Deluxes keep getting more expensive......

[boxer]

Forgive me as I am somewhat new here (as various monitors have been more than happy to point out when I tripped on a forbidden topic of conversation ----(tipping, for example), but anyway.........can anyone tell me if there is a thread or an FAQ about this renting points stuff? I don't understand what you guys are talking about and would love it if someone could point me in the right direction. Thanks in advance!

Basically, you can stay in a Vacation Club Resort (Beach Club Villa's) by 'renting' the points required to stay there from the actual DVC owner of the points, or a second-party dealer (Davids). Points are around $10-$12 per point, and you can easily see how much your vacation costs by using the DVC calendar for the amount of points you'll need for the trip.

If I would have booked my upcoming stay by 'renting' these points, I would have saved at least $1500--from booking through Disney. The caveat is you cannot cancel any rented points.

 

[smidgy]

oh yeah! POR has yee ha bob

 

[OThopeful35]

Basically, you can stay in a Vacation Club Resort (Beach Club Villa's) by 'renting' the points required to stay there from the actual DVC owner of the points, or a second-party dealer (Davids). Points are around $10-$12 per point, and you can easily see how much your vacation costs by using the DVC calendar for the amount of points you'll need for the trip.

If I would have booked my upcoming stay by 'renting' these points, I would have saved at least $1500--from booking through Disney. The caveat is you cannot cancel any rented points.

I would love to rent points but not being able to cancel is why I can't do it

 

[chimo2u]

Renting DVC points is the only way we'd be able to go with the whole family. My husband has zero interest staying anywhere but AKL. A one BR suite at Kidani for a week cost just under $3000 by renting points. Pricing it out on the WDW site and using the special offers link put it at over $1500 more. I don't know if the discount didn't apply because it was a suite or not. We'll probably rent from now on. If I'm taking a trip without the whole group, options are better. I'd love to stay at POR, for example. But since my husband isn't big on going to disney more than once a year, the only way to get him there is to book AKL.

Hi Tarak I tried to PM you, but I don't know if you have PM enabled, in any event, I was wondering how did you like the Kidani 1 BDRM?? 4 of us are planning a Jan 2015 trip, I priced it and it is 14.00$ per point to rent the 1 BDRM.... still costly, but less than CRO. We are looking at 6 nights. I originally wanted BWI, Deluxe room because of club level, all my stays are club level and I have a hard time letting it go, but it's costly ($7500 right now for 6 nights BWI DLX room with 6 day hopper tickets and the basic dining plan) that's just our Disney portion (and my 2 kids coming with us are 17/ so not really kids anymore! ) I'm thinking the extra space of Kidani might be very much a perk....not to mention the laundry room in suite, and the seperate king bedroom and 2 bathrooms..... I really wanted to go with BWI for the location/ club level, but I am leaning towards Kidani now because of the crazy pricing! If we do Kidani, we'd probably do deluxe dining to make up for not having club level. BUT if a discount comes out, or free dining comes out...BWI may end up being the better choice with 4 dining adults.
Our first 2 stays where at AKL, and we ADORE Jambo house - club level of course, LOL
but I am willing to try out Kidani for the nicer suites.
How do you like staying at Kidani?
Thanks for your thoughts!
Marie

 

[princessap]

I would love to rent points but not being able to cancel is why I can't do it

me too

 

[princessap]

Hi Tarak I tried to PM you, but I don't know if you have PM enabled, in any event, I was wondering how did you like the Kidani 1 BDRM?? 4 of us are planning a Jan 2015 trip, I priced it and it is 14.00$ per point to rent the 1 BDRM.... still costly, but less than CRO. We are looking at 6 nights. I originally wanted BWI, Deluxe room because of club level, all my stays are club level and I have a hard time letting it go, but it's costly ($7500 right now for 6 nights BWI DLX room with 6 day hopper tickets and the basic dining plan) that's just our Disney portion (and my 2 kids coming with us are 17/ so not really kids anymore! ) I'm thinking the extra space of Kidani might be very much a perk....not to mention the laundry room in suite, and the seperate king bedroom and 2 bathrooms..... I really wanted to go with BWI for the location/ club level, but I am leaning towards Kidani now because of the crazy pricing! If we do Kidani, we'd probably do deluxe dining to make up for not having club level. BUT if a discount comes out, or free dining comes out...BWI may end up being the better choice with 4 dining adults.
Our first 2 stays where at AKL, and we ADORE Jambo house - club level of course, LOL
but I am willing to try out Kidani for the nicer suites.
How do you like staying at Kidani?
Thanks for your thoughts!
Marie

