What am I missing?

[jnadelman]

So we are interested in a trip in early Nov. We thought maybe we would rent some points and give that a try. We like AKV and only need a studio. For our days there that would be 87 points.
I am seeing people rent point between 9 and 12 each. So a $12 each, that comes to $1044.
If I go to the Disney Site, and book just a room, these are the prices I am getting
POP - $979
CBR - $1834
AKL - $2700

How is it possible to pay $1044 for AKV? Aren't these really good rooms?
Is there some other "fee" besides points that we don't know about about?
If we did rent points, and then get park tickets and meal plans, would we pay more for those since we won't be booking a "package", or would those be the same prices if we use points or book a package?

How much more per night would we need to pay to get maid service every day?

 

[iluveeyore]

You're not missing anything, other than being a DVC Member!
That is why we love our DVC membership, we don't have to pay $2700 for a short stay in a beautiful studio!
And yes, if you rent, you are still getting the nice rooms at the DVC villas at AKV. The ticket prices and dining prices will still be the same as if you had paid cash for the room, you don't need to have a package. The person you rent from can arrange for your dining plan for you, and your tickets can be added when you check in.
As far as extra housekeeping, I'm not sure about the price per day - another member can probably answer that one better than me.
Enjoy your trip!

 

[chalee94]

How is it possible to pay $1044 for AKV?

DVC is a very good deal (at least for weeknights -which i suspect your days mostly are.)

Aren't these really good rooms?

yep. i've stayed in them as a member.

Is there some other "fee" besides points that we don't know about about?

nope. the tradeoffs go sorta like this:

-the DVC rental is between you and an individual owner. if the DVC owner has a no-cancellation policy and you have to cancel - you lose all your money. if you need to change something about the reservation or add the dining plan or DME - the owner owns the reservation and not you, so all changes need to be made through the owner. if something goes wrong, disney will not get involved and it's just you and the owner.

-DVC is a timeshare and timeshares don't do daily housekeeping. so point stays only get some form of mousekeeping every 4th day. some like this better, some don't.

-DVC studios (except at OKW) all have 1 queen bed and 1 sofabed. for couples, this is a better set-up than 2 queen beds. if someone is sleeping on the sofabed, they might prefer a "real" bed. (i've slept on several DVC sofabeds and they are fine, BTW...but not as nice as the queen bed.)

If we did rent points, and then get park tickets and meal plans, would we pay more for those since we won't be booking a "package", or would those be the same prices if we use points or book a package?

you might get park tickets more cheaply, as you don't have to buy directly.

meal plans are never "free" for points stays, but they can be added by the owner.

discounts in general (whether "free" dining or 4/3 offers) are not available for points stays.

How much more per night would we need to pay to get maid service every day?

a lot. $30 per day for a full cleaning for a studio.

 

[snowbunny]

How is it possible to pay $1044 for AKV? Aren't these really good rooms?

An AKV studio is better than the Value and Moderate resort rooms you compared. You would need to price out a deluxe resort room to have an accurate comparison. Some of the deluxe resort rooms are actually nicer than the DVC studios.

Most people who stay in DVC studios don't pay cash. (If I were going to pay cash for a deluxe room, I'd stay in the Grand Floridian but that's me. I am staying in an AKV studio on points this spring...would not pay the cash rate for it and most people don't.)

 

[Crystal_27]

How is it possible to pay $1044 for AKV?

That's truly the magic of DVC.

Seriously, though, DVC forecasts the "break-even" point for DVC to be about 7 stays. And, by what you've priced, you can start to see the cost savings in only one trip.

 

[Anal Annie]

An AKV studio is better than the Value and Moderate resort rooms you compared. You would need to price out a deluxe resort room to have an accurate comparison. Some of the deluxe resort rooms are actually nicer than the DVC studios.

Most people who stay in DVC studios don't pay cash. (If I were going to pay cash for a deluxe room, I'd stay in the Grand Floridian but that's me. I am staying in an AKV studio on points this spring...would not pay the cash rate for it and most people don't.)

