Renting DVC, worth the hassal? Advice?

Kristamouse

Kristamouse

Well-Known Member
We just had a baby girl in June making us a family of 8. We go yearly (15 trips thus far) and usually stay in a Family suite. As a large Family we are limited in our room Choices. I won't lie I love the idea of a full kitchen and washer and dyer.
We are looking into January, the 1st week or so after the Christmas/NYE crowds have left.
Am curious who you all have booked through? Any hiccups? Any horror stories? Any advice?
Thanks:)
 
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lostpro9het

lostpro9het

Well-Known Member
We've used David's, DVC Rental Store, and a private member here a few times(8 times to be exact) with excellent results, never a hiccup. If you are looking at 2016 you need to get on the ball and check for availability! January11th through the 18th currently has availability for 2-bedroom villas at at OKW, AKL, and SSR(2-BR and Treehouse).
Here are some useful links if you did not have them.
https://www.dvcrequest.com/
http://dvcrentalstore.com/

EDIT:
Also, I never felt it as a hassle and for the amount of money you save.
 
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awilliams4

awilliams4

Well-Known Member
Family of 8 that goes every year. A two bedroom for a week will be around 300 points. I would maybe even look into just getting an OKW or SSR resale contract if you plan to consider going annually. It will eventually save you money and staying in a 2 Bedroom on property is wonderful. We are a family of 4 and do nothing but two bedroom DVC stays on our trips. Renting is cheaper then CRO (paying cash through Disney), a lot cheaper. But renting can add up too. We own, never rented.

As far as David's Rental process, easy and 99.8% no problems. If there is a problem with the owner, David will pay you out of his pocket for the loss if your ressie goes bad, he done it before.
 
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Weather_Lady

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
We used David's DVC Rentals and had a seamless experience (1 week at Wilderness Lodge Villas in a 2-bedroom back in May 2014). We were traveling with a multi-generational party of six, and the added space, full kitchen, washer/dryer and big closets were wonderful. Even with the extra couple of dollars per point that David's charges for being the middleman, we paid less than 60% of the "rack rate" for our villa.

The three biggest "cons" of DVC rental through a reputable agent are likely: (1) the "risk" -- the costs are non-refundable and must be paid at the time of booking; we like to purchase cancel-for-any-reason vacation insurance from a third party to cover our investment, just in case we're prevented from traveling at the last minute, etc.; (2) the lack of daily housekeeping (a non-issue for my family as we pick up after ourselves, but some people seem to think this is a big deal); and (3) the need to book very far ahead. Ideally, you want to make your reservation request at least 11 months out (when DVC members can start making reservations at their home resort) and certainly no later than 7 months out (when DVC members can make reservations at non-home DVC resorts). Otherwise, you'll have trouble finding availability at the more popular villas, and may be "stuck" with something like Old Key West or Saratoga Springs. (Whether you consider that "stuck" or "awesome" is, of course, totally dependent on whether you like those two resorts.)
 
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HolleBolleGijs

HolleBolleGijs

Well-Known Member
Reposting this from another thread! I looked into renting myself, but we were only 4 months out, so there wasn't really any availability for what we were looking for. That being said, I learned a lot about how it all works, and I will definitely be renting in the future when I have the ability to plan further in advance/am not going over a holiday weekend!

I know the two most popular sites on here are http://www.dvcrequest.com/ and http://www.dvcrentalstore.com. DVC Rental Store doesn't charge anything to request availability, while David's (DVCRequest.com) 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 services! 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.

I would say it's totally worth it, especially if you otherwise can't afford to stay deluxe!

Things to take into consideration:
  • You WILL be able to book FPs and ADRs on your own, you just have to make sure the information you give to the company matches your MDE 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 going through Disney), so if there's any chance you'd have to cancel or move your trip, this may not be the best option. David'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!

ETA: If you're looking to book for January 2016, it might be too late. I would check availability ASAP.
 
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BaconPancakes

BaconPancakes

Well-Known Member
Weather_Lady said:
Otherwise, you'll have trouble finding availability at the more popular villas, and may be "stuck" with something like Old Key West or Saratoga Springs. (Whether you consider that "stuck" or "awesome" is, of course, totally dependent on whether you like those two resorts.)
Click to expand...
This is exactly what happened with us. Saratoga was the only available resort for our week, but I've heard good things about the resort and the proximity to Downtown Disney is a huge plus for us. I'm excited!!!
 
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Kristamouse

Kristamouse

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thank you all, waiting for our quote. SSR and OKW are they only ones left, haven't stayed at either. Asked if any of the MK resorts were availble on different dates as we are flexible.
 
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Minthorne

Minthorne

Well-Known Member
BaconPancakes said:
This is exactly what happened with us. Saratoga was the only available resort for our week, but I've heard good things about the resort and the proximity to Downtown Disney is a huge plus for us. I'm excited!!!
Click to expand...

I think you will like SSR. If you are a Theme Park trip I recommend requesting the Grandstand section at on-line check-in, it's the first bust stop into the resort and there for firs to pick up and first to drop off. If Downtown Disney (Springs) is more the focus then go for Congress Park section for the closer walk. I'll be there next month for a short trip.
 
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dreamfinder

dreamfinder

Well-Known Member
Kristamouse said:
Thank you all, waiting for our quote. SSR and OKW are they only ones left, haven't stayed at either. Asked if any of the MK resorts were availble on different dates as we are flexible.
Click to expand...

It sounds like your dates may overlap Marathon weekend 1/7-1/10 which may make it hard to find a consistent booking. Most DVC units will be booked for at least one night during that weekend. Just quickly checked, and from the 1/6-1/13 the only option that has full availability is a 1BR at SSR, everything else is at least partially full. If you do shift your dates to not overlap with the marathon your availability should greatly open up. Changing to 1/11-1/18 I show Studio, 1BR and 2BR at OKW, SSR, and AKL Kidani. Pushing back to 1/18-1/25 has the same, but also shows a few others scattered including 2BR at BLT.
 
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FrostyNaples

FrostyNaples

Well-Known Member
Kristamouse said:
Thank you all, waiting for our quote. SSR and OKW are they only ones left, haven't stayed at either. Asked if any of the MK resorts were availble on different dates as we are flexible.
Click to expand...

SSR over OKW

We are renting DVC points for the first time, but have already been to SSR in the past. It happens to be the only resort available for the time we requested, so not a bad fallback at all. We waited too long to check, so still going to make the best of it!
 
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