How to Use DVC points for Adventures by Disney

[Victoriapeluso]

Hello!
My husband and I discovered last night that you can use your DVC points for Adventures by Disney. One of the hang ups I have about becoming a DVC member is that we like to travel other places besides Disney world. Now that I've learned that we could use our points towards other places besides Disney parks....its more tempting. My question is- have y'all done this? What was your experience and doe you really save THAT much money? Should I do a tour first to see if I like it? Ive got a lot of follow up questions hahah I am new to the Disney Game.

 

[Marionnette]

Hello!
My husband and I discovered last night that you can use your DVC points for Adventures by Disney. One of the hang ups I have about becoming a DVC member is that we like to travel other places besides Disney world. Now that I've learned that we could use our points towards other places besides Disney parks....its more tempting. My question is- have y'all done this? What was your experience and doe you really save THAT much money? Should I do a tour first to see if I like it? Ive got a lot of follow up questions hahah I am new to the Disney Game.

For reservations outside of DVC resorts such a ABD, DCL, the Concierge Collection and the Disney Collections your DVC points will get converted to "reservation points" which can be used for the those purposes. If you have to cancel, the points remain as "reservation points" and cannot be used to book a DVC resort.

The general concensus is that using your points for something other than a DVC reservation is a poor use of your points. You are much better off renting the points out and using the money to book ABD with cash.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

This is an extraordinarily poor value and you should never do it.

If you want to use DVC points to "pay" for an ABD vacation, what you should do is rent them out and then take the cash and use the cash to pay for ABD.

Don't buy DVC unless you plan to use your points to stay at DVC resorts.

 

[Victoriapeluso]

Gotcha thats very helpful! Is it the same thing with taking a cruise?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Gotcha thats very helpful! Is it the same thing with taking a cruise?

Correct.

 

[Marionnette]

Gotcha thats very helpful! Is it the same thing with taking a cruise?

Yes

 

[davper]

Step 1: Rent out your DVC points for cash
Step 2: Pay cash for For Adventures by Disney

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The exchanges are touted by sales to make it sound more flexible, but especially at modern direct points pricing the exchange rate is really not good.

 

[MomOTwins]

Renting out your points doesn't work for everyone--my employer for example has strict policies I have to deal with for any source of outside income. Plus then there's income taxes that have to be taken off of the profits from renting (yes, I know there are also deductions you can take to help offset it, but depending on your tax bracket and how high the income tax is in the state you live in, you could still be on the hook for a decent size tax liability), and if you use a rental broker, they charge fees, so the calculation is always a little more complicated than comparing the cash price of ABD/cruise with the cash price from renting.

I can see it being useful for some people for whom, like me, renting our points is too much of a hassle. Once our kids are grown up, I think it's possible they might not want to do parks every year with mom and dad, and I suspect we are going to want to try out ABD at some point. I haven't done it personally, but my understanding from my DVC guide is that only one person's "fare" needs to be paid with points, so if you're a party of 2, you can essentially pay half points and half cash. You can also stretch your points over more years than an ordinary reservation--you can pay the deposit with points with 2021 points, then bank 2022 points, use 2023, and borrow 2024 points for a 2023 UY trip--which is something that appeals to us because we don't have a ton of points, so that makes it a bit easier to get the amount of points we need if we are not traveling frequently. Anyhow, if it's something you want to do, I say it's worth looking into. You can see the point charts on the official DVC website.

I also just have to give the disclaimer that the ability to book Disney Collection with points is considered a membership extra--i.e., "blue card" required.

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

People have already said that renting out your points for cash is the way to go.

I just want to answer the other part of your question. Adventures By Disney is awesome. We did the England France trip a couple of years ago. We saw so much. The Disney Guides were great, as well as the local guides. Disney (like many tour operators) gets you in and out of popular attractions without waiting in long lines. There is a real good mix of activities between the big tourist draws (say Windsor Castle) and some small activities (shooting archery near Windsor Castle, learning to make scones). You leave your luggage at your room, and it magically appears at your next room. ABD is pricey, but well worth the money of you can do it without breaking the bank. There is a thread on Disboards for ABD.

 

[Victoriapeluso]

People have already said that renting out your points for cash is the way to go.

I just want to answer the other part of your question. Adventures By Disney is awesome. We did the England France trip a couple of years ago. We saw so much. The Disney Guides were great, as well as the local guides. Disney (like many tour operators) gets you in and out of popular attractions without waiting in long lines. There is a real good mix of activities between the big tourist draws (say Windsor Castle) and some small activities (shooting archery near Windsor Castle, learning to make scones). You leave your luggage at your room, and it magically appears at your next room. ABD is pricey, but well worth the money of you can do it without breaking the bank. There is a thread on Disboards for ABD.

AWESOME- I am considering a trip in either mid 2022 or 2023 when my kids will be 4 and 6- its exciting to dream about showing them the world thank you!