DVC Rental is this for real?!

[KGmomoftwins]

Looking at booking 3 nights before a cruise in late August 2019. Just fooling around with David's DVC rental and I see a AKL Jambo studio costing 527 dollars or 31 DVC points for my dates. Is this legit? I looked at Disneys website and for the same dates in August 2018 it goes for 364 dollars a night. We have never stayed using DVC points before. I know it will be different with mouse keeping but what else would be different? I would have to purchase park tickets separately right? Can I use the TA I used to book our cruise or no? Thanks so much!

 

[Lvsdisney]

Yes it is for real. I rented privately from an owner for our last trip and stayed at Jambo for 4 nights for less than $500 (it was Jan 2016, so the point requirements were lower than August and the point value was not as much as it is today).

Things you have to keep in mind:
Once you book, you typically cannot cancel or get a refund, unless you book from another site that offers the cancellation option for an additional fee
Don't price out using the cheapest rooms (ie Value for AKL Jambo or Standard view for Boardwalk) because they go fast and most likely you will not get one of those rooms.

I don't think you can use your TA, you need to book directly with an owner or through a company like Davids. You have to buy your tickets separately, but I believe you add the dining plan, you just have to pay in full at the time.

I would search these boards for more info.

 

[KGmomoftwins]

Yes it is for real. I rented privately from an owner for our last trip and stayed at Jambo for 4 nights for less than $500 (it was Jan 2016, so the point requirements were lower than August and the point value was not as much as it is today).

Things you have to keep in mind:
Once you book, you typically cannot cancel or get a refund, unless you book from another site that offers the cancellation option for an additional fee
Don't price out using the cheapest rooms (ie Value for AKL Jambo or Standard view for Boardwalk) because they go fast and most likely you will not get one of those rooms.

I don't think you can use your TA, you need to book directly with an owner or through a company like Davids. You have to buy your tickets separately, but I believe you add the dining plan, you just have to pay in full at the time.

I would search these boards for more info.

Thanks! I'm struggling navigating some of the boards! If I rent points can I book dining at the 180 mark?

 

[gillep]

Thanks! I'm struggling navigating some of the boards! If I rent points can I book dining at the 180 mark?

Yes, you will have all the perks of an on-site stay including booking dining at 180 days and 60 day FP booking.

 

[Lvsdisney]

Thanks! I'm struggling navigating some of the boards! If I rent points can I book dining at the 180 mark?

Yes. You get all the benefits on an onsite stay, including dining at 180 days, FP+ at 60 days, magic bands, and Disney Magical Express.

 

[melana]

And you can have the dining plan added but the owner has to add it for you. I know through David’s you have to add it and any other guests before 30 days out. I have used David’s twice and I highly recommend them. They are very quick with responding to any questions I have had.

 

[Shelleyfs]

We use David's as well. They have always been great w/ us. The sooner you can get your request in the better chance you have of getting a room. We try our best to try and get in at/before the 11 month mark to get exactly what we are looking for.

 

[KGmomoftwins]

We use David's as well. They have always been great w/ us. The sooner you can get your request in the better chance you have of getting a room. We try our best to try and get in at/before the 11 month mark to get exactly what we are looking for.

Thanks I think that's who we will go through. I wonder what our odds of getting a standard studio at AKL or BLT would be for the end of August 2019... I also would not be opposed to one of Wilderness lodge DVC.

 

[JETSDAD]

Standard at AKV shouldn't be an issue as there are a lot of rooms. Standard at BLT might be more difficult unless they have someone renting their points fairly close to the 11 month mark.

 

[Lynne M]

I'll also add a high recommendation for David's, I've used them to rent out my own points several times and had excellent experiences every time.

Just be sure to carefully read all of the information on the site, so you understand the terms of the transaction. You're paying someone to make a reservation at their timeshare for you, so it's not the same as making a hotel reservation. You should not expect a refund if you need to cancel your reservation, and changes to dates. resort and room type will not be possible. This isn't a matter of David's or the owner being inflexible, it's because of tight availability at resorts, and DVC's cancellation policies. David's does sell travel insurance through their site if you feel you need it.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I would also acquaint yourself with the housekeeping policies (on a short stay, you will get no) and bed setup, as most studios only have one real bed, and a sofa sleeper.

 

[cruisin5]

You are also trusting that the owner does not cancel the reservation and is current on their dues. The owner is trusting that you don't leave an unpaid bill on the room or trash the place. David's is just the broker.

