Poly studio DVC explained....

[Shawn15p]

Hey there everyone. Excuse my ignorance with this question, but here is the situation.

We are currently booked for AKL May 14th-21st. This is our first time planning a trip to disney and I happened to stumble upon the DVC website but haven't a clue how it works. We started looking into it a bit more and realized we could afford a studio at Poly the week we are planning to go. After researching the room to make sure it would accommodate our family of 4, we decided we might like this resort better due to the proximity to MK and the monorail connivence. So I called the number to inquire and they said there is no availability for that resort right now. I have read things about others "renting points" but not sure what that means either. What are the chances that a room would come available in the next few months? And can anyone break down how the whole DVC works and the best way to utilize it, if it is even worth it at all ?

Thanks !

 

[AndrewsJ]

DVC is similar to a timeshare. Owners purchase points and use those points for accommodations at DVC resorts. Points can also be used other ways and for vacations other than Disney. When an owner has points they don't want to use they rent them to others. When a guest rents points the owner handles all aspects of the reservation for the renter. You can usually save a lot renting points rather than paying Disney cash prices. As a DVC member or points renter you do not get daily housekeeping. It will happen every 4 days. So you can either buy into DVC or rent points. Disney will also rent DVC rooms for cash at ridiculously high prices. Unless you just like wasting money the best route for non-owners is to rent points. You can rent from and individual which is my recommendation or from a rental agency. When you use an agency they are the middle man so you may pay more than renting from an individual. All individuals I know use exactly the same contract as the agencies so the risk is equal. Once the reservation is made there is usually a no refund policy. I won't get into specifics of how points work but this no refund policy is totally necessary so owners do not lose these points. There are pros and cons. Check out the DVC board here for more info.

 

[AndrewsJ]

One more thing. You aren't ignorant for asking your questions. It can be confusing trying to figure out all of the aspects of Disney lodging. For the most part people here will help if you ask.

 

[LAKid53]

DVC is a timeshare - instead of your "ownership" being a block of time (one week, two weeks), it's points based on your % of ownership in a particular resort.

One thing about renting points you need to understand is (1) points inventory through a 3rd party, like Dave's, (2) resort availability and (3) home vs non-home resort for the owner.

I would visit one of the point rental websites and read how they obtain and rent points. This is important because DVC members can book a reservation 11 months out at their home resort (resort you have a contract on) and 7 months out at non-home resorts. If the rental company doesn't have points in their inventory from Poly owners, they won't be able to fulfill your request until the 7 month window, when they can use points from other resorts.

I would be leary about renting directly from a DVC owner. While they may use the same or similar contract as a third party, they can charge whatever they want per point. While Dave may pay me $15 per point and charge you $20 per point, what prevents me, as an owner at GFV, from charging you $30? Or not giving you the reservation confirmation number?

I'm an owner at Poly. There currently are no studios available for your trip. A standard view studio for that period will be a total of 153 points; a lake view 183 points. Renting a standard view Poly studio from Dave's for your dates will cost you $2,295.

 

[LAKid53]

DVC is similar to a timeshare. Owners purchase points and use those points for accommodations at DVC resorts. Points can also be used other ways and for vacations other than Disney. When an owner has points they don't want to use they rent them to others. When a guest rents points the owner handles all aspects of the reservation for the renter. You can usually save a lot renting points rather than paying Disney cash prices. As a DVC member or points renter you do not get daily housekeeping. It will happen every 4 days. So you can either buy into DVC or rent points. Disney will also rent DVC rooms for cash at ridiculously high prices. Unless you just like wasting money the best route for non-owners is to rent points. You can rent from and individual which is my recommendation or from a rental agency. When you use an agency they are the middle man so you may pay more than renting from an individual. All individuals I know use exactly the same contract as the agencies so the risk is equal. Once the reservation is made there is usually a no refund policy. I won't get into specifics of how points work but this no refund policy is totally necessary so owners do not lose these points. There are pros and cons. Check out the DVC board here for more info.

Housekeeping depends on length of stay. 7 nights or less, you nly get towel service and trash removal on Day 4. Stays of 8 or more nights see full housekeeping on Day 4 and towels & trash on Day 8.

 

[AndrewsJ]

Housekeeping depends on length of stay. 7 nights or less, you nly get towel service and trash removal on Day 4. Stays of 8 or more nights see full housekeeping on Day 4 and towels & trash on Day 8.

Yes this is true. I should have been clearer. I own at VGF, AKV and OKW so I'm not really sure about availability opening up at the Poly. Do you think it is more difficult to procure than the others because of its size?

 

[LAKid53]

Yes this is true. I should have been clearer. I own at VGF, AKV and OKW so I'm not really sure about availability opening up at the Poly. Do you think it is more difficult to procure than the others because of its size?

I think most of the monorail DVC resorts are hard to get into, because of their location. I own at Boulder Creek, VGF and Poly. I've never been able to get a room at GF, but then my contract isn't very big. I've been able to get a studio at Poly with no problem 4-5 months out and usually never have an issue with Boulder Creek, as long as I'm not trying to do a 3 day weekend or Thanksgiving a week before my arrival. Remember, they converted 3 long houses at Poly to the studios, so they have lots of inventory.

What would drive me crazy renting points is not being able to check availability of the resort/room type and not knowing if the rental company has points available. I looked at Dave's earlier and his site is offering a premium to owners to get points.

I'm surprised with the increasing popularity of renting points DVC hasn't set up something. I "sell" my points to Dave for $12 and John rents them from Dave for $15. If DVC had a formal process they handled, the renter could save money. And if there were issues, the renter could deal directly with member services and not have to go through a third party who deals with the owner who then contacts DVC. I also think they're missing an opportunity to make direct contact with potential new owners. I'd throw in some nice extras for guests the first time they rented through DVC - a voucher for dinner at the resort's restaurant (except V&A), a free night, $100 gift card, free tour, stuff like that.

 

[Shawn15p]

I'm an owner at Poly. There currently are no studios available for your trip. A standard view studio for that period will be a total of 153 points; a lake view 183 points. Renting a standard view Poly studio from Dave's for your dates will cost you $2,295.

Yeah, that is the price that we saw and would be willing to pay. Too bad I didn't come across this option earlier in the planning stages.