DVC vs. Value Resort?

[dianeschlicht]

LOL, I think we scared the OP away!

 

[crisi]

Why would anyone choose a Value resort when they had the option of DVC?? To me, that would be nuts! OP, once you stay at DVC there's no way you'd ever be willing to downgrade to a Value!

Why would anyone rent points from a stranger with less flexible cancellation policies when travelling with kids (who are more likely to get sick, break a leg) when they can rent through CRO?

People value different things - if I were traveling on a budget with small kids, there is no way I'd risk my vacation by renting points - its something I would only do if I could afford to be completely out the money. And I'm not talking about the scamming risk - just the cancellation risk.

 

[lisaviolet]

We are planning a trip in late September. This is our first trip to Disney. Our children will be ages 4 and 7 when we arrive. I have been doing so much research but I can't decide whether to rent a Value Resort or rent from a DVC member. It appears that the price is the same. Everyone we have talked too says you won't spend any time in your room/condo anyway. I have also read about this free dining that Disney usually runs in September, which I understand is not available to DVC members. Can anyone help me out here?

Hi,

Many ways to look at it. First off, your children will love the Values. Love them. Most kids are asked about what they loved about WDW and they usually answer "the pool". After all the rides, all the parks....it's the pool. So if you stay at a Value they will love it. Kids love the Value resorts for the most part.

As for not staying in your room. I love staying in my DVC room/villa. Love to hang out. Never have understood the need to "run, run, run". So because this is your first trip, I know you didn't ask, but please know you will not see everything. And to take time/days off of the parks is a great thing. Trust me, you don't have to be a lazy vacationer like me, but go slow and enjoy.

So if the adult might like a balcony, a kitchenette (studio) or kitchen ( a $$$ saver on food and I get tired of eating out), extra space (even in the studio), a couch (except OKW studio), a lack of "neighbour noise" and more home-like accomodations then consider the DVC.

Both choices have their merits. Value....CRO good cancellation policy (better phoning in than online though), see how you like WDW's Values. DVC..more upscale, larger, more relaxing accomodations.

Have a wonderful time,

Lisa

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

TenThousandVolts raised a good point. You can make your reservation for September at a Value for now. That way you are sure you have a good lock on it. The reason Disney offers discounts or free dining in September is because prior to that it was as dead as a doornail. Since DVC can't get free dining you should be able to rent points on very short notice if you change your mind about where you want to stay. Will you get BCV or VWL doing that? Probably not. You MIGHT get AKV if the rooms come on line early. That said short notice is along the lines of prior to the 45 day period for CRO.

 

[JMLBrats]

we love the larger more comfortable accomodations at DVC which is why we ultimately bought, however we did enjoy certain things about the value resorts (like the food court) and the theming for young children. I guess you just have to decide what you're really looking for in a vacation. Also keep in mind that you can get a great deal renting pts for sun-thurs nights, but if you want to stay on a Friday or Saturday night you will have to pay a member a lot more since those nights require a lot more pts.

Good Luck deciding!

 

[westjones]

We are DVC members, but I would rather stay at the value resorts than rent points in this situation so that I could cancel if I needed to, and frankly, when my kids were younger they loved the All Stars Movie resort. It isn't as comfortable as the DVC, but it is nice to have maid service every day. Also, the food courts are nice with small children. I do miss food courts at the DVC resorts.

Now we never used the buses when we stayed at the value resorts because of the distance. We drove to the parks ourselves (but parking is free when you stay at a Disney resort).

I have just never been comfortable with the whole renting thing (but I haven't tried it either--so I have no experience with it).

DJ

 

[KelNottAt]

Why would anyone rent points from a stranger with less flexible cancellation policies when travelling with kids (who are more likely to get sick, break a leg) when they can rent through CRO?

People value different things - if I were traveling on a budget with small kids, there is no way I'd risk my vacation by renting points - its something I would only do if I could afford to be completely out the money. And I'm not talking about the scamming risk - just the cancellation risk.

My thoughts exactly. I recommend a value resort, especially since this is their first time.

First-timers are overwhelmed enough as it is. Adding the risk and idiosyncrasies of DVC can possibly ruin a trip for the unprepared.

 

[tubtruck]

The first time my DW and I went to WDW ( I had been a number of times before) although to that point never stayed on site. We stayed in a value resort, The All Star Music, to this day our only experience of a value, we hardly saw the place as we were in the parks from opening to closing and for our needs at that time it was perfectly adequate, clean, brightly decorated in a fun style. A few trips later with a more relaxed attitude to the amount of time we spend in the parks we had climbed the tree having stayed at mods, deluxes and finally staying in the most expensive delux of them all The Grand Floridian. I must admit that my only reason for booking the GF was because it was the most expensive and wanted to see feel and smell what the best had to offer. Though not a massive fan of 1900s styling I really loved the ambience of the place and would rate it as one of my favourite resorts.

