DVC or staying at a resort?

[LoveingLife]

Ok, Im not sure where to post this question, I have been trying to find reviews on a few DVC rental places. I'm not sure if its worth it? Or it better to stay at a resort? How do you go about it? Has anyone been swindled? Also how do you go about getting the dining plan if you are renting points form a DVC member? Can anyone post of some places to look at?
Thanks all!!

 

[chepic]

DVC offers you the ability to have condo living, so you would have a full kitchen and larger space to relax in the room.

You can get the dining plan; you need to let the person know who is booking it for you and they can add that on.

Everything is done through the member. I supposed there is always a chance that the member would be dishonest. I have rented our points in the past and have not had any issues with the parties I have rented to. You can click on the link under DVC membership on the disboards and there is an area just for renting points.

My opinion; if you are getting the meal plan, why get a room with a kitchen? We love our DVC membership and really use the kitchen to save money. We did do one trip with the dining plan and have to say that we preferred not to do it since.

Here are a few shots:
The pull out coach in the 1 bedroom unit in OKW
living/dining room
Couch folded up
bedroom
tub view

these are from OKW which have bigger rooms.

hope that helps.

che

 

[emilyindisney]

If the thought of renting from a stranger makes you nervous, ask for references. I find that most of the people with points for rent on DIS aren't doing it for the first time and can usually provide names/reviews of previous guests.

You can also rent through a point rental company. Essentially, they're like a travel company that buys points from members to rent them to potential customers. That's what I'm doing for our next trip. The price per point is a little more but the piece of mind is nice.

 

[cheer25mom]

We are renting points or the first time for or upcoming trip. We normally stay moderate and deluxe is just not in the buget without renting points. Reting is allowing us to get a Savannah View studio at AKV for the week for about $200 more than a moderate with the current 25% discount. We have always wanted to sty on the savannah, but the buget just wouldn't support it.

 

[LoveingLife]

If the thought of renting from a stranger makes you nervous, ask for references. I find that most of the people with points for rent on DIS aren't doing it for the first time and can usually provide names/reviews of previous guests.

You can also rent through a point rental company. Essentially, they're like a travel company that buys points from members to rent them to potential customers. That's what I'm doing for our next trip. The price per point is a little more but the piece of mind is nice.

I am thinking that I will book through point rental company. I don't want to get swindled. That is a LOT of money to get swindled on too!

 

[abner1776]

Each person has to be comfortable with the rental transaction, but as a DVC member who has rented my points to others on a number of occasions, I think your concerns while possible...are very unlikely. 99.99% of the renters are just members like myself that have a need to rent out their points from time to time and have no plan to deceive the rentee.

You need to consider who are the renters and rentees...the renters are owners of a Disney vacation resort and the rentees are mostly family people who want to take their families to Disney...we are not talking about buying something on Ebay.

Do issues arise with renting points ? Yes, they do, but this is a transaction of equals and the possibility of a scam are very very small.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

If the thought of renting from a stranger makes you nervous, ask for references. I find that most of the people with points for rent on DIS aren't doing it for the first time and can usually provide names/reviews of previous guests.

You can also rent through a point rental company. Essentially, they're like a travel company that buys points from members to rent them to potential customers. That's what I'm doing for our next trip. The price per point is a little more but the piece of mind is nice.

I'm not sure who the rental company you are using is, but the two I'm using for my upcoming trip (David's and DVC Rental Store) do not actually buy the points.

They act more like a broker/middle man where they pair the renter and rentee up and get a cut of the profits for doing so.

There are still risks with going with a broker, but IMO they are minimised due to the fact that the broker ensures appropriate contracts are ruled up. They also hold onto a percentage of the money until the renting begins. This helps ensure the points owner doesn't cancel the reservation once they've received the money. Lastly, it gives you the option of paying for the rental with credit card. In cases of fraud it'll hopefully be easier to get your money back than had you paid cash or bank deposit.

My holiday isn't until Sep/Oct, but so far my experience has been very positive. Within 24hrs of paying my money to the brokers I had reservation numbers that were recognised by the Disney website. I am able to see the details of my reservation and add ADRs. However the points owner still technically owns the reservation and had to add my Magic Express booking. They would also need to add the Dining Plan if I wanted it (which I don't).

