Question: DVC resort room cash discount for DVC members

[bangzoom6877]

I will soon be booking our July 2010 trip home to BWV (first trip home, yay!!). We will be staying for 10 nights on points. My sister & nieces and my parents decided to join us for the first 4 nights of our trip. They are looking into staying at Pop Century, but it would be very nice if we could all stay together in the same place. I do not have enough points for the accommodations they would need. However, I am aware that the DVC members get a discounted rate on cash rooms at DVC resorts. How much of a discount is it, and would I be able to use this discount at BWV for my other family members? Any other ideas or discounts I could get for them? They are not open to renting points from members they do not know, so that is not an option.

 

[5forDiz]

It's 25% off rack if it is available ( it isn't always available ). I'm not sure

how many rooms MS would allow you to book on cash, I guess it'd be

best to call them and find out. Only other thing I can think of is you

can get a points transfer from another DVC member into your account

and book the DVC reservation for your family members....you'd need a

BWV owner to transfer to you to take advantage of owner's priority booking

window ( 11 mos - 7 mos+1day before checkin you want ) otherwise you'd

have to wait until 7 mos window opens to book at BWV with another

resort's points. Once the points transfer is made the other member

cannot take those points back from you and you would control the

reservation made with the points in your account.

Hope this helped some and good luck with your planning

 

[bangzoom6877]

It's 25% off rack if it is available ( it isn't always available ). I'm not sure

how many rooms MS would allow you to book on cash, I guess it'd be

best to call them and find out. Only other thing I can think of is you

can get a points transfer from another DVC member into your account

and book the DVC reservation for your family members....you'd need a

BWV owner to transfer to you to take advantage of owner's priority booking

window ( 11 mos - 7 mos+1day before checkin you want ) otherwise you'd

have to wait until 7 mos window opens to book at BWV with another

resort's points. Once the points transfer is made the other member

cannot take those points back from you and you would control the

reservation made with the points in your account.

Hope this helped some and good luck with your planning

Thank you so much! I have thought about the transfer option as well, but I have to explain to my family that should they cancel, there is no insurance involved with the reservation. So whatever the transfer points cost, they will have to pay and use or lose it. So it could get complicated. In case we do decide to go that route, you are entitled to one points transfer transaction per Use Year, correct? So, if my Use Year is April and I transferred points to another member last Fall, I could get someone to transfer points to me now and it would be okay, right?

 

[Deb & Bill]

The cash discount is supposed to be used only by the member. So they are not supposed to give it for villas for non-members or guests of members. If they did give it to you, you might be able to only get one discounted villa and not multiple villas.

 

[gracelrm]

I'm attempting to do the same thing in June 2010. We're doing an extended family trip, using all our banked, current & borrowed points. We are short points for one studio. I thought of getting a transfer, but worried that if the family cancels - then we'd be out the money and probably no chance to use the points transfered in. So we tried for a room with the DVC discount. When I called at 11 months - a cash room was not available yet. So I'm playing the waiting game. MS suggested that I call back once a month until a room became available for cash. They said the discount may or may not be offered for the time we are going.

 

[Mich Mouse]

I hope you have better luck than we did...We tried two times to book a room with the DVC discount and were told that no discounted rooms were available...

Though there were still rooms available at the regular price...The CM told me a limited # of rooms are alloted for discounts. I was not happy about that...Especially because it was not a very busy time or a last minute ressie we were inquiring about.

 

[maburke]

The cash discount is supposed to be used only by the member. So they are not supposed to give it for villas for non-members or guests of members. If they did give it to you, you might be able to only get one discounted villa and not multiple villas.

I wonder if the policy has changed on this. I booked cash discount for another family joining us on our trip in May, 2008, and the CM at MS was the one who brought the discount to my attention. She explained clearly that I had to make the reservation call to MS, but she could put it in my friend's name. I did it with my friend there, and put her on the phone to give her credit card number and her kids ages and all. So there was no doubt that the member was neither staying in the room nor paying for it. I was staying at the same resort at the same time on points, maybe that made a difference.

 

[jekjones1558]

At least at HHI I don't think the member even has to be there. I booked a honeymoon room for DDis with member cash discount with no questions asked.

 

[madelyn]

Last minute in November 2008 my sister used some developer's points at Saratoga. She had enough points for a 2 bedroom for 2 nights and a studio for 1 night. We called about paying cash for a 1 bedroom for that one night about a month before. I think I gave my credit card number, not hers to hold the room. I didn't realize there were only a limited number of rooms with the cash discount. We are taking an extended family trip this Thanksgiving and staying at Kidani and my sister has enough points for 6 nights in a 2 bedroom but only 5 nights in a studio. When we originally called about the reservation they did not have inventory to make a cash reservation for the 6th night for the studio and we haven't tried again since. I was worried about there being availability the day after Thanksgiving but I checked on-line recently and was surprised to see that the general public is offered all size units in Kidani. I assumed since there was availability on-line it would be available at a DVC cash discount. But we may not need that extra night after all since the high plane fares around Thanksgiving may require an earlier return anyhow.

 

[Mich Mouse]

I assumed since there was availability on-line it would be available at a DVC cash discount.

I did too. But unfortunately they can have dozens of rooms available and will not give the discount.

 

[dizzneebabe]

At least at HHI I don't think the member even has to be there. I booked a honeymoon room for DDis with member cash discount with no questions asked.

Two years ago I booked a 1bedroom and a studio with the cash discount at HHI. The one bedroom was for us and the studio was for friends who joined us mid-week.