How does it work? At Disney they have the Disney Vacation Club (DVC). This allows guests to purchase points that are used to stay at Disney Deluxe Villas (your points can also be used at locations all over the world). It's like a timeshare, but better (in my opinion). So, each year DVC owners have a certain number of points to use. If they aren't going to use them then they can sell them to companies like David's. Once David's buys the points from the DVC owner they will then "rent" them to a non-DVC owner so people who would not otherwise be able to afford a Deluxe resort stay, can now afford it. It's a pretty genius business this guy started. One of those "Why didn't I think of that?!" moments.
In order to "rent" points just go to David's and fill out the registration form. They have cost calculator on their website, so you can see how much it will cost for your stay. You can also view the layouts of the rooms and see some video tours.
Once you have your reservation any requests will have to be made through the DVC owner. For instance, we wanted to request "close to the lobby", so I emailed David's the request and they forwarded it to the DVC owners, who then made the note on the reservation. I believe you can see any requests noted on your My Disney Experience account, once the reservation is made. Dining plans have to be purchased through David's, as well. You pay David's for it and they work with the DVC owner to secure your dining plan. The DVC owners will not see your credit card information, just David's. If you are flying, you will need to send your flight information to David's so that they can get you set up with The Magical Express. Also, be aware that certain perks that are available to DVC owners will not be available to you if you are renting points. DVC owners are able to pool hop (to certain pools, not all), but this perk does not extend to those who are renting points. The same goes for Top of the World Lounge at Bay Lake Tower.
Bay Lake Tower and The Contemporary
Top of the World Lounge View
(Picture from Disney)
If you have a certain resort in mind that you would like to stay at for your vacation, I would recommend looking at this page on their website. It gives you recommendations for when you should book. I know it seems very early to book at 11 months out, but if you have your heart set on a certain resort, it is probably best to reserve then (if you can). We waited a little too long to book our last stay and ended up at Pop Century for the first two nights. Pop is fine, it's my favorite value resort, but I'm not a fan of the whole split stay thing. I like to unpack and not pack again until we are going home. Which is why we are booking 11 months out this time, we all want to stay in one hotel and not have to move. Fingers crossed!
If you go through a company like David's, just remember that you are staying on someone else's points and anything you do to the room will reflect on them. Please be respectful to the DVC owner, as they are taking a chance by selling their points. When we stayed at Kidani Village this past January, we were loading the dishwasher and one of the wine glasses broke. We made sure to tell them at checkout and asked if there was a fee (we didn't want the DVC owner to get charged). They didn't end up charging us for the glass and the DVC owners didn't have to worry about it.
One other (important) thing to note, your payment is non-refundable. It makes sense, because the owners have to sell their points and if you cancel your reservation then either David's or the owner are out that money. So, if you are not comfortable with making reservations so far in advance, I would recommend getting travel insurance. That way you don't have to worry if something comes up and you have to cancel your trip.
I have nothing but good things to say about David's. I admit, I was very nervous renting points. We had a couple of friends in our group that were running the Goofy and we had 4 little kids with us, so I was worried something would go wrong. I kept playing out all of these dramatic scenarios in my head, like being turned away at the front desk and having no where to go, but I was seriously worrying for no reason. Any questions I had, and I had a lot, were answered within the same day (often in an hour or two). They were always clear when they answered my questions and pleasant. It was a great experience and we are going to be using them again in about a week or so (can't wait!!!!). I'm so glad we went through them, because we were able to stay at a beautiful hotel.
The balcony off of the lobby at Kidani
Lots of giraffes to look at.
The view from the balcony was beautiful!
We were lucky to be there when there
was a baby zebra on the Savannah :-)
Fluffy headed bird.
Think they know who puts food out for them? Lol
It was funny to see them follow the truck.
One of the lamps in the viewing area.
The lobby decorations
are beautiful!
More impressive lobby
decorations.
Our room overlooked the bus stop, but
there really wasn't any noise that bothered us.
We could even see the pool from our room.
I know it looks far away in this picture,
but the walk wasn't that long.
The balcony off of our
2 bedroom suite.
The table and television. Many park days
were planned out at that table!
A close-up of the light over
the table in our suite.
So, if you've always wanted to stay Deluxe, but the price makes you want to cry, take a look at David's. They will answer any question you have, no matter how ridiculous you think your questions are (trust me...I know). They will make you feel comfortable and help to calm any fears you might have with reserving a room from a company other than Disney.
Writing this blog post has me excited to book our next trip! I can't wait to book with them again :-)
Thanks for reading!
Liz ⁰O⁰
Looking back at the lobby
from the viewing area. <3
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