Making a reservation at DVC and also room reservation at hotel

[Disney grandma]

We are staying in a 1 bedroom at a DVC and renting points from an owner. This is our first time renting. I am a little nervous about it and have visions of getting to our villa and not having a room. I know trusting the owner is something we have to deal with. Before we rented points we had a reservation at the hotel itself. Would it be idiotic to keep this reservation until the very last couple of days and then cancel once we have confirmed with the DVC that we do in fact have a reservation. I know we would lose our deposit but it still would be less expensive than renting through Disney and then if something did go wrong with the DVC rental we would have a room. Does this make sense and is it a crazy idea????????

 

[dianeschlicht]

MOST people who rent out their points are not out to defraud folks...They are just wanting to get some value out of points they can't use. There would be nothing good that would come from defrauding. That isn't to say it COULDN'T happen, but it would be rare. If you have personal information for the owner like their name, phone number, and address, and have used those methods to contact them, I wouldn't worry too much. Now, if you have NONE of that information, and are unable to get it...worry. If even that doesn't quell your concerns, don't rent.

 

[keishashadow]

i thought that "renters" couldn't confirm whether they had a ressie or not...as in MS won't discuss said with them?

OP would have the info the owner did provide, however; DVC will not get involved in any dispute.

while def. a trust issue in order to be able to get such a discounted rate, there are trade-offs, i'd think if fraud happened more often; you'd certainly see it posted here - good luck.

 

[chalee94]

i thought that "renters" couldn't confirm whether they had a ressie or not...as in MS won't discuss said with them?

MS will not speak to a renter but the resorts get the reservation information 2-3 days beforehand and can confirm it with the renter.

theoretically, though, the DVC owner can still cancel after the resort confirms the reservation, so if you're having trust issues, the reservation still isn't "100% guaranteed" even after calling the resort.

i agree with diane, if you have contacted the DVC owner by phone, received a confirmation and developed a basic sense of trust with them, go ahead and cancel the hotel room. call the resort a couple of days ahead of time if it makes you feel better. but there's a loss of control that you have to accept.

 

[crisi]

If this catches on as a strategy this will make Disney even more excited about people renting their points.

It will work, just don't be surprised if more and more people do it, Disney decides not to confirm renters until after the cancellation for your CRO room has passed in order to protect their inventory.

 

[Deb & Bill]

There have also been reports that the resorts may or may not confirm the reservation for you depending on how busy they are or their other duties.

I agree with Diane. If you are wary, renting a DVC reservation may not be the best idea for you.

 

[CarolMN]

Did you get something in writing from the owner that says the rental is nonrefundable? If so, why not just buy travel insurance?

 

[Disney grandma]

I did check into travel insurance but the only thing I could find paid only 25% of the amount of rental. I guess my biggest concern is that we won't have a villa available when we show up - besides losing what we paid - what if another room wasn't available. I have to quit obsessing over this and think positive.

 

[crisi]

I did check into travel insurance but the only thing I could find paid only 25% of the amount of rental. I guess my biggest concern is that we won't have a villa available when we show up - besides losing what we paid - what if another room wasn't available. I have to quit obsessing over this and think positive.

Don't rent points. Renting points isn't for everyone.