Considering DVC Ownership - How do you feel about renting first?

[misbrurec]

DH and I are considering a DVC ownership (we tend to travel to WDW every 2 years or so with our 2 children). . We'd both like to see how the DVC lodging really works for our family over the course of an entire vacation. You know, does the space suit our needs better than a regular resort room?
Has anyone had experience with the rental process? How did it work for you?

 

[Chuckdaddy]

We rented before buying. I thought that I wanted to buy, but after staying, I knew that I wanted to buy. I think it's a great idea to get a feel for what you will be spending a lot of money on. We made a point of going to all the DVC resorts in Orlando to see which we liked best, and eventually we decided Boardwalk was right for us, even though my rental was in SSR.

As far as the process, we just went on the trade/rent board here and found a few people willing to help. It was a very good experience for us.

 

[disneynutz]

DH and I are considering a DVC ownership (we tend to travel to WDW every 2 years or so with our 2 children). . We'd both like to see how the DVC lodging really works for our family over the course of an entire vacation. You know, does the space suit our needs better than a regular resort room?
Has anyone had experience with the rental process? How did it work for you?

How do we feel about you renting first?

I think that you are one of the smartest people that we have met.

I am amazed at how many people buy sight unseen then ask questions that should have been asked before their purchase.

 

[colonialtinker]

I am currently doing what you mention. I have rented points for our June vacation. We tend to vacation at WDW at least once a year and have been doing so for the past 3 years. We are ready to buy, just want to check out the resort we're interested in.

I think its a very good idea

 

[JimMIA]

I think renting first is a great idea, and many members have done that. I think it's especially important if you're not quiet sure, or if there is some uncertainty on one person's part.

The downside is the price is going to go up slightly in the meantime, but that's really a minor consideration. It's a couple of hundred dollars in a much larger expenditure...especially when you factor in the dues we pay each year. If you pay a few bucks more on the buy-in, but you're sure it's right for your family after renting, that's a good tradeoff to me.

It is dishearteninig to read some of the questions disneynutz is referring to sometimes!

 

[Muushka]

We started studying at the DVC University about 2 years before buying. We had a thorough understanding of how it worked and had visited OKW and BWV (though not stayed at). When we found out that they were building at VWL, we knew, without a doubt, that there is where we wanted to buy. We had stayed at WL and loved it.

But we STILL rented a 1 BR (from CRO, no DVC sales there at that time). No way would we spend that much $$ without taking it for a test drive first!

 

[ears2BWV]

We rented from close friends for three seperate trips. After the first two we were hooked on the villa concept and talked about joining every so often. After the third trip we knew we had found our new "home". Every villa has it's own personality. Once we rented where we had a perfect fit, we knew we were sold.

 

[misbrurec]

The feedback is great - I'm starting to feel pretty good about our plan.

We've stayed at several of the resorts (in the regular rooms of BC, BW and WL) already. Do those give a good sense of the DVC area, or would we really need to be in one of the 1- or 2- bedroom villas to notice a difference?

 

[PinkTink63]

We rented before buying. I thought that I wanted to buy, but after staying, I knew that I wanted to buy. I think it's a great idea to get a feel for what you will be spending a lot of money on. We made a point of going to all the DVC resorts in Orlando to see which we liked best, and eventually we decided Boardwalk was right for us, even though my rental was in SSR.

As far as the process, we just went on the trade/rent board here and found a few people willing to help. It was a very good experience for us.

We also rented before buying, but really didn't know much about DVC then. We actually rented from someone off of ebay and got a really good deal! Although, I don't see deals like that on there anymore! Ours was just the opposite we rented at BWV's and bought SSR!

We knew once we stayed there, that was the way we always wanted to travel at WDW, but weren't planning on buying DVC. After that trip, while on the Dis, (of course) came across the Friends & Family deal that was going on and our wishful thinking became a reality! We only have 180 pts., and would love to have more, but are extremely happy to have those!

 

[PinkTink63]

The feedback is great - I'm starting to feel pretty good about our plan.

We've stayed at several of the resorts (in the regular rooms of BC, BW and WL) already. Do those give a good sense of the DVC area, or would we really need to be in one of the 1- or 2- bedroom villas to notice a difference?

It sounds like you have a pretty good feel for the resorts themselves, just not the actual DVC units. I've only stayed in the studios so far, because there is only 3 of us and we get to stay way longer on our meager pts. if we do that! One of these days!

We always stayed in the moderates before DVC, so even the studios are a nice step up with the kitchenettes. The 1-2 bedrooms are going to be a huge difference from the standard hotel rooms!

I just wish we had checked it out sooner and bought before we did! We are one of those that bought sight unseen, as far as our home resort goes, and couldn't be happier!

Good Luck!

 

[db1279]

DH and I are considering a DVC ownership (we tend to travel to WDW every 2 years or so with our 2 children). . We'd both like to see how the DVC lodging really works for our family over the course of an entire vacation. You know, does the space suit our needs better than a regular resort room?
Has anyone had experience with the rental process? How did it work for you?

