Booking a Disney Vacation Club Trip | DVC Member Portal | Trip Reservation & Modification How-To

[@PixieDustPhD]

Do you have any questions about the DVC member portal or making/modifying a DVC reservation? Let me know and I'll dig a bit deeper to try to get you a helpful answer!

[@cynthiacarrero7043]

Excellent video and thank you for sharing. I’m purchasing resale and couldn’t find any videos on how the portal looks like. Truly educational for us newbies.

[@PixieDustPhD]

Hi Cynthia, I'm glad you found this helpful! Thanks for watching the video and leaving a comment with your kind words. This kind of content is exactly what I wish I had when I was looking to buy DVC -- so glad I can provide some clarity for folks going through the same process now! Best of luck with your resale purchase!!

[@kennyoconnor7]

I cannot thank you enough for this vid. I am a new DVC owner, I bought a resale contract at the Poly. I just received the deed in the mail and I'm waiting on Disney to setup my account. I am so anxious to take a look at the members portal but could find very little info on it. This was perfect and you explained it wonderfully. Thank you again, I owe you one!

[@PixieDustPhD]

Oh congrats on your new Poly congrats, Kenny! That's so exciting. And wow your deed came so fast -- mine came SEVERAL weeks after I already had online access. I'm glad this was helpful for you; hopefully as soon as those points hit your account you will feel confident in making a booking! If you have any questions definitely feel free to let me know. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@kennyoconnor7]

@@PixieDustPhD You brought me good luck! I received an email from DVC Member Services this past Sunday welcoming me and telling me to be on the look out for another email with my member number and login info. Fifteen minutes later the email came and I was able to log into the DVC account and link it to my MDE account. Believe it or not, the next day (Monday) the points appeared online. I have a December use year and the 2019 points were banked, so it's showing double the points for 2020. Get this...the 2018 points were banked and that was never disclosed on the contract or anywhere...they were like forgotten. So for one day I was able to see a full allotment of points and sadly had to watch them expire at the end of the day. It broke my heart! You're vid was spot on and made navigating the website easy. You're the best!

[@PixieDustPhD]

@@kennyoconnor7 Yay that's awesome -- congrats! And yes my points were loaded the very next day also, which was shocking. 2018 points! WHAT! WOW. I mean.... sad to see them go for sure, but at least you didn't pay for them. But WOW. But you still have all of your 2019 and 2020 points to book a truly fabulous vacation! I'm glad this video was helpful for you to be able to navigate the site and book something ASAP. Thanks for the kind words and updating me about your points! So exciting!

[@gillianessien7417]

This is brilliant. Much needed. Thanks so much!

[@PixieDustPhD]

Hi Gillian, thanks so much for watching and the kind words. I'm glad this helped! If you have other DVC questions please feel free to drop a comment wherever and I'll do my best to help you out =]

[@OhanaAdventures]

So Liz and I are getting close to booking our trip. Already have a renter!!! So your vlogs are so exciting!! -Ali 😍🍷

[@PixieDustPhD]

Eeee that's so exciting!!!! That was one of my biggest complaints about renting... the fact that I couldn't check availability on my own haha. I think our trips will only be a couple of months off though so should be a good lead up time for all of us !!

[@LGEEZIE36]

Very informative video, like you I searched for “how to” videos regarding the DVC website but couldn’t find anything. Thanks for taking the time to put this together. You have a new subscriber.

[@PixieDustPhD]

It is so strange how NOT readily available this information is, right?! I was (and am still, honestly) so surprised that other creators but even DVC themselves don't make this information more readily available. It would certainly help hesitant people like me be more willing to buy, haha. Thanks for watching and subscribing!

[@justintanoue]

Very helpful! I just purchased today. You rock!

[@PixieDustPhD]

Ooooh congrats on your purchase!! That's so awesome!!! And thank you for the kind words =]

[@622emily622]

As someone who's considering buying DVC for the first time, your videos are so helpful and informative! Thank you!!

[@PixieDustPhD]

Aw that's great, Emily! Thanks for the kind words. I try to make DVC content that I wish I had found before I bought into it... so many questions lol. It's kind of a ridiculously complicated system for just being a timeshare. If you ever have questions feel free to leave a comment wherever and I'll try to help you out!!

[@lwlw55]

This is super helpful, thanks!

[@PixieDustPhD]

Glad to help out, Liz. Thanks for watching and the kind words!

[@frijoleaggie]

Great video. Thank you!

[@PixieDustPhD]

Cheers - thanks so much for checking it out and leaving those kind words! :)

[@ForgottenCovers]

This is so helpful! Thank you so much! :)

[@PixieDustPhD]

You're so welcome, I'm glad it was helpful! If you know anyone else looking into DVC please consider pointing them to my channel. And if you ever have any questions feel free to drop a comment and I'll do my best to help you out!!

[@tarazanardi157]

This video is sooooooo helpful. Thank you, thank you, Jacqueline! It's so great to see the process in action. I can't wait to be a DVC member!

[@PixieDustPhD]

Oof sorry I missed your comment! It must've gotten buried in my notifications. I'm glad you think its helpful; that's always my goal! Definitely can't wait for you to be a DVC member. You've certainly done you're homework so I think it'll pay off in spades!

