I have never “rented” DVC points before & am wondering if others had & what your experience was with doing this. Is this safe or a scam on some sites? Is the reservation under your name of the owners? Do you pre-pay the whole amount when you make a reservation or is there a due date 45-90 prior like with Disney? Is there travel insurance or if a medical emergency arises, do I lose all the money I paid? Can you request a specific room (knowing it’s not a guarantee)? How do I add a park hopper pass to the reservation or can I even do that?
We rented with David’s and had no problem with the transaction (all due up front when they find a match, when you first submit it’s just a small deposit, like $140 or something?) We were matched in less than a day and got a code to put in MDE. It shows up as our reservation and looks the same as when I stayed on property at Port Orleans Riverside in January. We don’t go on this trip till May but I don’t anticipate any issues with the reservation. It was a very smooth process, and the customer service at David’s was great!
I’ve rented multiple times through DVCShop and Davids, but always with confirmed reservations. You are rrequired to pay in full at booking and you’ll receive a MDE confirmation number just as if you’d booked through Disney direct. Make sure your guest info is correct when they book bc they do charge to make changes after the fact. I would buy discounted tickets on your own.
Oof - ok so lots of definitely maybes on this and it’s GOOD to see people asking the right kinds of questions.
-what your experience was with doing this.
I am an owner that has rented small amount of points from other owners directly to add on occasionally. I have only rented last minute single nights to add to my existing trips…Nothing I couldn’t afford to loose! Renting is a savings only if your looking for Deluxe Resorts BUT that savings IMPLIES huge risks!
-Is this safe or a scam on some sites-
BOTH!
-Is the reservation under your name of the owners?
The reservation is in your name BUT the owner CONTROLS it…This is huge Disney and or Member Services does not want to know you exist. They will not deal with the renter at all as far as any changes to the room reservation ect…
-Do you pre-pay the whole amount when you make a reservation or is there a due date 45-90 prior like with Disney?
That is totally up to the CONTRACT you sign - some owners do, some don’t. Each owner/site has there own policy.
-Is there travel insurance or if a medical emergency arises, do I lose all the money I paid?
Here is that risk factor again. Most often no, you can piece together a travel insurance policy on your own. And keep in mind PayPal EBay ect offer NO protection for buyers/renters of timeshare vacation.
-Can you request a specific room (knowing it’s not a guarantee)?
No not a specific room, although depending on the resort you can choose a specific “view” type
****also if you need an accessible room that option should be chosen IMMEDIATELY.
-How do I add a park hopper pass to the reservation or can I even do that?
First you have to have a MY DISNEY EXPERIENCE account
If you choose to rent points you will plug your reservation/confirmation in under link resorts
Than you can add whatever tickets you purchased under the link tickets- each member of your traveling party will need to do this
I’ve rented points but ONLY from legitimate companies: Davids DVC rental and DVC rentals.
It costs a little more, but worth it for peace of mind.(not a scam)
I see cost has just gone up for point rental (what hasn’t…)
I wanted specific resorts (Epcot area or Monorail resorts) so I had to put my request in 11 months ahead of time, which also costs a little more.
It was not a slam dunk.
Nothing for almost a month.
I had made a backup Disney hotel res just in case they couldn’t find a res I wanted. I was easily able to cancel WDW resort.
David’s finally found what we wanted - 1 bedroom at BW. They are incredibly professional and, well…, Just nice to deal with. When I told them my dates had some flexibility, they were able to find a place.
Yes. You have 24 hours to pay once they find a place for you.
Paying that big chunk of money up front 10 months before our visit …GULP.
And no cancel/modify like you can with a Disney hotel. I needed 1 more day and couldn’t modify the existing rental agreement. Luckily I was able to rent a 1 day confirmed reservation at the same resort - BW - from DVC rental. BWV Studio was only a few $$ more than my preferred moderate - French Quarter
DVC Rentals: Rent, Book & Save! - DVC Rental Store
This one you pay a small fraction up front (one night’s rate like a normal hotel) and the rest like 45 or 60 days out I can’t remember. It’s more expensive than David’s usually but if you don’t want to pay it all at once it’s a good option and I think they might have a better cancellation policy prior to full payment.
DVC Shop - Your One Stop Shop For DVC Resales & Rentals
I use this one for the absolute best last minute deals. We’re talking sub $200/night sometimes but you have to take over existing reservations and so there is no flexibility and not for choosing. I think they offer the prebooking experience like the other sites but I usually use David’s to save money when I’m selecting the dates I want up front. But this is my first go to for a spontaneous trip.
I’ve done it through dvcrentals (pre-pandemic). I liked that you could get a price estimate ahead of time. But, we did pay early for the whole thing. I think dvcrental had a cancel policy (cost extra), but you got some money back depending on when you canceled.
We were able to get Boardwalk for a “reasonable” cost, so that was nice. I did it for a girls trip. The DVC rooms can be different than regular hotel rooms, so check the floorplans. For instance, the room we got had one bed and a pull out sofa, not two beds.