Renting dvc points? Anyone done this before?

[WVU Disney Fan]

I've seen what look like incredible rates but am nervous booking this way.

 

[sunflare]

I haven't personally done it, but I know tons of people who have. It's legit. There are restrictions (i.e. availability and full payment at reservation time) but totally doable.

 

[WVU Disney Fan]

My main concern is linking dining plan, adr, tickets, fast pass, etc. Prices just seem to good to be true.

 

[Denamac]

I've done it many times and never had a problem. I actually rent from someone on the boards. I've had her add the dining plan for us, we've used Magical Express, linked our tickets, made fast passes, adrs, etc. Not a single issue! I highly recommend it. I just went to the rent section on the boards and searched the posts for points to rent with terms I was comfortable with. Very easy!

 

[dansdad]

My main concern is linking dining plan, adr, tickets, fast pass, etc. Prices just seem to good to be true.

No need to worry about those things. Not a problem at all.

 

[henry72]

We are renting DVC points for the first time this coming November. I used David's DVC rentals. Super easy to use but do plan to book early to get what you want. Also realize that DVC comes with some differences in housekeeping. We have ME set up and bought our tickets through ParkSavers. Everything - ADRs, tickets and Memory Maker - is set up in MDE.

 

[WVU Disney Fan]

We are renting DVC points for the first time this coming November. I used David's DVC rentals. Super easy to use but do plan to book early to get what you want. Also realize that DVC comes with some differences in housekeeping. We have ME set up and bought our tickets through ParkSavers. Everything - ADRs, tickets and Memory Maker - is set up in MDE.

What is MDE

 

[stephmarty]

What is MDE

My Disney Experience. Online planning tool/app.

 

[Hopefully]

Go to the Rent/Trade forum on the DVC section here on the DIS. http://www.disboards.com/forums/dvc-rent-trade.29/

You need to do LOTS more research to learn about the transaction.
Some important information:
You are entering into a contract with the owner/agent, If there is a problem Disney will not help you nor get invovled. It takes trust by both parties. The owner/Agent owns the reservation until you check in. There is the remote chance that the owner could take your money and then cancel the reservation on you. Or they could not pay their DVC dues and Disney would cancel the reservation.
DVC is a timeshare and runs differently than a hotel. You do not get daily housekeeping, clean towels, toiletry replenishment, coffee, etc. For a 7 night or less stay they will empty your trash and replenish your towels on day 4.
Most often payment is due way in advance in full.
There is almost zero possibility of changing/cancelling and getting a refund from an owner. Some Agencies have more liberal policies. You need to be firm in your dates. Most recommend buying travel insurance.
You need to plan 11 - 7 months in advance.
The cheapest Villas are usually snapped up by owners and seldom available to rent, so don't plan your budget based on them.
The DVC busy seasons differ than the hotel busy seasons. Fall through mid-January is peak season and you need to book well in advance.
Lots of folks successfully rent. But I urge you to continue to investigate so you understand what you are getting into.
There are trade offs for the lower price
Good Luck

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Also, demand to rent DVC at the most popular resorts far outstrips the points/rooms available to rent. So many people price out the cheapest DVC rooms, then find they can't get them (inventory, timing, owners with points renting them out not available).

Just because you can price out a rental doesn't make it available. It's like looking at a list of rack rates at Disney. That's what the rooms cost if available.

 

[goofy4tink]

I own DVC, and have handed my excess points to David's to rent out to someone else. It was a very easy process and I trust this company implicitly. Unless you find a DVC owner you trust completely, you might want to use a company like David's...there's much less chance of something going wrong. When you rent through a company like this..they tell you what's available. They take 100% of your money up front..the DVC owner, who's points are being used, gets only 50% of the money when the vacation is booked. The rest of the money goes to them when the vacation is completed.
Can you get some great deals? Absolutely. But, you need to understand that someone else is in control of your vacation, up until the time you're standing in the resort, checking in. They need to add all requests you may have, add dining, etc. You won't get daily housekeeping, unless you pay addtl for it. You can't change your mind...we lose our points if they aren't used (this is why people rent them out....they get cash for them when they are in danger of the points going unused!)
As someone already noted, there are villas that are going to be very hard to get. Getting an Epcot area villa (BCV or BWV) during Food and Wine can be tough. You need to plan early...at least 11 months out!

