Am I missing something here? Renting points vs booking directly from Disney

[sparrow10_]

Hello!

I'm starting to budget a trip in April. I want to stay 4 nights at the Yacht Club. Price is around 2.9k-3k. Even if there was a 30% ish discount for these dates it would come out at about 2.1k

I went to look at Daves rental and a 4 night stay at Beach Club Villas is at 80 points for the nights I want. I saw someone selling points for BCV at $22 meaning it would be around 1.7k

That's $400 in savings. So what am I missing?

 

[LYSE]

Those savings aren't all that great to be honest, probably better off paying cash for the cancelation policy but you probably want to compare the rooms since that isn't apples to apples.

 

[sparrow10_]

Those savings aren't all that great to be honest, probably better off paying cash for the cancelation policy but you probably want to compare the rooms since that isn't apples to apples.

This is me assuming there will be a discount on the hotel, right now its at 3k for the room

 

[happiestgrl]

If you are looking at a studio you will only have one bed and a sleeper sofa. Something to consider over a room with 2 queens if you’re traveling with others. After my first experience of very rude employees at David’s, I gave them a second chance on my next trip. Even worse. DVC Rental Store has been great - you might want to check them out. You can check availability through them without paying the ridiculous deposit David’s charges.

ETA - make sure you check out the cancel policy for any point rental

 

[nw6675]

We are the opposite - good experiences with David's, three issues with the DVC Rental Store.

The biggest issue is the cancellation policy, or lack thereof. No changes with David's. The Rental Store will give you a credit depending on how far out. Some have bad luck with travel insurance. My claim paid without issue.

Savings are hit or miss depending on apples to apples room types, if Disney is offering a promo. Etc.

But, in general, we love to rent.

 

[Rick195275]

If you are looking at a studio you will only have one bed and a sleeper sofa. Something to consider over a room with 2 queens if you’re traveling with others. After my first experience of very rude employees at David’s, I gave them a second chance on my next trip. Even worse. DVC Rental Store has been great - you might want to check them out. You can check availability through them without paying the ridiculous deposit David’s charges.

ETA - make sure you check out the cancel policy for any point rental

There are 3 sleeping surfaces in all the studios at beach club. The trip being in April means they should all be refurbished by then (but they should have been already so take that with a grain of salt) they would get a queen bed, twin Murphy bed and single Murphy bed. Or if not refurbished sub a pull out bed for the twin Murphy.

 

[Nabas]

Hello!

I'm starting to budget a trip in April. I want to stay 4 nights at the Yacht Club. Price is around 2.9k-3k. Even if there was a 30% ish discount for these dates it would come out at about 2.1k

I went to look at Daves rental and a 4 night stay at Beach Club Villas is at 80 points for the nights I want. I saw someone selling points for BCV at $22 meaning it would be around 1.7k

That's $400 in savings. So what am I missing?

The biggest issue with renting points is the lack of a cancellation policy. Typically, when you rent points, you pay upfront and are committed to those dates. Although insurance is offered at an extra cost, it does not always cover all cancellations.

Paying Disney directly for a cash room provides you with more flexibility.

 

[Best Aunt]

a) DVC owners can make reservations 11 months ahead. So for April 2024, people could start making reservations in May.

b) Most U.S. schools (high school and lower) have an Easter vacation. Easter is March 31, 2024. That will make April 2024 very popular at DisneyWorld.

c) Thus there might not even be studios available for your dates.

d) BCV seems to be the most popular resort for people who want to rent points. Thus even if there are studios available for your dates, there might not be enough owners who have BCV as their home resort who want to rent out their points. (If you wait until 7 months or less, DVC owners at any home resort can make a reservation at BCV, but there is even less likelihood of a studio being available for your dates if you wait.) I just looked at the Owner section of the DVC Rental Store website. There are 10 different guests who want reservations at BCV in April and are hoping a DVC Owner will make a reservation for them.

e) A BCV studio will have one queen size bed. There will be one pull-down bed which is smaller than twin size. If the room has been remodelled, there will be a pull-down Murphy bed; if not remodelled, there will be a double size pull-out sofa bed. If all of the beds are open, there is not a lot of room to move around.

f) As PPs mentioned, you need to be sure that you understand the cancellation policy if you are renting points. The policy might be: no cancellations, no changes, no refunds.

