Pros and cons of DVC versun hotel rooms

[Cshel85]

I keep reading about renting points through DVC, what is the pro can cons of renting points and stayingin a vacation club place versus just staying in a hotel for your stay?

 

[goofy4tink]

You can usually get a much nicer resort if you rent DVC points. You can, most likely, book a room at a DVC resort for the same amount of cash outlay as a moderate room onsite. BUT..you do not get daily housekeeping. And you do not get two beds...you get a queen bed and a double sleep sofa..in a studio. BUT, you do get a kitchenette....micro, fridge, toaster, coffee maker, bar sink, and paper goods, and glasses and coffee mugs.
You could possibly stay at BWV and be able to walk to Epcot and DHS vs staying at POR where you have to take a bus.
You also can't get any 'discounts' when staying at a DVC resort, booked using points. You can add ddp, but you won't ever be able to get free dining.

There are many good things about staying DVC, but you do give some stuff up.

 

[Pakey]

I own DVC. The benefits to a studio in DVC vs regular hotel room is that you can usually get them for less when renting points. The cost savings is the biggest pro.

Another pro is you get a kitchenette (small fridge, microwave, sink). You have one bed and a sleeper sofa so for 2 people, you get a much bigger living area.

The downsides are that it only comes with one bed so if there are more than 2 of you, someone gets stuck on the sleeper sofa. Most of them are not comfortable for adults and when they are open, they take up all of the floor space. There is less drawer space for clothing.

Also, because it's a timeshare, the rooms will not be at the same quality of upkeep as a hotel room. The linens aren't as nice, the funiture may show more wear, etc.

Another downside is that reservations must be paid at the time of booking and there's much more stringent guidelines regarding cancellation. So if you have to cancel, you may be out your $$ with DVC.

A hotel room will have daily housekeeping, renting DVC means you have trash/towel on Day 4 and full cleaning on Day 7. No daily housekeeping or change of linens unless you want to pay extra.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I own DVC. The benefits to a studio in DVC vs regular hotel room is that you can usually get them for less when renting points. The cost savings is the biggest pro.

Another pro is you get a kitchenette (small fridge, microwave, sink). You have one bed and a sleeper sofa so for 2 people, you get a much bigger living area.

The downsides are that it only comes with one bed so if there are more than 2 of you, someone gets stuck on the sleeper sofa. Most of them are not comfortable for adults and when they are open, they take up all of the floor space. There is less drawer space for clothing.

Also, because it's a timeshare, the rooms will not be at the same quality of upkeep as a hotel room. The linens aren't as nice, the funiture may show more wear, etc.

Another downside is that reservations must be paid at the time of booking and there's much more stringent guidelines regarding cancellation. So if you have to cancel, you may be out your $$ with DVC.

A hotel room will have daily housekeeping, renting DVC means you have trash/towel on Day 4 and full cleaning on Day 7. No daily housekeeping or change of linens unless you want to pay extra.

You can book at many different resorts and get different types of villas - studios, one bedroom, two bedrooms, three bedrooms, tree houses, lockoffs, dedicated.

If you stay seven nights or less, you will get your trash removed and towels replaced on day four. If you stay eight nights or more, you get a full cleaning on day four and trash and towel service on day eight. Then the cycle repeats if you stay 12 nights or longer. You can't just request extra towels or additional shampoo and other amenities. You have to pay for them.

Studios could be considered to be comparable to hotel rooms. One bedrooms, while they sleep about the same, have more in the villa than a hotel room. But you will still get one queen sleeper sofa and one king bed. Some will add a twin sized sleeper chair to sleep a fifth person. VWL does not have the twin sized sleeper chair.

Cancellation is next to impossible with a DVC points "rental". You are really purchasing a reservation that the member made with their points from the member. So Disney really isn't involved at all. You can't call the resort to check on the reservation, but you should be able to check on it online. You should be able to add the dining plan, but it will need to be paid for when it is added to the reservation. You can purchase your tickets any way you want, but the member will not purchase them for you.

 

[amym2]

We joined DVC mainly because we like to have a separate sleeping area from the kids and more space. I would consider studios pretty comparable to regular hotel rooms (sometimes they are even smaller, like BLT) but DVC resorts offer one-bedrooms all the way up to three-bedroom Grand Villas. The one-bedrooms give our family more space, plus a full kitchen and washer and dryer.

Also, although some resorts offer DVC and non-DVC rooms (ie Boardwalk, Beach Club, Animal Kingdom), some are strictly DVC (ie Old Key West, BLT, SSR) so the only way to stay there is to own, rent points, or pay Disney rates. DVC resorts offer community halls with family games, activities, bike rentals, etc that may not be found at non-DVC resorts. These are great for those of us who have hit the parks for years and spend more time relaxing at the resort.

 

[Sandi]

Another downside is that reservations must be paid at the time of booking and there's much more stringent guidelines regarding cancellation. So if you have to cancel, you may be out your $$ with DVC.

Cancellation is next to impossible with a DVC points "rental". You are really purchasing a reservation that the member made with their points from the member. So Disney really isn't involved at all. You can't call the resort to check on the reservation, but you should be able to check on it online.

The whole cancellation thing is what keeps me from renting points. When I retire and have a little more control over my vacation time, I will definitely rent points. I have stayed at a few DVC properties by booking through WDW and it is nice to have the kitchen and laundry equipment. My DD also enjoyed the community halls' activities. Right now though, I need a better cancellation policy like those offered directly from WDW.

 

[Deb & Bill]

The whole cancellation thing is what keeps me from renting points. When I retire and have a little more control over my vacation time, I will definitely rent points. I have stayed at a few DVC properties by booking through WDW and it is nice to have the kitchen and laundry equipment. My DD also enjoyed the community halls' activities. Right now though, I need a better cancellation policy like those offered directly from WDW.

But Disney sets the rules on cancellation, so they make it work. However, DVC points expire and availability isn't always that good, especially for a short time frame. So don't expect any better cancellation policy for 'renting' points.

 

[Sandi]

But Disney sets the rules on cancellation, so they make it work. However, DVC points expire and availability isn't always that good, especially for a short time frame. So don't expect any better cancellation policy for 'renting' points.

Right. I'm just saying that when I retire, I'll be able to count on my vacation time better. Right now I have these crazy clients who manage to have problems that make me reschedule vacations all the time.

 

[EagleScout]

In addition to the rules on cancellation, you typically have to book a DVC room much further in advance than a regular hotel reservation, particularly if doing a rental (a direct DVC reservation also has some options for "wait list", etc. that not really an option for renting points). Particularly if you want to go during a relatively busy season (or one of the "DVC busy" seasons that are busy even though overall Disney not so busy, such as Beach Club and Boardwalk during October due to Food&Wine), you need to make your reservation at least 7 months out, at the bare minimum, and strong likelihood of limited or no availability if wait longer than 10 months and 28 days out (the window starts at 11 months). It is a great option for tremendous savings, but you just have to be someone whose schedule can accomodate it.

 

[patty57]

Renting points for DVC is really a great deal as far as price goes. I've rented points a couple of times when I absolutely knew that I was going to WDW and would not have to cancel. Unfortunately, that isn't how things always work, so renting DVC points isn't an option very often. I don't care about the lack of mousekeeping, it's not being able to cancel that keeps me from renting more often. Fortunately, I've found the Swan/Dolphin so I can still get the Epcot location at a much more affordable price.

 

[TDC Nala]

The exception to the sofa bed rule is Old Key West, at least in the studios. OKW studios have two queen size beds. The one bedrooms do have a sofa bed.