The Disney Vacation Club has some exciting upcoming additions, with new projects and accommodations that guests can enjoy! The Disneyland Hotel will open up sales shortly for its new Disney Vacation Club Villas, and the Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort will be undergoing a major update to become a new, refreshed Disney Vacation Club property.
These exciting developments are a perfect reason to dive into the particulars of buying into the Disney Vacation Club.
If you are a frequent guest at Disney resorts and love the deluxe Disney experience, the Disney Vacation Club has much to offer. The program allows you to purchase vacation points that you can use for deluxe stays at a Disney Vacation Club resort, with flexibility in how and where you use your points.
We will cover how to buy Disney Vacation Club points, including where to buy a membership, what you can do with extra points, renting points, and other factors to consider when buying a membership.
“Try on” Disney Vacation Club by renting out points from members
Before committing to the Disney Vacation Club we highly recommend testing out the experience. Keep in mind that non-members can rent points from members, which is a great way to get a taste of Disney Vacation Club and test out if they want to buy! Disney Vacation Club Rentals entail a one-time use of a fixed number of points to book deluxe accommodations at a Disney Vacation Club resort.
Decide your Home Resort priority
When you buy into the Disney Vacation Club, the property you own will be called your “Home Resort,” with each of the options considered deluxe accommodations. You’ll want to consider which is the best Disney Vacation Club resort. If you’d like to book at another resort, you will have to wait 7 months, so you have two options:
- Book at your favorite resort that you know you will stay at frequently
- If you don’t have a favorite resort, book at one that costs less per point and use your points to book at any resort after the 7 month period
Know the deed life of each Disney Vacation Club Resort
Deeds are how long you have ownership at Disney Vacation Club resorts, and knowing that deeds expire at different dates is necessary when considering how long you want your membership to be.
Learn the cost of annual dues per resort
Annual dues are used towards maintenance and upkeep of the resort, and these are determined by the amount of points you own. They differ per resort and increase over the years throughout the span of the deed, so make sure to account for this when considering your Home Resort.
Decide where to buy a membership
You have two ways to buy Disney Vacation Club memberships:
- Buy directly from Disney. Disney will sell you a minimum of 150 points, which allows you to access Member Benefits, including dining and shopping discounts and access to member-only events and lounges. After this purchase, you can buy 25 additional points at a time.
- Buy Disney Vacation Club resale from a third-party agency. When you utilize a non-direct purchasing option, you save money but won’t be able to access all of the Member Benefits mentioned, and you cannot use your resale points at the Riviera Resort or new Disneyland Hotel Villas. Buying resale is not an instant transaction, but you can save up to 45% off the purchase price per point compared to a direct purchase through Disney.
Don’t use your points for non-Disney Vacation Club properties
If you have a year where a Disney vacation isn’t in the cards, you have options for how you can use your points. Be warned that some uses of Disney Vacation Club points are far better uses for the value than others. You can:
- Save (“bank”) your points for the next year. Know that you can similarly “borrow” points from the following year to have a more elaborate vacation this year
- If you’re looking to switch things up, you can try Adventures by Disney—which allows you the opportunity to embark on “escapes” to amazing locations around the globe—or you can transfer points towards a cruise on the Disney Cruise Line (for direct members only) though these are not the best uses of Disney Vacation Club points
- You can also use your points for a stay at other timeshare resorts through Interval International, which provides Disney Vacation Club members with access to thousands of properties across the globe
- Rent your points to non-Disney Vacation Club Members who would like to try on the experience, which you can either do through a third-party broker or advertise yourself, and earn up to $18 per point
While the question of whether or not a Disney Vacation Club membership is worth it is subjective, we do recommend anyone who travels often to a Disney resort and values deluxe Disney accommodations to consider it.
Read our full Disney Vacation Club Buying guide for more details, tips, and your key questions answered.
At MickeyVisit.com we share the most important tips for planning your trips to Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Universal, and beyond. Each week we’ll share some of our top tips here on Laughing Place.