Newbie Help?

[txgirl]

I'm a bit overwhelmed and I've tried to figure out the best place to post this, so if I'm in the wrong place please direct me to the right one.

I am helping to plan a friend's vacation to Disney and since the discovery of these boards it is obvious that renting points is the best way to go. They are a family of 4 going with another family of 3 in the Fall-Value season. I've gotten as far as knowing that OKW is the least expensive and they are also interested in Beach Club.

OK- now what? When I look at the points chart I'm not totally sure about the days per point. Here are my questions:

Is Sunday-Thursday mean a Thursday morning checkout? Just three nights?
Does weekly mean 7 nights?

Once we establish where they want to stay and when they want to stay, then what?
What is the cancellation policy?
Can they purchase insurance?
Can we check the references of the people who we rent from?

Thank you guys for all your help! We stayed at POR for our first Disney trip last year and while it was great I can't wait until we can go back and stay at an awesome DVC resort!

 

[cobbler]

First to find the points you want you will want to go to the rent and trade board here.

Second the Sun - Thurs are nights so you would check in Sunday and check out Friday. Yes weekly means 7 nights.

Things about policy and cancelation are dependant on who you rent from. Everyone has their own policies. Ask them about it and the insurance. I am sure some do have references if you ask.

 

[txgirl]

About the points charts-

When I add the points needed for a Sun-Thurs stay and the points for a Fri-Sat. stay together I end up with far less than the points listed for a weekly stay. Shouldn't they be the same?

I know I am not reading this right, am I?

 

[dianeschlicht]

The "per week" point totals are for 7 nights assuming that includes two weekend nights. Weekend nights cost more points, so checking in Sunday and out Friday is the most cost effective. For a group of 7, they would need to rent a 2 bedroom villa. OKW will have the most common space for a group of that size, and has an extra bed compared to some of the other DVC resorts.

Folks who rent out their points are doing so as "independant contractors" so to speak, so the details about cost, cancelation etc. is up to each person who offers their points for rent. There will be no other fees once you get to the resort though, unless you choose to do the dining plan. There are no taxes etc. Just remember that cancelation policies are important, because the renter may have point banking deadlines that will determin their policy on such things.

 

[wdwnut]

Hi: To help with the points charts, if you look at a 2 BR OKW during the first season, the points required for the Sunday, Monday, Tues, Wed, Thurs. portion would be 5 nights x 22 points per night= 110 points + 54 points for Friday + 54 points for Saturday= 218 points weekly. Hope this helps.

 

[corinnak]

Hi - I think I see where your confusion is, TXgirl! Are you looking at the Sun-Thurs number and counting that as the total for Sun-Thurs? I believe that number is the per night rate. The weekly is the sum of the Sun-Thurs rate x5 nights plus the Fri-Sat rate x2 nights. Or maybe I am missing something as well. Far from an expert over here......

 

[txgirl]

Hi - I think I see where your confusion is, TXgirl! Are you looking at the Sun-Thurs number and counting that as the total for Sun-Thurs? I believe that number is the per night rate. The weekly is the sum of the Sun-Thurs rate x5 nights plus the Fri-Sat rate x2 nights. Or maybe I am missing something as well. Far from an expert over here......

You figured me out! That's exactly what I thought. Since the weekly point total was the *whole* week then I thought the Sun-Thurs was the total as well. Thanks for your help! That makes sense.

 

[corinnak]

TXGirl,
I must admit, I WISH it were that points value for Sun-Thurs! How cool would that be! Happy planning!

 

[JimMIA]

I am helping to plan a friend's vacation to Disney and since the discovery of these boards it is obvious that renting points is the best way to go. They are a family of 4 going with another family of 3 in the Fall-Value season. I've gotten as far as knowing that OKW is the least expensive and they are also interested in Beach Club.

I'm going to say this as nicely as I can, and remember you heard it here first -- GET OUT of this transaction! Every DVC owner's worst nightmare is inviting someone else on a DVC trip and having them think they can just change dates or accommodations like you can with a hotel. That's not true, and the disasters that creates generate more angst than anything else here on the DVC boards.

You are embarking on even a more perilous journey. If I decide to invite friends, at least I'm doing so with my own points, plus I understand the system. Even then, it can be a nightmare. You have neither of those things going for you -- you are just trying to be a good friend.

What is likely to happen here is you will do all the legwork, they will make their reservations, and then something will change. Someone will lose their job, a car will break down, they'll decide to do an African Safari...whatever -- and the whole thing will come apart at the seams. When it does, and someone has their vacation spoiled, or someone loses some money...guess whose fault it is? Right...YOURS!.

Your best bet would be to give them a heads-up on the great resource you've discovered here, and let them do their own research and make their own arrangements.

Now, having vented, I'll try to answer the questions others have not yet covered.

What is the cancellation policy?

There is no set cancellation policy. Each DVC owner renting reservations establishes their own cancellation policies, for reasons too numerous and too complicated to even start to delve into. But your friends should research this carefully, because DVC reservations are NOTHING like reserving a hotel room. There are -- legitimately -- dates by which every penny must be pre-paid, and dates by which absolutely nothing can be changed. Those dates vary with each owner, and each reservation, so your friends need to get very specific about those issues. It's not a question of anybody ripping anyone off -- it's a matter of both sides knowing what they are doing and protecting each other from any difficulties.

Can they purchase insurance?

Yes. Several major trip insurance companies offer travel insurance for people making travel plans through private individuals. It is important to explain to the travel insurance company exactly what they are insuring (which means your friends need to understand it themselves), and to be clear that the coverage will be what they want. Generally, trip insurance covers non-refundable costs only. To collect, it is helpful to have a contract which states that the monies paid are NON-refundable under whatever the circumstances are. In the contract, you want to eliminate ALL doubt that there is any possibility of anything being refunded. Also, note that trip insurance usually has to be purchased within about 2 weeks of making the first reservation. So, you need to make all of your plans at the same time in order to have everything (air, DVC, etc, etc.) covered.

Can we check the references of the people who we rent from?

Yes...and you certainly should a) ask for references, and b) check them. Renting requires mutual trust, and checking references will give your friends much more comfort with the process.

Good luck, and get yourself out of the middle of this as gracefully as you can. It's their vacation, it's their money, it's their responsibility.