We decided that when G2 turned five, we would take him to Disney World. We wanted him to get the full Disney experience, so we knew that we wanted to stay on-site. However, when I began looking at the prices, I began to think maybe staying on-site just wasn't an option for us. I asked for Disney tips on social media and someone recommended that I join the Facebook group "Smart Moms Planning Disney". Once I joined the group, I did a quick search for "resort" to see what tips and tricks I could find to hopefully save some money on the resort prices. While reading comments, I kept seeing people saying they used "DVC" points and how much cheaper it was. I was lost. What are DVC points?!?! Once I found out, it changed the game for booking our resort. Keep reading to find out why.
What does DVC stand for?
This was the first thing I had to figure out. DVC stands for Disney Vacation Club. Similar to a timeshare model, DVC members have points that they can use to stay at Disney properties.
What are the savings?
Of course this will likely vary but we saved approximately 50% renting DVC points. Don't believe me? Look at the Disney price vs. what we paid below:
How do you rent DVC points?
There are lots of companies out there that offer this service. However, we used https://www.dvc-rental.com/ because it was the preferred renter from the Smart Moms group and I was able to see that many people had used them and had success. If you have dates in mind and think you may want to rent DVC points, you can get an estimated price here: https://www.dvc-rental.com/point-calc
What do you get by renting DVC points?
Some of the perks include:
Typically 40-50% savings on Deluxe Disney Resorts
Extra Magic Hours
Earlier Genie+ and Lightning Lane window
Immerse yourself in the magic of Disney
Complimentary Resort and Theme Park parking
What are the cons?
Sounds almost too good to be true right? So what are the cons?
$200 deposit to check availability (this goes toward final price)- NO LONGER REQUIRED!!! You can now just put in the dates and the system will “automagically” check availability for every resort and include pricing for you. Just click here: https://www.dvc-rental.com/renters/reservation-request
You must pay the FULL balance up front
No refunds or changes unless you purchase the travel insurance
Even if you purchase the travel insurance, any cancellations will automatically forfeit your $200 deposit. UPDATE: All reservations now include the no questions asked travel insurance free of charge!!
We opted to purchase the travel insurance because you never know. In my opinion, the pros heavily outweigh the cons.
What is my overall opinion?
In my opinion, renting DVC points is definitely the way to go. I was also able to add our reservation to my Disney Experience app. The booking process was super easy. I plan to revisit this topic once we complete our trip next year so if you're still on the fence check back then! In the meantime, feel free to leave questions or comments below.
Great article.