Is Interval A Good Use Of Dvc Points
At DVC Sales, we continuously analyze the features and benefits of being a Disney Vacation Club member. As a DVC member, you get to experience Disney magic for years to come. Plus, there are endless possibilities to visit non-Disney resorts worldwide when you exchange DVC points into the Interval International program. However, is trading your points into this program worth it? We discuss the pros and cons below!
Dvc Understanding Points Use Years Banking And Borrowing And Transferring Points
Please note that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, DVC has temporarily changed some of the rules, most notably that you can only borrow up to 50% of a Use Years points. This is due to WDW having been closed for so long, and so many members unable to use their points that there are more points needing to be used than available rooms. Once things are less stressed, borrowing rules will return to normal.
In many discussion groups, people often seem very confused by how Use Years, banking, borrowing, booking windows, etc. work. Ive developed an analogy that I think helps people understand these things better
First, lets explain what a Use Year iswhen you purchase a DVC contract, your are given a home resort, a number of points per year, and a Use Year, which is given as a particular month for example, February or September . The fact that it is often expressed as a month alone can confuse people. But what that essentially means is that you get an allotment of points to use for reservations within the year that starts on the first of that month, and ends the day before the 1st day of that month a year later. So, if you have a September Use Year and a 200 point contract, it means you have 200 points that you can use between September 1st and August 31st the following year.
So, how can we simplify all this? Buckets.
How Does The Sales Process Work
Dont be misled by the claims that investing in a DVC resale deprives one of many great benefits. By purchasing a Disney Vacation Club Membership through resale, you will have the opportunity to enjoy all 14 DVC properties. Like all members, you will have the benefits of Home Resort Priority, youll have access to Member Services and can book your family vacation by phone or online. The biggest benefit of purchasing a DVC resale rather than buying directly from Disney is the priceyou will save 20%-50% off retail pricing! Members can also enjoy the thousands of resort options around the world through Resort Condominiums International .
Once you find the contract that best suits your family, simply create an account. When logged in, youll head over to the Listings page and press the plus sign to start the offer process. After youve submitted your offer, the seller will receive an automated email. Once you reach an agreement, youll sign the sales agreement electronically and we will forward the contract to Disney for ROFR. When we receive a response from Disney on the right of first refusal, you will be notified and our title company will begin generating your closing documents. From start to finish, the closing process takes about 45 days. At the end, you will be a proud member of Disney Vacation Club and that too by choosing from the DVC resales available at comparatively lower prices.
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What Is A Use Year On A Disney Vacation Club Contract
One important thing to know is that a Use Year with Disney Vacation Club does not begin on January 1st and end on December 31st. Each time someone buys a contract they have to decide when their use year is going to start. If you are buying a resale contract it will be the same terms as the original owner. You cannot change a use year on a contract once it has been picked.
Since we bought a resale Disney Vacation Club membership we looked for months that would leave a lot of time open around January. That is a time of the year we know we will be vacationing at Walt Disney World annually.
Why did Use Year Matter for us?
In our family being at Walt Disney World during summer is a no go. From June to the end of August we will not be making an appearance at the most magical place on earth. Because of that it wouldnt make sense for our use year to start at a time like February, especially since we know that we will always be on vacation in January. If our use year did start in February and something came up and we had to cancel our vacation we would be waving bye bye to a lot of points.
This is precisely why we looked for a use year that started in Fall. Our use year starts in October, so we must use all of our points by September 31st. If we needed to cancel our annual trip in January it wouldnt be the end of the world because we would have 60 days to use the points.
What Are The Best Home Resort Options
When you decide to buy into the DVC membership program, you have to pick a home resort. This is the main resort your points belong to, and this really doesnt matter much for new purchases, but it does matter when it comes to resale whether buying or selling.
Your home resort is also important when it comes to booking your vacations. You are able to book at your home resort up to 11 months in advance, but youre only able to book other DVC resorts 7 months in advance.
You can pick any of the home resorts they are offering to be your home resort when you purchase, but you may get the best deals on the newest or newly renovated resorts. Currently, Disney is offering huge discounts on Disneys Riviera Resort, Aulani in Hawaii, and Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disneys Wilderness Lodge.
When it comes to deciding which are the best options for your home resort, consider the value and the space that you need. You are able to choose from Deluxe Studios, 1-Bedroom Villas, 2-Bedroom Villas, and some even have 3-Bedroom Villas. The bigger the family, the bigger the space you will need, but remember that the Deluxe Studios sleep 4/5, and the costs are much cheaper.
