DVC rental vs. regular resort stay

[DarthVader]

Fresh from my return, I'm looking at our next trip and one thing that I'm kicking around is renting DVC points.

I'm mostly ignorant of the details, advantages/disadvantages. Here's my very incomplete list of advantages, please correct or add on as you see fit

Resort:
Ease of modification (add/subtract/cancel). In the past I've added days to our trip. This past year we cancelled our November 2018 trip and rescheduled it for April. I'm not sure we'd be able to do that with DVC. In the past I've added a day, to save on flights, again not sure how hard/easy (or even possible) that will be with DVD.
Ease of managing the details (MDE/reservations/FPs).
I don't have to make one major payment at once (I assume I'll have to do that with DVC)

DVC:
Price: seems like we can potentially save a lot of money but I'm not sure how much.

So in my ignorance, I only see a single advantage, it can be a big one, but there's only one.

With DVC, will I be able to start my ADRs 180+10? Same goes with my fastpasses (60 days)?
Magicbands with DVC, will we get these in advance and can we make room charges, i.e., buy stuff?
I recall seeing that I'd need the owner to line up MDE, but is that all we'll need them for?

 

[Herdman]

We are renting points for our upcoming stay in 16 days! So far the process has been seamless, pretty much the same as having a regular resort stay. We made our ADR's at 180 days plus, made our FP's at 60 days plus. Our magic bands arrived last week. We don't do the dining plan, but the owner has to book that for you. We are staying in a savanna room studio at the AKL for almost exactly what we would pay for our typical stay at POFQ. The one major disadvantage that I see - you can not cancel and get your money back. If you have any thoughts that you might not be able to go then I would definitely invest in travel insurance.

 

[dreamfinder]

Lots of posts about point rentals in the DVC sub forum, go check through there a bit.

With point rentals, the odds of being able to change dates/length/etc is pretty slim. The owner technically owns the booking, and while they can make changes, the odds of a) getting an owner willing to and b) having availability to do so is tough. If flying in/out a day earlier/later saves you money, you would most likely need to end up just adding a single night at a different resort to stay at.

Payment will depend on the broker/owner you are dealing with. Some require deposits to search, others need full payment at time of booking, and some (I think) will let you pay in installments. But an owner is on the hook for your reservation and may not be able to use the points elsewhere, so they want to be paid to make sure they don't lose out.

Once the owner makes the booking, they should provide you with the confirmation number. You then add that to your MDE account and treat it just like any other reservation made by a TA. You can make your ADR at the 180+10, FPR+ at 60, etc. You will get MagicBands, and can charge to the room. Comparing it to a TA booking is the best relationship I can think of, as the owner needs to make changes to the reservation or do things like add the dining plan.

I believe you can do your DME yourself, just call DME direct, give them your confirmation number and flight info.

Yes, you save a bundle off of DVC rack rates, and is usually on par with a moderate resort cost, but will vary on your party size, dates, and possible promotions, etc. You can't get free dining, and don't get daily mousekeeping, but otherwise you are pretty much the same as a regular guest.

 

[DarthVader]

Lots of posts about point rentals in the DVC sub forum

Thanks, I thought that was just for owning.

Comparing it to a TA booking is the best relationship

Thanks for the analogy, that does help a lot and so I see I don't lose out on ADRs and FPs

 

[nickys]

This is the cost calculator for David's site. Should help see the savings if you compare to rack rate and the resort room direct with Disney (you'll need to do the comparison yourself).

https://www.dvcrequest.com/cost-calculator.asp

David is a broker which offers the renter and owner more protection financially than renting direct. You will pay a little more per point through a broker than direct with an owner. For a first time renter, I would suggest a broker, otherwise you need to check out the owner and make sure they're legit.

 

[correcaminos]

Thanks, I thought that was just for owning.


Thanks for the analogy, that does help a lot and so I see I don't lose out on ADRs and FPs

Nah we'll take you there

The biggest bonus with renting is the cost savings. Really you miss out on a few things like daily housekeeping and controlling your own reservations. You risk losing money if you have to cancel. You do get free parking though.

Now the only other difference between TA and DVC is you have to book your own dining and FP. So other than money down, it is kind of close.

 

[eliza61nyc]

Although I am an owner I've rented before using dvc rental store. they have an insurance policy called "cancel for any reason" that you can also purchase (I did) just in case you have to cancel.

They call it a point protection plan.

 

[MotherofaPrincessLover]

If you don't want to pay everything at once, if you book through David's you can use PayPal credit which gives you six months to pay with zero interest. It's a nice option.

 

[GTIDMB]

We've been renting points for a number of years now, and I don't think we'll book any other way for a normal stay. As others have stated, you basically get deluxe accommodations at a moderate price (at least if you get a studio villa, which is basically a hotel room with a few extras). Before we started renting points, we'd say that the deluxe resorts look really nice, but there's no way we could afford them. Now we've stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Beach Club, Boardwalk, and Old Key West on points. We even rented points to stay in a treehouse villa at Saratoga Springs last summer with our extended family. If daily housekeeping is important to you, then it might be a dealbreaker. Also, as others have said, it's paid in full upfront and non-refundable. That has not been a big deal for our family, but it could be for others. The newest perk is the free parking, where booking direct through Disney now has daily parking fees tacked on.

