DVC Rental – the Ultimate Guide

If you’re looking to save a lot of money on your next trip (or first trip) to a Disney Resort, then look no further than a Disney DVC rental. This is by far the easiest way that you can possibly save hundreds of dollars per night without any real effort! Tell me, when was the last time you saved so much money so quickly?

What is DVC?

To break it down for those that are not-in-the-know, DVC stands for Disney Vacation Club. Think of it as a timeshare- that’s probably the simplest way to explain it. Unlike a timeshare, it’s all dealt with in points.

Disney Vacation Club is Disney’s vacation ownership program. When you become a DVC member, you are purchasing a share of a Disney resort. This means that you pay annual fees (or dues) to help maintain the resort.

As a DVC member, you buy a set amount of points that are given to you every year. These points are added to your account and you can then use them to pay for your stay at any Disney Vacation Club resort any time of the year, or you can sell them.

The Disney Vacation Club offers affordable ways to save money on your vacations; there’s no doubt about that. While taking your family along on any Disney vacation is a costly adventure, this is just one way to make it a little more affordable on your wallets and bank account. 

If you don’t want to become a DVC member, you can still reap the savings and benefits!

A lot of places allow you to rent these points from other members who won’t be using them. These are referred to as Disney DVC rental locations, and there are several great ones that you can choose between. 

By using a Disney DVC rental place, you can easily save up to 80% off of the cost of a night at one of the Disney Resorts! That’s hundreds of dollars worth of savings per night! 

Renting Disney Vacation Club points allows you to get all of the same perks and benefits as a club member without the added costs. This means that you still get a Deluxe hotel room! As an added bonus, you also get free parking.

Where are the Disney Vacation Club Resorts?

There are over a dozen different resort locations to choose from, including Hawaii.

If you plan on staying at a Disney Vacation Club Resort while in the sunny state of Florida, you’re in luck! There are 11, soon to be 12 different Resorts for you to choose from!

Bay Lake Towers

This resort is close to the Magic Kingdom, and if you’re lucky enough, you can request the Magic Kingdom view and get to see the Amazing Magic Kingdom Fireworks every night!

The Grand Floridian

This resort is also really close to the Magic Kingdom. Not only that, but it is probably the swankiest of all of the Florida Disney Resorts.

The Polynesian

Another resort that is close to the Magic Kingdom. If you stay here, you definitely want to make a note to eat breakfast here during your stay.

Disney’s Beach Club Villas

If you’re looking for a resort that has an amazing pool and is within walking distance to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, you’re in luck because this one is it! 

Animal Kingdom Kidani/Jambo

Both are a unique resort to stay at as well as one with an awesome pool to swim in! Try to get the Savannah view; it’s worth it! As an added bonus, Donald stops by for a visit to Animal Kingdom Lodge!

Boardwalk Villas

It is close enough to Epcot and Hollywood Studios that it’s within walking distance. Awesome old boardwalk-style theme and nightlife.

Old Key West

An affordable resort option for helping you to stretch your budget at Disney World.

Saratoga Springs

Another affordable option that is not only going to help you get a bang for your buck but is also really close to Disney Springs!

Unfortunately, there is only one location in Hawaii, Aulani. While this means that it might be a little harder to book, it can be completely worth it. Think about it. Disney + Hawaii = Winning.

If you can afford to pay for a nicer room while you are staying at Aulani, ask for a higher floor on the Ewa Tower and try to get an ocean view. 

Disney’s Aulani

When you stay at the Aulani Resort, it’s best to try and book your vacation rental at least 11 months out in advance especially if you are trying to plan it during the summer and holiday months.

These rooms are fabulous, like a home away from home. Because these Deluxe villas are designed to be non-traditional hotel room, you can expect to see a few different amenities that you may not see anywhere else. 

