We are doing a big trip for H’s 40th/DS’s 5th birthdays next year in the last week of February. Would you do DVC rental (we would try for Beach Club or Wilderness, or the Poly if rates were good enough) or a regular room rental (probably Wilderness)? I don’t know much about DVC except that you aren’t eligible for free dining, but I’m not sure that’s usually offered in February anyway. Are there any other potential package discounts we lose by doing DVC?
I would rent a room. I like the flexibility to change when offers come out and I prefer the bed configurations of the rooms to the DVC studios. We don’t care about kitchens though.
I've heard of the Stay, Play and Dine package and they offer a percentage off rooms, but there is always a lot of fine print - only offered at very specific hotels and/or must include park hopper, etc. They also aren't released very far in advance, which can make it hard to plan for.
We rented from the DVC Rental Store and we were extremely happy with it! We felt like we saved a lot of money compared to the rack rate on the website and the agents there were very helpful and eager to answer any questions.
Post by covergirl82 on Apr 10, 2019 13:48:24 GMT -5
We prefer renting DVC points because we can stay at a nicer resort for less money. (For comparison, we paid about the same for a week at Caribbean Beach (moderate) and a week at Poly (deluxe). I think we had even gotten a discounted rate for the CBR room because they were running a deal at the time.)
We were happy with the layout and room amenities of the DVC studio we rented at Poly. My DS slept on the pull-out couch, and my DD slept on the twin-size Murphy bed. The nice thing about the Poly studios is that they have two bathrooms - one full, and one with a shower and sink.
We do not get the dining plan, so it's not an issue for us.
Keep in mind for DVC rental that you don't get your room cleaned every day. (Although we did get the trash taken out every day.) However, I believe you can pay a small fee for them to come and clean it each day.
We’ve stayed at both BCV and regular beach club. We preferred regular but dd will not sleep in a different room than us in a strange place. Our regular BC room had an awesome daybed for her and was much closer to the pool, gift shop/QS and transportation than our BCV room.
Post by curbsideprophet on Apr 11, 2019 21:21:45 GMT -5
Copper Creek and Boulder Ridge do not have studio availability for the last week of Feb. 1 Bedrooms are available though. Beach Club and the Poly have studios.
I think Feb is typically a slower month for DVC (except for around race weekends). The 11 month window is already open. I would make your request before the 7 month window opens if you want to go the DVC route.
Of those, I have only stayed at BCV. I have not stayed on the hotel side to compare. We were in a 2 bedroom so had access to a full kitchen and washer and dryer. Could be worth considering a 1 bedroom depending on how long your trip is.