Best way to get an Animal Kingdom Villa

[BYC]

We are in the early stages of planning, and already I am overwhelmed with how to book a villa. We are a family of 5 adults. We need one queen/king bed for me and hubby, and the three adult children need their own beds. So, at least 4 beds. Is it best to rent a villa directly through Disney, or to rent points from someone? From what I can figure out, if you rent through Disney, you will have housekeeping service, but if you rent points, you will not. Is the price difference huge? And, how can you know you are renting points from an honest person? Thanks!

 

[BroadwayGirl]

Well, if each of your kids needs their own bed, you have to get a 2BR villa and those are not currently available for booking through DRC so if you wanted one you would have to rent points from a DVC member. And even though you could fit 5 in a 1BR, the Jambo house 1BRs only have 1 bathroom so it would be awfully tight with 5 adults. Actually you could get a 3BR grand villa through DRC but that might be a bit of overkill for 5 people and they are almost never available.

 

[iluveeyore]

When are you going? The DVC points differ for every season - for example, the month of May for a savannah view 1 bdrm is 234 points for a week (7 nights), or 198 points for standard view - points are rented at $10-$12 each, no tax. Not sure what the nightly rates are for cash, but they're usually quite a bit more. The weekends always cost double points, for example in May, Sun-Thurs. is 26 points per day Savannah view, and Fri & Sat. is 52 points per day. As DVC members, we always plan our vacations to start on a Sunday, and only include one weekend in our trip (so we stay 12 nights & only use one Friday and Saturday).
For comparison, Old Key West two bedroom Villas for May are 263 points for a week, and each of your children would have their own bed & you'd have two full baths, three tv's, large dining room table, and large patio with table and chairs.
Whatever you finally decide, enjoy the DVC villas!

 

[DVC Mike]

We are in the early stages of planning, and already I am overwhelmed with how to book a villa. We are a family of 5 adults. We need one queen/king bed for me and hubby, and the three adult children need their own beds. So, at least 4 beds. Is it best to rent a villa directly through Disney, or to rent points from someone? From what I can figure out, if you rent through Disney, you will have housekeeping service, but if you rent points, you will not. Is the price difference huge? And, how can you know you are renting points from an honest person? Thanks!

You can certainly save a lot of money on great accommodations in a “Disney Deluxe Villa Resort” (Disney Vacation Club) by renting a reservation direct from a DVC member rather than making the reservation with WDW reservations (aka CRO).

However, please be sure and educate yourself on how a DVC reservation is very different from a regular hotel reservation, and the basics of “renting points”, as it is often referred to.

See: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1669863

 

[Dawn68PA]

Definately read as much info as possible on the DVC boards. I am renting points for an upcoming trip in November and believe I have chosen to deal with an honest renter. The things that make me feel that way are: he's a long time member of the DIS and has rented previously several times.

I am in your shoes. I needed a 2BR villa and we wanted AKV.

Hope it all works out for you!

 

[spiceycat]

2-bedroom OKW - King bed, queen sleeper sofa, 2 queens in the other bedroom

1-bedroom OKW - king bed, queen sleeper sofa

2-bedroom AKV - king bed, queen sleeper sofa, chair bed, 1 queen bed and double sleeper sofa (until Kidani is build)

1-bedroom AKV - king bed, queen sleeper sofa, chair bed

go to the rent/trade board and read all the tips at the top. then do your homework.

you definitely want a contract - then it list your responsiblies and what the member promises to do.

 

[Lynne M]

It's a tradeoff, there are pros and cons to renting:

Pros:

1. You will almost certainly save a lot of money. Aside from the savings on the room, you avoid paying the resort tax that you'd pay on a CRO booking.


Cons:

1. Limited housekeeping.

2. No control over your reservation - the member owns the reservation till you check in, and you will not be able to make any changes to it, or even confirm it by phone until a few days before check-in.

3. Disney will NOT become involved in any disputes between you and the member. it's a private transaction.

4. Some members have a no-refunds policy. If you have to cancel, they may lose their points, and you may not be able to get your money back.

5. Limited flexibility - DVC members book far in advance. If you need to change your dates, there may be no availability for your new dates.