Renting points in September

[ELG13]

I know it's a long shot and I'm kicking myself for not really looking in to this sooner....I would love to surprise my mom with a Savannah view. We are currently booked at a value resort for the week after labor day. I know this year is probably out...but would I need to book in Jan or Feb of next year for Sept 2019??

 

[nickys]

I know it's a long shot and I'm kicking myself for not really looking in to this sooner....I would love to surprise my mom with a Savannah view. We are currently booked at a value resort for the week after labor day. I know this year is probably out...but would I need to book in Jan or Feb of next year for Sept 2019??

The sooner the better for that time of year. Definitely before the 7 month mark, so Jan/Feb is probably fine. Don't leave it any later though.

 

[ELG13]

The sooner the better for that time of year. Definitely before the 7 month mark, so Jan/Feb is probably fine. Don't leave it any later though.

Ok great...
Second part to my question...what should I know about renting points that I maybe don't already? I read somewhere that housekeeping doesn't come...anything else? We would buy our tickets separately as opposed to getting a package...I just feel like for the dates I look at the price for almost a week is too food to be true, so what are the downfalls? I've read some people saying it's usually not a great savings....but I don't see how.

 

[ELG13]

Mousekeeping...you'd think my phone knows that word more than housekeeping lol

 

[Weather_Lady]

Ok great...
Second part to my question...what should I know about renting points that I maybe don't already? I read somewhere that housekeeping doesn't come...anything else? We would buy our tickets separately as opposed to getting a package...I just feel like for the dates I look at the price for almost a week is too food to be true, so what are the downfalls? I've read some people saying it's usually not a great savings....but I don't see how.

The savings from renting DVC points varies -- largely depending on what size villa you rent, but also based on the resort. Studios and 2-bedrooms tend to offer a much bigger savings than a 1-bedroom, for example. (FWIW, we just got back from a split stay in studios at Beach Club and Polynesian, staying on rented points through David's Vacation Rentals, and even though we paid an extra dollar or two per point to reserve at 11 months, we saved 38% at the Polynesian and 52% at Beach Club, compared with rack rate for the same rooms on the same dates.)

The primary drawback is that your reservation must be paid in full immediately after it's secured, and is non-refundable, so if you cancel, you'll lose everything you paid. We sometimes get vacation insurance (through TravelGuard) to cover the non-refundable costs, if we're traveling with a large party or during a time of year when it's possible for flights to be canceled. Also, if you're staying on DVC points and Disney ends up releasing promotional offers that would otherwise apply to you (e.g., free dining, room discounts), you will not be eligible for them.

The lack of daily Mousekeeping is also technically a drawback -- but if that's really important to you, you can pay extra for it.

 

[ELG13]

The savings from renting DVC points varies -- largely depending on what size villa you rent, but also based on the resort. Studios and 2-bedrooms tend to offer a much bigger savings than a 1-bedroom, for example. (FWIW, we just got back from a split stay in studios at Beach Club and Polynesian, staying on rented points through David's Vacation Rentals, and even though we paid an extra dollar or two per point to reserve at 11 months, we saved 38% at the Polynesian and 50% at Beach Club, compared with rack rate for the same rooms.)

The primary drawback is that your reservation must be paid in full immediately after it's secured, and is non-refundable, so if you cancel, you'll lose everything you paid. We sometimes get vacation insurance (through TravelGuard) to cover the non-refundable costs, if we're traveling with a large party or during a time of year when it's possible for flights to be canceled.

The lack of daily Mousekeeping is also technically a drawback -- but it's almost a non-issue as far as my family is concerned, since we pick up after ourselves.

I have been playing around with David's and the prices I'm getting for Sept and October seem to be better for a 1 br Savannah view at AK. But next year we may need a 2 br. The need to cancel is never an issue...if we book we are going. We live in Florida so we drive. And mousekeeping isn't something we really need. We make our own beds and opt out of new sheets every day. I think this is our best option to get in to one of the nicer resorts.

 

[dreamfinder]

Drawbacks

• No daily mousekeeping.
• The booking is technically owned by the guest who owns the points, so they need to make changes to your reservation, IE add dining.
• Usually no cancellation & non refundable. So you may want to find/look into travel insurance. Yes, you may plan on going, but remember things such as hurricanes and illness can mess up your plans.

Pluses

• Deluxe class accommodations, usually at savings.
• Not eligible for any discounts or promotions.

The savings will really depend. Yes, you may save alot over the rack rate for the equivalent DVC room, however I still think that rack rate is inflated to make DVC seem to be a better value. However they may not always be the same for all parties. IE group of 4 adults may prefer 2 real beds and not a pull out, meaning you would need to book a 2BR. Just spot checked slow season at AKV Kidani in Jan, 185 points for a week in a 2BR, which works out to just under $400 a night if you pay $15/point to rent. That's about the same as paying out of pocket for a standard view room at Jambo, or only $50 or so less than doing 2 rooms at PORS. Now those prices are rack rates, so if they were to offer any discount, doing the non-DVC rooms would almost guaranteed cost you less.

 

[nickys]

I have been playing around with David's and the prices I'm getting for Sept and October seem to be better for a 1 br Savannah view at AK. But next year we may need a 2 br. The need to cancel is never an issue...if we book we are going. We live in Florida so we drive. And mousekeeping isn't something we really need. We make our own beds and opt out of new sheets every day. I think this is our best option to get in to one of the nicer resorts.

Another nice bonus will be no parking fee.

But again, the downside is really the no cancellation policy. This isn't owners just being mean and inflexible btw. It's a result of how the points work, and the fact that depending on when you cancel, the points can expire and we lose them. So cancelling could mean we would end up with no money and no points to re-rent out.

Related to this is the difficulty making changes, which is why David's and most private owners won't make changes to dates or resorts.

Another thing to be aware of is that the term "renting points" is slightly misleading. What happens is that the owner makes the reservation in your name. When you make the payment, you get a reservation number to link in MDE, so everything then works just like any other reservation (ADRs, FPs etc). But the owner still owns that reservation.

Now if you rent privately, you need to make sure that the owner is indeed an owner. There are ways to check that. David's will do that bit for you. But ultimately, whether by design (i.e. a scam) or inadvertently (as in the owner falls into debt and fails to pay his dues etc to Disney), that reservation could be cancelled. If you've rented privately you have little come back. If rented through David's you would at least get your money back. But it may still be that there is no booking for you. It's a risk. Going through a broker minimises that risk. But you need to be aware of the risk.

Not trying to scare you, but wanted to make sure you are fully informed.

 

[slappy magoo]

FYI I took a look on the DVC site, there's no more than 2 consecutive nights in a studio Savannah view for this September.