How to save money at Disney by renting DVC points from David’s Vacation Club Rentals

There are several ways to save money on Disney vacations. You can check for hotel and ticket discounts, visit on days with cheaper ticket prices, or use points and miles to cover some of your vacation costs. But many Disney visitors don’t know that you can save up to 50% at some of Disney’s most popular resorts by renting Disney Vacation Club points.

Related: Guide to renting Disney Vacation Club points

You may know the Disney Vacation Club as Disney’s timeshare program. DVC members sign a contract for a set number of “points” that they can use to book DVC properties at Disney World and Disneyland and beyond annually for the life of the contract.

But you don’t have to be a Disney Vacation Club owner or pay the nightly rate listed on Disney’s website to stay in a spacious DVC villa at Disney Deluxe resorts, such as the Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge or even Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa in Hawaii.

Renting DVC points for Disney hotel stays is easier than you might think. There are several ways to rent DVC points, but TPG’s favorite, time-tested method is through David’s Vacation Club Rentals.

TPG staffers, myself included, have rented points from David’s Vacation Club Rentals several times in recent years. This guide combines our know-how with insider tips from Melissa Mullett, CEO of David’s Vacation Club Rentals, to help you better understand the process and how much you can save.

What is David’s Vacation Club Rentals?

David’s Vacation Club Rentals serves as a middleman between DVC owners and potential Disney visitors who want to stay at a DVC resort.

If a DVC owner doesn’t plan to use all of their allotted points for the year, they can make some or all of those points available for rent through a service like David’s Vacation Club Rentals. David’s Vacation Club Rentals pays a rate to the points owner and then charges slightly more to the renter.

David’s Vacation Club Rentals has three price tiers. When booking most resorts between seven and 11 months out, you’ll pay $25 per point. When booking between zero and seven months in advance, you’ll pay $23 per point. Then, there are a handful of resorts that you can get for $20 per point year-round.

The closer you book to your vacation dates, the lower the cost, as DVC owners are more motivated to rent out their points before they lose them. When you search for availability on David’s website, you can view pricing in points or dollars.

Related: These are the best hotels at Disney World

Here’s a breakdown of the resorts where you can stay when you book through David’s Vacation Club Rentals:

The DVC villas at these properties have amenities you won’t find in standard hotel rooms. “There is an elevated level of service and amenities. You’ll find things like higher-quality towels and linens, rooms with balconies, and more dining options,” Mullett said.

If you stay in a studio, you’ll have a kitchenette and a balcony or patio. Larger villas have separate bedrooms, a full kitchen, in-room laundry, and a balcony or patio.

How much can you save when you rent DVC points?

I worked with David’s Vacation Club Rentals to arrange a recent stay in a two-bedroom villa at Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, so I will use that as an example.

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Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. TARAH CHIEFFI/THE POINTS GUY

The cash price of a two-bedroom villa at Boulder Ridge Villas for Sept. 16-17 is $1,683 (including tax), but you can get the same room for 36 DVC points per night through David’s Vacation Club Rentals. At a cost of $23 per point (because the check-in date is less than seven months out), that comes out to $828 per night.

That’s just over 50% savings for a one-night stay. Over the course of a few nights, the savings would be even more significant.

Related: Rent DVC points via David’s Vacation Club

Many travelers don’t need a two-bedroom villa, so let’s look at another example for a Deluxe Studio at the Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. A one-night stay for Sept. 16-17 would cost you $832.50, including tax, or 14 points through David’s Vacation Club Rentals. At a per-point price of $23, your total would be $322. That’s a savings of 61% off the regular price that Disney charges.

How to use David’s Vacation Club Rentals

Before you request your stay on David’s website, Mullett recommends you have a few key details worked out.

“It’s really important to have a good idea of the parks you want to visit,” Mullett said. “There are resorts that are close to certain parks and being near the places you plan to spend most of your time can enhance your experience,” she added. You can learn more about the various DVC resorts on the David’s Vacation Club Rentals website.

For example, Disney’s Beach Club, Yacht Club and BoardWalk resorts are all within walking distance of Epcot and Hollywood Studios. If you have your heart set on a specific resort, you will have more availability if you are open to staying at any resort near a certain park.

