Split stay and DVC rental?

[cmfitz14]

Hello…. Haven’t visited WDW since August 2018 and we are just starting to plan our next trip for August 2022. The last two times we went, we stayed at the Polynesian and loved it. Our kids were much younger. Now that they have reached teen and tween ages, we are considering doing a split stay with 4 nights at Poly and 4 nights at Beach Club. (We will also follow that with 3 nights at Universal).
I feel like prices at WDW have really increased, so we are considering doing DVC rental…. What tips and suggestions can you give us? Studio size rooms would be perfect and seem to fit our budget. When can we technically book DVC with rental points? What are fair prices to pay? Do you think the 4/4 split makes sense? I appreciate all suggestions!
just an additional thought, we were hoping to add on a Halloween party night tickets to hit up the popular MK rides without huge waits. How far in advance do they release those dates (as we’d prefer to stay at the Poly one of those nights)?

thanks so much!

 

[Nabas]

You can book up to 11 months out, which means you can book mid-August now. Typically, you pay a premium to book 11 months out. At 7 months, any DVC resort can book anywhere, and usually you can get a better price within 7 months. The going rate for point rentals is about $15 to $20 per point, depending on how lucky you get. You'll pay closer to $20 at 11 months, closer to $15 at 7 months.

August is probably the easiest month to book.

You should have no problem booking the Poly at 7 months for August, since it has 380 Studios. The Poly Standard View Studio in August is 21 points per night weekdays and 24 points per night weekends.

BCV is different. It has 36 dedicated Studios and 74 2-bedroom lockoffs, which can optionally be booked as Studios. (This means there is no guarantee these actually will be available as Studios.) A BCV Studio is tough to get, even in August. You'll probably have to go through a company like David's DVC Rentals, which currently is charging $20 per point. Since a BCV in August is 17 points per night weekdays and 18 points per night weekends, that means $340 to $360 per night.

 

[gatormom2tots]

I would also suggest you google facebook rental groups- we have found much cheaper rates than the rental companies if you are comfortable renting from a person. But some also charge just as much- so you have to sometimes do the math if they offer a total price as opposed to per point. You can find a lot more "dedicated reservations" (meaning a reservation already made then they change the reservation into your name) than some of the other places- though the companies have more and more since covid (but almost always at a greater cost).

There is also a rental forum here on the boards that we have used several times without a hitch. Some are cheaper than the companies, so are comparable.

 

[cmfitz14]

I am so thankful to the people who responded!!! I definitely need to do my research on this! When I looked on a few sites (David’s and DVC Rental store) they both give me the impression that they have availability at Beach Club for the days I put in. Is it fair to assume that’s accurate? I wasn’t sure based on a previous posters comment about how there are fewer studios available at Beach club. The amount I was quoted was in line with $340-360 a night. If we could get it lower, it would be amazing.
Are there any major downsides to staying DVC instead of a regular room? To me, the major difference seems to be the number of true beds… hopefully the pull out sofas and drop down beds are comfortable. Traveling this past summer, we learned that housekeeping at hotels isn’t really needed. So we are fine with going without mousekeeping. With that being said, if you need additional towels or shampoo/soap, do you just call the front desk?

 

[Sandisw]

I am so thankful to the people who responded!!! I definitely need to do my research on this! When I looked on a few sites (David’s and DVC Rental store) they both give me the impression that they have availability at Beach Club for the days I put in. Is it fair to assume that’s accurate? I wasn’t sure based on a previous posters comment about how there are fewer studios available at Beach club. The amount I was quoted was in line with $340-360 a night. If we could get it lower, it would be amazing.
Are there any major downsides to staying DVC instead of a regular room? To me, the major difference seems to be the number of true beds… hopefully the pull out sofas and drop down beds are comfortable. Traveling this past summer, we learned that housekeeping at hotels isn’t really needed. So we are fine with going without mousekeeping. With that being said, if you need additional towels or shampoo/soap, do you just call the front desk?

