The only thing that makes a Disney vacation even better is if you can ramp up the luxe. Whether you’re looking to visit Disneyland in California, Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawaii, or one of the Walt Disney World resorts, renting DVC points is the way to have a champagne Disney vacation on a beer budget. Scoring a lodging deal with David’s Vacation Club Rentals can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars while you stay at one of Disney’s most beautiful resorts! Here’s how to do it.
Is David’s Vacation Club Rentals Legitimate?
David’s Vacation Club Rentals is our go-to lodging trick. The hidden bonus? Not only will you save money, you’ll get more perks for the cash you do spend. David’s DVC Rental is legit.
Here’s how to book, our tips and what to consider when planning your Disney vacation. If you already know all of that, skip on down to the sections titled How Does Booking with David’s DVC Rental Work or Your DVC Points Check-In and Theme Park Experience.
Read More: How to rent DVC points
What is David’s Vacation Club Rentals?
The Disney Vacation Club is Disney’s vacation ownership program — the company’s “timeshare, division, if you will. David’s DVC Rental is a company that helps you book Disney Vacation Club rooms that DVC owners aren’t going to use.
You can read all of the details about Disney Vacation Club, including a discussion of whether it’s worth the price, in this post.
Renting DVC Points: Why Should I Use a Service?
Disney Vacation Club members pay for a certain number of points per year. If they don’t use all of them for their own family vacation, they can recoup some of that cost by “renting” the points to non-DVC members.
You might be asking if DVC members can rent out their points to vacationers, why should I use David’s DVC rental service? Safety and the security of your vacation funds are the major reason to use David’s Vacation Rentals.
If you do a private Disney Vacation Club point rental directly with a DVC member, there is risk involved on both sides of the transaction. The DVC member can be responsible for damages by the renter (for example if someone smokes in the room). Meanwhile, you’re reliant on someone else doing everything correctly for your vacation to go smoothly.
What are the Benefits of Using David’s Vacation Club Rentals?
We don’t just recommend David’s DVC Rentals, we’ve used the service personally. Our trips have ranged from hosted trips where we can see the experience to personally funded family vacations where we’re trying to make our own vacation dollars stretch further.
SheBuysTravel contributor Tami used David’s Vacation Club Rentals for her family trip and was impressed with the entire experience.
Fans of renting DVC points often claim you can score Deluxe Disney Resort reservations at Moderate Disney Resort prices, so I decided to take the plunge. They were right! And I was pleasantly surprised with how easy the process was through David’s Vacation Club Rentals.
I was booking only 3 months in advance so, unsurprisingly, there was no availability for my first choice resort. David’s immediately emailed me a list of great alternatives. The email communications were all prompt and clear, eliminating any confusion I may have had as a first-time renter.
Within 24 hours of booking and payment, the company emailed me a confirmation number. I was able to enter it into My Disney Experience and see our reservation.
I will definitely book again through David’s Vacation Club Rentals, and have no qualms recommending it to friends. Next time we’ll need to book a bigger room. We found a DVC Studio with one queen and a full-size murphy bed was too cramped for our family of four.”
– Tami Mittan, SheBuysTravel.com contributor and owner of ColoradoMountainMom.com
What Perks Are Included with Disney Vacation Club Resorts?
This is where the savings really multiply. A Disney Vacation Club room isn’t just a hotel room. DVC rooms are all located in Disney’s deluxe resorts. We have a complete rundown of the Disney World Resort property levels that helps break down the differences.
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Honestly, being able to stay in at a deluxe resort for prices closer to the moderate level alone makes it worth it to me! I’m a value-oriented girl. That’s money saved that I can put towards my annual pass, snacks and drinking around the world at EPCOT (priorities). As the guest in a DVC room you’ll have access to some extra perks and savings, such Extended Evening Hours and free resort parking. Owners’ dues cover the cost of parking.
Also, we were able to ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind during the previews while staying in a DVC property. I had signed up for a slot as an annual passholder but after looking at my friend’s DVC hotel booking they let her through as well since DVC members were also previewing. This, of course, is not a guaranteed perk, but we were very glad it happened during our visit!
Which Resorts are Available from David’s Vacation Club Rentals?
David’s DVC Rental currently lists point rental reservations at the following Walt Disney World resorts in Florida:
- Animal Kingdom Villas at Animal Kingdom Lodge (Kidani Village and Jambo House)
- Magic Kingdom area resorts including Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Polynesian Villas and Bungalows at Polynesian Village Resort, and Disney’s Grand Floridian
- Copper Creek Villas and Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- EPCOT area resorts including Boardwalk Villas and Disney’s Beach Club Villas
- Disney’s Riviera Resort
- Disney’s Old Key West Resort and Saratoga Springs Resort
Properties in other areas are:
- The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa (Disneyland)
- Disney’s Vero Beach Resort (Vero Beach, Florida)
- Hilton Head Island in South Carolina
- Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa in Ko Olina (Oahu Hawaii)
CHECK RESORT PRICES / AVAILABILITY
How Much Does David’s DVC Rental Really Cost?
There is a little math involved in figuring out how much a stay will actually cost. Most costs are listed per point. You need to determine how many points per night you’ll need and multiply that by the number of nights you want to stay.
Luckily, David’s Vacation Club Rental has a cost calculator that will allow you to figure out how much you’ll spend on your stay. Quoted prices even include taxes and fees.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Are your dates flexible? Maybe you’re looking for a spontaneous last minute Disney experience? Be sure to sign up for David’s Last Minute Specials Email List for access to special deals!