Having been fortunate to have been able to stay in the deluxes I realised at the present time I can afford to do it once or twice a year but if children come along I might not be able to especially given the fact that airline tickets for the two of us for our next trip come in at the equivelent of around$3300. Add a kid or two to this price and ouch its expensive. This was my reason for buying DVC, to enable us to continue staying in top notch accomodation, once you have experienced it you wont want to go back to the values, they no longer hold the same magic. My other reason which matters to me immensly due to my incredible lack of patience is the fact the value resorts are miles away from the parks, although the transport experience of caribbean beach (mod) absoloutly drove me up the wall and for that reason alone I would rate it lower than the values. With regard to the OP as you have not stayed at Disney before I am sure you will enjoy will really enjoy Disney wherever you stay but remeber hamburgers taste great until you try fillet mignon.

 

[corpcomp]

The first time my DW and I went to WDW ( I had been a number of times before) although to that point never stayed on site. We stayed in a value resort, The All Star Music, to this day our only experience of a value, we hardly saw the place as we were in the parks from opening to closing and for our needs at that time it was perfectly adequate, clean, brightly decorated in a fun style. A few trips later with a more relaxed attitude to the amount of time we spend in the parks we had climbed the tree having stayed at mods, deluxes and finally staying in the most expensive delux of them all The Grand Floridian. I must admit that my only reason for booking the GF was because it was the most expensive and wanted to see feel and smell what the best had to offer. Though not a massive fan of 1900s styling I really loved the ambience of the place and would rate it as one of my favourite resorts.

Having been fortunate to have been able to stay in the deluxes I realised at the present time I can afford to do it once or twice a year but if children come along I might not be able to especially given the fact that airline tickets for the two of us for our next trip come in at the equivelent of around$3300. Add a kid or two to this price and ouch its expensive. This was my reason for buying DVC, to enable us to continue staying in top notch accomodation, once you have experienced it you wont want to go back to the values, they no longer hold the same magic. My other reason which matters to me immensly due to my incredible lack of patience is the fact the value resorts are miles away from the parks, although the transport experience of caribbean beach (mod) absoloutly drove me up the wall and for that reason alone I would rate it lower than the values. With regard to the OP as you have not stayed at Disney before I am sure you will enjoy will really enjoy Disney wherever you stay but remeber hamburgers taste great until you try fillet mignon.

Wow $3300 for two air tickets. And I was getting annoyed at $350 per ticket from NYC. I will never complain again (except the next time I go through three security searches at MCO).

For the person that started this post, you can get great fillet mignon in the Canadian exhibit - really the best meats in WDW. However if you stay at either BWV or BCV you can walk to the exhibit, Epcot as well as MGM - no buses. And for a slightly higher charge you can get a CM to carry you there!

 

[byoung]

Can not compare DVC to a Value.

 

[logan115]

Sorry if this is a little off topic, but I'm looking to rent some points and had a question for you guys. What (if anything) can I do to try and make sure the person placing the ressie for me has actually made it before I send them money via Paypal ??

I have no reason at all to distrust this person (as a matter of fact I'm incredibly thankful for them taking the time), but would like to know if there are any ways that I can validate the ressie on my own as I don't believe that renters can actually talk to MS prior to arrival.

Forgive me for being new and naive to this, but what steps should I take before sending any cash ?

Thanks in advance, can't wait for my first DVC experience in May (hopefully) !

 

[greenban]

Sorry if this is a little off topic, but I'm looking to rent some points and had a question for you guys. What (if anything) can I do to try and make sure the person placing the ressie for me has actually made it before I send them money via Paypal ??

I have no reason at all to distrust this person (as a matter of fact I'm incredibly thankful for them taking the time), but would like to know if there are any ways that I can validate the ressie on my own as I don't believe that renters can actually talk to MS prior to arrival.

Forgive me for being new and naive to this, but what steps should I take before sending any cash ?

Thanks in advance, can't wait for my first DVC experience in May (hopefully) !

The short answer, you really can't.

The medium answer, The Owner can call MS with you as a three-way call. You can hear them talk to MS. But it could also be them calling their partner in fraud, with the 3rd party pretending to be MS, how would you know? Or they could call back and cancel the ressie after you spoke with them, in a real three-way call to MS.

Some things, off the top of my mind, that you can do...

Don't send any Western Union Money Orders.

Insist on a written contract with mailing info. Send mail to said address and verify they (the Owner) received it.