There are two pieces to booking something. An owner with points and rooms being available.

The brokers simply match a renter with an owner who has the correct points to book. All resorts can be booked with points at that resort 7 to 11 months in advance. At 7 months ahead of check in, all points can be used…except for RIV which has different rules.

The big difference with a rental and a cash stay is flexibility. Rentals are usually final transactions…they are with the brokers…changes are difficult..and many times not even allowed.

So, once you commit, there is really no going back. Most will say they wont cancel, but if the last 18 months have taught us anything, sometimes those cancels are no in our control.

Be sure you understand all the pros and cons of it.

 

[sndral]

I am so thankful to the people who responded!!! I definitely need to do my research on this! When I looked on a few sites (David’s and DVC Rental store) they both give me the impression that they have availability at Beach Club for the days I put in. Is it fair to assume that’s accurate? I wasn’t sure based on a previous posters comment about how there are fewer studios available at Beach club. The amount I was quoted was in line with $340-360 a night. If we could get it lower, it would be amazing.
Are there any major downsides to staying DVC instead of a regular room? To me, the major difference seems to be the number of true beds… hopefully the pull out sofas and drop down beds are comfortable. Traveling this past summer, we learned that housekeeping at hotels isn’t really needed. So we are fine with going without mousekeeping. With that being said, if you need additional towels or shampoo/soap, do you just call the front desk?

Re availability:
11-7 months out is home resort booking, owners can only book at resorts they own, after 7 months owners can book at any resort (except sometimes Riviera.) Generally smaller resorts such as BC fill pretty quickly often during the home resort booking period, likewise view categories which take fewer points book earlier. Brokers can only rent points if they have owners willing to rent through them, and during home resort booking they must have owners of the resort you want to rent. This thread, tho’ dated, gives a general idea of how fast things book https://www.disboards.com/threads/p...-bd-charts-september-2019-2-bd-added.3689931/. As for whether brokers have owners at resorts you want, I can’t really say since I use every point I own for my WDW stays, hopefully an experienced renter can help w/ that, the Dis rent/transfer board might be worth keeping an eye on as well. https://www.disboards.com/forums/dvc-rent-transfer.29/
Re differences between DVC & cash reservations:
The biggest difference between cash through Disney & DVC private rental via a broker or directly from an owner is if something comes up, w/ cash you can cancel or change your dates pretty last minute, w/ a rental you cannot. The reason rentals can’t be canceled or changed is because the points used to make them expire & the closer you get to arrival the less likely the owner can find availability to change/re-rent those points, so pay close attention to the cancelation/change parts of your rental contract if you go that route.
Depending on how long it’s been since a refurb. the DVC units become a bit more worn than regular hotel rooms. If you don’t like your assigned room w/ a cash reservation often times the resort can move you, whereas w/ a DVC reservation that’s unlikely to happen because DVC resorts are generally close to 100% booked.
Extra towels for DVC are now free I believe, but don’t call the ‘front desk’ since that gets you to an offsite call center, better to call housekeeping from your room phone, or if you see a housekeeper in the hallway just ask for more.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

When I looked on a few sites (David’s and DVC Rental store) they both give me the impression that they have availability at Beach Club for the days I put in. Is it fair to assume that’s accurate?

The calculators on most rental sites are solely around cost, and do not represent actual unit availability or availability of an owner with points able to book it for you.

One of the rental agencies has a tool that shows "availability" but it updates only once or twice a day and has some issues, and should be viewed as directional and not absolute. It may be wrong, or it may mean one unit was available when it updated. Availability is only as good as the ability to immediately book the unit.

