Disney Vacation Club Primer
Can we talk about The Disney Vacation Club for a bit? Something has come to my attention recently and I thought it would be a good idea to share this information.
First, for those of you who may not know much, if anything about The Disney Vacation Club (DVC), allow me to give you a quick rundown of what it is and how it works and a bit of history.
Basically, The Disney Vacation Club is a timeshare program. It is important to note that it is owned and operated by Disney Vacation Development, LLC., which is a subsidiary of Disney Signature Experiences, which is a division of Disney Experiences, which is a segment of The Walt Disney Company. That is a mouthful but don’t worry; there is no quiz in your future.
As of this post it is estimated that there are currently somewhere between 22,000 – 25,000 Disney Vacation Club Owners.
What does DVC offer? Again it is a timeshare program; a program by which through a points-based membership program members sort of buy real estate interest in one of the many DVC resorts. These resorts for the most part are seen as “luxury” level resorts.
Any guesses as to where the first DVC property was? It was Disney’s Old Key West that became the first DVC resort. Actually, a bit of trivia, the resort was renamed Disney’s Old Key West Resort from its original name of The Disney Vacation Resort.
It was in January 1990 that Michael Eisner declared the 1990’s as “The Disney Decade” and announced that the company is going to enter the timeshare business. This was not an overnight decision. There are reports that this decision to get into the timeshare business took about seven years to decide.
The reason why it took so long was because the timeshare industry did not have what you would call a positive reputation and let’s think of this…you have one industry that has a history of negativity being entered by a company known for being a polar opposite…high quality products and service. So this little adventure took a while to “perk” in the Disney Towers and the task was to hammer out all the details to insure that they would do it right as they wanted DVC to be the model for timeshares.
As mentioned above, the first DVC resort is what we now know as Disney’s Old Key West. A Disney Vacation Club membership would involve a one-time purchase price and annual dues. In 1991 a DVC membership started at $11,730 and it would be good for 50 years. There was an annual fee of $500 to $700 to cover property maintenance. Owners were to receive free admission to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center and the Disney-MGM Studio Tour until Dec. 31, 1999.
Depending upon the type of membership purchased, a Vacation Club owner would be given a certain number of “points” to which said owner would decide how to use. These points were given on an annual basis. Owners were also given the option of “borrowing” points from the upcoming year or save (bankroll) points not used in the current year.
So what did that $11,730 get you back in 1991? That $11,730 would entitle the buyer to 230 vacation points ($51 per point) and the buyer could use those points however he/she saw fit to fill his/her vacation needs.
So that’s how it all got started.
These days things are a bit different. If you were to explore The Disney Vacation Club today the starting price is $225.00 per point or $22,500 for 100 Vacation Points. There are closing costs but they are surprisingly not that bad…they start at around $380. Annual dues start around $74/month.
There are “bargains” out there on the DVC resale market, however, if you purchase from someone other than Disney Vacation Development DVC your membership is not considered to be a “full” membership.
Many people consider purchasing a DVC membership on the resale market because they realize they could save a lot of money and become DVC Members. In effect they see this route as being able to purchase points for less money.
There are some important factors you should know when considering to go the resale route:
Some benefits that DO NOT transfer to new DVC members on the resale market. These include discounts on dining, shopping, and park passes.
Between 2011 and 2019, Disney placed a series of restrictions on resale purchases. To help cast members distinguish between DVC members who purchased directly from Disney and those who purchased a resale, members are given different color membership cards. Physical blue cards are given to direct purchasers; digital-only, white cards are given to resale purchasers.
Here are some important points that distinguish Blue Card memberships from White Card memberships:
The Blue Card is issued to members who have purchased at least 150 points directly from Disney. That is from the Disney Vacation Development, LLC. These are “Full” members and are eligible for all DVC perks such as access to exclusive DVC events, discounts, special merchandise, and access to the DVC Member Lounge.
The White Card is issued to members who have bought their points via the resale market and those members are not eligible for the perks offered Blue Card members such as:
Access to DVC-exclusive events like Moonlight Magic.
Discounts on Disney Annual Passes, dining, merchandise, and recreation.
Access to the DVC Member Lounge at EPCOT.
Invitations to special previews and DVC cruises.
Ability to purchase Disney Sorcerer Pass (for eligible members).
Let me insert a caveat here to say that there may be other benefits I have not mentioned because frankly, when it comes to Disney, things can change at a moment’s notice. for more information on DVC membership benefits please go to the DVC site.
In 2019 Disney Vacation Club enacted a few new restrictions that limit buying DVC resale contracts. Here are three important points spelled out verbatim from the DVC website:
Effective January 19, 2019, Disney Vacation Club Members who do not acquire their real estate interest directly from Disney Vacation Development, LLC will only be able to make Vacation Point reservations at Disney’s Riviera Resort if it is their Home Resort.
Members with an ownership interest at Disney’s Riviera Resort who did not purchase directly from Disney Vacation Development, LLC may only use those Vacation Points for reservations at their Home Resort, Disney’s Riviera Resort, and the World Collection.
Members who purchase directly from Disney Vacation Club have the opportunity to use their Vacation Points to stay at all current Disney Vacation Club Resorts and access additional benefits such as Membership Extras.
Many owners will buy directly from Disney first and then add DVC points on the resale market later at a lower price. That way, you can retain all the same DVC member benefits and save money to get all the adventure.
You are still buying into priority access to the Disney Vacation Club network by purchasing resale. If you want to book a trip during peak times, even with a resale membership, you have priority to book up to 11 months in advance. Additionally, despite not saving on dining, you still will be saving on your initial purchase by potentially thousands.
If you would like the latest information on “Membership Magic” or “membership extras” that come with a DVC membership then you can find it at this specific
Sometime in the near future I hope to bring my former co-host of the Mickey Miles and More Podcast, Michelle Scribner, to help me discuss and describe one of the not so well-known benefits of a DVC membership.
See you next time.