If you’re considering membership in the Disney Vacation Club, you should know that there are benefits beyond the “free” Disney resort stays. The Walt Disney Company tries to reward DVC members as much as possible while simultaneously enticing their most loyal customers to visit more often. As a result, there are several different ways that DVC members receive special privileges beyond what a regular Disney park guest would get. Here are seven of the best Walt Disney World-related perks of DVC membership.
1. Ticket Discounts
These discounts are a bit of a moving target, as they are never guaranteed yet there is a significant offer virtually every year. Even when there’s not, DVC members earn savings on annual and premium annual passes. How big are the discounts? The answer is sometimes a little and sometimes a lot.
For 2014, a Disney Premium Annual Pass cost only $484, a savings of $245 from its standard price at the time. Once that deal ended, DVC members still received $105 off the normal price for such a pass. Late last year, Disney provided an additional offer to their DVC clientele. They could buy a four-day ticket to visit one Disney theme park a day for $199, savings of roughly $100 from standard cost.
When no special deals exist, the standard offer for DVC members is still great. They receive what is currently a $779 Premium Annual Pass for only $649, and that total drops to $549 for renewals. Disney’s business practice here is simple. The more they can entice DVC members to visit, the more revenue they earn since the profit margin on park visits is so high. Since DVC members love the parks, it’s a win-win offer in terms of supply matching demand.
2. Pool Hopping
At Walt Disney World, there are currently nine different resorts participating in the Disney Vacation Club program. Several of them are interchangeable with regards to DVC membership. If you don’t like the pool where you’re currently staying or simply want a change of pace after a few visits, you have the option to go to one of the other deluxe pools.
Note that there are a few exclusions. Pool hopping is not allowed at Bay Lake Tower (although it is oddly okay at The Contemporary), Polynesian Villas, Beach Club Villas, and Kidani’s Uzima Pool. Since most resorts have a couple of pools, that still leaves DVC members with about a dozen extra pool options that non-DVC Disney guests cannot enjoy. The other primary exclusion is that holiday blackout dates apply due to maximum occupancy at the resorts. If you’re interested in pool hopping during a holiday period, simply ask the front desk if it’s currently allowed.
3. Room, Meal, and Shopping Discounts
The room discount aspect probably bakes your noodle. After all, the entire point of DVC is that you pay for membership in exchange for “free” annual hotel stays. The trick is that you may sometimes feel the urge to visit when you’re either out of points or the preferred resort lacks DVC availability. In these instances, Disney Vacation Club members are entitled to a 25% cash discount for their room. Once again, Disney wants to do everything possible to incentivize loyal customers to visit.
Once people arrive at the parks, they are rewarded with another discount. All Disney owned and operated merchant locations offer 10 percent savings for DVC members. This really adds up quickly if you’re like me and buy a lot of vacation mementos as well as snacks at the resort gift shops.
From a financial perspective, however, the largest savings probably comes from your meals. DVC membership includes 10-20 percent discounts at approximately 60 Disney theme park and resort restaurants. There is a skew toward table service meals, but several quick service restaurants participate as well.
4. Free Laundry
Yes, using the laundry services is free. The only catch is that you have to do it yourself, which can be a bit tricky to pull off during a busy vacation. The way it works is simple. Every DVC resort has laundry facilities. If you book a one-bedroom (or larger) villa, your room actually comes with a washer and dryer. Otherwise, you go to the laundry room.
Either way, you don’t have to pay for detergent. Simply request some at the front desk if you’re staying in a studio. They will provide it to you free of charge. If you’re in a villa, it’s already in the room. You can do as much laundry as you want during your stay, which is a huge benefit during long trips. We actually did laundry on two different occasions during a recent 10-day stay.
Disney is currently working to streamline the process for its guests, also. Their latest innovation is a website that tracks the usage of every resort laundry facility. You’ll theoretically know whether there are machines open when you want to run a load. The only caveat I’ll add is that the site was slow to update for us, which was the difference in the needed amount of machines being open as opposed to only one. That could be a simple case of bad timing/bad luck, though. Whatever the case, during the steamy summer months in Florida, the ability to wash laundry liberates you from wearing sweaty clothes all day.
5. Other Discounts and Extra Bonuses
The miscellany of DVC benefits is multi-faceted and wide-ranging. Members receive discounts on special engagements such as Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba show, some of Disney’s famed resort spas, and sporting options such as golf and mini-golf. Plus, a lot of entertainment exercises such as boating and biking offer savings for DVC members as well.
Arguably the best miscellaneous discounts are for the various park tours. Many of the major ones including the Ultimate Day of Thrills VIP Tour and Ultimate Day for Young Families VIP Tour at Magic Kingdom, Backstage Magic at Epcot, and Wild Africa Trek at Animal Kingdom offer bonus savings. The discounts are possibly enough to price you in on something that you’d otherwise dismiss as too expensive.
When you’re heading to Walt Disney World, DVC membership also includes free parking at the various theme parks as well. Of course, you get that any time you stay at a Disney resort, so it’s not the greatest bonus. A more direct advantage for members is the ability to purchase exclusive accessories such as DVC-branded bags, purses, and jewelry from brands such as Alex and Ani and Dooney & Bourke that are not available to the general public.
Finally, if you believe that there is no bonus like free, DVC members are occasionally entitled to gifts during special events and the like. To wit, if you visit during Star Wars weekend, you receive a free commemorative Star Wars poster. There are actually five of them, one for each weekend.
6. Top of the World Lounge Fireworks
Speaking of Bay Lake Tower, the 16th floor of the hotel features a bar and lounge area. Every night, DVC members staying at any Walt Disney World DVC resort have the option to visit. You show your membership card to the cast member in the lobby, and one of them escorts you to the elevator. There, they swipe their access card and deliver you to the top floor. From this position high above the ground, you can enjoy the nightly Wishes fireworks show from a singularly unique perspective.
Since seating is limited, you should plan to arrive roughly a half hour ahead of time. During particularly crowded points on the calendar, allow even more time than that. I recently watched the show twice the week prior to a holiday and had no problem getting a good view 10 minutes prior to Wishes, but I wouldn’t count on that kind of luck all the time. If the entire situation is something you want but you aren’t a DVC member, you can eat dinner at California Grill then either hang out there or return for the fireworks display. It’s the same view in terms of height but from a slightly different angle.
7. Better Food Plan Options
Anyone staying at a Walt Disney World resort can order the Disney Dining Plan. While there are diverse opinions on the subject of the DDP’s utility, you can decide for yourself as a member of DVC. You have the option to purchase any tier of it if you stay at a resort using points or a cash discount.
If you prefer Tables in Wonderland, the only ways to purchase membership in this club are as a Florida resident, an annual pass holder, or a DVC member. So, you have more flexibility in deciding your meal preferences when you join the Disney Vacation Club. If you prefer to pay in advance and not worry about the cost of each meal, use the Disney Dining Plan. If you want to save more money but pay as you go, take the Tables in Wonderland option. Only the former one is available to non-DVC members, non-annual pass holders staying at Disney resorts, though.