A few other things I haven't seen mentioned yet:

We've had servers add the DVC discount to our dinner bill because they saw DVC points show up on our reservation tied to our account. Officially, the discount is for DVC members, so we never ask for it, but if a server does it, it's a nice surprise perk.

You might need to have some flexibility when renting points. Going through a broker like David's, you give them 1st choice, 2nd choice, etc, and they try to get you what you want. I've never been denied a room for the dates I wanted, but I've gotten a 2nd or 3rd choice resort. If you have one resort you want to stay at during an exact time period, you could potentially have trouble renting points depending on availability of rooms available and owner points available. The closer to 11 months you request, the better chance you have of getting what you want.

I highly recommend David's for renting points. We've done it quite a few times now, and it's been great every time. Never had a problem.

We've discussed buying into DVC in the past, but with rental being an option, it just makes more sense to rent points when we need them, and enjoy the perks of staying at a deluxe resort without being committed to yearly dues.

 

[DarthVader]

highly recommend David's for renting points. We've done it quite a few times now, and it's been great every time. Never had a problem.

Awesome thanks for the info.

We've discussed buying into DVC in the past, but with rental being an option, it just makes more sense to rent points when we need them, and enjoy the perks of staying at a deluxe resort without being committed to yearly dues.

Thanks. I ran the numbers myself, either owning brand-new, and also used. For used prices are in teh 17k range, and annual fees tend to be in the 800 dollar range. It looked like I'd break even around year 5, provided we went every year, which doesn't make sense for us because resorts are but one expense for a disney vacation.

I'm liking the idea of renting to save money, though it does seem to add some different wrinkles to the process.

 

[Hcalvert]

I have rented points two times now. Once in 2009 for AKL and this year. Both times I went through a private person that I did not know and vetted them first. I can provide you with the person that I went with this year if you are interested. Whoever you go with if you do rent, make sure they provide a contract and vet them to make sure it is not a scam. You don't have to do that with David's, but you will pay $16 or more for points depending on when you book. Also, I was told not to give any deposit with a private person until you have verification that the hotel was booked. David's requires a deposit, but it is returned if the resort cannot be booked for you. I paid $14 per point at the 7 month window, which was an additional $300 savings for me.

 

[mrerk]

We've been renting points for a number of years now, and I don't think we'll book any other way for a normal stay. As others have stated, you basically get deluxe accommodations at a moderate price (at least if you get a studio villa, which is basically a hotel room with a few extras). Before we started renting points, we'd say that the deluxe resorts look really nice, but there's no way we could afford them. Now we've stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Beach Club, Boardwalk, and Old Key West on points. We even rented points to stay in a treehouse villa at Saratoga Springs last summer with our extended family. If daily housekeeping is important to you, then it might be a dealbreaker. Also, as others have said, it's paid in full upfront and non-refundable. That has not been a big deal for our family, but it could be for others. The newest perk is the free parking, where booking direct through Disney now has daily parking fees tacked on.

A few other things I haven't seen mentioned yet:

We've had servers add the DVC discount to our dinner bill because they saw DVC points show up on our reservation tied to our account. Officially, the discount is for DVC members, so we never ask for it, but if a server does it, it's a nice surprise perk.

You might need to have some flexibility when renting points. Going through a broker like David's, you give them 1st choice, 2nd choice, etc, and they try to get you what you want. I've never been denied a room for the dates I wanted, but I've gotten a 2nd or 3rd choice resort. If you have one resort you want to stay at during an exact time period, you could potentially have trouble renting points depending on availability of rooms available and owner points available. The closer to 11 months you request, the better chance you have of getting what you want.

I highly recommend David's for renting points. We've done it quite a few times now, and it's been great every time. Never had a problem.

We've discussed buying into DVC in the past, but with rental being an option, it just makes more sense to rent points when we need them, and enjoy the perks of staying at a deluxe resort without being committed to yearly dues.

Re: Daily Housekeeping

Daily housekeeping is available for $30 per day requested for a studio, $45 for a 1 BR, or $60 for a 2BR. So it doesn't have to be a dealbreaker, you just have to budget the additional $$.

 

[MMDisneyPodcaster]

If you don't want to pay everything at once, if you book through David's you can use PayPal credit which gives you six months to pay with zero interest. It's a nice option.

Wow I did not know that!! That's a great tip!

 

[TDGMedley]

Im thinking about renting DVC points from David's. I have tickets already after i rent the points will i be able to add it? Sorry i have never rented before and trying to understand the process.

 

[nickys]

Im thinking about renting DVC points from David's. I have tickets already after i rent the points will i be able to add it? Sorry i have never rented before and trying to understand the process.

Yes.

When you get the reservation number from David's you can link that manually to MDE. Then you can link your tickets and make FPs at 60 days out for length of stay.