Help me b/c I am so confused!

[weesignlanguage]

Hi guys! I am so confused! I am just learning about renting DVC points. We are going in October and I have seen several people(individuals not businesses) who are selling their points. How does this work? If I buy points, how do I know the room type I want is available before I buy the points? Is there even a chance for a lower end of the budget DVC room to be available for October at this point??

Any advice for thew newbie to DVC stuff?? Thanks!

 

[DizBub]

Hi guys! I am so confused! I am just learning about renting DVC points. We are going in October and I have seen several people(individuals not businesses) who are selling their points. How does this work? If I buy points, how do I know the room type I want is available before I buy the points? Is there even a chance for a lower end of the budget DVC room to be available for October at this point??

Any advice for thew newbie to DVC stuff?? Thanks!

When you rent points from an owner they can look on-line to see what is available when you want to go. Every different resort/season/villa type has a separate point value. They look for what you want and if it's available they book it and put it in your name. They have to arrange Magical Express and the Dining Plan if you want it. Most owners want at least 50% at booking and some will want the full price if it's this close in.

Unfortunately the lower value DVC units book up at 11 months especially during Food & Wine. I'm not saying it's impossible but it is not likely that you can get AKV value or BWV standard views this close in. You may be able to get OKW or SSR.

Good luck!

 

[LisaS]

We talk about "renting points" but you are really renting a reservation that a DVC member makes for you using their points. It's called renting points because most members who rent out reservations price them based on the number of points the reservation requires.

If you go to the Rent/Trade board here you will find people offering points for rent. You contact someone, provide your dates, preferred resorts and room type and they will check availability and let you know if what you want is available. There may also be members offering a reservation they have already made (they will post the dates, resort, room type, etc.). If there is an offer posted that works for you, just contact the person who posted it.

Now the bad news. The time you want to go is very popular with DVC members. SSR is about all that's left and it doesn't have any budget rooms. None of the least expensive rooms will be available for more than a night or two here and there. If you want to rent from a DVC member for that time of year and you want one of the least expensive rooms, you need to arrange your rental a year in advance so that the member can reserve it for you when the 11-month booking window opens.

 

[weesignlanguage]

Thank you guys so much! We are just going for a short trip in October one weekend for my son's birthday. Makes sense how it works now too! Is there a place I can go to post what I need or do I just answer the threads on the rent board? What about refund if something crazy happened?? I understand once booked, it's non-refundable. Any advice there? Thanks again for helping me understand this!!

 

[drusba]

Though phrased as renting or selling points, what you really rent is a room reservation for a specific type of room and time and the DVC owner uses his points to make that reservation. As noted, he can check to see what is available and the renter does not pay unless the desired reservation is available.

In any event, you need to be aware of of some realities of DVC. One is that the high demand times for DVC are not the same as high demand times for WDW in general. Oct is in fact a very high DVC demand time, the second highest month of the year behind December. In fact the period from near end of Sep through marathon weekend in Jan is the highest DVC demand quarter of the year by far; it is far easier to get reservation during Easter than it is Columbus Day weekend or first week of December. Owners at a resort can begin reserving 11 months out from date of arrival, and owners at other DVC resorts can reserve 7 months out. If you really want to rent DVC, it is advisable that you do so at least 7 months out any time of year because almost everything can often disappear quickly after the 7 month window opens. Moreover, for a number of things, like those lower cost value DVC rooms, you usually need to reserve 11 months out. because auch lower cost value rooms are often limited in number and have high demand from members.

Unfortunately, it is likely that four months out from Oct, you will have trouble finding anything at all to rent at a WDW DVC resort through a member and even a lower chance for the things like value rooms at Animal Kingdom Villas or low cost standard views at Boardwalk Villas or Bay Lake Tower. Of course, you will not know for sure until you try

 

[LisaS]

Is there a place I can go to post what I need or do I just answer the threads on the rent board? What about refund if something crazy happened?? I understand once booked, it's non-refundable. Any advice there? Thanks again for helping me understand this!!

