Beach club standard room v DVC villa

[Garyjames220]

Hi

I’m planning a stay at the beach club with dining plan, 2 adults and two 4 year olds twins for two weeks. We defo want the dining plan

I could do the booking direct with Disney at beach club and get free dining plan or do the DVC studio room and add dining plan on.

Booking direct is a few hundred more all in but I’m just wondering what’s better or what the main differences are

What’s closer to the main pool, what’s nicer and what rooms are bigger if any

Let me know what you would pick

 

[Mle8308]

Hi

I’m planning a stay at the beach club with dining plan, 2 adults and two 4 year olds twins for two weeks. We defo want the dining plan

I could do the booking direct with Disney at beach club and get free dining plan or do the DVC studio room and add dining plan on.

Booking direct is a few hundred more all in but I’m just wondering what’s better or what the main differences are

What’s closer to the main pool, what’s nicer and what rooms are bigger if any

Let me know what you would pick

Are you renting points if staying DVC or going directly through Disney (you can book DVC rooms via Disney)? It might be hard to get a studio for 2 weeks on rented points, depending on when you are planning on vacationing.

 

[Garyjames220]

Would be renting

Start of Dec 2025 so would try book right at 11 months

 

[Mle8308]

Would be renting

Start of Dec 2025 so would try book right at 11 months

Hope it works out! The beginning of December is just about the busiest time all year for DVC, 11 months out is a must. You would have to find an owner with enough points to book 2 weeks and who would be willing to continue to add on days to get to the 14 (you can only book 7 days for the initial reservation). One other thing to consider, with DVC you do not get daily housekeeping, it is every 4 days. That might get old with young kids and the length of time you are planning. The last "negative" about renting DVC is that many owners/agencies will require you to pay all up front and you cannot cancel for a refund. Some agencies do have a type of cancellation policy, but it is in the form of a future credit, not a refund. Good luck with your decision, either way you will have a great vacation!

 

[Garyjames220]

Hope it works out! The beginning of December is just about the busiest time all year for DVC, 11 months out is a must. You would have to find an owner with enough points to book 2 weeks and who would be willing to continue to add on days to get to the 14 (you can only book 7 days for the initial reservation). One other thing to consider, with DVC you do not get daily housekeeping, it is every 4 days. That might get old with young kids and the length of time you are planning. The last "negative" about renting DVC is that many owners/agencies will require you to pay all up front and you cannot cancel for a refund. Some agencies do have a type of cancellation policy, but it is in the form of a future credit, not a refund. Good luck with your decision, either way you will have a great vacation!

So the price is not much in it

Does David’s dvc not do two weeks?

I was wondering more about what is better, closer to pool, bigger rooms, nicer etc

 

[TeamSy]

We did not find the property to be all *THAT* big that it makes a difference on location.

The DVC is in a different building but it's not far by any means. The "regular" hotel is maybe closer I guess I would say to SAB. DVC building maybe slightly closer to Epcot, but really I feel like it's negligible.

I would say probably the actual hotel rooms are nicer but DVC rooms are maybe bigger - I mean you can get 1/multiple bedrooms with full kitchen, laundry, etc.

We booked a 1 bedroom this year through Disney and it ended up being quite a few hundred cheaper than David's (we just had to wait for the right discount to come along).

We like the daily housekeeping that comes with booking through Disney and enjoy the space/packing less, and not having to pay upfront! When you rent someone else's points you get neither of those things. I'm not sure if Davids does 2 weeks, but I would assume it's more of a matter of FINDING someone who is renting THAT much time. You're dependent on other people's points. We have done Davids a number of times in which they were unable to locate a reservation for us. They were very excellent about it and no issues with their service, but I definitely find it worth it to book directly through Disney and watch for discounts, just IMO.

 

[Garyjames220]

We did not find the property to be all *THAT* big that it makes a difference on location.

