WWYD: Keep Disney package or book "a la carte"?

[SkiTeton]

I booked a week for my family of 4 for October 2018 at Pop Century. I know I didn't need to at the time of booking but I included tickets for convenience-sake. We stayed October 2016 at Pop and really enjoyed it; the buses were timely and the room was perfect for us.

I'm always researching and I've found that we can rent points for a studio villa at Beach Club or Boardwalk for about the cost of our room at Pop. Add in tickets from UT and it's only a couple hundred more than our Disney package.

I am wondering if booking the villa through a DVC rental site and buying tickets separately is better than keeping it all with Disney? I would hope that there would be discounts between now and October 2018 on the Pop package but I'm not planning on it. I know with the DVC rental that I am locked in from the ~11 month from time of travel.

What risks are there with booking separately/not directly with Disney? Are the risks worth a couple hundred dollars to move to a better property? How hard is it to setup MDE when you book like this? Dining reservations? Etc...

 

[MsThumper]

DVC rentals through third party sites usually require full payment at time of booking and there is no refund if you have to cancel.

 

[Hopefully]

I booked a week for my family of 4 for October 2018 at Pop Century. I know I didn't need to at the time of booking but I included tickets for convenience-sake. We stayed October 2016 at Pop and really enjoyed it; the buses were timely and the room was perfect for us.

I'm always researching and I've found that we can rent points for a studio villa at Beach Club or Boardwalk for about the cost of our room at Pop. Add in tickets from UT and it's only a couple hundred more than our Disney package.

I am wondering if booking the villa through a DVC rental site and buying tickets separately is better than keeping it all with Disney? I would hope that there would be discounts between now and October 2018 on the Pop package but I'm not planning on it. I know with the DVC rental that I am locked in from the ~11 month from time of travel.

What risks are there with booking separately/not directly with Disney? Are the risks worth a couple hundred dollars to move to a better property? How hard is it to setup MDE when you book like this? Dining reservations? Etc...

How many in your party? A BCV Studio Villa will only have 1 Queen size bed, a Queen sleeper sofa and a pull down Murphy type bed for a child. They can get crowded with a larger party and there is only the 1 real bed. You would have the kitchenette with a small fridge, coffee maker, sink, toaster, microwave and paper products etc. I love the BCV but they are not for everyone. They were build in the Cast Parking Lot behind the Beach Club, so there really are no special views there.
They are about a 5 minute walk to Epcot and a 20 minute walk or boat ride away from Hollywood Studios. The location simply can not be beat. You have the restaurants at the YC/BC, the Swan and Dolphin, the Boardwalk and the International restaurants of Epcot all within walking distance.
You already know the major restriction, of no refunds or cancellations are usually permitted. You will not have daily Mousekeeping, just trash and towel services on day 4 of a 7 night stay.
There is no risk in booking this way versus with Disney. You can easily add the reservation in MDE and link it to your ADR's and FP+ You can book tickets from a third party and receive a small discount. You are in charge of making your own ADR's and booking FP+ just as if you were staying at POP.
If you think your family would fit comfortably, I would choose this option in a heartbeat
Good Luck

 

[Amanda999]

The only risk that has made me not rent points is ability to change dates or cancel.

If I book with Disney I can cancel/modify dates (if available) for no fee until 6 days prior (if room only). If you rent points you're fully committed (at least all the point rental places I've looked into).

But if I was confident of my dates I'd absolutely book Poly in your situation!