Better to stay at a Disney Springs hotel or rent a studio DVC from Davids?

[pooh2001]

We can get a BWV studio for about $200/night from David rentals.

Some rates from May 1-10 are less at a Disney Springs hotel.
Holiday Inn is $152 a night and also has a microwave and a mini refrigerator
just like a Studio villa rental.

We would have a park pass - no hopping.
Now the Disney Springs hotels have 60 day's from arrival to acquire FP's like Disney resorts.

Where would you stay for the best price?

 

[supersnoop]

Are you sure a BWV studio is still available for a May reservation? You need to plan more that 7 months ahead when you rent DVC.

 

[Lvsdisney]

Are you looking at the standard price?

Disney springs hotels may have resort fees. I would confirm availability with Davids, I wonder if even studios are available at less than 7 months at BWV

 

[pooh2001]

We are poking at price comparisons for 2020
I know they would go up in price - but still comparatively

 

[Lvsdisney]

Remember you get DME and magic bands on site. I'm not sure if DS hotels get EMH.

 

[Marionnette]

We can get a BWV studio for about $200/night from David rentals.

Some rates from May 1-10 are less at a Disney Springs hotel.
Holiday Inn is $152 a night and also has a microwave and a mini refrigerator
just like a Studio villa rental.

We would have a park pass - no hopping.
Now the Disney Springs hotels have 60 day's from arrival to acquire FP's like Disney resorts.

Where would you stay for the best price?

We are poking at price comparisons for 2020
I know they would go up in price - but still comparatively

It's not even worth speculating at this time. You are way too far away from your vacation dates to even think about which one will be less expensive. DVC rates could rise to the point where they cost much more than booking a regular hotel room at Disney. Disney could rescind the FP+ extended booking window. Or they could offer other incentives for onsite stays that make the DVC studio more appealing.

I will say that if you're thinking of getting a standard view studio at BWV, you will need to pay the 11-7 month premium resort price and even then, you may not get it. Budget for the garden/pool view rates when the time comes to book and base your decision on that price.

 

[Debbie Jean]

Except for OKW, DVC studios have only one bed and pullout sofa. If you want two real beds, a regular hotel room would be the way to go.

 

[twoolle]

You would also need to factor in parking at $20/day if you stay offsite.

 

[hsmamato2]

disney springs hotels have 60 day windows ? also OP you have to factor in transortation to/from hotel and airport plus parking fees if you rent a car - onsite is easy transportation options included

 

[crisi]

You'll also want to keep in mind that any DVC rental through David will be a final transaction. You won't be able to move days or switch resorts once booked or sublet the room. You can get trip insurance, but it won't necessarily cover everything.

If money is tight, I would go with a reservation you can cancel, even if its more up front. Things happen over eleven months - and if you want a BWV Standard View room, you'll need to commit a long time in advance.

The other thing to recognize is that even if you book far in advance, in order to secure a BWV standard view room, you have to be matched with a BWV owner. There are more people who are looking to rent than their are owners who aren't going to be using their own points, so there is no guarantee you'll even have make that match.

 

[Marionnette]

disney springs hotels have 60 day windows ? also OP you have to factor in transortation to/from hotel and airport plus parking fees if you rent a car - onsite is easy transportation options included

Disney just announced that they will be extending the 60-day FP+ privilege to "Good Neighbor" hotels, which includes a number of Disney Springs hotels (if not all of them).

 

[kymom99]

I have tossed around a DVC studio versus a room at a value or moderate. Not just based on price but also convenience. From what I hear you need to be prepared to pay for a higher level DVC, just as you have been told here. Don't base your budget on the lowest price out there. The deal breaker for me is that the studios seem small. One bed plus a pull out doesn't make for comfortable accommodations for our family, but it may be fine for you. Also the limited housekeeping is a factor to us. However, the garden view BWV area looks amazing. Sitting on the balcony would be a nice change. Plus the microwave would surely help with my husband's food allergies. Walking to Epcot and HS is another very big plus. I don't know how these things rate with you, but some things you just can't put a price on.

 

[Marionnette]

I have tossed around a DVC studio versus a room at a value or moderate. Not just based on price but also convenience. From what I hear you need to be prepared to pay for a higher level DVC, just as you have been told here. Don't base your budget on the lowest price out there. The deal breaker for me is that the studios seem small. One bed plus a pull out doesn't make for comfortable accommodations for our family, but it may be fine for you. Also the limited housekeeping is a factor to us. However, the garden view BWV area looks amazing. Sitting on the balcony would be a nice change. Plus the microwave would surely help with my husband's food allergies. Walking to Epcot and HS is another very big plus. I don't know how these things rate with you, but some things you just can't put a price on.

In truth, the value and moderate rooms are smaller than the DVC studio villas. Value rooms are 260 square ft. The moderate rooms are 314 square ft. The smallest DVC studio (AKV Value category) is 316 square ft. The other studios are larger (Poly is 447 square feet!). It's the presence of the kitchenette that makes them appear smaller plus the additional furniture such as coffee tables and occasional chairs which take up floor space.