For example: 

• There is a kitchenette with a mini-fridge and a microwave.
• You don’t get daily room service. While you can request cleaning more often than that (it may be an additional charge) or you can let the housekeepers come in on day 4 to restock the soaps, towels and take out the trash. On day 8 (if you’re lucky enough to stay that long) you can enjoy a full traditional room cleaning with the bed being made. 
• If you’re lucky enough to get a 1 or 2 bedroom or a grand villa, you can enjoy a full kitchen with the stove and a full-sized fridge, as well as all of the other traditional kitchen amenities. There is even a full-sized washer and dryer in your room, a separate living room area and a full-size jetted bath!

Other locations for the Disney Resorts include:

Grand California

Just like the resort in Hawaii, there is only one here in California. This may change in the future, but for now, you’ll find the Disney resort at the Grand Californian. While it’s not a total guarantee, it won’t cost anything extra if you politely ask to see if they can give you a room that overlooks the theme park. This could be a great way to enjoy your stay.

With these DVC rental locations sounding so nice, do you think you’ll be booking a room during your next Disney Vacation? 

Disney DVC rental can be tricky.

While DVC points rentals are generally a safe and convenient way to stay at a Disney Resort, there are a few small inconveniences that may come along with it. 

The first inconvenience is that you have to pay in full upfront.

When you check in to your room, you will have a zero balance bill to look at. So you can feel instantly relieved knowing you don’t have to deal with that mess. It was taken care of a while ago. *Disney Aulani Resort will require a tax charge that is due at check-in.

The second negative thing about renting Disney Vacation Club points is that you’re not in control.

If you’re afraid of something happening to your rental points or reservation, you can request point protection, which is basically insurance.

You can also book from an actual Disney DVC rental store to help give you added peace of mind because there is less likely to be scammy people there than there are to buy points from an individual directly.

DVC Rental Availability

If you don’t want to go through the hassle of dealing with a Disney DVC rental company right away, you can use this free tool for non-Disney Club members to help you see which resorts have availabilities. Using this tool can help you to spot the DVC rental availability options and plan your trip in advance.

Don’t expect to see too many last-minute DVC rental options available because some resorts are booked up to 11 months in advance! Or even longer than that, depending on the location and if any cool events are happening.

When to book your DVC vacation

While you can save a lot of money with a last-minute DVC rental from owners that are looking to get rid of their points at cheap prices, you could be better off paying for them much further in advance.

Think 7-11 months in advance.

When you choose to wait until the last minute before booking your DVC rental, you may find very limited rooms or not get the experiences you were hoping for with your stay. Not to mention, there won’t be much time to have any changes made to your reservation.

If you book the stay 7-11 months in advance, you have a lot more time and chances to fine-tune your trip and make your reservation even better because there are many more opportunities for you to add to your plan.

The best reason to book your stay 7-11 months in advance is that Vacation Club Members own specific resorts. At the 11-month mark, they can start selecting rooms from that resort, and no one else can.

At 7 months in advance, it opens up to other DVC members, and that is when locations and reservations start filling in quickly. 

On August 29, 2019, Star Wars: Galaxy Edge opened

This is going to be a HUGE deal in the DVC community, so let’s quickly cover that topic.

It’s incredibly likely that you will have difficulty finding any open reservation spots on-site during this time or for the first few months after its debut.

Resort guests (both the club and non-club members that are renting DVC points) will be given access to the Extra, Extra Magic Hours. This begins every day at 6 am.

This is a huge perk because the parks will be much less crowded during this time, and there are buses available to take you from the resort to the park starting as early as 5 am.

So to recap:

If you want to save a lot of money before you ever even step foot on the Disney Resort property, consider booking a DVC points rental. 

You can easily save 40-60% on any stay, and sometimes even up to 80%!

With the kitchens, washers and extra perks in your hotel stay (like a dining plan) you can easily have a much less stressful Disney vacation and not miss out on any of the fun. If you just have a kitchen and not a dining plan, you can find yourself making some frugal meals in your resort room to save some extra money. 

Just remember to book them as far in advance as possible to make sure that you don’t miss out on any of the resort options that you are wanting to stay at. And also remember to use a good rental company for your DVC points so you can have the added insurance and not as big of a scam risk!