 

[crisi]

You won't get the prices lower through a broker, they don't negotiate. There are generally far more renters looking for points than points available (Covid has changed things, but I doubt that much over at BCV. And I doubt you'll get a price break from a private owner either at the BCV. Those points are in high demand - probably the second highest demand in the entire system (Grand Californian would be the only one I can think of with a bigger demand over supply imbalance), and all owners know they just have to wait a little longer (like minutes) for a full price offer to come in. There really isn't an incentive to give a stranger a break on prices (and far too many owners have been scammed over the years by false sob stories)

Be VERY aware that your reservation will likely be non-refundable. Get travel insurance. DVC can be a great way to save some money on getting a room at Disney, but the tradeoff is unflexible reservation policies and a studio with only one real bed and no mousekeeping. In some ways, its a case of "you can save money only if you can afford to lose it" - which honestly is the case with so much of our American economy - rewards only come with risks, and risks mean that you might be left with nothing. And book quickly....BCV does have demand that far outstrips supply. It is one of the most expensive resorts in the system to buy resale, so most BCV owners buy with the intent of staying there and use their points - and use them eleven months out to ensure a room for when they want to travel.

 

[Nabas]

You won't get the prices lower through a broker, they don't negotiate. There are generally far more renters looking for points than points available Covid has changed things, but I doubt that much over at BCV. And I doubt you'll get a price break from a private owner either at the BCV. Those points are in high demand - probably the second highest demand in the entire system (Grand Californian would be the only one I can think of with a bigger demand over supply imbalance), and all owners know they just have to wait a little longer (like minutes) for a full price offer to come in.

The DVC point rental markets seems almost back to normal, with places like David's DVC rental back to needing points for most resorts.

Very different than about a year ago when there was a glut of DVC points available for rent. (And when I had little problem renting at almost any DVC resort that I wanted on short notice.)

If the OP wants to stay at the Beach Club, they almost certainly will need to pay a premium (i.e. $20 per point) and rent at 11 months, even in August.

 

[starry_solo]

Book refundable reservations through Disney. For Beach Club / Yacht Club, apparently those show up on Priceline (Yacht Club more so) at what appears to be frequent intervals.

 

[Yinn]

Hello…. Haven’t visited WDW since August 2018 and we are just starting to plan our next trip for August 2022. The last two times we went, we stayed at the Polynesian and loved it. Our kids were much younger. Now that they have reached teen and tween ages, we are considering doing a split stay with 4 nights at Poly and 4 nights at Beach Club. (We will also follow that with 3 nights at Universal).
I feel like prices at WDW have really increased, so we are considering doing DVC rental…. What tips and suggestions can you give us? Studio size rooms would be perfect and seem to fit our budget. When can we technically book DVC with rental points? What are fair prices to pay? Do you think the 4/4 split makes sense? I appreciate all suggestions!
just an additional thought, we were hoping to add on a Halloween party night tickets to hit up the popular MK rides without huge waits. How far in advance do they release those dates (as we’d prefer to stay at the Poly one of those nights)?

thanks so much!

Poly was just redone, with the hotel side and DVC side being different remodels. I'm not sure if that will make a difference to you, but if it does that might affect whether or not you want to rent.

If you do still want to rent, consider renting private and negotiate exits within the contract. I know I offer a full refund in the event of a park/resort closure on all my contracts and depending on timing even offered a fully refundable change of mind on bankable points.

In terms of savings, renting PVB points privately won't save you a whole bunch. It's going for still $18-$19/pt. What you can do if you're willing to risk it is wait until the 7 month mark, then rent the cheapest points you can find. PVB *should* be available. It's risky, but could save you $2-$6/pt if you can use some other points to book PVB.

 

[Deb & Bill]

One hint. Ignore any private messages you get from people offering you their points to book your stay. That is just one way unsuspecting renters get cheated out of their money. Only go with a response to any message you put out on the R/T/B. Or go through a broker. Be prepared for zero cancellations or refunds.

 

[cmfitz14]

Really appreciate all of the tips. I’m so torn on what to do!! Rack rates are significantly higher… ugh, decisions!