What is DVC? It's the Disney Vacation Club, of course!

Disney’s version of what has been known for years as a timeshare is not only a smarter, more flexible version of vacation ownership, but it also has a friendlier name: The Disney Vacation Club. Can you hear the pixie dust “ta da!” that goes with it?!

Not sold by the name alone? Let’s talk about how it works:

When you buy into the Disney Vacation Club, you’re given an annual allocation of points -- let’s assume you have 200 points per year for our discussion. Those points may then be “spent” on your vacation accommodations each year. Each resort's point chart (provided by Disney) helps you determine how much each room or unit size will “cost” in points as related with the time of year you are traveling. Weekends and holidays always require more points per night, while weekdays and the slow seasons can cost a fraction of points. Obviously, three bedroom grand villas require significantly more points each day than a studio or a one bedroom. Some of the premium location resorts, such as Disney’s Beach Club, require more points than the flagship resort, Old Key West, which has larger rooms, but isn’t within walking distance to Epcot.

Here’s an example: Given 200 points - A family of four, sleeping in a one bedroom unit could spend a week at Disney’s Old Key West in early December, using 160 points. They would have 40 points remaining, which they could use for 4 weeknights at Disney’s Vero Beach in a Deluxe Garden Inn room in July. The beautiful part is they get to look at the charts and decide where, when, and how often they can go based on their annual allocation of points

What's unique and special? Unlike a traditional timeshare, owners may stay at their DVC homes for as little as one day at a time instead of being locked into a whole week. Also unlike traditional timeshares, owners can stay in a big unit one year and switch to a small one the next. For example: One year you may bring everyone and need a Grand Villa that sleeps 12. The next year you may take a few weekend trips in a studio that sleeps 4. The following year you might get a 2 bedroom for your immediate family that sleeps 8. The choice and the flexibility are yours!

Need more details? Let’s look at two different scenarios frequently asked about by potential DVC buyers:

• “What if I’m not traveling one year?”
• “What if I need more points than my annual allocation allows?”

This is where banking and borrowing come into play. Disney will allow an owner to bank up to one full year’s allocation of points into the next year (you do have some rules to remember) and you may borrow up to 100% of the upcoming year’s allocation as well (again, there are rules and restrictions). Therefore, the most you will ever have available to travel with is three times your annual allocation. That seems pretty easy to remember! Disney also gives us the opportunity each use year to "rent" up to 24 points for a vacation, in case we are a little short on points. You just call Member Services and tell them you need to buy a few extra points for this year's trip.

Which home resort should I choose?

Assuming you are convinced this is the best thing designed for vacations, you’ll probably want to know whch resort you should buy points for and why. Once you decide to become a “Member” – Disney’s coveted term for a DVC Owner – you’ll have to choose which will be your home resort. Money, ownership and reservation privileges are all factors to consider:

• Length of ownership – Most of the original or "Legacy" DVC resorts have a lease term expiration of 2042. Saratoga Springs was the first resort where the end of lease year changed and it expires in 2054. Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas expire in 2057, Bay Lake Tower and Grand Californian expire in 2060, the Polynesian Villas expire in 2066. As new resorts are being built, Disney sets the lease term and most begin with a 50 year term. Only Disney knows what will happen after these terms expire. See the chart below and compare.
• Reservation ability – Once you decide how many points your family needs, you’ll want to choose which resort you want to buy, or your “home” resort. Disney allows members to make reservations at their home resort up to 11 months in advance, but at all the other “non-home” DVC resorts reservations can only be made up to 7 months in advance. Points are points are points, but the home resort is a much-debated topic so your family's travel habits should be considered. Annual dues will affect how much you'll spend over the life of ownership! 
• Purchase price – Reach out to your Disney Vacation Club Guide for current pricing and then visit us at DVCbyResale.com to compare the significant savings on resales at the same resort. (subject to availability)
• Annual dues a.k.a. Maintenance Fees and taxes – It takes money to keep your rooms and your resort beautiful! Each resort has maintenance fees and taxes paid by all Members that go toward keeping your home resort up to Disney standards.  They are referred to collectively as annual dues.  The fees vary for each resort and are updated annually. Your home resort determines how much you will pay and how much Disney charges on a per point basis. Dues can vary significantly between resorts, saving you hundreds or even thousands. Here is the breakdown for 2025: 

Resort	Deed Expires	Dues per point (low to high)
Aulani (Subsidized)	2062	$7.61
Grand Floridian	2064	$7.92
Polynesian	2066	$7.93
Bay Lake Tower	2060	$8.02
Copper Creek Villas at WL	2068	$8.49
Saratoga Springs	2054	$8.54
Grand Californian	2060	$8.80
Boardwalk Villas	2042	$9.06
Riviera	2070	$9.06
Beach Club Villas	2042	$9.12
Boulder Ridge at WL	2042	$9.19
Animal Kingdom Villas	2057	$9.64
Disneyland Hotel	2074	$9.82
Aulani	2062	$10.12
Old Key West	2042 or 2057	$10.51
Vero Beach (Subsidized)	2042	$11.24
Fort Wilderness Cabins	2075	$11.88
Hilton Head	2042	$11.92
Vero Beach	2042	$14.30

• Exchange ability - Over the decades since the original Old Key West resort opened, Disney has adjusted the use of points/contracts bought through a secondary broker on the resale market. While not a big deal to most, it's important to know and understand the difference in buying directly from Disney versus from an existing Member on the resale market. In summary, resale buyers of Animal Kingdom, Aulani, Bay Lake Tower, Beach Club, Boardwalk, Hilton Head, Old Key West, Grand Californian, Grand Floridian, Vero Beach, Polynesian, Saratoga Springs, Wilderness Lodge Boulder Ridge, and Wilderness Lodge Copper Creek may use, transfer and exchange their points at these first 14 resorts only. Owners of Riviera Resort, Villas at Disneyland Hotel and DVC Cabins at Ft. Wilderness and all future built DVC owners may only use and transfer their points at their respective single home resort.
   
• Currently, all resale points can be used to exchange through the Interval exchange program, but Disney reserves the right to change it at any time.

Now you're thinking, "I’m convinced! Where do I find these points?"

Our first recommendation is to call Disney directly at 1-800-800-9800 for the information packet - tell them we sent you! Then view our listings on our home page at www.DVCbyresale.com and start buying or selling 24 hours, 7 days a week.  If you'd like to hear about the new listings as they arrive, send us an email we will add you to our update list to have them delivered straight to your inbox from newsletter@dvcbyresale.com.

Finally, if you like speaking to a real person, give us a call 1-800-844-4099 during business hours and our agents will answer any of your questions about becoming a member.