bluegreen and disney vacation club to merge ?

[iapetus79 Member Find all posts View Profile Close iapetus79]

my brother who is a new owner went to his first update meeting at the beginning of may and thought he heard them say that a new feature is the use of disney vacation club locations and using points for that ?? anyone know anything about this ?? does this mean we can use our points for the disney meal plan ?

we have a scheduled vacation to the fountains in dec 2010 to go to disney and we are trying to figure out our plans for tix, meal plan etc...any advice is greatly appreciated as we will have 4 kids under the age of 5.

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

I believe with Bluegreen you can exchange into DVC using RCI by doing a polints deposit and paying an exchange fee, but I don't believe that DVC and Bluegreen have any direct affiliation yet.

As far as I am aware, Disney only has a direct exchange relationship with Club Cordial and Club Intrawest resorts.

The salesperson might have been phrasing it to sound as if it was a closer affiliation than it really is at the moment. Not that it would be a bad thing for DVC. I'd welcome it but don't see any mention of it on the members website.

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

It's possible to trade into DVC using weeks but it's pretty points pricey (although cheaper than owning or renting Disney, last I knew). You don't get any of the meal or ticket deals, though. The only way to get those I know of is to own DVC or to get rooms at a Disney hotel. If you do the math, it's generally cheaper to rent off-site and get tickets for essentially full price (it's pretty easy to knock 10% off but much beyond that is tough), and either get a meal deal or plan to eat off site part of the time. At one time the meal deals were for at least one sit-down meal a day; I think now you can get a counter service meal deal but if not, again, it's generally a better deal to pay upfront, depending on the ages of your kids.

The meal deals are great if you have a couple of little ones who're free; usually not such a great deal otherwise when you consider the options. Even people who stay on Disney property often find that they can get a better deal by paying for their meals and tickets and taking the biggest discount available on the room than by getting one of the combined room, ticket and meal deals. You have to constantly compare the various deals to see what works best for your and your family.

I've found lots of good info on Disney deals at the Dis boards:

Disney Discount Codes and Rates - The DIS Discussion Forums - DISboards.com

Disney Dining Plan - The DIS Discussion Forums - DISboards.com

The Budget board and the Orlando Hotels board also have discussions on deals, and may be better places to post if you're staying off-site, since most people posting to the Disney Resorts board are pretty rabid about staying ON site, to the point where some think it isn't a "real" Disney vacation if you're not on property. The restaurant board's a bit more realistic about what you get for your money, is my impression, with a fair percentage of people who recognize the reality that Disney food is essentially fast and/or processed food for the most part, and thus not ambrosia.

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

Last summer, we stayed at a family suite at All Star Music. It sleeps six, has a private BDRM, two baths, refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker. It really wasn't overly expensive. We were lucky to get the buy four nights, get three free promotion running at the time, which also included free tix for 3 days. It was a much better option than a traditional hotel room and not nearly as expensive as renting from a DVC owner. We couldhave stayed at a TS in the area, but wanted to be on Disney property. That's so much easier when you have kids because you can go back to your room at any time without having to drive back to the TS. (All guests staying on the property have access to the Disney shuttle system. It's very slow and there can be long lines, though.)
Another plus of staying on Disney property is that you can get on one park an hour early and stay one or more hours later at another park in the evening. (This rotates, check with the hotel staff or see the Disney web site for info.) The meal plan has never been a good option for us. We don't eat enough food/meals to make it worthwhile. Plus, having some kitchen facilities allowed us to eat some meals in the room.

[dukebigtom Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dukebigtom]

Funny that this would be posted today. I was thinking it would be great if Disney and BG were associated. Then I came back to reality and realized I was dreaming a dream I am not likely to ever see.

The good news is we have the ability to trade into DVC and or use our points in some cases.

BigTom

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

Last summer, we stayed at a family suite at All Star Music. It sleeps six, has a private BDRM, two baths, refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker. It really wasn't overly expensive. We were lucky to get the buy four nights, get three free promotion running at the time, which also included free tix for 3 days. It was a much better option than a traditional hotel room and not nearly as expensive as renting from a DVC owner.

They're building over a thousand more of those in the new "Art of Animation" resort (over the bridge from the Pop Century resort, where there are already some framed in buildings). I'd rather stay at the Fountains, myself, but I think the Disney suites can be a great deal for people with little ones.

I think DVC would be smart to set up a partnership with a smaller points system, something like the "Select Connections" thing between Bluegreen and Shell, because the DVC has such a limited number of choices in system. Haven't heard any rumors about it, though. I expect it's just people talking about the fact that Disney's now part of RCI.

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

it's generally cheaper to rent off-site and get tickets for essentially full price (it's pretty easy to knock 10% off but much beyond that is tough), and either get a meal deal or plan to eat off site part of the time.

