Help!

[Nelly2016]

Hi there! Me and four of my girlfriends are planning a Disney trip. We have decided to go through an authorized Disney Travel Agent. She does not deal with DVC rentals and I abandoned the idea. But after reading a little about it, I think it could save us money! We are of the philosophy "sleep cheap, eat rich" and we are five adults, which makes it harder than it would be for four adults. We would love to stay near MK but we do want to keep costs low.

Any recommendations?

 

[DisneyJoe]

Use one of the DVC rental brokers, a travel agent wouldn't be setup to broker a DVC point contract. David's and DVC rental store come to mind.

 

[Lynne M]

Yep, I've had good experiences with David's (dvcbyrequest.com). A travel agent isn't going to be able to help you with a rental, as they would make no money on the transaction. You would deal directly with the broker.

Important things to know about renting a reservation from a DVC member:

1. The transaction will be final. No date or resort changes, no refunds if you must cancel.

2. You will get limited housekeeping services, unless you wish to purchase additional housekeeping services.

3. You must reserve (and pay) well in advance of your trip. Depending on your travel dates and desired resort/room type, you may need to book 11 months out.

4. Even with a rental, DVC resorts don't really qualify as "sleeping cheap." It's still going to cost you significantly more than a value.

 

[Nelly2016]

Yep, I've had good experiences with David's (dvcbyrequest.com). A travel agent isn't going to be able to help you with a rental, as they would make no money on the transaction. You would deal directly with the broker.

Important things to know about renting a reservation from a DVC member:

1. The transaction will be final. No date or resort changes, no refunds if you must cancel.

2. You will get limited housekeeping services, unless you wish to purchase additional housekeeping services.

3. You must reserve (and pay) well in advance of your trip. Depending on your travel dates and desired resort/room type, you may need to book 11 months out.

4. Even with a rental, DVC resorts don't really qualify as "sleeping cheap." It's still going to cost you significantly more than a value.

I didn't realize the housekeeping and the final transaction things. Thanks for letting me know! I think it may just be better to stick with the regular resort bookings then.

 

[dreamfinder]

I didn't realize the housekeeping and the final transaction things. Thanks for letting me know! I think it may just be better to stick with the regular resort bookings then.

It's a final transaction because the person who actually owns the points is making the booking, and depending on the timing, may not be able to re-use or re-rent the points to someone else.

Housekeeping depends on the length of your stay.

For stays of 8 days (7 nights) or less, guests will receive the Trash & Towel service on Day 4. The Trash & Towel service is essentially what it sounds like; housekeeping will provide fresh towels, empty the trash and replenish consumables like toiletries and laundry detergent.

For stays of more than 8 days (7 nights), guests will normally receive a full cleaning on Day 4 and Trash & Towel service on Day 8.

You can pay a slight charge to get it more frequently. And in all honesty, it's not the end of the world. Just pull up your sheets and hang up your towels before you leave for the day.

Whether or not it saves you money really depends on where you would stay otherwise. If you would normally stay in a deluxe, then yeah it definitely saves you money. If you would normally stay in a value, most likely not. Moderates can be a toss up.

The ability to do laundry and have snacks/food in unit with a full kitchen may greatly outweigh any issues from not having extra housekeeping. And having a jacuzzi is never a bad thing.

 

[Nelly2016]

It's a final transaction because the person who actually owns the points is making the booking, and depending on the timing, may not be able to re-use or re-rent the points to someone else.

Housekeeping depends on the length of your stay.

You can pay a slight charge to get it more frequently. And in all honesty, it's not the end of the world. Just pull up your sheets and hang up your towels before you leave for the day.

Whether or not it saves you money really depends on where you would stay otherwise. If you would normally stay in a deluxe, then yeah it definitely saves you money. If you would normally stay in a value, most likely not. Moderates can be a toss up.

