DVC Rental vs. Off-site villa

[DisneyElephant]

My family and I (3 adults) will be traveling again to Disney in early to mid-March.

My parents have laid it on me to decide where we stay and I'm having THE hardest time even though I've been to Disney maybe 10-15 times. In the last few years, we've fallen in love with Vacation rentals and so the idea of staying at DVC is finally in our brains. We're interested in potentially in staying at a DVC, but we ideally would like a 2 bedroom villa and it appears that even renting points that's likely out of our price range. I've looked at the Sheraton Vistana Resort 2 bedroom villas and they seem like they would be our best alternative option, booking through Dreams Unlimited Travel under a really good offer they have.

So, I have 2 questions. What is the absolute most affordable and safe (i.e. risk-averse) way to rent points/DVC? Would we be able to get a DVC villa either a 1 bedroom or 2 bedroom villa for under $2700 for 6 or 7 nights, or are we better off just booking Sheraton Vistana 2 bedroom. If anyone (bueller?) could offer advice on this it would be SUPER helpful. Thanks!

 

[Figgy1]

I would use David's for renting points. They're a sponsor here or use a company with an excellent BBB rating for renting a villa.

 

[DisneyElephant]

In 2017, March is "Magic Season" for DVC.

As a whole, Old Key West (OKW) is the DVC resort that requires the fewest DVC points-per-night.

In Magic Season, a one-bedroom villa requires 222 points-per-week. (Sleeps 4.) A two-bedroom villa requires 296 points per week. (Sleeps 8.)

For OKW, you should be able to rent points from David's DVC Rental for $14/point.

If this is too much, then consider Wyndham Bonnet Creek (WBC) located next to Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort.

It should be easy to find a 2-bedroom condo there for under $150/night on eBay. Less if you are willing to take the time to negotiate with a few sellers.

Yeah I looked at David's first figuring that was probably the best option, but I didn't know if there were any others that were reputable that others recommend. We've looked at WBC, but I've heard a lot of complaints about pushy timeshare sellers from various sites and reviewers along with other issues with parking and other stuff, which is why we were looking at the Sheraton Vistana instead. I really would love to stay on property, but because my family wants to spread out and they keep saying they'd like to see me have my own separate room as opposed to staying on a pullout bed as I would have to in a 1BR in DVC, I was hoping to find a cheaper 2BR DVC option if possible. I just cannot for the life of me decide which experience would be better and if staying on property is worth it vs. having separate rooms.

Any advice and help to convince me one way or the other is helpful as I'm normally not so indecisive!

 

[DisneyElephant]

I've stayed at WBC twice without encountering pushy salespeople. When I checked in, they asked if I was interested. I said no and that was it at check-in. I then had one message on the room's answering machine asking again. I wouldn't consider that pushy.

Parking at WBC is a problem. You will find a spot but it could be far or on the roof of the parking garage.

Having a car is important. If you have a car, staying offsite is no big deal. If you won't have a car, then you should really try to stay onsite.

The least expensive onsite option will be 2 rooms at a Value Resort. Since you are all adults, there is no guarantee that you'll be connecting but at least you'll all have real beds and 2 bathrooms.

We will be driving from NJ to Orlando, so we will already have a car no matter what. We would like to have a kitchen with a stove so we can cook and we are very much NOT fans of the value resorts which is why we were looking at Sheraton and DVC rentals, though I could be convinced to stay at a Studio villa if the price was right. I don't believe 2 separate rooms at a value would be cheaper than a 2 bedroom at the Sheraton or a 1BR villa DVC if we went through a secondary vendor like David's DVC, am I right about that??

 

[dreamfinder]

Most of the DVC point brokers charge pretty much the same, I think current rate is $14-16/point. If you are willing to take a chance and wait you can usually gets points that need to be used in a month or so at a discount. Some of the DVC resellers also offer point rentals now, maybe save a buck or two a point. If you find an owner willing to work directly with you may be able to pay $10-12/point. But you are taking on a bit more risk as the brokers tend to back up their transactions with a legal framework.

I don't believe 2 separate rooms at a value would be cheaper than a 2 bedroom at the Sheraton or a 1BR villa DVC if we went through a secondary vendor like David's DVC, am I right about that??

I think the 2 rooms at a value would be cheaper. 2016 January value season, AllStars were $101/$134, or $773 for the week, or $1,546 for 2 rooms. Cheapest villas at OKW would be 157pts for a 1BR or 217pts for a 2BR same season. So if you rent points from a broker at $14/point, $2,198 or $3,038 for 1BR/2BR respectively. Now with a 1BR/2BR villa you do have the full kitchen and free laundry available in room. So you could make up the cost difference on a 1BR be making meals in room for the trip, but if a room discount becomes available that could shift the costs in the other direction yet again. I know you were asking about March, but these were the numbers I had on hand. You need to look at what you really want/need for your accommodations and price accordingly. DVC point rental is usually best cost wise for people looking to stay in moderate or ideally deluxe level rooms, or those that have parties of 5 or more that cannot fit into a single room.

 

[Figgy1]

@DisneyElephant have you thought about renting a house or condo that may be the cheapest way yet. We got a 3br 3bath condo for 100 a night for this August through a company with an excellent BBB rating

 

[Dwey]

I recommend you look at Global Resorts web site, we have stayed there many times Champions Gate is super with a large club house and pool area. The golf course is very nice also.

 

[Plowboy]

We used DVC Rental Store last year for a stay at AKL Jambo and were thoroughly satisfied.

 

[DisneyElephant]

We used DVC Rental Store last year for a stay at AKL Jambo and were thoroughly satisfied.

Can I ask how long out you made your reservations and what category you booked?

And we've looked into condo rentals. We only need 2 bedrooms max, but I'll look into the Global Resorts. Otherwise it sounds like the Sheraton will probably be the best fit for our needs unless I personally am willing to bite the bullet and sleep on the pull out in a 1BR villa at Disney...are they uncomfortable? That will probably be my last deciding factor.

 

[Plowboy]

Can I ask how long out you made your reservations and what category you booked?

And we've looked into condo rentals. We only need 2 bedrooms max, but I'll look into the Global Resorts. Otherwise it sounds like the Sheraton will probably be the best fit for our needs unless I personally am willing to bite the bullet and sleep on the pull out in a 1BR villa at Disney...are they uncomfortable? That will probably be my last deciding factor.

If I recall correctly, we booked 7 months out. (Sorry for the late reply, been in Vegas for the last 3 days)