Renting DVC Points at Disney World
Every once in a while, you come across a travel hack that’s just too good to keep to yourself. It’s usually something that makes a huge difference either financially or for ease of convenience. This little gem I’m about to share is extra special because it’s a bit of both! I’m going to teach you how to save close to 50% on your Disney resort hotel stay by renting DVC points. Discovering this drastically changed our way of planning a Disney vacation for the better. I’m so excited to share this one with you!
*This post is not sponsored by any rental store and all opinions are my own.
What is DVC at Disney World?
Perhaps you’re familiar with Disney Vacation Club. Maybe you even know someone who’s a member! But, just in case this concept is all new to you, and you’re wondering if I’m entirely bonkers (the best people are), here’s a quick rundown on DVC.
Disney Vacation Club (DVC) is Disney’s timeshare program. Members buy into a Disney resort hotel, paying both a down payment and annual dues in exchange for yearly allotments of DVC points and booking privileges at Deluxe Disney resorts.
DVC points are used to book Deluxe resorts. That’s right! Deluxe. There are no value hotel stays when you’re a DVC member!
Each member picks a “home resort” and is granted priority booking at that resort hotel. (See below how this will influence booking as a renter).
DVC members stay in designated DVC rooms, often located in separate buildings on these resorts. These include studios, which are much like regular hotel rooms, and villas, which offer one or more bedrooms and even a full kitchen! They enjoy use of the same amenities at their resort hotel as those staying in a regular room, including restaurants, shopping, transportation, pools and splash-pad areas. They are also eligible for all the same Disney park perks (We’ll get into those in a bit!).
Now, maybe you’re thinking, “That all sounds amazing, but I’m not a DVC member, and it’s just not in the budget for me to become one.” Well… that’s okay! You can still take advantage of low rates on DVC resort hotel rooms by renting points through someone who is a member.
Which resorts are eligible for booking with DVC points at Disney World?
The following Deluxe Disney resort hotels have DVC rooms available:
Bay Lake Tower (Disney’s Contemporary Resort)
Boulder Ridge Villas & Copper Creek Villas (Disney’s Wilderness Lodge)
Animal Kingdom Villas (Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge)
Beach Club Villas (Disney’s Beach Club Resort)
Boardwalk Villas (Disney’s Boardwalk Inn)
Disney’s Old Key West Resort
Polynesian Villas & Bungalows (Disney’s Polynesian Resort)
Disney’s Riviera Resort
Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort
The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
When should I book my vacation using rented DVC points?
DVC members are able to book rooms at their home resort as early as 11 months prior to your requested arrival date. DVC members are not permitted to book rooms at other DVC hotels using their points until 7 months out. Generally speaking, this should mean less competition for bookings from 7-11 months out, but that depends on the popularity of the resort and travel dates you’re trying to book.
Popular travel dates include; Christmas week, spring break and holiday long weekends. If you wish to book any of these dates, aim to book as close to 11 months prior as possible.
At 7 months prior to your date, competition increases substantially. You may find it more difficult to get the booking you want. You may, however, be able to settle for a different room category or slight change in dates, so it is still worthwhile to attempt renting if you do find yourself planning last minute.
How do you rent DVC points at Disney World?
Unless you know a DVC member personally who is willing to make an arrangement with you, renting DVC points to book a hotel room or villa is generally done through a third party.
Here’s how it works.
Locate a DVC rental company. My personal favourite website for renting DVC points is David’s Vacation Club Rentals. Another option is DVC Rental Store.
Request a quote. There is a fee for this, so you may not want to do this until you are 100% ready to book your trip. The fee will be removed from your final booking cost. Submit your desired dates and resort hotel and the rental store will review their inventory.
Review your options. An agent will contact you with a list of potential bookings with prices. If the rental store does not see availability for your requested dates or resort hotel, they will provide you with alternatives.
Select your booking. An agent will then seek out a DVC member willing to book this reservation for you and notify you when they’ve done so.
Pay in full. Payments cannot be made over time on a DVC rental. You will be expected to pay within 24 hours of completing the booking.
Make any special room requests through the rental store (ie. room locations, cribs, etc). These will have to be requested by the DVC member.
Download the My Disney Experience app. Add your booking reference number and the reservation is yours!
Snuggle up with a comfy blanket and your favourite movie on Disney+ and start daydreaming about your magical Disney vacation!
Pro-tip: Remember. You are renting points. Cost per point should be important to you. You can research how many points a particular hotel should cost in a particular season. Check that the offer you receive falls between $19 and $21 per point to know that you are getting a good deal.
Example: I want to book the Polynesian Villas and Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Resort for May 15-22, 2024. A quick look at Disney’s Point Chart for 2024 tells me that a Deluxe Studio - Standard View at Polynesian Villas and Bungalows costs 125 points during this timeframe. I receive a quote for $2,500 USD from a rental store.
$2500 / 125 points = $20 per point
I book this resort knowing this is a typical quote for renting DVC points!
Interestingly, if I try to book the Polynesian Resort directly for this same week, the rate is $770 per night! That’s $5,390 USD for a week long stay. We would be saving over 50%!
Is renting DVC points allowed by Disney?
So, maybe this all sounds a bit too good to be true. I get it. We felt the same initially. Would Disney really allow non-DVC members to stay on property in DVC rooms without signing up? I’m happy to report, they do! DVC members are permitted to rent their unused points to others wishing to stay on property, and also permitted to use third party services to do so.
Not only is renting points allowed, but cast members have no way of knowing a renter isn’t a DVC member! You can rest assured you won’t be treated any differently because you are renting.
The perks of renting DVC points
The biggest perk is the savings on the cost of your hotel room. For some resorts, that’s enormous (I’m looking at you Grand Floridian and Polynesian).
Laundry facilities are free to DVC members and renters. There is a charge for these services for non-DVC guests.
DVC stays are also eligible for all theme park perks available to non-DVC guests of the same property. These include;
Early theme park entry
Extended evening theme park hours (a perk available to Deluxe hotel guests only)
Disney dining plans
Are there any perks I don’t get as a renter?
Yes. DVC members do have additional perks, such as discounts on dining and merchandise that you will not be eligible for as a renter.
The cons of renting DVC points
With David’s Vacation Club Rentals, there are no cancellations or changes permitted to reservations, which could be seen as a large risk when booking far in advance.
As mentioned above, there is no option to make payments on a DVC rental. You must pay in full within 24 hours of booking.
Room requests must be made by the booking DVC member, so you may feel you’ve lost a bit of control over your reservation. You can make some small modifications to the reservation yourself, like changing check-in time, etc. Any requests will be forwarded to the member by the rental store. Our requests were relayed promptly with no issues.
Mousekeeping services do not visit DVC rooms as frequently as non-DVC rooms. If staying for a week, you will likely receive housekeeping only once midway through your stay. You can pay for additional housekeeping services if you wish.
The bottom line…
Renting DVC points is an excellent way to book a stay at a Deluxe Disney World resort hotel for around 50% of the posted price! Points rental is not without risk, but in most situations our family feel the benefits overwhelmingly outweigh the risk.
Now that you’re ready to book a Deluxe stay, read my travel itinerary for Disney World with a Baby!
And if you’re looking for a travel hack for the parks, read How Genie Plus Works at Disney World.
TTFN,
Hill XO
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