What Is The Disney Vacation Club And How Much Does It Cost
There are all sorts of Disney memberships, whether youre an Annual Passholder or a D23 Member. But, one of the memberships thats been around for 30 years is the Disney Vacation Club!
Were sure youve seen the logo around the parks or at least heard the name once or twice. Maybe youve even seen one of the informational kiosks in Disney Springs or the parks! Yet, if you arent part of the program, you might be wondering what exactly the Disney Vacation Club really is. Dont worry, though were here to help explain it to you!
The Disney Vacation Club is a vacation ownership program similar to a time-share, where the program works on a point system that allows guests to travel when and where they want at Disney locations around the world.
Members do have a use year, where the points become available to use for a certain amount of time. Within that use year, you can use your points however you would like. However, points can expire if they are unused. So, the Disney Vacation Club has systems in place where you can bank unused points or borrow points from the next use year if you run out.
As we mentioned before, points dont just have to be used at resorts in Disney World or Disneyland. They can be used at Disneys Aulani Resort in Hawaii, on Disney Cruises, and so much more! So, you could use your Disney Vacation Club points to travel around the world or stay close by, depending on what your vacation needs and budgets happen to be.
You Can Save Thousands Of Dollars On Your Disney Vacation Using Dvc Rentals And No Membership Is Required
Guests pay only $19.00 per point for all stays within 7 months and reservations booked beyond 7 months are calculated at $19.00 or $20.00 per point based on the DVC resort.
We have, available to us, inventories of rooms located on Disney property at the Walt Disney World Resort Florida, Disneyland Resort California, Aulani Hawaii, South Carolina and the Florida Atlantic coast, for rent.
You can reserve one of these rooms directly through Disney Central Reservations, or you can experience DVC Rentals to book the very same room through members of the Disney Vacation Club, at prices that will leave you asking “HOW CAN THAT BE?”.
These rooms, classified by Disney as “Deluxe Disney Villas“, are all located within the Disney Vacation Club resorts. You DO NOT need to be a member of the Disney Vacation Club or David’s Vacation Club Rentals.
The reservation will be in your name and you will check in at the regular Disney Resort arrival desk.
Your room will be assigned to you by the Disney Resort Cast members on your arrival. You will be treated the same as every Disney Resort Guest and you will have access to all of the same amenities and perks afforded to each and every guest staying at a Disney Resort.
The biggest difference is: There will be no room bill to pay when you check out unless you charge purchases to your room using your Key to the World Card, Room Card or Magic Band .
So You Want To Join The Disney Vacation Club
This summer our family took the plunge and joined the Disney Vacation Club. Just like any real estate purchase, this is a big decision that is not to be acted on lightly. We spent almost a decade telling ourselves, it would be nice to join someday. When joining DVC finally became a possibility for our family, we spent months conducting research and reading reviews from current DVC members before we finally committed.
Update 18 November 2018: Read our post about the 2019 Disney Vacation Annual Dues increase and how it impacts our longterm financial commitment over the life of our contract.
While we were able to find answers to many of our questions online, there were still some that we could not find a satisfactory answer for. Our ultimate concern in purchasing a timeshare was whether or not it was financially beneficial to us. I think the answer to this question will vary for each person depending on the situation. Ive outlined some questions below that you should ask yourself before deciding to buy into DVC as well as provided an Excel spreadsheet to help you determine whether or not DVC is cost effective for you. I will also go over why we decided to join and why we chose to make the Polynesian our home resort.
Note: There is a price per point increase coming on 1/17/18.
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Banking And Borrowing Dvc Points
A nice feature of Disney Vacation Clubs points program is that members can bank or borrow points from any use year in order to book larger accommodations or a better week at a desired resort. Banking refers to the practice of saving unused points for use in the upcoming use year. Borrowing refers to the practice of using points from future use years in advance. Disney does have rules about when points can be banked or borrowed, and no more than three years of points can be combined for use in any use year.
Walt Disney World Announces 2022 Ticket Price Increases
For the first time since March 2019, Walt Disney World ticket prices will increase significantly. This is the biggest adjustment in ticket price since before the pandemic. Single-day tickets will not be affected by this price increase, but visitors should expect a difference in multi-day tickets.
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How Much Does A Disney Vacation Club Membership Cost
One of the reasons that many people dont consider a Disney Vacation Club membership is because they assume that it will be too expensive. However, it is more affordable than they might think.