We rented before buying and loved it. We have been going to Disney every couple of years, and have always been interested in DVC. Last year we took some friends along and rented points for a two bedroom at OKW. The two bedroom units where awsome. So much room. I was a little uneasy in renting points because you have no control over the reservation. I found an excellent person to rent from on the board. I checked her references, verified her adress, and her ownership. After all that checking, and comunicating back and forth, I was more comfortable with renting.

I have been reading these boards on and off for two years. There are very few problems reported with most rentals completed. It appears that most members that rent are so nice. It takes alot of their time to set up a rental transaction.

I just recently started planning our next trip for next year, and decided to purchase 100 pts on resale. The renting experience prior to purchasing was an excellent experience. It is also a great time to view the DVC presentation, and poke around at the different resorts, each one is unique.

 

[disneynutz]

The feedback is great - I'm starting to feel pretty good about our plan.

We've stayed at several of the resorts (in the regular rooms of BC, BW and WL) already. Do those give a good sense of the DVC area, or would we really need to be in one of the 1- or 2- bedroom villas to notice a difference?

The DVC experience is different from the regular resorts. With the regular resort, you check in, pay more money, get a well kept smaller room, check out and go home.

With DVC, You pay a lot of money up front, pay your yearly dues, deal with Member Services, check in, get a not as well kept, larger room with kitchen, check out and go home.

If you plan on going once or twice per year. Use the kitchen to save a lot of money, keep your membership for 20 years or so, don't mind dealing with the bureaucracy of the DVC, then membership makes sense.

 

[Deb & Bill]

...I am amazed at how many people buy sight unseen then ask questions that should have been asked before their purchase.

As long as you do an onsite visit, there really isn't a need to stay at the resort first. We bought our first points on our first trip to WDW. We were staying at the Polynesian, saw the DVC TV channel and all the stuff in the hotel and parks, so we set up an appointment with DVC. They drove us over to the Commodore House (where OKW Bldg 62, 63 and 64 are now) and we spent an hour or so talking with a guide one-to-one. We didn't rent first. We bought after meeting with DVC and it was successful for us. Of course, now we are selling some of our contracts after 11 years of membership. It's kind of run it's course.

 

[GusMan]

For us, we were interested the DVC before we rented. So, when we needed a 2BR villa for a particular stay, we decided to give renting a try. Not only was the rental process great, but the room was awesome and saw a benefit for us being able to do that again. It surely tipped the scales in favor of us purchasing.

 

[kimberh]

DH and I are considering a DVC ownership (we tend to travel to WDW every 2 years or so with our 2 children). . We'd both like to see how the DVC lodging really works for our family over the course of an entire vacation. You know, does the space suit our needs better than a regular resort room?
Has anyone had experience with the rental process? How did it work for you?

We rented before we bought, it was a wonderful experience. We only rented at WVL, that was the only resort I was interested in at the time. Something you have wrote is bothering me... that you are only going to travel every 2 years or so. We get a new supply of points yearly. We can bank or borrow one year (or portion of one years') points at a time. We have to pay maintenance fees yearly. Even if we don't use the points (bank them.) I hope I have not confused you.

 

[misbrurec]

Don't get me wrong, kimberh - we'd love to be there several times a year! However, the travel expenses for 4 of us from Maine can be a real bear!

We were basing our plans on our actual travel pattern over the last 12-14 years. Plus, DH and I plan to take more frequent trips after DD's are no longer living at home.

 

[Icale]

I would definatley rent first . I just posted this in a different thread but it pertains to your question. This was my experience renting, it's long but you get a pretty good Idea of what I encountered.





Just got back from a week at the Beach Club Villas and at this point yes I think magic is gone. I'm not a DVC member, this trip was a rented reservation and was part of my decision making process before I bought into the DVC.

I've been to Disney 6 times over the past 8 years and always stayed at the Beach Club and Yacht club resort always on the concierge level. Since now we have 4 kids and Disney does not have reasonable accommodation deals for a family of 6 ($6000-$8000 a week) as they do for a family of 4 ($2000-$3000 a week even cheaper at the value resorts) and to get a 2 bedroom, which we need now, they book you in a DVC resort anyway.So last year I looked into the DVC and figured I would rent before I bought to check it out. Though I did save more then half the cost by renting then booking through Disney that was about the only good thing.

We had a 2 bedroom which was a good setup for us but as far as cleanliness I would give it a "C" borderline "D". Definatley not what we were use to at Disney's Yacht and Beach regular resort.

The Fun started with it taking 3 phone calls to the desk and 2 hours to get our luggage. Every other stay our luggage was in our room before we got there or just as we entered.We were already checked in and had a room # when we arrived so I don't know why it took so long. I think in part to the magical express Disney has now going strong. These buses are pulling in every 10 mins loaded to the hilt and they are getting the priorty I believe when it comes to luggage, verses people who drive up.

