Renting DVC Points

[EMHDad]

I know there is a DVC renting forum, but it seems to be more a marketplace than discussion forum. I also would love some objective opinions outside the DVC forum.

We are going to Dis in Jan and staying offsite at a condo. Cant beat the price anywhere in Disney. However, as a present for my wife, I am thinking about a one night stay in the animal kingdom lodge, savannah view.

Doing the math, this would cost 14 points, and most are renting points at about $10 a point. This theoretically is far far cheaper than just getting a one night stay.

My questions are... Has anyone here rented points, and if so, what were your experiences like? How did it turn out for you? ANy suggestions/tips?

Second, anyone stay at animal kingdom lodge with the savannah view? How is that like? Obviously, the PR pictures have giraffes close and right in from of the hotel room. What is is like in reality. Part of the appeal is the idea of drinking coffee in the morning and/or having a cocktail at sunset and watching the animals on the balcony. Any thoughts on experiences? Thanks for the input.

 

[Lyndria]

I am glad you asked this because I had trouble finding answers to my questions over there. I even posted and it never got published.

 

[vicki_c]

You can't post on the Rent/Trade board. It's like a bulletin board where you can response to owners offering their points. It's not for questions.

Good places for questions about renting:
Budget Board
Resorts Board
General DVC boards - Planning, probably is the best one.

 

[skier_pete]

We rented points last year for the AKL (Jambo house). We actually rented in two blocks, so it was technically a split stay, though we never changed room, and we did it through the boards here. Personally, it was great. I was much cheaper than going through the hotel, and all the amenities and such are pretty much the same. I think our average price was $173 a night.

If I was going to stay there again, I would definitely pay the extra money to stay in a Savannah view room. Seeing all the animals each day is VERY cool. We were at the far corner of the resort and I thought it would mean we wouldn't see much, but we saw quite a few animals each day, including the giraffes. Even after 10 days it never got old to look out your window and see all these species. They distributed where they feed the animals, so they move around quite a bit, so while at times there are not many animals around your area, at times there are lots, too.

However, it was definitely NOT like you could reach out and touch them. There are four floors of hotel rooms (3 through 6) - and we were up on the fifth one. I beleive all the DVC at Jambo house is on the 5th and 6th floors> from this vantage point you never get really close to the animals. I would think being on the lower floors you could be much closer, but still if you are within 50 feet of the animals, that would be good. Typically I'd say the animals were 100-150 feet away from us most of the time.

If I were ever to rent points there again, I would rent at Kidani...the other location at AKL. I believe ALL the properties there are DVC, and therefore you would be able to get a lower location, closer to the animals.

Check out my October 2010 trip report. There are 3 full posts about our experience at AKL...and I'd be happy to answer any questions as well.

 

[Lowell317]

July will be my 5th time renting DVC points from a member on these forums. It is the only way my family will be doing disney trips until we purchase a membership of our own.

The most important thing is to use someone who is trustworthy and experienced with it. The first thing I looked to was post count. If someone had 2 or 3 posts, I likely wouldn't use them. I have some recommendations if you're looking for a renter. Private Message me if you would like them.

We haven't stayed at AKL, but have stayed at Wilderness Lodge and enjoyed having coffee in the morning "in the woods". We really enjoyed it.

Also, we love Old Key West. It's not the newest, but for us it really "is" disney. Can't wait to return in a little more than a month.

If you have any other questions about it, please feel free to PM me

 

[JMD]

I can't comment on renting points, but have stayed in a Savannah view room at AKL. We saw the animals out all day, and while they may not come very close to your balcony, they are still in plain view right in front of you. Definitely very cool, and my wife and I spent many morning and evening with a drink on the balcony.

 

[Modog814]

We own DVC at the animal kingdom...for a one night stay, the savannah view is a must imo. The animals aren't as close as you'd be led to believe as you've pointed out in the PR pictures, but they're definitely close enough to see.

Some rooms are definitely better than others for seeing certain animals. Morning is a great time to see the animals, you can actually see how some of them sleep which is pretty interesting.


I've never rented out to anyone other than family, but I'd think the biggest trouble you'd have is finding someone willing to go through the trouble of renting only 14 points. All the reservations/requests have to go through the DVC member, so they have to act as the middle person between Member Services and you.

