Poly - Renting DVC for the first time

[loola30]

With the news that the Poly won't be included in the DDP next year, the logical solution is to rent DVC points (actually, it was probably the logical solution before the announcement but hey ho )

What are the differences between a package with Disney and renting points? The things I've thought of so far are:

• Smaller room? (we usually have two doubles but now the kids would be on a sofa bed in the studios. Not sure if the rooms are actually smaller though?)
  
• Obviously we'd have to crunch some numbers to decide whether to buy the dining plan or pay OOP...
  
• No housekeeping? Have I made that up?
  
• No free Memory Maker?
  
• No $200 gift card
  
• Can I still use the Magical Express?
  
• Can I still request a certain room number / block?

Any insight into the differences between the two would be appreciated as I've been caught a bit off-guard and was just hoping to merrily book my nice easy package with WDW travel.

Although I'm now looking at this in a positive light - renting DVC points could be my first steps in persuading DH we really do need to invest in DVC

[Mrs Pumpkin]

We are DVC Members at Poly and love it.

I don't know if the regular rooms at Poly are bigger/smaller than the DVC rooms, but we feel that the rooms are a very good size.

There is a pull out double sofa bed, and a single pull down murphy bed. We stayed as a family of three - me, hubs, and at the time, my 18 year old son and it was fine for us space wise.

There is the bonus of having a bathroom and a shower room so less worrying about sharing one space.

DDP when you have to pay for it, in our number crunching isn't worth it (for us) so we have not bothered since we have become DVC members.

Housekeeping is not everyday. I can never remember the order, but you get trash and towels after 3/4 days, and then a full service on the 6/7 day. However, in DVC they now empty bins daily as part of the "safety/service check" having got rid of "do not disturb" signs.

I think Memory Maker comes with park tickets now? Double check that one!

No gift card, sorry! Unless the DVC reseller gives you one!

I believe you can use the Magical Express - you're still a Disney guest.

As for room requests, I am not sure if you can request a specific longhouse, but I think you can specify floor, and maybe view? That said, a lake view will be more points.

If you check out my 2016 trip report, there are a ton of pics on about day 5 or 6 where I do a tour of the DVC room and resort as a whole.

Have fun whatever you decide!

[act1980]

The Poly is one of our home resorts and we love it. The studios are so spacious and your kids could have a bed each if they wanted as there's a trunki type bed that pulls down under the TV. Plus you have the split bathroom which is extra handy when there's more of you. Don't forget you get the kitchenette in the studio that you wouldn't get in the hotel, I found this so handy for making lunches for DD. We also used it to have tea and breakfast int he room each morning.

I think the DVC rooms are the same size interally as the hotel rooms as they are made of metal so couldn't do much with the walls if that makes sense. The other thing to consider is that the DVC rooms all have balconies. The hotel rooms have no balconies on the 2nd floors. One of the hotel longhouses doesn't have a lift either.

You can still request a specific room, just email management about a week before your arrival. I did this last year and it was granted!

I think the difference in the decor in the DVC longhouses and rooms is so much better than the regular rooms and longhouses. They just look much newer and nicer IMO. We had a look at the hotel longhouse etc last time and were actually quote shocked at how much we disliked them and how we wouldn't be happy if we were paying those prices. I think it's too much for what they are to be honest.

I've attached some floorpans for comparison. Hope that helps!

[act1980]

Check out this site for anything else you may want to know about the resort tikimanpages/poly/

[The Fatadder]

Isn’t it useful when someone asks exactly the same question you were about to. With no free DDP in October and only a 10% discount in its place I definitely will be pricing up a DVC rental for a 2 bed in comparison with the Disney Travel Co price. Knowing what is and isn’t included really helps

[act1980]

Originally Posted by The Fatadder

Isn’t it useful when someone asks exactly the same question you were about to. With no free DDP in October and only a 10% discount in its place I definitely will be pricing up a DVC rental for a 2 bed in comparison with the Disney Travel Co price. Knowing what is and isn’t included really helps

See more...

The studios really are far superior to the hotel rooms. Renting points is definitely the way to go IMO!

[loola30]

Brilliant! Thank you so very much for all that info everyone. I’ll get in touch with David’s DVC rental in August and get my request in early. Oh I do love the DIBB!

[act1980]

Originally Posted by loola30

Brilliant! Thank you so very much for all that info everyone. I’ll get in touch with David’s DVC rental in August and get my request in early. Oh I do love the DIBB!

See more...

Have a lovely time!

[Firekat]

Originally Posted by loola30

With the news that the Poly won't be included in the DDP next year, the logical solution is to rent DVC points (actually, it was probably the logical solution before the announcement but hey ho )

What are the differences between a package with Disney and renting points? The things I've thought of so far are:

• Smaller room? (we usually have two doubles but now the kids would be on a sofa bed in the studios. Not sure if the rooms are actually smaller though?)
  
• Obviously we'd have to crunch some numbers to decide whether to buy the dining plan or pay OOP...
  
• No housekeeping? Have I made that up?
  
• No free Memory Maker?
  
• No $200 gift card
  
• Can I still use the Magical Express?
  
• Can I still request a certain room number / block?

Any insight into the differences between the two would be appreciated as I've been caught a bit off-guard and was just hoping to merrily book my nice easy package with WDW travel.

Although I'm now looking at this in a positive light - renting DVC points could be my first steps in persuading DH we really do need to invest in DVC

See more...

Thanks for posting this - nice to know someone else is in the same boat! The dining offer has just trown all my plans out the window! Maybe its the push I needed to rent DVC instead!

[onion2803]

We used to rent DVC points every year as it's so much cheaper but when we took the whole family in 2017, we stayed in Poly Club Level with free DDP...I can't begin to tell you how much food that was! We booked with 5 adults per room and rented DVC points too...the DVC studios are so much nicer than the hotel rooms.

We've now bought DVC though so beware how addictive it is...

Re: DDP, we do sometimes get the Deluxe plan if we have a short stay as we spread the credits out and it really does work out well for us based on where we want to eat. In the Poly, you can get Ohana delivered to your room which is literally the best thing ever