 

[Marionnette]

Looking at booking 3 nights before a cruise in late August 2019. Just fooling around with David's DVC rental and I see a AKL Jambo studio costing 527 dollars or 31 DVC points for my dates. Is this legit? I looked at Disneys website and for the same dates in August 2018 it goes for 364 dollars a night. We have never stayed using DVC points before. I know it will be different with mouse keeping but what else would be different? I would have to purchase park tickets separately right? Can I use the TA I used to book our cruise or no? Thanks so much!

31 points would be a value studio at AKV Jambo. Most likely, you will not be able to book one as they were book up rapidly and even owners who are online right at 8 AM on the day they can book those studios end up getting shut out.

Thanks I think that's who we will go through. I wonder what our odds of getting a standard studio at AKL or BLT would be for the end of August 2019... I also would not be opposed to one of Wilderness lodge DVC.

Late August is generally not a busy DVC period and a std. view at AKV Kidani (not Jambo) is a possibility but your chances are better for a savanna view. You have a better chance at a Lake View at BLT (owners like the standard view to save on points and they book up rapidly). I think that as long as you are not holding out for the 7-month booking window and you are somewhat flexible with your choices, you should do okay.

 

[KGmomoftwins]

You are also trusting that the owner does not cancel the reservation and is current on their dues. The owner is trusting that you don't leave an unpaid bill on the room or trash the place. David's is just the broker.

Oh dear what would happen if I pay in full and then they do cancel the reservation let's say 3 days before check-in would I be out my money and then sleeping on the door step of MK if they even allow that... Probably not...

 

[KGmomoftwins]

I would also acquaint yourself with the housekeeping policies (on a short stay, you will get no) and bed setup, as most studios only have one real bed, and a sofa sleeper.

Could I pay for mouse keeping for 1 day of our 3 night stay if I rent points? I've seen on the DVC owners threads they can pay for mouse keeping.

 

[Marionnette]

Oh dear what would happen if I pay in full and then they do cancel the reservation let's say 3 days before check-in would I be out my money and then sleeping on the door step of MK if they even allow that... Probably not...

I've seen it happen once to a person who had booked thru one of the rental agencies. It appears that the owner did not keep up with either their dues or their mortgage payment and DVC took action by cancelling all of the reservations they had made. In the end, the rental agency refunded the person's money but they couldn't get the renter another reservation because there were no villas of the same size available at the original resort and the villas that were available at other resorts required more money that the renter did not care to spend.

It's always possible that a flaky owner will renege on the agreement that they made with a renter. There have been a few reports of this happening over the years. However, I have only read a handful of cases. There are many, many more happy renters than there have been stories of people being scammed. Your best defense is to be an informed renter, just like owners need to proactive about how they rent.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Could I pay for mouse keeping for 1 day of our 3 night stay if I rent points? I've seen on the DVC owners threads they can pay for mouse keeping.

Yes. But it would be an upcharge, and that is a mind-shift for many.

 

[Marionnette]

Could I pay for mouse keeping for 1 day of our 3 night stay if I rent points? I've seen on the DVC owners threads they can pay for mouse keeping.

Yes, you can pay for mousekeeping. The amount is dependent on the size of the villa. Daily mousekeeping is $30 per day for a studio and the amount goes up from there for larger villas.

 

[Hopefully]

Not only do you not get Mousekeeping but you also will not get fresh towels, restocked toiletries, new coffee etc. DVC is a timeshare not a resort and these are the trade offs.
You can pay for a cleaning during your stay.

Could I pay for mouse keeping for 1 day of our 3 night stay if I rent points? I've seen on the DVC owners threads they can pay for mouse keeping.

If you priced the AKL Value Studio you are underestimating the amount you will pay. That room is highly unlikely to be available to you.

 

[Marionnette]

Not only do you not get Mousekeeping but you also will not get fresh towels, restocked toiletries, new coffee etc. DVC is a timeshare not a resort and these are the trade offs.
You can pay for a cleaning during your stay.

If you priced the AKL Value Studio you are underestimating the amount you will pay. That room is highly unlikely to be available to you.

You do get a "trash & towel" day included in your stay at no extra charge. If your stay is 7 nights or less, it will be on Day #4. You will receive fresh towels and toiletries, kitchen towel, dish detergent, paper towels and coffee setups. If you are staying 8 or more nights, you will get a full cleaning on Day #4 and trash & towel on Day #7 included in your stay at no additional cost. The cycle repeats itself on Day #12 with another full cleaning if you are still a guest at that point.