You cannot post a "rental wanted" thread on the Rent/Trade board. Your only option is to respond to threads where a member is offering points for rent or offering a pre-made reservation for rent.

Also, just an FYI -- on forums other than the Rent/Trade board you are only allowed to ask general questions about renting. Don't post any dates or other specifics because it will be construed as a rental request and will cause your posts to be edited or possibly deleted altogether. The only place you can post your rental details is in reply to a thread on the Rent/Trade board.

Re: cancellations of a rental, the member you rent from will have their own policies so make sure you understand them before handing over any money. I believe most members do not offer refunds. That's because once a member commits points to a reservation, cancelling that reservation (especially on short notice) could cause the member to lose the points or have to rent them as distressed points for far less money.

 

[lions1995]

At this point in time, you are probably best off grabbing a room at a Value resort.

 

[weesignlanguage]

Thanks SO much for the helpful info! It makes total sense that the high times for DVC would be the off season b/c they take advantage of those lower crowd seasons. I would too!

I think for now, we are just gonna do a value for the October trip. We are getting AP's next week at Disney. And we are already booked for a FD trip in November too. So, that's why we wanted to go cheap for the short weekend trip. Plus, if I go cheap now, we can go again in the spring.

Let me ask this...if we do go in spring...how far out do I need to look for a room through DVC?? And if it's way far off, do I need to do some sort of trip insurance on my own in case something happens and our trip isn't possible??

Promise I won't ask anymore questions after this!

PS- I'm gonna go edit my previous post and remove the dates! Don't want to come across as looking for a room that way! Totally didn't mean it! Thanks for the heads up!!

 

[Msmithmd]

You don't want a "FD" trip at a cash resort stay if you are already getting an annual pass.

The "free dining" cash reservations are packages that include full price lodging plus length of stay full price tickets. Which tickets would be worthless to you with an annual pass already active. Far better financially to book your cash room at the annual pass discount rate after you get the pass, and pay for your food as you go.

As to your question, for spring 2015, book now. Literally: find someone renting points and book what you want this week, to ensure you get what you want to have come next spring.

I'm not sure trip insurance would cover you renting a reservation from a private individual, as opposed to booking lodging from a hotel or resort company. You would want to check with the insurance provider before purchasing, to see what they say.

 

[weesignlanguage]

Actually the FD is a better deal for our famliy...we love to eat sit down meals. And we will be using the tickets from that trip to buy new AP's next year!

I do need to sit down and crunch our reserved dinners costs (approx) using the TIW card to double check that but last time I ran the numbers, it was worth it for us!

 

[Msmithmd]

Actually the FD is a better deal for our famliy...we love to eat sit down meals. And we will be using the tickets from that trip to buy new AP's next year! I do need to sit down and crunch our reserved dinners costs (approx) using the TIW card to double check that but last time I ran the numbers, it was worth it for us!

Good answer. Be very cautious that MDE doesn't use your day tickets linked to the FD stay despite the pass existing. People have reported this happening in other threads- even though you have an AP, tickets as part of a package still getting used. It should make you nervous as you don't receive the actual ticket media anymore.

If it were me, I would have a conversation with a supervisor at guest services prior to entering a park, and get their name and time of the conversation as a backup. Then confirm that the tickets didn't get used on that trip or any other while the AP is active. Good luck!

 

[weesignlanguage]

I asked about that on the phone when we booked and they told me the same thing. To definitely mention it when I upgrade and also when we check in on our FD trip. I would be very upset if they did that! Thanks for the heads up! Looks like my idea to double check when we are in Orlando is called for if you have heard of this happening to others! Yikes!!

 

[maburke]

I'm not sure trip insurance would cover you renting a reservation from a private individual, as opposed to booking lodging from a hotel or resort company. You would want to check with the insurance provider before purchasing, to see what they say.

There does exist trip insurance that will cover this. I know when someone rented points from me once, she used the contract with the no refund policy and an invoice I created for her to show the insurance company, and they insured her. (She did not claim on the insurance, though.)