Disney Grand Villa - HELP

[SnodT2120]

First timer planning a trip for 10-12 people going to January in 2022. Want to plan and start early. We would like to stay together as part of our stay and the only way to make this possible is to book a Grand Villa. My hesitation is that these are sometimes only available at the mercy of when DVC releases their availability (which can range between 6-11 months according to my research) and we could get stuck with not getting one and our standard room options are very limited. My question is, what would be the best plan to take to ensure we get a Grand Villa? Do you all think there will be options left for us for a late January/early February trip? We like Copper's Creek 3BR Grand Villa at this point.

 

[starry_solo]

Renting from an owner is your best bet....

 

[holden]

Agree with PP. Rent from an owner or use a DVC rental service. Not sure what your budget is, but Old Key West will be the least expensive (if available). I'd reach out to someone ASAP to book.

 

[kirstenb1]

If you can't get a GV, definitely consider a 2 BR, and then a studio or 1 BR. The 2BR will give you a place to meet up for meals, etc.

 

[HarleenQ]

Choose which grand villa you want and rent points from an owner of that resort. It'll be available to them at 11 months out. I don't think the grand villas are super quick to go, so you should get your pick.

 

[Marionnette]

Choose which grand villa you want and rent points from an owner of that resort. It'll be available to them at 11 months out. I don't think the grand villas are super quick to go, so you should get your pick.

While most of them don’t get booked right at 11 months, they require a ton of points. Many owners don’t have enough points to book one, even if they use 3 year’s worth of points.

 

[HarleenQ]

While most of them don’t get booked right at 11 months, they require a ton of points. Many owners don’t have enough points to book one, even if they use 3 year’s worth of points.

True, but I believe when you go through a broker they find the renter that would fit the bill.

 

[Marionnette]

True, but I believe when you go through a broker they find the renter that would fit the bill.

They would need an owner with hundreds of points they are willing to rent out thru an agency. There are only so many owners who have that many points and even fewer who are interested in getting what the agencies are willing to pay for them.

 

[SnodT2120]

Renting from an owner is your best bet....

Which is done how?

Agree with PP. Rent from an owner or use a DVC rental service. Not sure what your budget is, but Old Key West will be the least expensive (if available). I'd reach out to someone ASAP to book.

Budget is not a concern. But, as a first timer, it is a little overwhelming to ensure we get a 3BR Villa. I am just not sure of this process with points, agencies, etc.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I totally agree that your best bet is to rent points from an owner through a broker - see if anything is available that meets your needs. And depending where you want to stay, you can see if there is availability. Keep in mind, not all the DVC properties have GVs - off the top of my head, I know that Poly and Beach Club do not. OKW has quite a few and is probably the most economical - the GVs at OKW are awesome - 2 stories with a master bedroom, kitchen/living room, wash/dry, and 2 full-sized bedrooms each having 2 queen beds upstairs. Other GV layouts vary.

Also, since we've gone through this, ask yourself will a master (one king bed), 2 bedrooms (beds) and a pullout sofa in the living room have the right layout for the people in your group? Sometimes the numbers don't work for sharing rooms and beds. Sometimes they do.

As for late Jan/early Feb. I have to tell you experience shows us that since DVC points are among the lowest that time of the year, you will often find it tougher to get DVC rooms. On the other hand, if people are looking to save/extend their points, they might be less likely to use them up on a GV reservation. But it's really impossible to know for sure.

Good luck with your search and your vacation planning!

 

[sponica]

I would definitely do a sleeping surface count with your party to make sure the villa matches your needs before committing to going down that rabbit hole.

 

[holden]

Which is done how?
Budget is not a concern. But, as a first timer, it is a little overwhelming to ensure we get a 3BR Villa. I am just not sure of this process with points, agencies, etc.

I’m not sure if we are allowed to recommend brokers here. Just do a search for “DVC rental” and some will pop up.

Booking a GV is dependent upon the broker finding an owner with enough points to book the GV and the availability of the GV you are interested in.

The previous Point about sleeping surfaces is a good one. Not sure if you are all adults or a mix of adults and kids. Take a look at the sleeping surfaces for the GV you are interested in to see if it works for your party. For example, Copper Creek has 1 king, 4 queens and a queen sofa bed. Will you put 4 adults in a 2 queen room or will it be 2 adults and 2 kids.