I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote that; you have to be onsite to get a Disney meal plan. I meant that it can be cheaper to stay off-site and eat on-site without the meal deal, especially if you're not doing many sit-down meals. There are websites that offer fairly current prices for Disney restaurants and most of the fast food joints and even some of the carts - be aware, however, that if someone priced stuff in February the same meal may be pricier in high seasons. You can sometimes get essentially the same meal at one of the resorts for less than it costs in one of the parks - and meals at the resorts on the monorail are sometimes more expensive than resorts you'd have to drive to from the parks. Convenience costs.

[bladeguy1308 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bladeguy1308]

Here's a link for menus to all disney restaurants.

Deb's Unofficial Walt Disney World Vacation Information Guide - WDW Planning Guide - Walt Disney World

[kcbedo Member Find all posts View Profile Close kcbedo]

my brother who is a new owner went to his first update meeting at the beginning of may and thought he heard them say that a new feature is the use of disney vacation club locations and using points for that ?? anyone know anything about this ?? does this mean we can use our points for the disney meal plan ?

we have a scheduled vacation to the fountains in dec 2010 to go to disney and we are trying to figure out our plans for tix, meal plan etc...any advice is greatly appreciated as we will have 4 kids under the age of 5.

The sales guy was probably talking about the RCI "points" account that you can now get if you have Travelers Plus. You can use your Bluegreen points to directly book a DVC week if it is available in the RCI "points" inventory. (Studio-9000pts, 1 Bed-11000pts, 2 Bed 18000pts). Then you add $179 transaction fee, and a $95 resort fee.

[vintner Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close vintner]

So you stay at The Fountains in a 2 bedroom for 13,000-18,000 points depending on the unit, and drive a short distance to Disney. Saves $274 and spend that on a few good evenings out. That is what we did last time, and may do that again next March.

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

There is nothing like staying onsite. I think it's worth the splurge at least once in your life. I'm sure the Fountains is a nicer resort but there is just something about the pixie dust that falls on you when you stay onsite.

Gotta experience it. Can't really describe it.

If you are just doing Universal & the other parks outside the Disney world then I wouldn't bother with wasting points to stay onsite, but if not, try to stay onsite. Totally worth it IMO.

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

Chris, I'm drinking that koolaid

We've stayed at the Fountains for Disney trips twice, but the next (and likely final) time I take my kids to Disney, I want to stay on site.

Which resort (s) are best for a trip that is primarily geared to good park access? I know some of the DVC resorts aren't very close to the parks.

I think Beach Club Villas are often recommended as a good location for park-goers with kids. Right now kids are 11, 9, and 6, and we're already booked up for next year, so probably I'm looking at 13, 11, and 8 by the time we hit Disney again.

Thanks

Anita

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

Anita,

I think for park access and if you want to be there at rope drop then Wilderness lodge and Bay Lake are great for Magic Kingdom. Beach Club and Boardwalk for Epcot and the Studios.

I personally love all the resorts. Contrary to most people I like Old Key West and Animal Kingdom probably best for laid back vacationing. Boardwalk is my favorite for Food & Wine. But honestly I'll take anything I can get anytime since I drive and don't have to rely on Disney transport unless I want to.

All the resorts have great pools but most people like Beach Club best. To me it gets too crowded but kids love it. I'm booked for Animal Kingdom for Food & Wine because it's a great value for points and I needed a 2 bedroom. AKV doesn't have the best restaurants for kids (lots of curries, hot spices etc.) but for kidless me, I love it.

I don't think you can wrong anywhere you stay. Even the much maligned Saratoga Springs is a beautiful resort with a brand new and improved pool.

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

There is nothing like staying onsite. I think it's worth the splurge at least once in your life. I'm sure the Fountains is a nicer resort but there is just something about the pixie dust that falls on you when you stay onsite.

Gotta experience it. Can't really describe it.

If you are just doing Universal & the other parks outside the Disney world then I wouldn't bother with wasting points to stay onsite, but if not, try to stay onsite. Totally worth it IMO.

You are totally right about staying onsite. It's especially a good thing with kids because you can leave the park in the middle of the day, go back to your room for a nap or swim break and head back to the parks later in the afternoon. And don't forget that you have access to the extra magic hours. Between those and the fast pass system, you can often manage to hit most of the attractions.
Last year, we made a compromise. We stayed onsite for six nights to do just the Disney parks. Then we spent another week in a local TS to do Sea World and Universal. We can't wait to go again. If it wasn't so far, we'd go every year!

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

Which resort (s) are best for a trip that is primarily geared to good park access?

I believe Coronado Springs is the most centrally located resort in terms of all four parks. It is also a convention resort, which for some people means it's less than the "full Disney experience" - and for other people means "fewer people in the pool during the day, so a better Disney experience".

This sub-board has tons of information on the Disney resorts, and often a thread with maps and reviews and room layouts dedicated to a specific resort. You can also ask questions there, of course.

Disney Resorts - The DIS Discussion Forums - DISboards.com

I'd like to stay in a Disney resort, but not with the whole crew. I'd like to go with just hubby sometime, but probably by the time we get the last kid out of the house, we'll be knee-deep in grandkids - although four out of my five kids have not the remotest interest in Disney, so if their offspring follow suit maybe I'll get that second-honeymoon Disney visit yet.