If you’ve been researching your next Disney World vacation you know how expensive staying at a Disney resort hotel can be. The price of the deluxe resorts in particular can be breathtaking!
But there is a more affordable way to stay at a deluxe Disney resort — renting Disney Vacation Club points!
What the heck are Disney Vacation Club points? And how can they help you save money?
Disney Vacation Club is Disney’s version of a timeshare. Unlike a traditional timeshare in which owners buy a specific size unit in a set time of year, the Disney Vacation Club (DVC) works on a point system — when you buy into the DVC, you purchase a number of points. When you want to stay at a DVC resort, you can then use those points, as each room and each night of a stay is assigned a point value. This gives DVC owners the flexibility to travel when they want, as often as they want, for however long they want, and in whatever size unit they choose.
If a DVC owner is unable to use their allotted points before they expire they have the option to “rent” them to someone else. The renter pays an agreed-to price per point, for the number of points they need to stay at their desired resort. It’s a one-time thing, and the DVC owner has the same number of points available to them during their next year — but as the points “renter” you will become a sort of temporary DVC owner, for the duration of your vacation stay.
If you know a DVC owner who wants to rent you their points, the two of you can make your own arrangements. But what if you’d like to investigate renting points, and you DON’T know a DVC owner? Don’t worry, there’s still a way for you to take advantage of this option.
There are actually companies that match owners who — for whatever reason — are unable to use their points to another individual who wants to stay at a Disney Vacation Club villa.
These companies know the Disney Vacation Club system intimately, and also know all about each DVC resort and Disney destination. Acting as the intermediary between the guest and owner, these companies can answer questions and help guide you through the rental process.
So how does this help you save money? The way you save is that the price you spend for renting the points will be far less than what you would pay to book the same resort with Disney directly. Have you always wanted to stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, but just couldn’t afford it? Have you been dreaming of playing in Stormalong Bay, but could never quite make yourself pay Beach Club room rates? Renting DVC points might just be the answer you’ve been searching for.
Take a look at these examples of actual bookings available through AllEars.net partner David’s Vacation Club Rentals (DVCR), which specializes in facilitating the DVC point rental process. These bookings are for a room for two adults and two children for the week of October 5-11 and were available as of earlier this month:
|
Old Key West
Studio |
Bay Lake Towers
Studio – Lake View |
Animal Kingdom Villas/ Kidani Village
Studio – Savanna View |
Renting DVC points through David’s Vacation Club Rentals | $1088.00 | $1962.00 | $1764.00 |
Disney Central Reservations | $2698.00 | $4,387.53 | $3799.15 |
Savings | $1610.00 | $2425.53 | $2035.15 |
If you’re skeptical, you can create your own example by checking out one of the Walt Disney World Resort’s Disney Vacation Club properties listed below and comparing the price Disney quotes for a stay to the price DVCR quotes for the same stay.
- Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House and Kidani Village
- Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Beach Club Villas at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resort
- Boardwalk Villas at Disney’s Boardwalk
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Old Key West
- Saratoga Springs and Tree House Villas
- Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian
- Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Copper Creek Villas and Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
As with anything, there are pros and cons to renting DVC points.
The Pros:
- You will be saving, potentially substantially, over comparable Disney room rates.
- You will be staying at deluxe accommodations that includes kitchen facilities and, in some cases, laundry facilities, too.
- You will enjoy the same benefits as other guests staying at a Disney resort, including Extra Magic Hours, complimentary Disney transportation (including Magical Express), advanced FastPass+ booking windows, complimentary self-parking at resort. (Note that you will not be entitled to any annual pass discounts, park entry discounts, merchandise discounts, or restaurant discounts that a DVC guest would receive.)
The Cons
- You may not be able to rent points for the exact dates you want; you may have to be flexible with your dates.
- You will not receive daily Housekeeping during your stay — you receive the same Housekeeping service as normal DVC owners. That means you will get Trash and Towel service on stays of more than four nights. If your stay is for eight nights or longer, you will receive a full cleaning service on day four, and Trash and Towel service on day eight. (Additional service is available for an extra fee.)
