Rent DVC Points and Stay Deluxe for Moderate Prices

Disclaimer: Some of the links and images below contain affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

It seems so complicated and confusing, but dvc rental is worth figuring out. Some Disney tricks may save you 5% on your vacation, like snagging gifts cards at discounts, but renting DVC points can literally save you 50% off a Deluxe hotel stay. So, if you like keeping more of your money AND staying at the best DVC resorts at Walt Disney World, read on and be on your way to rent DVC points!

Disney Vacation Club Points Explained

The most confusing part of Disney Vacation Club point rental is understanding what in the world a “point” is! Those of us that are Disney Vacation Club Member (best decision I every made!) are used to booking our trips in “points”, but it seems like a very foreign concept to anyone who has booked a traditional Walt Disney World vacation.

What is a DVC Point?

There is not a direct conversion from dollars to Disney Vacation Club points to rent a room. Disney establishes how many points it takes to book a DVC room and issues a “point chart” for each resort that tells you how many points it takes at any given time of the year.

Points vary by resort, time of year, day of week, view and type of room. Similar to cost, a room will require more points if it is booked during a very busy season at Disney compared to a slow season. It will also take more points to book a 1 bedroom suite versus a studio room.

How do I know how many DVC points I need?

DVC Points will vary by:

• Season
• Resort
• Room Type
• Day of the Week (Sunday-Thursday, Friday-Satuday, or Weekly)
• View

The dates in each season change a little each year since it’s also based around holidays and school breaks. If we focus on only on Walt Disney World only, the seasons for are roughly:

• Adventure Season – This is the the time to visit that requires the fewest number of points:
  • January, September, Early December
• Choice Season
  • October, November (except Thanksgiving, Late December (Up until Christmas)
• Dream Season
  • First half of February, May, Early June, Late August
• Magic Season
  • Late February to Mid-March, April (After Spring Break), Late June, July, Early August, and Thanksgiving
• Premier Seasons – This is the most expensive time visit and requires the most points
  • Late March – Early April (Spring Break)
  • December near Christmas

You can find  exact point charts for all of the resorts here.

As an example, let’s pretend we are comparing a week at Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas and Bay Lake Tower (standard and value views):

What are the Disney Vacation Club Resorts?

The DVC resorts are also commonly called the Deluxe Villas. Disney adds to the resorts consistently, with the Riviera due to open in 2019. Some DVC are resorts by themselves and others are connected to other Deluxe Resorts:

There last four onto list are also other Disney Vacation Club properties but are located outside of Walt Disney World.

For specific example of what is it like to stay at a Disney Vacation Club Property, you can get full experiences here:

• Polynesian Villas and Bungalows
• Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House Savannah View
• Grand Floridian Villas

What is the availability of each Disney Vacation Club Resort?

This is a big one for anyone renting DVC points. The DVC resorts are only available for booking during specified times. When each DVC owners buys into a property, they can book that particular resort 11 months in advance. They can rent any other resort 7 months in advance. This means that if i buy into Grand Floridian Villas, I can book a room there starting at 11 months before my arrival. I can only book Polynesian at 7 months prior to arrival. This does mean that it is a lot harder to get the resort you want if it isn’t your “home resort.”

So, what does that mean for you if you are renting points? It means that some resorts will be hard to get. In general, the following rules of thumb apply:

• Studios go first. they They required the fewest points, so they are often the quickest to go.
• DVCs the are part of a Deluxe property tend to go before DVC Only resorts like Old Key West or Saratoga Springs.
• Beach Club is notoriously hard to get into. Everyone wants to enjoy Storm Along Bay!

Realistically, I have snagged a Studio at Polynesian with 6 months advance notice. I’ve also personally booked an Animal Kingdom Savannah View Studio and a Grand Floridian Studio with about 5 month’s notice. The more flexible you can be with your booking, the better your chances.

How do you Rent DVC Points?

To rent DVC points, you can rent directly from a DVC owner or go through a DVC rental broker. There are pros and cons of both options that you will want to consider carefully before choosing your path.

DVC Rental Companies

The two most prominent Disney Vacation Club rental agencies are  DVC Request- David’s Vacation Club Rentals and the DVC Rental Store. Both work in a similar manner:

1. Disney Vacation Club Members (like me!) sign up with a rental service and tell them how many points they have available.
2. People (like you!) request a DVC rental. You can typically request several different resorts as options.
3. The DVC rental company searches for available properties and reports back to you regarding your options.
4. If you decide to move forward, you pay for the stay and save lots of $$!

Before we became DVC owners, we used David’s Vacation Club Rentals to try out the DVC properties. We actually made our leap into the DVC while staying at the Polynesian Villas and Bungalows as part of a rental through David’s. I’ve head great things about the DVC Rental Store as well, but I’ve personally used David’s and can vouch for the ease of the experience.

