HOW TO RENT YOUR DISNEY VACATION CLUB (DVC) POINTS

It’s Tips and Tricks Tuesday! Today we will talk about how to rent your extra DVC Points!

Are you a DVC member with extra points that you can not use this year? I just sold mine and earned over $1,000!

Grumpy and I became Disney Vacation Club (DVC) Members in 2008. For those of you that do not know, DCV is a Disney Timeshare. Here’s a very high-level description:

You purchase a real estate interest in a DVC resort (mostly in Florida.) You are issued annual points. You determine how many points to purchase based on your vacation habits, your family size and finances etc. You then exchange those points for rooms at the Disney Resorts. or you can rent them to someone else, if you can’t use them.

I know, what many people say about timeshares, “you are throwing away money”, “it’s a waste”, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. We own two different timeshares, and although I firmly believe that timeshares aren’t right for everyone, it was absolutely the right choice for our family of six. We have never regretted our decision. With all that said, this post is not to debate the efficacy of timeshares, this post is about how we earned over $1,000 by selling our DVC timeshare points. So let’s get to it.

It is 2020, we are in the middle of a world pandemic, known as COVID-19. We live in Oregon, so we rarely use our points to go to the Florida resorts anyway. This year, we know we are hunkered down for the duration. However, there are people that need to/want to travel and would like/need to stay in larger accommodations.

So, what happens when you have folks that are looking for deluxe villas in Florida, California or Hawaii and folks that have those accommodations, but can’t use them? Enter David’s Vacation Club Rentals. For complete transparency, we are now affiliated with David’s DVC Rentals, so we could be compensated if you click on the links and rent from them or sell your points. But we highly recommend it based our experience. Which we outline below.

I was skeptical at first, but I went online, I read the reviews and thought, “Why not give it a whirl?” I have nothing to lose. If they don’t rent my points, then I am no better off than I am right now. So, I went to their site and filled out the form to sell my points to another family that could use them. I immediately received an email response from a David’s representative with the contract details. Point of Clarification here, when filling out the online form, you have to be very clear about what you are willing to sell and what you aren’t willing to sell. They are asking you how many of your points you are willing to sell. At first, I sold this year’s points and next years, so when I received the contract, it wasn’t what I wanted. I sent them an email back stating exactly what I wanted. They responded quickly with a brand-new contract, which I immediately agreed to. All of this was done via email.

Once you fill out the paperwork, it’s a waiting game. David’s is matching those that want a vacation resort villa with those that are selling them. It took about two weeks when, on a Sunday afternoon, I received an email from David’s that stated, “We have an immediate need and are sending this request out to several owners. The first to respond, will get the contract.” I jumped on it immediately. Within a few hours, they responded that the contract was ours.

The next morning, they sent me the information for the guest(s) that would be vacationing using my points. My role at this point was to sign into my DVC account and book the reservation for them. Once I received the reservation email, I was instructed to send it back to the David’s representative. I did exactly that.

The next morning, I received another email that said they had received payment from the guest and that 70% of the reservation would be sent to my PayPal account. This is part of the contract that you agree to in the beginning, so read the contract carefully. 70% is given to you immediately and 30% when the guest checks in. This resort (Aulani) is a higher price point than regular resorts, since it is in high demand and there are not that many contracts. Aulani points at the time of writing this blog is $15.50 per point, where other resorts are $14.50.

So for example, if you have a contract for 84 points that sells at Aulani, that equals $1302. (84 x $15.50). 70% = $911.40, which I received immediately and the other $390.60 will be received when the guest checks in.

By that afternoon, the money was deposited into my PayPal Account and I transferred it into my bank account. The entire process took less than 3-days.

The process was so easy, I was pleasantly surprised. If you’d like to sell or rent points for an upcoming Disney Vacation, please consider renting from David’s Vacation Club Rentals. You can use the links included in this post.

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Throwback Thursday – Disneyland 2008

Sometimes, there are vacations you take and you have no idea that your life is about to change forever. This was my experience during our very first trip to Disneyland in 2008. I had no idea what “The Year of a Million Dreams” promotion meant, but it was the experiences that happened during this trip that changed our lives forever. And secured our love and passion for the Walt Disney Company.

