If you’ve spent any time planning a Walt Disney World vacation, you’ve probably looked at the prices of the Deluxe resorts and thought, “That would be nice, but wow!”
We certainly did.
We love Disney’s Deluxe resorts, but paying the regular room rate every time we visited wasn’t something we wanted to do. That’s eventually what led us to Disney Vacation Club.
But we didn’t start by buying DVC.
We started by renting DVC points, and looking back, we’re glad we did.
Renting DVC Points Was Our Introduction to DVC
Before we became DVC owners, we rented points from other owners.
For someone who wants to stay at a Deluxe Disney resort without buying into DVC, renting points can be a great option.
Instead of booking a room directly through Disney, you’re essentially using points belonging to a DVC member to book a DVC villa.
That can sometimes allow you to stay at resorts such as Animal Kingdom Lodge, Bay Lake Tower, Polynesian Village Resort, Grand Floridian and other DVC properties for considerably less than Disney’s regular cash price for a comparable room.
For us, renting was also a good way to see whether we actually liked the DVC experience before making a much bigger financial commitment.
As it turned out, we did.
Booking Early Is Really Important
One thing to understand about renting DVC points is that planning ahead matters.
DVC owners can generally book their home resort beginning 11 months before check-in. At seven months, they can begin booking other DVC resorts.
If you know where you want to stay, particularly if you’re looking for a popular resort or room type, we’d recommend starting the rental process as close to that 11-month window as possible.
That doesn’t mean you can’t find something later. You certainly can. But the longer you wait, the fewer choices you may have.
There is another big difference between renting DVC points and making a normal Disney hotel reservation.
Depending on who you rent through, you may have to pay most or all of the cost upfront, and cancellation policies can be much more restrictive.
That’s important.
A lower price isn’t much of a bargain if your plans change and you can’t get your money back.
Some rental companies offer different types of protection, but the terms vary. Make sure you understand the payment and cancellation rules before committing.
Eventually, We Decided to Buy
After experiencing DVC through rentals, we eventually decided ownership made sense for us.
Our home resort is Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, and we currently own 280 points there.
Animal Kingdom Lodge is also our favorite Disney Deluxe resort overall, so having it as our home resort was a good fit for us.
Owning gives us the ability to book our home resort at the 11-month window, which can be a big advantage when we’re trying to get a particular room or travel during a popular time.
But owning DVC is a very different decision from renting points.
Renting is paying for a vacation.
Buying DVC is making a long-term commitment.
Buying Direct vs. Buying Resale
One of the biggest decisions for someone considering DVC is whether to buy directly from Disney or purchase a resale contract.
Resale can save a significant amount of money compared with buying directly from Disney.
But there are tradeoffs.
Disney has placed restrictions on some resale contracts, and resale owners may not receive all of the benefits available to eligible direct purchasers.
Those rules have changed over the years and could change again, so this is an area where we’d recommend checking Disney’s current policies before making a purchase.
The important thing is to decide what matters to you.
If your primary goal is staying at DVC resorts using points, resale may be very attractive.
If access to certain member benefits and perks matters to you, then buying at least some points directly may make more sense.
Don’t pay thousands of dollars more for benefits you aren’t actually going to use.
Don’t Forget About Annual Dues
The purchase price isn’t the end of the cost of DVC ownership.
Every year, owners pay annual dues.
The amount depends on your home resort and the number of points you own, and dues can increase over time.
For us, that means paying annual dues on our 280 Animal Kingdom Lodge points every year.
That’s an important part of the calculation when you’re deciding whether DVC makes financial sense.
It’s easy to look at a resale contract and think, “We could own DVC for this amount.”
But that’s only the upfront cost.
You also need to ask yourself whether you’re comfortable paying the annual dues for as long as you own the contract.
DVC Has Given Us Some Great Family Memories
For us, DVC isn’t only about whether we saved a certain amount of money on hotel rooms.
Some of our favorite Disney memories are tied to DVC stays.
That includes family trips and even staying at Bay Lake Tower for Erick’s wedding.
There’s something special about being able to stay within walking distance of the Magic Kingdom, particularly for an occasion like that.
Those are the kinds of experiences that are hard to put into a spreadsheet.
That doesn’t mean you should ignore the numbers. You absolutely shouldn’t.
But for us, DVC is both a financial decision and a way of vacationing that we enjoy.
What If You Can’t Use All Your Points?
Another benefit of ownership is that you may have options if you aren’t going to use all of your points yourself.
Depending on the situation, you may be able to bank points for a future year or rent some of your points to someone else.
We’ve seen firsthand how there is a market for DVC rentals because that’s exactly how we first experienced DVC ourselves.
Renting out points can potentially help offset some of the cost of ownership when you have points you aren’t going to use.
Of course, you need to understand the DVC rules surrounding your points, including banking deadlines and expiration dates. You don’t want to wait until the last minute and discover that your options are limited.
So, Is It Better to Rent or Own?
We don’t think there’s one answer for everyone.
If you’re curious about DVC but aren’t ready to make a long-term commitment, renting points is a great place to start.
That’s what we did.
You get the chance to experience a DVC resort and see what you think without committing thousands of dollars to a contract.
If you visit Disney regularly, love staying at Deluxe resorts and know you’re likely to continue taking Disney vacations for many years, then ownership may be worth exploring.
But take your time.
Look at resale as well as buying directly from Disney. Understand the restrictions. Calculate the annual dues. Think about how many points you’d realistically use.
And don’t buy more points just because they sound good while you’re sitting at Disney World!
Was DVC Worth It for Us?
For us, yes.
We love Animal Kingdom Lodge, we enjoy staying at Deluxe resorts, and Disney continues to be a big part of our family’s travels.
But we’re also glad we rented before we bought.
Renting gave us the opportunity to experience DVC without making a long-term commitment. By the time we became owners, we had a much better idea of what we were buying and how we would actually use it.
If you’re considering DVC and aren’t sure whether ownership is right for you, renting points for a trip may be the best first step.
You may decide renting is all you ever need.
Or you may end up like us and eventually decide you want points of your own.
Either way, you’ll be making the decision after actually experiencing DVC rather than simply sitting through a sales presentation.
Have you ever rented DVC points, or are you considering becoming a DVC owner? We’d love to hear which resort you’d choose as your home resort.