New to this board...questions...

[Soupermom]

Greetings! I'm new to this section of the DIS and need a little quidance. I've planned two trips to WDW (June '04 and March '06) and we've stayed in the Values each time. I'm now planning a trip for April '08 and am thinking of renting DVC points. I found the section for rent/trade, but don't think I have the right heading to start yet, and I'm not sure how to go about the whole process anyway. DH and I are teachers so our travel dates are limited. We're thinking of going during spring break next year ('08), which is the week after Easter. Not my first choice, but it is what will work for us. I think we'll need the saturday before Easter (the 22nd)until the Saturday after Easter; or if it works better, we could arrive on Easter or Easter Monday and leave the following Sunday. Family consists of DH, me, DD13 and DS10. Where should we try to stay, and how are my chances of renting points during this busy time? We don't need fancy, we are quite happy with POP century actually, but I thought I'd give this route a try. MK and Epcot are our favorite parks, and we must have non-smoking. Can anyone offer suggestions?
Thanks!

 

[FloridaDvcGirl]

Hello Soupermom

I don't have any experience with renting/trading points. Hopefuly
someone can help you with that. You said that you like Epcot, you
could try to rent points for Boardwalk villas or Beach Club villas.
A one bedroom has a master bedroom and a sofa bed. They're both
kind of fancy but they're close to Epcot. If you want to stay close
to the Magic Kingdom, you could rent points for the Villas at the
Wilderness Lodge. Hope this helps.

 

[disneydenisel]

You shouldn't have any problem renting points for your timeframe, since DVC members can only book their home resort at 11 months out, and you are planning ahead of time. A reservation could be booked in early May 2007 for your April dates.

It's fairly easy to post a Reservation Wanted thread. You've read the FAQs there, so you would follow the posting guidelines and specify which resort(s) you are considering. You can also browse the existing threads as the booking dates get closer and look for someone who is offering Points for Rent.

Since you like EPCOT and MK, I'd suggest considering Beach Club Villas or Boardwalk, since you can walk to EPCOT, and the bus ride to MK is pretty quick.

The member making your reservation can make room requests like non-smoking. Most villas are non-smoking, but this request is not guaranteed. Studios sleep 4 and have a kitchenette, but I think the 1-bedroom would offer more room and the full kitchen for your family. It depends on how much time you will spend in the villa. We like space when we are on vacation, but you can save money by renting a studio.

Good luck!

 

[LisaS]

I'm confused about your dates. Easter 2008 is on March 23rd so the Saturday before Easter would be Mar 22nd, not Apr 3rd. (Apr 3, 2008 is a Thursday.)

Assuming your trip dates are really based around Easter (check in Sat Mar 21, '08, checkout Sat Mar 29, '08) that puts you in DVC's Premiere Season, the most expensive season of the year. Also, weekend nights (Fri, Sat) are about twice the price of weekday nights, so many DVC members avoid staying at DVC resorts on the weekend to keep the cost down.

If you wanted to stay for a full 7 nights starting the Saturday before Easter, a studio at VWL would be 181 points. If you could find someone to rent points at only $10/pt (harder to find these days -- most charge $11-$12 now) that would be $1810 or $259/night! Yikes!

If you are in fact going in early April, that would be Magic Season (2nd most expensive season) and a studio at VWL would be 134 points for a week. Again, if you were lucky enough to get it for $10/pt, that is $1340 or $191/night.

The least expensive option is a studio at OKW which would run 147 points for the week including Easter and 109 points in early April. The OKW studios have two queen beds while the studios at the other DVC resorts at WDW have one queen and one full-size sofa bed.

So I'm not sure renting is a good idea for this particular trip unless you can avoid Easter and avoid weekend nights.

You can view DVC points charts by clicking on the link at the top of this page.

Good luck!

 

[Soupermom]

Thanks everyone for your input. I've corrected the dates in my OP; I am looking at the week after Easter, not April. Thanks for all of the pricing input LisaS...it's way more expensive than I thought it would be. I guesss June would be cheaper? I just hate going when it's hot! I'd much rather dealer with a larger crowd in cooler weather...

 

[dianeschlicht]

Thanks everyone for your input. I've corrected the dates in my OP; I am looking at the week after Easter, not April. Thanks for all of the pricing input LisaS...it's way more expensive than I thought it would be. I guesss June would be cheaper? I just hate going when it's hot! I'd much rather dealer with a larger crowd in cooler weather...

Does your district have any other off times that you might work with? I know some schools have breaks other tahn spring. New Jersey seems to have one late October or early November, and Minnesota has one that goes from Wednesday through Sunday the 3rd week of October. SOmething like that might work for you.

Aslo, if you could drop a Friday or Saturday night, that would help too. Friday and Saturday nights cost more than double what one night during the other 5 nights of the week costs. Maybe a Saturday arrival and a Friday departure would work? It's one less day, but a lot less cost.

Also, if your school has a Holiday break that extends beyond Jan. 1st, you might try that. The first week of January will be less crowded than Easter, and if you don't have to be back to school on Jan. 2, that is the lowest cost time at DVC.

A studio at OKW in January is 80 points for a week, while a studio in June is 109 points for the week. The week after EAster would be 147 points at OKW, so you see, timing is everything.

 

[Soupermom]

I've considered the week of/after New Years...we'll go back on the 7th; DH is the Dean however and we have a big basketball tournament that he is supposed to run. He doesn't like to travel over the holidays either, so it's kind of hard for me to pursue this one. Our choices will have to be week after Easter or early June. It was SO hot the last time we went in June ('04) and it was perfect when we went last March. Crowds were the same, but Easter was in April last year. I still think I could handle a larger crowd if it was cooler. Guess will just have to return to POP. That's okay.

On a side note, I'm trying to help our school secretary take her family to WDW this June. They will be a group of six, two H.S. grads, 2 newlyweds, and the parents. Any suggestions on where they might stay for least amount of money? They're looking at the first week in June. Her DH has an illness/disease that causes nerve pains, so maybe something easily accessible. The pain comes and goes during the month. I don't know the name of illness though. He'll need to rest during the day. Is there anywhere they can stay (DVC) for $100 during this time, or maybe under $150? I know the prices have gone up so maybe this is a ridiculous queston!

Thanks for everyone's help!

 

[Mahusky]

If you do Old Key West in June Sun thru Thursday (1st - 10th) you can do a 2 BDR which accomodates 8 people for 135 points approx $1,350 (@$10 p/pt) or $1,485 ($11 P/pt). You then could add 2 room at a Value Resort for the weekend stay to minimize costs.

After June 10th it would be 150 points for the same stay.

You will not find 1 room in Disney that sleeps 6 people for less than $150. Cheapest you will find are the Family Suites at All Stars for $265.

Good Luck!

 

[lisareniff]

You can take a look at the seasons and how many points each room type costs per night on a Point Chart. There is one linked at the top of the page (right under the bird) titled "DVC Point Charts". Generally people will charge $10-14 per point. Do a little addition and multiplication and you can figure out all your different possibilities.

Tagrel.com also is a great web site for pictures and a point calculator.