Like any real estate, specific properties are more valuable than others therefore, the points at one sometimes cost more than at another. For example, the Grand Floridian is Disneys flagship in Florida, so when they built villas and sold membership, it cost more than at Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa. Not only does it carry real and symbolic luxury, but the Grand Floridian is also in a better location.
When you buy into Disney Vacation Club, the actual value item youre purchasing is the vacation points themselves. You will pay a specific dollar amount for every point you buy. Currently, points start at just over $200 each. Since you have to buy at least 150 points to get in, your initial investment will be over $30,000.
Different factors can drive this price up. We already mentioned which resort you buy, and if you buy more than 150 points, youll pay more. There are other fees attached as well. Since this is a real estate transaction, you must pay closing costs, which Disney states start at $628. Disney offers a financing program for up to 10 years, and these costs roll into a single payment that includes monthly membership dues.
How Much Does It Cost To Join Disney Vacation Club
There is no standard price to join Disney Vacation Club : Instead, the cost of a Disney Vacation Club membership depends on how many points you buy and to which DVC resort your points are associated.
How many points you buy is up to you and will depend on a few things, including the size of your family and how many nights per year you plan to spend at a DVC resort.
Disney Vacation Club is based on a Points System
Disney Vacation Club works on a points system.
Rooms at Disney Vacation Club Resorts cost a certain number of points per night . So if you want to have enough points to spend one week per year in a studio room at a given Disney Vacation Club Resort, you would look at the number of points required per night and then multiply that by the number of nights youd like to spend there. That would be your starting point. If you think you may want to spend more than one week per year, or if you think you may want to stay in a one-bedroom villa or larger, you may want to consider buying more points.
You spend your points like dollars based on nightly rates and your points reset each year on the anniversary date of your contract.
How to Do a Very Rough Calculation of the DVC Cost
Lets say one point costs US$190 to buy and the cost of one night in a studio at your desired resort is 30 points.
If you wanted to be able to stay at this resort for six nights per year, you would require 30 points x 6 nights = 180 points.
So that would cost you 180 x $190 = $34,200.
Get a DVC Quote
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What If You Want A Larger Room
If you need more space than a studio, look at the one and two bedroom villas. Most one-bedroom villas sleep four with a king bed and a full-size pullout sofa in the living room. My family of four is very comfortable in a one-bedroom villa. If you need more room, check out the two or three bedroom villas or the bungalows, cabins, or treehouses available. The idea behind Disney Vacation Club is for you to truly feel at home.
Obviously, the larger rooms are going to require more points. Were able to make the points in our contract go further by staying in the smaller units. We love the one-bedroom villas for now. As our kids get older, we know well need more room and more privacy so we know were looking at purchasing additional points in the future.
One thing to note is that housekeeping services are a little different at DVC properties. You dont get the same daily mousekeeping service that you do in a hotel room. You get a trash and tidy every four days, which is fine with us. Since youre in an apartment/home-like setting, you dont really need housekeeping service like you would in a hotel room. There also are washers and dryers in all units except for the studios so you can wash your towels if you need to.
Need help planning your Disney trip? Get all your questions answered from our
Know Before You Buy Into Disney Vacation Club
- We did not think to ask our guide if there were any resale contracts available for other properties. We love Animal Kingdom Lodge and, with its location being so far from Magic Kingdom, it requires less points per stay.
- You can purchase direct with Disney to have access to member benefits. If the member benefits are not of interest to you, then you can always look into the resale market. You will be able to purchase points for cheaper than you can directly from Disney, but you will not have access to the DVC perks.
- Know that you can purchase 24 one-time use points when booking. This means that if you are short 24 points when booking, you can choose to pay cash for the extra points rather than borrow from the following year.
- Make sure you fully understand the rules behind banking and borrowing points. Once you have banked a years points, they will be unavailable to use until the next use year.
- DVC membership only covers the room. You will still need to purchase airfare, theme park tickets, and meals. Members do have access to discounts on annual passes and to some dining locations.
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How Does Disney Vacation Club Work
Disney promises that by becoming a member, you enjoy magical vacations year after year, and they make good on this guarantee. As we said above, your DVC membership comes with an allotment of annual points. You buy these points in your home resort when you become a member, and they compose the bulk of your membership costs, in addition to annual dues.
