One of the best kept secrets to staying at Disney is renting Disney Vacation Club (DVC) Points.
The DVC is Disney's timeshare program. Members buy points at their home property--Animal Kingdom Lodge, Sarasota Springs, Old Key West, Fort Wilderness Lodge, Bay Lake Towers, Beach Club Villas, Boardwalk Villas or the new Grand Floridian Villas-- pay a yearly maintenance fee and then stay in either a studio, 1 bedroom or 2 bedroom villa based on how many points they have.
Each year DVC releases their points chart. Let's say you are a family of four and your two kids are ages 2 and 4. You want to go to Disney for 6 nights and stay in a studio at Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL). You are going in January when the crowd levels are lower.
For the sake of this post, let's say you rent points at $13 per point. You can stay at AKL in a studio ranging from 69 -125 points per week. That translates to $897 for a standard view studio to $1625 for the concierge level per week.
By comparison, rack rates are currently $2565 for 6 nights at AKL with a standard view. That is a 65% savings! If you opted for the Savannah View (which I recommend!) is $3536 plus tax versus $1326 renting DVC points. That is a 63% savings.
Keep in mind each DVC property is different and the time of year dictates rates. Members can secure reservations at their home resorts 11 months prior and 7 months prior if it is a DVC property that is not their home resort. If you want to stay at Bay Lake or Wilderness Lodge, I suggest that you get your reservations in early. If you are only a couple of months out, there is usually plenty of room at Sarasota Springs or Old Key West.
Where do you rent points? There are a few options. There is David's Vacation Club Rentals, DVC Rental Store, or you can contact members directly. MouseOwners.com is a forum for those who own DVC. There is a thread for those looking to rent points. The prices vary. Just keep in mind, this is a direct person to person transaction which may involve risk.
Have you rented DVC points? What are your thoughts?
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