 

[WVU Disney Fan]

I own DVC, and have handed my excess points to David's to rent out to someone else. It was a very easy process and I trust this company implicitly. Unless you find a DVC owner you trust completely, you might want to use a company like David's...there's much less chance of something going wrong. When you rent through a company like this..they tell you what's available. They take 100% of your money up front..the DVC owner, who's points are being used, gets only 50% of the money when the vacation is booked. The rest of the money goes to them when the vacation is completed.
Can you get some great deals? Absolutely. But, you need to understand that someone else is in control of your vacation, up until the time you're standing in the resort, checking in. They need to add all requests you may have, add dining, etc. You won't get daily housekeeping, unless you pay addtl for it. You can't change your mind...we lose our points if they aren't used (this is why people rent them out....they get cash for them when they are in danger of the points going unused!)
As someone already noted, there are villas that are going to be very hard to get. Getting an Epcot area villa (BCV or BWV) during Food and Wine can be tough. You need to plan early...at least 11 months out!

From what I understand if I go through a site like David's whoever owns the points I rent would make my room reservation and add dining. But can I personally add my adr and fast passes? Or is that something I also have to rely on the owner of my points to do? Thanks everyone for your information been very helpful so far.

 

[DebbieB]

From what I understand if I go through a site like David's whoever owns the points I rent would make my room reservation and add dining. But can I personally add my adr and fast passes? Or is that something I also have to rely on the owner of my points to do? Thanks everyone for your information been very helpful so far.

You do your own ADRs and fastpasses, the member does not do that.

The biggest thing to consider is the cancellation clause in the contract. Most do not allow refunds. You may want to look at travel insurance.

 

[DisBuckMan]

From what I understand if I go through a site like David's whoever owns the points I rent would make my room reservation and add dining. But can I personally add my adr and fast passes? Or is that something I also have to rely on the owner of my points to do? Thanks everyone for your information been very helpful so far.

You handle your own adr's and fast passes.

 

[Marionnette]

I've seen what look like incredible rates but am nervous booking this way.

Prior to buying DVC, I "rented points" from my brother and I paid him the rate that David's was charging renters. One of the big drawbacks of renting is that you get the urge to purchase DVC.

Once the owner gives you the reservation number, you can add it to MDE and verify that the names, dates and type of unit are correct. The owner can add a dining package for you if you pay them for it at the time that they add it. Tickets, FP+ and ADRs are your own responsibility. You will have all of the advantages that any Disney resort guest has (like EMH, access to the resort's theme pool, ADRs at 180+10, FP+ at 60 days prior to arrival, MBs) but none of the benefits that DVC members have (such as member discounts or events. pool hopping or the Epcot Members' Lounge).

But here are a couple of things that non-owners may not understand about DVC:

• You're not "renting points". That's a disboards term. You are renting a reservation. The points belong to the DVC member and always will be. The reservation is under their control until the moment that you check in.
  
• Those units with low points like BWV std. view and AKV Jambo value studios may not be impossible to get but you are highly unlikely to be able to book the value studio and will be very lucky if you get std. view at BWV. Set your budget to cover the units that cost more points.
• Demand for DVC rental far exceeds the number of available units and owners willing to use their points for a rental. DVC is designed to be at or near 100% occupancy all year long. That means that owners will be competing with one another for the more popular DVC units at the most popular times of the year.
• DVC periods of peak demand are not the same as Disney's periods of peak demand. Marathon weekend and Sept. thru December book up quickly.
  
• DVC units are not the same as staying in a hotel room. Aside from not getting daily housekeeping, you will not get 2 beds in a studio unless you're staying at OKW. What you get in a studio is a queen bed and a full sleeper sofa. Some studios will also have a Murphy bed that is smaller than a twin bed that will accommodate a 5th person.
• An owner that is willing to use their points for your reservation has restrictions on their points. Because of the restrictions that we deal with, the likelihood of getting a refund if you change your mind or need to cancel are less than when dealing directly with Disney. If they borrowed points, used banked points that are expiring soon, are past their banking deadline or if you cancel so late that their points go into holding, they aren't likely to give you your money back.
  
• Any changes, special room requests or adding the dining plan have to be done through the owner. Dining plans must be paid in full at the time that they are added to the reservation because that's the way that DVC works.
• You cannot request an upgrade when you get to the resort. With DVC, you get what you paid for. Any upgrades would be charged to the owner (i.e. additional points would be taken from their account).
  
