A few questions about renting...

piglet21

piglet21

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hi all!

I have a few questions about renting DVC points. I have found a number of different websites that rent DVC points, but the one I'm interested in is dvc-rental.com as he doesn't charge an additional fee for "home resort booking premium" 11 months out. Has anyone here had any experiences booking through this site? I would love to hear how it went!

We are planning to go December 15 - December 23, 2016 for our honeymoon. I know that the closer to Christmas, the crazier it gets. From previous experience, do you think it's likely we'd be able to secure a studio villa at say AKL with a savannah view or BLT at 11 months or do DVC members typically book this time period. Just trying to get a sense of how this should go when I try to rent in January!

Thanks for any help!
 
HolleBolleGijs

HolleBolleGijs

Well-Known Member
I looked into this myself, although I didn't end up renting due to lack of availability (we only checked about 4 months out though). That being said, I've learned a lot about renting and how it all works :)

I know the two most popular sites on here are http://www.dvcrequest.com/ and http://www.dvcrentalstore.com. I don't know what you mean by "home resort booking premium," but DVC Rental Store doesn't charge anything to request availability, while Dave's (DVC Request) will charge you $98.00 as a deposit, but will refund that if your request isn't available. From reading the boards, I've never seen any problems with either of those two websites! They were all really helpful when it came to checking availability for me, even though I didn't end up renting. DVC Rental Store checked every resort for me when my top 4 choices weren't available, even though I didn't ask them to.

As far as the AKL goes, DVC Rental Store says they won't reserve value- or concierge-level villas because of lack of availability, so you might also have trouble elsewhere. That being said, there are also standard- and savanna-level studios at AKL which might have more availability (although they'll be more expensive than value). Don't know anything about BLT though.

Things to take into consideration:
  • You WILL be able to book fastpasses and dining reservations on your own, you just have to make sure the information you give to the company matches your My Disney Experience account. Similarly, you will be able to take advantage of online check-in at 60 days out.
  • You don't really have "control" over the reservation - meaning you're not the one who actually books it through Disney. If you have any requests, need to arrange for DME, or anything like that, it should be done up front when you rent points through whichever company you choose to use. You can't just log onto to MDE and add transportation, for example, and you won't be able to call them to modify your reservation. Normally this doesn't cause any problems, but I know some people can get a little uneasy knowing they aren't "in control."
  • You typically have to pay in full in advance, unlike going directly through Disney.
  • Point-rentals typically have a strict cancellation policy (unlike Disney), so if there's any chance you'd have to cancel or move your trip, this may not be the best option. Dave's doesn't allow you to cancel at all, while DVC Rental Store has a "cancel for any reason" plan, which will cost you at least an additional $125 (depends on how many points you rent).
  • Renting points does NOT give you access to other DVC perks such as discounts. The only real benefit is that you save money over booking the same room directly through Disney.
Hope this helps!
 
dreamfinder

dreamfinder

Well-Known Member
Can't say I've heard many people talk about that particular rental company. The one's most people use (including David's) don't charge a premium for AKL, so I wouldn't worry too much about that when selecting your agency. The funny thing about that time of year is that DVC tends to be most busy early December before the point costs go up. And savannah view rooms are usually the easier AKL room class to get, especially if you are fine with either Jambo or Kidani. So if you put your request in pre 11 months for AKL you should be fine.
 
dreamfinder

dreamfinder

Well-Known Member
HolleBolleGijs said:
I know the two most popular sites on here are http://www.dvcrequest.com/ and http://www.dvcrentalstore.com. I don't know what you mean by "home resort booking premium," but DVC Rental Store doesn't charge anything to request availability, while Dave's (DVC Request) will charge you $98.00 as a deposit, but will refund that if your request isn't available.
Click to expand...

The home resort premium is a slight upcharge both of those agencies charge for more popular resorts during the owners booking window. Some of the resorts that get hit with the upcharge are either really popular, or just smaller. OKW, SSR and AKL all usually have no upcharge, are all on the larger size, and usually have more point availability from owners. Basically the agency is trying to encourage people who own at the more popular resorts to work with them before any owner can book at the resort.
 
HolleBolleGijs

HolleBolleGijs

Well-Known Member
dreamfinder said:
The home resort premium is a slight upcharge both of those agencies charge for more popular resorts during the owners booking window. Some of the resorts that get hit with the upcharge are either really popular, or just smaller. OKW, SSR and AKL all usually have no upcharge, are all on the larger size, and usually have more point availability from owners. Basically the agency is trying to encourage people who own at the more popular resorts to work with them before any owner can book at the resort.
Click to expand...
Gotcha. Thanks!
 
piglet21

piglet21

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
HolleBolleGijs said:
I looked into this myself, although I didn't end up renting due to lack of availability (we only checked about 4 months out though). That being said, I've learned a lot about renting and how it all works :)

I know the two most popular sites on here are http://www.dvcrequest.com/ and http://www.dvcrentalstore.com. I don't know what you mean by "home resort booking premium," but DVC Rental Store doesn't charge anything to request availability, while Dave's (DVC Request) will charge you $98.00 as a deposit, but will refund that if your request isn't available. From reading the boards, I've never seen any problems with either of those two websites! They were all really helpful when it came to checking availability for me, even though I didn't end up renting. DVC Rental Store checked every resort for me when my top 4 choices weren't available, even though I didn't ask them to.