I am contemplating the same for our next trip but cannot give up the monorail just yet.

 

[Nancyg56]

We never have, never would book a room at WDW without at least a 20% (usually 30% ) discount.

and

We never have, never would forgo that discount for 'free' dining.

Aside from a 'we can not justify the cost' mentality, the mere thought of selecting, trying to reserve, figuring out how to be at a certain place at a certain time a couple of dozen times during our trip.... Add FP+ reservations to the mix...

I think that as prices continue to rise, we all need to shop around for a discount that is est suited for any particular trip. FD, for those families that are planning meals as they plan their trip may be the best buy, depending on the RO discount that is offered, the ages of the members in their party, and the number of people int eh room. For others the RO discount may be a substantial savings, especially if they have no interest in the DDP. Either way, I know that in order plan WDW vacations, I really need to look for discounts, travel during the value seasons, and make sure that compare prices realistically. The days of simply booking a resort and buying the DDP are long gone for us. It is no longer a given that the price will be a value, so numbers crunching is the way I roll

 

[KELLY]

We've been to Disney so many times now, that we take as much (or even more) enjoyment at being at the resort and pools. We're not, and never have been, park commando's staying from Rope Drop-to-close in a park.

Typically, we hang out at the pool/resort by the day, and go to whatever park we want that night, usually utilizing the EMH nighttime hours.

WE do that as well and still stay value. I have stayed deluxe and for us I just don't see the value in it. We have stayed in a 1 bedroom when my kids where younger a couple of times because I had one that was a bad sleeper. I'm all good with staying at pop now. I do like the moderates but not worth 850.00 to upgrade for our trip. I would rather go longer at this point.

 

[Kim1964]

I've never paid rack rate for any Disney resort, and we've stayed at all levels except DVC. Next month's trip (BWI CL/BC CL) was booked with a 35% pincode that was mailed to me in October. Without that discount, this trip wouldn't be happening.

I am going to be booking a two night stay for next summer (before our Dream cruise), and for the first time, I am seriously considering renting points. If we like BWI as much as I think we are going to, I will be booking a studio through David's.

The resort isn't just a place for us to sleep. We spend a lot of time there, so the deluxe amenities matter a great deal to us (well, OK, to me, but until my kids start paying, I have the final say!). If renting points allows us to still have great pools and locations, then that's what I'll do.

 

[mrsp1030]

We love deluxes and have ended up renting points more often now that we have young kids. We usually at least can get a AAA discount if we decide to not rent points but have been lucky with pins and other discounts. The biggest difference for us has been shorter stays and ones not as often as we have limited times of The year we can travel due to our oldest being in school, which of course coincides with higher prices seasons or hotter weather.

 

[tarak]

Hi Tarak I tried to PM you, but I don't know if you have PM enabled, in any event, I was wondering how did you like the Kidani 1 BDRM?? 4 of us are planning a Jan 2015 trip, I priced it and it is 14.00$ per point to rent the 1 BDRM.... still costly, but less than CRO. We are looking at 6 nights. I originally wanted BWI, Deluxe room because of club level, all my stays are club level and I have a hard time letting it go, but it's costly ($7500 right now for 6 nights BWI DLX room with 6 day hopper tickets and the basic dining plan) that's just our Disney portion (and my 2 kids coming with us are 17/ so not really kids anymore! ) I'm thinking the extra space of Kidani might be very much a perk....not to mention the laundry room in suite, and the seperate king bedroom and 2 bathrooms..... I really wanted to go with BWI for the location/ club level, but I am leaning towards Kidani now because of the crazy pricing! If we do Kidani, we'd probably do deluxe dining to make up for not having club level. BUT if a discount comes out, or free dining comes out...BWI may end up being the better choice with 4 dining adults.
Our first 2 stays where at AKL, and we ADORE Jambo house - club level of course, LOL
but I am willing to try out Kidani for the nicer suites.
How do you like staying at Kidani?
Thanks for your thoughts!
Marie

