Are these prices for real?

[AR81]

Wow is it just me or does the rates seem extremely high. I realize when we book there is always some kind of discount so maybe thats the difference. I just didn't realize standard view at Wilderness Lodge would be $500 a night as one example. I am looking at spring break for 2014. For fun I compared with dvcrental.com renting points. Are those points rates accurate? Or will they change before 2014 arrives? Just curious...

Here are a couple of comparisons...
Dates 3/9/14- 3/14/14
preferred room at pop $956 vs.
standard studio at BWV $980 or value studio at AKV $910

preferred room at CBR $1423.10 vs.
preferred studio at BWV $1260
standard studio at BLT $1330
standard studio at GFV!!! $1610

So for not even a $200 more than CBR we could stay at the newest DVC resort, steps from the monorail and MK, the amenities over CBR is endless...

I realize the current rates for the regular rooms are rack rate and there would be some type of discount but it seems I am never lucky enough to get a free dining pin. Now if free dining was involved with those dates then that would be the obvious best value but without it even if I was able to get a 20-25% discount off of CBR it would still be either more or comparable to at least the AKV or BWV comparison...

We do not plan on going until Spring Break 2015 but I was just looking at 2014 rates just to get an idea. I also know that there is always the availability issue when renting points so there is always the chance the standard views would be booked up.

Am I the only one that thinks the rate are a little insane?

 

[AR81]

I also wanted to add another advantage to the studios at GFV, they sleep 5! Where a regular room at CBR only sleeps 4. So that means our 9 year old could sleep on the murphy bed or whatever it is and then the teenager can have the sofa bed to himself...

 

[alimbrogno]

I was looking this morning. I think they are insane as well! It was almost $3000 for just me and my DS who will be 9 when I'm wanting to go! I can take him on a cruise or rent a house somewhere for less than that! We were planning on going to Disney next year but I'm thinking we may have a change of plan

 

[AR81]

Well 2014 is definitely not in the cards for us, but we are planning for 2015. There's no telling how high the rates will be then. We want to start saving soon for it. Booking through dvcrental.com is definitely looking more enticing now. I say that but with all this fastpass+ mess and not knowing how that would affect if you didn't book directly through Disney is something else to consider. Again I think the only justification with those rates is if we could get free dining. That's a no brainer but not having free dining and not that big of a discount is kind of hard to swallow.

 

[Missyrose]

Just remember that when it comes to renting DVC points:

* You have to book MUCH earlier than a regular Disney resort room

* Make sure your dates are firm because there are typically no changes or refunds

* You typically have to pay up front (vs. making payments to Disney)

* And you don't get daily housekeeping

But, knowing all those things, renting DVC points can net you a great deal on your accommodations.

 

[timmac]

* You have to book MUCH earlier than a regular Disney resort room

Also worth noting that in the case of some of the comparisons that involve very popular/new locations, like BLT and GFV, the chances of actually getting a reservation through DVC at this point may be very close to zero anyway.

 

[Disneychix]

Well, yes, that is why DVC is so popular in the 1st place.

You could do those same comparisons between DVC and rack rate nonDVC rooms throughout the whole year.

 

[kapoof]

500 for standard view at wl????? That can't be right!

 

[jtowntoflorida]

I've rented points three times now, it's definitely a great value, but not quite as good as the OP indicates. First, those "cheap" DVC rooms are usually snatched up right at 11 months by members who own at that property. You're not likely to find someone who will rent a standard studio at BLT for the price indicated. We did stay at in a 1 bedroom lakeview at BLT last year. The person we rents from doesn't own at BLT, so we were lucky to get the room last year. This year, we're waitlisted for the same and instead have a room booked at VWL. But we also booked right at 7 months. There are no refunds, no cancellations. It's risky, but you do save a lot of money. We've paid just over $2000 to say for a week in a 1 bedroom...in the past, it's been the equivalent of about a 40% discount over rack rates for a deluxe room, taking into account the hotel taxes that you have to pay when reserving through the cash system. And that's a 1 bedroom villa, with a full kitchen and (at BLT) two full bathrooms. The value for what you get certainly can't be beat, but it's not for everyone.

