Dvc rental...what's your experience

[Alpineslide]

I am thinking of staying at a dvc rental for our next trip, which would be in June of 2018.
I'd like to stay at Animal Kingdom as we've eaten at Boma a few times and have really enjoyed the atmosphere and sites of the resort.
Any advice or thoughts on the pros and cons of dvc rental would be much appreciated.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

In general, it is a final transaction once booked.

 

[bwbuddy5]

We've had good luck, but through a different board that allows you to post your point need. Several potential renters responded same day, and the renter I chose offered a contract, references, and only a 10% deposit, with 40% at booking, and balance one month out. They even offered to book dining plan, and recommended several room choice strategies. And, it was cheaper than the established rental sites. I wouldn't do it any other way.

 

[Wild4Walt]

Biggest pro - during non-discounted time periods ( and sometimes during ) the cost can be significantly lower than booking directly through Disney.
Biggest con - most are non-changeable, non-refundable.

If you opt to go this route, just remember to ask all your questions before you sign on the dotted line so to speak.

 

[Kailani6]

I have used Dave's DVC rental twice. We stayed at AKL Jambo and AKL Kidani. Both times we stayed in Value Studios. I priced it out and we paid the same as we would have paid for one of the All Star hotels.

The only con I can think of is the pull out couch as the 2nd bed. Its not too comfy but for teens its not too bad. Other than that I have no complaints and obviously the larger rooms have more beds but i was looking for the cheapest option. It was So wonderful to be able to stay in a hotel we would otherwise not have been able to afford.

 

[Kailani6]

Oh right I forgot another con, you have to prepay the whole amount at the time of booking and it's non refundable

 

[Alpineslide]

I have used Dave's DVC rental twice. We stayed at AKL Jambo and AKL Kidani. Both times we stayed in Value Studios. I priced it out and we paid the same as we would have paid for one of the All Star hotels.

The only con I can think of is the pull out couch as the 2nd bed. Its not too comfy but for teens its not too bad. Other than that I have no complaints and obviously the larger rooms have more beds but i was looking for the cheapest option. It was So wonderful to be able to stay in a hotel we would otherwise not have been able to afford.

That's kind of what I'd like to do...rent a value studio or possibly rent the next notch up. If you don't mind me asking how far in advance of your trip did you book and what time of the year did you stay there ?

 

[Kailani6]

That's kind of what I'd like to do...rent a value studio or possibly rent the next notch up. If you don't mind me asking how far in advance of your trip did you book and what time of the year did you stay there ?

For our last trip we booked mid April for a trip on August 19th. I don't seem to have my emails from the trip before that

 

[Marionnette]

That's kind of what I'd like to do...rent a value studio or possibly rent the next notch up. If you don't mind me asking how far in advance of your trip did you book and what time of the year did you stay there ?

Value studios are pretty hard to get, even for AKV owners who are booking right at 11 months. I'm very surprised that the PP was able to book one thru David's in April for a trip in August. David's won't even take requests for them. And there are no value studios at AKV Kidani, so I'm inclined to believe that the PP actually booked a standard view, not a value studio.

 

[Marionnette]

Prior to buying DVC, I "rented points" from my brother and I paid him the rate that David's was charging renters. One of the big drawbacks of renting is that you get the urge to purchase DVC.

Once the owner (or the agency you're using as a middle man) gives you the reservation number, you can add it to MDE and verify that the names, dates and type of unit are correct. The owner can add a dining package for you if you pay them for it at the time that they add it. Tickets, FP+ and ADRs are your own responsibility. You will have all of the advantages that any Disney resort guest has (like EMH, access to the resort's theme pool, ADRs at 180+10, FP+ at 60 days prior to arrival, MBs) but none of the benefits that DVC members have (such as member discounts or events. pool hopping or the Epcot Members' Lounge).

But here are a couple of things that non-owners may not understand about DVC:

• You're not "renting points". That's a disboards term. You are renting a reservation. The points belong to the DVC member and always will be. The reservation is under their control until the moment that you check in.
  
• Those units with low points like BWV std. view and AKV Jambo value studios may not be impossible to get but you are highly unlikely to be able to book the value studio and will be very lucky if you get std. view at BWV. Set your budget to cover the units that cost more points.
• Demand for DVC rental far exceeds the number of available units and owners willing to use their points for a rental. DVC is designed to be at or near 100% occupancy all year long. That means that owners will be competing with one another for the more popular DVC units at the most popular times of the year.
• DVC periods of peak demand are not the same as Disney's periods of peak demand. Marathon weekend and Sept. thru December book up quickly.
  
• DVC units are not the same as staying in a hotel room. Aside from not getting daily housekeeping, you will not get 2 beds in a studio unless you're staying at OKW. What you get in a studio is a queen bed and a full sleeper sofa. Some studios will also have a Murphy bed that is smaller than a twin bed that will accommodate a 5th person.
• An owner that is willing to use their points for your reservation has restrictions on their points. Because of the restrictions that we deal with, the likelihood of getting a refund if you change your mind or need to cancel are less than when dealing directly with Disney. If they borrowed points, used banked points that are expiring soon, are past their banking deadline or if you cancel so late that their points go into holding, they aren't likely to give you your money back.
  
• Any changes, special room requests or adding the dining plan have to be done through the owner. Dining plans must be paid in full at the time that they are added to the reservation because that's the way that DVC works.
• You cannot request an upgrade when you get to the resort. With DVC, you get what you paid for. Any upgrades would be charged to the owner (i.e. additional points would be taken from their account).
  