WE HAVE paid cash for a DVC studio (2x in fact...once at VWL and once at AKV). Sure beat paying rack rates for a regular room somewhere. We were out of points and as a DVC member there are usually a couple of DVC resorts available on the member cash discount. FWIW I prefer a studio just about anywhere to a guestroom at the GF. I enjoy having the little kitchenette and LOVE not having Mousekeeping in every day. That way we can "live" in the room and not feel like we have to lock up & pick up every single day. (I actually have no desire to stay at the GF.) Everybody has a boat that floats a little differently from the next guys.

OP - you, as a renter aren't missing anything else... As members tho, we DO pay annual maintenance dues on our points. Each resort is a different amount per point so members DO have some other fees that you don't see as the renter. We have 250 points and our annual dues for 2010 are approx. $1,115 for our SSR points. As far as park tickets...personally, we usually purchase AP's with our member discount and take 2-3 trips per year with them.

 

[snowbunny]

WE HAVE paid cash for a DVC studio (2x in fact...once at VWL and once at AKV). Sure beat paying rack rates for a regular room somewhere.

Well, I'd go so far as to say most rooms don't go for rack rate, either (unless accompanied by the "free" dining plan).

The cash rates for DVC rooms are wildly inflated which makes everyone feel good about being a member (which I am).

I like to do without mousekeeping too, the problem with a studio however being lack of a way to wash towels and washcloths.

As members tho, we DO pay annual maintenance dues on our points.

That is what I think people tend to miss - either they count their investment as their cost, or think of what they get for their annual maintenance fee and put the $12,000-20,000 they spent for the points in another mental compartment.

 

[Sandisw]

So we are interested in a trip in early Nov. We thought maybe we would rent some points and give that a try. We like AKV and only need a studio. For our days there that would be 87 points.
I am seeing people rent point between 9 and 12 each. So a $12 each, that comes to $1044.
If I go to the Disney Site, and book just a room, these are the prices I am getting
POP - $979
CBR - $1834
AKL - $2700

How is it possible to pay $1044 for AKV? Aren't these really good rooms?
Is there some other "fee" besides points that we don't know about about?
If we did rent points, and then get park tickets and meal plans, would we pay more for those since we won't be booking a "package", or would those be the same prices if we use points or book a package?

How much more per night would we need to pay to get maid service every day?

There are a few other differences to consider. First, if you rent a reservation from a DVC member, you won't have access to it as it is owned by the member. They are the ones who have to contact MS to add the dining plan or ME if you want those.

Changes and cancellations for DVC rented reservations are not quite as easy as they are as booking through DRC so make sure you understand all that before deciding.

And, if you rent the reservation from a member, and Disney announces special deals for the time you are traveling, you would not be eligible for those deals. For example, DVC reservations never qualify for Free Dining even if Disney comes out with that deal for your time period.

Good luck!

 

[majortom1981]

Its cheaper for you because you are renting the points therefore dont have to pay the dues that dvc members have to pay.

 

[Lynne M]

Its cheaper for you because you are renting the points therefore dont have to pay the dues that dvc members have to pay.

Actually, it's even cheaper for members than it is for renters. Points generally rent for more than they're 'worth'.

 

[chalee94]

dues = less than $5 per pt
renting = $10 or more per pt

renting does save the upfront cost - and it's a very good deal if you don't want to go every year - but it's not cheaper overall.

Its cheaper for you because you are renting the points therefore dont have to pay the dues that dvc members have to pay.

 

[5forDiz]

......So we are interested in a trip in early Nov. We thought maybe we would rent some points and give that a try. We like AKV and only need a studio. For our days there that would be 87 points.
I am seeing people rent point between 9 and 12 each. So a $12 each, that comes to $1044.
If I go to the Disney Site, and book just a room, these are the prices I am getting
POP - $979
CBR - $1834
AKL - $2700

How is it possible to pay $1044 for AKV? Aren't these really good rooms?......

Did you use 2010 points charts to calculate how many your trip would require ? (If you used 2009 chart then it may be bit more/less than 87 ) There's a reallocation of points beginning in 2010 and there may be another coming beginning in 2011.

Renting a reservation from a member, in most cases, goes well between the Member & renter; Member gets some cash for points they're unable to use and the renter gets a price well below rack rate & usually most discounts that may be available had they booked through Disney. If you can establish trust with a Member and are comfortable with not having control of your reservation prior to check-in at your resort then give renting a try. And it's a great way to try out DVC resorts to determine if membership may be right for you.

Best wishes planning