Hi Marie - not sure why the pm didn't work. I sent you one that's sort of long and rambling. But I'll summarize it here. I loved Kidani. My kids prefer that pool, so being closer is nice. I don't know if I could ever go back to a standard room after having that much space. Even connecting rooms would be tough, I think.

Being able to toss a load of laundry in the washer, hang out at the pool, then come back and throw it in the dryer was fantastic. No packing up dirty clothes to take home (I'm not washing laundry if I have to leave my room to do it).

I think with two near-adult kids, having that second bathroom would be huge for you.

I bought trip insurance the day after I booked the room at Kidani. My youngest has a heart defect, so I'd be getting trip insurance anyway (at least to cover air fare if there were problems).

Because this will probably be our last trip for a while, I'm going to put money aside each month and by the time we're ready to go again, I might be able to convince my husband to buy into DVC. If not, I should have a tidy sum for another trip or two.

 

[mickeynut1]

What is everyone planning now that the resort prices are getting out of hand---are most of you moving to Renting DVC points (I am thinking about this for next year)?

Would the room-only discount possibly be better for us than the FD?

We are a deluxe family and even with the rates continuing to rise, we will still stay deluxe. We might have to shorten our trips, but I am more than willing to do that if that means I can stay where I want to stay. We have stayed at one mod (CBR) and loved it, but once we tried the deluxes, we have not stayed anything else since. We enjoy the extra amenities the deluxe resorts offer and since we spend more time at the resort than in the parks, the resort is an important part of our trip.

As far as whether a RO discount or FD is the better deal, you would have to run the numbers for your family and see which comes out to be the bigger savings. Even though the deluxe resorts are more expensive, it doesn't necessarily mean a RO discount is the better way to go. Every family is different and depending on the time of year, resort/room type, the number of people in the room, their ages, etc., sometimes FD comes out to be the better deal even at a deluxe.

When do the room-only discounts start coming out? I want to say sometime in August, but I wasn't sure. I didn't realize they had a possibilty of 30% off, so that might be a way we can make the BC work.

Rumor has it that FD will be released to the general public on August 1 for select dates Oct-Dec and although I haven't heard any mention of RO discounts, I'm hoping those will be released as well.

We've been to Disney so many times now, that we take as much (or even more) enjoyment at being at the resort and pools. We're not, and never have been, park commando's staying from Rope Drop-to-close in a park.

We are the same way. We usually go to a park in the morning (although not at rope drop) and spend maybe an hour or two, then head back to the resort to swim/relax, then head out for dinner and then to another park that night. This works out best for us as we have a much more relaxing vacation doing it that way.

See for us it isn't just a place to lay our heads.

We feel the same way. The resort plays a big part in our vacation, so it is more than a bed and a place to shower for us. We enjoy our resort time and the extra amenities the deluxe resorts provide.

 

[boxer]

Thank you for all the replies....it is good to see others in the same boat as us. We LOVE the deluxes, but if prices keep getting out of hand, we may have to look for other avenues.

 

[wdhinn89]

I agree, resort prices are getting out if hand. I only now book Deluxe if I can get a good discount. And those seem to be dwindling.
If I can't get a good discount, I love POR. I have no problem staying there.
Swan/Dolphin may be looking more attractive too.

