David’s Vacation Club Rentals

Years ago we learned about a great way to save on deluxe accommodations at Walt Disney World (and other Disney destinations): renting Disney Vacation Club (DVC) points. DVC members own timeshare “points” that they can use for stays at Disney Vacation Club resorts. Sometimes owners are unable to use the points before they expire, so they will “rent” them to others. Using DVC rentals could save you hundreds of dollars compared to booking the same deluxe accommodations through Disney directly!

The DVC resorts where you can stay on rented points include:

Disney allows the general public to book DVC units at very high rates through its regular resort reservations system, when available, calling them “Disney Deluxe Villas.” However, renting points from an owner for a Deluxe Studio room will typically cost you about half what you’ll pay if you reserve direct through Disney. (Renting larger units will still usually save you money, just not necessarily half.) Not only is renting a great deal, there are some fabulous larger units available that are perfect for big families, groups of family and friends, and people who just plain want a little more room: 1-Bedroom Villas, 2-Bedroom Villas and 3-Bedroom Grand Villas. (Learn more about the different units.) 1-Bedroom and larger Villas are insanely expensive if you book them through Disney, but renting points from an owner brings such units within reach.

Prior to 2005, we rented points directly from DVC owners on four occasions and in each case had no problems at all. In fact, for years we had never heard of anyone being ripped off in a DVC rental situation, but starting in 2006 we began hearing of some instances in which renters were the victims of fraud, and stopped renting directly from owners. If you want to arrange a private transaction with a DVC owner, we recommend being very cautious and doing a lot of research and fact-checking to avoid being ripped off.

However, there is a very easy way to rent DVC points that protects you from fraud and mistakes by the other party: through David’s Vacation Club Rentals.

Keep in mind: no one, not even Disney, can guarantee any particular reservation. If something bad occurs, David’s has only so many options to make things right:

There is a key caveat when renting points: point rentals are not cancellable. If you’re worried about getting sick or encountering a family emergency, it’s a good idea to get travel insurance, but before you buy coverage, call the company to confirm that the insurance will cover a timeshare points rental. Most travel insurance will cover timeshare rentals, but they often want good documentation like a reservation confirmation, payment acknowledgement, etc., which is another good reason to use David’s, because they provide all those things.

We’ll be honest with you: it generally costs a little more to use David’s Vacation Club Rentals than it does to make a deal directly with an owner. David charges $23 per point*, while direct arrangements tend to run more like $18 to $21 per point. But when you consider how much easier and more secure it is to set up a rental through David’s service, it is completely worth it. And you are still saving a bundle compared with booking directly through Disney.

Here are some examples of the kinds of savings available:

As you can see, renting points through David’s Vacation Club Rentals can be an absolute bargain! Note that the savings are largest for Studio units, and somewhat smaller for the 1-bedroom and larger units. Also, it’s possible you could get a discount rate from Disney if you wait for a sale to come along. It’s very rare to see discounts for Villa (DVC) resorts higher than 20-30% off, so David’s is still a great deal even if you compare against Disney’s discounted rates.

*Because of the popularity of some of the DVC resorts at certain times of year, David’s has started adding a $2/point supplement for several of the resorts when they are booked between 11 and 7 months in advance, thus using the owner’s “home resort advantage.” This is something you’d only need to do if you wanted a specific booking that is very hard to get, like a Standard View room during a busy season, or Boardwalk or Beach Club rooms during one of the Epcot festivals. Even with the supplement, renting points almost always costs less than Disney’s cash rates.

Disney Vacation Club Members With Extra Points

If you are a DVC member and you’ve considered renting out your points but don’t have the extra time it takes to complete a rental, or if you just don’t want to handle the responsibility of the rental process, consider David’s Vacation Club Rentals. David can provide the guidance and the guests to make the rental process very easy and painless for you. We have rented out our spare points with David’s on several occasions. The process was straightforward and payment was incredibly prompt.

Full details of David’s rental program are available in his “DVC Owners” section.