Disney Vacation Club

Disney Vacation Club (DVC) is a company owned entirely by The Walt Disney Company and which operates as a vacation timeshare, allowing persons to purchase a real estate interest in one of the DVC resorts. Operations of DVC and its resorts are managed by Disney Vacation Development. Disney Vacation Club's President is Jim Lewis.

How it works

The vacation point system

The real estate interest is represented by "vacation points." A buyer purchases a number of vacation points as a one-time purchase, becoming a "member" of the "club." The price as of November 1, 2008 was $104 per point for the minimum purchase of 160 points, for a total of $16,640, Bay Lake Towers is priced at $112/point as of January 1, 2009, for a minimum buy-in of $17,920. The price varies depending on the location purchased and will increase early in 2009. After the initial purchase, members are charged annual dues based on the number of vacation points they own, which in 2008, ranged from $4.21 to $6.04 per vacation point. Members receive an annual allotment of these vacation points, which they can then use to make reservations at one of the Vacation Club resorts or any of the other options available. The number of points needed depends on the room type, resort, and time of year selected. Points can be saved, or "banked," for use the following year, and can also be borrowed from the upcoming year for use in the current year.

Home resort

A member's "home resort" is the resort in which they have a real estate interest. The main advantage to owning a real estate interest in one resort over another is that members are allowed to make reservations at their home resort up to 11 months in advance. For the other resorts, it is only seven months. Any exchanges for accommodations external to resorts are made to and from a member's home resort, and a member's home resort determines the amount of a member's annual dues.

Expiration

A DVC membership expires based on the home resort of the membership. The following table provides the year in which a membership at each home resort expire:

Home Resort	Expiration Year
Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort	2060
Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas	2057
Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa	2054
Disney's Old Key West Resort	2042/2057*
All Other Home Resorts	2042

• Members at Disney's Old Key West Resort can opt to extend their membership. Those who choose not to extend will have their ownership will expire in 2042. All members who choose to extend their membership will extend until 2057.

Resort locations

• Bay Lake Tower (Walt Disney World)

Bay Lake Towers is the latest addition to Disney Vacation Club. This resort was first announced in September 2008. The first vacation homes will open in August 2009 and are located next to the existing Disney Contemporary Resort. This new resort will contain new restaurants, pool, and a private rooftop viewing area for the Magic Kingdom fireworks.

• The Treehouse Villas at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa (Walt Disney World)

Nestled in natural forest glens just around the river bend from Downtown Disney will mark the newest phase of Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. This new phase will revive Walt Disney World "treehouse living," a cherished tradition from 1975-2002.Crews are replacing villas of the '70s with brand-new vacation homes, Imagineers took special care to honor the original octagonal design.All 60 two-bedroom homes, elevated Template:Convert off the ground on pedestals and beams designed to blend into the forest environment, will sleep nine and are planned to offer modern luxuries such as cathedral ceilings, granite countertops and flat-screen TVs, all presented in a style dubbed "cabin casual."

• Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas (Walt Disney World)

This resort was first announced in October 2006. The first vacation homes opened in summer 2007 and are located in the Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. Additional units will be located in the new Kidani Village, which opens in phases and completes in 2009. The addition will contain a new restaurant, pool, children's water play area, and its own savanna.

• Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa (Walt Disney World)

Located in the Downtown Disney resort area, Disney Vacation Club resort re-creates the upstate New York country retreats of the early-1900s, featuring babbling brooks, a themed pool, dark wood antique-style furniture, and Victorian era architecture, fabrics and colors. The first buildings opened in May 2004. Phase 2 at Saratoga Springs is complete. Phase 3 consists of six additional buildings and opened in 2007. Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa is currently the largest Disney Vacation Club resort. Ownership interests at Saratoga Springs went on sale in August 2003.

• Disney's Beach Club Villas (Walt Disney World)

The Beach Club Villas are located in the Epcot resort area adjacent to Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resorts and across Crescent Lake from the BoardWalk Resort. Opened in July 2002, the Villas, like the BoardWalk Villas, are integrated into a larger resort that includes a hotel. The Yacht & Beach Club resort property includes a Template:Convert pool. As with the BoardWalk Villas, access to Disney's Hollywood Studios and Epcot are available via boat and sidewalks.*

• Disney's Old Key West Resort (Walt Disney World)

Located near Downtown Disney, Disney's Old Key West Resort is the first of the Disney Vacation Club Resorts, and as such, was at one time simply known as the Disney Vacation Club Resort. Old Key West opened in the fall of 1991. This resort has an Old Florida theme and is set on Disney's Lake Buena Vista Golf Course. Boat service is available to Downtown Disney Marketplace. This resort has the largest room sizes in the 1 and 2 bedroom categories.