 

[E-P-C-O-T]

We used to stay at Pop all the time, it's my favorite value and for the PRICE I used to pay ($49-$89) it was perfect. It is a no frills, basic hotel room with a Disney theme, nice pools and a convenient food court, perfect for my family to stay for a few days. However, Disney has raised the rates so much that I find it ridiculous to pay more than $100 to stay there (except during the holidays). Even though I love Pop, I refuse to pay $150 to stay there and I would rather stay offsite and get the amenities that a $150 room should have or stay in a 4 bedroom 3.5 bath house with a pool for LESS money.

If It wasn't for our DVC, we would be skipping Disney for a few years and visit every 4 years. I wonder what the marketing strategy is behind all of this, is Disney trying to price out the families that visit a couple of times a year or even those who make a yearly trip? The only thing I can think of that they are doing is to market Disney as a once in a lifetime trip for all, because, the average family cannot afford to pay those prices... It's insane!

If you know your 2014 dates, I would advise you to contact Dave or any other DVC member that is willing to rent immediately. As renting Points will now be a bargain, unless the point rental price goes up, which might happen soon...

 

[francie57]

If you know exactly when you want to go and paying up front is okay then renting points is the way to go. We are renting through Dave's for the first time for marathon weekend in Jan. We have a 2 bedroom at BC. They were able to get me the villa before the 7 month mark so I was extremely happy. I will gladly pay the price for daily housekeeping for the time we are there and I will still be over $1100 ahead of villa only through AAA with a discount.

 

[Dsnyfireman]

I just looked up a trip for DW and I for February 2014. Sunday thru Saturday, second week. Five day park hoppers and air fare from maine, staying at all star movies, no DDP. $2200 ish. I don't think that is that bad. A week at disney, they will transport you anywhere you want on their property , they have all kinds of places to go and relax and good service. If you play around with the dates and where you stay you can get a pretty good price. Even with the kids the price was about what I payed this past February when I looked that up. We won't stay at a deluxe because I can't justify the cost! All rooms look the same when your in the park! And we spend our time in the parks, we don't hangout at the resort . Some do and that's great for them but I won't pay that much for a bed! I do think the prices are higher than they should be , but all things are to high !

 

[melissafox18]

I played around with a whole bunch of different dates and the prices seem almost random to me. If my research didn't seem so "random" I'd try to make sense of the giant spreadsheet I created with dates and prices, but I think I'm making myself crazy.

I wish the chart of "seasons" would come out so I could tell what value season, peak season, regular season, etc. are. It would save me from hitting the search button with 100 different random dates between February and May!

 

[Tigger's ally]

Wow is it just me or does the rates seem extremely high. I realize when we book there is always some kind of discount so maybe thats the difference. I just didn't realize standard view at Wilderness Lodge would be $500 a night as one example. I am looking at spring break for 2014. For fun I compared with dvcrental.com renting points. Are those points rates accurate? Or will they change before 2014 arrives? Just curious...

Here are a couple of comparisons...
Dates 3/9/14- 3/14/14
preferred room at pop $956 vs.
standard studio at BWV $980 or value studio at AKV $910

preferred room at CBR $1423.10 vs.
preferred studio at BWV $1260
standard studio at BLT $1330
standard studio at GFV!!! $1610

So for not even a $200 more than CBR we could stay at the newest DVC resort, steps from the monorail and MK, the amenities over CBR is endless...

I realize the current rates for the regular rooms are rack rate and there would be some type of discount but it seems I am never lucky enough to get a free dining pin. Now if free dining was involved with those dates then that would be the obvious best value but without it even if I was able to get a 20-25% discount off of CBR it would still be either more or comparable to at least the AKV or BWV comparison...

We do not plan on going until Spring Break 2015 but I was just looking at 2014 rates just to get an idea. I also know that there is always the availability issue when renting points so there is always the chance the standard views would be booked up.

