con fused on how "renting" a deluxe villa works

[greyraven40]

I've read this, but it's not making sense. 2 families of 4 going in Oct. currently booked for moderate. Is there a chance of saving money in a deluxe villa for 4 adults or 4 kids or no??? I can't seem to find the right sticky of faq for this...thanks, grey

 

[Boo Bear]

Yes you can possibly save a bunch of money. You can go to the DVC section of these forums and look in the stickies at the top of the forums. There are lists of the different resorts with DVC villas. Then once you figure out which ones you like, you can go "rent" DVC points from a DVC member. Basically they offer a certain number of points for around $10-12 per point. They make the reservations for you. Make sure to do your homework on the member and get references from other people who have rented their points. It isn't an official Disney thing, it's strictly between you and the DVC member. Go check it out it can be very informative, but be sure to read all of it, otherwise it might not all make sense. Good luck and

 

[greyraven40]

Yes you can possibly save a bunch of money. You can go to the DVC section of these forums and look in the stickies at the top of the forums. There are lists of the different resorts with DVC villas. Then once you figure out which ones you like, you can go "rent" DVC points from a DVC member. Basically they offer a certain number of points for around $10-12 per point. They make the reservations for you. Make sure to do your homework on the member and get references from other people who have rented their points. It isn't an official Disney thing, it's strictly between you and the DVC member. Go check it out it can be very informative, but be sure to read all of it, otherwise it might not all make sense. Good luck and

Thanks Boo Bear, so that forum with points and $$ is where to be huh? I flunked calculus. This is gonna be tough. I need a vet to adopt a newbie! Lol

 

[MinnieVanMom]

Go to the disboards home page, then down to Disney Vacation club, about 3/4 of the way down of all the forums listed, then it is the fourth one listed, Rent/trade.

Here is a link:
http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=29

Make sure you read the sticky on how to rent points and be informed so you will know what to expect. Deal with only one person at a time.

Good luck.

 

[Sammie]

Here is a link to all the DVC forums.

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=7

You will need to go to the Rent/Trade section and look for someone renting points.

Get something for October might be really hard as it is a very popular time for DVC members.

Since you have 8 in your group you would need two studios or a two bedroom villa.

If you get studios only Old Key West will have two beds. Every place else will have a queen bed and full size sofa sleeper.

 

[MinnieVanMom]

It is easy to figure out.
1. Pick the resort you want to stay at the also a 2nd choice.
You do this by looking at the different DVC properties. You can do this on any Disney information site.
2. Pick the dates of arrival and departure.
3. On the top of the DVC forum is a banner for TSS with a point calculator.
4. Get the amounts of points using the point calculator.
5. Read the DVC Rent/Trade for a person that has points for rent and if you like the price, send them a PM and also public that you sent a PM.

Again, please do your homework first. I spent an entire day working with a lady teaching her everything. Little did I know she used me so she could rent from someone else. I am glad because she was beyond.

The process is easy, most people use a contract and the terms and conditions are spelled out. Usually 50% to make the reservation and then 50% 60 days before arrival.

You don't get daily maid service but you do deluxe lodging for value prices.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Thanks Boo Bear, so that forum with points and $$ is where to be huh? I flunked calculus. This is gonna be tough. I need a vet to adopt a newbie! Lol

We have a large family and we have looked into rently points and the cheapest I have been able to find a 2 bedroom villa for, in value season, is about $360.00 per night. We usuauly get two connecting rooms at a value resort during a free dining promo, so renting points is about double the cost of 2 value rooms, plus since we always get the dining plan we don't need the kitchen, so I haven't found renting points to be a viable economic option for us. Also, if you do rent points you aren't eligible for Disney room discount or free dining discounts. You said you are staying moderate, so renting points will still probably be a great deal more money. If you do have the money and don't mind spending it, the villas are really nice.

 

[Metro West]

 

[chalee94]

here is the basic info, although it is getting a little dated:

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

DVC villas are disney's version of a timeshare. timesharing tends to be different than hotel stays - 1) timesharing typically books up farther in advance (to get a MK view villa at the BLT, you would be better off booking 10-11 months in advance) and 2) timesharing is more of a "home-away-from-home" deal so housekeeping is MUCH more limited (DVC offers very limited housekeeping for free - other timeshares offer none). i would agree that you probably don't have the option at this point of booking for october 2011 except at larger resorts like OKW or SSR (if anything is still available.)

but for example, here is a link to the point charts:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/DVCpoints.shtml

an OKW studio with 2 queen beds and a kitchenette, will cost 10 pts per night for sun-thursday stays in october. at $10 per pt, that's $500 for 5 nights, tax included. that's hard to beat...