Even though brokers charge a bit more than renting privately, I still worked out that I was saving roughly 60% off the rack rate offered by Disney. I'm pretty happy with that. Even a Free Dining Promo wouldn't have offered me the same discounts.

 

[bwang123]

There are still risks with going with a broker, but IMO they are minimised due to the fact that the broker ensures appropriate contracts are ruled up. They also hold onto a percentage of the money until the renting begins. This helps ensure the points owner doesn't cancel the reservation once they've received the money. Lastly, it gives you the option of paying for the rental with credit card and/or paypal. In cases of fraud it'll be easier to get your money back than had you paid cash or bank deposit.

renting and purchasing timeshares is against paypal policy so they may not protect you in most instances if there is fraud. Additionally, their buyer protection policy only protects against "tangible, physical item or good which can be shipped."


BUYER PROTECTION POLICY:

Item #3: ELIGIBILITY:
----------------------------
b3. The item sold in the listing must be a tangible, physical item or good which can be shipped. All other items are ineligible for PayPal Buyer Protection coverage, including but not limited to intangible goods, services, quasi-cash, gift certificates, and downloadable or streaming content. Motor vehicles (including cars, motorcycles, boats, and planes), and Live Auctions will not be covered. In addition, items prohibited in the PayPal Acceptable Use Policy are ineligible for coverage. If an item does not meet the requirements in this section 3.b.3, it is ineligible for PayPal Buyer Protection coverage, even if the listing states otherwise.

 

[chalee94]

Can anyone post of some places to look at?

here is more info (including pics) about the DVC resorts:

http://allears.net/acc/faq_bcv.htm

downsides of DVC rentals:

*DVC studios only have 1 queen bed and 1 pullout sofabed (except for OKW which has 2 queens) - this setup works better for couples but is less ideal for a family of 4.

*generally, you have no option to cancel and get your money back.

*housekeeping is not every day. generally, you get 1 simple trash/towel service for a 7 night stay. (i like not having housekeeping in the room, but if you like having the bed made and such, that costs extra with DVC stays.)

*you often need to book well in advance. DVC reservations open up for owners at 11 months out...if an owner can't get a room, they risk losing their pts, so many book as early as possible to get what they want. calling 4-5 months out can be very "last minute" in timeshare terms.

*the DVC owner controls the reservation until you check in. if you need to add the DDP, you have to call the owner (or broker), and so on. (when you add the DDP, you have to pay for it in advance. the DDP cannot be added to a reservation inside of 48 hours.) i actually bought into the DVC so i could control my own reservations...

 

[WanderlustNZ]

renting and purchasing timeshares is against paypal policy so they may not protect you in most instances if there is fraud. Additionally, their buyer protection policy only protects against "tangible, physical item or good which can be shipped."

Apologies for giving incorrect information - I will make changes to my post.

I paid by cc and for all the other reasons mentioned I still feel more secure about my purchase than had I rented privately. However I realise now that the paypal option is one of false security which disappoints me.

 

[Sammie]

Renting can definitely save you money, but do you homework.

For one there almost always are no cancellations.

Brokers, while may provide some sense of security, are only as good as the members they use. Ask about their policies if something goes wrong.

Know what you are getting and what you are not getting. You will not get the perks and benefits that members do.

You will not get daily housekeeping, you can purchase it for extra if you wish.

Dining plan can be purchased but must be booked by the member and paid in full to that member.

Requests, Magical Express, will have to be made for you by the Member you rent from, make sure you have good communication.

Many resorts will require you to book at 11 months out to get what you want, and most others will require 7 months bookings.

While most rentals go off without any problems, do know that until you check in, the member owns the reservation.

 

[Three cats]

We used the DVC rental store for our last trip and had no issues at all.

 

[goofy4tink]

I would always prefer using someone like Davids DVC rental vs a private party. He does all the legwork. He 'vets' the people on both sides. I have given him points to rent out for me..it worked wonderfully. He found someone to rent my points, he gave me all the info, and I made the reservation for them. If they had wanted, I would have added DME and the dining plan for them...I would have to do that, they can't. I was paid half my money up front, and would get the other half when the renters checked in. There are safeguards set up to protect both parties.
Yes, it may be a bit more expensive ($13 a point vs $10) but it seems to be worth if in peace of mind.