Looking for info on renting a villa?

[tallguyy808]

Im not sure where to post this so here goes.....
My family is planning on going to disney sometime next year and i found this forum. I was reading how people rent their on-site disney timeshares out. I dont understand how this works...and read theres points vs dollars involved. Is it cost effective/wiser to rent a villa from someone instead of just getting a room at disney? If it was a rental/villa unit we would want 2-3 bedrooms. Not sure how difficult all this is.
thanks for any info.

 

[dr&momto2boys]

Have you browsed one thread lower? (DVC-Rent/Trade) We did buy into DVC this year, but needed more points than we had to get a grand villa for our trip with extended family. We bought points from people on that thread who transferred their points into our account. It worked out very well. There are certainly things to watch out for in making transactions like this and I there is a lot of info on what not to do in some threads on that board. Good luck!

 

[Deb & Bill]

What you are actually doing is renting a reservation from a DVC member and Disney is not involved in any way. The member uses their points to make the reservation for the non-member. The non-member pays the member for the reservation. The member fully controls the reservation until the moment the non-member checks in.

The member sets the payment terms and any cancellation terms (if any, some don't allow any cancellation).

It takes trust for a non-member to do this and it takes trust for a member to allow the use of their points by a non-member.

Points are higher on Fri and Sat night, but if you average the cost out over the entire stay, it usually is a wash. Members charge anywhere from $10-15 a point to make the reservation. The more work for the member, and they may charge more. Or if it is a difficult reservation, they may charge more.

Check out the FAQs at the top of the Rent/Trade Board. Lots of good advice there.

 

[chalee94]

Is it cost effective/wiser to rent a villa from someone instead of just getting a room at disney? If it was a rental/villa unit we would want 2-3 bedrooms. Not sure how difficult all this is.
thanks for any info.

it is "cost effective" to rent instead of going through disney. but if the fact that you are not in control of the reservation and have to trust someone (that you've never met and only know through the internet) will keep you up at night, it may not be "wise."

the link to point charts for the DVC resorts is in the top right corner of the page if you want to price 2BR or 3BR (called "grand villas.")

also be sure to look at the dvc point rental primer thread

 

[crisi]

it is "cost effective" to rent instead of going through disney. but if the fact that you are not in control of the reservation and have to trust someone (that you've never met and only know through the internet) will keep you up at night, it may not be "wise."

the link to point charts for the DVC resorts is in the top right corner of the page if you want to price 2BR or 3BR (called "grand villas.")

also be sure to look at the dvc point rental primer thread

I think the bigger issue with "wise" isn't trust - we've had VERY FEW trust problems. I think the bigger issue with "wise" is understanding what you are getting.

Renting points can be a GREAT deal. However,

You'll have much better cancellation policies through Disney.

You will probably need a much larger deposit and a much earlier paid in full date renting. You may need to pay with a cashiers check instead of being able to use your credit card.

You will have less flexibility with changes renting points

You will not get daily housekeeping as part of the deal.

Your room will likely be significantly different (most DVC studios are a queen bed and a pullout couch - OKW has two queen beds. Disney resort rooms are generally two full or queen (in Deluxes) beds.

You will be working with an individual. That means some of the things Disney does for their cash guests (like providing someone to call almost all the time, or sending you pre-trip information or luggage tags) aren't going to happen. Some people really value those luggage tags (mine from my last cash trip just broke, no more luggage tags)

If Disney offers a promotion during your stay it is unlikely to be extended to guests staying on points.

You cannot call the Disney resort (or member services) before your trip and expect them to help you. They won't take a room request from you, they won't confirm you have a reservation, they won't make Magical Express arrangements for you. They will do that for the member you are working with, but its another step in the transaction - and if that member is on vacation themselves, you may end up not being able to change what you need to change in a timely fashion.

(You can still call Disney Dining and make your own dining reservations).