Disadvantages of renting from DVC?

[jsphotography]

the first time i planned a disney trip was for last October and picked up a little information on disney vacation club which was totally new to me! just looking around this site i saw that you can rent points and stay for a LOT less than going through the regular site.. what are the disadvantages of doing that? it seems like a no brainer to do that instead, but i'm sure i'm missing something.. anybody have opinions either way? it would just be two adults and one child, so even just the studio would be fine for us!

 

[vicki_c]

Well it's a private transaction and Disney is not involved, so your risk is greater. Cancelling your reservation may not be possible without losing your money. You can't partake in any Disney discounts like free dining. You won't get maid service every day either. Those are all the negatives I can think of. For some people they are a big deal. For others not so much.

 

[disneyobessed]

We rented 2x before we finally bought into DVC. When we first rented in 06 we paid $680 for 5 nights at The Boardwalk Villas in a studio. No strings attatched.. so WORTH IT. If you dont mind the value resorts it may not be your thing.. or if you enjoy the free dining... but it really is worth it.

 

[ancestry]

I've always been afraid to do this mainly for the reasons the other poster has stated. I'm leery of conducting a business deal like this with a person who I don't know but yet have to trust. I also like that when I book through Disney I can cancel without penalty (up to a certain point) but would probably not be able to cancel without a penalty if I rented points

Not saying that you shouldn't do it. Just saying that I've always been too nervous to do it.

 

[kathleendsm]

We are renting points at BWV for our trip in a few weeks. I guess I will know for sure then how it went, but I'm pretty confident. The owner sent me the reservation number which let me look it up before I paid him, and he had significant good feedback (no negative) on eBay. Since we paid him in December I have checked the Disney reservations site every couple of weeks and it has always been there. It's a great deal!

The only other disadvantage I can think of over doing a reservation with Disney is that you don't get maid service every day, only every 4. But heck, the maid sure doesn't come every day at home!

 

[I Run Long]

We'll be renting for the first time and staying a BCV for 14 nights. Yes, there are risks so it pays to do your research. We do have to pay for DDP but I calculated that if we went through Disney, got 10 day PH with WP for 4 adults, and got free dining (which is never a guarantee), we would have paid $3200 more than renting, purchasing our park tickets through UCT and paying for 14 nights DDP. Overall the trip including airfare (from Seattle) our accommodations, tickets and DDP (4 adults) for 14 nights is costing us $6200 tax incl. I've always wanted to stay at BC but could never afford Disney prices. The way I look at it you get Deluxe accommodation at Moderate resort prices. Sure we could do it for less by staying at a Value resort, but we love the Deluxe resorts as we do like to stay longer than is probably the average for most visitors.

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

We rented points at SSR in 2008 and got an amazing deal. The owner was a family member of my son's business partner, so not a stranger, so even though I had never met them before, we didn't have a trust issue in any way.

We had a wonderful trip, but there were very minor negatives involved in renting which had more to do with me being used to being in complete control over my vacations and having to give up part of that control.

The possibility of cancellation worried me. Not only would we lose money, I had the extra burden of worrying what the DVC member might lose in the process as well.

When making ME reservations, you need to go through the DVC member because they are the only ones that can make those reservations. So if you needed to change your flight, thus change your ME time, you would need to contact the DVC member and they would need to call Disney to make the changes. I felt like I would be a pain in the neck if I had to make changes, lol. It felt odd to have someone else handle all that. And again, that is because of my vacation control issues... I want the ultimate power and all that, lol.

I actually like not having maid service, so that was a plus.

That is all I can think of right now.

 

[mousefan1972]

The biggest risk I can think of is that after staying in DVC accomodations, you'll want to buy DVC yourself! We rented points 3 times, then decided to buy points at Bay Lake Tower.

All kidding aside, as PP's have said, it is a private transaction between you and the DVC owner. Many owners have a no refund policy. Be sure you understand what you are getting into, as it is very different from booking direcly with Disney.

 

[Deb & Bill]

DVC members plan many months ahead to use their points. So you can't wait until a month or two before you plan to go and get a member to make a reservation for you using their points. Many times that are busy for DVC are not busy for non-DVC stays, so if you think you can wait until Sept to get early December you are sadly mistaken - one of the most popular times for DVC members. You need to contact a member about a year ahead of time to get some of those hard to get reservations.

And if you need to change that reservation once you have made arrangements with a member to rent their reservation, it may not be possible. You need to think of it like a Priceline reservation. You bought it, it's yours. Except you can't call Member Services for any reason about the reservation. The member has to add dining, add ME, make any requests.

There haven't been many reports of "members" ripping off non-members. But there have been a few. You just need to find a member you trust.

 

[vicki_c]

Yes, I was going to add the "no control" thing - I forgot that one.

So to add the DDP, Magical Express, make a room request, etc. -- all must be done by the member.