• The owner retains control of the reservation, even if you went through a broker like David's. If the owner is behind on paying their mortgage or membership fees, Disney can (and will) cancel reservations that they have made. Even a broker cannot control that.
• Owners are not magicians. We cannot get you a reservation for a unit when there are none available. We are not likely to "walk" a reservation in order to get you what you want, nor are we likely to add our names to a waitlist to get it for you. Your chances of getting exactly what you want are much greater if you have lined up someone, who owns at the resort that you are interested in booking, at least 11 months in advance of the day you wish to arrive. The probability of success goes down from there.
• It takes a degree of trust when renting a DVC reservation, but it goes both ways. The renter is trusting the owner to make good on their promise to keep the reservation in good standing for the renter. The renter is trusting that the DVC owner will not cancel the reservation and run off with their money. OTOH, the owner is trusting that the renter will pay in full according to the terms that they set forth in the contract. They are also trusting that the renter will not damage the property or otherwise run up a bill that the owner gets stuck paying.
• When you rent a DVC reservation, Disney is not involved in the transaction at all. They will not make good if something goes wrong and you show up at the resort without a room in your name. Sometimes, it's not even the owner's doing. There is a recent thread on the DVC Member Services forum concerning an owner's reservation that was canceled by DVC for no apparent reason. This happened to be a reservation for themselves but it could just as easily have been a reservation for a friend, family member or a renter. The reservation cannot be re-booked because the unit went to the next person on the waitlist. It can happen. You'd get your money back in a case like that but you would be without a reservation and Disney won't do anything to help you other than to book a room for you at the prevailing rate for whatever is available.

I'm not trying to scare you off. I just want you to be informed about the way these rentals work so that you can go into it with open eyes. Too many people look at the price calculators on the brokers' websites and think that the units are available and just waiting for them to be booked by the next lucky renter. It's much more complicated than that.

 

[bwbuddy5]

I'm not trying to scare you off. I just want you to be informed about the way these rentals work so that you can go into it with open eyes. Too many people look at the price calculators on the brokers' websites and think that the units are available and just waiting for them to be booked by the next lucky renter. It's much more complicated than that.

Dang, let's hope you're retired!

Rental is still worth it! I usually save more than half by renting points, vs. reserving through Disney or a travel agent. That alone makes it worth it to me, you just have to do your homework.

 

[Megara5115]

We are going on our third trip using DVC Rental Store and so far, every time has been great. I would say maybe the biggest downside vs booking through Disney is the non-refundable aspect but DVC Rental Store does offer a protection plan (for additional cost) where your money is refundable. We haven't used it so you would have to check their site for specific wording. Otherwise it has been great to experience a variety of resorts for less!

 

[bwbuddy5]

One thing's for sure - those that have this discussion are always very loyal to their choice, whether not renting, renting through a renting site, or renting from an individual. As long as everyone's happy with their choice, I think it's great.

 

[DisBuckMan]

Value studios are pretty hard to get, even for AKV owners who are booking right at 11 months. I'm very surprised that the PP was able to book one thru David's in April for a trip in August. David's won't even take requests for them. And there are no value studios at AKV Kidani, so I'm inclined to believe that the PP actually booked a standard view, not a value studio.

Agree. It happens occasionally (rarely), but it is pure luck for renters to get a value studio...especially through a rental service. Owners usually book them up right at the 11 month mark, year-round...simply due to the low point total, and the fact that there is an extremely small number of them available.

Right now, there is exactly ONE night available in a value studio between now and December 1st (Oct 12). In the entire 11 month window, there is one stretch of 4 nights in a row available at the end of February, and one stretch of 6 nights available in early April. Otherwise, it's a few of scattered one and two night stays beginning in March.

 

[Marionnette]

Dang, let's hope you're retired!

Rental is still worth it! I usually save more than half by renting points, vs. reserving through Disney or a travel agent. That alone makes it worth it to me, you just have to do your homework.

I fail to see how my employment status is pertinent to this discussion. Thank you for your comment but you're way off base. Good luck with your future rentals and have a Disney day!

 

[rwdavis2]

I'm surprised this thread hasn't been shutdown yet.

 

[Deb & Bill]

The problem with posting a need on a board that allows the renter to do that is you have a better chance of being scammed. I know on the DIS, that was the reason they only let member with points to rent post and you have to respond to their post. Less chance of a scam. On another board where they let people looking for points to rent, they have had a few scammer lately and are working on a way to keep them off the boards. When you respond to a post by an owner looking to rent out their points, do not respond to private messages from others telling you of the bargain they can give you by renting their points. You need to initiate all communication with owners.

 

[StaciaRae]

That's kind of what I'd like to do...rent a value studio or possibly rent the next notch up. If you don't mind me asking how far in advance of your trip did you book and what time of the year did you stay there ?

I put in a request today for marathon weekend in January and was told everything is booked, no availability in any resort and category. I expected that because it's only 6 months out but we just decided to add a few days before our cruise, thought I'd put in the request anyways, as expected, nothing available. Put in your request as early as possible.

 

[Wakey]

I would only rent to and from using a trusted agent like David's. Direct using boards is too risky.

 

[bwbuddy5]

The problem with posting a need on a board that allows the renter to do that is you have a better chance of being scammed. I know on the DIS, that was the reason they only let member with points to rent post and you have to respond to their post. Less chance of a scam. On another board where they let people looking for points to rent, they have had a few scammer lately and are working on a way to keep them off the boards. When you respond to a post by an owner looking to rent out their points, do not respond to private messages from others telling you of the bargain they can give you by renting their points. You need to initiate all communication with owners.

I agree with that, but if you are willing to use due diligence, and perform your own research before plopping down money, there should not be an issue. I saved $3 per point on what it would have cost me at Dave's, with a lot more flexibility.