DVC Point Rental for Aulani

2prettygirl

Mouseketeer
Joined
Mar 12, 2013
I am reaching out to see if anyone has rented points through a broker to reserve Aulani and if so, how reputable was this? Did the reservation go under your own name and was there any issue with booking dining reservations while on resort?
 
We went through David's with no problems. We rented a 1 bedroom, but the standard rooms were gone before they matched us with points. We ended up with an island view. We already have rented points again through them for our upcoming stay at WDW Wilderness Lodge.
 
We went through David's with no problems. We rented a 1 bedroom, but the standard rooms were gone before they matched us with points. We ended up with an island view. We already have rented points again through them for our upcoming stay at WDW Wilderness Lodge.
I just want to add that Wilderness Lodge (or I guess really Copper Creek) is our favorite place! That is our home resort :)
 


I just came back from Aulani and rented points. No problems at all. We booked an island view room. I checked in with my name and made all dining and spa reservation in my name. I gave the broker my room request and the owner put it in for me and I got the room I wanted.
 
Lots of people here have. The most popular brokers are David's and DVC Rental Store, and they are both very reputable. David's is a sponsor of the board.

The reservation will be made by the DVC owner, but it will be in your name. Dining reservations are not associated with your reservation - anyone can make them, even if you are not staying at Aulani. So that will not be an issue.

If you go this route, keep in mind that you typically need to book 7-11 months in advance for the best shot at availability, you usually pay in full at time of booking and its non-refundable with no changes, and you do not receive daily housekeeping. Those are generally the biggest caveats for people when renting DVC points.
 
Thank you all so much for all this helpful information! I do have a few more questions:
Working with David's per say, do you put in your request 7-11 months out to David and then he is in charge of reaching out to the DVC owner to make the reservation? Once the reservation is made, I would be sent an email confirmation? Just curious, why is it non-refundable with no changes? And why do they not offer daily housekeeping? Not that I am concerned but more so curious....completely new to the DVC thing in general. :-)

So what is the likelihood of getting a reservation at Aulani? It was stated to put in our request 7-11 months in advance for the best shot of availability, we aren't super picky on room location/view but I am just curious if rooms tend to book that fast or if that's the best opportunity for points becoming available for use?

I guess my concern is that this trip is something we hope to plan as far in advance as possible, if we put in our request to David 11 months out, does it sometimes take a few months to know if you can get a reservation? That is what concerns me, we are wanting to go in June and I know summer can be a busy time.
 


I would recommend you take a look at David's website, it can answer most of these questions in the FYI. DVC is a timeshare, thus the no daily housekeeping. A member is using their points to book the reservations and given this the non-refundable policy (if you would back out potentially they would not be able to use the points for another reservation, they could expire, ect). The home booking window for DVC is 11 months out, so placing your request prior to that gives you the best likelihood of securing a reservation. There are certain room types that are super difficult to secure via brokers (ie Davids) such as a regular hotel room, and lower point views as there are only limited amounts. I was super lucky a couple years ago and secured a regular hotel room with Davids and placed my request a week or two prior to the 11 month window. I had to wait just a few weeks for them to match me with a DVC owner and secure the reservation. David's was very easy to work with and I wouldn't hesitate to rent again.
 
I would recommend you take a look at David's website, it can answer most of these questions in the FYI. DVC is a timeshare, thus the no daily housekeeping. A member is using their points to book the reservations and given this the non-refundable policy (if you would back out potentially they would not be able to use the points for another reservation, they could expire, ect). The home booking window for DVC is 11 months out, so placing your request prior to that gives you the best likelihood of securing a reservation. There are certain room types that are super difficult to secure via brokers (ie Davids) such as a regular hotel room, and lower point views as there are only limited amounts. I was super lucky a couple years ago and secured a regular hotel room with Davids and placed my request a week or two prior to the 11 month window. I had to wait just a few weeks for them to match me with a DVC owner and secure the reservation. David's was very easy to work with and I wouldn't hesitate to rent again.

Yes, all of this. In the three times we rented from David's, we secured a reservation within less than a week. The standard views in all room categories are also first to go, b/c of the lower point value.
 
Working with David's per say, do you put in your request 7-11 months out to David and then he is in charge of reaching out to the DVC owner to make the reservation?
David's is a company name and they have many agents. They are a broker, so yes, they facilitate reaching out to the pool of owners they have in their database that are willing to rent the points. They liaise between you and the owner to complete the booking, so you never communicate with the owner directly. You pay more per point for their service versus working with an owner directly, but its recommended to use a broker for your first time or two until you understand the risks and implications.

