New to all this...please advise

[BYC]

Our trip is 2 years away, so I am in the very early planning stages. Our family will be 5 adults....myself, hubby, and sons 26 and 21, and daughter 18. Our hope is to stay 10 nights....5 at Wilderness, and 5 at Animal kingdom. We would be interested in a villa. Can someone get me started on how to find one that would fit our family, how to go about renting (points???) and how to get the best price (we are a value class family, with deluxe aspirations!) I hope to find a place, and make payments on it so it is paid off before our trip. Thanks!!

 

[DVC Mike]

First, please be sure and educate yourself on how a DVC reservation is very different from a regular hotel reservation, and the basics of “renting points”, as it is often referred to.

See: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1669863

Then, go read the FAQs on the Rental Boad that explain how/when to post.

 

[Dean]

Our trip is 2 years away, so I am in the very early planning stages. Our family will be 5 adults....myself, hubby, and sons 26 and 21, and daughter 18. Our hope is to stay 10 nights....5 at Wilderness, and 5 at Animal kingdom. We would be interested in a villa. Can someone get me started on how to find one that would fit our family, how to go about renting (points???) and how to get the best price (we are a value class family, with deluxe aspirations!) I hope to find a place, and make payments on it so it is paid off before our trip. Thanks!!

Your best bet would likely be to look at a 2 BR. The one thing about your LOS of 10 days that scares me is that I suspect you're looking at two weekends and one week. You're likely looking at a min of $4000 (at $10 per point) but more likely $4500 ($12 pt) or so inclusive for 10 nights with one weekend during adventure season (low), add another $1000 for 2 weekends instead. Add another $600 for summer and another $1000 still for Easter or Xmas. Ways you could save might include to not do 2 weekends, use DVC for part but not all, consider OKW for part or all, AKV standard view or value room, or two studio instead of a 2 BR (but you lose the full kitchen). For AKV you might be able to squeeze into a 1 BR, but not for a value room, with that group but I think that's the only 1 BR that would work for the group. It's good your planning this far out, good luck, I hope it works out for you. All prices are roughly just to give you an idea.

 

[BYC]

Thank you! Our dates are not carved in stone, but we were thinking of Sunday, Jan. 3rd, 2010-Wednesday, Jan. 13th. I have a lot of educating to do. It's funny...even though our trip is two years away, I still feel an excitement! Two years seems so far away for my kids...but I know that I'll blink, and it will be here.

 

[Dean]

Thank you! Our dates are not carved in stone, but we were thinking of Sunday, Jan. 3rd, 2010-Wednesday, Jan. 13th. I have a lot of educating to do. It's funny...even though our trip is two years away, I still feel an excitement! Two years seems so far away for my kids...but I know that I'll blink, and it will be here.

Those specific dates would save you almost $2000 compared to other choices for 10 days. Also given it's less points, it will make it easier to find owners that you can rent from though you still may have to get two reservations from two different people to make it work. Depending on which unit type and size you go with for AKV, you may save a few $$$ by doing the weekend there rather than VWL. Another couple of thoughts given the age of the young adults is that your current resort choices may not be theirs. They might actually prefer to stay near DD and/or EPCOT. Thus you may also want to consider BWV for a standard view to be near EPCOT and either OKW or SSR to be near DD, all lower points than your other choices. Plus if you decided to to just go with studios, OKW is the only one with 2 queen beds in the studio at WDW.

Just to be complete, you could also look at an off site Timeshare or Condo for say a week then stay on property for a few days for about 1/4 to 1/2 of the cost otherwise and that's esp true if you will have a car anyway.

 

[BYC]

Those specific dates would save you almost $2000 compared to other choices for 10 days. Also given it's less points, it will make it easier to find owners that you can rent from though you still may have to get two reservations from two different people to make it work. Depending on which unit type and size you go with for AKV, you may save a few $$$ by doing the weekend there rather than VWL. Another couple of thoughts given the age of the young adults is that your current resort choices may not be theirs. They might actually prefer to stay near DD and/or EPCOT. Thus you may also want to consider BWV for a standard view to be near EPCOT and either OKW or SSR to be near DD, all lower points than your other choices. Plus if you decided to to just go with studios, OKW is the only one with 2 queen beds in the studio at WDW.

Just to be complete, you could also look at an off site Timeshare or Condo for say a week then stay on property for a few days for about 1/4 to 1/2 of the cost otherwise and that's esp true if you will have a car anyway.

We all agree we want to try to find a way to stay at AK. We went there last year for dinner, and my family fell in love. Staying off site is not an option. We would hate that, and we do not plan on renting a car this time. We rented one last trip, and barely used it. Thank you so much, your help and advice is great! I have a lot of work to do!