What are the benefits of staying in the villa's?

[loralie]

I read so many posts of people saying that you should rent points and stay in the villas. I really don't know what the benefits of staying in the villas are. It sounds to me like you should cook your own food because you have a kitchen but if I am on vacation I do not want to cook and then clean up after it. Do they have maid service? To me it would feel like I am just in another house doing the same old chores that I do everyday. I am sure I must be wrong otherwise people would not be suggesting for others to stay there. Can anyone clear this up for me?

TIA,

Loralie

 

[Plutofan]

The DVC do not have maid service. The difference is staying in a small room or a DVC room that starts out at 335 sq feet for a studio, 700+ square feet for a one bedroom, a two bedroom or a 2113 sq foot Grand villa. These are considered deluxe resorts. Everyone has a full kitchen and washer/dryer except for the sudio. You should go to www.allearsnet.com, go to accomodations and scroll down on the left side. You will see all the Disney Vaction clubs listed. You can click on the facts and see the decsriptions of each resort and a description of each room. There is a reason that Disney calls the DVC "the best kept secret". You will see that icon on the Disney website when you make reservations.

 

[CDSTapisRouge]

If you are renting points from a member you will not have daily housekeeping service. They will come in on certain days (depending on how long your trip is) and do a trash and towel service or a full cleaning but you will not get this everyday. If you are booking a Villas for cash through central reservations and/or a travel agent then you will have daily housekeeping service just like any other hotel you would be paying for.

We are DVC members and LOVE our villas. We don't mind not having houskeeping, I prefer not having to worry about people being in and out of our room (we had a housekeeper at DL actually cleaning our room while we were still sleeping...Scary). We usually get a 1 bedroom and only use the kitchen for the purpose of leftovers and sodas...we do sometimes make breakfast in the room, which is nice, but we don't go all out and cook while we are on vacation. We love having the space, the rooms are a lot larger than an average hotel room. We also like the 1 bedrooms because they have a jacuzzi tub and a seperate living room/bedroom so that if one of us is tired we don't have to worry about keeping the other awake with the TV we have our space.

I guess it is just personal preference. I see the villas as a retreat, not a hotel room.

 

[Plutofan]

Actually the best site is go to www.disney.com like you are making reservations at Walt Disney world. When you pull down the drop down menu to select resorts you will see Disney Vaction Club reosrts. Select that and you will see each one listed in the middle of the page. There will be a small icon saying "take a virtual tour". This will give you a tour of the property and the rooms. These resorts are owned by DVC members. They are our second home. When a member can not use all of their points before they expire they will rent them off to non members. The savings are huge. The down fall is that there needs to be trust on both sides since two people, not Disney, are making the reservations. I would recommend both parties sign a rental contract if you decide to rent points from a member. Since we will not be using all of our points we will be renting out some this weekend. It is not for everyone but it is a great way to get into a deluxe resort without breaking the bank.

 

[MandM521]

If you are renting points from a member you will not have daily housekeeping service. They will come in on certain days (depending on how long your trip is) and do a trash and towel service or a full cleaning but you will not get this everyday. If you are booking a Villas for cash through central reservations and/or a travel agent then you will have daily housekeeping service just like any other hotel you would be paying for.

So, if I booked a 2BR villa through main reservations and am not a DVC member, I'll have daily housekeeping? Just double checking to make sure I read your correctly.

 

[bellebud]

we've stayed in the 1 bedroom villas in WL, Boardwalk and the Beach Club. Have always booked through central reservations (not rented points) and have had daily housekeeping. they even put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and turn it on. I LOVE being able to do laundry if i want to (i usually do a load each day - you turn it on and leave for the day, throw it in the dryer when you get back). not a big deal, and you don't have to pack as much. i also love the space! dh falls asleep in the livingroom with the tv going, and i can put the kids to bed in the bedroom. the bathroom is huge. there's a balcony in the bedroom and livingroom. the kitchen is great for easy breakfast foods and late-night snacks! we have cooked dinner a few times when we got tired of restaurant food (spaghetti, etc), and it was nice and didn't feel like a chore (maybe because it wasn't 'my' kitchen??)

if we didn't have kids, i don't know if i'd appreciate it as much though.

hth!

 

[loralie]

Thanks for the info about the villas. I will take the virtual tour and get to "see" what you guys are talking about.

Thanks,

Lorlalie

 

[Esmerelda]

Loralie...

space for starters...lots and lots of space!

full kitchen....not just for cooking(we certainly don't cook all of our meals)...full fridge...microwave...fresh coffee n the morning to sit on the balcony and watch folks...

a balcony (at least the ones I've been at have balconies)...we love to sit there early morning while we are waking up...

washer and dryer (so you can bring less clothes)

a huge whirlpool tub...big enough for two (if you are so inclined

beautiful places to stay...

at current...I own DVC points at SSR....have stayed at the Boardwalk...the Beachclub....and SSR. (in villas....) Would have to say the SSR was my fav out of all of these...we had a super time!

best of luck to you,
Esmerelda

 

[4greatboys]

We are DVC members and we love staying in the villa's. You have so much more room (staying in a 1 or 2 bedroom). We are a large family so we stay in a 2 bedroom. I love having the extra bdrm for my older boys. They like to stay up late and watch tv, meanwhile the little ones can go to sleep in our bdrm and no be kept awake by the tv.

