Last minute trip...need advice

[Lori Helms]

My husband will be working in Waikiki in January and we've decided to bring our kids ages 10 and 13 along and make a little vacation out of it. We are going to stay in Waikiki for 4 nights but then plan to stay an additional 4 nights somewhere else. We originally planned to stay in the North Shore but after more research it seems like the weather during January is better in Ko Olina so we are looking into Aulani.

Here's my question... I think it's too late to buy DVC points and book that way. I already called Dave's and they didn't have anything available. Is there anywhere else I can check to buy DVC points or do I just need to go through the hotel directly at this point? I also saw that Priceline had a decent deal for Aulani, not sure if that would be a good option. I'm kind of in a time crunch so I need to figure something out quick.

Also for those of you that have stayed there in early January what has been your experience with the weather and also the crowds at the resort.

Thanks

 

[dolewhipdreams]

My husband will be working in Waikiki in January and we've decided to bring our kids ages 10 and 13 along and make a little vacation out of it. We are going to stay in Waikiki for 4 nights but then plan to stay an additional 4 nights somewhere else. We originally planned to stay in the North Shore but after more research it seems like the weather during January is better in Ko Olina so we are looking into Aulani.

Here's my question... I think it's too late to buy DVC points and book that way. I already called Dave's and they didn't have anything available. Is there anywhere else I can check to buy DVC points or do I just need to go through the hotel directly at this point? I also saw that Priceline had a decent deal for Aulani, not sure if that would be a good option. I'm kind of in a time crunch so I need to figure something out quick.

Also for those of you that have stayed there in early January what has been your experience with the weather and also the crowds at the resort.

Thanks

As far as renting points, this site has rules about advertising rental sites aside from Dave's. There is at least one other reputable site that I've used before (and we used them for Aulani) that you can ask. If you google "rent DVC points" it's the second listing under David's. You can also look through the dedicated board for DVC rentals here on the DIS. Just be sure to follow the guidelines since there is a slightly higher risk.

 

[pharmama]

Did David's tell you the room you want isn't available or they don't have points available? If they don't have points available, they can put you on a list and let you know when they do have points available. We did this and they had enough points for us within a few days. If the room you want isn't available then that's a separate issue that renting from someone else won't help with.

If you're worried about waiting this out, you could book through Disney as a back up as you can cancel up to 5 days before the trip. Looks like they do have a special for parts of January as well
https://www.disneyaulani.com/rooms-offers/special-offers/winter-offer/

 

[frank808]

Right now, there will be very few dvc rooms available in january. Most of them were booked up months ago. You might be able to get a night here or there, but you will have to move rooms. Also you would need to leave room by 11am and the new room might not be ready till 4pm.

Best bet is to book a room with cash and see if there are dvc rooms available at 31 days out.

 

[nkereina]

I agree with PPs that the problem at this point will be DVC room availability as opposed to point availability. If you are flexible with dates or room types and find there is DVC availability for you, there are a few other point brokers out there like David's you can work with. A quick Google search will bring you to them. In addition, you can work directly with an owner yourself as opposed to a broker. It's cheaper, but of course comes with a higher risk. Most reputable owners will offer references and have some form of an agreement for you to both sign. I have had success working with an owner I found on the rent/trade forum here at DisBoards, and also through another popular DVC forum that we aren't permitted to name. Google will bring it up.

I would book a room directly with the hotel now, and then cancel if you can work something out with DVC points. We did this with no issue on our trip.