Renting Points for a BWV studio?

[glohoffman]

I have rented points for 2 trips now, and am planning a 2016 trip in December and would love to stay at BWV. Just from reading through some comments I am beginning to think it may be pretty difficult to snag a studio here. Is it a must to book at 11 months? That shouldn't be a problem if I am able to find an owner to rent the points, but of course its more difficult that finding someone 7 months out. Am I attempting the impossible here? Thanks so much for all your help!

 

[jekjones1558]

You should be able to rent the studio but you will need to start the process in plenty of time. I would start looking for an owner in December of this year. You could also use a service like David's to find an owner for you, though this may cost a little more than finding someone yourself.

 

[suebeelin]

For first two weeks of dec, you need to book at 11mo-- particularly for a studio. Are you looking standards, pool, BWV view? Sts and bw views go first.

Maybe you can wait 10 months for a pool/garden view.

We booked 2nd wk of December. In a 1bd std. We booked at the 10mo mark. By 8/9 months the std 1bds were all gone.

 

[glohoffman]

We are looking at a standard view studio, and our travel dates will roughly be Dec 15-21.
I can definitely start this December trying to find an owner!

 

[suebeelin]

Yes, you need to find someone who is ready to book exactly at the 11mo mark at 8am . They need to be online on January 15th... 8am.

Looks like 68pts. That's awesome for 6 days at BWV . I looooove standards!!!

Dec 15-21 is after the first two weeks of December (the super high dvc season), so it *may* not be as crazy. But I wouldn't chance it. We plan on being there dec 7-15, 2016 or mid January 2017. Still deciding. Maybe we shall cross paths .

Good luck!

 

[glohoffman]

Yes, you need to find someone who is ready to book exactly at the 11mo mark at 8am . They need to be online on January 15th... 8am.

Looks like 68pts. That's awesome for 6 days at BWV . I looooove standards!!!

Dec 15-21 is after the first two weeks of December (the super high dvc season), so it *may* not be as crazy. But I wouldn't chance it. We plan on being there dec 7-15, 2016 or mid January 2017. Still deciding. Maybe we shall cross paths .

Good luck!

Yes that is awesome for 6 days at BWV! Even paying the higher point costs for booking at the 11 month window I am coming out better than booking a moderate through Disney at the same time of year! Is starting in December giving me enough time to find an owner? I don't know how often BWV owners pop up, so maybe I should keep an eye on that!
We were actually going to go within the first two weeks of december, but because of my final exam schedule (nursing school), we have to push it back a bit, so maybe a little less demand is a positive side of having to push back our original plans. I am definitely not going to chance it though, and I really hope I can find someone to book for us that week! If not...we will attempt to fall back on AKV. We love AKV, but REALLY want to try Boardwalk at Christmas time!

 

[suebeelin]

I don't think it will be too hard to find a BWV owner. It's one of the biggest resorts (500+ dvc rooms, I believe), and it isn't the most $$ or always hard to get resort in the area (think BCV).

The rooms are so-so compared to AKL. When we stayed at AKL, the master bath was huge/new/swanky. We stayed in a 2nd. Do not expect that with BWV- we've stayed in 1 and 2 bds. Also, the furniture was pretty new at AKV, whereas BWV seems more dated. By the end of 2016, BWV should be refurbished so the furniture won't be as worn.

The area (bw) is wonderful, which is why we made that our home. Walking to two resorts is, imo, priceless.

I just rented out points back in January for an upcoming October trip (9mo lead time). They could only get pool/garden view, and this was a studio. I know std rooms are really hard to get bc of the point savings. For that reason, I recommend reaching out to the two competing brokers to see if they can source out an owner for you in nov/dec (holiday season so may be better to be more proactive). For a 69 pt reservation, not sure if it's worth the risk of finding someone on this site for a $70-140 savings (over 6 days, mind you). Imo, std views are just as good as the pool/garden view. I have never stayed in a BW view, so can't comment on that. But the rooms look the same and we couldn't care less about the view.

Good luck !!

 

[glohoffman]

I don't think it will be too hard to find a BWV owner. It's one of the biggest resorts (500+ dvc rooms, I believe), and it isn't the most $$ or always hard to get resort in the area (think BCV).

The rooms are so-so compared to AKL. When we stayed at AKL, the master bath was huge/new/swanky. We stayed in a 2nd. Do not expect that with BWV- we've stayed in 1 and 2 bds. Also, the furniture was pretty new at AKV, whereas BWV seems more dated. By the end of 2016, BWV should be refurbished so the furniture won't be as worn.

