Disney, Bluegreen & RCI

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

Ok...bear with me being new to ALL of this including the jargon.

We obviously would love to use our points towards a Disney vacation. I know we have to make an exchange, and I understand these resorts are in high demand and an ongoing search would be beneficial. I also understand that I have to pay the exchange fee to do the ongoing search. So here are the questions...

1. When looking at the resorts on the RCI/Bluegreen portal, I can't tell how many Bluegreen points I need UNLESS the resort is available. I would like to know how many points I would need to exchange into RCI for this before I exchange them. Is there a way to find this out via web or am I missing something?

2. What is the best way to plan this trip? Tips, advice, how to's.

3. About meal plan, park tickets (including park hopper), etc. How do you obtain these and how do you know what the rates are?

-Ellisa

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

1. When looking at the resorts on the RCI/Bluegreen portal, I can't tell how many Bluegreen points I need UNLESS the resort is available. I would like to know how many points I would need to exchange into RCI for this before I exchange them. Is there a way to find this out via web or am I missing something?

The only advice I can offer is to watch for those dates and write down the numbers the year before you want to go. If there's a list of seasonal points costs somewhere I haven't found it, but I don't think the BG points price changes any from year to year. My impression is that, most of the time off season, DVC studios and 1 BRs are 8000 points, while 2 BRs are 11000. Summer and other popular times, studios are 9000, 1 BRs are 11000 and 2 BRs 18000. Every once in a while, I'll see a 2 BR for 8000 points, but it just seems to be a stray week here or there. And some of the 18000 weeks are head scratchers (I think there are two in January, not including New Year's -- go figure). DVC and Wyndham Bonnet Creek cost about the same number of points, at least those times when I've been able to compare the same weeks at the same time, and it's easier to catch Bonnet Creek listings. That'd give you a ball park figure, at least.

2. What is the best way to plan this trip? Tips, advice, how to's.

If you mean, what's the best way to plan a WDW trip, I can innundate you with info. But the short version is, check your local library for the Unofficial Guide, but use easywdw.com for your crowd calendar. If you mean, what's the best way to plan a BG trade into DVC, sounds like you know as much as I do (I haven't done it yet).

3. About meal plan, park tickets (including park hopper), etc. How do you obtain these and how do you know what the rates are?

I'm not sure how you get the Disney Dining Plan through RCI -- I think you call Disney once you get the confirmation -- but I do know that, if you get it, you have to pay full price when you're in a DVC unit (no discounts). You would get the plan that has one quick serve meal, one table service meal, a snack, and a refillable mug -- you can upgrade, but I don't think they'll let you downgrade -- and you MUST get it for everyone staying in the unit, for every day you're there. For 2013, that means $56/per person over 10 years old/per day (kids three through nine it's eighteen bucks a day or so). If I remember rightly, you don't have to worry about the "peak season" upcharge with DVC, however odds are good prices will be higher next year. You don't have to get the Dining Plan, but if you get it, it has to be the whole time, for everybody.

Unless you're military, the best deal for park tickets is usually through MouseSavers -- sign up with them and you'll get once-a-month offers, which generally include discounted tickets through Undercover Tourist. It's not a great discount, maybe ten percent or so. MouseSavers also lists other discounts as they come up, including AAA and whatnot, but there haven't been many that were very exciting since the "Give a Day Get a Day" offer a few years back. Disney tickets are really pricey the first few days -- $101 for the first day, $196 for a two-day ticket -- but the price per day does go down the more days you go. A five day ticket is "only" $307, or $61/day. Those are direct from Disney prices, which do not include tax; Undercover Tourist prices do include tax, making them a better deal than they may immediately appear. And those are base ticket prices -- add $60 for a park hopper on a 2-day-or-more ticket, and so on (there's a "water parks and more" option as well). Without a park hopper, any of the multi-day tickets will get you into any WDW park, but only one park per day.

If you're using Disney transportation, expect an hour or more travel time between parks, which IMHO makes the park hopper less attractive. We've never used a park hopper, but I think even driving it'd take a while, because you'd have to walk out to your car, find a parking place at the second park, and get to the park via the tram (or a goodly walk, since later in the day you'll be parked further out). Especially with the Magic Kingdom (where the parking lot is across a lagoon from the park, so there's a monorail or boat ride in there as well), that's a goodly chunk of time. But it depends on your touring style, I suppose; some people see that ride time as a nice break in the middle of their day.

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

I appreciate your reply. We've traveled to WDW before, just not through Bluegreen or any other timeshare. Looking forward to "learning" all of this & using it for our advantage.`

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

We've traveled to WDW before, just not through Bluegreen or any other timeshare.

