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Did you know that over 200,000 Disney Vacation Club members enjoy the best holidays without breaking the bank? This is an astonishing figure because it reflects how successful the program is.
If you are wondering what the Disney Vacation Club is, now is the best time to look into it. When you gain a Disney Vacation Club membership, you can turn your visits to the resorts into a regular occurrence.
This exclusive club provides members access to unique resorts and villas to make their stay extra special. Here is everything you must know about the Disney Vacation Club.
What Is the Disney Vacation Club?
When you join Disney Vacation Club (DVC), you invest in real estate. This investment involves Disney Vacation Club points and all sorts of other exciting DVC benefits.
The Disney Vacation Club is a magical version of a timeshare. Think of fairy dust sprinkled all over a timeshare arrangement that will turn your family holidays into a beautiful adventure unlike any other.
This is what separates DVC from other timeshares. When you join DVC, you buy fractional ownership of a Disney resort.
This part-ownership will let you use your chosen vacation destination every year when you want to take the kids for a memorable trip during the school holidays. The best part is that you can visit your home resort or pick a piece of paradise from the luxurious DVC portfolio.
How Does DVC Work?
It is no secret that timeshares usually limit or cap how often you can visit your vacation destination. So, Disney Vacation Club goes the extra mile to bring in its exciting points-based system.
When you become a DVC member, you buy into a home resort at Disney or another dedicated property. But to stay at your chosen resort, you must collect and redeem your Disney Vacation Club points.
This is what gives Disney an extra twist when compared to other timeshares. Since the typical timeshare weeks lock people into a specific time of the year or the exact week when they can visit their holiday home, DVC points never limit customers in this manner.
You have much more flexibility and are not limited to a particular location or time of year. Depending on your budget and how often you want to go on holiday, members are given a choice of points to use as their initial buy-in. These points will unlock your membership perks.
What Does the Initial Buy-in Get You?
Remember that every DVC resort has different views and room types. Each of these types commands a certain number of points. Disney then offers a points calendar to show you how many points you can expect to spend each night at the resort.
This gets broken down according to different seasons. For example, you may be able to book a Deluxe Studio with a view for 150 points. Alternatively, you may also choose to book a one-bedroom villa for 190 points.
You get all the freedom and the perks. This is what makes DVC so great. It provides a lot of flexibility, and you are given a set of points yearly. If you happen to run out of points or want more to plan a grander adventure, you can use your extra points from last year.
You can also borrow some points from the following year. If you have not used up all your points in a year, you can put them aside for a rainy day and roll them over when needed.
This gives members many choices, especially since you can plan to travel less in some years to get more points for other years you want to plan a bigger trip.
Choosing Resorts
Disney Vacation Club members will always be made to feel like they are home. This is because when you buy points, you purchase them for a specific resort that you love most out of all the others.
This property then becomes your home base. So, even though you can always stay at any other Disney Vacation Club resort, you get more perks of sticking to the home base.
This is your real estate investment in a Disney Resort, so you have a lot of perks when it comes to the booking window. You can book a stay at your home resort several months in advance without any hassles.
DVC Membership Costs
Since becoming a member is akin to buying a piece of property, you should consider the buy-in pricing and membership cost. This will help determine if this is a great deal for you and your family.
The membership costs include the purchase price, closing costs, and annual dues. The purchase price is the cost of the resort and starting points you need to become a member.
The closing costs will be a one-time fee that is required for any real estate deal. Finally, some annual dues can vary according to the type of resort you pick.
The yearly dues should involve administrative expenses, operating costs, and real estate taxes. You can also look into timeshare resale if you ever decide to change your mind about the whole thing.
Your DVC points will factor a lot into your initial membership costs, closing costs, and annual dues. Remember that these dues are essential because they cover expenses like property taxes, transport, and housekeeping.
These services are necessary to ensure that you and your loved ones have the most magical and luxurious vacation to enjoy the summer holidays to the fullest.
The good news is that your dues can also be paid in a lump sum every year. You can also pay these in monthly installments to make them more manageable.
Join DVC Today
Now that you know what the Disney Vacation Club is, it is time to invest in your slice of magical paradise. Remember that the program’s premise is to ensure that members who stay at any of the Disney resorts can save a lot of money in the long term.
It is an excellent financial investment, especially for those who travel to Disney every year and want to avoid paying the usual hiked-up rates. If you enjoyed reading this Disney Vacation Club membership guide, check out some of our other posts.