 

[Snow Shoe]

Well, I have rented out my BWV points on several occasions to people that I knew nothing about over the years. It takes trust both ways for an arrangement like these to work well. The one thing that I made sure my renters were very aware of, was that if they cancled their trip after the 31st day before the departure date, they would not get any refund. If they did cancle in this time span, DVC places my points in a holding account, with very strick usage. So a cancled trip places the DVC owner in a tight spot as well.

 

[Sammie]

Disadvantages: Cancellation policies are decided by the person you rent from. Some as Snow Shoe said are 31 days before your arrival, with others the transaction is final.

Problems: personal transaction between two people Disney will not help you if a problem arises.

Control: the member owns the reservation until you check in. If you want dining, requests etc. the member will have to call Member Services to do this.

Housekeeping: no daily housekeeping or towels. You will get towels and trash taken out on the 4th day of your trip.

Availibility: DVC availibity is very different from Disney reservations. Members can book at their home resort at 11 months and some resorts and some specific times such Food and Wine and early December, can book very quickly at 11 months out. You will not know if it is available until the member checks because the inventory is different from Disney's.

 

[bookwormde]

Here is a thread that will help

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1255828

Renting from a DisBoard member with lots of posts 500+ is a good tool also.

Exchange information by US mail since most fraudsters do not want the potential of federal mail fraud investigation.

bookwormde

 

[momof2gr8kids]

Housekeeping: no daily housekeeping or towels. You will get towels and trash taken out on the 4th day of your trip.

Does that mean you have to use the same towels for 4 days in a row? Is there a place you can go and get more towels, or bring your trash to on your own if need be?

Is there a vacuum cleaner or access to one in the studios in case you spill something?

 

[hannaconda]

If you rent a 1 bedroom or more there is a washer and dryer in the room so you can wash whatever you need. Yes there is a vacuum in the room as well so if you make a mess you can clean it up. Also you can have maid service more than ever four days. You do have to pay extra but its not that much. As a DVC member I have never had more that 1 room cleaning durnig a single stay. If the trash is full I just take and set it outside if I don't see the trash hamper and its gone when I get back.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Does that mean you have to use the same towels for 4 days in a row? Is there a place you can go and get more towels, or bring your trash to on your own if need be?

Is there a vacuum cleaner or access to one in the studios in case you spill something?

If you rent a 1 bedroom or more there is a washer and dryer in the room so you can wash whatever you need. Yes there is a vacuum in the room as well so if you make a mess you can clean it up. Also you can have maid service more than ever four days. You do have to pay extra but its not that much. As a DVC member I have never had more that 1 room cleaning durnig a single stay. If the trash is full I just take and set it outside if I don't see the trash hamper and its gone when I get back.

You get one bath towel per sleeping space. So the studio sleeps four = you get four bath towels. You usually get as many face cloths and half as many hand towels. You use the towel, hang it up to dry and use it for three more days. If you need more towels you can purchase a towel pack of four bath towels for $6 (each time you get a towel pack it will be $6) or you can pay for extra service. The towel packs are not replaced for free; they are a one time charge and one time service.

If your trash is building up in your villa, you take it to the trash room. You'll have extra trash bags in the bottom of the trash can. At OKW, each building has a trash room. At the other resorts, usually each floor has a trash room. Do not leave it outside your door. Please leave nothing outside your door for anyone to pick up. You pick up after yourself in a DVC villa.

All villas have a vacuum cleaner located in the closet. One bedroom villas or larger have a washer and dryer in the villa. Studios have access to a laundry room.

If you stay seven nights or fewer, on your fourth day (with day one as check in day), you will get your towels replaced and your trash removed, plus incidentals replaced. If you stay eight nights or more, you get a full cleaning on day four and trash and towel service on day eight. Again, if you want more service, you can pay for it. If you want your bed made, you make it yourself unless you have a full cleaning day.

The DVC villas are a timeshare and timeshares do not get the same services as hotels because the members of that timeshare pay for all service provided to the resort.

 

[Hopefully]

Before we bought DVC we reserved through Disney 4 times. It was way more expensive than renting from a member.
The reason I did this was because of the cancellation policy. I believe that your commitment to rent point is legally (and morally) binding. I was never comfortable making that commitment so far in advance.

 

[Deb & Bill]

.... I believe that your commitment to rent point is legally (and morally) binding. I was never comfortable making that commitment so far in advance.

Nope, even a "contract" is just a piece of paper. It's just an arrangement between two people who both hope it works out.

 

[msteddom]

I rented points three times before becoming a member myself and had nothing but good experiences! I just want to echo what others have said. Make sure you have good communication with the person you're renting from. Get all of your questions answered before you agree to a transaction. Make sure your vacation plans are firm, as it can be difficult to impossible to cancel or modify.

Melissa

 

[rosiep]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned using David's DVC Rentals. http://www.dvcrequest.com/
He is a boards sponsor and it just seems to me that if you are leery about a transaction with a complete stranger this route, while a little more expensive, should offer some piece of mind. Don't be afraid of the $35 up front fee, because it is refunded immediately if what you want isn't available.

It's a great way of staying Deluxe without breaking the bank.