When you’ve visited Disney Parks many times and plan to keep going, it might be time to consider the Disney timeshare. This is also worth your time if you’re coming into a new season in life where you see yourself taking Disney vacations regularly. Perhaps you’ve expanded your family or are retiring and would love annual Disney days. Disney hotels are expensive, especially if you’re staying at the top tier of resorts. Disney Vacation Club, also called DVC, can make these stays much more affordable and resale DVC can save you much more. Should you buy the Disney timeshare? Is Disney Vacation Club worth it? Is DVC a good deal?
Take a look at the numbers below to see for yourself. There’s a lot to think about with a big decision like joining DVC. It’s important to do your own research based on how you like to travel, where you like to stay and your budget. Know it’s about more than just saving money. There are additional reasons Members love Disney Vacation Club.
The Value of DVC: Is DVC worth it?
How Disney Vacation Club and DVC Resale Work
Before we get to the numbers, there are a few things you should know about how Disney Vacation Club works. There is a lot of flexibility with the Disney timeshare. Members decide on their home resort and how many points they want. The amount of points you buy determines what kinds of accommodations you can book and when. There is no specific week of the year to visit with DVC. Instead, Members use a Disney Vacation Club point chart to help them plan stays.
When buying from Disney Vacation Club directly, there are point minimums for contracts. The smallest amount of points you can buy on a contract is 100. This does not include all of the perks like discounts and exclusive events that can come with DVC. In order, to qualify for these kinds of membership extras, new Members must purchase 150 points from Disney today.
When buying resale DVC, which is a contract from a Member who’s selling, things are different. You can purchase much smaller contracts like 50 and even 25 point contracts. It’s also good to know beforehand that resale DVC does not include any extra perks like discounts or access to Member spaces. However, the timeshare works nearly the same and can cost thousands less. If you are looking for the best value on deluxe Disney resort hotel stays, start with resale DVC.
Disney Vacation Club Compared to Renting a Room
When you are a Disney Vacation Club Member, you’re more in control of what you pay for your room. The annual dues go up nominally every year or few years usually. However, the price per point you agree upon up front is what you pay and it doesn’t go up, even if DVC prices go up. When you purchase DVC points, you buy at today’s rates but vacation for many years to come. Disney room prices vary by the day and the season. DVC point charts present different values per night based on how busy certain times are anticipated to be. Let’s do some estimated math and compare Disney Vacation Club to renting a room.
Disney’s Contemporary Resort DVC vs Regular Room Rate
Disney’s Contemporary Resort is right next to Magic Kingdom, within walking distance with its own path to the park. A weeklong stay for two adults in a regular room from November 11th to November 18th, 2024 is $649.86 per night before taxes. This is for a Garden Wing Resort View room. The total for the room only at the Contemporary for this one week comes out to $5,117.66. Remember, this is just the price for a one week stay.
The Bay Lake Tower point chart shows you need 132 points for a week long stay any time during the time period of October 1st to November 26th in 2024. So to stay during the same week, it would cost about 132 points to book.
When buying from Disney Vacation Club directly, Bay Lake Tower points are $275 per point as of September 2023. The prices can go up any time. When buying resale Disney Vacation Club, prices per point at Bay Lake Tower are about $140 to $150 in 2023. This changes often and always depends on the size of the contract.
At $145 per point, 150 points at Bay Lake Tower would cost about $21,750. Bay Lake Tower contracts expire in 2060. That means that investment pays for around 36 years of hotel stays. The annual dues at Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort cost $7.43 per point in 2023. This rate does go up as Disney sees fit. While we can estimate and look at past trends, we can never be sure what annual dues will cost years from now. So based on these current numbers, annual dues at Bay Lake Tower would cost about $1114.50. So the same stay would cost about $1718.66 and you would still have 18 points left over.
$145 per point DVC resale at Bay Lake Tower X 150 points = $21,750
$21,750 divided by 36 years brings it to about $604.16 per year
Annual dues are $7.43 per point in 2023 X 150 points = $1114.50
$604.16 + $1114.50 = $1718.66 for one week in November 2024 at Bay Lake Tower with DVC resale
Is Disney Vacation Club worth it when you buy direct?