- There is a small chance that the DVC Owner may cancel the reservation. In this instance, though, the points-rental company should help you find other accommodations or issue a refund.
- All sales are final. Due to the complexity of banking and borrowing DVC points, cancellations, upgrades and date modifications are not permitted.
Now that you know about this secret to saving on your next Disney vacation, you may want to look further into renting DVC points. The amount you save could help you pay for your airfare, admission tickets, meals and more.
To learn more about renting Disney Vacation Club points, click here to visit our “Renting DVC Points page.” You can also call AllEars.Net’s partner David’s Vacation Club Rentals toll-free at (800) 610-5791.
Have you rented DVC points before? Would you recommend it to others? What do you find to be the advantages and disadvantages? Leave us a note in the comments below.
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We’ve used David’s and they are amazing. Hoping make arrangements again soon. I recommended them to a friend and she has now used them twice and loves them. Cannot say enough positive things about them.
If you’re really set on staying at one of these high-end places, yes, this will save you money versus booking the same room with Disney direct. But it’s not cheaper than other on property options that give you more space. I’ve looked a this multiple times and can still stay with my family in a 1-bedroom suite at art of animation with 2 full bathrooms for far less than a studio at most of these DVC resorts. Keep in mind also, this is just the room- it does not include park tickets or any food or meals. So even if you book this, you still have to pay for those items in some fashion. Whether you do a dining plan or if you buy your own food to prepare, there is still a cost somewhere. I still come out way ahead booking a free dining vacation package at a value resort with far larger accommodations than booking a studio room only plus extras out of pocket. Same applies on the cruise ships- I can get 2 interior cabins with much more square footage than one verandah room. You have to break out the cost per person and look at exactly how much you’re getting. Deluxe doesn’t automatically mean more space. Renting points is a good way to go if you’re only wishing to experience a resort, but it’s not a money-saver for an entire family vacation.
I have used David’s Vacation Club Rental twice, and both times were fantastic! Everyone at DVCR is so knowledgeable and responded to my many questions quickly. We saved a ton of money, but from the moment we arrived at the resorts we were treated EXACTLY like we were the DVC members. We had a reservation number, so we accessed the WDW app and got FPs and meal reservations just like normal, with the same timelines. I highly recommend!!!!
I have rented points many times from DVC owners and had no problems. With this great service I have been able to stay at the deluxe resorts such as Boardwalk and Beach Club which are ideally situated, which I would not have been able to do otherwise. Renting points can even be cheaper than booking at a moderate or value resort as I found out last year when booking for a family of four for two weeks.
I love WDW, but really, who in their right mind would pay the regular price ($400 a night and up) for one of those rooms?
I completely agree. There are so many nice hotels off property with MUCH nicer rooms and beds. I typically pay around $100 a night for a 4 star property. Still cheaper than the cinderblock “value” resorts at WDW. I’d rather be more comfortable and have more space than “in the bubble”. I’ve done both and off property and more spending money wins every time. Back in the day, having an annual pass gave you a 40% discount at the Deluxe resorts. I stayed at AKL for $130 a night. I think I paid under $500 for my pass and this was around 2004. Long gone are those days buddy!
Long gone indeed. In September 2004 we stayed at the All Star Music on an annual pass discount rate of $49 per night (and no parking fee).
Renting points from David’s Vacation Club Rental is truly as good as advertised. They are efficient, helpful, and wonderful. And the rooms are amazing. I have rented from them twice. The first time I was nervous about it but it went very smoothly. The savings seems too good to be true but it’s not.
That’s great to hear. Thank you so much!
If you are staying on dvc points, do you still get complimentary self-parking at resort as listed in the pros above?
Hi Erin — do you mean if you’re not renting points? Disney Vacation Club Members will not be charged for standard overnight self-parking when staying at a DVC Deluxe Villa, regardless of whether they use vacation points or another form of payment. Members also will not be charged to park when using vacation points to stay at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel.
We are using dvc points that belong to a friend this summer. Will we have to pay for parking? I was thinking we would, but this post makes me think we won’t.
If you’re using DVC points, no, you shouldn’t have to pay for self-parking at the resort where you’re staying. You are essentially “renting” your friend’s points.