What Is Disney Vacation Club Cost

My Best And Most Important Advice

Take your time, do your research and dont make an impulse purchaseunless youre in the habit of making impulse purchase that are in the $20K+ range.

Youll see people in the Disney Parks, in the resorts, and on the Disney Cruise Ships offering to give you a presentation on the Disney Vacation Club or even take you to tour a property. You might be offered incentives, such as extra FastPasses or free meals in exchange for attending. While theyre not going to be those obnoxious, high-pressure, these people arent leaving my office until they buy something sales people, their objective is to sell you something that costs a lot of money while youre in a happy place enjoying yourself.

While theres nothing wrong with going to a presentation to get more info about the DVC thats why they exist if youre seriously considering membership read up on the process before you say that big I do.

I had done my homework on the Disney Vacation Club before we went on our cruise. I knew it was a fit for our family. Waiting to join while on a Disney Cruise because of incentive pricing was intentional. Id done my research before I ever set foot into the presentation. I still had questions but I was able to make the decision based on knowledge and not being caught up in the moment.

So Is Disney Vacation Club Worth It

There isnt a cut and dry answer to this question, and ultimately, this is up to you.

There can be a lot of benefits to having DVC membership, and its a great program for those who want to secure their Disney vacations every year, and be able to book well in advance. Its also great for those who want to travel to different Disney locations, go on Disney cruises, and take advantage of the trips offered by Adventures by Disney. Plus, you have the ability to stay in a lot of nice resorts as well, and enjoy more luxurious accommodations on your trips.

Buying into Disney Vacation Club may also be worth it for those who can pay the total cost upfront and dont have to finance the cost of membership. That makes it more affordable overall, and keeps the yearly costs limited to the annual maintenance fees.

But, it can be expensive, and 50 years is a long time to hold onto a timeshare. And, of course, it is a timeshare program. These are hard to get out of, and can be difficult to resell.

If youre considering buying into Disney Vacation Club, we recommend taking a lot of different factors into consideration. We have laid out the biggest factors to consider, and we hope this helps you decide whether Disney Vacation Club is worth it for your family or not.

Are you a DVC member, or are you considering it? Let us know in the comments!

Is The Disney Vacation Club Worth It

Do you plan to vacation at Walt Disney World at least every other year?

If the answer is yes then the DVC is something you need to consider, especially if youre a young family. My husband and I honeymooned at Walt Disney World. We considered DVC membership back then but decided it wasnt a fit for us. We married in our early 40s. I had one daughter in high school. I didnt see frequent trips to Disney in the cards for us.

Welp.

Surprise, surprise. We became parents again in our late 40s and frequent trips to Disney suddenly became more attractive.

However you look at it, frequent trips to Walt Disney World are definitely on the table. If that doesnt sound do-able to you, then you might want to take a hard look at whether DVC is right for you.

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Youll Be Assigned A Home Resort

Youll likely have some options on choosing what resort you want to call home. We had the choice between Copper Creek at Disneys Wilderness Resort Canyon and Aulani in Hawaii . We chose Copper Creek. On our 2020 Disney Cruise, prospective DVC members were being offered the choice between the new Riviera Resort and Aulani. You have to pick from what they give youyou cant just randomly decide you want to call Animal Kingdom Lodge home.

If youd like to stay at other properties besides your home resort, you can. The rules for making reservations are different. You can make reservations at your home resort up to 11 months in advance. If you want to make reservations at any other DVC resort, its seven months. These time standards are no joke. We were able to reserve at our home resort right at the 11-month mark but when we tried to book a room four months in advance, we had trouble finding anything and ending up having to split our stay between two different properties.

Disney Vacation Club Resales

Unlike some other timeshare brands, Disney Vacation Club memberships do not depreciate in value as dramatically. However, the market value of DVC memberships on the resale market is tied to the expiration date of the contract itself. As time goes by and fewer years are left on the DVC contracts, you can expect the value of all DVC timeshares to decrease.

