rent points or not?

[TinkABoutIt]

My family and I are going to be going to WDW. We have kids ranging from 9,7,3,and 1) I think we would have to get 2 rooms. The question here is, should we rent pts. from DVC or try to get 2 rooms at a moderate?

 

[utahkennedys]

I would rent points because you get a lot more for the money, including a kitchen (even if you don't cook much but just have b'fast), washer/dryer, much more space, huge balconies at OKW, plus the amenities of a Disney Delux. Just my thoughts, but that is the way to go for us! We rented extra points for this September to add to our own at OKW to get a 2 BR/2BA villa. can't wait!

Another huge perk to me -- NO taxes or fees!!! That saves more than it seems!

 

[dtsaos]

couple of other options-fort wilderness cabin (sleeps 6 ). I think since you have a baby you might be able to stay at a room at the CR, which are huge or the Poly. If I'm wrong, I'm sure somebody will correct me soon enough! And I think WL has suites, but they may cost more than renting a 2 bedroom! Also, CSR has a few suites avail.-also pricey. And AKL has some suites. I'm sure a 2bedroom villa would be awesome, but from a financial point of view, it may not be cheaper since they require so many points. The cheapest thing would probably be 2 rooms at a value resort, but of course you won't have all the amenities of staying in a villa.

 

[utahkennedys]

Just as a frame of reference, our 2 BR villa at OKW is only 110 points for 5 nights (22 points a night) which equals $220/night with NO additional fees or taxes. Great deal. The same room goes for over $500 plus the 10-11% taxes a night through Disney. We paid $467/night for the Poly in April with a TINY bathroom and 2 queen beds, with not even a refrigerator. We love the Poly, but we only had me, dh and dd3. With any more than that I wouldn't even consider it. OKW requires the fewest points for a 2BR and I truly think it's a fabulous deal for staying on property at a Deluxe. There is some risk involved in renting, so just make sure to get references and check the reservation yourself several times before your trip. I know a great guy who rents and works for Tiffany's (so he MUST be trusworthy ) who I think still has points for 2005.

 

[CinderellaIam]

I would suggest going to the DVC Rent/Trade Board. At the top is a link to calculate points. Enter your dates, the type of room and the resort you want to stay at (tip OKW charges the least amount of points) and the calculator will tell you how many points you need. Check the pricing of rentals, most are at $10 a point. There are no taxes or extras to tack on just the price per point. Compare that to what you would pay for TWO moderate rooms (with a family of six I believe that is what you would need). Also figure out what you would save by having a kitchen. Breakfast in every morning is a huge money saver. Then you be the judge.

We as a family are planning for our second DVC rental vacation and we already know we're buying in on this trip as we will never stay at a regular resort again. We love the convenience of the kitchen, the deluxe rooms, pool hoping priveldges, etc.

 

[PatricenPete]

We are renting from a DVC member for our trip in October and i can't even begin to tell you, from a financial standpoint, how happy we are. With a baby, I would definitely recommend going the DVC route - from warming up milk to baby food to quick breakfasts before you leave - the kitchen will come in so handy.

 

[beattyfamily]

It can be a great value for your money. It certainly depends though on when you are going and if you are staying over on a Fri or Sat night (those nights cost alot more in points).

To better answer you, it would help a great deal if we knew your dates of when you were going and then we could tell you exactly how many points it would take and then you'd mulitply that by $10 (going rate for points) and that is how much your trip would cost for a 2 bedroom villa which sleeps up to 8 people.

Good luck deciding!!

 

[ErinInCT]

DVC is the way to go!! Our 1 yr old slept in the closet (they are huge) in the pack & play (provided in the room as well as a high chair) & you could let the others either share beds or someone could even use the pull out sofa so all the kids get their own bed! Having a kitchen was awesome. We ate every breakfast & lunch in the room! The d/w was great for all the sippy cups, etc! We brought half as many clothes & just did laundry as needed! We brought our own water to the park in a soft cooler stuck in the stroller & saved money that way too. Plus it was so nice knowing exactly how much your room is. Once they add all those taxes onto a hotel room, all of a sudden $99/night is not so cheap anymore!!!! If you can go Sun - Thurs it is even more affordable! The only downside...once you go DVC, you'll never want to go back to a "regular" room!!!

 

[NJOYURLIFE]

In my humble opinion, you can't beat having a kitchen and washer/dryer when traveling with children, as well as the separate areas to relax, more than one TV, throw in the jacuzzi tubs and WOW, I am in heaven!!!

Seriously, my children ages 11, 10 and 5 are constant "snackers". We love eating most breakfasts in the villa. It is also so easy to feed the children snacks after swimming or lunch in the room. We stock up on hotdogs, mac/cheese, sandwich fixings, grilled cheese fixins and my children could be fed for the week. My children always come back from swimming hungry and this usually gives us a cushion before we do our evening plans or later dinners.

 

[crisi]

As was said, depends on when you are going. Not only is the value different at different times of year, availability may be an issue. For instance, if you want to go in 2005, availability is aready limited for much of the year.

Also, it is a private transaction. DVC reserverations are not easily cancellable, points have a limited life. So there is more risk. With a reservation from CRO, if your kid gets sick and you cancel you are out maybe your deposit. With DVC you may be out the entire amount of your accomodations. Most DVC owners will work with you, but its possible there isn't much they can do.

