Tips on Booking YC/BC/BW

[RichPensacola]

My fiancé and I are going in October '22 and are getting married at Paradise Cove while we're there. We currently are booked at Caribbean but would love to switch to Yacht Club, Beach Club or Boardwalk so that we can walk to Epcot. Does anyone have any suggestions on booking those without paying an arm and a leg (I haven't explored renting someone's DVC points). We are Florida residents and are a family of 5. When do they open Florida resident discounts for that time? TIA

 

[MakiraMarlena]

family of 5, you can rent a studio or one BR at BW if you are a close family. for more room, check out a 2 bedroom. October is now one of the more expensive times of year and very popular, and Epcot area stuff might be booked up at the 11 month window already.

 

[Prince John Robin Hood]

I would recommend looking into renting DVC. Some websites allow for cancellations if ever you change your mind.

 

[RichPensacola]

family of 5, you can rent a studio or one BR at BW if you are a close family. for more room, check out a 2 bedroom. October is now one of the more expensive times of year and very popular, and Epcot area stuff might be booked up at the 11 month window already.

One BR will do. It’s us and our 3 kids and the oldest will be 12. I heard they won’t open up Florida resident prices until later in the year. Do you know if that Is that correct? We used to love going in October because it was slow! That stinks it’s busy now.

 

[RichPensacola]

I would recommend looking into renting DVC. Some websites allow for cancellations if ever you change your mind.

Do you have recommendations on which sites to use? I’ve never rented DVC before

 

[MakiraMarlena]

yes, you won't see any discounts for October when using cash booking (as opposed to DVC rental) until much later. And they might or might not offer them.

Staying at beach/yacht/BW is going to be expensive no matter what. If the location is what is important to you, also check out the Swan/Dolphin/Swan Reserve. the only big difference besides the fact that they are not Disney resorts is that they are no longer using WDW bus transportation, but that may be because of current shortages of drivers.

 

[eandt]

yes, you won't see any discounts for October when using cash booking (as opposed to DVC rental) until much later. And they might or might not offer them.

Staying at beach/yacht/BW is going to be expensive no matter what. If the location is what is important to you, also check out the Swan/Dolphin/Swan Reserve. the only big difference besides the fact that they are not Disney resorts is that they are no longer using WDW bus transportation, but that may be because of current shortages of drivers.

Wow really? We have stayed at Swan/Dolphin in the past and really enjoyed it there but this would be a deal breaker for us unless we decided to spring for ride share service as our mode of transportation.

 

[Marthasor]

yes, you won't see any discounts for October when using cash booking (as opposed to DVC rental) until much later. And they might or might not offer them.

Staying at beach/yacht/BW is going to be expensive no matter what. If the location is what is important to you, also check out the Swan/Dolphin/Swan Reserve. the only big difference besides the fact that they are not Disney resorts is that they are no longer using WDW bus transportation, but that may be because of current shortages of drivers.

Wow really? We have stayed at Swan/Dolphin in the past and really enjoyed it there but this would be a deal breaker for us unless we decided to spring for ride share service as our mode of transportation.

Swan, Dolphin and Swan Reserve still offer bus transportation to MK and AK. Swan Reserve guests need to walk over to the Swan or Dolphin to get the bus and the Friendship Boats. Buses still pick up at Swan and Dolphin - they go to TTC to access MK and go to the AK bus area, just like the WDW buses. You can also utilize the buses at YC/BC and BWI if you want direct access to the bus area at MK. Other than dropping off at TTC, the bus service is essentially the same as it used to be - it's just being offered by the resort itself and no longer managed by WDW. Please don't be confused - just because WDW isn't managing their bus system, doesn't mean they don't have buses.

Edited to add: I second the recommendation to look into the Swan (which we prefer) or the Dolphin. They are our go-to when deluxe prices are through the roof. You can call to get connecting rooms and even 1- and 2-bedroom suites. If you can stay in one room, Dolphin rooms sleep 5. They also have Family Rooms that offer a little more space and sleep 5. Last week, we stayed in a 2-bedroom, grand suite at the Swan for the cost of one, rack rate room at the Grand Floridian. If you want to consider this option, I would call Swan/Dolphin directly to get the best rates.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Swan and Dolphin are currently offering bus transportation, but they are not using Disney buses, nor are they using the WDW resort bus stops. Their buses will now stop at TTC for MK (WDW buses do not use TTC, they have bus stops near the park), everywhere else they will be at the third party bus stops, wherever each park and Disney Springs has them.

yes, it is possible to walk over to a neighboring resort and use the buses.

 

[Prince John Robin Hood]

Do you have recommendations on which sites to use? I’ve never rented DVC before

I haven't rented DVC in a long time but read these guys have a flexible cancellation policy https://dvcrentalstore.com/guests/cancellation/

If you are confident you won't be cancelling you can save money by renting directly from a DVC owner on disboards.

 

[mdinme]

Disboards has a rent board

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Our family of 5 is a big fan of renting points to stay on Crescent Lake. We did it for our 2019 trip and have a rental booked for August already. Both times we used the Dis rental board with excellent results.

Our August '22 rental is going to cost us about $90 less *per night* than our placeholder reservation for CBR. Even if Disney drops excellent discounts for that time, our rental will be cheaper than a 25% off CBR room with a much better location.

 

[eandt]

Our family of 5 is a big fan of renting points to stay on Crescent Lake. We did it for our 2019 trip and have a rental booked for August already. Both times we used the Dis rental board with excellent results.

Our August '22 rental is going to cost us about $90 less *per night* than our placeholder reservation for CBR. Even if Disney drops excellent discounts for that time, our rental will be cheaper than a 25% off CBR room with a much better location.

Agree on using the rental board. We found a great owner (lots of them here) that we rented from 2x's before we joined ourselves and had a great experience! Both of our rental trips were pre virus and a bit last minute so there was not much chance of cancellation but I would most definitely rent again should we ever need points. It does take some trust on both ends of the deal but if you do your due diligence it will benefit both sides. Be cautious though because as many here say once you have stayed in Disney deluxe it is tough to go back