Another important thing to know about DVC resales is that Disney Vacation Club regularly exercises its right of first refusal. This means that when an owner is about to sell a DVC membership, Disney has the right to purchase that owners timeshare for the same price. This has contributed to higher resale values for DVC, as Disney will buy back any memberships that fall below a certain price threshold.

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A Financial Analysis Of Buying Dvc

A Financial Analysis of Buying DVC: In the Does DVC Membership Make Sense? page, I said I wasnt going to try to present a detailed financial analysis, as that gets very complex pretty quickly, factoring in the time value of money and opportunity cost.

Well, I found an Excel spreadsheet on the Internet. You plug in your own purchase information and assumptions into the model, and it does a cost comparison including the time value of money.

For those interested in a discussion of renting points versus buying DVC, see the Why should I buy DVC if I can just rent points? page.

For those into finance, Id appreciate any feedback on the model .

The first tab is for VGF and the second tab is for PVB. You plug in:

• Number of points
• Equivalent number of nights in a Disney hotel
• Disney hotel rate
• Initial annual dues per point
• Assumed rates of increase for annual dues / hotel
• Discount rate what you would expect to earn if you invested the money

The third tab covers the case of buying points only to rent them. The internal rate of return is calculated. Youd compare this to would you would expect to earn over the long run by putting your money in a diversified stock fund.

All the numbers in the yellow cells are meant to be changed by you to reflect your own situation. Its just a model.

While this is an interesting intellectual exercise, The bottom line DVC equation for me is:

family + good times + Disney = Happiness

DVC wasnt a financial decision for me.

Disney Vacation Club Cost: Can You Afford It

Disney World. They say it is the most magical place on earth. And boy, do a lot of people try to get a taste of that magic.

Globally, Disney has 8 of the 10 most visited theme parks. Some of those people save up for a long time to try to have one magical trip, and others cannot get enough of that magic and try to replicate it every year.

This is where the Disney Vacation Club comes in. It allows you to guarantee your place every year.

But, how much does the Disney Vacation Club cost? Is it too expensive for the ordinary person?

This is everything that you need to know.

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Downsides Of Dvc Membership

While there are tons of perks to having Disney Vacation Club membership, nothing is without its downsides.

First, its impossible to look past how expensive DVC membership is. The upfront cost, the overall cost, as well as the yearly dues arent cheap. Plus the annual fees increase every year, and can be unpredictable.

Not only is the cost of the membership expensive, but it doesnt include other costs you incur on Disney vacations. Admission, food, merchandise, and travel are all other costs that you have to take into consideration especially if going once a year.

You have the membership for 50 years, and your families desire to go every year may decrease after awhile. Going every year may become tedious, and it does limit where and when you can go on vacation. While there are a lot of choices for booking, even places all around the world, not all of them will be easy to get to or affordable to travel to for the average family.

Having a Disney Vacation Club membership takes some of the fun and spontaneity out of booking for Disney. You arent able to book a Disney World trip on a whim and just go for a little trip whenever you want. In order to use your points, you have to book quite a ways in advance and plan for a trip in order to get the most out of your points.

Does Disney Vacation Club Save You Money

Disney markets their vacation club heavily on the fact that it can save you money over time. The truth is that it can. Here are a few reasons as to how:

Essentially, by buying into the Disney Vacation Club, youre paying for your next 30 or so years of vacations over ten or fewer years. Once you finish paying for your membership, you own it outright. Lets crunch some numbers to see how that works.

Assume that you choose the most affordable membership possible, which is around $30,000. If you spread that over the next 30 years , youd be spending $1,000 annually on Disney vacations. With 150 points, you can certainly stay for at least several nights each year. While you might be able to find comparable prices at value resorts for less money, remember that by using Disney Vacation Club points, youre staying at a deluxe resort with much more pleasing accommodations and amenities.

The other major factor that you must consider when weighing the financial benefits is that, in this case, inflation will work in your favor. Disney isnt getting less expensive theyve been raising hotel rates steadily for years, and even as they build more resorts, prices will most likely continue to climb. By buying into the DVC now, youve locked in the cost of your vacations for the next 30 years. Thats where you will almost certainly see the most savings over time.