Once the reservation is made, I would be sent an email confirmation?
Yes. They will provide you with the confirmation number. I'm not sure what format David's sends it in (I've not used them before), but the owners I have worked with have sent me a screenshot of the confirmed booking with the confirmation number.

Just curious, why is it non-refundable with no changes?
A DVC owner is booking your reservation with their personal points that they own and pay for. They have deadlines by which they have to bank their points by if they are not going to use them, and if not done by that deadline, they lose those points for the year. If you were allowed to cancel your reservation, the owner would likely be out their points or have difficulty re-renting them by their banking deadline. And because the owner is laying out their points for you at time of booking, that is why full payment at time of booking is required.

And why do they not offer daily housekeeping?
DVC is a timeshare. The villa units are akin to condos, and Disney refers to DVC as your "home away from home". This is why the villas have kitchens, laundry, etc. Because of this, daily housekeeping is not provided. I believe they do collect trash daily, and they will do a full cleaning on day 8. I think they also replace towels around day 4. But otherwise, you're expected to treat it as if you were "home", so to speak. If you book a villa directly through Disney (not renting points), you would receive housekeeping daily and you can also pay extra to receive housekeeping, but I'm not sure of the cost off hand.

So what is the likelihood of getting a reservation at Aulani? It was stated to put in our request 7-11 months in advance for the best shot of availability, we aren't super picky on room location/view but I am just curious if rooms tend to book that fast or if that's the best opportunity for points becoming available for use?

I guess my concern is that this trip is something we hope to plan as far in advance as possible, if we put in our request to David 11 months out, does it sometimes take a few months to know if you can get a reservation? That is what concerns me, we are wanting to go in June and I know summer can be a busy time.
June of 2020? or 2021? You mention putting in your request 11 months out, so I am assuming you mean June of next year. June is a popular time but if you can be flexible on dates, room type and view, your chances are good. Only Aulani owners will have their points available for rent at 7-11 months out. Whether you can secure a reservation solely depends on how many Aulani owners are renting their points through David's (or whatever broker) at the time you are inquiring. If they have none available, they will add you to the wait list. At the 7 month mark, any DVC owner can rent their points for a stay at Aulani (or any DVC resort), so point availability will greatly increase at that time. Also, its worth noting that if David's can secure a booking for you between the 7-11 months out, you do pay more per point for that. Some are willing to do that to ensure they get what they want. But otherwise, if you wait until 7 months or less, you pay less per point. Not sure I'd recommend that if trying to book for June though.
 
But otherwise, if you wait until 7 months or less, you pay less per point. Not sure I'd recommend that if trying to book for June though.

Agree with @nkereina on this. We are going this June, and we own at Aulani and BLT. We didn't have enough Aulani points available to book our full trip at the 11-month mark, and by the time 7 months came around, we were only able to secure what we wanted to reserving right at the moment we could--later that day, what we wanted wasn't available, and by a couple days later, there were NO options that were available for our entire range of dates. If it were me, I would book closer to the 11-month window to ensure that I got the dates and room type that I wanted.
 
David's is a company name and they have many agents. They are a broker, so yes, they facilitate reaching out to the pool of owners they have in their database that are willing to rent the points. They liaise between you and the owner to complete the booking, so you never communicate with the owner directly. You pay more per point for their service versus working with an owner directly, but its recommended to use a broker for your first time or two until you understand the risks and implications.


Yes. They will provide you with the confirmation number. I'm not sure what format David's sends it in (I've not used them before), but the owners I have worked with have sent me a screenshot of the confirmed booking with the confirmation number.


A DVC owner is booking your reservation with their personal points that they own and pay for. They have deadlines by which they have to bank their points by if they are not going to use them, and if not done by that deadline, they lose those points for the year. If you were allowed to cancel your reservation, the owner would likely be out their points or have difficulty re-renting them by their banking deadline. And because the owner is laying out their points for you at time of booking, that is why full payment at time of booking is required.


DVC is a timeshare. The villa units are akin to condos, and Disney refers to DVC as your "home away from home". This is why the villas have kitchens, laundry, etc. Because of this, daily housekeeping is not provided. I believe they do collect trash daily, and they will do a full cleaning on day 8. I think they also replace towels around day 4. But otherwise, you're expected to treat it as if you were "home", so to speak. If you book a villa directly through Disney (not renting points), you would receive housekeeping daily and you can also pay extra to receive housekeeping, but I'm not sure of the cost off hand.