As far as the AKL goes, DVC Rental Store says they won't reserve value- or concierge-level villas because of lack of availability, so you might also have trouble elsewhere. That being said, there are also standard- and savanna-level studios at AKL which might have more availability (although they'll be more expensive than value). Don't know anything about BLT though.

Things to take into consideration:
  • You WILL be able to book fastpasses and dining reservations on your own, you just have to make sure the information you give to the company matches your My Disney Experience account. Similarly, you will be able to take advantage of online check-in at 60 days out.
  • You don't really have "control" over the reservation - meaning you're not the one who actually books it through Disney. If you have any requests, need to arrange for DME, or anything like that, it should be done up front when you rent points through whichever company you choose to use. You can't just log onto to MDE and add transportation, for example, and you won't be able to call them to modify your reservation. Normally this doesn't cause any problems, but I know some people can get a little uneasy knowing they aren't "in control."
  • You typically have to pay in full in advance, unlike going directly through Disney.
  • Point-rentals typically have a strict cancellation policy (unlike Disney), so if there's any chance you'd have to cancel or move your trip, this may not be the best option. Dave's doesn't allow you to cancel at all, while DVC Rental Store has a "cancel for any reason" plan, which will cost you at least an additional $125 (depends on how many points you rent).
  • Renting points does NOT give you access to other DVC perks such as discounts. The only real benefit is that you save money over booking the same room directly through Disney.
Hope this helps!
Click to expand...

Thanks so much! This definitely helped me alot! I wasn't sure about how the fastpass+ and dining reservations worked because I knew you had no "control" over the reservation but it's good to know I can still do those things on my own. Also thanks for mentioning the cancel for any reason plan, that may be something to consider as we'll be traveling in december from the northeast. Thanks!!

dreamfinder said:
Can't say I've heard many people talk about that particular rental company. The one's most people use (including David's) don't charge a premium for AKL, so I wouldn't worry too much about that when selecting your agency. The funny thing about that time of year is that DVC tends to be most busy early December before the point costs go up. And savannah view rooms are usually the easier AKL room class to get, especially if you are fine with either Jambo or Kidani. So if you put your request in pre 11 months for AKL you should be fine.
Click to expand...

I didn't know AKL wasn't included in the upcharge! Good to know. I hear alot of great things about David's so I'll probably end up booking there especially since AKL with a savannah view is our number one choice right now. Thanks for your help!!
 
HolleBolleGijs

HolleBolleGijs

Well-Known Member
piglet21 said:
Thanks so much! This definitely helped me alot! I wasn't sure about how the fastpass+ and dining reservations worked because I knew you had no "control" over the reservation but it's good to know I can still do those things on my own. Also thanks for mentioning the cancel for any reason plan, that may be something to consider as we'll be traveling in december from the northeast. Thanks!!



I didn't know AKL wasn't included in the upcharge! Good to know. I hear alot of great things about David's so I'll probably end up booking there especially since AKL with a savannah view is our number one choice right now. Thanks for your help!!
Click to expand...

No problem! I was a little lost when I started looking into it, so I though I'd pass on what I learned :) Just keep in mind, if you go through David's, there is no cancellation policy, although you may be able to purchase travel insurance elsewhere. The "cancel for any reason" plan is only on DVC Rental Store.

From David's site:

Due to the complexity of the point system and the fact that Members may have to bank or borrow points in order to secure your reservation, cancellations are not permitted. The lead guest name must also remain the same due to a rental agreement between the guest and the member, however, you are permitted to add or delete the additional guests listed in the room with you.

You may want explore the possibilities of adding Travel Insurance to protect yourself against unexpected situations. I do not provide this insurance, but you can obtain a very reasonable quote here: Travel Insurance Quote

The $98 part payment is only refunded if we cannot secure your reservation request. This is the only time a refund will be granted.
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It's kinda confusing because each shop has a few subtle differences. For example DVC Rental Store doesn't make you pay in full right away, but most others do. Since David's and DVC Rental Store are the two most recommended, I would read through their FAQs and policies and pick the one that makes more sense for you!
 
piglet21

piglet21

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
HolleBolleGijs said:
No problem! I was a little lost when I started looking into it, so I though I'd pass on what I learned :) Just keep in mind, if you go through David's, there is no cancellation policy, although you may be able to purchase travel insurance elsewhere. The "cancel for any reason" plan is only on DVC Rental Store.

From David's site:



It's kinda confusing because each shop has a few subtle differences. For example DVC Rental Store doesn't make you pay in full right away, but most others do. Since David's and DVC Rental Store are the two most recommended, I would read through their FAQs and policies and pick the one that makes more sense for you!
Click to expand...

It is definitely sort of confusing! Thanks for sharing your knowledge :) And they all have such similar names so it's hard to keep track of what's what haha. Thanks for your help again and I'll definitely check out their FAQs!
 
Disneykidder

Disneykidder

Well-Known Member
Just to see, I am checking the resort availability right now. Here is what is available/not. I entered studio and 1 bedroom. Partial means one or more days of that time frame is not available but some are.

Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort
No Availability:

Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Jambo House
Partial Availability:
No Availability:
Book a Resort
Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani Village
Partial Availability:
 

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