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Disney Vacation Club: Is It Worth It

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David Roark

Do you love hanging with Mickey, flying high in the air aboard Dumbo, and piloting the Millennium Falcon on the edge of the Star Wars galaxy? We mean really love it? If you just cant get enough of the Disney magic and think youll be planning regular visits to Walt Disney World or Disneyland, you might want to consider joining the Disney Vacation Club. Membership would give you and your gang a tiny slice of the Mouse House, access to all kinds of benefits, and a reason to regularly return to the resorts.

But itll cost you. And, all apologies to Dumbo, but joining the Disney Vacation Club will cost you considerably more than peanuts. Is it worth it? That depends. Lets break it down.

How Much Does Dvc Cost 2021 Price List

ResalesDVC

How much does it cost to buy into the Disney Vacation Club? If youre looking at buying points with DVC its good to know what the options are and how much per point youll be spending if you choose to purchase direct from Disney, the developer. Purchase prices vary by resort, starting at $120 per point up to $295 per point. As you will see in the chart below, there are also different minimum point requirements based on resort and if youre an existing member or new member. It is important to note that these rates and terms below apply only to points purchased direct from Disney Vacation Club, not to points purchased on the resale market.

DISNEY DIRECT PRICES FOR 2021

Information is deemed accurate but not guaranteed. Source: DVCNews.com

DIRECT PRICE V. RESALE PRICE

WHATS THE DIFFERENCE?

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Club Level At Deluxe Resorts

First, the cheapest Club Level rooms at Walt Disney Worlds deluxe resorts are at Wilderness Lodge and Yacht Club, and they start at $721 and $768 nightly in 2022.

Using a deep discount of 30%, which Disney occasionally offers, Club Level could probably be had for around $500 per night. When theyre available, annual passholder discounts are our favorite way to save on club level stays.

Thats not the best way to look at Club Level prices. Instead, you want to look at how much additional Club Level costs over a regular room.

For example, at Grand Floridian, the lowest priced room costs $710 but the lowest Club Level room costs $856a $146 premium for Club Level access. The premiums at Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge for their cheapest Club Level rooms are higheraround $270 each.

Heres a list of the price difference between the lowest priced room at each hotel in 2022 and its lowest priced club level room :

• Grand Floridian $158

• Grand Floridian $435

All Club Level rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge are Savanna View!

But wait, theres more! Sometimes youll want to make sure youre comparing equivalent room types. For example, we only would stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge with a Savanna View room, and all Club Level rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge are Savanna View.

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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Consider Dvc Annual Dues

Many people dont realize that the annual dues have a much bigger impact on the total cost of DVC than the initial purchase price. Historically, annual dues have generally increased over time, but there are a few rare instances of annual dues decreasing from one year to the next. With that in mind, you can expect a 2%-3% increase in the cost per point of annual dues each year.

Bay Lake Tower usually has the least expensive annual dues, and Vero Beach usually costs the most. If youre not set on a particular home resort, remember a higher initial purchase price is sometimes justified in the long-term by lower annual dues.

Breaking Down The Cost Your Disney Vacation Itinerary

One reason that Walt Disney World Resort can justify its regular price hikes is the constant addition of new theme parks and attractions over the past nearly 50 years. For example, Disney World opened in 1971 with one theme park, two onsite resorts, a campground and an 18-hole golf course. Today, Disney encompasses nearly 40 square miles and boasts four theme parks , two water parks , the massive Disney Springs entertainment-shopping-dining complex, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, four championship golf courses and 41 on-property resorts.

In addition, Disney has added a slew of new attractions recently at each of its theme parks to attract new and returning guests such as Star Wars: Galaxys Edge and Toy Story Land at Disneys Hollywood Studios, as well as Pandora The World of Avatar at Animal Kingdom. Attractions that opened at Disney World last year include Mickey & Minnies Runaway Railway at Disneys Hollywood Studios, Drawn to Life Presented by Cirque du Soleil & Disney at Disney Springs, and Harmonious, a brand-new nighttime show at Epcot, which also has debuted three new films: Awesome Planet in The Land Pavilion, Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360 in the Canada Pavilion and Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along in the France Pavilion.

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