DVC Villas ?

[Cmbar]

Ok let me hear from all of you DVC people out there. A Friend's family of six is booked at POR for two rooms in Feb. Got a good price with this Visa Deal. BUT now we stumble upon the DVC rental thing and are considering this. I know they will need a 2 bedroom and have looked at the calculator to determine points and even may have someone who can rent, but don't know a thing about this. Looks like the cost will be similar if they end up having to buy park hoppers. Can anyone who has done this tell me if the villas (we are thinking OKW or WLV)have any negatives to staying at them as a DVC rental? For instance with their POR package they have the UPH that comes with the Dream maker package. Can you purchase that with renting DVC or do you have to get your own Park Hoppers? Also with these resorts is there housekeeping? How about Transportation?

Any advice or information PLEASE! I have looked on the DVC board but mostly those posts are about buying DVC and not renting. Any helpful links would be appreciated too!

THANK YOU

 

[minster22]

You can go to the Rent/Trade board and there is a thread with lots of info about how the whole renting points process works. I just became a DVC member but have rented points several times in the past with no problems at all. There is certainly an element of trust that some people will not be comfortable with, you will need to decide that for yourself. Also, because of the way the process works you do not have the same kind of flexiblity as with a cash reservation.. When it all works for the parties involved it is definately a win/win situation and a very economical way to have a great resort experience. And yes, to my knowledge you can get UPH passes. Housekeeping is minimal unless you pay an additional cash amount which varies with unit size. Transportation is available to all resort guests. Good Luck!!

 

[Canadian Tom]

Hello: I think if you check out the numbers(I did) and if you are talking about the Visa Dream Maker package at par deal, it will be cheaper to stay at POR than rent points and buy passes. I just checked the numbers for my sister and family. It was about $1500 cheaper at POR. But one other consideration is the amount of space in a 2 bedroom over rooms at POR. OKW includes 2 bedrooms, living room, laundry and full kitchen(a savings on meals if you are so inclined on your vacation). Oh the pain of decisions. Good luck.

 

[CaptnHook]

Hey!!! thats apples and oranges VWL & OKW aren't moderates they are Deluxe's not in the same gene pool.

 

[zurgswife]

Just remember if you go DVC you may never go back......

I'm a DVC member and it is the BOMB!!!

 

[CoolDisneyCat]

There are many great things about a villa over a moderate hotel room; the kitchen (even if you don't cook, the price of bottles of water or soda bought in bulk is a great savings), the washer and dryer in the room, the big whirlpool tub.. and most of all, the extra space. (hummm.. maybe that tub!)

Here are the stats on the space:

POR - 314 per room x2 = 628
OKW - 1410 (a 2 bdrm villa)
WLV - 1083
BCV - 1075
BWV - 1071

The transporation is just like all the other resorts. Buses from OKW, buses and boats from WLV, BWV and BCV.

If you want daily housekeeping, it is $40 a day (for a 2 bdrm). There is trash and towel service on the 4th day. If you are staying a week, you will get a full cleaning on the 4th day instead. Alot of DVC members find we like not miss daily housekeeping... no knocking while you are resting. If you run out of things like paper products or dish soap, you can call and it will replaced at no cost. There are rooms along the hallways where you can drop your trash bags.

Have fun! I hope this helps.

 

[Cmbar]

Thank you all for your responses. We are definitely considering renting but all the pieces have to fall in place. One last question though. Are there any hidden costs here? It seems too simple to get points and then pay the DVC member that number times their price (is $10 per point fair?). Are there any maintenance fees or things like that. If we find a renter for $10 a night we can do it for the same as POR so I think they will definitely try to do this. It seems like they get so much more, plus with four kids just being able to make breakfast and possibly come back for lunch will save them $$$! I Just don't want them to decide to go this way and then find out they owe other fees. We know that there is extra fee for housekeeping but I am assuming that the room will be clean when they arrive, right? Also can they have groceries delivered to these resorts?

As always thanks so much for your input, we really appreciate it!

 

[sk8belle]

Cmbar:

There shouldn't be any additional costs involved with renting points. I just went through that process (I'm a DVC member who needed to rent a few more pts than I own to complete reservations for my next vacation) and all I was charged was $10/pt. That does seem to be the going rate on the Rent/Trade board. In some cases, members offer even lower rates, though not by much. Check out the Rent/Trade board. There is a FAQ list on it which should answer any other questions you may have.

