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Booking a DVC rental at Disney Vacation Club is a popular way to afford a Deluxe Disney World Resort. While Disney World offers something for every budget through the tiered resort collection —ranging from affordable Value Resorts to top-tier Deluxe Resorts — some guests dream of a Deluxe Resort stay but struggle to justify the cost.
That's why many have turned to DVC rentals. While you may think you need to purchase one of these timeshare properties to enjoy a stay, that couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, you can even rent the points you need to book a stay. Here's how it works.
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What Is Disney Vacation Club?
Disney Vacation Club (DVC) is Disney's timeshare offering. Become a member by purchasing a block of points representing what Disney describes as a “real estate interest” at a participating Disney Vacation Club Resort. Annually, members use their points to stay at the resort where they purchased or at another participating Disney resort or destination.
Participating DVC Resorts include:
At Walt Disney World
- Riviera
- Boardwalk
- Beach Club
- Polynesian
- Grand Floridian
- Boulder Ridge
- Copper Creek
- Cabins at Fort Wilderness
- Bay Lake Tower
- Animal Kingdom (Jambo House & Kidani Village)
- Saratoga Springs
- Old Key West
At Disneyland California
- Grand Californian
- Disneyland Hotel Villas
In Hawaii on Oahu
- Aulani
Other U.S. locations
- Hilton Head Island
- Vero Beach
There's some flexibility for owners to bank points for the following year. In many cases, however, owners lose expiring points. That's one reason some owners rent out their DVC points.
Disney Vacation Club Rental Benefits
Try before you buy
Why purchase a Disney timeshare without knowing what you're getting? Renting DVC points allows guests to try out a Disney Deluxe Villa at a steeply discounted rate before committing to a contract. A DVC rental also can make sense for those who don't visit Disney World annually, can't afford to pay full price through Disney, or for someone not interested in purchasing a timeshare.
Here's another option: Stop by a participating DVC resort next time you're at Disney World and receive a $200 Disney gift card for completing a 30-minute DVC tour.
The DVC point system offers flexibility; instead of booking a block of time, you're renting points from a particular property, usable at that resort or other participating properties. There's a learning curve to understanding a point's value, which varies between resorts. The points needed for one night at a monorail resort might cover multiple nights somewhere less coveted.
Extra perks
Deluxe Villas have either a kitchen or kitchenette, letting you cook in your room. Deluxe Resort guests enjoy another perk reserved exclusively for them: extended evening park hours. That means smaller crowds and shorter lines at attractions.
Because you're staying on property, you'll also benefit from general Disney Resort perks like 30 minutes early park entry, Individual Lightning Lane purchases at 7 a.m., and free resort parking. In addition, you'll have easy access to Disney's complimentary transportation, including the monorail, skyliner, buses, and various watercraft that connect resort guests with the theme parks.
Of course, renting or buying DVC points isn't the only way to stay in a Deluxe Villa. When available, you can book straight through Disney, but prices are typically higher — sometimes substantially. See our cost comparison below. Here's the summary: For a fraction of the cost, a DVC rental gets you into the nicest rooms and resorts on Disney property.
How To Rent DVC Points
When you purchase points for a DVC rental, an owner or broker makes a reservation in your name using the owner's points. Renters with experience often strike out on their own looking for owners from whom to rent points. Luckily, for anyone new to DVC rentals, multiple online brokers match renters with owners. Here's a synopsis of the two ways to find DVC rentals:
- Renting from brokers: Brokers help take the guesswork out of renting DVC. You might pay a bit more, but they'll help find an owner renting out points matching your dates, desired resort, and room type. If you're new to renting DVC, we think it's worth using a broker while familiarizing yourself with the DVC system.
- Renting from owners: For those with experience, consider searching for and joining Facebook groups to discover owners renting out their points. Alternatively, try the forums at DISboards.com. Keep in mind that experiences vary; no one is vetting owners for you like a broker would. If you're experienced enough to rent straight from owners; however, you might save money by cutting out the broker.
DVC rental brokers
Many online brokers specialize in matching renters with DVC owners. They charge an average of $21–$28 per point — or less under certain circumstances. A few options include David's Vacation Club Rentals (a Canadian site, so don't use a credit card that charges a foreign transaction fee) and DVC Rental Store. Both charge a refundable deposit of roughly $100 to search for rentals and permit cancellations offering 25%–100% back as cash or travel credit, depending on when you cancel. Remember to always read the fine print before renting.
While not an exhaustive list of brokers, with those two you'll have a place to start and limited flexibility to cancel or rebook if needed. Here's how the broker process generally works:
- You pay a deposit to request a reservation on a broker's site.
- The broker looks for an owner renting out points and matching your request.
- If found, the broker emails you the match. Your deposit is non-refundable if a match is found.
- You choose whether or not to accept and pay for the reservation they found.
- You'll receive an email confirmation with a reservation number, which you can load into My Disney Experience before your trip.
Because we're most familiar with David's Vacation Club Rentals, we'll focus on specific examples of renting from this site.
How Much Does It Cost To Rent DVC?
Disney Vacation Club rooms range from studios to three-bedroom Grand Villas. Rooms tend to be spacious, often including a kitchen and laundry area. Studio and one-bedroom villas sleep between four and five people, while two-bedroom villas sleep up to nine; Grand Villas (three bedrooms) sleep up to 12 people.
The cost of renting DVC points depends on which resort you choose on which dates, plus the view and type of room you choose. More than anything, though, pricing depends on the price the owner/broker charges per point.
David's Vacation Club villa rental
Here's a real-life cost comparison. Let's say you want to stay at a Monorail resort with easy access to Magic Kingdom. Options are the Polynesian, the Grand Floridian, or Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary.