The other thing you want to consider is your overall vacation budget. “The benefit of working with David’s is that you are getting a Deluxe villa stay for about a Moderate to Value price. You can use our cost calculator before you book to determine which resorts and room types are within your budget,” Mullett explained.

Once you’ve decided on your preferred resort or resort area and your dates, you can make your booking at the David’s Vacation Club Rentals website. You’ll start by completing the booking form or calling David’s directly with your travel dates, up to three resort choices and the details of your travel party. You’ll also need to make a refundable $105 deposit the company will apply to your rental or return to you if it cannot secure your reservation.

David’s accepts Visa, Mastercard and PayPal. The company operates out of Canada, so you’ll want to pay with a card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees. David’s bookings should code as travel, so use a card that has a higher earning percentage on travel purchases, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

After submitting your booking request, you’ll receive a confirmation email letting you know that your room has been secured and a link to pay the balance of your reservation. If your requested room was not available during your travel dates, you’ll receive an email with alternate options.

Once your reservation is confirmed, David’s will provide you with a Disney confirmation number. You can link that number to your Disney account to view your booking via Disney’s app and website. You want to complete this step before your visit because this gives you access to the perks of staying in a Disney World hotel, including free water park access on your check-in day and early theme park entry.

Tips for renting DVC points

Renting DVC points through David’s Vacation Club comes with some different guidelines than booking directly through Disney. Some benefits are exclusive to Disney Deluxe resorts.

Book in advance

Mullett recommends booking seven to 11 months in advance for the best availability, as some resorts sell out quickly. The further out you can lock in your dates, the better.

There are tools, such as the DVC Availability Tool, that allow you to check DVC resort availability. It isn’t quite real-time, but availability is updated twice daily.

Deluxe studio rooms have a kitchenette and a balcony or patio, while villas have separate bedrooms, a full kitchen, in-room laundry, and a balcony or patio.

Cancellation policy

Remember that you will not have the same 30-day cancellation policy as you would if you booked directly with Disney; David’s has its own cancellation policy called “Deferred Dreams.” If you cancel up to 120 days before check-in, you’ll receive 100% of the reservation price (minus the $105 deposit) in the form of a travel credit. That percentage lessens the closer you get to check-in.

You could also purchase a separate travel insurance policy or pay for your reservation with a credit card that has built-in travel protections. These can help if you encounter travel disruptions outside of your control, such as medical issues and flight delays or cancellations.

Housekeeping

DVC rooms, including those booked through David’s Vacation Club Rentals, do not include daily housekeeping. You will get “trash and towel” service for stays between four and eight nights on the fourth day of your stay. If your stay is for eight nights or longer, you will receive a full cleaning service on day four and a “trash and towel” service on day eight.

If you do want to receive regular housekeeping, you can purchase additional services by visiting the front desk or calling housekeeping from your guest room.

DVC resort perks

All DVC rooms are at Disney Deluxe resorts. As a guest, you’ll get certain benefits that aren’t available at Moderate or Value resorts.

Most Deluxe resorts are within walking distance of at least one of Disney’s theme parks — or at least close enough that you won’t spend 20 minutes on a bus to get there. For example, during my recent stay at Boulder Ridge Villas, we were only a 10-minute water taxi ride from Magic Kingdom.

DVC resorts have more recreation and activity options than other resorts, including bike rentals, fishing, and tennis and basketball courts, as well as a Community Hall with movies, video games, and daily activities like crafts and games. Other resorts have some of these, but not all.

You’ll also get the normal perks of staying at a Disney Deluxe resort, such as 30-minute early entry to the parks, the ability to purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass up to seven days before your vacation and extended evening theme park hours on select nights.

Last-minute specials

If you want to save even more on your Disney resort stay, David’s offers confirmed reservations for as low as $18 per point. From the home page, navigate to “DVC Guests” and “Confirmed Reservations for Rent.”

Pictured above are reservations that have already been secured and are available to rent. Because of this, the dates, room size and view types are set, and you can’t make any changes. However, you can save a significant amount of money if you see a reservation that aligns with your travel dates.

Bottom line

As you can see, renting DVC points from David’s Vacation Rentals for stays at Disney Vacation Club villas offers substantial cost savings. The process is a bit different from booking directly with Disney and isn’t quite as flexible. But this guide should help you understand it and decide if renting DVC points is right for you.

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