[@GreatNewsScotty]

Sweet video! Great Job!

[@PixieDustPhD]

Thanks so much Scott! If you ever have any DVC questions feel free to drop a comment wherever and I'll do my best to help you out!

[@GreatNewsScotty]

Thank YOU for doing these awesome videos. You really are one the best out there. We currently are awaiting ROFR on a 160 Bay Lake Contract..... nervous! Go Bay Lake!

[@PixieDustPhD]

@@GreatNewsScotty Oooohhh my gosh, congrats on the first parts of the process!! I know how gut wrenching waiting for the ROFR decision can be... just try to stay occupied and distracted in my only good advice haha. Wishing the best for you and your contract and please keep me posted! I absolutely LOVE Bay Lake and I'm sure you will too!!! And thanks for the kind words, it means a lot =]

[@roserose45]

I came back to reference this video (bc it's that good!) and realized we have the same UY! Win for me!!!

[@PixieDustPhD]

Aw thanks Rosy! Also if you ever have questions and don’t wanna click back through a video feel free to just leave a comment somewhere and I’ll get you an answer! And haha yes matching use years!!! That’s a fun bonus 😄

[@nycp1969]

Love this! It really makes me excited about becoming a DVC member. Can't wait to have my own membrship page!

[@PixieDustPhD]

Yayay it's gonna happen sooner than you know it! Thanks for watching and commenting, Peter!

[@johnaesposito1737]

Settling in to watch a movie with my kids but looking forward to seeing this video later. (It is a long one! Yeah! 😄)

[@PixieDustPhD]

Ooohh love movie time with the family. I hope it's awesome! And yes haha ugh there was so much to go over I just couldn't squeeze it into a shorter time.

[@blwilson8]

Very informative video. We just got access to the DVC site now that our OKW contract has finally closed!!

[@PixieDustPhD]

Ahhh congrats!!!! That’s amazing!! Thanks for watching and commenting, too!

[@thejusticejen]

Thank you!! It’s like finally seeing the actual wizard of Oz behind the curtain. Also I love that you’re using a mic, the audio is great and enhances the video. Are you able to see specific rooms or leave a request for a specific room or area?

[@PixieDustPhD]

Hey Jen, glad you found this helpful! And yes I am in constant struggle with using the mic vs filming further away = more than just my face. I really hate the super closeup visual, but I have to be quite close to the mic for the audio to turn out (and it plugs into my computer, and the cord isn't super long).... I'm going to test out a new setup that maybe will be the best of both worlds soon? I hate sacrificing audio quality for my visual preference of more than just my face, but the just my face thing really bothers me haha. We can hope this new situation works out! You cannot see the specific room when you are booking. You are able to do room requests (either specific things or general like high floor, close to the elevator, south wing, etc.) just like you would with a normal Disney hotel room! These of course are not guaranteed, but it can't hurt to try. I did also want to note if there are difference in the general room type you do pick that exactly. For example, with Copper Creek some of the studios have showers only vs some have the shower/tub combo. In that case there are two different listings (deluxe studio and deluxe studio with walk in shower) so you would know which type of that villa you'd be getting. Same with lock-off vs standard 2 bedrooms are separated during booking. Let me know if you've got other questions!! I'm happy to help out =]

[@thejusticejen]

@@PixieDustPhD I’m specifically thinking of those value rooms that have a partial Savannah view at AKL. Better audio is totally worth it, your face is lovely so no worries on the close up. Love the changing of the hair colors too hehe. What about using a $20 lav mic so you can go as far as you want. I’m eyeing those wireless Rode mics too. Pricey but worth it for you guys if you start posting walk throughs at the resorts or parks in the future. Business expense deduction (I’m a tax attorney).

[@PixieDustPhD]

@@thejusticejen Okay yeah in that case no. You can put in a room request for a specific room number or view, but you would be booking the Value category and not the specific room. Ha, thanks! I did buy a cheap lav mic but it just blooowwss it has to be RIGHT next to my mouth to pick up anything so I've been feeling kind of burned on the lav mic situation. This isn't even a business or side gig! ha. I make $0 from it. Just a hobby. And I live too far / we don't go often enough to be doing cool content from the parks. If I ever live closer though yeah I probably will invest a lot more! For now it's just my point and shoot camera (which I have anyway), a $50 mic more or less for podcasting I bought just for this, and a popup green screen I bought just for this (and that dumb lav mic I may as well trash haha). Tax attorney! That's so cool. Definitely wish I had some more finance knowledge that i'm sure you are swimming in!

[@captainwesticle1654]

Really good video! It covered everything I was looking for, other than how to convert points to RCI points and make reservations at places outside of DVC. My wife and I were looking for a hotel near Universal Studios Hollywood, Six Flags, and Knott's Berry Farm, using our DVC points. Can that be done through the website, and if so, do you have a tutorial for that?

