Opinions

Disney Vacation Club Explained
By Amy Keen - August 24, 2001

If you're like most WDW visitors, you've seen the Disney Vacation Club kiosks in the parks or resort lobbies, or heard DVC mentioned on the internet. DVC is Disney's timeshare offering, but works in a considerably different way than most timeshares, where you buy a specific week in a specific location every year.

There are currently three DVC resorts at WDW: Old Key West, Boardwalk Villas and the Villas at Wilderness Lodge. Disney also owns resorts at Vero Beach and Hilton Head.

To join DVC, you choose a "home resort" and purchase a set amount of points (minimum is 150 pts). Points currently cost $75 each through Disney. These points will "pay" for your nights at the resort.

Each night costs a set number of points, depending upon season. DVC has five seasons: ("Adventure", "Choice", "Dream", "Magic" and "Premier"). The least "expensive" season is Adventure Season which encompasses all of January, all of September, and the first two weeks of December.

We own 200 points at VWL, and this will get us 7 nights in a one-bedroom villa during Adventure Season.
Also, individual nights have different point costs. Sunday - Thursday nights are least expensive, Fridays & Saturdays are more. In fact, I know of many DVC members who stay at non-DVC resorts on Fridays & Saturdays to conserve points.

Points come available yearly. We have an August use year, which means every year on Aug. 1, 200 points become available to us. We can use them in any season, at any of the DVC resorts (you can also "exchange" out to WDW or Disneyland resorts, Disney Cruise Line, and other offerings worldwide). You can book up to 11 months out at your home resort; 7 months at any other DVC resort. This is why it's advisable to buy where you want to stay the most.

You can bank any or all of your points from one year into the next, and you can also borrow points from your upcoming use year. The banking/borrowing feature makes it possible to combine up to three years' worth of points into one vacation -- especially nice if a member wants to bring down a large group of family or friends and "treat" them to a DVC stay!

The types of accommodations available at the DVC resorts are studios (most like a regular hotel room, except usually larger and includes a sink, refrigerator and microwave; sleeps 4), one-bedroom villas (these include a master suite with a king bed and jacuzzi tub, washer and dryer, living room with fold-out sofa, and a full kitchen; sleeps 4), and two-bedroom villas (a studio and one-bedroom combined ; sleeps 8). Old Key West and Boardwalk Villas also have Grand Villas, which have three bedrooms and sleep up to 12! The Grand Villas go quickly, of course!

One of the main reasons we chose to buy into DVC was the fact that as our son gets older, we know we will *all* want more space and privacy. Plus, we have the option of reserving a two-bedroom villa, so if he wants to bring a friend or a cousin with him on a trip, it will be easy for us to do so!

If you finance through Disney, you make a downpayment and can then extend the payments out to the maximum of 10 years. You also have dues to pay each year; dues are charged per point. At VWL, we pay $3.64 per point. Our dues are taken out of our checking account monthly.

DVC "ends" in 2042 -- so you really don't "own" your resort interest, it's more like a prepaid vacation plan. However, buying into the program definitely helps keep a cap on your resort costs! Plus, as an added bonus, DVC interest is tax-deductible and DVC members don't have to worry about the 11 or 12% resort tax that applies to cash reservations.

The next DVC to open will be the Beach Club Villas next year, followed by the Villas at Eagle Pines (tentatively scheduled for 2004). Speculation is that the price per point for the BCV may reach or exceed $80 per point!

If you don't want to buy at VWL or the two non-WDW properties (Hilton Head and Vero Beach), and you don't want to wait for Beach Club, you could look into a resale for Boardwalk or Old Key West. Those usually are priced considerably less per point. DVC itself doesn't deal in resales, but there are several reputable brokers in the WDW area, the most popular of which is The Timeshare Store. You can find their current list of available DVC properties at www.dvc-resales.com

For more information on the Disney Vacation Club, you can contact them at 1-888-DVC-MAGIC for a video and informational packet.