 

[Texan Mouseketeer]

Do you get the same prices on tickets like the Magic Your Way tickets and the dining plan just like you were staying at a regular resort?

And, do you have to pay for maid service?

Thanks!

 

[crisi]

You cannot get the dining plan. Maid service is not really included (once every eight days and on day four your towels are replaced and your trash taken out). You can pay extra for maid service, by that time you are close to "why bother to rent." You get the same (public) prices on tickets. As a renter, you are not entitled to any DVC discounts (a few restaurants, waterparks), but many renters report getting them.

Perhaps most importantly, several renters are disppointed because of the current free dining promotion. DVC is a "plan in advance" deal with big cancellation penalties for members. Several renters who rented points during the free dining promotion have expressed some regrets, as they feel like they'd have done a lot better taking advantage of the free dining plan and they can't cancel without losing a significant amount of money. That is one of the risks you take. Granted, promotions like free dining are pretty rare (I wouldn't rent points for September, which is the time of "great deals).

 

[meandtheguys2]

We are renting for our trip in January. With 3 boys who are not used to sleeping together, condos, or villas are the best option for us. We also have my mom with us, and everyone gets a bit of their own space. I persanally like a bit of my own place, being the odd gal out with all of my boys!

Michelle

 

[Karalynn]

We are planning on going in January and also are looking into renting points. There will be me, dh, ds 7 and dd 5. I'm thinking a studio would be good. My dd has special needs and I think that being in a small room will just put us all over the edge!! I'd like to have the option of having a bit more space and the kitchen of course would be great. My concern is that dh will be so comfortable there, he won't want to leave the resort! Also, I have read that housekeeping does some pretty neat things with the kids stuffed animals, towels etc. Does anyone feel that there is less 'magic' in a dvc resort, more or the same, just in different ways?

 

[crisi]

Towel animals are rare in regular resorts (I've only seen them once in ten trips pre-DVC - and they weren't even in my room, they were gotten my people traveling with us, and I've only had the stuffed animal thing done once as well) and even more rare in DVC resorts, as housekeeping only drops off towels once for a week stay. We find the magic the same, but we stay at BWVs which is pretty well integrated into BWI. If you want a different feel than the regular Disney resorts, SSR and OWK are standalone resorts and have a little different feel to them. We have put our two kids on the pullout in a one bedroom, we have the master, and we all have enough space.

 

[ACDSNY]

I'm on the fence too. We'd like to go 10/8 for a week and we have 6 adults. I'm trying to figure out which will work best for us since I won a 4 night trip from Alamo for 4 people. So I'm considering renting a 1 bedroom or studio for the first 4 nights and a 2 bedroom for the last 3 nights.

 

[msnina0417]

I have disney owners who rent their timeshares for $1430 5 nights OKW and it is 1 bedroom, that may change in 2006, but this yr it si the same. Holds 6 persons, or you could get ajoining rooms and the meal plan is free the end of Aug to Oct 2005. Let me know.

 

[mookie]

I just rented for the first time through a DVC owner I found on these boards, and the intital transaction was great. Unfortunately, I had to call and cancel about 2 months after we booked due to me finding out I was pregnant w/ complications that wouldn't allow me to fly for our trip in September. The owner we worked with was wonderful, and I thought it was a great deal. We had a 1 bedroom Board Walk view at the boardwalk. Total that we would have paid was 1150 for the Sund - Thurs stay. (Our owner actually helped us out with deciding which days to go, and definitely staying Sun-Thurs is cheaper if you can swing it.)

Anyway, since we had to cancel, we agreed through our contract that we would lose 1/2 of our deposit (about 86.00). It was so hard for us to cancel, as our DD really was excited about the trip, but I have to abide by doctors orders!!

I know he still has the points available, and is flexible on the dates. If you are interested, feel free to PM me, and I can put you in touch with him.

Good luck with whatever you decide. I went back and forth on renting points, but was glad I did in the long run, since the kitchen with a toddler would have been a lifesaver!

Have a good trip!

 

[LynnTH]

I'm having the same dilemma also. I think it would be great to stay at the Beach Club and have such close access to Epcot and MGM. I have 2 things that are holding me back. One is that I would love to do the dining plan and have the meals payed for and eat at places that I normally would not eat at. The second is that we will be at Disney from a Monday through a Saturday. Monday - Thursday the DVC would be 110 a night during prime season for a Studio. But the Friday cost would be $320 for the night. I could switch to a value for the one night but not sure how much of a pain that would be. Any input would be great.

 

[beattyfamily]

I'm having the same dilemma also. I think it would be great to stay at the Beach Club and have such close access to Epcot and MGM. I have 2 things that are holding me back. One is that I would love to do the dining plan and have the meals payed for and eat at places that I normally would not eat at. The second is that we will be at Disney from a Monday through a Saturday. Monday - Thursday the DVC would be 110 a night during prime season for a Studio. But the Friday cost would be $320 for the night. I could switch to a value for the one night but not sure how much of a pain that would be. Any input would be great.

Yeah, but I guess I look at it this way, you take what the points would be for ALL your nights (11 x 10 x 4 night + 32 x 10) and you come up with $760 and then you divide the $760 by the 5 nights and you get $152 per night. That is not too shabby when you compare it to rack rates AND that there's no tax on it. So unless I'm missing something, it's still a good deal even though Friday is more money.