[@PixieDustPhD]

Hi! I do not have any such tutorial. You can look at all the RCI exchange locations here (even without a DVC login): disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/destinations/map/world-rci/ The map view I find really helpful. I'm 100% certain there is no RCI close to Universal Orlando. I'm less sure about the exact places you listed, but since Knott's is so close to Disneyland I think it's a safe bet there isn't an RCI there either; same with Universal Hollywood. Six Flags is everywhere so you may have a better chance with that. If you don't mind, let me offer two points as to why I don't have any RCI content (which falls under the category of I never plan on using my points in RCI): 1) Your points hold the most value AT the DVC resorts. If you compare the cash value to most RCI locations its not a good trade. 2) In my experience, the RCI locations leave a lot to be desired if you want to be right in the center of the action. They are mostly "resorts" in the sense that they are near lakes or golf courses or beaches. They are almost never right in city center of London for example, or near major attractions like theme parks as you seem to desire. If you're going to buy DVC I'm a firm believer that you should be using a vast majority of your points at DVC locations, particularly those near theme parks. RCI is a nice option to have in case you cant make it to a theme park location every couple of years for any reason, then you do have some flexibility to not just lose your points but instead use them elsewhere (though, you can also rent them out if that's of interest). But really its typically not a great use of your points (value wise), and also in my opinion the locations are not super desirable. But definitely browse the map linked above for yourself to see! But to answer your other question yes you can book RCI online. You login to DVC then navigate to the RCI page, then click a link and that takes you to the RCI page where you've got your DVC account information loaded and you can book online from there.

[@captainwesticle1654]

@@PixieDustPhD good information to have, thank you! Sounds like the best option is to rent out the points, and then use the cash to book a hotel of my choosing. Would you say that's a fair statement?

[@PixieDustPhD]

@@captainwesticle1654 If you have extra points you aren't going to use at DVC locations that can't be banked and would otherwise expire then yes I would say that's fair for sure. But in general, using your points at DVC locations is also going to be worth more than their cash value when renting them out; so if you can swing just paying normal cash rates for hotels at other locations like Universal that's typically going to be your best bet in terms of getting the most "value" out of your points. Because don't forget also you likely have to pay taxes on any point rental income, and you're normally only going to bring in $13-14ish or so per point pretax. Recently, my partner and I just did a combined Universal and WDW trip. We paid for the Universal hotels out of pocket and used the DVC point at WDW. We definitely could've rented out some DVC points to pay for some of the Universal expenses, but for us the value in those DVC points is much higher when at Disney, so I'd rather hang on to my points to use for my next WDW trip rather than rent them out.

[@XCsoccerTRACKmom]

Can you do a video on how to add days after having a 7 day reservation - to 10 days. When can the additional day be added? 8am the next day? Thanks

[@PixieDustPhD]

Hi Tammy! I may not make an entire video about this but here's the answer to your question: yes essentially the 7 day restriction only applies to your EXACT 11 month or 7 month booking window day. If you're continuing to book Days 8, 9, 10, you will need to tack those on one day at a time online at 8 am or on the phone at 9 am when the phone lines open up. If you wait several days past your exact 11 or 7 month booking window time opening then you should be able to book everything all in one go, but of course you run the risk of limited inventory rooms running out in the meantime. I hope that was helpful! And it sounds like you're in this situation, so if you are best of luck to you with getting all 10 days you want!

[@es9387]

If you book at your 11 month mark and borrow a few points, then modify it to something lower in pointa and wont need those borrowed points what happens to them? Stays in the current year or do they go back?

[@PixieDustPhD]

Generally they are going to retain the use year for the original reservation which you borrowed them for. DVC was doing a courtesy of unborrowing points for folks for a while but honestly I’m not sure if that’s still in effect. It’s definitely not the norm! You may be able to call member services and see if they can move points around on the backend of the system. For example they possibly can use all your borrowed points in that reservation and return current use year points to your account. This way you could bank them into next year. I haven’t literally done this myself but have been told it’s in theory possible. It doesn’t hurt to ask if you have time to call member services!

[@jdbright1979]

Is it a lot harder to get a reservation at the 7 month mark? I don’t have portal access yet and I’m really curious if I made the right choice with Vero Beach

[@PixieDustPhD]

Hi John! The answer is very much... it depends. Studios and 3 bedrooms tend to be a lot more competitive than 1 bedrooms and 2 bedrooms. Also the power point cost view categories tend to be a lot more competitive than higher view costs (so a standard view is more competitive than an upgraded view). The inventory at any given resort also influences this a lot... for example at AKL there are hardly ANY value studios so those go extremely fast, it's very rare to luck out with them at the 7 month mark (although it does of course happen!). If you wanna learn more about inventory you can check out this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hajJgGame7J-pdk (there's also some good links, like the one to the DisBoards, in that description that will take you to a sampling of how difficult rooms/resorts are to book at 7 months). But long story short some resorts have a LOT of inventory (like SSR and OKW) and others have next to none (like GF). So if you are flexible with your room type, view type, and resort then you will absolutely be fine at 7 months! And if you're willing to do split stays then it's even easier honestly. If you have more specific questions about your situation feel free to follow up! I know that was a bit of a vague/broad answer, but there are just so many moving variables that it truly does depend on what you are hoping to book.