Can you ever get enough of Walt Disney World? Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members are betting that they can’t. DVC is Disney’s kinder, gentler version of a vacation timeshare, and offers several enticing twists on the timeshare experience. The DVC offers the promise of frequent, reduced-cost Disney vacations in exchange for a significant up-front investment.

RESORTS IN THE DISNEY VACATION CLUB

Disney operates 14 Disney’s Deluxe Villa Resorts: Old Key West (page 73), Boardwalk Villas (page 49), Boulder Ridge Villas at Wilderness Lodge (page 95), Beach Club Villas (page 99), Saratoga Springs (page 91), Animal Kingdom Villas (page 41), the Bay Lake Tower villas at the Contemporary (page 57), Grand Floridian Villas (page 69), Polynesian Village villas and bungalows (page 77), Vero Beach (Florida coast), Hilton Head Island (South Carolina), Grand Californian Villas (Disneyland), and the Aulani Resort (Hawaii). The latest addition are the Copper Creek Cabins & Villas at the Wilderness Lodge (see page 95). Studios, one-, two-, and three-bedroom villas with kitchen and laundry facilities are offered (studios have kitchenettes and access to laundry rooms). Housekeeping is limited, with full services every eight days. A new DVC resort, the Disney Riviera, is being built to open in fall 2019. Riviera will be the 15th DVC resort and will feature 300 units and a rooftop restaurant with views of both Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios evening shows. Construction has already begun on this new resort (it will be near Caribbean Beach).

THE DISNEY VACATION CLUB PROGRAM

With a typical vacation timeshare, you buy an annual one-week (or multiple-week) stay during a particular time period in a specific size of accommodation. DVC uses a novel point system that adds far greater flexibility and complexity to the process. You can use your points however you wish to create several short getaways or a single, grand vacation—at any time of the year and at any DVC or other Disney resort. Here’s how it works: You buy a certain number of points at the going rate (from $176 per point, as of January 18, 2017). 100 points is the minimum—so every year you’d have at least 100 points to apply toward accommodations. You might need 20 points/night for a one-bedroom at Old Key West weeknights during the off-season. 90 points/night may be needed for a two-bedroom at BoardWalk weekends in peak season. Just as with a regular resort room, rates are affected by size, view, location, season, and day. You also pay annual dues based on the number of points purchased. Rates vary, depending on your “home” resort—from about $5.60 to $8.10 per point—so dues on a 160-point purchase would be about $896–$1,296. If you compare the combined cost of points and fees to renting comparable, non-discounted resort rooms, it takes about seven years to recover the value of the points purchased. After that, vacations might cost half the prevailing rental rates. Membership contracts (regardless of when purchased) expire in 2042, with the exception of Saratoga Springs (2054), Animal Kingdom Villas (2057), Bay Lake Tower and Grand Californian (2060), Aulani (2062), Grand Floridian (2064), and Polynesian Village (2066).

More at ⓘ dvc-secret | hilton-head | dvc-vero-beach | aulani