June of 2020? or 2021? You mention putting in your request 11 months out, so I am assuming you mean June of next year. June is a popular time but if you can be flexible on dates, room type and view, your chances are good. Only Aulani owners will have their points available for rent at 7-11 months out. Whether you can secure a reservation solely depends on how many Aulani owners are renting their points through David's (or whatever broker) at the time you are inquiring. If they have none available, they will add you to the wait list. At the 7 month mark, any DVC owner can rent their points for a stay at Aulani (or any DVC resort), so point availability will greatly increase at that time. Also, its worth noting that if David's can secure a booking for you between the 7-11 months out, you do pay more per point for that. Some are willing to do that to ensure they get what they want. But otherwise, if you wait until 7 months or less, you pay less per point. Not sure I'd recommend that if trying to book for June though.

I cannot say THANK YOU enough for taking the time to comment in such depth. I greatly appreciate all of this information! :-)
 
I cannot say THANK YOU enough for taking the time to comment in such depth. I greatly appreciate all of this information! :-)
Sure thing! The Aulani board is a great resource for everything related to this, and Hawaii in general. Ask all the questions!
 
One last question :tongue: for those who have stayed at Aulani using David's for point rental, is there a specific room type you would recommend trying for, just based off of your past experience? Family of 4, 2 adults and 2 kids (ages 15 and 12 at travel).
 
One last question :tongue: for those who have stayed at Aulani using David's for point rental, is there a specific room type you would recommend trying for, just based off of your past experience? Family of 4, 2 adults and 2 kids (ages 15 and 12 at travel).
Although I haven't used David's for point rentals at Aulani, I would say, if you can afford it, a 1 BDRM villa is great. With that, there is a king bed, a queen pull-out, and a single-size murphy bed, which allows the two kids to each have their own sleeping space. Additionally, in the 1 bdrm, you have laundry and a full kitchen. IMO, at Aulani, a kitchen is a must, b/c the food at Aulani is quite expensive and also limited in variety. We love having the ability to have breakfasts and lunches in our room, as well as a couple dinners. We also buy liquor and mixers and make our own cocktails throughout the week, and take them down tot he pool with us--this saved us a bundle last time, as mixed drinks are typically about $15 each!
 
One last question :tongue: for those who have stayed at Aulani using David's for point rental, is there a specific room type you would recommend trying for, just based off of your past experience? Family of 4, 2 adults and 2 kids (ages 15 and 12 at travel).
Room availability will be the same for all DVC owners, regardless of the point broker or owner you book through. Everyone is subject to the same pool of availability from the resort. So you can request to book whatever room type you want if you decide to go with David's, and your odds of getting it are the same. As far as what might be best for your family make-up, 1 BR would ideal. 2 BR is fine too, but obviously more expensive and all that space is not really needed for 4 people. I would strongly advise against a studio - its smaller than a standard hotel room, and the second bed is a pull out sleeper sofa. We stayed in a studio as just two adults, and found it crowded with little storage space. When the bed is pulled out into the sleeper position, it leaves virtually no room for walking around and it blocks the door to the balcony.
 
One last question :tongue: for those who have stayed at Aulani using David's for point rental, is there a specific room type you would recommend trying for, just based off of your past experience? Family of 4, 2 adults and 2 kids (ages 15 and 12 at travel).

Our kids are younger than yours but we'll still get the one bedroom. It's plenty of space for four with a big enough kitchen and dining area to feel spacious enough to eat at. The balcony adds a decent bit of space too but there you need to decide how much the view is worth to you. It's a decent move in cost to go from the standard view to the ocean view. The board has a section that has the view from most of the different rooms if you really want to get picky and put in a request for a specific one. Disney won't guarantee any request but will try to grant it once you get to the hotel.
 
We also rented on a recent vacation this past December via DVCrental. It was a very easy experience.

The kids had a great time. We stayed with a garden view. Very quiet!
 
Renting points, how do you place a specific reservation room request when you are utilizing David's for the reservation? Do you enter this request and they forward onto the DVC owner?
 
Renting points, how do you place a specific reservation room request when you are utilizing David's for the reservation? Do you enter this request and they forward onto the DVC owner?

Yes, only the owner can make the request, so David's would have to forward your request to the owner.
 

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