Here we are comparing to see if DVC is worth it at the direct Disney Vacation Club rate.
$275 per point DVC direct at Bay Lake Tower X 150 points = $41,250
$41,250 divided by 36 years brings it to about $1145.83 per year
Annual dues are $7.43 per point in 2023 X 150 points = $1114.50
$1145.83 + $1114.50 = $2260.33 for one week in November 2024 at Bay Lake Tower with DVC direct
You can see based on these calculations, Disney Vacation Club still presents a better value than renting a regular room. The savings with resale, though, is an estimated $19,500 based on these values. This is just a quick example from one time period at one resort. Point charts change each year as do nightly resort room rates and annual dues. You will want to search out some rates yourself at the time or times of year you like to visit so you can see what prices could look like for you.
Save Money on Disney Hotels with DVC: How Resale Works
Disney Vacation Club can definitely help you save money on Disney hotels. With resale DVC, many buyers pay a fraction of the cost compared to buying from Disney. Resale DVC contracts are fully transferred to the new owner. Then the new owner resumes the contract, takes over annual dues and gets to use it as their own because it is. This is different then renting.
Is DVC resale worth it? The value is even greater with DVC resale. The only catch is if you care about getting to visit special Member only spaces like the Top of the World Lounge at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. This is only for eligible Members who have purchased from Disney directly. When considering value only and not bonus perks, resale is probably your best option. With prices this much lower than booking a room on Disney’s website, you might end up staying places you didn’t think you could.
Home Resorts for Disney Vacation Club
Part of the fun of Disney Vacation Club is choosing your home resort. When you buy resale at one of the original fourteen Disney Vacation Club resorts, you can use your points at any of the other fourteen too. When you buy resale, any resort after that has restrictions. For example, those who buy resale can’t use their points to book at Riviera unless it is their home resort. Also, if you buy resale at Riviera, you can’t use your points to book at other resorts. This isn’t a concern if you have picked your favorite resort and plan to always stay there. Below, the asterisked resorts follow these resale restrictions.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas
Aulani, Disney Vacation Club Villas
Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Disney’s Beach Club Villas
Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Copper Creek Villas and Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
The Villas at Disneyland Hotel*
The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort – A Disney Vacation Club Resort*
The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel
The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort
Disney’s Old Key West Resort
Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
Disney’s Riviera Resort*
Saratoga Springs Resort
Disney’s Vero Beach Resort
Disney Vacation Club Resorts are Updated on a Schedule
Every seven years, Disney Vacation Club resorts receive some kind of refurbishment. It alternates between a soft goods refurbishment, where things like curtains and upholstery are replaced, and full renovations with all new interiors. See the Disney Vacation Club resorts opening dates to get more acquainted with each property and when they each opened. Even if a resort has been around for a while, you can feel confident knowing it’s been kept in nice condition. There is also a lot to learn about resort renovations and additions from the DVC resort refurbishment schedule.
Is Disney Vacation Club Worth it if You Don’t Go Often?
How often do you need to go to get your money’s worth with Disney Vacation Club? Because you’re able to buy different point values that suit your needs, you don’t have to visit every year for it to be worth it. There’s also a concept called banking and borrowing your points. This allows Members to bank, or save their points, to use for another time. Adversely, borrowing points take points from a future use year. This provides more flexibility in when and how you use your points.
DVC Resale Experts Make Magic
DVC Resale Experts is a licensed real estate broker with a team that specializes in resale DVC. If you would love to call a resort home, consider the Disney timeshare Disney Vacation Club. See what DVC resorts are available to buy. Have more questions? The Experts can help. Deciding if DVC is worth it to you depends on your personal travel wishes. Talk to an Expert about becoming a Member to get personalized answers to your questions.
It’s possible to save thousands buying a resale Disney Vacation Club contract instead of buying direct from Disney. Our licensed real estate agents are former Disney Vacation Club Guides with decades of experience selling DVC. You can expect pixie dusted service from first contact to closing the contract. Take a look at current resale DVC listings for pricing and availability. If you don’t see your dream contract, you’re welcome to join the DVC Resale Experts Buyer Wish List. Then you’ll be contacted when the right contract magically appears on the market.
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