The Disney Vacation Club
With your tour guide,
Anne P. Mitchell
| Summary: The Disney Vacation Club is designed to make it even easier and more affordable to enjoy any or all of the Disney properties. With the Disney Vacation Club, a bit like time-sharing, Disney Vacation Club members can select the Disney resort of their choosing, along with dates, and can bring as many people as they want! |
The Disney Vacation Club is designed to make it even easier and more affordable to enjoy any or all of the Disney properties. Once you’ve experienced the thrill of a Disney vacation, you’ll want to return again and again to revisit the parks, see new shows, and stay in different resorts. With the Disney Vacation Club, it’s easy to plan return visits to Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or choose from over 350 other properties available through the Disney Vacation Club network. You can even book yourself on Disney Cruise Lines for an unforgettable holiday.
So what exactly is the Disney Vacation Club? Based loosely on the concept of a time share, the Disney Vacation Club provides members with a “share” in the Disney properties, and the opportunity to spend their vacations at the Disney resort of their choosing, during the dates they want and including any number of travelers they wish. Instead of offering the same property for the same period of time each and every year, members have a lot of flexibility in scheduling their vacations.
When you sign up for the Disney Vacation Club, you purchase points that will be used towards your vacations. Points cost about $90 each and you must purchase a minimum of 150 points upon registering. You then use your points to book your holidays through Disney and their participating partners. There are also annual fees to be paid, which amount to about $4 per point owned (not used).
Each year, the same amount of points that you initially purchased are allotted to you for use, and you do not have to pay for these annual points. The points expire after two years, so you can bank any unused points at years’ end. If you need a few extra points in order to book your holiday, you can borrow up to 100% of your available points for the next year. Saving up for a dream family vacation is simple with this plan.
Disney Vacation Club members also enjoy discounts on annual park passes, golf, dining, and shopping, as well as pool-hopping privileges, valet parking, and a 10% discount at Disney Store locations. The Walt Disney Company has a special member services team set up specifically to help club members plan their vacations and provide any special services that may be required.
The Disney Vacation Club ends in 2042, so, although you are actually a share-holder for your interest in their properties, your share will no longer exist after 2042. For this reason, and unlike a time share property, you cannot claim the money spent on the club as a real estate investment.
There are pros and cons to this type of arrangement, but essentially you are pre-paying for your future vacations. If you’re a true Disney lover and enjoy the care and attention to detail that Disney provides, then this plan is sure to be a sound investment for you and your family. The flexibility of the program and the sheer volume of options to choose from make it a truly unique and exciting club for Disney Vacation fans.
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