The ability to do laundry and have snacks/food in unit with a full kitchen may greatly outweigh any issues from not having extra housekeeping. And having a jacuzzi is never a bad thing.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm definitely going to take a look at the DVC rooms!

 

[slappy magoo]

Important things to know about renting a reservation from a DVC member:

1. The transaction will be final. No date or resort changes, no refunds if you must cancel.

2. You will get limited housekeeping services, unless you wish to purchase additional housekeeping services.

3. You must reserve (and pay) well in advance of your trip. Depending on your travel dates and desired resort/room type, you may need to book 11 months out.

4. Even with a rental, DVC resorts don't really qualify as "sleeping cheap." It's still going to cost you significantly more than a value.

Just some notes on your notes, haha

1 & 2, absolutely right. If you know you're going, if you know no one in your party's going to back out, and you can pay in advance, you're golden.

3: the OP's going in January so, you know, it's "only" 7 months in advance in this instance.

4: The OP's made a few posts on this topic and I missed it previously, but she's booking a party of 5, so unless she gets 2 rooms or a suite (which negates "sleep cheap"), a Value is out. Only a handful of resorts have single rooms that will accommodate 5.

But even if we were talking about a party of 4 adults, renting DVC could be at least comparable to a Value. I can't look up rates for January yet, but the first full week in December, Pop for 4 adults is $1060 (once tax is included). The same week in a Standard View at Boardwalk on rented points (one of the DVC studios that sleeps 5, BTW) is $1140, total. So an extra $16 per person gets you in a deluxe resort, walking distance to 2 f the 4 parks as well as 3 other resorts & the Boardwalk District itself, with all the amenities/restaurants/lounges 5 women of legal age might enjoy, versus a Value resort with some coolish pools with pool bars and a food court.

(Factor back in the fact that it's really a party of 5 adults, then you have to forget Pop and move up to at least Port Orleans Riverside, which would run nearly 2 grand for the same week.)

Now, these are "rack rates" and I'm sure you could get a better deal on travelocity or elsewhere online. And WDW might have worthwhile package deals in January like free dining. But being in a deluxe for $228 per person for the week, $32-ish per night, is not a bad deal.

 

[Nelly2016]

Just some notes on your notes, haha

1 & 2, absolutely right. If you know you're going, if you know no one in your party's going to back out, and you can pay in advance, you're golden.

3: the OP's going in January so, you know, it's "only" 7 months in advance in this instance.

4: The OP's made a few posts on this topic and I missed it previously, but she's booking a party of 5, so unless she gets 2 rooms or a suite (which negates "sleep cheap"), a Value is out. Only a handful of resorts have single rooms that will accommodate 5.

But even if we were talking about a party of 4 adults, renting DVC could be at least comparable to a Value. I can't look up rates for January yet, but the first full week in December, Pop for 4 adults is $1060 (once tax is included). The same week in a Standard View at Boardwalk on rented points (one of the DVC studios that sleeps 5, BTW) is $1140, total. So an extra $16 per person gets you in a deluxe resort, walking distance to 2 f the 4 parks as well as 3 other resorts & the Boardwalk District itself, with all the amenities/restaurants/lounges 5 women of legal age might enjoy, versus a Value resort with some coolish pools with pool bars and a food court.

(Factor back in the fact that it's really a party of 5 adults, then you have to forget Pop and move up to at least Port Orleans Riverside, which would run nearly 2 grand for the same week.)

Now, these are "rack rates" and I'm sure you could get a better deal on travelocity or elsewhere online. And WDW might have worthwhile package deals in January like free dining. But being in a deluxe for $228 per person for the week, $32-ish per night, is not a bad deal.

You are seriously helping me out here. Can I PM you about this? The website is a little confusing and you seem to know a lot about it. I could use some help if you're okay with that?

 

[slappy magoo]

You are seriously helping me out here. Can I PM you about this? The website is a little confusing and you seem to know a lot about it. I could use some help if you're okay with that?

I can't promise that I'll be any more helpful than I've been but I don't mind trying.