The minimum number of points is 150 the maximum is 325, although some people purchase even more points.
It matters which hotel you choose as your home resort because youll enjoy preferential booking here. Reservations are available at your home resort months before all of the others.
This section gives a very rudimentary explanation of how membership works. Keep reading for a lot more details and information.
Is Disney Vacation Club Worth It The Pros And Cons
- 4 months ago
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If you make regular vacations to the Land of the Mouse every year or even hold an annual pass to Walt Disney World Resorts, you may have pondered if Disney Vacation Club is worth it. Certainly, this top vacation club holds a lot of value for many owners that look forward to their vacations year after year. Plus, it may ease the spending burden every year when you pay for your timeshare all at once. Even if you love all things Disney, make sure to weigh out the pros and cons to determine if Disney Vacation Club is worth it. Just because you love Disney doesnt mean vacation ownership is necessary for you!
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Dues Increases Vs Resort Rate Increases
The effect of annual dues increases on the total cost of DVC membership must be considered. One issue to keep in mind is that Disney can increase dues significantly from year to year, subject to a limit of 15% each year and a requirement to charge only for the actual operating expenses and reasonably expected necessary reserves.
A portion of your dues is allocated to a capital reserve fund for major refurbishments. Adjustments are always possible if the projected reserve needs vary from actual experience, although Disney has been in lodging business for many decades and has considerable experience in what long-term costs to expect. Special assessments are possible if something unforeseen occurs .
Here are some examples of historical increases:
- Old Key West Resort, the oldest of the DVC resorts had dues of $2.51 in 1991 and had dues of $7.84 in 2020. That means it has averaged a 3.87% increase, compounded annually.
- BoardWalk Villas went from $3.70 in 1996 to $7.37 in 2020, an average annual compounded increase of 2.79%.
- Boulder Ridge Villas at Wilderness Lodge went from $3.62 in 2000 to $7.78 in 2020, an average annual compounded increase of 3.71%.
Keep in mind, though, the cash cost of staying in one of Disneys resort rooms has also gone up significantly over time, and the cash cost of a resort room starts out much higher than the dues for an equivalent stay. Like the DVC resort dues increases, the rate increases at the Disney resort hotels are not consistent. For example:
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Types And Sizes Of Accommodations
Timeshare properties tend to be style accommodations ranging in size from studio units , to three and four bedroom units. These larger units can usually accommodate large families comfortably. Units normally include fully equipped with a dining area, , , , etc. It is not uncommon to have and in the unit or accessible on the resort property. The kitchen area and amenities will reflect the size of the particular unit in question.
Units are usually listed by how many the unit will sleep and how many the unit will sleep privately. Traditionally, but not exclusively:
- Sleeps 2/2 would normally be a one bedroom or studio
- Sleeps 6/4 would normally be a two bedroom with a sleeper sofa
Sleep privately usually refers to the number of guests who will not have to walk through another guest’s sleeping area to use a . Timeshare resorts tend to be strict on the number of guests permitted per unit.
Unit size affects the cost and demand at any given resort. The same does not hold true comparing resorts in different locations. A one-bedroom unit in a desirable location may still be more expensive and in higher demand than a two-bedroom accommodation in a resort with less demand. An example of this may be a one-bedroom at a desirable compared to a two-bedroom unit at a resort located inland from the same beach.
What Perks Come With Being A Disney Vacation Club Member
Disney offers its potential members a lot of reasons to join. They have also shown appreciation to DVC members, who they recognize as their most loyal patrons.
Weve discussed a lot of the accommodation-specific benefits, so were going to stick only to the little extras in this section., We must mention that this list is accurate at the time of writing, and Disney maintains the right to change or cancel any of these perks at any time .
- Dining discounts: usually limited to select restaurants or items, but it can be as much as 25%
- Shopping and merchandise discounts: many stores on resort property as well as online discount codes
- Access to exclusive DVC merchandise: Disney has a line of products that only current DVC members can buy
- Occasional discount offers on park tickets and deals on waterpark tickets.
- Discounts on special events and ticketed events
- Access to several lounges throughout Disney property, including the Top of the World Lounge on the top floor of Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary Resort
- Access to exclusive events, experiences, and tours: there are members-only experiences as well as events only open to DVC members
- Periodic hotel or vacation package deals: while this is rarer since most members dont exceed their point allotment each year, some families love to visit so much that they end up paying cash.
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