New Guy

[khwags22]

Hi all,

I'm new to the Disney scene but I was told renting DVC points was the best way to go when planning a Disney vacation with your family. I have 4 kids and want to start planning for February of 2020. Any insight on how the whole renting points works? Thanks in advance.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Hi all,

I'm new to the Disney scene but I was told renting DVC points was the best way to go when planning a Disney vacation with your family. I have 4 kids and want to start planning for February of 2020. Any insight on how the whole renting points works? Thanks in advance.

You might check out the Rent/Trade Board on the DVC Board and read all the sticky threads at the top of the page.

Also, with four kids, guessing at least one might be under the age of three, you could squeeze into a studio or one bedroom that sleeps five until the last one is at least three. Then you are a party of six (guessing you plus spouse plus four kids all three or older) and need a two bedroom villa. You won't save as much booking a two bedroom villa.

 

[khwags22]

You might check out the Rent/Trade Board on the DVC Board and read all the sticky threads at the top of the page.

Also, with four kids, guessing at least one might be under the age of three, you could squeeze into a studio or one bedroom that sleeps five until the last one is at least three. Then you are a party of six (guessing you plus spouse plus four kids all three or older) and need a two bedroom villa. You won't save as much booking a two bedroom villa.

Thanks for the response. Our youngest is 4 years old now, will be 5 by next year and our oldest is 10. We're planning on only doing 3 nights. Wasn't sure which hotels were the best.

 

[Donna M]

We brought a family with 4 kids and got them a 2 bedroom at Old Key West. They needed it. I was shocked at how messy they were able to get the living room with what they brought. Old Key West has the largest living room, which I would want if I had 4 kids. OKW also requires the fewest points.

 

[khwags22]

Thanks Donna!

 

[Deb & Bill]

But the best thing about a two bedroom villa is the full kitchen and washer and dryer in the villa. You can save a little on eating out and go home with clean clothes. But a two bedroom villa will still cost more renting points than a Ft Wilderness Cabin (sleeps six) or an All Stars Family Suite (sleeps six).

 

[mustinjourney]

you can also book two studios -- but keep in mind it is zero guarantee that the two rooms will be close to each other. Best option with two studios is Poly since they do have quite a large number of studios and some, if not all, are connecting.

 

[khwags22]

Thats a great tip!. Thank you!

 

[Frederic Civish]

2 bedroom at Animal Kingdom would be good, and should have good availability.

I suggest, since you are just starting out, that you go through one of the Rental Brokers, such as David's or DVC-Rental. They are very professional. One requires a deposit to search. The other doesn't

 

[Mumof4mice]

If you use a heavy stroller for your four year old, I would recommend 2 studios at the Polynesian. You can push the stroller straight onto the monorail and the ferry, and Poly is a 5 minute walk through lovely landscaped grounds to the transportation and ticketing center where you can take the Epcot monorail. It's harder for your group to split up (one parent takes older kids, one takes stroller kid) at a resort that relies on buses because lugging a folded stroller while controlling an excited toddler where buses are coming and going is stressful.

Having your own washer and dryer (in the 2br) is great when traveling with children. But for a 3 day trip, not essential.

Second @Frederic Civish that renting from a broker is safe and easy for a beginner. Just remember to get travel insurance. Good luck and have fun!

 

[suebeelin]

With that many kids spanning btwn 4-10, I would do an easy access resort (monorail or walking distance to two parks). I hate breaking down the stroller, and my kids really enjoy being close to their hotel rooms (less bus!)

The most convenient resorts for this are bay lake, Polynesian, boardwalk and beach club.

For 4 kids, I would do a 2bd except poly with 2 connecting studios. The 2bds will allow you to cook easily, especially with the advent of instacart and Whole Foods/amazon now.

My favorite area is personally the boardwalk/beach club area bc there’s plenty of entertainment right outside the resort, plus walk to Epcot or Hollywood.

Note that renting points is still more expensive than a value resort, so it’s abput budget vs convenience/nicer habitat.
Have fun!

 

[khwags22]

Thank you all for the great advice

 

[Shellyred8]

How many adults will be going with those 4 kids?

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you book two studios and they aren't Polynesian studios that connect (not all do though), you and your spouse will need to split up with you in one room with a few kids and spouse in the other room with a few kids. Polynesian is the only resort that has connecting studios and they aren't guaranteed.

It's the same issue you get booking two hotel rooms. Connecting rooms are just a request and not a guarantee.

 

[Marionnette]

Take a look at the points calculators. David's has a good one.

https://www.dvcrequest.com/cost-calculator.asp

It's not unusual for an OKW 2BR villa to require fewer points than 2 Poly studios. If saving money is more important than proximity to the parks, I would choose the OKW 2BR. They've been recently refurbished and everyone gets a real bed, not a fold-down, flip out makeshift bed unless you need to separate the kids and one sleeps on the living room soda bed. Real beds. The living room will be a godsend when it comes time to put the kids down for the night in the second bedroom. And even if you don't do a speck of cooking, the full kitchen is worth it just for a quick breakfast before hitting the parks. Plus you're guaranteed to be together in one villa.

A couple more points, since OKW is older, larger and well-established, your chances of renting successfully are greatly increased because there are more owners there and they are more likely to put their points up for rental than Poly owners, who bought only recently and tend to use their points for themselves. Agencies like David's charge less per point for OKW than they do for Poly. So fewer points + less $/pt. = more money saved.

 

[khwags22]

This information is great! Thank you all