The DVC is in a different building but it's not far by any means. The "regular" hotel is maybe closer I guess I would say to SAB. DVC building maybe slightly closer to Epcot, but really I feel like it's negligible.

I would say probably the actual hotel rooms are nicer but DVC rooms are maybe bigger - I mean you can get 1/multiple bedrooms with full kitchen, laundry, etc.

We booked a 1 bedroom this year through Disney and it ended up being quite a few hundred cheaper than David's (we just had to wait for the right discount to come along).

We like the daily housekeeping that comes with booking through Disney and enjoy the space/packing less, and not having to pay upfront! When you rent someone else's points you get neither of those things. I'm not sure if Davids does 2 weeks, but I would assume it's more of a matter of FINDING someone who is renting THAT much time. You're dependent on other people's points. We have done Davids a number of times in which they were unable to locate a reservation for us. They were very excellent about it and no issues with their service, but I definitely find it worth it to book directly through Disney and watch for discounts, just IMO.

Thanks for the advice

Here in uk the best offer is probably is probably the “free” dining plan. I think it’s about 700 more to book the standard room to renting DVC points with David’s DVC. If it’s available off course

 

[Best Aunt]

Does David’s dvc not do two weeks?

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you're not clear on how renting points works.

If an Owner has points that he/she does not want to use for themselves, the Owner might contact an agency. The Owner tells the agency that the Owner has xxx number of points which have xxx as the home resort and which expire on xxx date.

You contact the agency and say that you want to stay at yyy resort in a yyy type villa for yyy nights beginning on yyy date.

The agency does the math and figures out how many points would be required for your reservation.

If your reservation would be more than 7 months away, those points would need to have the home resort which matches where you want to stay.

So the agency looks through its list of Owners. If any owners have points which can be used to make your reservation, the agency contacts those Owners and asks if they want to book your reservation.

But it's possible that no Owners contacted the agency to offer points which match what you need. Maybe no Owner has enough points. Or, if your reservation would be more than 7 months away, maybe no Owner has the correct home resort.

The agency merely act as the middleman, to connect potential guests with Owners.

So an agency might be willing to do a two-week reservation, but the agency might not have any Owners who have points which could be used to make that reservation. Typically the longer the reservation is, the more points are required.

 

[Garyjames220]

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you're not clear on how renting points works.

If an Owner has points that he/she does not want to use for themselves, the Owner might contact an agency. The Owner tells the agency that the Owner has xxx number of points which have xxx as the home resort and which expire on xxx date.

You contact the agency and say that you want to stay at yyy resort in a yyy type villa for yyy nights beginning on yyy date.

The agency does the math and figures out how many points would be required for your reservation.

If your reservation would be more than 7 months away, those points would need to have the home resort which matches where you want to stay.

So the agency looks through its list of Owners. If any owners have points which can be used to make your reservation, the agency contacts those Owners and asks if they want to book your reservation.

But it's possible that no Owners contacted the agency to offer points which match what you need. Maybe no Owner has enough points. Or, if your reservation would be more than 7 months away, maybe no Owner has the correct home resort.

The agency merely act as the middleman, to connect potential guests with Owners.

So an agency might be willing to do a two-week reservation, but the agency might not have any Owners who have points which could be used to make that reservation. Typically the longer the reservation is, the more points are required.

Yeah I have a rough a idea how it works but still learning I’m sure as I have never done it before

I spoke to David’s DVC and they said to contact them right on 11 months before and they were hopeful they would be able to find something for me

As I say it’s about a 700 difference between the two so just wanted to find out what is best to book first and the difference between them

Sounds like the standard resort room has better beds for our twins, easier to get dates we need, daily house keeping, closer to pools etc so might be better with that option anyway by sounds of it

 

[CarolynFH]

Does David’s dvc not do two weeks?

It’s not David’s per se, because David is just a middleman linking guests like you with owners who have points to rent.