• The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge (Walt Disney World)

The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge opened November 15, 2000. Like the BoardWalk Villas, the Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge are integrated into the hotel portion of Disney's Wilderness Lodge. The resort sits among tall trees and wildflowers, continuing the tradition of 19th Century National Park Service lodges. The Villas at Wilderness Lodge is located on Bay Lake with boat service to the Magic Kingdom and Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. A special part of the resort houses a collection of train memorabilia and artwork, including an exhibit featuring two of Walt Disney's personal scale-model railroad cars.

• Disney's BoardWalk Villas (Walt Disney World)

Disney's BoardWalk Villas opened during the Summer 1996. The BoardWalk Villas differ from Old Key West in that the Villas are integrated into the hotel portion of Disney's BoardWalk Resort. The BoardWalk Resort consists of the Villas (the DVC units) and the Inn, which has the hotel units. The BoardWalk Resort is located near Epcot and contains an entertainment district with several restaurants. Access to Disney's Hollywood Studios and Epcot are available via boat and sidewalks.

• Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort (Hilton Head Island, South Carolina)

Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort opened on March 1, 1996.

• Disney's Vero Beach Resort (Vero Beach, Florida)

Located in Vero Beach, Florida on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, Disney's Vero Beach Resort is around two hours southeast of the Walt Disney World Resort. The resort opened on October 1, 1995 as the first Disney Resort to be constructed away from of one of its theme parks.

Room types

• Studio
• One-Bedroom Vacation Home
• Two-Bedroom Vacation Home
• Three-Bedroom Grand Villa

DVC at other Disney resorts

In the early-2000s, it became possible for DVC members to use their membership on accommodations at the Disneyland Resort in California and the Disneyland Resort Paris. In 2005, it became possible to use their membership at the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. In 2006, Tokyo Disney Resort became available to members.

In May 2005, Disney Vacation Club began advertising and selling at Disneyland Resort in California. Since there are no Disney Vacation Club-specific resorts in California, the sales centers sell real estate interests in Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa and Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas. In Summer 2006, a model of the Saratoga Springs units was built adjacent to the Disneyland Hotel. On September 18 2007, the Disneyland Resort announced plans to expand Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, increasing accommodations by more than 30 percent and introducing the first Disney Vacation Club villas in Anaheim. The Template:Convert expansion on the hotel's south side will add more than 200 new hotel rooms and 50 two-bedroom equivalent vacation villas. Those vacation villas, which will continue to reflect the same California Arts & Crafts architecture of the existing hotel, will include kitchens, living and dining areas and other home-like amenities, and mark the West Coast debut of Disney Vacation Club. Other elements planned for the project include a rooftop deck for viewing fireworks, a new swimming pool and about 300 underground parking spaces. Peter Dominick of 4240—architect for Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa as well as Disney's Wilderness Lodge and Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida—is designing the expansion.

Cancelled projects

A project in Newport Coast, California began in March 1994, followed by rumors of resort plans in Beaver Creek, Colorado. In August 1995, an issue of Wired magazine reported that Disney Vacation Club was considering a site at Times Square in New York City, part of the 42nd Street Project near the New Amsterdam Theater and ABC studios. Neither the Beaver Creek nor the Times Square project ever came to fruition.

In February 1997, Disney announced that they were canceling the plans for Newport Coast resort and 11 months later, Marriott announced a project on Disney's former site which was expected to open in June 2000.

On July 23, 2001, Disney issued a press release announcing the construction of an unnamed Vacation Club resort at Walt Disney World's Eagle Pines golf course. The architectural style was going to be a tribute to early-20th Century Florida resort style, with its Moorish and Spanish influences. Opening was scheduled for 2004 and 2005, but the post-September 11 vacation slump derailed the plans for this resort. Disney instead opted to use the infrastructure at the foundering Disney Institute to serve as the hub for the resort that became Saratoga Springs.

In Development

In Anaheim, expansion of Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa will include 50 two-bedroom DVC villas and will be the first Disney Vacation Club units available on Disneyland Resort property.

In October 2007, Disney announced plans to build a 800-room Disney Vacation Club Resort in Hawaii expected to open in 2011. The announced location is approximately Template:Convert west of Honolulu at the Ko Olina Resort & Marina. If built, the resort will become the third Disney Vacation Club resort located outside of Disney Theme Park property (alongside Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort and Disney's Vero Beach Resort).

External links

Official Site

• Disney Vacation Club Official Site (warning, music)

Guides

• INTERCOT.com (DVC Information)
• Allearsnet DVC Guide
• Mouseplanet DVC Guide
• MouseOwners (DVC News and Information)
• DVCNews.com (News and Information)
• DVCPlanner.com (DVC Online Point calculator)