A few years ago, I became the Disney Vacation Club (DVC) writer here at Theme Park Tourist. At the time, I wrote a series of articles about the pros and cons of the membership program. I’ve written a few follow-ups, all of which lead to the same discussions: Some people wonder how much Disney pays for this promotion. They don’t. Others ask, “Wouldn’t I need $20,000 for to join?” You don’t. What no one ever wonders, however, is why I’m so passionate about this club. Here are a few reasons why I believe now is the perfect time to join DVC.
The hotel rooms are massive
Image: DisneyWhen you book a standard room at one of the Value Tier resort properties, you’re receiving exquisite accommodations. I don’t want to act as if Disney-designed hotel rooms are anything other than brilliant. They’re standard in size, though.
I checked a couple of floor plans, and the standard rooms are around 260 square feet. That’s slightly bigger than an ordinary hotel room in a lot of places. Disney wants to give its guests plenty of room to spread out, understanding that they cater to a lot of families with small children who need the room.
That same philosophy explains why I’m such a strong proponent of DVC. Standard studios at DVC resorts are generally in the range of 360 square feet. That’s an extra 100 square feet or almost 40 percent more space. And some of the rooms are even larger. Disney’s Old Key West Resort’s basic rooms are 390 square feet. That’s half a room bigger than what you’d get at a Value Tier Disney hotel!
The amenities are otherworldly
Image: DisneyChoosing the best amenity at a DVC property is like choosing your favorite child. They’re all marvelous in their own ways. Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort has a lava-themed pool, a lobby that smells of island escapism, and a nightly show that will take your breath away. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas features actual animals that live at the hotel. It’s a zoo, and humans are the visiting animals, not the residents.
Those were just the first two DVC hotels that popped into my head. I could go into great detail about the customer service at Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort or the view from many of the rooms at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa. Then, there’s the short walk to Epcot from Disney’s Beach Club Villas and to Magic Kingdom from Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
At this point, I’ve only mentioned six DVC properties. That isn’t half of the current program participants. Every one of the participating locations features amenities that are rare and profound, ones that will guarantee that your vacation stay is unforgettable.
The program is flexible
Image: DisneyOne of the most reasonable concerns about timeshare membership is its limitations. You have X amount of access to the resort. Should you not find the time to use it, you’re out of luck. DVC isn’t a timeshare, though. It’s a specially designed Disney program that caters to travelers of all kinds.
When you join DVC, you purchase a contract. That contract comes with DVC points. You’ll use these points to book rooms. A night’s stay is somewhere between 10-30 points, depending on the time of year and resort where you choose to stay.
When you choose a DVC contract, it can be as small as 25 points or as much as…well, the theoretical limit is 2,000 points. That latter amount strikes me as overkill, though. Most members have contracts in the 150-point range, though.
Image: DisneyWith a middle-sized contract, DVC members can spend a week at many Disney resorts each year. Some properties like Disney’s Grand Californian Resort & Spa require a few more points, but you’ll find you can do a lot with 150 points. It’s enough to have a wonderful Disney vacation on a regular basis.
Let’s presume that you don’t want to go to Disney every year, though. What would happen to your point allotment? The short answer is nothing. Disney gives you the option to “bank” your points. When you do this, the unused points roll over to the following year.
Similarly, should you ever feel require more points during your current year, you can “borrow” your points from the next year. You can bring enough into your account to book the room you want right now. It’s a seamless process that gives you tremendous flexibility.
You can rent points you won’t use
Image: DisneyAt this point, you’re likely wondering about a third scenario. What happens if you don’t want to visit Disney each year? Will you just lose your points after a while? The answer is technically yes if you don’t understand the system. In practice, it’s no, though.
You have the ability to rent your DVC points each year via an online service. You’ll get paid somewhere around $15 a point, which means that you could feasibly turn your unused DVC points into a vacation elsewhere. $15 a point for 150 points is $2,250. That’s a pretty good trip somewhere, right?
I don’t want to favor any particular DVC rental service over another. What I will say is that if you read previous Theme Park Tourist DVC Roundtables, you’ll get some ideas. Several other vendors are in this field, too. I would simply suggest that you do some research to verify that you’re dealing with a well-reviewed company with lots of references available. Obviously, since your points have so much value, there are some folks out there who will try to scam you.
DVC values steadily increase
Image: DisneyIf you’ve read any of my tourism writing over the years, you know that I have a core philosophy. I don’t like to tell people how to spend their money. Everyone has their own budget and bills to pay.
I’m stepping away from my general practice with this testimonial for a simple reason. I believe that DVC is a safe investment, although I’m making one key assumption. I presume that the American and global economies are sound. Should either one collapse, luxury commodities such as vacation memberships would lose value. This actually happened twice during the 2000s, once after 9/11 and again after the housing crisis of 2008.
Assuming that the economy is stable, DVC is a terrific purchase. Yes, I understand your skepticism. I shared it for many years as my older brother tried to persuade me to buy into the program. I, like many people, have such a negative perception of timeshares that anything that sounds like one makes me naturally suspicious.
Image: DisneyDVC is different, though. No, really! During my time in covering the program for Theme Park Tourist, I’ve watched prices increase at a shocking rate. As an example, when I purchased my first contract, I paid about $65 per point. That same contract would pay about $110 per point today. This isn’t anomalous. To the contrary, DVC’s steady increases are impressive to behold.
In 2014, I noted several examples of contracts that were available for $80 per point or less. Today, only two of the current participating properties, Hilton Head and Disney’s Vero Beach Resort, have contracts available for that price. The other dozen DVC resorts range in price from right at $100 to more than $200 at Grand Californian. I say in all sincerity that I could have doubled my money in about four years if I’d bought a Grand Californian contract I researched when writing one of my first DVC columns here.
Why are DVC contract values soaring? No, this isn’t a Bitcoin thing (although we all wish we’d bought Bitcoin in 2014, too). The truth here is simple. Disney theme parks are steadily increasing in attendance.
Image: DisneyIn 2014, 134 million people went to Disney. In 2017, that number had surpassed 150 million. Those 16 million new guests have to stay somewhere, and many of them have recognized the value of DVC. The number of contracts has only increased somewhat, but the demand has risen dramatically.
The remarkable part is that this trend is poised to expand soon. Pandora – The World of Avatar already boosted attendance at Disney’s Animal Kingdom by 25 percent in calendar 2017. Then, Pixar Pier and Toy Story Land debuted at Disney California Adventure and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2018. All of them have caused traffic surges.
Image: DisneyThe mind-boggling aspect is that 2019 sees the arrival of Star Wars Land at Disneyland and Walt Disney World alike. It’s a theme park stampede, and those people all want to stay in a quality room. This is where I circle back to the first three points listed here. With so many benefits to a DVC membership, contracts are exploding in value.
With Star Wars Land in the offing, a DVC contract is a tremendous personal asset that you can use to stay at the hotel you want when the new themed land debuts. Alternately, you can rent your points to someone else and vacation elsewhere until the crowds die down at the Happiest Place on Earth. DVC gives you that flexibility, which is why I feel comfortable recommending it to one and all. Start shopping for resale contracts now and enjoy the benefits down the road!