 

[kanerf]

The major difference here is that you are looking at a standard hotel room vs an efficiency apartment with a small kitchenette.

 

[loves to dive]

It also depends on the room type, you are going to come out better renting with something bigger than a studio. Availability and cancelation comes into play with renting. Usually you can not cancel and you have have to pay up front. Going directly through Disney you pay a deposit and the rest on check-in and can cancel. Also yacht club is almost always more than beach club so it's not a direct comparison, did you look at going through Disney for beach club?

 

[Sgt. Tibbs]

Looks like you would save anywhere from $400 to $600 going with DVC at $23 per point assuming you are getting a 30% discount staying in a normal room. If there is no discount for the room through Disney, it isn't even close. (standard room vs studio at the BC)

 

[jlnten17]

We own DVC and have both rented our points some years and rented points from others (either here or on one of the many DVC rental FB groups). If you need 2 queen beds then it depends on what resort you are hoping to stay at. Those DVC rooms that have been remodeled to the pull down sofa bed from the old fold out beds, work just as well as 2 queens if not better because you can fold it up for more room during the day. Another perk of renting points is you do not have to pay for parking. Cancellation is the big advantage of booking direct with Disney so it's all what makes you more comfortable just like many hotels that offer lower prices if you choose the no cancellation pay in advance option. We don't make plans that far in advance so canceling is never much of a concern for us.

 

[Best Aunt]

Another perk of renting points is you do not have to pay for parking. .

Parking at Disney hotels went back to being free as of 01/10/2023, so parking is no longer a perk just for people staying in a DVC resort.

 

[jlnten17]

Thanks for correcting me. I do remember hearing that. Guess it’s been awhile since we’ve stayed in a regular room.

 

[matt_in_nh]

Ultimately you are renting from a third party that could flake out on your and cancel. That seems very unlikely but it could happen. The bigger issue is you lock in to dates and room type, no changing. That is a deal breaker for many.

 

[sparrow10_]

Ultimately you are renting from a third party that could flake out on your and cancel. That seems very unlikely but it could happen. The bigger issue is you lock in to dates and room type, no changing. That is a deal breaker for many.

This is one of my biggest concerns, it's all on trust I guess

 

[mjkacmom]

We rented privately for a BC 2 bedroom villa and studio. It worked out fine, but was a little nerve wracking, plus that studio was tiny!

 

[snikki]

Depending on the time of year there may not be that big of a savings for renting vs booking directly through Disney with a discount. Especially with the price of some of the confirmed bookings (mostly see through DVC Rental Store).

We rented points for a BW studio once when it was just two of us. My daughter isn’t a big fan of sofa beds but I did like having a microwave, mini fridge and toaster.

After Covid I’m a bit nervous to rent points and DD told me she prefers a real bed so we’ve been staying moderate. The deluxe prices with no discounts is way too high for me. I know discounts are starting to come out a bit more so staying deluxe with a good discount may be in our future again.

 

[saraheliz]

You're missing flexibility and a great refund policy from Disney. In my experience, after discounts (at least the times of year we go) the cost difference is very minimal and once you factor in the extra cost of insurance or the fact that if you cancel you don't get all of your money back from a DVC rental (whereas through Disney, you have until much later to get most, if not all, of your money back) it's not an amazing deal anymore. If you're going during a time where there are likely no discounts through Disney and you're willing to take the cancellation risk, it can be a better deal for sure.

 

[georgina]

Well, maybe. There is a 25% discount my dates over labor day weekend. WITH THAT DISCOUNT a 4 night Grand Floridian resort studio standard view comes to $3116.44 tax included. My DVC rental was $1976 for those exact nights. I would say that is a SIGNIFICANT savings.