Email the Owner, and see how quickly they reply.

Check their phone # with reverse directory.

Google their name, see if demographic details match what you have been given.

The best option, I save for last. PayPal me $25.00 and the name of your Owner, and I'll tell you if they are a member in good standing of the PDRA!

Enjoy your vacation,

-Tony

 

[tkwaltermeyer]

We decided to wait until April and see what deals come out. If free dining comes out we will stay Value, that is a $600 savings. Besides, we probably wouldn't have cooked much anyway since it is our first trip and we want to see everything.

 

[logan115]

Thanks Tony --

That's kind of what I thought, but just didn't know if there was any othe checks out there that I wasn't aware of.

I know going in that there's a lot of trust (on both my part and theirs) involved with something like this, and wanted to make sure there wasn't anything that I was missing.

Anyway, hopefully I hear something later this morning from the member and will know more about what's available in terms of accomodations for our trip and we'll go from there.

I may just hit you up for that check, $25 may be a cheap insurance policy before I send out $800 (via Paypal).

Thanks again,

Chris

 

[Lady V]

The short answer, you really can't.


The best option, I save for last. PayPal me $25.00 and the name of your Owner, and I'll tell you if they are a member in good standing of the PDRA!

Enjoy your vacation,

-Tony

now I see how you can afford so many points!! and is this income taxable??
LOL

 

[jdg345]

What's the PDRA ?

 

[Sammie]

Google their name, see if demographic details match what you have been given.

Curious how this would help. My uncle has a very common name, last name Jones, if you google his name you get over 25 million replies. Do you really think anyone is going to be able to find anything in that list. Of course the first 10 pages were famous Jones.

My point is regardless of these suggestions, it is not a fail safe method.

 

[dumbo71]

Thanks Tony --

That's kind of what I thought, but just didn't know if there was any othe checks out there that I wasn't aware of.

I know going in that there's a lot of trust (on both my part and theirs) involved with something like this, and wanted to make sure there wasn't anything that I was missing.

Anyway, hopefully I hear something later this morning from the member and will know more about what's available in terms of accomodations for our trip and we'll go from there.

I may just hit you up for that check, $25 may be a cheap insurance policy before I send out $800 (via Paypal).

Thanks again,

Chris

This is why I highly recommend the "professional" renter. Say what you will about "professional" renting but those folks are in it for the long haul. They want the referrals and repeat customers. They don't last scamming people.

Do yourself a favor follow Tony's advice (yes even send him the $25, after all he has to pay for his add on at AKV) and then find a seasoned professional

Good luck.

 

[greenban]

Curious how this would help. My uncle has a very common name, last name Jones, if you google his name you get over 25 million replies. Do you really think anyone is going to be able to find anything in that list. Of course the first 10 pages were famous Jones.

My point is regardless of these suggestions, it is not a fail safe method.

Hi Sammie:

What I was thinking (off the cuff, BTW) was that if you have John Paul Jone's address as 123 Main Street, DISboardville, FL 12345, and you have mailed your deposit, or contract to this address, you can see if a google search of JPJ in DISboardville matches. If it does, you have a 'confirmation' of some part of the demographics. If it doesn't match, perhaps a reverse phone directory will.

None of this is foolproof (as I though I mentioned in my OR), but it is easy, and free to get some confirmation. Of course a true scammer, will get his demographics in via a paid web search service, and have fake referrences and addresses/emails/paypal accounts. You won't stop that type of person.

Finally, Since I don't have a common name, I never thought of that problem.

NEW FIRST RENTING RULE: DON'T RENT FROM PEOPLE WITH COMMON NAMES, OR IS THAT COMMON PEOPLE?

-Tony

 

[flexsmom]

I think that if this is your first trip, now is the time to set the stage to "do it right"! I think a lot of people go to WDW the first time and end up trying to do it all, even if maybe they don't realize it. There are so many posts on the theme park board about people who have friends/acquaintences who were turned off of Disney because of poor planning or trying to do it all, then complaining about not having any kind of a decent vacation. I think you will enjoy your quality time more with DVC. For us (the adults), it's so much better to be able to have down time (or nap time) and let us relax without having to be in the same small room. My DD and DS loved the pool/slide at OKW as much as at Pop - to them a slide is a slide and a pool is a pool, at their age. Oh - and DD & I went alone to Pop for a quick get-away 2 years ago. It is a SMALL room - the two of us were OK in it, but I cannot imagine the 4 of us in it!

Anyhow - I can't speak to the renting vs CRO, but I think it's worth it to explore a way to experience DVC in conjunction with your first trip. It will alter your perception of WDW as a whole.