2008 Year of a Million Dreams Coin

It was “The Year of a Million Dreams” promotion at Disneyland. I had no reference point to understand what that meant, as I had never been there before. Grumpy grew up in Oregon and had family in California, so he knew what Disneyland was all about. As a matter of fact, he drove down to Disneyland after he graduated from High School.

But this was my first time and we were taking our girls, Samantha (8) and Emily (6) for the first time, too . We went in March hoping the crowds would be less and the weather would be nice. That worked out well, as both turned out to be the case. Little did I know that I was in for a great surprise as, we were gifted a “dream” and didn’t realize until afterwards.

The Hayden Family (minus the boys) 2008

The Princess Experience – One of the “Million Dreams“

The girls were the perfect age for a Princess experience, but we weren’t sure where to go or what we needed to do. As we were walking down Main Street, we stopped a friendly Cast Member to ask for directions and to get some expert insight into where we could “find” the Princesses. The Cast Member explained that Princess Greeting didn’t start until a couple hours later. He then handed us tickets to go to the area sooner. He told us that these special tickets would get us in.

We headed over to the Princess Fair, showed our tickets to the Cast Member at the door and were brought right into the area. There was no one there; Just us and one or two other families. We thought, “There must be some mistake.” But then the Princesses started to walk down the isle and onto the stage: Snow White, Ariel, Belle, and Aurora, there may have been more, but these are the ones I remember. The Cast Members ushered us up onto the stage with the Princesses and encouraged us to get our autograph books and cameras out. We not only met ALL of the Princesses; we were able to have 1:1 time with each of them. The girls signed autographs, took pictures, and had an amazing time.

Once we were finished chatting leisurely with the Princesses, we walked out of the area, and as we rounded the building, saw a HUGE line to get into the show, which started in fifteen minutes. It was then that I realized we had been gifted one of the million dreams. The Princess that hour was Aurora. So, all those people were waiting to sit in the theater to see ONE Princess, when we were able to see them ALL.

In retrospect, I wished we would have taken more pictures, or video. But we literally had no idea how special this experience was.

The girls with Snow White 2008

As a parent, you always want your child(ren) to be able to experience things that they will always remember. You never think that its you that needs to witness something special, something unique, something just for them that will change your perspective forever. That year, with this experience, Disney gifted me a lifetime of experiences and memories.

Next week, I will continue the story of the year of Million Dreams with another story of how and why I got hooked on Disney.  

Stay tuned for more Throwback Thursday Stories of “Da Hayden” Family!

Wicked Wednesdays – Villains – Oogie Boogie

Hey Disney Peeps! It’s Vee here, of Grumpy and Vee.

This week we will talk about Oogie Boogie, you know the Villain from a Nightmare Before Christmas? No, you don’t know; Honestly, neither did I. I had to go back and watch the movie again. And for complete transparency, dare I even write the words, I am not a fan. YIKES! However, our experiences at the Halloween Party at least brings these lesser known/loved villains to the guests in a way we haven’t previously experienced.

As you may know from previous posts, Grumpy and I attended the 2019 Oogie Boogie Halloween Party in Disney’s California Adventure Park. We went with a group of adult friends. We. all dressed up in costumes and each couple matched. Grumpy and I were Pirates, our friend Mike dressed as a “Plaid” and his wife Sharon was Minnie Mouse; Jen was Mary Poppins and her husband Tom was a chimney sweep. Some of the experiences we encountered will be in the next few posts.

Oogie Boogie Party September 2019

During the party, Villains are set up, on stage in various parts of the Park. Oogie Boogie, the year we went, was housed on stage at the Disney Animation Courtyard. There was a “treat trail” that zig-zagged within the area and Oogie Boogie was on stage. The treat tail brought you right in front of him, so he could engage with the crowd.

He is my least favorite Villain, and to me he seemed rude, rather than funny. I attached a video clip Below where he says, “Look at that guy, he’s ugly, he’s ancient and I don’t know which is worse!” And without facial expressions, it just fell flat for me. I have to wonder if that is because unlike the other Disney Villains at the party, who are human, he is a fully covered costumed character. It is less likely to be able to engage with him on a personal level. Or at least it was for me.