As you know, you’ll need to have a BWV owner ready to book for you as soon as the 11 month window opens for your dates. On that day, the owner can book only 7 nights maximum and, to have one continuous reservation, will need to book the additional 7 nights either day by day or at one time a week later.

As @Best Aunt says above, it might be difficult for David’s (or any other rental agency) to have an owner with enough points to book 14 nights for you. You might end up working with two different owners and having two separate reservations (that can be linked as a “continuing stay” so you can stay in the same room).

 

[Garyjames220]

It’s not David’s per se, because David is just a middleman linking guests like you with owners who have points to rent.

As you know, you’ll need to have a BWV owner ready to book for you as soon as the 11 month window opens for your dates. On that day, the owner can book only 7 nights maximum and, to have one continuous reservation, will need to book the additional 7 nights either day by day or at one time a week later.

As @Best Aunt says above, it might be difficult for David’s (or any other rental agency) to have an owner with enough points to book 14 nights for you. You might end up working with two different owners and having two separate reservations (that can be linked as a “continuing stay” so you can stay in the same room).

So even if a owner has enough points at 11 months out there can still only book 7 nights?

 

[Best Aunt]

So even if a owner has enough points at 11 months out there can still only book 7 nights?

Somebody else will have to answer that. I've never tried to book more than 7 nights. I've never stayed there that long.

 

[CarolynFH]

So even if a owner has enough points at 11 months out there can still only book 7 nights?

Yes, the maximum that can be booked at 11 months is 7 nights. To book 14 nights would require adding additional nights in a separate process - which can be done online and is not difficult.

The issue for you will actually be finding an owner with enough points. You might even look at the DVC Rent-Transfer forum here on DISboards to see whether there’s a BWV owner there who has enough points.

ETA you can use the estimator on David’s website to calculate the number of points you’ll need.

 

[Garyjames220]

Yes, the maximum that can be booked at 11 months is 7 nights. To book 14 nights would require adding additional nights in a separate process - which can be done online and is not difficult.

The issue for you will actually be finding an owner with enough points. You might even look at the DVC Rent-Transfer forum here on DISboards to see whether there’s a BWV owner there who has enough points.

ETA you can use the estimator on David’s website to calculate the number of points you’ll need.

But I’m guessing it would be David’s DVC that would sort all that side and I wouldn’t need to worry about it

Is the first two weeks off December normally hard to get for beach club

Part off me is thinking just book with Disney direct.

 

[kanerf]

There are two good reasons for DVC over the standard room. DVC (Beach Club) is closer to Epcot and the Skyliner, but is further away from the amenities (pool and dining) at Yacht and Beach. With DVC you do get a kitchen with sink, fridge and microwave, so that can be handy with small ones. One of the beds in the DVC room is a murphy bed that can be folded away during the day give you some more space.

 

[Mle8308]

But I’m guessing it would be David’s DVC that would sort all that side and I wouldn’t need to worry about it

Is the first two weeks off December normally hard to get for beach club

Part off me is thinking just book with Disney direct.

It can be, it is one of the lower points time periods for DVC, plus the holiday season and the BC is near Epcot. which has a seasonal festival going on. And there would have to be an owner willing to check every day to add a night on. Or you'd book 2 reservations, as @CarolynFH mentioned and hope you will be able to stay in the same room (most likely you will). Again, David's doesn't have any rooms, they act as the middle person between someone looking to book a room and an owner looking to rent their points. If no owner, no room. No guarantees, and it can take time. I would suggest you book a room through Disney that has a cancellation policy, to secure a room. Then check out the DVC rental route. If you are able to get something through renting, great and then you can cancel the Disney booked room! If nothing comes available, you still have a room where you want. I think I would book through Disney, it's only about $50 more per night (if your savings is $700 for 2 weeks). And again, remember that rentals don't come with refunds at all, some agencies will give you a credit that has to be used within a certain time frame, but NO refunds.

