Pros and Cons of renting - what will we lose out on?

[Mollygirl21]

Just beginning to explore this option and I'm wondering what we might lose out on?

I priced a 7 night stay at Poly and it works out to $300 per night if we rent DVC points. Current rack rate is about $470.

If we rent DVC points, how will our experience be different than booking the "normal" way?

ADRs
FP+ booking in advance
Magical Express
Magic Bands
Buying park tickets - can they be packaged?
Free dining - I assume there is no chance of this with a DVC rental?

My thinking is that the number one thing we are losing is the potential for a discount - free dining, ticket discounts, etc.

The Pros are obvious - staying at a much nicer resort for much less. However, if there happens to be a 30% room discount, the per night rate is close to $300.

Thanks for your input!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

You will get the room and all the first 4 items on the list including MDE, ADRs, FP+ etc following the same as any other Disney room.

No free dining of course but that comes with a full price room and isn't at all times. You can add the dining package to the DVC room but pay separately. Tickets can be purchased from a broker or direct from Disney. We have usually bought from Undercover Tourist. Their website includes tax in the price and shows the calculated savings vs buying from Disney.

 

[ptlohmysoul]

Daily housekeeping is not included. You will get a change of towels and removal of trash on the 4th day, but no cleaning until the 8th day (if staying that long) unless you pay extra.

 

[cheesemouse]

I would just add that with renting points, you KNOW you are getting the room discount versus HOPING to get a 30% room discount. Another thing with renting is you need to pay more up front at the time of the reservation versus paying the bulk of the room cost at check-in when you don't rent. And, the cancellation options vary lot. You can cancel a room only reservation without much penalty pretty close to your arrival.

 

[rg35]

The biggest con with renting is that you are at the mercy of the owner being responsible. If they default or otherwise don't meet their obligations, you will lose the reservation and your trip will essentially be lost. Third party rental agencies are sometimes able to provide alternatives, but not in all cases. If you are risk averse, or this is a special trip, or something else, then you have to consider carefully if renting is the right option for you.

 

[loves to dive]

There are a few people out there that will let you cancel but they are few and far between. I think there is one broker that has insurance you can buy but frankly the cost and restrictions are such that you might as well get the room from Disney. Another thing about renting is there isn't always a room available to rent when you want it. Just because you see on say David's web site that x is the cost of the rental, that does not mean something will be available. I have rented from David's and found the experience pretty easy but I was 100% sure I was going to be there at the time. I didn't mind the lack of mousekeeping since I don't usually use them except every other day any way.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Another thing about renting is there isn't always a room available to rent when you want it. Just because you see on say David's web site that x is the cost of the rental, that does not mean something will be available.

I would say also, beyond room availability, point availability can be an issue. From 11 months to 7 months before check-in date, Poly can only be booked by owners of timeshare/DVC points at the Poly. They can be hard to find in the rental market. At 7 months, any DVC owner can book any available room at the Poly, and depending on your season, the fastest owner at 8AM EST gets the booking, and they can book up fast. (This October was brutal on that front, and I'm told early December was as well.)

A lot of people renting want Poly, and it tends to come down to 7 month bookings and luck for most of them.

 

[crisi]

Also, be aware that a DVC studio - anywhere but Old Key West is a queen bed and a pullout sofa. Sometimes a small pull down bed to sleep five. The only place you'll get two "real queen beds" would be OKW.

Plan on non-refundable, no cancellations, and no moving the reservation. If you decide you want to add a night, you probably won't be able to do it.

No free dining, no discounts, no packages.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Daily housekeeping is not included. You will get a change of towels and removal of trash on the 4th day, but no cleaning until the 8th day (if staying that long) unless you pay extra.

You have that backwards. If you stay seven nights or less, you get your trash removed and towels replaced on day four. Day one is check in day. If you stay eight nights or more, you get a full cleaning on day four and your trash removed and towels replaced on day eight. Then the cycle repeats for longer stays.

 

[Missyrose]

ADRs
FP+ booking in advance
Magical Express
Magic Bands

These are all the same as with booking through Disney. You'll get a resort confirmation number that you can link to your My Disney Experience account.

Buying park tickets - can they be packaged?
Free dining - I assume there is no chance of this with a DVC rental?

No free dining. You must purchase a room at rack rate and package tickets to be eligible for free dining.

My thinking is that the number one thing we are losing is the potential for a discount - free dining, ticket discounts, etc.

You have to do the math to see if you save more using a DVC rental or free dining, then choose one.

The Pros are obvious - staying at a much nicer resort for much less. However, if there happens to be a 30% room discount, the per night rate is close to $300.

If the rate through Disney is that close (though that entirely depends on the time of year you're looking for), you retain a lot more flexibility going through Disney. You can change dates, change resorts, cancel the trip and get a refund. None of which you can typically do with a rented DVC reservation. Just note that you cannot stack a free dining discount on top of a room-only discount, Disney doesn't allow that.

 

[DenLo]

Also the Poly rate quoted might be for a standard Poly cash room, not a DVC studio. If so be aware that some of the Poly cash rooms (not DVC rooms) do not have balconies on the second floor.

http://www.tikimanpages.com Check out the cons for the building you are considering. I know of three longhouses for the Poly cash rooms don't have balconies on the second floor.

 

[Shellyred8]

Just beginning to explore this option and I'm wondering what we might lose out on?

I priced a 7 night stay at Poly and it works out to $300 per night if we rent DVC points. Current rack rate is about $470.

If we rent DVC points, how will our experience be different than booking the "normal" way?

ADRs
FP+ booking in advance
Magical Express
Magic Bands
Buying park tickets - can they be packaged?
Free dining - I assume there is no chance of this with a DVC rental?

My thinking is that the number one thing we are losing is the potential for a discount - free dining, ticket discounts, etc.

The Pros are obvious - staying at a much nicer resort for much less. However, if there happens to be a 30% room discount, the per night rate is close to $300.

Thanks for your input!

One other thing to keep in mind with purchasing rack rate: you have to pay hotel taxes. At 12%-13% tax rate, that can add up in a hurry. With the DVC points, you pay the one flat amount for the room.

Park tickets - I would recommend going through a reputable discount broker, even if you don't go the DVC route. We use Undercover Tourist a lot. I've also started seeing good deals at parksavers.com. I haven't used them yet, but based on the research I've done on them thus far, they sound reputable. We will probably use them for our next trip.