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Expansions And New Properties In Progress
Three new Disney Vacation Club properties are also at various stages of development.
The first to become available will be 200 new DVC resort studios under construction as an expansion of the Villas at Disneys Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. These are expected to open in late June 2022. The new resort studios will be a DVC room type unique to the Grand Floridian.
These villas are now on sale to existing DVC members and will go on sale to the public on March 31.
Disney recently announced plans to develop new Disney Vacation Club Villas at Disneys Polynesian Village Resort. The new villas are projected to open in late 2024, along with new recreation offerings and dining options. Disney has not yet shared additional details about on-sale dates and room types, but has said that the proposed property would complement the existing resort and evoke the spirit of the Pacific Islands.
A new tower is also underway at the Disneyland Hotel, with theming inspired by characters and stories from classic Walt Disney Animation Studios films.
More Disney Vacation Club villas coming to the Disneyland Resort is good news for current and prospective DVC members. With only one DVC property at Disneyland now, the Villas at Disneys Grand Californian Hotel, its nearly impossible for members at any other home resort to secure a room at the seven-month mark, and new contracts are not currently for sale at the resort.
Disney Vacation Club: Is It Worth It
For Disney lovers who travel to Disney often or want to travel more often, the Disney Vacation Club can seem like a dream come true! For guests looking to join the Disney Vacation Club, it can be an attractive way to say in luxury and get out to Disney more frequently. The Disney Vacation Club Membership offers excellent perks and many destinations to choose from.
While becoming a member sounds magical, there are some aspects of membership you will want to know ahead of time. The Disney Vacation Club comes with a hefty price tag, and there are rules and terms with using the DVC you will want to know upfront. So, is Disney Vacation Club worth buying into, or should you pay for the Resort you want to stay without the DVC membership?
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How Much Does Disney Vacation Club Cost
The biggest sticking point for most people when it comes to joining DVC is the cost, which currently starts at $31,050 for 150 vacation points plus closing costs that start at $629 and vary based on the number of points you own and which resort you choose as your home resort. Annual dues start at $88 and also go up based on how many points you own and which home resort you choose.
In other words, the investment is not small. But Disney does offer financing options with a monthly payment for a 10-year loan and a 10 percent down payment, which may assist some potential members in taking the DVC plunge.
The Basics Of Disney Vacation Club
Simply put, the Disney Vacation Club is a timeshare program in which members purchase an ownership interest in a DVC property such as Disneys Riviera Resort at Walt Disney World. The resort would become their home base for future visits.
In practice, however, members are not actually tied to any single property and are free to book vacations at both DVC and non-DVC resorts. Nor are they obliged to book a certain type of accommodations, plan their trips at a particular time of year, or commit to a certain number of days each year.
Instead, the program is based on a points system. Members purchase a minimum of 100 points, which are good for 50 years. Then they have the flexibility to access their bank of points and plan getaways.
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Monorail Loop Resorts With Easy Access To Magic Kingdom And Epcot
Bay Lake Tower at Disneys Contemporary Resort, Disneys Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, and The Villas at Disneys Grand Floridian Resort are the three Magic Kingdom-area resorts on the monorail loop. If proximity to Magic Kingdom and a simple walk, boat ride or monorail back to your home away from home after fireworks is your priority, these resorts should top your list.
Cheaper Prices At Resale Outlets
Perhaps you want to enjoy the cost benefits of owning a DVC membership, but you arent crazy about signing a 50-year contract or you cant afford the initial expenses. In this case, dont buy DVC directly from Disney, but check the resale markets.
These outlets purchase used memberships and resell them to prospective buyers. With only 40, 30 or 20 years left on a DVC contract, youll pay significantly less of course, yearly fees still apply. Realize, however, that those buying DVC secondhand wont receive the membership extras mentioned above since they require membership cards issued directly by Disney. Nevertheless, if getting a great bargain is your primary goal, then resale markets make perfect sense.
In fact, usually, you will save so much money buying on the resale market and sometimes you can save a great amount of money if you can find a great contract and can be patient looking for one as it times you will find the owners who have used their contract for years and they just dont go anymore for whatever reason and they are in need of getting rid of it and they want to get rid of it quickly.
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The World Collection Rci Resorts
The World Collection is by far the most expansive option for using DVC points. RCI has hundreds of member resorts worldwide. Members can spend their points on hotels, car rentals, cruises, and even activities or experiences.
With more than one million options globally, the sky is the limit for DVC members who use their points with RCI.
Generally speaking, many members of the Disney Vacation Club enjoy the wide variety of options their membership gives them. While a young family might want to take a trip to Walt Disney World every year, its nice to know that as families grow and kids age, your memberships can adjust, too.
