Everyone loves a little Disney history. The nostalgia is such a special part of Disney destinations and the resorts are just as memorable as the parks. Disney Vacation Club has become a huge part of Disney’s history as many regular visitors decide to call a resort their “home.” The Disney timeshare hosts some of the most treasured hotels of them all. What are the original 14 DVC resorts? Why are they different from other DVC resorts? With DVC resale, the time a resort is built changes a few things in terms of how a Member can use points. There may be some restrictions based on what category the resort falls into. Even within the restrictions there are some exceptions. Let’s break it all down.
Disney Timeshare Resale: What are the Original 14 DVC Resorts?
Disney Vacation Club debuted in 1991 and has expanded wildly over the last three decades. Additional Disney Vacation Club resorts built after the first 14 are shown separately below. The following are the original 14 DVC resorts with those located at Walt Disney World Resort noted with an asterisk.
Animal Kingdom Villas*
Aulani, Disney Vacation Club Villas
Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort*
Beach Club Villas*
BoardWalk Villas*
Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge*
Copper Creek Villas and Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge*
The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel
The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort*
Hilton Head Island Resort
Old Key West Resort*
Polynesian Villas & Bungalows*
Saratoga Springs Resort*
Vero Beach Resort
Why are the original 14 DVC resorts different?
There’s something special about the original 14 DVC resorts. Not just that they are located in fantastic spots around Walt Disney World Resort property or on beautiful beaches or right next to Disneyland. The original 14 DVC resorts might be a better home resort idea when it comes to DVC resale. These properties operate under a different set of rules than the resorts built after them.
When you purchase resale DVC at one of the original 14 DVC resorts, you can use your points to book there and at any of the other original 14 DVC resorts.
Does DVC resale have the home resort booking advantage?
Being able to book at most of the other DVC resorts brings a lot of flexibility to the Disney timeshare. One of the other benefits of buying DVC resale is that you are also able to use the home resort booking advantage. Resale mostly works the same as buying from Disney directly. The home resort booking advantage gives you an additional four months out to book at your home resort. That means you can book eleven months out at your home resort and seven months out at the rest of the original 14 DVC resorts if you’ve purchased resale at one of those. When the window to book elsewhere opens up, you’re able to book at any of these other properties based on availability.
DVC Resale Booking Restrictions at Riviera and Beyond
The rest of the DVC resorts, built after the original 14 DVC resorts, don’t have flexibility with booking using your points if you buy resale. This new set of restrictions on booking with points was introduced with Disney’s Riviera Resort. While Disney’s Riviera Resort resale contracts might be available, make sure you’re ready to call this luxe property home exclusively before making it official. There is a lot to love about this property and the others that have come after it.
Disney’s official wording on this from the DVC website in 2023:
- Effective January 19, 2019, Disney Vacation Club Members who do not acquire their real estate interest directly from Disney Vacation Development, Inc. will only be able to make Vacation Point reservations at Disney’s Riviera Resort if it is their Home Resort.
A related restriction also stops Members who have purchased through resale from using their points to book anywhere else if Disney’s Riviera Resort is their home resort:
- Members with an ownership interest at Disney’s Riviera Resort who did not purchase directly from Disney Vacation Development, Inc. may only use those Vacation Points for reservations at their Home Resort, Disney’s Riviera Resort, and the World Collection.
The World Collection refers to point exchange opportunities available through Disney Vacation Club’s partner Interval International.
DVC Resorts with Resale Restrictions
As of 2023, there are a few resorts that have a new set of rules to follow. We can expect properties built after this time to also have the same booking limitations or resale restrictions. That is unless Disney changes things which is also possible.
Disney’s Riviera Resort opened in 2019, The Villas at Disneyland Hotel opened in 2023 and The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort – A Disney Vacation Club Resort is still very much coming together. The Cabins have a 2024 opening date. This seems fast but since these cabins are probably predesigned and fabricated elsewhere, construction on site should be methodical.
