Cash Ressie vs Renting Points

[saraheliz]

As a previous poster mentioned, I also have not seen anyone on this board who's successfully used a supposedly cancel-for-any-reason trip insurance policy for rented DVC points. And there was a lot of discussion about it at the start of the pandemic when WDW was closed.

If you think there's any chance you might want to cancel--or be forced to cancel--then I would stay away from renting DVC points. My apologies to DVC owners trying to rent out their points, and certainly there are many DVC owners here who are willing to make accommodations. But sometimes an owner can't make accommodations if, say, their points are about to expire.

OP, summer discounts haven't been released yet. It's possible that they will be and that you'll be able to book something more affordable. In the meanwhile, hang on to your current reservation.

One more thing--keep in mind that you might want to cancel because you feel uncomfortable about the trip, but that might not be a good enough reason for an insurance company to refund your money. When you make a reservation renting DVC points, you pay for the entire trip upfront.

Right now with uncertainty about the pandemic, I personally would not rent DVC points, something that under other circumstances I'd do.

Yes, this was my original line of thinking. That cost difference had me re-assessing though! I appreciated your perspective.

 

[Miffy]

Yes, this was my original line of thinking. That cost difference had me re-assessing though! I appreciated your perspective.

I just feel like renting points is gambling right now--and I don't gamble. That's just my perspective.

 

[RoseGold]

Another option to price out is a Art of Animation Suite. Two bathrooms, skyliner access, group laundry room.

 

[sndral]

…
As an aside, I really wish there was a 1 bedroom option for families of 5 in the Epcot area. Sigh.

Just FYI, although a 1 br. at BWV w/ a cash reservation limits occupancy to 4, I believe a BWV stay on points allows 5 in a 1 br., but you have to bring your own bedding (air mattress/linens) for the 5th person.
Riviera 1 br.s sleep 5. I’ve not stayed @ Riviera, but I have dined at Toppolinos a couple of times & the Skyliner ride from the International gate at Epcot to Riviera was fast & easy IME. The Skyliner ride from Riviera to DHS requires a transfer @ the CBR station & takes a little longer, but I found it to be a pleasant & scenic ride, certainly more relaxing than the buses & even the monorail. Of course in my youth I enjoyed the Disneyland gondola ‘Skyway’ ride & even used tickets to ride it lol.

 

[eandt]

Help me think through this, please! I consider myself moderately Disney-knowledgable but want to make sure I'm not missing anything obvious.

We are planning on going to Disney for 10 nights in August (family of 5). Currently have a 1 bedroom at BLT booked through Disney on a cash reservation. I wanted to make sure we had *something* that would work for us booked and had my fingers crossed for some sort of discount being released for some place that would work but I realize that the chances are slim (we need at least 2 separate sleeping spaces and two bathrooms to stay sane).

I initially had decided not to rent points as the cancellation policy through Disney is so much better and it just seemed to risky as we're not even 100% sure we will feel comfortable traveling (we are currently, but the quick rise of Omicron showed us that things change on a dime!).

However, I just was crunching numbers again and checking availability for all our options (basically 1 bedroom at BLT/AKL or 2 bedroom at AKL/OKW/SSR) and it *looks* like even with adding a "cancel for any reason" travel insurance policy, we'd still come out $1000+ ahead renting points (assuming there are no discounts released, or at least not ones that would have availability we need). I'd get the travel insurance through the place linked from my USAA account, so seems reputable.

Am I missing anything?
If we book through points we get less housekeeping (hypothetically in a non-covid world).
I can still book dining reservations for the whole trip on the first 60 day date? Yes?
I'll have to put more money down and pay earlier.
I'd have to buy tickets separately and link them, thus perhaps messing up my current park reservations but I don't think that would matter this far out?
It seems like even if Disney releases a discount and somehow there was availability maybe at SSR or OKW, we'd probably still be at a break even point? Is that crazy? Plus I could also save a bit on tickets through UT.

I'd love any thoughts or input. I had ruled out renting points but it seems crazy not to put that kind of money back in our pockets.

As an aside, we did consider just getting two regular rooms, but I think we'll really benefit from having the kitchen space and laundry.

Rent the points but be careful after you do you may end up like us and be owners of your own points shortly thereafter.

 

[Memorymakerfor4]

The last two years have made me very skittish about renting. We almost rented points for Aulani for summer 2020 but ended up getting 40% off cash and boy was I thankful we had that when everything shut down. I know a lot of the rental companies have changed their rules, but they will never be as flexible as a cash reservation. The only way I'd do it now is something last minute.

If it were me, I would hold on to the current reservation and watch for discounts. As it gets closer and your plans are firmed up you can check out rentals and see if anything is still available. August reservations tend to drop off significantly toward the end of the month.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

I have looked up a room for someone I was renting to just inside the 11 month window at bay lake …. In the 2 hours it took them to sign the contract and pay the room was gone!

That was in the priority booking window… the closer you get to the 7 month window the less chance you have of getting what you want.

unless it is SSR then you have til about three month out….

a longer stay add a level of complexity