Trying to Decide on Resort for DVC Rental

[txelle05]

I am hoping to rent DVC points for a stay in April 2022 (arrival would be the Saturday after Easter, since I know that is a busy time). Since the 11-month mark is coming up, I am trying to figure out the best option for my family. I thought that I was pretty set on Poly, but have recently started thinking I would like to try for a 1 bedroom which I know Poly doesn’t have. I do currently have a reservation through Disney for my dates at Poly (which I booked myself) and would be fine to keep that if renting points doesn’t work out.

The people traveling are my husband, 5-year old son and me. We have some family that may be joining us but they would be staying off property. These are my main priorities, in this order:

• Ease of transportation – we are staying 7 nights, so going to every park with MK on two days. I know no resort is close to all of the parks, but I am hoping to take mid-day breaks most days.
• Pool – we have one resort day planned and aren’t doing parks on arrival or departure days. I would love to be able to rent a cabana for our non-park day but I know not all resorts have those. The main knock against Stormalong Bay that I’ve read is that it’s too big/chaotic/not relaxing. As of right now, I couldn’t really imagine letting my son just go off without me at the pool, no matter how big or small it is. But maybe another resort’s pool would be better anyway.
• Food options – as of right now, I don’t think I’m going to try for many in-park ADRs, especially for dinner. So I’d like to have options close by although I do realize that delivery from places off-site is always an option too.

I think that’s it. The main resorts I was looking at were Beach Club, Boardwalk, and Bay Lake Tower. Obviously not knowing the ins and outs of actually making a DVC booking, would any of these be a lot more difficult to get than the others? I know for David’s at least, you can give a first, second, and third choice but I don’t want to ask for something that’s impossible. I will probably also include a request for Poly in there, I’m just wondering where I should place it in the ranking.

And yes, if you look at my posting history, I have been all over the place with this. But for me, this is a big decision because of the amount of money it costs so I want to do my research!

 

[princessme21114]

I would probably do board walk inn because it is close to epcot and dhs.

 

[MICKIMINI]

It sounds like a monorail resort is your best bet. Lots of restaurant choices and close to MK. Hopefully the monorail to EPCOT will be open by then.

Good thing you have a reservation at Poly already as finding an owner who has the points you want can be a real challenge at that busy time. 2022 should be crazy with pent up demand, especially if the international market opens. Good luck!

 

[Marionnette]

I am hoping to rent DVC points for a stay in April 2022 (arrival would be the Saturday after Easter, since I know that is a busy time). Since the 11-month mark is coming up, I am trying to figure out the best option for my family. I thought that I was pretty set on Poly, but have recently started thinking I would like to try for a 1 bedroom which I know Poly doesn’t have. I do currently have a reservation through Disney for my dates at Poly (which I booked myself) and would be fine to keep that if renting points doesn’t work out.

The people traveling are my husband, 5-year old son and me. We have some family that may be joining us but they would be staying off property. These are my main priorities, in this order:

• Ease of transportation – we are staying 7 nights, so going to every park with MK on two days. I know no resort is close to all of the parks, but I am hoping to take mid-day breaks most days.
• Pool – we have one resort day planned and aren’t doing parks on arrival or departure days. I would love to be able to rent a cabana for our non-park day but I know not all resorts have those. The main knock against Stormalong Bay that I’ve read is that it’s too big/chaotic/not relaxing. As of right now, I couldn’t really imagine letting my son just go off without me at the pool, no matter how big or small it is. But maybe another resort’s pool would be better anyway.
• Food options – as of right now, I don’t think I’m going to try for many in-park ADRs, especially for dinner. So I’d like to have options close by although I do realize that delivery from places off-site is always an option too.

I think that’s it. The main resorts I was looking at were Beach Club, Boardwalk, and Bay Lake Tower. Obviously not knowing the ins and outs of actually making a DVC booking, would any of these be a lot more difficult to get than the others? I know for David’s at least, you can give a first, second, and third choice but I don’t want to ask for something that’s impossible. I will probably also include a request for Poly in there, I’m just wondering where I should place it in the ranking.

And yes, if you look at my posting history, I have been all over the place with this. But for me, this is a big decision because of the amount of money it costs so I want to do my research!

My initial thought was VGF because it has cabanas, a decent slide and the sight lines at the pool are good. It has a walkway to the MK and you can catch the Epcot monorail at the TTC (either by walking thru Poly or taking the resort monorail). Epcot monorail should be running by next April. Food options are plentiful with the 3 monorail resorts plus WL so close by. And the water parade goes right past the building so that you can watch it from your balcony if you have a lake view villa.