All three of these resorts work under the DVC resale restrictions explained here.
You can only book at them with DVC resale points if they are your home resort. You can not book elsewhere if any of these three are your home resort with DVC resale points.
What is the oldest Disney Vacation Club Resort: The First DVC Resort
It all started with a palm tree. Not really, but Disney’s Old Key West Resort is full of them and that’s where this story starts. Disney Vacation Club launched in 1991 with just one hotel. Back then, it was simply called the Disney Vacation Club Resort. Signs around Disney’s Old Key West Resort today still point guests toward vacation homes. Surely a wink at the original layout and terminology. Most DVC rooms are now referred to as villas.
An Exception to the DVC Resale Restrictions on New Resorts
When it comes to Disney Vacation Club home resorts, we’ve seen a wide variety of how the rooms are added to existing hotel properties. Sometimes a brand new separate building is added. An example of this is when Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort debuted. At the time, the Contemporary did not have a DVC component.
We’ve also now seen an entire Disney Vacation Club dedicated resort with Disney’s Riviera Resort.
An exception to how the DVC resale restrictions work is possible when one of the original 14 DVC resorts expands capacity. Every once in a while we see a DVC home resort take over more rooms at a hotel or build a new building that’s part of the existing home resort. The best example of this is The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. DVC first came to the Grand Floridian with the brand new building that was constructed next to Disney’s Wedding Pavilion in 2013. Many years later, an original hotel building was renovated to expand the resort’s DVC capacity without adding a new home resort. That’s why we have two similar villas to compare there with the Grand Floridian DVC Deluxe Studio vs Resort Studio.
So any time a new home resort is built, we can expect it to work within the rules for new properties. However, when a current Disney Vacation Club home resort gets an expansion of some kind, it will likely fall into the same category as the original 14 DVC resorts.
Are DVC resale contracts shorter?
Additionally, the length of a Disney Vacation Club contract depends on when the home resort at the property originally opened. Even though Members today may be purchasing from Disney directly, Grand Floridian contracts still expire at the same time as the original contracts. Contract expirations do not change based on whether points were purchased on the resale market or from Disney directly.
Is the Polynesian DVC tower a new home resort?
Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows is another resort that is getting an expansion. The DVC home resort at the Polynesian is one of the original 14 DVC resorts. The bungalows, or overwater cabin type accommodations, were built brand new for the DVC home resort. Other rooms were refurbished to become DVC villas. The split bathroom is one of the nice features of the Polynesian rooms. With the addition of the new DVC tower at the Polynesian, Members have more rooms to choose from.
We have confirmation as of December 2023 that the new building is an expansion of the existing home resort. This means someone can buy Polynesian DVC resale points, or at any of the other original 14 DVC resorts, and still be able to book in the brand new building. The accommodations get more thoughtful as time goes on for DVC. We’ve seen small details get better like the kind of outlets in rooms to unique storage spaces throughout. Even as refurbishments happen, efficient magic overtakes the villas. We will have to wait and see when more Polynesian DVC tower information is released how the rooms look and what is offered.
DVC Resale Experts Can Help You Own at the Original 14 DVC Resorts
Would you like to own at one of the original 14 DVC resorts? DVC Resale Experts is a licensed real estate broker with a team that specializes in resale DVC. Whether you’re adding on points, buying or selling Disney Vacation Club, the Experts can help you find the right price to place a bid with or list your contract for. Our independent, licensed real estate agents are former Disney Vacation Club Guides. They have decades of pixie dusted experience selling DVC and delight in providing excellent service to their clients. The Experts have seen it all and are happy to answer your questions throughout the process.
DVC resale prices can pleasantly surprise Members interested in selling DVC. See our resale DVC listings for a look at real time availability and pricing. Ready to sell DVC? Get in touch for a complimentary valuation of your specific contract today. There may be someone waiting on our Buyer Wish List for a contract just like yours.
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