 

[Marionnette]

OP is looking for Jan/Feb 2022.

No owner can book a villa for another year from now. While it makes sense to start looking into options, no one - not an private owner, not a broker - is going to be able to book anything for the OP for quite some time. A broker won’t even take their request right now.

DVC point charts for 2022 have not been released and won’t be released until December of this year. You cannot even know for certain what a GV at any resort will cost in 2022.

My advice to the OP is to educate yourself on how a DVC rental works. It may not be the direction that you want to take. Or you may want to opt for 2 2BR villas, which would be much easier to book. Or you may find that renting an offsite vacation home is the ideal solution for your group.

 

[symphie]

We booked the Grand Floridian Grand Villa a couple years ago through David's.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

OP is looking for Jan/Feb 2022.

I completely missed that - I immediately went to 2021. Great point. It'll be next year at this time at the earliest that anyone could make this reservation.

 

[sponica]

Also speaking from experience, what people agree to today to do in 2 years, doesn't always materialize. I was planning a big family vacation, well when the rates were released and it came time to hammer down dates. One person bowed out, one family punted before bowing out, and then it ended up just being my family and my mom/step-dad. When it came time for them to book, my step dad wasn't really in the mood to spend that money for a trip that didn't end up being the big family vacation it was supposed to be.

ETA: Do your research, find your options and figure out what will work best for your group.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

It is extremely rare that Disney release GVs to cash reservations.

 

[HarleenQ]

They would need an owner with hundreds of points they are willing to rent out thru an agency. There are only so many owners who have that many points and even fewer who are interested in getting what the agencies are willing to pay for them.

I'm sure the broker can let her know if they have owners that would fit her needs. It's not something the OP would need to verify herself. If not, she can look into the other options.

It's not that big of a deal. Contact the broker and see if they can work out what's needed.

 

[HarleenQ]

OP - just look at 2021 (I know your trip is 2022) and the last full week in January... almost all the 3 bed GVs are available for the full week. Availability would likely be similar the following year.

I think David's Point Rental has a calculator on their page to see how many points it would take to get what you want and a cost. It's a least a start to get an estimate.

It's really not as many points as I thought it was to be honest for most of the resorts, especially off the monorail.

 

[Lynne M]

Budget is not a concern. But, as a first timer, it is a little overwhelming to ensure we get a 3BR Villa. I am just not sure of this process with points, agencies, etc.

Not to throw cold water on your hopes, but there's really no way to ensure you'll get a grand villa, short of being a DVC owner yourself, and even then it can be difficult for certain resorts and certain seasons.

I would not count on being able to book directly through Disney. As a PP said, it's very rare for grand villas to become available that way. There aren't many of them, and they get snapped up by members.

As a renter, you've got a few things affecting your chances.

1) GV availability. Some resorts (like BWV) have a very small number of GVs, so they go quickly. Assuming you're not looking for a New Year's Day reservation, January isn't as busy as some months once the holiday crowds leave town.

2) Owner availability. Most owners never rent their points, they use them themselves. Those that do rent may do it themselves and not go through a rental agency. So you're looking at a subset of owners, and you'll probably need one whose home resort matches the one you're looking for so you can book early.

3) Point costs. Copper Creek GVs run 94/109 points a night in January. If you're planning to book an entire week, that's 688 points. That's multiple years worth of points for most owners. Yes, a broker may be able to patch together a series of reservations using multiple owners' point allotments, but I think that's going to be a stretch.

To become familiar with the rental process and look for owners who are renting privately, you can check out our DVC Rent/Trade board. Be sure to read the sticky notes at the top of the board; there are some special rules for posting there.

If you'd rather work with a broker, there's a good primer at dvcbyrequest.com.

If you want to consider alternatives, as a PP said, renting a studio and a 2 bedroom may be a good option. It gives you a gathering place for the group.

If you're not dead set on staying at a Disney resort, look at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek. It's on a chunk of non-Disney-owned property inside WDW, so it's about as close as you can get to the parks without staying at a Disney resort. You won't be able to take advantage of perks like Magical Express or get a dining plan, but their three and four bedroom villas will be easier to book than a DVC grand villa.