Renting DVC points?

[jrm11697]

Thinking about renting DVC points instead of staying in a hotel directly through Disney. It will be two adults and want to try out having that extra space. I know you can still go through Disney at DVC resorts but the rates are jacked up. So how would you go about renting points? And is it worth it? We have never stayed in a DVC resort. Have only stayed at Contemporary (tower) and All Star Movies. Any tips/suggestions would be great.

 

[Ksquared]

There is a section on these boards where owners rent out their points. I'd start there. We used to stay mostly offsite until I started renting DVC points. We love the DVC resorts and we are a family of 4 who tend to stay in a studio. For 2 of you, a studio will be plenty of space. It's definitely worth the savings then going through Disney. Just a few things to note. DVC resorts do not have daily housekeeping (that doesn't bother us and if you are there for at least a week, there is a mid-week cleaning). Also, renting through an owner, you need to make sure your dates are set because most do not have a cancellation policy.

 

[Schneewittchen37]

I haven't been on my DVC rental trips yet, but I have two DVC rentals coming up - November (Boulder Ridge at Wilderness Lodge) and February (Bay Lake Tower at Contemporary) - 4 nights each. I used David's Vacation Club Rentals (https://www.dvcrequest.com/) at the recommendation of a friend. He'd been telling me how great it was to rent points for years. Anyway, at this point, it's kind of reassuring to have an intermediary handle all of the details. Hopefully, it goes well.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Things to know:

• A DVC rental is basically a final transaction. Once booked, you pay for it. It generally cannot be cancelled or changed, save if you buy third-party travel insurance.
• You will not qualify for any other discounts from Disney. No free dining, no room discount. You also do not qualify for DVC member discounts or perks, like the lounges or pool hopping to other resorts.
• DVC rentals are best booked 11 months out, or no later than 7 months from check-in. You are already too late through year-end, basically.
• Fall is DVC's highest demand period. There are basically no studio villas on property from September through mid-January right now.
• As a renter, you are unlikely to get the cheapest units -- BWV Standard, BLT Standard, AKV Value. Even owners have a hard time booking them at 8AM 11 months out often. CCV studios are also proving hard much of the year.
• You don't get daily Mousekeeping. You get towel service on Day 4. Otherwise, you are expected to re-use towels, or pay for new ones.
• You can see the reservation but if you want to add dining or room requests, the owner of the points has to do that.

Unless you book a 1BR, the space isn't all that extra. Studio villas are equivalent or smaller than most standard units.

 

[westie55]

If your primary motivation is to get more space than a standard hotel room, a studio will not work for you as it the same size as a standard hotel room. A one bedroom is considerably larger. The unit is huge compared to a standard room and includes a full kitchen. Is it worth it? Well, it will be nearly twice the money of a standard room. If it's worth the price is really up to you to decide. For me, a one bedroom isn't worth the (in my opinion) exorbitant cost of upgrading. I love dining out in Disney and I don't cook meals in the room. I don't really need two bathrooms. I have rented from David's a few times and would highly recommend them. The process is easy. I find renting studios is where you get the biggest bang for your buck, because you can rent a studio for a lot cheaper than you would have to pay to stay at the same resort through Disney. The value, for me, starts to diminish when you start looking at one or two bedroom units.

 

[sndral]

When are you planning to visit WDW? If it’s this fall through early Jan. most DVC studios are already booked. Other times may be more doable.

 

[TWINKLETWINKLE]

If your primary motivation is to get more space than a standard hotel room, a studio will not work for you as it the same size as a standard hotel room. A one bedroom is considerably larger. The unit is huge compared to a standard room and includes a full kitchen. Is it worth it? Well, it will be nearly twice the money of a standard room. If it's worth the price is really up to you to decide. For me, a one bedroom isn't worth the (in my opinion) exorbitant cost of upgrading. I love dining out in Disney and I don't cook meals in the room. I don't really need two bathrooms. I have rented from David's a few times and would highly recommend them. The process is easy. I find renting studios is where you get the biggest bang for your buck, because you can rent a studio for a lot cheaper than you would have to pay to stay at the same resort through Disney. The value, for me, starts to diminish when you start looking at one or two bedroom units.

I was looking to rent points for a future vacation. Would it be worth it to rent a one bedroom villa At AKL rather than pay cash for it with a discount. I was looking at the beginning of July.

 

[patty57]

I was looking to rent points for a future vacation. Would it be worth it to rent a one bedroom villa At AKL rather than pay cash for it with a discount. I was looking at the beginning of July.

One bedrooms are a lot of points, so you may do just as well with a room discount. I booked a one bedroom at Copper Creek last December with an AP discount, and it was a better deal than renting points. Studios are usually a better discount if you rent points.

Edited to add it also depends on how much you are paying per point.

 

[TWINKLETWINKLE]

One bedrooms are a lot of points, so you may do just as well with a room discount. I booked a one bedroom at Copper Creek last December with an AP discount, and it was a better deal than renting points. Studios are usually a better discount if you rent points.

thanks

 

[jrm11697]

When are you planning to visit WDW? If it’s this fall through early Jan. most DVC studios are already booked. Other times may be more doable.