 

[MinnieVanMom]

Charles,
If you booked a 1br at AKV during the lowest point at $10 a point it would only be $130 a nite! For a deluxe resort full kitchen, washer and dryer, huge bathroom, jet tub, shower.

Heck beats staying in any value for the same price. Love my DVC. OKW is also our home. Hi neighbor.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Charles,
If you booked a 1br at AKV during the lowest point at $10 a point it would only be $130 a nite! For a deluxe resort full kitchen, washer and dryer, huge bathroom, jet tub, shower.

Heck beats staying in any value for the same price. Love my DVC. OKW is also our home. Hi neighbor.

A Value Resort room is about $82.00 per night in value season.

 

[chalee94]

Charles,
If you booked a 1br at AKV during the lowest point at $10 a point it would only be $130 a nite!

i think the 1BRs at AKV start at 19 pts per night. and that is for value 1BRs which are fairly hard to book (only a dozen or so villas total).

i would have to agree that value hotels are generally a better choice than DVC from a pure cost perspective...but october is not value season and rack rates at the values in october would be higher than renting an OKW studio once you included taxes. and you get 2 queen beds, a kitchenette and about 100 sq ft of space extra...no giant yo-yos, though, and some people prefer that...different strokes...

 

[PrincessTiffany]

i think the 1BRs at AKV start at 19 pts per night. and that is for value 1BRs which are fairly hard to book (only a dozen or so villas total).

i would have to agree that value hotels are generally a better choice than DVC from a pure cost perspective...but october is not value season and rack rates at the values in october would be higher than renting an OKW studio once you included taxes. and you get 2 queen beds, a kitchenette and about 100 sq ft of space extra...no giant yo-yos, though, and some people prefer that...different strokes...

Yes, I am coming from a "what's the cheapest" standpoint. In October the value resort rooms are $95.00 per night. It's hard to beat the value resort rates, even renting points - in fact, it's double the cost for us to rent points because we have to have a 2 bedroom villa. Plus we pretty much only go to WDW now when they offer free dining, which they usually have for most dates in October.

If you have the money to spend though, the Villa are very nice and I'm sure they wouldn't be disappointed

 

[chrisw127]

To compare mods and values to a deluxe villa is really not fair. It's an entirely different experience. Yes, it does cost more, but you can't beat the extra space and the amenities of a deluxe resort. I often stay at the values when I travel with my girlfriends, but when it's all of us, the values really don't work for our family. I love having a kitchen (even if I'm probably not going to cook a full meal) and a living room, and being able to stay up later without waking up the kids.

In October, a 2-bedroom villa at Old Key West will run you about 232 points for a week. This is a huge villa, by the way. Even paying $12 per point (which is the absolute highest you should go) you're still only looking at $2784 total. That's just under $400 a night. For 8 of you? Totally worth it.

I usually pay around $10 per point but I would go up to $12 more a more hard to get resort like BLT. You're close now, so availability isn't going to be great unless you find a confirmed reservation or are okay with OKW or Saratoga Springs.

 

[heimlichfan]

We are renting points for the first time this year... in fact, my renter just secured my villa at BLT in January today!

My family (8 of us going) will be staying in a 2brm villa no matter what. The last two times we have done this we have gone during free dining so we just booked a package through Disney that included a villa. The first time was OKW, the second was BWV. This past year we went with some friends during free dining and did the same thing at BLT. Needless to say, I'm now a resort snob and only want to stay at DVC properties!

If we booked direct without any kind of discount, our villa would cost just over $3000. By renting points, the cost is $1790.

That said, I know we could stay for cheaper by being at mod or a value but the villa is soooooo nice to stay in. Kids can go to bed, adults can stay up. We order from Garden Grocer to have snacks on hand and we also get liquor from them and hang out in the villa instead of going out one night. At BLT the luxury of 3 bathrooms can't be beat!

So the bottom line is, yes you can save money IF you are already planning on staying at a deluxe or a DVC property.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

My family (8 of us going) will be staying in a 2brm villa no matter what. The last two times we have done this we have gone during free dining so we just booked a package through Disney that included a villa. The first time was OKW, the second was BWV. This past year we went with some friends during free dining and did the same thing at BLT. Needless to say, I'm now a resort snob and only want to stay at DVC properties!

So the bottom line is, yes you can save money IF you are already planning on staying at a deluxe or a DVC property.

But remember, now that you are renting points and not renting directly through Disney, you can no longer get a free dining discount. People definitely have to crunch the numbers to see what is a better deal.

 

[heimlichfan]

Very true, very true.


I missed saying that I wanted BLT no matter what so renting secured that while waiting for free dining didn't.