The area (bw) is wonderful, which is why we made that our home. Walking to two resorts is, imo, priceless.

I just rented out points back in January for an upcoming October trip (9mo lead time). They could only get pool/garden view, and this was a studio. I know std rooms are really hard to get bc of the point savings. For that reason, I recommend reaching out to the two competing brokers to see if they can source out an owner for you in nov/dec (holiday season so may be better to be more proactive). For a 69 pt reservation, not sure if it's worth the risk of finding someone on this site for a $70-140 savings (over 6 days, mind you). Imo, std views are just as good as the pool/garden view. I have never stayed in a BW view, so can't comment on that. But the rooms look the same and we couldn't care less about the view.

Good luck !!

Good idea with the brokers. I'm still saving a TON by renting dvc in December, I don't mind paying a little bit more. We definitely don't care about view for this trip, so standard is what we are leaning to. Location is most important which is why we chose boardwalk this time.
I will definitely start looking around in Nov/Dec, I wasn't sure if that would be too early and annoy people!

 

[cvjw]

I needed to book a standard view 2 bedroom at the 11 month mark for this December 18th-23rd. When I went to book at exactly the 11 month window, my dates were already booked. I was able to get it by waitlisting, but the standard view studios book FAST.

 

[crisi]

You don't only need to find a BWV owner - you need to find a BWV owner willing to call right at eleven months. AND you need to have a backup plan.

As a BWV owner who has rented my points, I'd never rent my points for a standard view over F&W or early December - too much chance my renter would get frozen out if I didn't walk the reservation - and no benefit over renting points to someone willing to take a preferred view or who is traveling at a different time of year. But I'm on the "no bother" end of the people who rent spectrum.

 

[glohoffman]

You don't only need to find a BWV owner - you need to find a BWV owner willing to call right at eleven months. AND you need to have a backup plan.

As a BWV owner who has rented my points, I'd never rent my points for a standard view over F&W or early December - too much chance my renter would get frozen out if I didn't walk the reservation - and no benefit over renting points to someone willing to take a preferred view or who is traveling at a different time of year. But I'm on the "no bother" end of the people who rent spectrum.

Excuse me for sounding naive, but I'm unfamiliar with the term "walking the reservation". What do you mean by this?

 

[glohoffman]

I guess I will just try to find a owner, and if I can't get it we will just go for akv. Not as close as we wanted to be, but around the same price and a beautiful resort.

 

[glohoffman]

And I am not unwilling to take a preferred view, I just would prefer the standard because a preferred view isn't on the list of priorities for us this trip

 

[MAO]

My understanding of 'walking a reservation' would be as such: You want Dec 15-21 but are concerned that you won't be able to get all those dates. You discover that you can get Dec 9-15, so you set that up. Then you get online throughout the day the *next* day, looking for Dec 16. If it becomes available, you add it to your reservation list and then go back and cancel just Dec 9. So now you have Dec 10 - 16. On the *next* day that you are looking (this is all assuming you're right at the 11 month timeframe) you look for Dec 17. Once it becomes available (assuming that it does) you reserve it and go back to the original reservation to cancel Dec 10. So now you have reservations - three of them - for Dec 11-15, Dec 16 and Dec 17. *Next* day, you try for Dec 18 and go through the process all over again. That's why crisi says you need to get someone ready right at the 11 month mark and why crisi is unlikely to be interested in potentially doing all that work for just a standard room (i.e., low points = less $$$ for the rentee altho, of course, cheaper for you as renter.)

Certainly it doesn't hurt to ask. But I'm with crisi - find someone *before* the 11 month timeframe and have a backup plan.

 

[glohoffman]

My understanding of 'walking a reservation' would be as such: You want Dec 15-21 but are concerned that you won't be able to get all those dates. You discover that you can get Dec 9-15, so you set that up. Then you get online throughout the day the *next* day, looking for Dec 16. If it becomes available, you add it to your reservation list and then go back and cancel just Dec 9. So now you have Dec 10 - 16. On the *next* day that you are looking (this is all assuming you're right at the 11 month timeframe) you look for Dec 17. Once it becomes available (assuming that it does) you reserve it and go back to the original reservation to cancel Dec 10. So now you have reservations - three of them - for Dec 11-15, Dec 16 and Dec 17. *Next* day, you try for Dec 18 and go through the process all over again. That's why crisi says you need to get someone ready right at the 11 month mark and why crisi is unlikely to be interested in potentially doing all that work for just a standard room (i.e., low points = less $$$ for the rentee altho, of course, cheaper for you as renter.)