Our Points Rental vs David’s DVC Rental Cost Comparison
Here’s one example I found as I was researching this post: a Disney World visit from May 26- June 3, 2024, David’s has a dedicated reservation to Beach Club Villas available. It’s a one bedroom that sleeps up to 4 adults. With David’s DVC Rental you’ll pay $5,934 (258 points at $23 per point, including taxes).
That same room isn’t even available for those 8 nights through Disney. A traditional hotel room runs $871.34/night before taxes. Your total after taxes for the stay would be $7842.02. That is $1908.02 more than renting DVC points! You can buy a lot of Mickey pretzels and Dole whips with that.
What’s the Booking Process for DVC point rentals?
Planning is key here. Rentals go quickly and looking at dates that are further out increases your chances of success. You aren’t going to “book a room,” you’re going to fill out a reservation form online. This form is going to list your dates, resorts and rooms in order of interest and all of your travel party’s information.
You’ll also pay a $105 deposit when submitting your request.
CHECK RESORT PRICES / AVAILABILITY
Why Does David’s Vacation Club Rentals Charge a Fee to Book?
This is one of the things that people get hung up on, and rightly so. No one wants to be the victim of a scam.
Resorts book up far in advance. Your $105 payment is not a fee. It is a partial payment. Having a partial payment on hand allows David’s to immediately start the booking process if one of your desired resorts is available. The company will refund your money if there aren’t any reservations available. If your resort choice is available they’ll book it. That $105 goes towards your total cost.
I can personally attest to this. I tried to book a stay with points early last December. It was definitely a long shot at a busy time of year, but it was worth a try. Unfortunately, nothing was available. I got my money within 36 hours.
We ended up staying at Disney’s All Star Music Resort (not my fave). I will look earlier in the future.
What Happens When My David’s Vacation Rental Request is Accepted?
When your request is accepted, the company will apply the partial payment to your booking.
You then complete the online payment form and pay the remaining balance. This final payment serves as acceptance of the DVC rental contract. Check your email for the confirmation number and get ready to enter it into your My Disney Experience account so you can start planning!
SheBuysTravel Tip: Double and triple check your My Disney Experience account before booking. You must use the same email address used for MDE in order to link the reservations.
Two Major Things to Know about DVC Point Rental
1. It’s Nonrefundable
Traditionally you have not been able to cancel or change dates and get your money back.
Vacation points rental is still best if you know your dates are solid. However, David’s Vacation Club has created their Deferred Dreams Cancellation policy for bookings secured after March 18, 2024.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Buy travel insurance and make sure it covers illness of you or someone in your party. This way if you need to cancel due to an emergency, you can put in for a reimbursement from your travel insurance company.
2. The Money is Due When You Book
You will be required to pay for the entirety of your lodging within 24 hours of getting the booking. Regular Disney hotel rooms only require you to pay a deposit equivalent to one night’s stay.
David’s pays DVC owners the day the reservation is booked. This means that you need to pay David’s. Accepted payment methods are Visa, Mastercard and PayPal.
David’s Vacation Club Deferred Dreams Cancellation Policy
There is now a way to book with a little more peace of mind. David’s has added a Deferred Dreams Cancellation policy. Your reservation must have been secured after March 18, 2024. Partial travel credits for the future are available for cancellations based on how far out you are.
If you’re more than 120 days away from check in you’re eligible for a Deferred Dreams travel credit for the full value of your reservation, minus your $105 deposit.
Is your check in date less than 14 days away? Sorry, no refund or credit will be available. Everything else falls in between. David’s recommends that you still purchase travel insurance just in case. Travel insurance can also cover other expenses like your tickets, dining reservations and more.
Make sure that you read all of the details. Cancellation requests have very specific procedures. They have to be in writing and the timing has to be before 5:30p. You have 36 months to use the travel credits.
Before You Travel To Your Disney Points Rental You Should
There are several things that will make your Disney vacation go smoother. After your reservation confirmation use this checklist.
- Connect your My Disney Experience account to your reservation.
- Book your park tickets and park reservations!
- Put in your MagicBand order (on My Disney Experience) so they are waiting for you when you arrive. You can also set up your passcodes for charging if you’d like to pay for things like food with your MagicBand.
- Book your Disney Dining Plan.
- Make dining reservations.
Your DVC Points Check-In and Theme Park Experience
During a girlfriend getaway to
We definitely got the full experience, including a slight hiccup with our lodging. I’ve always wondered what happens if something goes wrong with a DVC point rental room. Will you still get the same Disney customer service as a “normal” guest?
Well, when the My Disney Experience app told us our room was ready, we happily brought our luggage over. However, when we opened the door, it wasn’t clean. Bedding was a mess, there was trash around the room and towels were strewn about. Obviously, Mousekeeping hadn’t performed their magic.
This was a bummer. After drinking our way around EPCOT (hey, it was an assignment!), we were ready to lay down for a bit before trying to catch the Magic Kingdom nighttime show.
I phoned the Disney customer service line from outside the room. They promised to start working on a solution and call us back. To our surprise (and delight) we were upgraded to a 2 bedroom villa! It was incredible. We each got our own bedroom and I did my laundry in the unit before flying home. We can attest that if something goes wrong, Disney Cast Members will take care of you.
Theme Park Perks for Deluxe Resort Guests
Guests of all
There was no discernible difference between booking as a points rental guest and as a traditional guest. Booking a points room gives you access to all of the same benefits of booking a
Overall, it’s one of our favorite ways to save money and give your Disney vacation an upgrade.
Would you book a room with points? What questions do you have?