But then you listed your top 3 at the end of your post and VGF wasn't among them. Of the 3 you listed, I like BWV the best for its easy access to 2 parks, Skyliner to other resorts from the International Gateway and dining options that include YC/BC, S/D, diving into Epcot or Skyline to Riviera. The pool has arguably the best slide on property and the sight lines are good. But alas, no cabanas. Hopefully, evening entertainment will return by April. And fireworks for both MK and Epcor can be seen from Boardwalk view rooms. Plus, Flower & Garden Festival will be going on at Epcot in April. You may want to wander over there for a concert or two and sample some of the food booths.

As far as expecting too much, I think that you will be okay if you're looking to book a 1BR at any of those resorts. There are still a lot of owners with surplus points to rent out and 1BRs are typically the last to get booked up.

 

[Marthasor]

I am hoping to rent DVC points for a stay in April 2022 (arrival would be the Saturday after Easter, since I know that is a busy time). Since the 11-month mark is coming up, I am trying to figure out the best option for my family. I thought that I was pretty set on Poly, but have recently started thinking I would like to try for a 1 bedroom which I know Poly doesn’t have. I do currently have a reservation through Disney for my dates at Poly (which I booked myself) and would be fine to keep that if renting points doesn’t work out.

The people traveling are my husband, 5-year old son and me. We have some family that may be joining us but they would be staying off property. These are my main priorities, in this order:

• Ease of transportation – we are staying 7 nights, so going to every park with MK on two days. I know no resort is close to all of the parks, but I am hoping to take mid-day breaks most days.
• Pool – we have one resort day planned and aren’t doing parks on arrival or departure days. I would love to be able to rent a cabana for our non-park day but I know not all resorts have those. The main knock against Stormalong Bay that I’ve read is that it’s too big/chaotic/not relaxing. As of right now, I couldn’t really imagine letting my son just go off without me at the pool, no matter how big or small it is. But maybe another resort’s pool would be better anyway.
• Food options – as of right now, I don’t think I’m going to try for many in-park ADRs, especially for dinner. So I’d like to have options close by although I do realize that delivery from places off-site is always an option too.

I think that’s it. The main resorts I was looking at were Beach Club, Boardwalk, and Bay Lake Tower. Obviously not knowing the ins and outs of actually making a DVC booking, would any of these be a lot more difficult to get than the others? I know for David’s at least, you can give a first, second, and third choice but I don’t want to ask for something that’s impossible. I will probably also include a request for Poly in there, I’m just wondering where I should place it in the ranking.

And yes, if you look at my posting history, I have been all over the place with this. But for me, this is a big decision because of the amount of money it costs so I want to do my research!

If you really want a 1-bedroom, based on your criteria, I would be looking at VGF, BLT and BWV. VGF is gorgeous, there are lovely pools, a kids' splash pad and plenty of food options. You can walk to MK and even walk to Poly if you want to eat there. IMHO, VGF has the nicest rooms on WDW property and you can rent a cabana at GF. BLT is lovely, you can walk to MK and, typically, monorail to EP. Fewer food choices than GF, however, but you can monorail to GF and Poly for food and, if the resort boats start running again, you can also go to WL and Ft. W from CR. BWV is within walking distance to EP and DHS (can also boat or Skyliner to DHS) and has a ton of dining options at all of the EP resorts on the Boardwalk. No cabanas at the pool, however, the pool is compact and you can always have eyes on your child from the pool deck. We loved BWV when DS was younger as he could walk up the steps to the slide and wait for the slide and I could see him from the pool deck the entire time. We LOVE BCV, but, the pool complex, in general, is not great for younger children. If you think your child would be happy playing in the shallow sand area, you could keep him contained there. There is also a smaller slide and a small pool behind the larger slide where you could go and not have to chase after him. The nice thing about the cabanas at BC/YC is they are right by the shallow "kids" pool area.

 

[Dis Dragon]

If you're looking to walk to parks, you can't beat Boardwalk for it's convenience. I've never had an experience at Stormalong that I'd describe as chaotic, but I do know my kids still love playing in the sand pool (8&9 now) and it's usually easy to find a place to park there.

You didn't have it listed and the room refurb most likely wouldn't be done at that point but Wilderness Lodge has a boat to MK, great pools and good food locations as well. I like Wilderness in that the bus stop has devoted places for each bus and isn't chaotic when people are trying to get to park open.

 

[Best Aunt]

I haven’t rented from David’s. If you get 3 choices, is that 3 resorts, or 3 possible bookings? At some resorts, different views are actually different booking categories. For example, Boardwalk Villas has 3 different booking categories.

