Disney Vacation Club
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Disney Vacation Club (DVC) is a company, wholly owned by The Walt Disney Company, that operates as a vacation ownership plan, allowing families to purchase a real estate interest in one of their vacation club resorts. Operations of DVC and its resorts are managed by Disney Vacation Development.
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[edit] How it works
[edit] The vacation point system
The real estate interest is represented by "vacation points". A customer purchases a number of vacation points as a one-time purchase, becoming a "member" of the "club". The price as of July 1st, 2006 was $101 per vacation point with the minimum purchase being 150 vacation points. After the initial purchase members are charged annual dues based on the number of vacation points they own. In 2006, the dues ranged from $3.98 to $5.27 per vacation point. Members receive a yearly allotment of these vacation points. Vacation Club members can then use these points 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. Points can also be borrowed from the upcoming year, for use in the current year.
[edit] 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 eleven months in advance. For the other resorts it is only seven months. Another very important fact relating to the home resort is that any exchanges for accommodations external to resorts are made to and from a member's home resort. Lastly, a member's home resort determines the amount of a member's annual dues.
[edit] Expiration
For members who own vacation points at a DVC resort other than Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort, membership ends in the year 2042. For Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort, membership ends in 2054. After that time, members will no longer receive vacation point allotments.
[edit] Resort locations
- Located near Downtown Disney, Disney's Old Key West Resort is the first of the Disney Vacation Club Resorts (in fact, at one time it was simply known as the Disney Vacation Club Resort). Old Key West opened in late 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.
- Disney's BoardWalk Villas opened during the summer of 1996. The BoardWalk Villas are different 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. Guests can walk to the Disney-MGM Studios and Epcot, or take boats.
- 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. It opened its doors in July 2002. Like the BoardWalk Villas, the Beach Club Villas are integrated into a larger resort that includes a hotel. The Yacht & Beach Club resort compound includes a three-acre pool. Like the BoardWalk Villas, boat service is available to the Disney-MGM Studios and Epcot. There are also sidewalks to both of these parks.
- 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 the Wilderness Lodge. Disney's Wilderness Lodge sits among tall timber and magnificent wildflowers continuing the grand tradition of 19th century National Park Lodges. The Villas at Wilderness Lodge is located on Bay Lake with boat service to the Magic Kingdom and 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.
- Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa is the latest addition to Disney Vacation Club. The resort recreates 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. Construction of Phase 2 at Saratoga Springs is currently underway. The recently announced Phase 3 will consist of six additional buildings and is expected to open in 2007. When complete, Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa will be the largest Disney Vacation Club resort. Ownership interests at Saratoga Springs went on sale in August 2003. The resort is located in the Downtown Disney resort area.
- Disney's Vero Beach Resort is located in Vero Beach, Florida on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, 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.
- Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort opened on March 1, 1996.
[edit] Room types
- Studio
- The studio unit is similar to the standard hotel room. The studio unit consists of two double beds (or one queen bed and a sleeper sofa) and a table. Also included is a wet bar with an under-counter refrigerator, microwave and a coffee maker. Each unit has a small patio with two chairs and a small table. The studio unit sleeps a total of four people.
- One-Bedroom Vacation Home
- The one-bedroom unit has a master suite, a living room, a kitchen, and a private patio. The master suite has a king-size bed, a master bath with a whirlpool tub and separate shower, and a television. The living room has a queen-size sleeper sofa and a television. The kitchen is fully equipped with a range, stove, refrigerator, sink, dishwasher, coffee maker, and microwave oven. There is also a laundry closet with a washer and a dryer. The one-bedroom unit sleeps four people.
- Two-Bedroom Vacation Home
- The two-bedroom unit is like the one-bedroom unit with two additional queen-sized beds and a private bath in a separate bedroom. Some two-bedroom vacation homes are a one-bedroom unit plus a studio unit, with an adjoining door. The two-bedroom unit sleeps a total of eight people.
- Three-Bedroom Grand Villa
- The three-bedroom unit is the most luxurious vacation home at Vacation Club resorts. Each unit has three bedrooms and three baths, spanning two floors. The first floor has a master bedroom suite, a living room, a kitchen. The master bedroom suite has a king-size bed, a master bath with a whirlpool tub and separate shower, and a television. The living room has a cathedral ceiling, queen-size sleeper sofa, and a television. The kitchen is fully equipped with a range, stove, refrigerator, sink, dishwasher, coffee maker, and microwave oven. The second floor has two additional bedrooms. Each of these rooms has two double-size beds (or one queen bed and a sleeper sofa) and a private bathroom. There is also a laundry closet with a washer and a dryer on the second floor. Three-Bedroom Grand Villa unit sleep a total of twelve people. The Grand Villas at the BoardWalk Villas are single story units. Both the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge and the Beach Club Villas do not contain Grand Villa units.
Note: There are slight variations in unit configurations from resort to resort.
[edit] DVC at other Disney resorts
In the early-2000s, it became possible for DVC members to spend their points on accommodations at the Disneyland Resort in California and the Disneyland Resort Paris. In 2005, it became possible to spend points 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 is still not a DVC resort in California, they sell Saratoga Springs points. In the summer of 2006, a model of the Saratoga Springs units was built adjacent to the Disneyland Hotel
[edit] 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[1] announcing the construction of an un-named 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 floundering Disney Institute to serve as the hub for the resort that became Saratoga Springs.
[edit] Future
In October 2006, it was announced[2] that DVC units would be added at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. The addition will consist of 134 remodeled hotel rooms on the fifth and sixth floors of the exsisting building, and 324 villas in a new building. In addition, a sit-down restaurant, a themed water feature, a fitness center, a merchandise shop, and recreation facilities will be added. The first phase of the addition is expected to be completed by Fall 2007, with other phases continuing through Spring 2009.
It has been rumored among DVC members that DVC accommodations would be added at Disney's Contemporary Resort. Although this rumor had lost steam, it was revitalized when a design for a DVC addition showed up on the architect’s website. The design showed a U-shaped tower replacing the northern garden wing rooms.
[edit] External links
Official Site
- Disney Vacation Club Official Site (warning, music)
Guides
Discussion Boards
- MouseOwners DVC Discussion Board and Informational Site
- DisBoards DVC Discussion Board
- My Mouse Points DVC Discussion Board