Am I the only one that thinks the rate are a little insane?

isn't that spring break? Prices will be high. Supply=Demand

 

[Marionnette]

I think that as Disney raises their room rates, you will also see an increase in the $/pt. that DVC owners want in return for making a reservation for you. The only thing that remains fairly constant is the number of points per night that it takes to book a unit at each resort. It all has to do with the points are allocated and it rarely changes from one year to the next.

 

[Missyrose]

Owners are now consistently renting their points for the close-to-park resorts (BLT, WL, BWV and BCV) for $12 or $13 per point. And owners at VGF have rented their points for $15 or $16 per point because that resort is just so small. So the days of getting points for $10 per point seem close to over (though you may still get lucky and find someone desperate to just get rid of their points).

 

[visegrip72]

We used to stay at Pop all the time, it's my favorite value and for the PRICE I used to pay ($49-$89) it was perfect.

Thanks for re-assuring me! We were looking into rooms on-site and I saw the prices and thought for sure we were able to get values at a rate that made them worth the extra vs. the local off-sites. Not a chance now, may as well go moderate+. And the prices I was seeing were with Florida/AP discounts! (correction - just looked at some notes and saw I could have had 89 at one point with discount, but usually not available and then way up there in cost)

 

[Masonmj84]

I just booked room only reservations for a four way split at WL/Poly/AKL/BC (3 nights at each resort) and am still dealing with the sticker shock (for example, over $1700 for 3 nights in a standard view room at Poly).

The only thing easing my pain is the hope of eventually applying discounts to all of these reservations.

And because I've already paid for 1/3 of the rack rate cost, assuming I can get some decent discounts, the remaining balance hopefully won't seem so horrendous.

Paying for a trip in this manner somehow makes it seem less expensive than it really is because the cost is broken up in what seems like manegable pieces (the evil minds of Disney marketing no doubt love my line of thinking).

 

[goteamSy]

I personally find Disney's prices insane now. For $500+ a night you can stay at a Four Seasons and get over the top service, which, when I spend that much $ a night, I expect. I'm talking about great bath products, twice daily housekeeping, pool towel/drink service, etc {seriously cannot wait until the Orlando Four Seasons opens!}. But, that's on a separate note.... when it comes to Disney, I just don't see the value in their prices as they continue to sky-rocket.

We were lucky enough to snag VGF for our stay in January. We booked through DVC Request at $14 per point, which works out to be just under $300 per night for a studio/water view. Comparing to Disney's prices I definitely consider this a "deal."

We also booked at Disney's Boardwalk, again renting someone's points {not through DVC Request as we were able to get less $ per point by using this board}. We booked a studio Boardwalk view for what works out to be about $180 per night. That's close to a mod's pricing for a king bed room and we're getting a deluxe property with an amazing view.

The no housekeeping thing is a big disadvantage, but you can add it on for $.

Still, there is a huge value in renting someone's points vs. booking through Disney now. It's definitely worth looking into.

 

[rt2dz]

Owners are now consistently renting their points for the close-to-park resorts (BLT, WL, BWV and BCV) for $12 or $13 per point. And owners at VGF have rented their points for $15 or $16 per point because that resort is just so small. So the days of getting points for $10 per point seem close to over (though you may still get lucky and find someone desperate to just get rid of their points).

I've actually had no problems still renting at $10 per point still. I think the trick is o be patient and not picky. I've recently rented BLT at $10 per point. Didn't get my preferred view, but the price between standard and lake wasn't a big deal. I had other resort offers too for $10 per point. Sometimes points are distressed and others just need quick cash--in our case it was emergency vet bills. If I were to rent for more than $11 per point, I'd rent from a broker. It's all the owner is getting anyhow. But like I said, the key is patience. As soon as you know, start looking and be willing to wait. The other component is not being picky. You need to be open to different resorts and views. You can usually always find something at SSR. If I can't get what I want, it's offsite we go! Better than DVC accommodations for way less than value prices!

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