 

[disneyfam1986]

I would try to find someone to rent directly from for a busy time. I was trying to rent through Dvc rental store for poly the week after Thanksgiving. After a few weeks of hearing nothing back and finding out there were 23 reservations still needing to be picked up before mine I started looking for a direct person. Had I not done that I would of not gotten it because the dates I wanted quickly became unavailable.

 

[txelle05]

Wow, thanks everyone! There seems to be a lot of love for Boardwalk. I’ll have to look into that one more. I feel like I haven’t seen much about it, maybe because it’s been closed? Is it much more walkable than Beach Club?

I haven’t rented from David’s. If you get 3 choices, is that 3 resorts, or 3 possible bookings? At some resorts, different views are actually different booking categories. For example, Boardwalk Villas has 3 different booking categories.

I just did a walkthrough where I pretended to do a request and it asks for your first choice, second choice and so on. You specify resort and then room category. So I guess theoretically you could just do different categories at one resort in your order of preference.

 

[txelle05]

I would try to find someone to rent directly from for a busy time. I was trying to rent through Dvc rental store for poly the week after Thanksgiving. After a few weeks of hearing nothing back and finding out there were 23 reservations still needing to be picked up before mine I started looking for a direct person. Had I not done that I would of not gotten it because the dates I wanted quickly became unavailable.

So my understanding was that the weeks directly before and after Easter were very busy and best avoided. We’re not arriving till the Saturday after Easter and not doing a park that day. If that’s not the case, then please let me know! We’re far enough out to tweak the dates!

I don’t plan to try a direct rental because I want to be able to purchase cancel for any reason travel insurance. My husband and I have really bad luck with vacations but I know its possible to find direct renters who are more flexible.

 

[Marionnette]

Wow, thanks everyone! There seems to be a lot of love for Boardwalk. I’ll have to look into that one more. I feel like I haven’t seen much about it, maybe because it’s been closed? Is it much more walkable than Beach Club?



I just did a walkthrough where I pretended to do a request and it asks for your first choice, second choice and so on. You specify resort and then room category. So I guess theoretically you could just do different categories at one resort in your order of preference.

The Boardwalk Inn has been closed. The Boardwalk Villas have been open since last July. It's closer to HS than BCV. BCV is closer to Epcot than BWV. Both are quite walkable to other Crescent Lake resorts. Plus there is boat transportation between all of them.

Just a heads up about BWV. It has 3 booking categories: standard view, boardwalk view and garden/pool view. BCV only has one booking category. BLT has 3 booking categories: standard view, theme park view and lake view. I don't know whether the broker has you separate your request by those categories or just by resort and room type. BWV and BLT standard views tend to be the most difficult views to book at their respective resorts.

 

[Marionnette]

So my understanding was that the weeks directly before and after Easter were very busy and best avoided. We’re not arriving till the Saturday after Easter and not doing a park that day. If that’s not the case, then please let me know! We’re far enough out to tweak the dates!

I don’t plan to try a direct rental because I want to be able to purchase cancel for any reason travel insurance. My husband and I have really bad luck with vacations but I know its possible to find direct renters who are more flexible.

If you decide to go with one of the brokers, you may have to wait until they have a DVC member who owns at the resort you've chosen AND has enough points to cover your stay. That might not happen right at 11 months. It could take a number of weeks or even months for someone to offer up enough points at the right resort.

If you deal directly with an owner, you'll know that you have someone who owns at the right resort and has enough points to book for you. It's then only a matter of whether the villa you want is available.

Spring break can be a busy time and April is typically at the tail end of spring break. Your dates won't be as crazy as Easter week and they are not the most in-demand time on the DVC calendar. Getting your request in at 11 months is a good idea if you want the best chance at your first choice.

 

[txelle05]

Just a heads up about BWV. It has 3 booking categories: standard view, boardwalk view and garden/pool view. BCV only has one booking category. BLT has 3 booking categories: standard view, theme park view and lake view. I don't know whether the broker has you separate your request by those categories or just by resort and room type. BWV and BLT standard views tend to be the most difficult views to book at their respective resorts.

Thanks for this, it is helpful to know which categories are harder to get. And I do believe you have to be that specific about categories - when I did my pretend request, there were a lot of room category options for each resort.

I am prepared to wait a while for my request to come through. Since I have a backup reservation at a resort I’m perfectly happy with, I don’t feel as much urgency to get something booked.

 

[kimmar067]

I would probably do board walk inn because it is close to epcot and dhs.

