renting DVC but no owner

[Leleluvsdis]

What would be the chances of renting a DVC grand villa at AKL december of 2009, but not be a DVC member? Also, if it is 515 points what that be in money?

 

[dianeschlicht]

Well, first you have to assume that the GVs will be open by then. Then you have to assume that you can find an AKV owner who has enough points and is willing to give them up, and find that owner about a year ahead of the time you wish to travel. If you get past those rather sizeable hurdles, then you will spend anywhere from $12-$16 per point to make that reservation. That means you are looking at around $7000 to make that reservation. Now, that being said, that $7000 would go a LONG way toward buying a DVC membership and having your own points.

Remember that as a renter, you are at the mercy of the owner. Only they can make or change your reservations, and you will have no control over the reservation at any time. You will need to have a lot of trust in the person you are renting from for that amount of money. If you find that a bit daunting, you might be better off trying to rent a GV directly from CRO.

 

[JimMIA]

One alternative to consider is to try to rent a different combination of accommodations. There are very few GV's at any DVC resort, and December is the most difficult time of the year to try to rent.

However, you could put together a combination of 1- and 2-bedrooms, or maybe studios, which would give you the lodgings you want. In addition to having much greater availability, that strategy would allow you to rent from several owners -- Diane is right, you're going to have a hard time finding someone with 500+ points to rent in the first place, to say nothing of giving those up during December.

The other advantage of several rooms is that if someone cancels, you only have to cancel a studio or one bedroom, etc. You don't go to WDW after months of planning with only 4 people in a GV for $7,000!

However, in any rental, it is critical that both you and the owner you rent from have a clear understanding of what happens if someone's plans change. Renting is nothing like a hotel reservation, and you can't just cancel. Many owners make their rental non-cancelable and non-refundable, and there are numerous situations where an owner may be completely unable to help you if someone's plans change.

 

[Leleluvsdis]

Thanks both of you for your responces, but I think we are just going to get several rooms. Mom, dad, brother and his family want to stay at shades of green, DF parents want to take the motor home and hopefully by then they will also have a 5th wheel or just rent one. Thanks for your help though