Hoping for early December thinking that we could go for all of the Christmas decorations/events and avoid the mass crowds, but now opening to going sometime in 2020 if we rent DVC. Haven't done DVC before and it's been five years since I last went to WDW so trying to figure things out.

 

[patty57]

Hoping for early December thinking that we could go for all of the Christmas decorations/events and avoid the mass crowds, but now opening to going sometime in 2020 if we rent DVC. Haven't done DVC before and it's been five years since I last went to WDW so trying to figure things out.

Early December is a very popular time for DVC. If you want one of the more popular resorts, you should line up an owner before 11 months out and book right when it opens up at 11 months.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I was looking to rent points for a future vacation. Would it be worth it to rent a one bedroom villa At AKL rather than pay cash for it with a discount. I was looking at the beginning of July.

This July? You might be out of luck. Most members make their DVC reservation at 11 months out and a minimum of seven months out (so they can book a non-home resort).

 

[kaytieeldr]

I know you can still go through Disney at DVC resorts but the rates are jacked up

Just to be clear, rates aren't "jacked up". Rack rates are whatever Disney determines them to be.

 

[Marionnette]

I was looking to rent points for a future vacation. Would it be worth it to rent a one bedroom villa At AKL rather than pay cash for it with a discount. I was looking at the beginning of July.

1BR villas take almost twice as many points as a studio but Disney cash rates for studios vs. 1BRs are not double. So the savings isn’t there when compared to getting a studio. However, the 2nd bathroom at Kidani, in-room w/d and the full kitchen can be worth the extra cost.

One thing to keep in mind is that Disney often rolls out steep discounts for summer (as much as 35% off rack rates for villas) but DVC point requirements are fixed and the brokers rarely discount their $/pt rates. July is one of the higher cost DVC seasons. You might want to get out a calculator and compare costs.

ETA: I just checked a random week in July 2019 at AKV- Kidani, 1BR with savanna view.

Rental thru David’s = $4896​

Disney cash reservation with current summer discount = $4465​

 

[disneygolfer1985]

Early December is a very popular time for DVC. If you want one of the more popular resorts, you should line up an owner before 11 months out and book right when it opens up at 11 months.

This is very true. We are DVC owners and we typically know when we want to go over a year in advance. I booked thanksgiving this year at GF as soon as the booking window opened up for me and got 1 studio with a normal view and when I went to book again only a lake view for a studio was available. I did all this in roughly 10 minutes after the booking window opened up.

 

[Deb & Bill]

This is very true. We are DVC owners and we typically know when we want to go over a year in advance. I booked thanksgiving this year at GF as soon as the booking window opened up for me and got 1 studio with a normal view and when I went to book again only a lake view for a studio was available. I did all this in roughly 10 minutes after the booking window opened up.

There are only 47 studios at GFV and every one is part of a lockoff two bedroom. None are dedicated. There are also 47 dedicated two bedroom villas and six grand villas. Compare this to the Polynesian which has 360 studios and 20 bungalows. Copper Creek has 42 dedicated studios and 36 lockoff studios as part of a lockoff two bedroom.

 

[Laura's Dad]

We are staying at a split stay in December at OKW/BCV. We did it through a rental company and we are very happy with the process. We have been planning this trip for 8 for about a year and a half and had looked at various discounts (renting points for a 2 BDR villa, bounceback offer and AP rates for 3 rooms at a moderate, possible cast member discounts) We were going to get 8 nights at OKW, but were happy when our request for 4 nights at the BCV opened up and we could do a split stay. When we calculated the price compared to Disney rack rates, we got these for a little over 45% discount. This, along with the free resort parking we will have for two vehicles, convinced us to go with the points. We had to put money up front and make a final payment earlier than a Disney package, but the substantial savings and the extra room we think are worth it. I think that if you can commit to booking a little less than a year in advance, renting points is the way to go.

 

[Truxi]

• You can see the reservation but if you want to add dining or room requests, the owner of the points has to do that.

By that do you mean getting the Disney Dining Plan or making dining reservations at all?

We're staying at BW in January, so I'm trying to get everything sussed so I can get our reservations sorted. We still get our FP at 60 days out, right?

 

[disneygolfer1985]

There are only 47 studios at GFV and every one is part of a lockoff two bedroom. None are dedicated. There are also 47 dedicated two bedroom villas and six grand villas. Compare this to the Polynesian which has 360 studios and 20 bungalows. Copper Creek has 42 dedicated studios and 36 lockoff studios as part of a lockoff two bedroom.

Ya we are also members at BW and typically don’t have any issues with booking over the holidays. We may not always get the boardwalk view, but a lot easier there.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

By that do you mean getting the Disney Dining Plan or making dining reservations at all?

We're staying at BW in January, so I'm trying to get everything sussed so I can get our reservations sorted. We still get our FP at 60 days out, right?

Anyone can make dining reservations, whether or not they have a resort reservation.

However, only the owner can add the Dining Plan for you, and it has to be paid in full when added. You won't be able to see it on the reservation before check in.