 

[kymom99]

In truth, the value and moderate rooms are smaller than the DVC studio villas. Value rooms are 260 square ft. The moderate rooms are 314 square ft. The smallest DVC studio (AKV Value category) is 316 square ft. The other studios are larger (Poly is 447 square feet!). It's the presence of the kitchenette that makes them appear smaller plus the additional furniture such as coffee tables and occasional chairs which take up floor space.

Right. It's a trade off. I've only stayed value and moderate and found all the rooms to be rather cramped. That's why I feel like a balcony or patio would be a welcome change.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

BWV during that time in May will be hard to get since its Flower and Garden at Epcot. So the price per point will be higher than normal as well. And you have to factor in that Disney may increase the point per night by the time 2020 gets here. Not to mention that the price per point will also increase. Just two years ago I paid $11 a point through David company now it is $14 a point. You will need to find points for the 11 month booking window because this resort will sell out fast at the 11 month mark.

 

[crisi]

BWV during that time in May will be hard to get since its Flower and Garden at Epcot. So the price per point will be higher than normal as well. And you have to factor in that Disney may increase the point per night by the time 2020 gets here. Not to mention that the price per point will also increase. Just two years ago I paid $11 a point through David company now it is $14 a point. You will need to find points for the 11 month booking window because this resort will sell out fast at the 11 month mark.

Disney won't change the points per night - or its highly unlikely they will. Points are static over the life of the contract. If they would increase early May, they'd have to decrease a different time of year. So that isn't a worry. David increasing the cost is a concern. Right now there is far less supply than demand, so David needs more owners willing to rent - especially owners at the in demand resorts. The brokers may increase the amount they pay the owners for the points to try and increase the supply, and they'd need to increase their price to pay for it.

On the plus side, there isn't tax on a DVC rental. So there is some savings there.

The balconies and patios at DVC resorts tend to be pretty small - I wouldn't consider it usable space. With the sofabed pulled out, getting through the door will be difficult - so the idea of putting the kids in the sofabed and sitting on the patio with a drink is doable, but can involve crawling over an end table. There are a few rooms without a balcony or patio - and a few where you can't fit a chair out there (I don't think any at the BW, there is one without a balcony at VWL and I think a few where you can't fit a chair at the BC). The garden rooms and garden view at BW is on the Inn side of the resort (there is a garden/pool view on the pool side, it just isn't that beautiful garden you see if you search the internet). You won't get that view on the DVC side (it is a great place and I will sometimes stroll over there with a book in the middle of the afternoon).

Renting points can be kind of stressful. The broker will likely take a deposit against a match - but getting that match might be immediate - or might never happen (in which case you get your deposit back). Once the match and reservation happen, you don't have control over the room - if the owner doesn't pay his dues, you can show up to find your reservation cancelled. A broker will refund your money (one reason to use a broker), but now you are scrambling for a room. Its a rare occurrence, but if you stress about such things, something to know about.

 

[Marionnette]

I agree with everything that Crisi said and I will add that getting a DVC studio during F&G is nowhere near as difficult as booking one during "fall frenzy", which runs from late September thru marathon weekend in January. May is not a particularly busy time for DVC, although there are some villas (AKV value, AKV club level, BWV std. view, and any VGF studio) that are difficult to rent regardless of the time of year.

 

[kydisneyfans]

2 thoughts:

1) The Holiday Inn will likely be cheaper on a per night basis than $152 if you look hard enough. You need to budget resort fees though, plus transportation.
2) Actually being able to book the DVC room will be difficult, at best.

If you have 2 I'd give the studio a shot(if not, other DVC studios will be open and we've not seen a bad one yet). If 3 are going, know that 1 is sleeping on the couch, and if 4 are going, either book at OKW or the Disney Springs hotel.

 

[Judique]

2 thoughts:

1) The Holiday Inn will likely be cheaper on a per night basis than $152 if you look hard enough. You need to budget resort fees though, plus transportation.
2) Actually being able to book the DVC room will be difficult, at best.

If you have 2 I'd give the studio a shot(if not, other DVC studios will be open and we've not seen a bad one yet). If 3 are going, know that 1 is sleeping on the couch, and if 4 are going, either book at OKW or the Disney Springs hotel.

If the 3rd or 4th person is a child, the BWV studio has the child sized murphy bed as well as the queen and sofa bed.

 

[wendow]

In truth, the value and moderate rooms are smaller than the DVC studio villas. Value rooms are 260 square ft. The moderate rooms are 314 square ft. The smallest DVC studio (AKV Value category) is 316 square ft. The other studios are larger (Poly is 447 square feet!). It's the presence of the kitchenette that makes them appear smaller plus the additional furniture such as coffee tables and occasional chairs which take up floor space.

This makes sense. DH & I stayed in a BLT studio for a 'no kids' trip and I felt like we were so cramped. I could not imagine how a family of four would fit in a studio. And you are saying the AKV studios are the smallest...yikes...I prefer a value room any day over the BLT studio if we are just comparing size.