Disney
Vacation Club FAQ
How
does the point system work? You use the points to book accommodations. The number of points needed
depends on the time of year and the size/view of accommodation required.
You buy a set number of points. You are assigned a use year. This is
the time when your points are recycled.
For example, my use year is August and I have 200 points. Every August
I will receive 200 points. You can only bank 1 year and you can borrow
1 year. So if I have not used any of my points from the previous year,
on August 1st, I have 400 points. If I chose to borrow from the next
year at this time, I have 600 points I can use.
When
does the contract expire?
Resort |
Expiration Year |
Aulani |
2062 |
Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas |
2057 |
Bay Lake Tower |
2060 |
Beach Club Villas |
2042 |
Boardwalk Villas |
2042 |
Grand Californian Villas |
2060 |
Villas at the Grand Floridian |
2064 |
Hilton Head |
2042 |
Old Key West |
2042 or 2057 |
Polynesian Villas & Bungalows |
2066 |
Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa |
2054 |
Vero Beach Resort |
2042 |
Villas at the Wilderness Lodge |
2042 |
Copper Creek Villas & Cabins |
TBD |
What
is my "Use Year"?
When you purchase vacation points in the Disney Vacation Club (DVC)
you will be assigned a "use year." This is a very important
date for members, so make sure you make note of it. Your use year is
not necessarily the same month as when you make your purchase
(typically it is a few months before you purchase), but it is your
"anniversary" date. It is the month of each year when you
will receive your new annual allotment of points. If your use year is
June, you will receive your yearly allotment of points each June.
Also, the dates you must bank unused points and can borrow points are
determined by your use year. How
many points do I need?
This is a personal decision, based on your vacation needs and your
budget. Will you be vacationing once a year, once every other year, or
three times in one year? Do you need a grand villa or are you looking
for a comfortable studio? What time of the year will you most likely
be visiting (off season or Christmas)?
For example:
- The points for a Beach Club studio range from a weekly low of 107
points to a weekly high of 181 points.
- The points for a Beach Club 1 bedroom range from a weekly low of 197
points to a weekly high of 362 points.
- The points for a Beach Club 2 bedroom range from a weekly low of 271
points to a weekly high of 467 points Can
I Purchase Point Add-Ons?
At some point, while enjoying all the vacation possibilities, you may
want to increase your point allotment of Vacation Points. Depending on
inventory available at the time, your added ownership interest may or
may not have the same Use Year, or even be at the same resort. If it
happens that your add-on points are at a different resort than your
Home Resort or have a different use year, it is important to remember
this when making reservations and banking or borrowing points.
Minimum purchases of Add-on Points (or Additional Ownership Interests)
may change from time to time and may differ from one resort to
another. Currently the minimum purchase amounts for all resorts are 25
points for cash purchases and 50 points for financed purchases. Your
Vacation Club Guide will be happy to answer your questions and help
you through your purchase. Can
Disney increase the number of points needed for my trip?
The total yearly number of points for a resort can not change for the
life of the timeshare. However, the weekly amount can
change. For example, Easter and Spring Break are not the same time
each year, so one year the extra points that are needed for this time
of year could be in April and the next year it could be in March.
Disney can also reallocate point costs across specific days, so the total
number of points required for a week in a given season can change. For
example, Disney recently raised the per-night point costs for weeknight
stays and lowered the per-night costs for weekend stays at most DVC resorts
to help even out supply and demand.
Generally if you go to Disney during a non peak time and stay in the
same type unit, your points needed will not change for the life of the
timeshare.
What
about the maintenance fees?
There are yearly maintenance fees. Fees for Disney
Vacation Club are calculated after the annual condominium meetings and
before the end of the year. These can fluctuate but have stayed
close to the same amount each year. Each resort has different maintenance
fee structures.
In late December you will get a proposed budget and a
dues statement. The dues are not based on the use year but
rather the calendar year and are due January 15. Your dues
payment can either be paid in a single lump sum payment or in
monthly installments. It needs to be noted that the monthly
payment method can only be done via direct payment from U.S. bank
accounts. What
are the Pros & Cons?
Disney Vacation Club should not be viewed as an investment. Rather
looked at as pre-purchasing your vacation for the next 40 years. While
there is currently a strong resale market this may not always be the
case. There are some great properties to choose from and while Walt
Disney World is the main attraction there are other Disney Vacation
Club sites and a whole range of options around the world that you can
swap to for that special vacation. Visit the Member Getaways page here
for more details. How
does Banking and borrowing points work?
Disney Vacation Club is quite flexible in that you have the option of
using more or less than your annual points by doing a little planning
ahead.
You are allowed to "bank" one year's worth of points. That
means if you don’t use all of your points in one year, you can save
the remainder for use in the next year. You must pay attention to the
calendar though, because you can only bank 100% of your points if you
do so by a certain date.
Borrowing means just that. You may have a big vacation planned that
requires more points that your annual allotment. With a little
planning, you can "borrow" points from the following year's
allotment and use them a little early. When your new use year comes
along, you will only get the remaining points (those not borrowed)
into your bank.
Banking and borrowing require close attention to the dates assigned to
your "use year". If you do not bank unused points by a
certain date (see your current Member Guidebook) then you may loose
some of them.
What
is a Home Resort?