But if this is really something you're interested in, I definitely begin feeling out members who might be willing to rent. Depending on when in January you're going, it's right around the 7 month mark which is where the remaining rooms will be open up to all DVC owners (as opposed to only AKV owners). That means more potential members able to rent it for you, but also means less potential rooms.

Hope this helps.

 

[soulmates]

We've rented the past 3 trips and it was an AMAZING experience. We're buying into DVC in the spring...but we wanted to enjoy a deluxe resort NOW! You are treated as if YOU are the DVC owner. You will love the experience. Last trip, my mother & sister stayed at a Value resort for the same price we paid for our studio at Boardwalk Villas!! Come on, you can't beat that! Do it and enjoy!

 

[kganous]

We've rented three times and have had wonderful trips every time. We loved AKL in a savannah view room but enjoyed OKW and Beach Club just as much. Everytime I've rented I had a list in my head of were I wanted to rent and was able to get that resort. It's much cheaper than going thru Disney.

 

[lsenquiz]

We have rented points for the past 7 years. We have rented from four different individuals and have never had a single issue. We have only ever stayed at BWV and OKW so I can not speak to AKV. One issue I would point out is the fact that renting points is not something you can do at the last minute. It usually requires at least 6 months notice if not more if you want AKV.

 

[rt2dz]

Besides renting from an individual, there is a DVC Store that you can use. I've never tried them (LINK), but if you're having a hard time finding last minute rentals or someone who will only do one night, you might want to try them.

 

[lsenquiz]

Besides renting from an individual, there is a DVC Store that you can use. I've never tried them (LINK), but if you're having a hard time finding last minute rentals or someone who will only do one night, you might want to try them.

One note: it usually costs between $13 - $15 a point to rent from anyone other than an individual.

 

[chalee94]

One note: it usually costs between $13 - $15 a point to rent from anyone other than an individual.

that's partly because you are actually still renting from an individual...it's just that the dvc store or dvcbyrequest acts as a broker between you and the individual DVC owner.

 

[rt2dz]

One note: it usually costs between $13 - $15 a point to rent from anyone other than an individual.

They do charge $12 for 125+ points and $12.50 for under 125 points. They do also have some "last minute" deals for as low as $6 per point.

I've never used them. I'm not recommending them. I'm just saying they are out there.

 

[mom of princessx2]

We rented points before buying and used them to stay at AKV in a SV room and it was great. Had a great experience with the renter and AKV is a great resort. You can not beat $140 per night. That is cheaper than a moderate! Beware though, you may become an owner instead of a renter!!

 

[wonderlandaddict]

We have rented 4 times thru this board. The last time we stayed at AKL and it is beautiful! We loved it , but we like the convenience of Beach Club more. I agree with the above poster I only use people that have been around awhile and have rented to others. They will provide references and send you a confirmation of reservation. You can't beat the price of renting points, we will only rent points from now on (unless I can talk husband in buying!).

 

[skier_pete]

We've rented the past 3 trips and it was an AMAZING experience. We're buying into DVC in the spring...but we wanted to enjoy a deluxe resort NOW! You are treated as if YOU are the DVC owner. You will love the experience. Last trip, my mother & sister stayed at a Value resort for the same price we paid for our studio at Boardwalk Villas!! Come on, you can't beat that! Do it and enjoy!

It's funny you should say that, we rented points, and of course they had no way of knowing they weren't our points...I felt like as a DVC person I was NOT treated as well as a hotel guest...or at least lets put it this way...the service at AKL was slightly below anything I've gotten at values or moderates, and I just assumed it was because of the DVC status. Part of that is when staying DVC you have different housekeeping rules. For instance, we called for an extra pillow, and they told us we would have to pay to rent an extra pillow. And even though knew told up front that you don't get housekeeping every day, and there supposedly was a schedule (I forget something like every 4th day.) they didn't remotely follow the schedule, so we never knew when housekeeping was going to show up. Guest services seemed slow to respond to issues - again perhaps I was holding them to a higher standard because it was a deluxe, but I thought the response we got there was not as good as either Port Orleans or Pop Century in the past, where we've had some great guest/CM interaction.

While we enjoyed staying at a Deluxe and staying DVC, it did NOT remotely sell me on becoming a DVC member, unless I ever had a LOT more disposable income than I do now. Not to say that we wouldn't love to go back, but we are actually very much looking forward to going back to POFQ.

SP