Now the tickets. It took 2 days and 4 sets of tickets to get it right. We all had the park hopper with the DDP ( never do it again) and had room charging.Everytime we would go somewhere something was not right , one ticket wasnt a park hopper, one couldnt charge, etc... So we would have to go back to the desk and get all new tickets ( room keys) , 4 times we did this . Let me tell you the people at the desk at the BCV are useless.

Now the Disney Dinning plan , This was the first time we did this and it's the last. It was a waste of money and nobody knew what was going on. Pretzels were a snack a MK but not at Beach Club market place. We didnt use half of our snacks and some quick service because it was easier just to pay for what ever we were getting rather then waiting for the server to try to figure out what was what .I can see maybe once they get it all ironed out if the tip was still included it might be worth it, but with having to pay the tip seperate now I'll never do it again.Should have researched it more ,I planned it last year so no one really knew about the new way yet.

So now were into the trip a few days and besides some things the trip is OK . All my ressies I made are good and no problems until the day I had a fireworks cruise booked. I had made ressies 3 months in advance for a cruise at 8:00pm to see the fireworks at MK at 9:00pm. This was a suprise for my inlaws who missed a cruise( due to food poisoning, which Disney was great with and gave the 2 of them a free weekend trip) they booked for us 2 years ago at a magical gathering we had ( by far the best Disney experience I have had) . So the afternoon of I go to the wonderful BCV desk and ask the lady to check my reservation for the fireworks cruise. Since she had no clue on how to use the computer it took her over a half an hour to pull up my ressie and she finally comfirmed the ressie was at 8:00pm the boat leaves at 8:30 the fireworks are at 9:00 and for me to be at the dock at the Grand floridian at 8:00pm. So we go about our day and finally get( after a 1 hour ride on a bus that kept breaking down) to the dock at 7:55pm to find the rec building closed. I manage to find a girl that works there and she tells me I was supposed to be there at 7:00pm and the fireworks are in 3 minutes at 8:00pm. and that she called the BCV desk and left a message for me that the fireworks were changed. I never received any message and I checked with the desk and they told me to be here at 8:00 pm. So now the fireworks are going off as we stand on the dock, my kids are crying because we missed the boat. My wife starts crying because it was a suprise for her mother whose birthday was the following day and her parents missed it the last time we were there. Now I'm extremely mad . So we get back to the BCV , I go to the desk which I forgot has nobody there after 6:00pm ( why only till 6:00pm) . Now I'm even more angry as I walk over to the Beach Club's regular concierge desk. I felt bad for the lady that took me but I have every reason to be mad.For some reason Disney changed the fireworks that night and I was never told and after a few minutes the lady ( who was very nice by the way even with my angry banter) figured out what went wrong and was going to reschedule the cruise another day but we couldnt due to other ressies. So she said she would just refund me . She even called the next day to confirm she took care of everything.So at this point I gave up on the BCV desk and only dealt with the Beach Clubs regular concierge for the rest of the trip much better service.

Another example of the service at BCV desk was my inlaws wanted to eat at one of the Yacht Clubs restaurants one afternoon so they stopped at the desk one the way out and asked if they needed reservations to eat there. The persons answer was" I don't know". So they took that knowledge from the BCV guest services desk and walked over to the Yacht club's restaurant to find out it does'nt open until 5:30pm. They got there at about 4:00pm. So not only did the person not know if you needed reservations she didnt even know they didnt open until 5:30 or bother to tell my inlaws. Now that is good service.

I'll tell you every other stay we did at the Beach Club or Yacht Club regular resort were by far better then this stay at the BCV. It's seems like DVC was more interested in getting every person ,or more or less anything that moved to buy into the club rather then taking care of those who were already there.

Part of what makes Disney magical is everything is taken care of wether it be a problem, you need something or just a simple question, someone helps you with a smile. This was not the case this time .

As far as me buying into it. I don't know I'm going to give another shot next year before I do anything. My kids are young so I'm in no rush. I really like going to WDW almost every year and the DVC rooms are the size we need but with service like we had I'm really not sure at this point. I would rather save and go every 2 years and stay in a suite at the Grand Floridian or have 2 connected rooms at Yatch and Beach resort concierge level and know i'll have the best service possible.

 

[disney dumbo]

We rented first too. I probably would have kept renting... but realized there are risks involved with renting... I don't like risks. And I do like getting a good deal. So owning is a better deal than renting... easy decision.

 

[shaq_d]

We rented twice before buying in. It helped us decide that DVC was for us, but I'd sure like to have that $5,000+ back to buy more points!

 

[tomandrobin]

I would definatley rent first . I just posted this in a different thread but it pertains to your question. This was my experience renting, it's long but you get a pretty good Idea of what I encountered.

Holy Cow!!

What a bad series of events. I hope you forward this in a letter to Disney. Service like that, actually lack of service like that should not be tolerated!

I am sorry you had such a bad trip.