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Is a luxury Disney vacation on your family vacation bucket list, but not in the family budget? Then you need to know the secret Disney insiders know: You can rent DVC points! They’re the key to having a luxury Disney vacation on a budget. Are you ready to save money while staying at a Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Hotel or even Aulani, Disney’s luxury Hawaiian resort? Read on to learn how to do just that by renting Disney Vacation Club points.
I get it. You’re not ready to commit to buying a Disney Vacation Club membership but you want the Bada Bing Bada Wow! factor of staying in a Disney Vacation Club property. You can totally do that!
If you’re not ready to commit to buying into the Disney time share program but still want to have the DVC experience, you can! Here’s some basics on renting someone else’s DVC points.
How Do You Rent DVC Points?
It’s simple: The person who owns the DVC points agrees to rent the points in exchange for a certain sum of money. The owner makes the room reservation in the name of the renter. That’s it. Really.
This same process applies if a DVC Member wants to book a room for someone else. For example, if I wanted to gift my daughter and her family a three-night stay, I could make the reservations for her in her name and she’d go check-in and have fun. The rental process follows these same lines.
Of course, that assumes you know someone who is a DVC member that has points she is willing to rent. So what if you don’t know a Disney Vacation Club member? No problem! Disboards has a forum to connect people who are looking to buy and sell points.
While making an arrangement with an individual comes with some risks, this forum does appear to be very well structured and well managed.
The Safest Way to Rent DVC Points
TravelingMom recommends David’s Vacation Club Rentals. for saving money on our favorite deluxe resorts, including Animal Kingdom Lodge and Saratoga Springs. It’s an established company with a very good reputation. There’s a lot of selection and the process is laid out very clearly. See more details in this video:
If I were renting points, I’d prefer to deal with a company versus an individual. That’s a personal choice.
What Are the Pros of Renting DVC Points?
Renting DVC points is a great way to maximize your Disney dollars. You’ll get deluxe level perks at moderate or value level pricing. Who doesn’t like that?
The nightly rate for a one-bedroom Deluxe Villa booked directly through Disney averages about $600. You can get the same level of luxury for about half the cost by renting someone’s points. Easy choice. The number of points required varies depending on resort.
Paying instead to rent DVC points to rent that Deluxe Villa will cost about the same amount per night as staying at a moderate Disney resort. I think the level of amenities between a moderate resort and a deluxe resort is substantially different. (Here’s our overview of the benefits of Disney Value vs. Moderate vs. Deluxe vs. Deluxe Villa resorts.)
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But the cost savings is just one reason to rent DVC points for your accommodations. You might save more by staying in a non-Disney hotel, but you lose out on the perks. Renting DVC points gets you on property at a bargain price. Why not stay in a one bedroom villa for the price of a standard hotel room?
Read More: You’re Tempted, but is Disney Vacation Club Worth It?
Will I Get the Same Disney Perks when Renting DVC Rooms?
Yes!
You are just another resort guest when you rent DVC points. Staying “on property” for your Disney trip entitles you to all of the resort-guest-only amenities. Disney transportation, early entry into the theme parks, and (until Dec. 31, 2021) the free Disney Magical Express bus from the airport to your resort. Disney Deluxe Resort guests also have access to Extended Evening Hours.
When the Disney Dining Plan returns you’ll be able to add it to your Walt Disney vacation as a resort guest. Disney resort guests also get earlier access on the My Disney Experience app to book rides onDisney’s new Fastpass+ replacement Genie+.
TravelingMom Tip: One GIANT perk of the room types offered through DVC point rental is that they all come with a kitchenette or full kitchen. You can even have groceries and snacks delivered before you arrive for your Disney vacation!
How Much Can You Save by Using Rented DVC Points?
In short, quite a bit. We strongly recommend using David’s Vacation Rentals. When you’re looking for your DVC villa through David’s there are two ways to make reservations. You can either rent points and specify your dates and choose your Disney Vacation Club Resort OR to get the best deal search the Dedicated Reservations section at David’s Vacation Rentals. These are reservations that already have dates set. It’s where you can really save big bucks on your vacation. Some last minute reservations can drop even lower in price!
Here’s how David’s pricing structure works:
- Stays within 7 months are $19/point.
- Stays that are 7 months or more out are $19 or $20/point. There is a Home Resort Premium of $1 per point that is added on to stays at certain resorts booked more than 7 months out.
BUT Dedicated reservations? Those can be found for way less. They can be found on the DVC Guests Drop Down menu. We’ve found reservations there for as low as $12/point!
We looked through the dedicated reservations and found an offering in November for 4 nights at Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa. The cost was $12/point or $1620 for the stay.
That same stay booked through Disney would cost a whopping $3046. By using point rentals you save $1426 off the top our your Disney family vacation. That almost covers the cost of 3 days of tickets for a family of 4!
Check these deals BEFORE picking your travel dates so you can save the most money on your Disney vacation.
Which Disney resorts have Disney Vacation Club Rentals?
DVC rentals and Disney Vacation Club villas can be found at the following DVC resorts:
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas at Jambo House
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas at Kidani Village
- Bay Lake Tower at Contemporary Resort (walk to Magic Kingdom!)
- Beach Club Villas (walk to EPCOT!)
- BoardWalk Villas (walk to EPCOT!)
- The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian
- Old Key West
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and Polynesian Villas
- Disney’s Riviera Resort
- Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
- Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Copper Creek Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
DVC Resorts aren’t just at Disney World
Did you know that you can rent DVC points for Disney vacations that aren’t in Orlando, Florida? Points can also be used at:
- Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort
- Vero Beach Resort
- The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa (Disneyland)
- Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina (Oahu, Hawaii)
What Can Go Wrong?
There really aren’t any negatives, except for the slim possibility that the DVC owner will flake out on you or rip you off, which is why we recommend using a reputable company like David’s Vacation Club Rentals.
If you prefer to rent directly from an owner, it’s a smart idea to use a credit card that offers some protection in case things go south and buy travel insurance to cover cancellations outside your control.
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5
Love this! We have been DVC members for 13 years and absolutely LOVE our membership. However, many of our friends don’t have the resources or don’t see the value in ownership and I have always steered them towards renting points. Its an excellent value.