Help me understand renting DVC points

[ameraumi]

We are planning a family vacation for 2008 with the extended family, 10 going in all. I know we want to stay at the WL but then thought about renting points. Can someone help me out and give me the ins/outs of renting?

 

[AJKMOM]

First, you should scroll down the list of threads to the separate section concerning Disney Vacation club. You can ask questions there. There is even a thread about owners who want to rent out their points, and renters looking for points.

If you get knowledgeable before the 11 month window, you can find an owner willing to rent out their VWL points. You need to figure out when you want to go andd what you need for accomodations. This will be a point number. Then you look for someone who has points to rent.

 

[bcsmom]

It is very simple to rent points, as the above poster said look on the rent trade board to find someone renting there points out. I just sold points to two couples, & everything went very smoothly. I would see if the seller has a contract for you to sign, I sign one w/ my renter's ( i think it makes everyone feel a little better & avoids confusion). Also, we usually rent our points at $10 per point. So you will need to know when you are going to determine the number of points you will need. The DVC member will have to book everything for you, but the reservation will be in your name. Good luck.

 

[bamagirl@hrt]

I have rented points at BCV for our trip in October. I learned about renting points by venturing over to the DVC boards here on the DIS. I learned that members can reserve at their "home" resort at 11 months out and everyone else can reserve at 7 months out. The typical rate for renting points is $10-$12; I'm paying $11. Either on the DVC boards or on allearsnet.com, you can find point charts which will tell how many points you will need for the size villa you want and for the time of year you'll be going. Sunday - Thursday nights are the most reasonable, while Friday & Saturday nights require about twice the points. Once you decide that this is something you want to pursue, post on the DVC Rent/Trade board -- state your dates, the location and villa size you want. I didn't post what I was willing to pay, though some do.

I decided in July of last year that I wanted to stay in a studio at BCV this October. I posted and had about 3 responses. I chose the member I did because she has a long history on the DISboards and, after reading many of her posts, I liked her personality. I gave a small deposit at that time so she would hold points for me until she could make a ressie for me at her 11 month window. So far, everything has gone so smoothly. We've had great communication & she is almost as excited about my vacation as I am!! I think this could be the first of many rental vacations for my family.

Good luck & have fun exploring your options.

 

[Deb & Bill]

You won't be able to stay at the WL by renting points. You can stay at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge (VWL), though. The villas are in a separate building closer to the bus stop at WL.

Go over to the Rent/Trade board and read the FAQs at the top of the page. The earliest you will be able to get a reservation is 11 months from your check out date. You will need a member with points at the resort you want to stay at. There is no guarantee that you will get your multiple villas close to each other, but they will try.

With 10 people you will need at a minimum, a two bedroom villa (8 people) and a studio or one bedroom (4 people each). There are no Grand Villas at VWL. The largest villa is a two bedroom.

Post your request on the R/T board at least 12 months before you intend to go. Make sure you are positive with the date you want to go and how you intend to pay. The member you rent the reservation from will give you all their requirements for payment and any cancellation policy they have. Most members will not refund the deposit and maybe the entire amount after a certain date. They consider this reservation to be similar to Priceline or any other inexpensive way to rent a hotel.

Since you need a reservation at a date that is far from the date you need to reserve the villa, you may have to pay a premium for the points. While many people charge $10 a point, $12 and $13 a point is not uncommon. Some charge more.

 

[Sammie]

The outs are cancellations and refunds are most often not offered. You will not get daily housekeeping. This is private arrangement between 2 parties and Disney has nothing to do with it. Points are much higher on weekends. Some dates are hard to secure.

I would find out exactly how many points you will need for the studio and 2 bedroom during the time you are going. That will give you some idea of cost. On the DVC forum there is a Point Calculator, where you can put in your dates, where you want to stay, what size villa you need and it will give you the total points needed.

Points needed vary from season to season.

 

[Antonia]

I'm renting points for this September and everything has been fine. We did put down 1/2 of our total cost for a deposit and we did sign a contract with the owner of the points. We also got a copy of the reservation and we can call member services to verify that the reservation actually exists. I am sending the other 1/2 of our balance in July.

I know we will not get maid service, but it is just DH and I and I figure I make our bed at home so I can make it there. If we were a crowd that might make more of a difference. I do think you can pay extra for housekeeping, however.

Good luck with planning your trip!

 

[chanty]

Hi!

We are planning our 3rd trip to WDW for this October and decided to rent points for BWV. To date, it's been great - we'll tell you more in October

The benefits are the same as to staying at any on-site Disney Property.
The only thing I learned is that when they offer a special promo (ie - free dining), the dvc renters can't have that

Chantal

 

[kimberh]

Effective April 1 one of the new perks for DVC owners and their guest is that they can add the Disney Dining Plan to the ressie, even if the renter already has their own tickets or wants to buy the tickets from a discount retailer. If you rent from disney you have to get tickets with the ressie to acquire the dining plan, so if you are renting make sure you mention this to whoever you are contracting with.