• The owner retains control of the reservation, even if you went through a broker like David's. If the owner is behind on paying their mortgage or membership fees, Disney can (and will) cancel reservations that they have made. Even a broker cannot control that.
• Owners are not magicians. We cannot get you a reservation for a unit when there are none available. We are not likely to "walk" a reservation in order to get you what you want, nor are we likely to add our names to a waitlist to get it for you. Your chances of getting exactly what you want are much greater if you have lined up someone, who owns at the resort that you are interested in booking, at least 11 months in advance of the day you wish to arrive. The probability of success goes down from there.
• It takes a degree of trust when renting a DVC reservation, but it goes both ways. The renter is trusting the owner to make good on their promise to keep the reservation in good standing for the renter. The renter is trusting that the DVC owner will not cancel the reservation and run off with their money. OTOH, the owner is trusting that the renter will pay in full according to the terms that they set forth in the contract. They are also trusting that the renter will not damage the property or otherwise run up a bill that the owner gets stuck paying.
• When you rent a DVC reservation, Disney is not involved in the transaction at all. They will not make good if something goes wrong and you show up at the resort without a room in your name. Sometimes, it's not even the owner's doing. There is a recent thread on the DVC Member Services forum concerning an owner's reservation that was canceled by DVC for no apparent reason. This happened to be a reservation for themselves but it could just as easily have been a reservation for a friend, family member or a renter. The reservation cannot be re-booked because the unit went to the next person on the waitlist. It can happen. You'd get your money back in a case like that but you would be without a reservation and Disney won't do anything to help you other than to book a room for you at the prevailing rate for whatever is available.

I'm not trying to scare you off. I just want you to be informed about the way these rentals work so that you can go into it with open eyes. Too many people look at the price calculators on the brokers' websites and think that the units are available and just waiting for them to be booked by the next lucky renter. It's much more complicated than that.

 

[DisBuckMan]

Prior to buying DVC, I "rented points" from my brother and I paid him the rate that David's was charging renters. One of the big drawbacks of renting is that you get the urge to purchase DVC.

Once the owner gives you the reservation number, you can add it to MDE and verify that the names, dates and type of unit are correct. The owner can add a dining package for you if you pay them for it at the time that they add it. Tickets, FP+ and ADRs are your own responsibility. You will have all of the advantages that any Disney resort guest has (like EMH, access to the resort's theme pool, ADRs at 180+10, FP+ at 60 days prior to arrival) but none of the benefits that DVC members have (such as member discounts or events).

But here are a couple of things that non-owners may not understand about DVC:

• You're not "renting points". That's a disboards term. You are renting a reservation. The points belong to the DVC member and always will be. The reservation is under their control until the moment that you check in.
  
• Those units with low points like BWV std. view and AKV Jambo value studios may not be impossible to get but you are highly unlikely to be able to book the value studio and will be very lucky if you get std. view at BWV. Set your budget to cover the units that cost more points.
• Demand for DVC rental far exceeds the number of available units and owners willing to use their points for a rental. DVC is designed to be at or near 100% occupancy all year long. That means that owners will be competing with one another for the more popular DVC units at the most popular times of the year.
• DVC periods of peak demand are not the same as Disney's periods of peak demand. Marathon weekend and Sept. thru December book up quickly.
  
• DVC units are not the same as staying in a hotel room. Aside from not getting daily housekeeping, you will not get 2 beds in a studio unless you're staying at OKW. What you get in a studio is a queen bed and a full sleeper sofa. Some studios will also have a Murphy bed that is smaller than a twin bed that will accommodate a 5th person.
• An owner that is willing to use their points for your reservation has restrictions on their points. Because of the restrictions that we deal with, the likelihood of getting a refund if you change your mind or need to cancel are less than when dealing directly with Disney. If they borrowed points, used banked points that are expiring soon, are past their banking deadline or if you cancel so late that their points go into holding, they aren't likely to give you your money back.
  
• Any changes, special room requests or adding the dining plan have to be done through the owner. Dining plans must be paid in full at the time that they are added to the reservation because that's the way that DVC works.
• You cannot request an upgrade when you get to the resort. With DVC, you get what you paid for. Any upgrades would be charged to the owner (i.e. additional points would be taken from their account).
  