....ummmm...BWV? [ ]

 

[kimmar067]

Ease of transportation – we are staying 7 nights, so going to every park with MK on two days. I know no resort is close to all of the parks, but I am hoping to take mid-day breaks most days.

• Pool – we have one resort day planned and aren’t doing parks on arrival or departure days. I would love to be able to rent a cabana for our non-park day but I know not all resorts have those. The main knock against Stormalong Bay that I’ve read is that it’s too big/chaotic/not relaxing. As of right now, I couldn’t really imagine letting my son just go off without me at the pool, no matter how big or small it is. But maybe another resort’s pool would be better anyway.
• Food options – as of right now, I don’t think I’m going to try for many in-park ADRs, especially for dinner. So I’d like to have options close by although I do realize that delivery from places off-site is always an option too..

...just got back from a stay at BWV and we had two different locations - Room 1068, directly looking at Luna Park and Room 1012, which was a Garden view room across from the Swan. Both were nice but very different as far as vibe. The former, in the middle of the action and the latter, more peaceful and bucolic. We stayed at BCV in December and had a pool-view room there also. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with any of the DVCs along Crescent Lake - it's a great location and you can walk just about ANYWHERE, which gives you choices of parks [Epcot and DHS] and a host of places to eat. Personally, last December [2019] we stayed at the Poly and I think monorail resorts are a bit overrated (except, perhaps if you are dealing with young ones and strollers).

BTW, the area where the slide spills out into the SAB pool is actually kinda quiet:

The sand-bottom area is noisier, and rightfully so, especially with the "changing-of-the-guard":

 

[BeeBopp717]

I too am planning for DVC in April 2022: I need 10 days (17-27th). Was looking for monorail access with my little maniacs but BWV looks tempting. We just got back from 2 weeks at OKW & that is my folks’ home base but we’re planning on renting someone’s points for our trip next year since my parents are using a ton of their’s for a special anniversary trip. Views aren’t critical; we’ve been to WDW over 30x. I just need a 1BR & ease of transport. My 4 year old loved the Skyliner. I was focusing on BLT or the VGF but BWV may be my best bet.

 

[txelle05]

I too am planning for DVC in April 2022: I need 10 days (17-27th). Was looking for monorail access with my little maniacs but BWV looks tempting. We just got back from 2 weeks at OKW & that is my folks’ home base but we’re planning on renting someone’s points for our trip next year since my parents are using a ton of their’s for a special anniversary trip. Views aren’t critical; we’ve been to WDW over 30x. I just need a 1BR & ease of transport. My 4 year old loved the Skyliner. I was focusing on BLT or the VGF but BWV may be my best bet.

I really ended up liking the things I saw and read about BWV and it looks like a great option that I hadn’t really considered before. It seems like a lot of people love it! Still trying to decide exactly what I want to request.

 

[DisneyFive]

I assume that the Epcot monorail loop will be open by then so that really helps out the monorail DVC resorts and puts you in easy access of MK and Epcot.... so Poly or Grand Floridian villas

The nice thing about the Boardwalk or Beach Club villas is the easy walk to either Epcot or Hollywood studios. Plus the entire Crescent lake area is just gorgeous IMO. Not relying on Disney transportation is a big plus from an ease of schedule standpoint.

We are doing a split stay later this summer to take advantage of both. 7 nights at Boardwalk villas and 3 nights at the Polynesian Villas (I'm really hoping they open up the Epcot monorail loop by then!)

Dan

 

[Heather07438]

I would try to find someone to rent directly from for a busy time. I was trying to rent through Dvc rental store for poly the week after Thanksgiving. After a few weeks of hearing nothing back and finding out there were 23 reservations still needing to be picked up before mine I started looking for a direct person. Had I not done that I would of not gotten it because the dates I wanted quickly became unavailable.

Exactly. The popular resorts/rooms are hard to get thru a broker. They have nowhere near enough matching inventory at 11 months for most times of the year. By the time home resort points come through the rooms are often gone.
If trying to book a studio at a park resort it’s usually much easier and assured booking directly with an owner.

 

[DisneyFive]

Exactly. The popular resorts/rooms are hard to get thru a broker. They have nowhere near enough matching inventory at 11 months for most times of the year. By the time home resort points come through the rooms are often gone.
If trying to book a studio at a park resort it’s usually much easier and assured booking directly with an owner.

Agreed. Good suggestion. Lots of trustworthy experienced renters on the rent/trade board:
https://www.disboards.com/forums/dvc-rent-trade.29/
Our poly portion of our split stay was rented from a member of this board and it was flawless.

Dan