Military Lodging discount!

[claytonj20]

Ok, first a couple of disclaimers.

1. I am not sure what disboards policy is on linking to another site, and if I am wrong in doing so I apologize in advance!

2. I am in no way affiliated with this company OTHER than a very satisfied customer.

You may of heard of it already but this is a great deal for military folks, and you can even share it with family and friends. And not only around Disney, they have resorts all over the world.

http://www.afvclub.com/


I was a little skeptical of it as it seems a little too good to be true but we used it in SEP and WOW! we were very happy. basically it is $299 a week and you can choose what property you want to use. Anything from a hotel room, to a 5 bedroom house- all for 299 a week. We stayed in a 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bathroom townhouse for 2 weeks- $598 bucks. No joke.

Here is how it works. AFVC buys blocks of time-shares from the TS companies- but don't worry-you don’t have to participate in the time share stuff AT ALL, none/zero/zilcho- then they sell the weeks to Armed forces members. There are no hidden fees, no crazy stuff, no nothing! The Time share guys may hit you up to come listen to their spill when you check in but we just told them no thanks, and didn’t hear about it again.

If you go to that website and look around it kind of gives you the details, but I found the website was not really too helpful. The availabilty was out of date ETC. What I did was called and became a member (free), then found out what properties were available for our time there (you can reserve them for 24 hours if you want) , and then went back to the internet and googled the property so I could get trip reports and all that kind of stuff to make sure it is a nice place and all. When you find the one you are happy with then just call back and work the details and your done. here are a few of the things I would look out for-

1. Make sure there are no "extra" fees, some resorts have cleaning charges or linen charges. You can either look at the resorts page on the afvclub website and it will tell you, or ask the agent on the phone.

2. Be careful on the location. We stayed at a place called The Villas at Fortune place. It was beautiful, clean, AMAZING- but- it was only 12 miles from WDW but that was a 30 minute trip, with a toll booth going both directions. thats an hour of driving each day and like $5 a day in tolls, that can add up! There are alot of places within 5 miles of WDW. That is where we will stay next time.

that is about it! If you have any questions, just shoot me a PM. Here are some pics of the place we stayed.


http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=124172

 

[katerkat]

I'm a huge fan of AFVC. We used them in WDW twice (right on 192 out of the main gate) at $249 a week. I even checked in late (booked sat-sat and arrived on tues, I think, due to DH's leave being cancelled) and there was no problem.

 

[Sleepy]

I remember when this program first started, no matter where you chose to stay, it was only $199 a week. Still a good deal at $299, but keep in mind that most hotels have a military discount that can be as much as 50% off.

 

[SplshMtn99]

We used them for our 2004 trip. $249 for the week. Summer Bay Resort. NICE PLACE!!! We had family with us, so got a 2 bedroom. We checked out a few days early to head to some other relatives house to visit. No timeshare presentation.

In 2005, I opted to check out www.skyauction.com & I was able to get a 2bedroom again by winning an auction. We paid only $221 for the week. No timeshare presentation.

As AFVCLUB prices continue to climb, I've been seeking other ways, like www.skyauction.com, since most of the time, they are all using the same pool of space available condos.

Lately, I've been receiving cards in the mail from AFVCLUB with a discount on them too.

Oh, the AFVCLUB isn't really a "discount" per se. Timeshares that aren't booked up are put into a pool at cheap prices instead of leaving them to sit empty - hence the name or term Space-Available. Several companies draw from that pool. AFVCLUB is one. Skyauction is another. The teachers association uses the same pool. As I'm sure LOTS of others do too.

 

[claytonj20]

I was surprised at how many people (most) had never even heard of it. I have been shouting it from the rooftops since we used it this year, and trying to spread the word. I always worry that someone will automaticaly get a bad taste in their mouth as soon as you say timeshare, I was guilty and really could have used it earlier than we did. I hope that the price levels out at 299 for a while. Glad to hear that there are others with great experiences.

299 seems like a discount to me splsh but I do understand what you are saying.

you know it could be helpful to post the name of the resort you used also. I know I will be looking for another one that is closer to WDW next year. Like I said in my first post, The Villas at Fortune Place was great...just too far away. Anyone care to name and explain where they stayed that was fairly close to WDW?

 

[katerkat]

We stayed at Silver Lake Resort in 2003, which was off 192, really close to the AK. The only problem we had there was a snake in our bathroom. (EEK! But it was taken care of immediately.) I don't think there was a washer/dryer in the unit. That was a one-bedroom.

In 2002, I stayed at Orbit One, also on 192 right by Old Town. Unfortunately, it was (then, I don't know about now) an all-smoking resort so the room smelled funky. There was a w/d and a HUGE jetted tub in the MB. Two bedroom.