Overview:

The Disney Vacation Club, often revered to as DVC, is a vacation timeshare like program operated by Disney. It’s designed to offer Disney enthusiasts alike a flexible way to vacation at Disney resorts and other destinations around the world. Members purchase points that can be used for accommodations at DVC resorts and other affiliated locations. DVC membership contracts typically last around 40 years, and are considered a deeded real estate interest.

Unlike most other timeshare schemes, Disney Vactation Club provides much more flexibility for its memebers, without being tied to one specific week or property.

A common misconception is that the Disney Vacation Club is limited to those who reside in the United States. As UK residence ourselves, the Disney Vacation Club is open to international residence too.

How it works:

As alluded to in the introduction, DVC is a points based vaction membership programme. There three main elements to DVC; purchasing points, using your points, and banking and borrowing points.

Purchase Points: Members buy a set number of points. The initial purchase price varies based on the resort, the number of points, and the time of year (known as the Use Year). Points can be purchased directly from Disney or through the resale market.

Use Points: Points are used to book accommodations. The number of points required varies based on the resort, accommodation type, and season. For instance, a studio at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows may require fewer points than a three-bedroom villa at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.

Bank and Borrow Points: Members can bank unused points for future use or borrow points from the next year. This flexibility helps in planning larger vacations or adjusting to changing travel plans.

Where can points be used:

When you purcahse your points, you will do this based on a singular chosen resort which is your home resort, and your annual dues will go towards the up-keep of this resort. However, you can choose to use your points however you wish, whether is at a US based Disney reosrt, one of the international Disney Resorts, or a completly different type of experiene. The world truley is your oyster. Below we have outlined the different options you have when it come to redeeming your points. Remeber you don’t need to use your points EVERY year – so you can bank them if you’d rather save them for that once in a life time trip.

DVC Exclusive resorts:

Walt Disney World Resort, Florida: Options include Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas, Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, and Disney’s Riviera Resort.

Disneyland Resort, California: The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa.

Other Locations: Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa in Hawaii; Disney’s Vero Beach Resort in Florida; and Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort in South Carolina.

It is worth noting that you can also use your points at non-DVC resort hotels at Disney World and Disneyland, but typically the value exchange on the points isn’t too favourable.

Disney International Resorts:

Disneyland Resort Paris: Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel Hotel, Disney’s Sequoia Lodge, Disney’s Newport Bay Club, Villages Nature Park.

Tokyo Disney Resort: Disney Ambassador Hotel, Tokyo Disney Celebration Hotel, Tokyo Disney Sea MiraCosta Hotel, Tokyo Disneyland Hotel

Disneyland Hong Kong: Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Hollywood Hotel, Disney’s Explorer Hotel.

Other Disney Experiences:

Disney Cruise Line

National Geographic Experiences

Adventures by Disney

World Wide Stays Experiences:

Hotel Exchange – Interval international world wide collection.

Membership Benefits:

A Disney Vacation Club membership comes with an array of benefits, which is why they can be so appealing. From the flexibility to the savings, there’s plenty of benefits to being a DVC member.

Flexibility: Points can be used at any DVC resort or other Disney destinations, including Disney Cruise Line and Adventures by Disney.

Discounts: Members receive discounts on dining, merchandise, park tickets, and special events.

Exclusive Events: Access to exclusive member events, lounges, and experiences.

Booking Window: Members can book stays up to 11 months in advance at their home resort and 7 months at other DVC resorts.

Free Gifts: Often DVC give away free gifts to their members whenever you’re visiting one of their resorts or destinations. This is particularly true for Disney Cruise Line, where DVC members can get a free gift each day when approaching the DVC desk on any of the ships.

How to join and costs:

Joining the Disney Vacation Club involves a few key steps, from understanding the membership structure to finalising your purchase. There are two main ways to buying into DVC and this is by either purchasing a new membership directly from Disney or through resale. Whilst resale can be cheaper, a direct purchase has additional benefits, fewer restrictions, and usually a longer contract duration.

It’s important to firstly do your research and understand if the Disney Vacation Club is for you. If it is, then great – get to know how the points system works and think about your future travel habits. Different resorts require varying amounts of points to stay at, and this is very much dependant on the time of year and also the room size which you choose. So it is important to consider how frequently you plan on visiting and typically which time of year. If you are looking to go every year during peak season, you’ll need more points. This will help you to realistically work out the best option for your home resort. Yes, we’d all love to stay in the Grand Floridian for four weeks over the summer,but that not be realistic when it comes to purchasing your allocation of points.

Once you have done your research, and your serious about becoming a DVC member contact Disney to initiate the process. If you are from abroad like us, this is much easier to do whilst visiting either Walt Disney World or Disneyland as some of the paperwork needs to be signed in person and notarized. Typically they are running some sort of incentive or offer, which is typically not available outside of the states. If you want to purchase via resale, then contact a trustworthy resale vendor.

Once you enter into conversations, your DVC advisor will provide you with all the information and help to answer any questions. They will discuss the various options with you and explain how the points system works as well as show you the points calculator so you can get an idea roughly of how many points to purchase based on your needs. Then it is a case of completing the necessary paperwork, signing the contracts and making payment.

There are two main costs to consider with a DVC purchase:

Initial Purchase: The cost varies based on the number of points and the home resort. For example, a contract for 150 points at Disney’s Riviera Resort may cost around $28,200. You can privately finance this or utilise one of Disney’s finance offers.

Annual Dues: These cover maintenance, utilities, and other operating expenses. Dues vary by resort and can increase over time.

Conclusion

The Disney Vacation Club offers a unique and flexible way to enjoy Disney vacations year after year, and if you know that you are likely to return to Disney multiple times then it can be a smart investment and a way to help budget for future trips. It is important to do your research to understand how the Disney Vacation Club works, and check its suitability for you. By understanding the points system, the benefits, and the costs involved, you can make an informed decision about whether DVC is the right choice for your family’s vacation needs and look forward to many magical adventures in the future.