 

[FuzzyPeach]

I must be missing something, because it seems like with only a $700 savings for renting for a 2 week vacation, free dining through Disney is unquestionably the better deal especially because you were prepared to buy it anyways. Plus it avoids all the downfalls of a DVC rental, like inability or more difficulty canceling and changing, lack of housekeeping, etc.

Unless you were comparing a 1 bedroom villa at BCV to a regular room on the resort side, I don’t personally think there is a single reason to opt for the DVC rental option on your specific case. Both sides of the resort have pros and cons especially when it comes to location depending where your room is, but nothing IMO that trumps the savings and peace of mind of the direct booking in this case.

 

[Garyjames220]

I must be missing something, because it seems like with only a $700 savings for renting for a 2 week vacation, free dining through Disney is unquestionably the better deal especially because you were prepared to buy it anyways. Plus it avoids all the downfalls of a DVC rental, like inability or more difficulty canceling and changing, lack of housekeeping, etc.

Unless you were comparing a 1 bedroom villa at BCV to a regular room on the resort side, I don’t personally think there is a single reason to opt for the DVC rental option on your specific case. Both sides of the resort have pros and cons especially when it comes to location depending where your room is, but nothing IMO that trumps the savings and peace of mind of the direct booking in this case.

I would say that was in pounds so mybe closer to the 1k in dollars but I think you might be right still

 

[Willow Ufgood]

I'm going to jump in here and give an owner's perspective.

Let's say that I own at XXX resort (a highly desirable location). I'm renting out my huge quantity of points...enough for 2 weeks in a studio or 1 week in a 1BR during the super-high busy week.

Now, would I want to be online right at 8 AM Eastern time 11 monthd out to try to snag 7 nights in a studio when half of the owners at the same resort are also trying for those nights or have already booked the nights leading up to and including those nights. And then, go back and add on the additional 7 nights on later dates if I was lucky enough to win that lottery?

Or would I be more likely to try to book a week in a 1BR for a different guest, which tends to be easier to get and uses the same number of points? Given the level of difficulty of each reservation and that the compensation is the same, I'm doing the 1BR and then I'm done with fiddling around.

Or even better, opt to rent the points 7-11 months out during a less demanding season. Because owners get paid the same amount per point by the brokers whether they fill a request for a studio during a popular period or a 1BR during a slow period.

So OP this is what you're up against. The brokers have more requests from guests than they have owners with points to rent. And DVC resorts have finite inventory that is designed to be at nearly 100% occupancy throughout the year. An owner at a highly sought after resort can pick and choose whatever reservations they wish to fulfill.

 

[Garyjames220]

I'm going to jump in here and give an owner's perspective.

Let's say that I own at XXX resort (a highly desirable location). I'm renting out my huge quantity of points...enough for 2 weeks in a studio or 1 week in a 1BR during the super-high busy week.

Now, would I want to be online right at 8 AM Eastern time 11 monthd out to try to snag 7 nights in a studio when half of the owners at the same resort are also trying for those nights or have already booked the nights leading up to and including those nights. And then, go back and add on the additional 7 nights on later dates if I was lucky enough to win that lottery?

Or would I be more likely to try to book a week in a 1BR for a different guest, which tends to be easier to get and uses the same number of points? Given the level of difficulty of each reservation and that the compensation is the same, I'm doing the 1BR and then I'm done with fiddling around.

Or even better, opt to rent the points 7-11 months out during a less demanding season. Because owners get paid the same amount per point by the brokers whether they fill a request for a studio during a popular period or a 1BR during a slow period.

So OP this is what you're up against. The brokers have more requests from guests than they have owners with points to rent. And DVC resorts have finite inventory that is designed to be at nearly 100% occupancy throughout the year. An owner at a highly sought after resort can pick and choose whatever reservations they wish to fulfill.

Yeah never looked at it that way. Might be better just booking with Disney direct