One of the benefits Disney Vacation Club promotes is the ability to use points toward non-DVC destinations like Disney Cruise Line voyages and Adventures by Disney. Unfortunately using points to book these destinations is both a poor value and features several drawbacks.
Consider the Adventures by Disney "Disney Backstage, Hollywood & Disneyland" excursion. As of 2023, booking this trip via DVC would cost 493 points per adult based upon double occupancy. Depending upon the Home resort of points used, the annual dues obligation alone will be between $3,613.69 (Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort at $7.33 per point) and $6,335.05 (Disney's Vero Beach Resort at $12.85).
Meanwhile the cash rate for the same trip starts at $4,199 per person.
The absolute best case scenario for booking with points is the member "saves" about $586 per person while committing nearly five hundred of their DVC points to the journey. That's not taking into account the tens-of-thousands of dollars committed to the initial purchase of the DVC points. In most cases--8 of the 15 DVC resorts--the amount paid out in annual dues alone will equal or exceed the cost of the trip itself.
Additionally:
- There is a $95 exchange fee for most non-DVC reservations made with points
- Points committed to non-DVC destinations are converted to "Reservation Points." In the event of a cancelation, these points can ONLY be used to re-book other non-DVC locations. If a member commits 493 points to an Adventures by Disney trip and is then forced to reschedule, those points cannot be used for stays at Disney's Riviera Resort, Grand Floridian, Aulani or any other DVC property.
The process of booking with points is rather straightforward, requiring a call to DVC Member Services.
However, one popular alternative is to rent Disney Vacation Club points to cover the cost of a preferred travel adventure. Rental returns vary depending upon resort, method used and a variety of other vactors. $18 is a fair middle-of-the-road estimate. Rather than using 493 DVC points toward a trip, consider:
$4,199 trip cost / $18 per point rental return = 234 points
Renting just 234 points at $18 each--less than half of the 493 points DVC wants for the same destination--could yield sufficient funds to cover the cash price of the trip. Members can then use the rental proceeds to pay for their non-DVC destination. And this method gives the traveler access to Disney's generous cancelation policy, any discounts off the cost of the trip, travel agent incentives, etc.
To get the best deal for Adventures, we suggest using an experience authorized Disney vacation planner to rent your points out and save money. For more than a decade, DVCNews has trusted agent Sandy Nussbaum to manage our non-DVC travels.
What makes Sandy the travel agent of choice? Not only is Sandy a DVC member herself since 1999 (with 5 home resorts!) she is the original organizer of our DVC room reviews. Sandy fell in love with Adventures by Disney ten years ago when she traveled for the first time Italy. Since than Sandy has Adventured to New York City, Back Stage Magic, San Francisco, Peru (twice!), Costa Rica, the Rhine River (twice!), the Danube River and Portugal. In 2023 and 2024 Sandy is booked to travel to Norway, Greece and the new Adriatic Expedition to Croatia!
Book your Adventures by Disney trip, Disney Cruise Line voyage or anywhere on your bucket list and save so much money today! Most trips booked through Sandy include complimentary guide gratuities for Adventures by Disney trips and stateroom credits for DCL voyages.
Contact Sandy at ezdisez.com or by calling 877-ezdis-ez (877-393-4739.)