Certainly it doesn't hurt to ask. But I'm with crisi - find someone *before* the 11 month timeframe and have a backup plan.

Oh ok that does seem like a lot of work, thank you for the explanation. If I am able to find someone with enough points, I would be interested in booking two studios at the same time (one for my in laws traveling with us, if another were available of course) but that probably doesn't help with the owner wanting to make a bit more money does it? I know it would take more points, but does an owner look for higher point value rooms to make a bit more money, or just renting out more points in one rental agreement to get rid of them quicker? Or I can bump up to a preferred studio and try to get my in laws the standard. I am flexible there, the only thing I won't be able to be as flexible with are the days due to final exams. Sorry, I'm obviously not an owner, just trying to figure out the best way to help an owner out as well!

 

[crisi]

If the owner has plenty of points to rent, it doesn't make any difference to them how they rent them. To them, its price per point, and 300 points used for two studios in June or 300 points used for a two bedroom in October isn't really different. Some owners will only want the bother of one reservation - so they'll try and match what the renter wants with how many points they want to rent.

One thing you need to be very aware of traveling with others.

These reservations are likely to be not changable once they are made. No cancellations. No moving the vacation by a few days. Maybe even no name changes. If you are going with inlaws, make SURE they are going. Its a savings over a regular room, but that savings comes with a loss of flexibility. Even as owners, some owners are very careful inviting guests because the cancellation policies - even for members - can leave you holding the bag.

If you are fine with preferred views - its going to run a little more expensive in terms of points, but it won't be nearly so hard to get.

 

[crisi]

That's why crisi says you need to get someone ready right at the 11 month mark and why crisi is unlikely to be interested in potentially doing all that work for just a standard room (i.e., low points = less $$$ for the rentee altho, of course, cheaper for you as renter.)

To me it isn't the lower number of points - its the effort involved. I can list my points with David, he'll find me a single reservation that matches the range of points I'm looking to rent, and and get $13 a point making a mid September or February reservation with one visit to the reservation system and a few emails.

Or I can work with a renter who wants something that is difficult to get, that I'd need to walk to make sure to get it for them, or I have some risk of not getting it and having to deal with a disappointed renter - one who probably doesn't understand the availability challenges of Standard View BWV in December. And get $13 a point.

I'm lazy and I don't like disappointing people or conflict. $13 a point through David for a no brainer reservation sounds like a way better deal to me.

 

[glohoffman]

If the owner has plenty of points to rent, it doesn't make any difference to them how they rent them. To them, its price per point, and 300 points used for two studios in June or 300 points used for a two bedroom in October isn't really different. Some owners will only want the bother of one reservation - so they'll try and match what the renter wants with how many points they want to rent.

One thing you need to be very aware of traveling with others.

These reservations are likely to be not changable once they are made. No cancellations. No moving the vacation by a few days. Maybe even no name changes. If you are going with inlaws, make SURE they are going. Its a savings over a regular room, but that savings comes with a loss of flexibility. Even as owners, some owners are very careful inviting guests because the cancellation policies - even for members - can leave you holding the bag.

If you are fine with preferred views - its going to run a little more expensive in terms of points, but it won't be nearly so hard to get.

Thanks so much for the insight! It helps to talk to someone who rents outside of just "transaction talk". I am very aware of the no changing and being "locked in". This whole trip is because the in laws want to experience Disney with the kids, so they are definitely locked in as well, but thank you for the heads up on that as well. So would I be better off going through a broker like David's for this rental? Do brokers attempt the harder to get reservations all the same? Again thanks for your tips and advice!

 

[crisi]

A broker merely sits between you and an owner. I'd think if you want to try for the standard view room, you'll have more luck working with an owner directly. I would guess David gets a higher proportion of people like me who don't want the bother. Also, brokers sometimes have more people who want to rent points than owners who have points to rent. Just something to know.

 

[glohoffman]

A broker merely sits between you and an owner. I'd think if you want to try for the standard view room, you'll have more luck working with an owner directly. I would guess David gets a higher proportion of people like me who don't want the bother. Also, brokers sometimes have more people who want to rent points than owners who have points to rent. Just something to know.

Yeah that makes sense. One more question...since I would be trying to find someone to rent beforehand, as someone who has rented points before, do you recommend me giving a deposit to the owner before they rent? Just trying to think of the best way to go about this if I find someone in like November/December. Thanks for all your help!