Let's search David's Vacation Club Rentals for January 6-9, 2025. Here are the Bay Lake Tower results for three nights at the Contemporary:
To sleep five people in a Standard View, a one-bedroom villa would cost $1,932, while a Lake View would cost $2,277. Keep in mind that this is the full amount you'd pay for your DVC rental — no hidden taxes or fees to consider.
Compare those prices to the cost of booking the same rooms directly with Disney.
The prices shown are per night for a standard or lake view villa. With taxes added in, Disney charges:
- $3,135.39 for three nights in a Standard View Villa (compared to the $1,932 DVC rental)
- $3,179.25 for a Lake View Villa (compared to the $2,237 DVC rental)
Depending on your chosen room, you'd save 30%-40% with a DVC rental instead of booking through Disney.
Purchasing a confirmed reservation
If your dates are flexible, browse broker sites for “confirmed reservations” — booked reservations available for rent. On David's Vacation Club Rentals, you'll find them on the drop-down “DVC guests” menu.
Often, reservations meeting the advertised $15 per point are last-minute deals like the ones below:
Considering brokers typically charge at least $21 per point, $15 presents significant savings. In addition, when we searched Disney's website to compare prices for the same rooms on the same dates, these rooms aren't even available. That's an added benefit to booking a DVC rental: You're often booking Deluxe Villas not available through Disney.
What To Consider When Renting DVC
It typically requires planning ahead
Unless you're booking a last-minute confirmed reservation like the ones above, you typically need to plan ahead to rent DVC resorts. Booking certain resorts can be easier, including Animal Kingdom, Bay Lake Tower, Hilton Head Island, Old Key West, Saratoga Springs, and Vero Beach. Other, more popular resorts must be booked multiple months in advance, including:
- Aulani
- Beach Club
- Boardwalk
- Boulder Ridge
- Cabins at Fort Wilderness
- Copper Creek
- Disneyland Hotel
- Grand Californian
- Grand Floridian
- Polynesian
- Riviera Resort
However, there are Facebook groups built around matching renters with last-minute DVC rentals. For those with travel flexibility, searching for and joining those groups gives you access to DVC owners who are motivated to part with their points.
DVC rentals are non-refundable
You generally can't get your money back after renting DVC. Some brokers do offer rebooking options. For instance, David's Vacation Club Rentals recently rolled out a “Deferred dreams cancellation policy,” letting you reschedule your rental if you cancel within a certain timeframe.
Disney's cancellation policy is much more forgiving. You'll get a refund on a room-only reservation up to six days before your trip; if you book a vacation package with Disney (resort plus tickets), cancel up to 30 days in advance to receive a full refund.
Basically, if you think your travel plans might change — and you're OK paying full price for Disney Deluxe Villas — you'll encounter a much more forgiving cancellation policy booking through Disney.
Disneyland is different
You can rent DVC at several Disneyland resorts, though staying on property at the California parks isn't as necessary. At Disney World, Disney designed the sprawling Orlando parks with adjacent resorts and built-in transportation. The interconnected nature of everything at Disney World makes staying on property highly desirable. Staying off-property in Orlando requires spending time and money on transportation and parking every day.
At Disneyland, however, dozens of hotels bookable with cash or points sit within walking distance or a short drive of the park entrance. Furthermore, because there are only two DVC options, renting DVC is much more competitive in Anaheim. Admittedly, the Grand Californian does have a back entrance right into California Adventure, and the Disneyland Hotel is a short walk or monorail ride away. But even those perks don't make renting DVC mandatory in California.
With only two parks to visit, a trip to Disneyland California is shorter anyway. No need to build in a rest day at a fancy resort; at Disneyland, you're crashing in your hotel room merely to sleep at night. In short: Feel free to splurge on a Disneyland DVC rental if you can find one, but you'll find the California parks much more accessible than Orlando, so you'll be fine off-property.
Other ways to stay on- or off-property and save cash
Consider our DVC rental examples above. If you're set on staying in a Deluxe Villa on Disney property, ~$2,000 for three nights at a monorail resort is a great deal. But you could also stay on property at the Walt Disney World Dolphin using Marriott points, paying $300 for three nights (for the resort fee plus a rollaway bed). To save even more money, pay zero dollars booking a room for five at the nearby Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, using Hyatt points or transferred Ultimate Rewards points. It all depends on how much cash and points you've budgeted for your trip — and whether you're willing to stay off-property.
Related: Tips for Saving Money at Disney World Using Points and Miles
Which Credit Cards To Use When Renting DVC
Which credit card should you use to pay for your DVC rental? Pay with a card offering trip cancellation/interruption insurance or purchase protection, just in case (or purchase travel insurance separately, through the DVC broker or another provider).
When it comes to earning rewards, renting DVC through a broker should count as a travel charge on your credit card. Purchase your DVC rental on a card that earns multiple points per dollar on travel bookings.
Bottom Line
Staying on property, especially at Disney World, gives you an elevated experience in “The Disney Bubble.” Gone are the days of settling for Value Resorts just to afford your next vacation; now, you have the tools to book a Deluxe stay at a moderate price. Explore the DVC rental options listed in this article and discover a whole new world of affordable excellence on your next Disney adventure.
Be careful, though: Once you stay in a Deluxe Villa, you may never want to stay anywhere else.
Looking for more Disney content? Check out the following:
- The Pros and Cons of Chase's Disney Visa Credit Cards
- How I Used Points and Miles to Join the Disney ‘Six Castle Club'
- How To Book Disneyland Paris on Points in Multiple Ways
- Hotels Near Tokyo Disney Parks You Can Book With Points
- Disney FastPass Programs: Genie+ and Lightning Lane
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