I love having the kitchen though I rarely cook on vacation--occasionally we make burgers or something easy like that. But we have a full size fridge we keep stocked with milk, soda's and water. We also can keep a wide variety of snacks for kids including frozen pizza's or chicken tenders that can be heated in the microwave (I have 4 boys someone is always hungry!).

Personally I dont mind no maid service everyday. It only takes a second to toss our dirty plates into the dishwasher. I also love having a washer and dryer in our room. It allows us to pack a little more lightly and you can easily toss in a load when you head out to the parks then stick in the dryer when you get back.

Day 4 you get Trash and Towel service and day 8 you get a full cleaning.

 

[Antonia]

We are renting points for our vacation in December and we're saving about $1500 over booking directly with Disney. For that amount of money I don't care about the daily maid service. I'll just hire myself to make the bed. LOL

 

[Plutofan]

So, if I booked a 2BR villa through main reservations and am not a DVC member, I'll have daily housekeeping? Just double checking to make sure I read your correctly.

I would check with the main reservation line. It may be true but I would think that this is not correct since it would be a pain for Disney to keep track of who went through the reservation line and who rented from a DVC member. The cost of going through Disney ais a lot higher.

 

[shellbelle1971]

It is true that if you book through a member (by renting points) you do not get the daily housekeeping, you just get trash & towel on day 4, then a full housekeeping on day 8. This is something I like about DVC.

If you want housekeeping, you can add it on for a fee. I'm not sure how much, but I think it's about $25 per extra cleaning for a studio, slightly more for a 1- or 2- bedroom.

Michelle

 

[SueM in MN]

I would check with the main reservation line. It may be true but I would think that this is not correct since it would be a pain for Disney to keep track of who went through the reservation line and who rented from a DVC member. The cost of going through Disney ais a lot higher.

No, it is correct. People staying on points don't get daily maid service. People who are not staying on points get daily maid service the same as at any other delux resort.
If you are staying on points, you are on the Member Services computer reservation system.
If you are not staying on points, you are in a different computer reservation system (CRO), so it is not difficult for Disney to keep track of who gets daily maid service at all.

As others have posted, even if you are staying on points, it is possible to get daily cleaning; you just have to pay for it.

 

[stacy6552]

If you book it through Disney you do get all the perks, like daily housekeeping.

Our favorite benefit of a villa is THE BEDROOM DOOR. If you have little ones who nap or go to bed early, you can close the door and stay up and have a conversation or watch TV, instead of laying in bed quietly looking at the ceiling in the next bed.

 

[Antonia]

For us we like the thought of the bedroom door also. Plus to get two rooms in the lodge would have cost us $1026 more and to reserve the 2BR villa directly through Disney would have cost us $1527 more. This is our first time renting points, but I am really looking forward to the space! That being said, I do not plan to cook! I'll still be on vacation.

 

[keishashadow]

Main perc I see in renting points is getting steak for price of hamburger in regard to villa amenities & theming.

Even if you pay extra for Mousekeeping on a daily basis, you're still getting the room @ approx. 2/3 off rack rate. A heck of deal IMO.

BTW, no flaming intended but, generally while you're staying in a room/villa - anywhere - housekeeping will only wipe down the bathroom, pull up the bed covers, run the vacum, take out the trash & give you fresh towels.

You are provided with a sweeper for any unexpected messes that could arise. Like all condo accomodations, the Villa are a home away from home & you are expected to treat it like you would your own...enjoy the magic.

 

[Deb & Bill]

...
Day 4 you get Trash and Towel service and day 8 you get a full cleaning.

Actually, on day 4 you get if full cleaning (if you stay more than 7 nights) and then your trash removed and towels replaced on day 8. Cycle repeats if you stay more than that. If you stay 7 nights or less, you only get Trash & Towels on day 4.

 

[Plutofan]

No, it is correct. People staying on points don't get daily maid service. People who are not staying on points get daily maid service the same as at any other delux resort.
If you are staying on points, you are on the Member Services computer reservation system.
If you are not staying on points, you are in a different computer reservation system (CRO), so it is not difficult for Disney to keep track of who gets daily maid service at all.

As others have posted, even if you are staying on points, it is possible to get daily cleaning; you just have to pay for it.

That is good to know. Thanks. Is there are other benefits that someone gets by going through Disney instead of renting points from a DVC member?

 

[Deb & Bill]

That is good to know. Thanks. Is there are other benefits that someone gets by going through Disney instead of renting points from a DVC member?

If you rent directly from Disney, you will have all the same cancellation and payment policies that you have with other resorts/rooms. When you rent from a member, the member totally controls the reservation until you check in. They make the rules concerning payment, how and when, and cancellations.

 

[Sammie]

That is good to know. Thanks. Is there are other benefits that someone gets by going through Disney instead of renting points from a DVC member?

In addtion to what Deb and Bill shared, the cost per day with Disney is the same. If you rent due to the point structure of DVC, your cost will be the same Sunday-Thursday then go up on Friday and Saturday.

Renting can work for some, but not for others. Just be sure you understand what you are getting into and have a good agreement with the renter.