For us (2) room discount for deluxe has always been cheaper, and paying for DDP. You'd have to run the numbers. But lately we have just taken room discount and going oop for meals. Booking TS for lunches when lunch menu is cheaper. Then doing CS for dinner. We usually come out paying less then going with DDP. For one, we don't drink pop, so order ice water. We also don't need dessert after every meal, so may share a dessert with 1 meal. Without DDP, we are free to pick up a sweet anywhere, not restricted to what is on the menu where we are dining. So at DHS we can eat somewhere, then when ready for dessert we can go to Starring Rolls for a cupcake

This is exactly what we do. Room only discount, lunch as big meal. I also have the Disney Visa and use this card for everything. The Disney Dollars I accumulate usually cover most of our meals. (4 adults) so I don't spend too much out of pocket cash on food.

 

[hookedonears]

We have done deluxes for the past several years now, and I think that streak may come to an end this year. Just some quick figures on the proposed FD for Oct/Nov are showing the BC to be coming in around $6k for 10/30 to 11/9. It wasn't too many years ago this same trip would be closer to $5k.

What is everyone planning now that the resort prices are getting out of hand---are most of you moving to Renting DVC points (I am thinking about this for next year)?

Would the room-only discount possibly be better for us than the FD? My son has just been diagnosed with pretty bad meat allergies, so the DP does not have the appeal this year as much as in the past. We have even tossed around the idea of staying at the Swan/Dolphin, but have not stayed there for years.

The final option is just to stay at POR, and have some money left over to spend on vacation (we love the POR but are admittidly spoiled by the BC over the years).

Any advice????

All I have to say is go to Europe. We just got back from Europe - France Switzerland, Austria, and Germany and stayed at what would be considered comparable Disney Delux Hotels, and there's no doubt in my mind that Disney is a bargain. Disney prices their resorts on a world wide economy basis, not just a U.S. The US's economy is going south, though Disney's prices are not going to wait for same to recover, if it ever does.

 

[Kristibo42]

I just tired of everyone always putting down the Value Resorts.

 

[jimandami]

I just tired of everyone always putting down the Value Resorts.

I don't think anyone on this thread was "putting down" the value resorts. I just think they lack the amenities that some of us look for on vacation, such as hot tubs, sit-down restaurants, more transportation options, larger beds, etc....

 

[fitzperry]

All I have to say is go to Europe. We just got back from Europe - France Switzerland, Austria, and Germany and stayed at what would be considered comparable Disney Delux Hotels, and there's no doubt in my mind that Disney is a bargain. Disney prices their resorts on a world wide economy basis, not just a U.S. The US's economy is going south, though Disney's prices are not going to wait for same to recover, if it ever does.

We also find that Disney is not such a bad bargain compared to other destinations we like, especially when we consider the cost of getting there. Airfares to Europe are sky high (pardon the pun) right now--double what I paid the last time I flew there, which was 2006. In my book, Disney is no substitute for a European tour, but the relatively cheap airfare and free dining make it a bit easier to swallow the cost of a deluxe (yes, I'd rather have a RO discount for a variety of reasons, but for a family of 4 with no kids under 10, FD isn't a bad deal). In other places we tend to rent vacation homes or condos, which is more cost effective, but, again, those savings are often offset by the cost of getting there.

In other words, I guess I'm looking at the total cost of the vacation. I try not to think about the room rate

 

[Marionnette]

Basically, you can stay in a Vacation Club Resort (Beach Club Villa's) by 'renting' the points required to stay there from the actual DVC owner of the points, or a second-party dealer (Davids). Points are around $10-$12 per point, and you can easily see how much your vacation costs by using the DVC calendar for the amount of points you'll need for the trip.

If I would have booked my upcoming stay by 'renting' these points, I would have saved at least $1500--from booking through Disney. The caveat is you cannot cancel any rented points.

David's (dvcbyrequest.com) charges $14/point and the minimum point rental is usually 44 points according to his website.

You can sometimes get points for as low as $10/point by going directly through an owner or if David has "distressed" points to broker. But more than likely, you will pay closer to $14/point than you will $10-$12/point if you want a specific resort at a busy time.

 

[princessap]

we are looking at september 2014 for one bedroom. Would that be possible or hard to get?