How Does Disney Vacation Club Work
DVC operates on a points system that allows members to use their points in a flexible fashion at any of the DVC resorts. Those who have purchased their DVC points directly from Disney can also use those points at Disney resort hotels in California, Florida, France, Hong Kong, Japan, the Disney Cruise Line, and other vacations.
While Disney likes to emphasize the flexibility of the points system and your ability to use them outside of Disney, the reality is that the most cost-effective use of DVC points is at the DVC resorts. Using points for cruises or regular hotel rooms just doesnt give you as much bang for your buck. For that reason, DVC membership generally is not worth considering unless you plan to stay at a DVC resort at least every other year.
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Dvc Rate Vs Paying Cash
Lets do a little Disney vacation math to see if Disney Vacation Club is worth it!
For fun, lets choose Disneys Riviera Resort the newest DVC resort. We chose the week of Thanksgiving this year, checking in on November 25th, and then checking out on December 2nd. We also picked a Deluxe Studio, which sleeps 4 adults.
The initial purchase of 150 points is more realistic as well, so thats what we went with. Assuming you paid the $29,500 cost upfront, you wont have a monthly payment to take into consideration for this price breakdown.
So, you decide to stay at your home resort of Disneys Riviera Resort from November 25th to December 2nd. This will cost you 135 of your 150 annual points giving you some to bank for the following year. This would only cost you your annual dues this year, and we will go with the $70 per month that Disney says they start at.
135 points used for a 7 night stay, annual dues = $840. Not a bad price for a stay at the Riviera!
Now lets book regularly. Same resort, same Deluxe Studio, and same 7 night stay. Thats $637 a night, which comes out to $4,459 for the week. Not exactly the cheapest stay.
And lastly, the other option would be to rent DVC points . The most popular rental website has points for $19 each right now, and the rental for 135 points would be $2,565. The cheapest option without having to have a DVC membership.
Use Year Distribution Charts
With sales of Disneys Polynesian Villas & Bungalows effectively wrapped-up and two declarations complete for Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disneys Wilderness Lodge, now seems like an opportune time to update our charts showing the distribution of Disney Vacation Club points across the eight Use Years for select properties.
Disney Vacation Club designates eight different months as the start of a Use Year: February, March, April, June, August, September, October, or December. The months of January, May, July, and November are not used as the start of a Use Year. A further explanation of Use Years can be found in the section on DVCNews.com.
A Disney Vacation Club Member’s Use Year is determined at the time an ownership interest is purchased, and marks the period over which points may be used for a resort stay. Once established, the Use Year cannot be changed by the Member nor by Disney.
The first chart below displays the cumulative point distribution for the 10 DVC resorts located at Walt Disney World. Following it are charts for 12 of the 14 DVC resorts. Data is not available on the distribution of points by Use Year for the Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Aulani, Disney Vacation Club Villas.
Wil Lovato is a contributor to DVCNews.com and has been a Disney Vacation Club owner since 2009. His DVC Home Resorts include Bay Lake Tower, Animal Kingdom Villas, and Aulani. He can be found posting on many Disney discussion forums under the username of wdrl.
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Upfront And Annual Costs
Though savings add up over time with membership, upfront costs will climb above thirteen thousand dollars and skyrocket far above that for some home resorts and higher amounts of DVC points. You must purchase a minimum of 100 points when you sign up, and dont forget hundreds of dollars in annual maintenance fees. Disney offers financing options, but the interest youll pay offsets your savings. In addition, consider how inflation will increase annual maintenance fees in the future to determine if you can afford ownership.
Unless you have a stash of disposable cash to pay the upfront costs and your budget can accommodate increasing fees, you shouldnt invest in a DVC property. You can always rent points of course til such time as you can purchase.
How Disney Vacation Club Works
To join the club, members pay a one-time fee to purchase points. In 2019, the price per point was $188, so a minimum 100-point purchase would cost $18,800. Buying 250 points, which might be a more typical number, would cost $47,000. Members also pay one-time closing costs, which are based on the home resort and the number of points purchased. In 2019, closing costs started at $556.
Members can make a down payment for the purchase price and closing costs and then finance the rest through Disney. On top of that, they pay annual dues, which also vary according to how many points and the location of the home resort. In 2019, the dues started at $66 per month.
Based on how many points they have, DVC members could take annual trips and return to the same location each year or they could bank their points for two years or more and save them for a major vacation to a more extravagant location that might include additional guests. The program is flexible and can accommodate a wide variety of scenarios.
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