two newbie questions

[KJHawley]

1) point calculator: I'm looking to rent some points for a trip in June 2006. I've been trying to use the point calculator on wdwinfo.com for about a week, and I can't get it to work for non-DVC resorts. Does anyone know of another site/calculator that will help me figure out how many points I'd need to reserve a room at a non-DVC resort (assuming I can find an owner who will rent points to me)?

2) Cash equivalents : Lacking a point calculator, I've been reading various posts that described rates for non-DVC reservations. From what I've seen, DVC members who want to make non-DVC reservations seem to get about $3-$5 per point, when compared to paying cash for a reservation. Does this sound about right?

I know these questions are somewhat complicated, but I'd appreciate any help anyone could give me. I hadn't even heard of the DVC a week ago, so this board & this site have been a HUGE help . Thanks!

 

[tjkraz]

DVC is a timeshare. Those of us who are members actually own (at least for another 40-50 years) part of a Disney resort.

You've no doubt heard something to the effect of "renting points from DVC members can save you money over Disney's cash rates." While that is true for the DVC resorts, it is NOT true for other non-DVC Disney resorts. Yes, DVC does give us a mechanism to redeem our points for stays at non-DVC resorts. But those exchange rates are not very favorable.

For example, it costs almost twice as many points to stay at a Moderate resort room (Port Orleans, Coronado Springs, etc.) as it does to get a Studio at Old Key West during some seasons. Our best value will always be received using points at the resorts that are part of DVC.

So, if you have your heart set on staying at a non-DVC resort, just dismiss the notion of being able to rent DVC points to pay for the trip. Functionally it is possible, but it will definitely cost you MORE than paying cash.

On the other hand, if you want to consider one of the resorts that is part of DVC, you could definitely save some money. For example, a Studio room at the Boardwalk for early June costs as little as 13 points per night. Assuming you can find someone to rent you points for $10 each, you'll pay $130 for that night. No taxes. No additional fees. Booked through CRO, you could pay as much as $300 plus taxes for that same room.

 

[KJHawley]

Thanks tjkraz- that's exactly what I was looking for.

I'm not a DVC member now, and I doubt I will be before my trip next year. I've been debating between reserving a room at a Moderate resort I've never stayed in , or trying to rent points for a DVC studio. At first it seemed like a no-brainer, since the Deluxe resorts are much nicer in almost every way.
However, I'm hoping to become a DVC member a few years from now- once I do, I'll probably never stay in a Moderate resort again. So, if I ever want to see what it's like to stay at Port Orleans, this would probably be a good time.

 

[tjkraz]

I completely agree with your thinking. Try the moderate, and schedule a tour of the DVC model rooms while you are on vacation. That way you'll get to compare your current (mod) accommodations with the DVC rooms presented. DVC is a big commitment. In many ways it's hard to label it a true "savings" because you will undoubtedly find yourself spending additional dollars in other ways. But DVC does deliver wonderful accommodations for the price!

 

[KJHawley]

Originally posted by tjkraz
Try the moderate, and schedule a tour of the DVC model rooms while you are on vacation. That way you'll get to compare your current (mod) accommodations with the DVC rooms presented.

That's a great idea! One of our big questions in deciding whether the DVC will be worthwhile or not is the difference between Moderate rooms & DVC studios. Our only stay in a Deluxe resort so far was at Wilderness Lodge almost 10 years ago, so unless we look at the DVC models it would be hard to compare a Moderate vs. a Deluxe DVC room.

Of course, the reason I looked into renting DVC points from someone was that our stay at Wilderness Lodge was for our honeymoon, and I thought it would be neat to stay there again next year for our tenth anniversary. Although that would be neat- and we LOVED the Wilderness Lodge- I'm beginning to think that the "Moderate stay and DVC tour" might be best. We can plan on becoming DVC Members in a few years, & stay at VWL for our 15th anniversary... at least I have a while to think about it!