Anyway, on a positive note, I don’t remember getting to see or meet Oogie Boogie anywhere else in with Park. Or should I say, I don’t think you could prior to COVID. These special Villains are just for guests of the Oogie Boogie Party (aka: a Special ticketed Event).

The other thing is, as you can tell from the video, Disney positions them really well. They are able to be interactive with the guests, but no touchy. We believe this will help later WHEN Disneyland re-opens.

So, do we think the Halloween Party is worth it? You bet! Oogie Boogie, though, still not a fan. Change my mind in the comments below.

Special Disneyland and Disney World FREE Pictures

Did you know that in the Disneyland and Disney World Apps, you can download professional Park pics? Disney has uploaded pictures for our personal use! Use it for your wallpaper or maybe even your company ZOOM or TEAMS Meeting backgrounds. That’s what I use it for!

This is another way to bring the magic home or to your home office. Click the link below to find out how!

Wicked Wednesdays (Villains) – The Evil Queen at the Oogie Party

Oogie Boogie Party September 2019

Ok, Let’s talk VILLAINS! Last year Grumpy & I (and a group of our adult friends) attended the Oogie Boogie Bash in Disney’s California Adventure. It was AMAZING on so many levels, but the real cool part was the character interactions. I think that the way Disney handled the characters at this party, will become an intricate part of how we will see character greetings going forward. This would meet the new COVID safely precautions and still offer a great experience. Basically, the Villain, was “on stage” performing, but also interactive with the guests.

Grumpy get his pic with the Evil Queen

For example, we were walking near Grizzly Rapids and saw that there was some action going on behind the ride. We followed the treat line (basically trick-or-treating) and there on a stage of books was the Evil Queen! We tried to slip past unnoticed, but she wasn’t having it!

Grumpy was dressed as Captain Barbosa and I was dressed as a Pirate (see pic below). She first commented on the fact that there were other villains (pirates to be exact) in the vicinity, so people shouldn’t be judging her. As we attempted to sneak past with our goodies, she was like, “Whoa, whoa, whoa Barbosa! Where exactly do you think you are going without taking a picture of me? How dare you?” So he nervously stopped to take this pic. He liked the attention, although he would never admit it!

Vee and Grumpy “da Hayden Pirates”

There were many other Villains that night and all of them were just as sassy and engaging and creepy in their own way. We enjoyed every minute of it.

On a side note: because we were dressed as pirates, we had to go over to Disneyland and ride Pirates, AS Pirates. It was one of the best experiences that we have had at the Parks. We sort of felt like celebrities; and since one of our friends (Mike) dressed up like a “Plaid” people really weren’t sure if we were celebrities or not. We highly recommend it!

Grumpy Surprises Vee with a Mickey Fire pit!

Look what “Grumpy” is building for us! I guess a regular ole fire pit just won’t be enough for this Disney family😍

We received so much feedback on Facebook about Grumpy’s Mickey Fire pit, that I just had to blog about it!

The first picture below is what the old fire pit looked like. Even this is slightly redesigned as the old-old fire pit was in another place in the yard. This was the location of an above ground pool that was removed a few years ago. So the sand made for a perfect relocation. Normally, there are Adirondack chairs circling the pit.

Before Pic “regular ole fire pit”

I had no idea what the man was doing, to be honest. He started “working in the yard” removing the stones, leveling out the sand, and removing old fire wood.

Grumpy designing his masterpeice

And then he’s said, “Hey Vee! Come check this out! What do you think?!” I was shocked! Apparently our friend Mike had planted the idea in his head several months ago and Grumpy went to work. Needless to say, I love it!

Current finished result

Of course, Grumpy is not satisfied with the “finished” Mickey Fire pit. He wants it three stones high and with smaller bricks and bigger ears (or something). So, stay tuned, I suspect there will be a follow up blog with plans for you to be able to build your own Disney fire pit!

THROWBACK THURSDAY


This is one of my favorite family pics. We were checking in for our Disney Member Cruise in 2014.
There are times in your life, when you know what is about to happen will forever be imprinted on your heart and soul. This was one of those trips. The stories the kids have told us will forever be family lore. Our kids will tell their kids about the time we went on a family Disney Cruise, and the antics they enjoyed.
This is magic, this is worth it. We will forever be grateful for the opportunity to share these memories.

