POR vs. WL DVC - What would you do?

We are looking at a trip next August, 8 days 7 nights. For our family of 5, we have two options: POR or WL DVC Studio. DVC studio would be $1694 through David’s DVC rental. POR would be $1262 at rack rate, or $1010 if a RO discount of 20% was available.

What would you do, and why? If the DVC option, how do I sell it to DW, who would choose simply by the $$.

Hotel wise, I say WL all the way (and I’ve stayed at both) but if money is an issue you have to do POR.

Are you going with little kids? If you want to use that as a bargaining chip for WL you can say ease to MK.

We aren’t pool people but that is a big factor in August for some people – I don’t know which pool is nicer.

Kids will be 12, 8 & 8. I’m just thinking that almost $700 is a lot for a room we won’t spend much time in. OTHO, I love the look of WL.

I really enjoyed both resorts. Still, WL has a single bus stop at the resort and is easier to manage, transportation-wise. POR was fine if you didn’t mind walking (depending on your room location) or being at the mercy of a multi-stop bus system (which wasn’t horrible, just wasn’t that great). For what it’s worth, though, WL buses stop at FW, so it’s not a direct trip there either.

We’ve always stayed at POR (3 times) but that was in September. I’d like to do something different, but finding it hard to justify the cost. Being a family of 5 cuts out a lot of options.

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I’ve stayed in both and if the extra money isn’t going to mean eating Mac n cheese the rest of the year or cutting into other essentials, it is absolutely worth it. POR is beautiful, but WL is so magical and the location is great. The boat to MK or to Contemporary gives a whole different vibe than climbing on a big bus, and opens up lots of dining options. We also had perfect bus service when we went in mid January, even the couple times we shared with FW or GF.

Just adored WL, and though POR is lovely, I’m having a hard time not going back to WL LOL!

Don’t forget to keep in mind the differences in the cancellation policy when you rent DVC versus going through Disney. If there is a chance of changing or cancelling you’ll want to give that some thought. I would also be far more likely to get trip insurance if I was LOCKED IN like when you rent points.

That’s another consideration. DW won’t get her vacation schedule until the beginning of the year, and according to David’s website, Studios often book by 10 months out – meaning October. Of course, if that happens, I’ll just have to go with the kids myself :smiley:

Ok you can’t use the excuse of “it’s easier with the little ones” then :frowning: but you also might want to take into consideration the room size. I don’t know the proportions. Is one bigger than the other?

WL is 40 sq. ft. Larger. Not a lot of difference, but maybe enough.

I’m trying for ya :slight_smile:

I know, and I appreciate it. :smiley: I’ll keep working on it.

We faced a similar decision and went with WL through David’s. I called WL day of booking directly (since POFQ and Poly pool renos were fresh issues then) and they told me there were definitely absolutely no known plans for any refurbs during our stay. Of course, now, we have face a couple of bumps - WL pool/geyser area closed, and an additional family member wants to come. David’s has been friendly but entirely unwavering. No refunds. No attempts to change suite type or resort. No, no, no. SO… it’s a good deal, but we’ll never do it again through a points broker.
For 5 people we’d do POR preferred room OR AoA family suite OR Cabins at FW. Also, transportation from WL to anywhere but MK can apparently be a bit of a hassle (sometimes shared buses with multiple other resorts), but from AoA was amazing (no sharing ever) and apparently from POR still not too bad (only POR +/- POFQ).
Not to be a downer, I just happened to run into some bad luck.

David’s says 10 months, but we booked our November 1 BR villa in May with no problem. So, can be a problem but isn’t necessarily one.

We’ve done POR before, with minimal bus problems, and rarely sharing. I have to look at AOA and the cabins to see if either work price-wise. Thanks for the suggestions.

Thanks for that info. Since we will be going August it might be an issue, but once DW gets her schedule maybe we’ll put in for it to see if we get it, while having a backup reservation at another resort.

We stayed at VWL studio in Feb. And really enjoyed it. I liked how quit it was and all the activities there was to do and the ease to get to MK. I will say that there were 4 of us and we were a little cramped. My Dd9 slept in the pull down bed. Not sure that my DS13 would be able to fit.

If WL gets a RO discount of 30-35% would it make it cheaper than DVC rental? Last time we went the RO discount at WL was the way to go. And I thought it ended up being only $300-400 more than POR.

Hmmm. I’ll have to look at that. DS.made a spreadsheet with the rack rate info, so I should be able to modify it easy enough.

We own DVC and I just think 5 will be tight in a studio. Haven’t stayed at POR is yrs so cannot compare. And if you need any type of flexibility, don’t rent those points. Not sure even points insurance would help in that instance. Otoh, I love WL but if ya do it someday, get at least a 1bdrm villa with washer/dryer in room.