All About Points – How Disney Vacation Club Differs from Traditional Timeshares

Posted:  DVC Rentals Educational Tips

When you hear the word “timeshare,” what pops into your mind? 

A Disney Vacation Club information kiosk is seen at Disney’s BoardWalk Villas under a blue sky. The cart is yellow and white with a black and white striped awning, and features photos and ads for the different DVC resorts.

Personally, I envision sitting in a tiny office hearing some pressure sales tactics, along with the promises of a free gift if I just take a one-hour tour. They want you to commit to taking the exact same vacation year after year, during the exact same week, in the exact same room. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that if it’s what you love, but for me, I crave a little more adventure, flexibility, and, well, magic!

Views of the Aulani resort buildings, pool areas, and Hawaiian beachline are seen from a balcony under a sunny blue sky. There are two chairs on the balcony, and a sliding door into the villa is open showing the bed inside.

The Disney Vacation Club (DVC) may be Disney’s version of a timeshare, and sure, you can take tours or book the same week each year, but that’s about where the similarities between DVC and traditional timeshare companies end. Disney took the idea and reimagined it to better suit the needs of the families vacationing with them each year. This leads me to a question our David’s team frequently hears from guests interested in booking with us: “What do the points mean?”

At Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, a circular blue sign is posted on a silver outdoor post reading “Disney Vacation Club. Welcome Home Disney Vacation Club Members” in silver and white writing.

Disney devised a new system to run its version of a timeshare. Instead of the old-school concept where you purchase a contract for the same location, week, and unit each year, when buying into DVC, you receive a yearly allotment of points. You can then use those points to book different travel dates, room types, and perhaps, even at other resort locations as it suits your needs.

The taupe and beige exterior of Disney’s Vero Beach Resort is seen surrounded by green foliage and palm trees under a sunny blue sky.

Each year, DVC sets the number of points needed to stay in each different resort and room type for each and every night on the calendar. As different DVC owners each have different allotments of points annually, the kinds of stays they can book will vary widely. 

The savanna at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas Kidani Village is seen through large glass windows from inside the resort’s lobby. Green landscaping, animals, a public viewing area, and other resort buildings are visible.

The total number of points required for a booking is then based on the number of points DVC requires for the length of stay you’re planning to reserve. For example, if you wanted to book a stay in a BoardWalk Villas Studio Preferred View for September 1-3, 2025, DVC would require a total of 28 points – 14 points for each of the 2 nights you’re staying.

The pull-down Murphy bed and queen bed in a BoardWalk Villas Studio are seen. Behind the Murphy bed is a painting of Goofy snoring as Mickey tries to sleep in the next bed.

While point allotments are broken down yearly for DVC owners, another unique aspect of DVC is that different owners receive their yearly points during different months of the year. This is what’s called their “Use Year.” 

I used to assume that all DVC points were distributed to every owner every January, but that’s not the case! Instead, one owner might get their points in February, while another gets them in December! The month their points are issued to them is determined when they purchase their membership and impacts the travel dates the owner can book. This helps to stagger availability in the DVC inventory and keep things fair instead of EVERY owner attempting to book their stays all at the same time!

The blue and white exterior building of Disney’s Beach Club Villas is seen at dusk. Warm white light streams from the windows as seen across the green lawn and walkway.

An owner’s Use Year not only determines when they receive their points but also when they expire. Let’s say an owner has a June 2025 Use Year. That owner can use those points to book reservations with travel dates between June 1, 2025, and June 1, 2026. This is another element our David’s team must consider when attempting to match a guest request to a DVC owner’s points! If a DVC owner has points that expire on April 1, 2025 for instance, those points cannot be used for a guest request that would check in on May 13, 2025.

A green foliage topiarary of Mickey Mouse holds a white sign reading “Disney Vacation Club” at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge under a pink and blue sunset. There is a large mine cart containing boulders centered in a garden of white and red flowers as part of the display.

Another element of a DVC membership that owners must consider when purchasing a contract is what “Home Resort” they want to own at. An owner’s Home Resort (which could be any of the resorts in the DVC family) is a specific DVC resort that their points are allocated for. 

The grey exterior building of Disney’s Riviera Resort is seen next to the water under a sunny sky. The Disney Skyliner can also be seen operating in the distance.

In another effort to keep things fair regarding availability in the DVC inventory, Disney Vacation Club’s policy is that owners can only use their points to book stays at their Home Resort for travel dates that are 7-11 months out. 

The main lobby of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. The resort’s monogram is seen in burgundy and white tiles on the lobby floor along with a large pink, red, and white flower display. The lobby is decorated mostly in neutral cream and green tones with Victorian influences.

Once travel dates are within 7 months from the time of booking, DVC owners can then use their points to make reservations at other resorts if there is still availability. Essentially, this means that owners get first dibs on booking their Home Resort but still have some flexibility to try out other resorts. It’s also why availability in the DVC inventory tends to book up extra quickly once travel dates are within 7 months, as many owners are quick to book stays at other resorts once that 7-month window opens to them!

The brown wood sign with a floral background reading “The Villas at Disneyland Hotel, Discovery Tower, Disney Vacation Club” in silver lettering is seen in front of the brown and yellow resort building exterior.

Some owners have points for a single Home Resort, while others own multiple contracts and have points for multiple resort locations. For instance, one owner may have a single contract for 200 points at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, while another owner may own 3 DVC contracts, so they have 100 points at Disney’s Beach Club Villas, 75 points at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort, and another 300 points at the Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.

The Copper Creek Springs Pool at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge is seen under a sunny sky. The log cabin-style resort buildings can be seen in the background.

When an owner purchases a DVC membership and Home Resort contract, it’s a commitment, almost like buying a home. Many DVC owners have mortgages on their contracts, there are yearly dues and fees required to keep their membership in good standing, and the contracts can be multiple decades long. As a result, many DVC owners will find that, at some point or another, they cannot use their points themselves, and that’s how David’s Vacation Club Rentals came about!

A stone fence with the words “Welcome Home” displayed in large white lettering is seen from the water across from Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa under a bright blue sky. The pastel resort buildings are also visible in the distance.

Yes, David is indeed a real person, and our whole business started when David found himself unable to use his DVC points. Rather than forfeiting the points he’d already paid for, he found someone who wanted to rent them, and boom – the DVC points rental process was pioneered! That’s right! Our David’s team was the first in the game!

A small blue and yellow boat is seen on the water in front of Disney’s Old Key West Resort under a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. Green palm trees and landscaping line the sides of the water.

Since then, our business has grown dramatically, as many other DVC owners have been in similar situations to David’s. Some rent their points to help recoup the fees associated with maintaining their memberships, and some just have other life events such as weddings or job changes that require their time (and perhaps their vacation funds!) Some owners have just seen their families grow and change over the years of their contract and are now looking for alternative types of vacations from when their kids were young. The DVC owners we work with love to help other families experience their DVC dream stay and get a thrill out of being a part of that magic!

The colorful buildings of Disney’s BoardWalk Villas are seen under a blue sky from across the rocky shoreline of Crescent Lake.

This is just the tip of the iceberg on how Disney Vacation Club operates. There are lots of specific policies, procedures, rules, and, almost always, a loophole for every rule (and a rule for every loophole!) While that may seem daunting, you can count on our David’s team to assist with any questions you might have and guide you through the magical world of point rentals!

~Stacy

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