As for rooms, you are going to end up being VERY spoiled! Esp. if you stay at OKW. The rooms are huge and absolutely beautiful. They are, of course, clean when you first check in. There is the option, as it has been mentioned, of having maid service every day. Otherwise, you can opt to wait for the service that is provided half-way through your stay for which there is no charge. You can always bring extra towels with you, plus there is a washer and dryer in the room, though you only get about one load worth of soap.

I think there is a service where you can have the fridge stocked with groceries, but you could also catch a taxi to a near by store and do your own shopping. Don't know if that would be worth the hassle for you, though. Each DVC resort has an on-site sundries shop with provisions, so you might want to check that first, if you do decide to rent the points.

Good luck with your decision. I hope I've helped a bit.

sk8belle

 

[dianeschlicht]

Your stay would be MANY times more comfortable in an OKW 2 bedroom! If you rent a car, you would be able to park right outside your door. We usually rent a car because we get some great deals from National, and use it to grocery shop etc. We hardly pack anything, since we have the in-room washer and dryer. We usually get by with one small carry on per person.

There will be no other charges, and you don't pay tax, if you rent from a DVC member. I never have points to rent out, but there are pleny of folks who do. February is not too far away, so you might want to try doing this ASAP to make sure there is availability.

If you are staying for a week or less, you will get "trash and towel" service on the 4th day. THis means they come in and replace towels, sundries, take out garbage etc. There is no daily maid service unless you pay extra for it. We members kind of like the fact that folks aren't cavorting around your "space" when you aren't there. It is no big deal to either make your bed or leave it unmade if that is your choice. The full size kitchen and living room is a GREAT plus with that size crew. Much easier to relax after the parks close! If your stay is longer than a week, you will get a full cleaning service on the 4th day and a T&T on the 8th day.

 

[Cmbar]

Thank You for all the wonerful information! One last questions. Can you get extra towels if necessary? Do they provide plenty for a family of six for five days? I know we can wash and dry there just not sure if we want to worry about laundry! This sounds so wonderful! Thanks again for all the information.

 

[dianeschlicht]

THere will be 4 bath towels, 4 hand towels and 4 washcloths in the master and the same for the 2nd bedroom. You can arrange for a daily towel package for $6 if you want to. This would be in addition to the ones you will receive on T&T day. Laundry is no problem. We usually throw a load in before we go to the parks and toss them in the dryer when we come back for our mid-day break. I would rather pack less and wash clothes. REmember, it is right there in your room.

 

[crisi]

One thing that hasn't been discussed (ok Diane mentioned it in passing) is availability.

DVC resorts tend to book up fairly quickly. You are still enough months out that OKW should have a two bedroom available (less chance at VWL, but still a chance). DVC members start booking their vacations 11 months out. At seven months they can book at their non-home resorts. By two or three months out, the resorts tend to be pretty booked up (although it depends on the resort and the time of year), and the resorts tend to operate at close to capacity. So if you want to do this, there is some urgency in making a decision and moving forward.

Another thing that hasn't been discussed is cancellation. Your individual "landlord" will probably have a cancellation policy, but DVC members can't just cancel their rooms and get their money back like CRO - its much more complicated. So you need to be fairly certain you will make the trip.

 

[Cmbar]

Crisi, Thank you so much for your post. We are just considering those things now. I think they are somewhat nervous about the cancellation policy. I don't blame them as February is still four months away. Anything can happen. I assured them that they will have fun at POR without a doubt. Thanks for all your input

 

[Deb & Bill]

The biggest difference with renting DVC points over a reservation with Disney? How you have to pay.

With DVC you may have to pay the owner the entire price up front in cash, depending whether they use Paypal or some other system. Most will want 100% paid no later than 30-60 days out. You may need to pay 50% just to make the reservation.

 

[pstepka]

The other thing to consider is if you really WANT park tickets for every day you're there. We stayed 7 nights in August (rented points for 5 nights at BCV and then stayed 2 nights at CB) and only had 4 day hoppers and still didn't have enough time to do all the 'non park' things we wanted.

There is NO comparing a deluxe to a moderate. Especially if you're comparing a 2BR! We were only in a studio at the BCV and felt it beat CB hands down. Not just the room, but the resort, as well. The BWV and BCV give you walking access to Boardwalk and all the 'stuff' around it. There are a ton of restaurants nearby (the ones at Yacht Club, Swan, Dolphin, Beach Club, Boardwalk, etc.), there is miniature golf, Stormalong Bay (an AWSOME pool if you're staying at BCV), etc.

So don't automatically assume you'll want passes for the time you arrive until the time you leave when you compare the price difference.

Hope this helps!!

Pam