Marcus Richards
What’s your magical vacation number?
According to a 5-year study, you should be taking at least 2 vacations a year. During the study, people who vacationed twice a year had significantly higher happiness levels.
If you’re overdue for a vacation, you should look into taking a DVC vacation. What does DVC stand for? It stands for Disney Vacation Club, and it’s a great way to make vacations fit within your budget.
How does Disney Vacation Club work, and what does it cost? Read on to find out!
How Does Disney Vacation Club Work?
How does Disney Vacation Club work exactly? A DVC membership gives you the ability to stay at one of Disney’s fantastic resorts using a locked-in price, similar to a timeshare. If you’ve ever been to Disney before, you probably saw DVC kiosks.
No Hard Selling
The kiosks are set up around the park to make it easy for guests to get information about the membership. Whether you decide to purchase a membership in person at a kiosk, online, or over the phone, you’ll be happy to know there isn’t any hard selling.
While timeshare salespeople tend to try to push you to close the deal, Disney employees take the opposite approach. Instead, the Disney representative will simply give you the information you need to make a choice.
You can also attend a DVC open house while you’re on vacation to learn more about the membership. If you decide to purchase a membership, you won’t be locked into using the same size room or even the same week. You’ll find that DVC is a lot more flexible, mainly because it works on a points-based system.
How Do Disney Vacation Club Points Work?
The point system Disney uses makes it easy for members to customize each visit. Owners can decide when they want to travel, how often they want to travel, and they can select whatever size unit they want.
How do Disney Vacation Club points work exactly? When you start your membership, you’ll decide how many points you want each year.
You can then use your points however you see fit! The resort you choose, the time of year, and the size of the unit will affect how many points it costs.
What Are Use Years?
As you continue exploring what DVC is all about, you’ll come across the term “Use Years”. Use years refer to the month of the year when your points are available for use.
For instance, let’s say you bought your points in an October use year. Your annual allotment of points will only be available within your use year.
If you bought an October use year, your points would be available starting October 1 and ending September 30th of the next year.
Cost of Membership
What does it cost to become a DVC member? First, you’ll have to make your initial membership purchase. It’s during your initial purchase that you’ll choose what type of member you want to be.
Do you want to be a 200 point member, an 800 point member, or more? Disney has a 100 point minimum, so you’ll have to buy at least 100 points. If you buy your membership directly from the Disney Vacation Club you can also explore financing options.
If you choose a financing option you’ll have to pick either a 1, 3, 5, 7, or 10-year plan. Financing options come with interest so make sure you find out exactly what the interest will be for the plan you choose.
If you don’t want to pay interest you can forego the financing options, and instead pay in full for your membership. Moving on, you’ll also have to budget for annual dues.
The annual dues use the number of points owned to figure out what you owe. Finally, the last cost you’ll need to account for is the exchange fee. There’s a $95 exchange fee whenever you book a vacation using the Concierge collection, the Member Getaways program, or the Disney Cruise.
Disney Destinations
You can find DVC resorts all over the world! First, you can stay at 1 of the resorts surrounding Walt Disney World in Florida, or head over to Vero Beach to enjoy a beachside stay.
Next, you can visit Disneyland California, and stay at a DVC resort there. If you’re looking to travel internationally, DVC points work for that too!
You can visit Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia, and stay at a DVC resort while you’re there. If you’re interested in resale options, we suggest you check out DVC Aulani for all the different opportunities.
DVC Member Benefits and Perks
What fun perks and benefits do DVC members get to enjoy? First, members receive a discount on annual passes to Walt Disney World! Members are also able to purchase the Gold Pass which is traditionally only available to Floridians.
Now and then, DVC members also get discounts on standard park tickets. Moving on, members also get to attend special moonlight events.
In celebration of DVC’s 25th anniversary, they had a 25th Anniversary Bash at Disney in California. DVC members have also been able to enjoy evening events like Typhoon Lagoon Beach Bash and Safari Spectacular over in the Animal Kingdom.
Disney Magical Express
Another perk members can enjoy is Disney’s Magical Express in Florida. You’ll be able to enjoy complimentary transportation using a motorcoach.
When you arrive in Florida at the Orlando International Airport, a motorcoach will pick you up and take you directly to your DVC resort.
Upgrade Your Vacations
How does Disney vacation club work? Now you know it’s a point-based system that gives members the freedom to customize their vacation!
What perk are you most excited about that DVC has to offer? Is it worldwide resort options? Or how about how members receive invitations to special Disney events?
We hope our article will inspire you to take the next step in planning your vacation. For more ways to have the time of your life, check out the rest of this site.
