruises or land tours with any of their companies.

Has ICE/OVC honored their ADVERTISED redemption rate associated with your timeshare/cruise program? If you have booked with them, have you had to pay a substantial amount of cash for your cruise/land tour in addition to giving them your timeshare week or points? Or are you able to book cruises with NO cash outlay except perhaps port fees, taxes and gratuities.

ICE/OVC uses Sabre Global Distribution System (GDS) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabre_(computer_system). It would be very helpful to learn about your experiences especially when booking Non GDS Cruise lines with their company. ICE/OVC agents need to call Non GDS cruise lines to verify prices when booking (Their agents can book companies like Princess, RCCL etc on their Sabre GDS system without verifying prices.

Non GDS cruise lines include:
Amadeus Waterways - http://www.amawaterways.com
Globus
http://www.Hurtigruten.us
Majestic American Cruise Line - does someone know their official website URL?
http://www.OceaniaCruises.com
Regent Seven Seas http://www.rssc.com
Silver Sea Cruises - does someone know their official website URL?
Uniworld - does someone know their official website URL?
http://www.VikingRiverCruises.com/
http://www.WindstarCruises.com/

Thank you in advance for any information or feedback.

[SallyHoover Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close SallyHoover]

Did you ever see this thread OY? I haven't heard of any members here or OY taking advantage of joining DVN. It seems like an expensive buy in especially when you have already spent so much "buying in" on everything you alread own. I don't think any membership or club is going to offer you more toward a cruise than what they can rent out what you are giving them and make a profit. Hopefully some real members will respond and it won't be deafening silence like on the Donita Sightings board or worse yet only shills.

[flexible Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close flexible]

Hi Sally,

Yes, I had seen the post OY. Donita had seen it too and we discussed it when we had lunch with her in late September before we crossed the US/Mexico border.

I requested referrals from DVN members and hopefully at least one is a ECVC member. I agree the bottom line is that any company including DVN needs to make a profit to stay in business. It seems like their business model is to be an alternative to RCI.

RCI and II do not have competitive cruise programs. The ECVC/OVC as published is a reasonable program. However, OVC seems to invent reasons to demand substantial cash payments for any reason and cash only for many of the experiential vacations etc in the ECVC book. We are not sure if it is a result of the global economic problems or challenges for Mexico timeshare programs.

One of our concerns is that IF DVN is such a great program, why is is hard to find members discussing it online?