A few things to note:

1. You do have to pay a deposit of $112 for David’s to search for your DVC. If they find what you requested, the deposit is applied to your stay. If they don’t find it, then you get your money back.
2. You have to pay in full once you select a stay. Booking through Disney, you can usually pay a deposit and then have until 30 days before you arrive to pay in full if it’s a package or pay upon check-in if it is a room-only stay.

Renting Direct from Owners

Some owners will also rent to you directly. The best place to find options is on the DIS Board Rent/Trade board. DVC members will typically ask for less money per point since there isn’t a middle-man. You do have the risk though of not having a verified business handling your transaction. I’ve never heard of anything going wrong from renting directly from an owner, but I would use some precautions like using PayPal or another service that offers protection on your payment.

How much does renting DVC points cost?

A typical price for renting DVC points is $16 per point, quoting the amount from David’s Vacation Club Rentals if you book 7 months out from you visit. If you book more than 7 months out, there is a $1 per point premium for $17 per point. 

Going back to our example of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Let’s see how much the point rental would cost us:

For a full week in Animal Kingdom Lodge value view, you can spend anywhere from $1104 to $1888. So the BIG question is, how does that compare to a regular room.

How much will I save renting DVC points?

The amount you save depends on a variety of factors, including time of the year, size of the room, length of stay and many more. For example you will typically save more on a Grand Floridian stay than Animal Kingdom for example. Even more money on a 2 bedroom suite than a studio. Sticking with our example though, let’s see how much you’ll save in our Animal Kingdom Villas Savannah View Studio compared to the rack rate.

One thing of note is that you will rarely pay the rack rate. It’s normal to get 20-25% off a room rate. You can see from the savings that even if you get a 25% discounted room, the savings are significant!

What are the amenities you can get with DVC point rentals?

The great thing about renting DVC Is that you can still use all the same perks of booking through Disney:

• Add on the Disney Dining Plan
• Take the Magical Express
• Book FastPasses at 60 Days Out
• Book Dining Reservations at 180 Days Out

There are even some extra perks you get:

• Free Parking – This is a BIG one since Disney World started charging for parking in 2018
• When you start looking specifically at “extras,” the Polynesian and Grand Floridian Studio villas really stand out as they have TWO bathrooms!! I really can’t begin to describe how much of a help this is when you are trying to get the kiddos ready!

  

  The main bathroom with toilet and full size bath/shower.

  

  The rain shower in the 2nd bathroom.

  

  Beautiful tile and marble floors with a Tub/Shower combo

  

  A second shower is a huge perk of the Grand Floridian Studio Villa

  
  

There are a few options you lose access to with DVC rental points:

• Mousekeeping –  You will only get a visit from Mousekeeping on the 4th day o fa 7 day stay in a DVC room. Disney will come in and change towels and change out the trash, but not change the sheets. You can opt to pay extra for Mousekeeping each day if you would like.  You
• Free Dining Plan – You cannot snag a free Dining Plan promotion if you are renting DVC. These promotions are very popular, but they also mean you pay the normal rate for the room. You should do the math, but renting DVC can come out cheaper even with a full price dining plan.

What are the DVC Villas Really Like?

First and foremost, you get to access to the entire resort like any other guest. The DVC Villa rooms are typically in a separate section of the resort, but you get to enjoy the pool, restaurants and other amenities just like anyone else (maybe more since you know you probably paid less for your stay!!). The DVC rooms can sleep anywhere from 4 to 12 people depending on the resort.

Special Amenities

All DVC rooms comes with a kitchenette, which is not standard in Deluxe rooms. You get a mini-refrigerator, sink, microwave, and dishes/silverware in even the studio rooms. As you move up the scale, some of the suites actually come with full-size kitchens and dining room tables that can seat 8 people. Along with the kitchenette, each room has a pack and play, safe, ironing board, hair dryer, and other standard features.

DVC Studio Villa Room – Grand Floridian

As an awesome example, take a look at the Villas at the Grand Floridian! A typical studio villa comes with queen size bed and a queen size sleeper-sofa. It even has a fold down bed to allow them to sleep up to 5 people. The Grand Floridian is an exceptional DVC resort too and even has it’s own DVC lobby.

Renting DVC Points : Bringing It All Together

In summary, what exactly makes renting DVC points the best option for you?

1. You love to stay at Deluxe Resorts.
2. You want to save money on your Deluxe Resort stay and are willing to pay at least Moderate Resort prices.
3. Your desired result is fairly flexible, especially if you don’t have 7+ months notice for booking.
4. Mousekeeping and free dining aren’t a big deal for you.

So, what do you think? Would you book a Disney Vacation Club rental? Let us know in the comments!