• The owner retains control of the reservation, even if you went through a broker like David's. If the owner is behind on paying their mortgage or membership fees, Disney can (and will) cancel reservations that they have made. Even a broker cannot control that.
• Owners are not magicians. We cannot get you a reservation for a unit when there are none available. We are not likely to "walk" a reservation in order to get you what you want, nor are we likely to add our names to a waitlist to get it for you. Your chances of getting exactly what you want are much greater if you have lined up someone, who owns at the resort that you are interested in booking, at least 11 months in advance of the day you wish to arrive. The probability of success goes down from there.
• It takes a degree of trust when renting a DVC reservation, but it goes both ways. The renter is trusting the owner to make good on their promise to keep the reservation in good standing for the renter. The renter is trusting that the DVC owner will not cancel the reservation and run off with their money. OTOH, the owner is trusting that the renter will pay in full according to the terms that they set forth in the contract. They are also trusting that the renter will not damage the property or otherwise run up a bill that the owner gets stuck paying.
• When you rent a DVC reservation, Disney is not involved in the transaction at all. They will not make good if something goes wrong and you show up at the resort without a room in your name. Sometimes, it's not even the owner's doing. There is a recent thread on the DVC Member Services forum concerning an owner's reservation that was canceled by DVC for no apparent reason. This happened to be a reservation for themselves but it could just as easily have been a reservation for a friend, family member or a renter. The reservation cannot be re-booked because the unit went to the next person on the waitlist. It can happen. You'd get your money back in a case like that but you would be without a reservation and Disney won't do anything to help you other than to book a room for you at the prevailing rate for whatever is available.

I'm not trying to scare you off. I just want you to be informed about the way these rentals work so that you can go into it with open eyes. Too many people look at the price calculators on the brokers' websites and think that the units are available and just waiting for them to be booked by the next lucky renter. It's much more complicated than that.

Very nice, detailed summary of the process. True, owners are not magicians. A couple of categories of rooms are NEAR impossible for owners to get, much less renters.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Using David's I have both rented out our DVC points and rented points when short. Never had an issue was very pleased.

Only things to consider are if you need to cancel you may not get your money back. You have to pay more upfront than booking direct and check that your insurance covers this kind of accomodation. Many don't.

We had to cancel a trip in May and our insurance did not cover it. But that is the risk you take!

 

[svecchitto]

We rented once through a friend, and this trip we used David's. David's gave me a bit of anxiety waiting to confirm my room (I was getting Boardwalk at less than 7 months during the start of food and wine) and they probably thought I was crazy. In my defense it did take a few days longer than the 24 hours they shoot for, but it all worked out. I could never justify paying the deluxe room prices through Disney but renting points makes it possible. Just know that once you are locked in you can't be refunded it's a done deal. So if you are unsure pick up the travel insurance. For us renting points makes the most sense.

 

[Marionnette]

Oh, one more thing to add...
Just because the Disney website shows cash availability at a DVC unit for your dates, that doesn't mean that it is also available to a DVC owner to book with their points. DVC is a separate entity from Disney's CRO and has different inventories that do not overlap.

 

[Deb & Bill]

A few more things. You can't look to see what is available to book unless you are a DVC member. What you see available on the Disney Reservation Center site is not available for points stays. So you want a studio, you see a studio on DRC, but the broker or owner says there aren't any to book for points. You have to book those for cash through DRC.

The newer resorts like GFV or Polynesian can be hard to get. Even members have a hard time booking GFV if they don't book it at 11 months out. It's a small resort.

Studios, for the most part, never connect to another studio. Except at the Polynesian Villas and Bungalows. But you still are not guaranteed a connecting studio. It might happen, but it might not. And then the adults in the party will have to split up because you cannot put kids in a studio/hotel room unless there is someone at least 18 yrs old with them.

DVC doesn't offer any rollaways, cots or alternate bedding. Some of the one bedroom villas only have beds for four (BWV, BCV, SSR, VWL) but DVC will allow a fifth person. But you provide the bed, linens, towels, etc for that person. DVC won't. Some of the studios sleep five with a queen bed and sleeper sofa, plus a bunk sized murphy bed. Those murphy beds are smaller than twin sized (two inches shorter, six inches narrower). There are never two queen beds in a master bedroom. The one bedroom villas that sleep five usually have a twin sized sleeper chair in the living room. You cannot move the chair into a different room. It is too heavy and too wide to move into another room. Plus DVC asks that you not move the furniture around.

If you purchase a reservation from a DVC member ("renting points"), you do not get DVC member perks like pool hopping, access to the Top of the World Lounge, discounts. Those are only available with a DVC member card (which were recently changed to expiring cards to keep people from spreading the goods around).