The big tip there is ongoing searches, which you know. For the best odds, put in as many dates as you can (week starting on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) for as many of the DVC resorts as you're willing to stay in. Don't request the area or you'll get stuff you don't want: enter the resort numbers for the Orlando DVCs you're interested in.

DV01 Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas
DV02 Disney's Beach Club Villas
DV03 Disney's Boardwalk Villas
DV05 Disney's Old Key West
DV06 Disney's Saratago Sprigs
DV08 The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge
DV09 Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort

Also, once you get to Disney, there'll be an extra $95 fee. Because they can.

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

Here is the link to the Bluegreen / RCI crossover grid. https://bluegreenowner.com//MS/Resor...01_15_2010.pdf

Most of Florida is red all year. September in Orlando is white time so has the lower point requirement.

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

Ooo, that crossover grid is handy dandy! Thanks, GrayFal.

Also, it explains those headscratcher weeks in January -- which is a slow time in the WDW parks, so lower points within DVC, but a peak time for Florida as a whole.

[ptlohmysoul Member Find all posts View Profile Close ptlohmysoul]

Here is the link to the Bluegreen / RCI crossover grid. https://bluegreenowner.com//MS/Resor...01_15_2010.pdf

Most of Florida is red all year. September in Orlando is white time so has the lower point requirement.

Is there a chart on what color Orlando is on specific dates?

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

How do you put an "ongoing" search in on RCI? I only have the points membership through BG, and never really noticed that option...

what am I missing?

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

Deleted after noticing that question was regarding BG log in.

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

How do you put an "ongoing" search in on RCI? I only have the points membership through BG, and never really noticed that option...

what am I missing?

It is a new option, we can now enter a search thru the Bluegreen portal. Cool!
Edit. You search for what you want, if it is not available it gives you the option to put in an ongoing search.

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

Is there a chart on what color Orlando is on specific dates?

Nope, it is a crap shoot. Experience by checking lets me know about September. Not sure of the cut off dates.

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

3. About meal plan, park tickets (including park hopper), etc. How do you obtain these and how do you know what the rates are?

-Ellisa

Once you have your confirmation you call Member Services at 1-800-800-9800 and they will help you add the Dining plan to your reservation.
I believe you have to do it more than 72 hours before check in. You cannot do it when you check in.
You need to purchase it for everyone in your room for all the dates of your reservation.
You cannot buy a split day dining plan.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-dining-plan.htm

Since you will have a kitchen you might want to forgo the dining plan and see how it goes with eating some meals in your unit.
You can get grocery delivery pretty reasonably.
https://www.strollersandgroceries.com/
If you will have a car then you won't need this service.

If you are going to use Magical Express you also need to notify member services with the names and flight times.
You also have to do this in advance and cannot just show up at the counter at the airport.

There are lots of Disney forums out there with alot of good information.
I like Mouseowners, DIS & wdwforgrownups, but those are just a few.

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

Once you have your confirmation you call Member Services at 1-800-800-9800 and they will help you add the Dining plan to your reservation.
I believe you have to do it more than 72 hours before check in. You cannot do it when you check in.

That reminds me! Whether you want the Dining Plan or not, be sure to call in ahead of time and get your names connected to the room. If you forget, don't let them get you registered before they do that! The names all have to be there in order for the key cards to be coded so you can use them to go to Extra Magic Hours and the like, and once you are registered, it can't be fixed. Or at least that's the tale they tell on the Dis boards. And most irate the teller was, too!

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

Here is the link to the Bluegreen / RCI crossover grid. https://bluegreenowner.com//MS/Resor...01_15_2010.pdf

Most of Florida is red all year. September in Orlando is white time so has the lower point requirement.

Thanks for the crossover grid. I had seen this when looking through this forum and was trying to find it today. Do you know if there is a way to find out the actual resorts "seasons"? For instance some of our Bluegreen resorts don't have a white or blue season. Thus they require a LOT more points to stay. I assumed this grid was just for a general idea, and like Bluegreen, some RCI resorts have only red or ultra red seasons...not white or blue. Also, although I can assume Florida may be red mostly spring and summer, Disney actually has peak times outside of those times, so knowing that resorts seasons would be beneficial.

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

Ok. I figured the answer out to my last question. And in case anyone else is reading this and wondering I'll share...

From the Bluegreen/RCI portal, when looking at Resort Directory, the Resort Details tab elaborates on which weeks are in which seasons for that resort.