When you purchase Disney Vacation Club you have a home resort. Your
home resort is the resort at which you purchased your interest (Old
Key West, Boardwalk Villas, Vero Beach, Hilton Head Island, Villas at
Wilderness Lodge and Beach Club Villas). If you want to stay at that
resort you can book up to 11 months in advance. To stay at other
Vacation Club resorts you can book up to 7 months in advance. This
means you have a 4 month advance window of opportunity at your home
resort. If where you stay is important to you then you should buy
points at the location you most want to stay at. What
are Grand Villas?
With the exception of the Wilderness Lodge and the Beach Club Villas,
all of the Disney Vacation Club resorts have grand villas available.
Reservations are needed as soon as possible because they book quickly.
All of the grand villas have 3 bedrooms. The master bedroom has a king
size bed. The other 2 bedrooms have 2 queen beds in each. All bedrooms
have separate baths. Each villa has a full kitchen, washer/dryer,
sleeper sofa in the living room. Can
we Pool Hop?
Disney Vacation Club members can enjoy the variety of themed pools at
the Disney Resorts during their stay. Members are permitted to "hop" to any
resort pool while they are a guest at a DVC resort.
You must present your Magic Band or current Key to the World card with
your "DVC Member" designation on it to use the other select Resort hotel
pools.This will identify you as a Vacation Club member currently
staying at the resorts.
Pool hopping may be suspended or limited during busy seasons or other
times at the discretion of the resort. It is wise to call ahead before
going to another resort's pool to make sure pool hopping is permitted
that day.
Pool hopping is not available at Bay Cove
Pool at Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort, Uzima Pool and
Samawati Springs Pool at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, Stormalong Bay at
Disney's Yacht & Beach Club Resorts, the leisure pool at Disney's Beach Club
Villas, the Lava Pool and leisure pool at Disney's Polynesian Village
Resort, the Silver Creek Springs Pool and Hidden Springs Pool at Disney's
Wilderness Lodge and the pools at Disney's Art of Animation Resort. There
are no exceptions to this policy. Is
Housekeeping available?
For stays of 7 days or less:
The Disney Vacation Club resort will provide a "Trash
and Towel" service on the 4th day of stay.
Housekeeping will:
Empty the trash and put new liners in the trash bins
Provide fresh bathroom linens
Replace facial tissues, paper towels and toilet paper
Replace coffee, sugar, cream and sweeteners
Replace dish washing liquid, dish washing detergent, sponges and
laundry detergent.
For stays of 8 days or more:
The Disney Vacation Club resort will provide Full Cleaning on the 4th
consecutive day.
Housekeeping will:
Provide all the services in "Trash and Towel"
Change the bed linens
Vacuum and dust the home
Clean the bathroom
Clean the kitchen/kitchenette and wash the dishes
Housekeeping services may be purchased for a daily fee:
Additional Full Cleaning Rates:
Studio - $30.00
One-Bedroom - $45.00
Two-Bedroom - $60.00
Three-Bedroom - $75.00
Additional Trash & Towel Rates:
Studio - $15.00
One-Bedroom - $20.00
Two-Bedroom - $25.00
Three-Bedroom - $35.00
What
are my Grocery Shopping options?
Having a Disney Vacation Club unit has many benefits. One is that you
have the facilities to make any or all of your meals right there in
your villa! Traveling by plane makes bringing groceries to Walt Disney
World difficult at best. New Transportation Security Administration
regulations prohibit packing food in your checked luggage. But you do
have several options available to you.
Use Disney Vacation Club:
Disney Vacation Club has grocery lists specific to each resort
available on their web
site. Simply print out their form, check off what you need
and mail or fax it to the location on the form and your groceries will
be delivered to you after 5pm on the day of your arrival. Prices are
included on the form and there is a $5.00 service charge for all
orders.
Towncar service from the airport:
Most of them will allow a 15-30 minute grocery stop, if arranged when
making your reservation. You may be limited to specific stores along
the route. Make your list before you arrive so you can quickly move
through the store in the allotted time. Visit INTERCOT's Premier
Sponsors
Page for Towncar options.
If you are renting a car you have nearly limitless options. You can
choose to shop when and where you like.
See Info Central for a selection of nearby grocery
stores.
Can I purchase the
Disney Dining Plan?
Disney Dining Plan is Available to
Members
The Disney Dining Plan includes over
100 selected Counter
Service and Table Service restaurants, including Character Dining and
select Disney Springs locations. The price varies with the various plans offered. More
information here.
How
do you keep track of Points?
The Staff has devised a Disney Vacation Planning Spreadsheet to assist
you in tracking your points. There is also an example available to use
as an aide and to help you familiarize yourself with the point system.
View
Disney Vacation Club Spreadsheet
View Example Spreadsheet
What
about Discounts?
There are hundreds of discounts and special offers exclusively for DVC
members. Click on any category below to link to Disney's official site to
view all the discounts/offers:
A link to Disney's official
site, which lists all the current discounts and offers available can be
found here:
DVC Member Discounts
(US)
Tax Implications? Buying an interest in the Disney Vacation Club is actually purchasing
a "piece" of real estate. When you finance your purchase
(through Disney or privately) you will receive a 1099 statement at the
end of the year. The interest you pay on your mortgage may be
deductible on your federal taxes. If you finance outside of Disney,
you will pay points on your settlement that may be deductible. In some
cases, you may be able to report your property taxes as well. See your
tax advisor for complete information.
Other
Related INTERCOT Topics:
Disney
Vacation Club Resorts & Information Pages
Disney
Vacation Club Forum
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