Is Disney Vacation Club (DVC) Worth It?

Published: June 17, 2021

Is Disney Vacation Club (DVC) worth the cost? Well I consider myself well versed at traveling amongst the Disney World Parks and Resorts.  I have been booking trips for myself, my wife and my two daughters since they were toddlers.  We have been to the parks almost every years since 2005. We have stayed in Pop Century (our favorite), Art of Animation, All-Star Movies, Coronado Springs and one year stayed off-site at the Castle Hotel (at the time a Doubletree Hotel) on International Drive about two miles from Universal Studios. Could DVC be for us?

Having two children that are in school and a wife that is a Teacher makes planning vacations challenging and, to be honest, more expensive.  By only being able to visit Disney World during school vacations along with the millions of other families from the Northeastern United States, prices can be quite, how do you say this… Absurd!!!  Read about our latest trip the Disney World here.

What is DVC?

I have been approached several times during my Disney Vacations by cast members for DVC, but I have never given it a second thought.  I have always thought that I did not want to get stuck in a timeshare commitment and be forced into paying money for something that I would not be able to or would not want to use.  But with my daughters both at the age where they would be leaving for college in a few years, I’ve decided to really start looking into DVC for my wife and myself.

For those of you that do not know, “DVC” is short for “Disney Vacation Club”.  DVC is a sort of time-share that allows you to purchase annual points to be used for stays at one of fourteen DVC resorts throughout the Florida, North Carolina, Hawaii and California.  You may also use points for European Vacations and Disney Cruises.  The difference between DVC and other timeshares is that you are not locked into a certain time of the year that you have to use your points.  Points may be used at anytime during the year based on availability and your plan type.

What Does DVC Cost?

Sounds like the perfect plan doesn’t it.  But we are dealing with Disney here, there has to be a catch, and there is, the cost. At the time that I am writing this post, according to the Disney World website (https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/membership/costs/) to purchase the minimum plan which is 100-124pts the initial cost is $17,600.00 with $443.46 in closing costs.  You will also be responsible for $58.58 per month ($702.96 annually) in dues which the DVC website claims rises 3-6% annually.

Taking into consideration and annual increase of 6% on dues and adding the cost and closing fees the price for the DVC would cost $25,634.38 or an average of $2,563.44 per year for just your hotel room.  Depending on the type of room that you would want would determine the number of nights that you would be allowed to stay.

DVC Cost Breakdown

Here are some examples of the cost of your stay:

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REMEMBER, THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE THE COST OF PARK TICKETS, FOOD OR ANY OTHER EXTRA SHOWS SUCH AS “MICKEY’S BOO TO YOU”.

After doing some further research, I have found the following prices for Disney World Resort Rooms:

ALL PRICES ARE PER NIGHT FOR SEPTEMBER 26-29, 2017

• Pop Century $129.00
• Saratoga Springs Spa $433.00
• Animal Kingdom Lodge $438.00
• Contemporary Resort $433.00
• Disney Beach Club Villas $1,110.00
• Disney Animal Kingdom Villas $1,037.00

So, unless I am missing something, DVC is only a value if you plan on staying at one of the Villa-type resorts or higher.  Seeing this, I do not think that DVC would be right for my family.  First of all, we are only in our rooms to sleep, we spend at least 14 hours at the parks or attractions throughout Orlando so, for us, the economy resorts such as All-Star and Pop Century are the best value.  We also spend time off property so the added features that come with DVC would really not entice us to join.

DVC has been around for many years now and there are thousands and thousands of guest that swear by it, it is not for everyone.  If you are interested in DVC, please make sure that you do your homework, this is a major investment and if not done properly could cost you lots of money that may not have been aware of.