Da Hayden 6

Can’t GO to Disney, Now What?!

5-Ways to Bring the Magic Home

During the pandemic, I have followed countless vlogs, blogs, videos, and posts. Most of the Disney Peeps out there are lamenting the fact that we can’t go to Disney. It’s true, we are not able to go to the Parks, we are not able to take a Disney Cruise, heck, we can’t even go to the Disney Store or Outlet right now. But there are ways to bring the Disney magic home. Here are my best tips for bringing Disney magic to you, when you can’t go to the Magic!

Reminisce: “Today’s special moments become tomorrow’s memories”

A few weeks ago, I pulled out some old Disney photo books and of course I went through some pictures on my phone. It is amazing how your mind begins to recall the small little details that you have let go of, or forgotten. As I looked at the pictures of my kids so many years ago, the memories flooded me. Laughing, crying, screaming, and laughing again. I looked at the details of those pictures, I mean really looked at those memories. I let those moments consume me. The different trips, the stories they told me afterwards that I didn’t know about. There is something to be said about taking pictures and videos of your family vacations. Years later, you will have those special memories with your family and that can never be taken away. So, if you can’t BE there right now, you can take a walk down memory lane and remember the good ole days.

Watch Disney Videos on YouTube

There are multiple venues to watch Disney content from the comfort of your home or pretty much anywhere, like your phone. I have spent countless hours during this COVID pandemic watching YouTube videos from folks like: Morgan’s Very Unofficial Travel Guide, Tim the Tracker, the Disney Food Blog, the WDW Couple and Here with The Ears. It’s fun to watch their footage of the Disney Parks and Resorts, fun eats, and the Disney Cruise lines. They also provide up to date content about what is happening right now. It also helps me escape the reality of our current situation.

Disney+, “My newfound addition”

There are so many classic movies that I thought I knew but realized I had never actually WATCHED them. Mostly because I am a busy mother of four, so there was never a time when the kids were little when I could actually sit down and watch a whole movie. There was always something else to do: wash the dishes, cook dinner, change a diaper, you know the drill. Now that my kids are older, and Disney+ is available, I have had the opportunity to catch up on those classics. Dare I even say, movies like: Tangled, The Little Mermaid, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame! Yeah, I know, right? Think about the movies you might have not watched all the way through, go back and watch them again. I recommend putting the kiddos to sleep first.

Plan a Disney Trip: “Nobody plans to fail; they just fail to plan.”

If you are thinking about a Disney vacation, the best thing to do is to start planning. I happen to be planning my 50th birthday for next year, so although my focus is usually on Disneyland Resort, this time, it’s all about Florida and the planning of that trip. If there is one thing that all Disney gurus agree on, is that you MUST plan your Disney vacation. There are so many details that if you don’t plan, you will completely miss out. Educate yourself about the processes, the policies, the expenses that will make your Disney vacation the best, ever. While you are planning, you are also bringing that magic into your life—you get to watch Disney videos, you get to learn about the resorts, hotels, parks (or ships if planning a cruise). And even if you have never been, that exposure gets all your positive juices flowing for a great vacation, but also helps to bridge the gap between now and then. The anticipation and build up is worth it!

DO Something fun with your family!

Games Puzzles, arts & crafts, recipes: There are so many ways to occupy your time in quarantine; Why not use Disney as a way to meet your need for some home-made Disney magic? What am I talking about? Well, in the first few week of quarantine, we were so bored, we ended up buying a 4-pack 1,000-piece Disney puzzle set. We put those together as a family. We also went to ShopDisney.com and purchased Disney “Pirates of the Caribbean” Battleship and Disney’s “Perfection”. So much fun! My kids played together at the table. It was a awesome to see their faces in strategy, rather than their phones! And of course we taught our boys how to play Monopoly, Disney Style!

Since then, we have made some of our favorite recipes: Churros, Dole Whip, The Grey Stuff and various mixed drinks. A simple google search will get you started. If you are like me, some of these will NOT be successful, but you can still have fun trying. I am many things, a cook/baker is not one of them!

So, you see, there are so many creative ways to bring the Disney Magic home. You don’t even need to spend a ton of money to do it. This helps bring your mind back to “Happiest and/or the Most Magical Place on Earth.”

Enjoy!

Vee