 

[MrShiny]

Keep in mind too that the VWL is one of the smaller DVC resorts, and is very popular (especially around holidays). You'll want to start watching the Rent/Trade board a few weeks before your desired date - 11 months. Try to find someone with VWL points. You can post your wants, but better to watch for someone posting point to rent and contact them right away. I've found that VWL points tend to go a little higher than average, so expect to pay about $12 (which is still a bargain)!

A 2 BR holds up to 8, and that's the biggest VWL has, so you'll need 2BR plus a 1BR or studio, or 3 studios.

OKW, SSR, BWV have Grand Villas which sleep 12, but those are hard to get any time and rent our at 11 months to the day usually (you need to book each day at exactly 11 months most of the time). Also, a Grand Villa tends to be more than other combinations that sleep 10.

 

[kimberh]

Yes, $12.00 is a bargain for VWL. I own there and people don't understand what the dues are per point and how hard it is to get a ressie there and then they want a $700-800 disney priced villa for $10.00 per point and It isn't doable.

 

[JimMIA]

The only thing I learned is that when they offer a special promo (ie - free dining), the dvc renters can't have that

Chantal

Well...there's "free", and there's FREE! Disney's dining plan is "free," meaning it's free IF you pay rack rate for your room and also buy tickets through Disney. Even if you buy the dining plan to go with your rented DVC ressie, you are probably saving a lot of money, compared to rack rates and "free" dining.

Oh, and by the way, the "free" dining plan is only available from Aug 13 to Sept 30, so you couldn't get it anyway. Got to read that darn fine print!

You'll have a great trip -- and you'll save a bunch of money with DVC. Have fun!

 

[ameraumi]

So let me ask this, hypothetically lets say I wand to rent a Grand Villa (any location), Saturday to Saturday (looks like April 2008 will be our travel time). How many points are we talking and can someone give me a rough estimate of what it might cost? We are just trying to see which way will be more cheaper for us.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Based on April 2007 dates, it could be anywhere from 654 to 966 points. Figure $12-15 per point. You will probably need one member to make the reservation for you and not try to rent onesies and twosies from multiple members to save money.

Go to the top of the page. Click on DVC Points Charts. Go to Points Calculator. Enter your date range and location of villa.

You will probably be better off getting three value resort rooms if you want to save money.

 

[kimberh]

Well...there's "free", and there's FREE! Disney's dining plan is "free," meaning it's free IF you pay rack rate for your room and also buy tickets through Disney. Even if you buy the dining plan to go with your rented DVC ressie, you are probably saving a lot of money, compared to rack rates and "free" dining.

Oh, and by the way, the "free" dining plan is only available from Aug 13 to Sept 30, so you couldn't get it anyway. Got to read that darn fine print!

You'll have a great trip -- and you'll save a bunch of money with DVC. Have fun!

I have been pricing the Deluxe Resorts on the "free dining plan promo" and you are better off buying points and buying the dining plan then paying Rack for the Deluxe. It is EXPENSIVE!!! Example: Beachclub: $2800.00 for 5nights 1 bedroom, Studio $2062.00 or something like that and that is with two tickets for one day. How much are points going for now?

 

[JimMIA]

Based on April 2007 dates, it could be anywhere from 654 to 966 points. Figure $12-15 per point. You will probably need one member to make the reservation for you and not try to rent onesies and twosies from multiple members to save money.

Go to the top of the page. Click on DVC Points Charts. Go to Points Calculator. Enter your date range and location of villa.

You will probably be better off getting three value resort rooms if you want to save money.

ameraumi: Not to interject a sad note of realism here, or anything...but...

I think it is extremely unlikely that you would find any DVC owner willing to rent that number of points to you, in your particular situation, at ANY price. I don't rent points, but if I did, I would run -- not walk -- away from a ressie like that. I've just read way too many "My SIL had to cancel at the last minute! " threads.

If any one of your extended family of 10 decides to change their minds at just about any point in the proceedings, both you and the poor DVC owner you rent from are going to be in the JACKPOT! (See Sammie's hint about cancellations.) Just think of it this way: you're thinking about making -- and paying for -- a $10,000 to $15,000 reservation for which you stand to lose every penny you've paid if any of your in-laws decides this doesn't sound as good as it did at first blush. And that does happen, on a regular basis, when in-laws get over the great lodging price and start doing the math for what the entire trip is going to cost them. They add in dining costs, tickets, trinkets, etc, and the next thing you know, they've got this extremely difficult situation that requires their attention elsewhere.

I agree with Deb & Bill -- you'd be WAY ahead booking a normal ressie through CRO, because you have SO MUCH LESS risk.

A lot of people fret about the possibility of unscrupulous people taking advantage of them in DVC rentals. That is NOT where the risk lies on either side. The risk lies in what happens when someone needs (or wants) to change dates, cancel, etc. It ain't that simple, and in many cases, it's downright impossible.

 

[Disney Doc]

Amen - to JimMIA's post...

 

[brasey]

Thats a hell of a lot of dinero out there on trust. Like someone else said if they did three studios at least if one family could not make it the rest could still have a grand old time and its a lot easier to get rid of a cancellation when its 200 points compared to 900. The down side is you hope to book three studios and again probably not go through one person for all those points.