Buyer FAQs

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 7 months in advance. A member’s home resort also determines the amount of annual dues paid.

READ MORE: Which DVC Home Resort Should I Choose?

The “Use Year” refers to the 12-month period starting on the first day of the Use Year you own. If you own an October Use Year, DVC will put your allotted points into your account on October 1st of each year. It affects when you can bank and borrow Vacation Points and sets the deadline for certain vacation decisions. If you need to vacation in the same month every year, you should purchase an ownership where the use month precedes the vacation time by no more than nine months. This gives you time to bank points if you cancel your vacation. If you are flexible with your vacationing, Use Year becomes much less important.

READ MORE: Is Use Year Important?

There are currently 17 Disney Vacation Club Properties at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Hawaii, and South Carolina.

Walt Disney World Resort

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas
• Disney’s Bay Lake Tower
• Disney’s Beach Club Villas
• Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
• Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Disney’s Old Key West Resort
• Disney’s Riviera Resort
• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
• The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian
• The Villas & Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Disneyland Resort, California

• The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa
• The Villas at The Disneyland Hotel

Beach Properties

• Disney’s Aulani Villas, Ko Olina, Hawaii (O`ahu, Hawaii)
• Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort (Hilton Head Island, South Carolina)
• Disney’s Vero Beach Resort (Vero Beach, Florida)

There are four types of units (villas) for Disney Vacation Club members to book. There are slight variations in unit availability and configurations from resort to resort.

• Studio – Similar to a standard hotel room, the studio unit typically consists of one queen bed and a sleeper sofa and can accommodate four guests. Some resorts now feature a twin trundle bed accommodating a 5th guest. Also included is a mini-kitchenette with an under-counter refrigerator, microwave and a coffee maker.

• One-Bedroom Villa – The one-bedroom unit has a master suite, a living room, a full 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. There is also a laundry closet with a washer and a dryer. The one-bedroom unit typically sleeps four people but some resorts can accommodate up to five guests.

• Two-Bedroom Villa – The two-bedroom unit usually consists of a one-bedroom unit and a connecting studio. Some are dedicated two-bedroom units consisting of a one-bedroom unit and a second bedroom with two queen sized beds, a table with chairs, a television set, a private balcony or patio, and a full bathroom. There is also a laundry closet with a washer and a dryer. The two-bedroom unit typically sleeps up to eight people but some resorts can accommodate up to nine.

• Three-Bedroom Grand Villa – The three-bedroom unit is the most luxurious vacation home at the Disney Vacation Club resorts. Each unit has three bedrooms and three baths, usually 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 Villas sleep a total of 12 guests. Note: Wilderness Lodge, Beach Club and Polynesian do not have Grand Villa units.

Yes, every owner pays dues annually based on Home Resort and the amount of points owned. DVC bills all owners in December for the next year’s dues, payable by February, regardless of the use year (the month Disney puts the points into your account). You can pay annually by credit card or check. You also have the option to pay monthly by setting up an automatic checking account deduction payment plan with DVC, 12 months interest-free. This makes the dues bill very manageable.

The number of years you own your points is based on the Home Resort you purchase. Each DVC resort has a different expiration date that was set by Disney when the resort opened. All ownerships, regardless when purchased, will revert back to Disney on that date.

Yes. Resale buyers can use their points through Disney’s “World Passport” exchange program with Interval International. This gives owners access to thousands of timeshare resorts around the world. Owners can also “swap” their points with David’s Vacation Club Rentals and book a Disney cruise! Learn more here: DVC Cruise Swap Program

Each DVC property has a different point usage chart. Only you know what your typical family vacationing needs are. Please refer to the point charts and plan a typical vacation that your family would take. Don’t forget to consider the time of year, size unit, and how many times a year you would like to vacation. This will give you the number of points your family requires. Point usage secret: Eliminate one of the weekend nights from your stay and you will need fewer points.

The Disney Vacation Club is a wonderful timeshare ownership whether you purchase directly from Disney or through the resale market. When you purchase a DVC resale, you are buying from a family “just like yours.” All properties are available through resale, not just the newer ones, and most buyers see a 40-50% savings compared to direct prices. You can also choose to purchase as little as 25 points on resale instead of the point minimums that Disney requires for first-time direct buyers.

Resale Policy: As of March 21, 2011, you will not be able to use the Vacation Points associated with this Ownership Interest to make reservations for the Concierge or Disney Collection options such as the Disney Cruise Line, Adventures by Disney, or select Disney resorts. Instead, your Vacation Points can be used for reservations at the 14 Disney Vacation Club resorts and for exchanges with II (also known as the World Collection). Further, as of April 4, 2016, you will not have access to other Disney Vacation Club Incidental Benefits (also known as Membership Extras) such as Member discounts on dining, shopping, annual passes, Member exclusive events, and certain special Member offers. Effective January 19, 2019, only Members who purchase directly from Disney will be able to use their Vacation Points at future Disney Vacation Club Resorts—such as Disney’s Riviera Resort or the Villas at the Disneyland Hotel. Resale contracts purchased for the existing 14 Disney Vacation Club Resorts will only be able to exchange Points into those 14 Resorts.

More information about the differences and a visual chart can be found here: DVC Resale Policy

DVC Member Tip: How To Get DVC Benefits As a Resale Owner

If you purchase another contract with the same Use Year, regardless of resort, it remains a separate deed but Disney will add it to your existing membership number with the same banking window. If you purchase a different Use Year, regardless of resort, you will be issued a new membership number for that contract with a different banking window. All ownerships will be in under one login with DVCmember.com as long as you are titling and deeding the same.

As long as points will be in the account at time of vacation, you can book a trip up to 11 months in advance at your home resort with the amount of points you own at that resort. Disney will never let two resorts have one home priority booking under any circumstance. You would have to wait until the 7 month window to combine two different properties for one vacation.

Read More: Adding to Memberships

The purpose of Disney’s Right of First Refusal (ROFR) is to control the value of their property so that it remains in step with current values. When there is an accepted offer and a signed contract with a good faith deposit in escrow, we immediately forward all contracts to the DVC Review Board. DVC will do an analysis of the terms of the contract and decide if they wish to “step in” as the buyer. The criteria DVC uses for ROFR is not public information but one important factor for exercising (stepping in as buyer) the ROFR would be if they feel the selling price, including who pays closing costs and maintenance and taxes, is below the target price they have established. If DVC exercises their ROFR and steps in as the buyer, your deposit will be refunded in full at your request.

View Our ROFR Data

Offers are made directly through the website so that all offer details are in writing with a date and timestamp. There are three components to an offer:

• per point price
• closing costs (traditionally, buyer pays closing costs due to sellers paying sales commission)
• current year dues (typically, during Right of First Refusal, Disney likes to see buyers contributing towards current year dues when receiving current year points)

TIP: How To Present a Successful Offer

Yes. The most popular form of financing on the resale market is a small home equity loan or signature loan with your local bank. Those options will give you the lowest interest rates. You may also contact the below lenders of funds for timeshares. They are independent companies so you will need to contact them for the most current rates and terms.

Monera Financial – mortgage loans for DVC properties located in Florida

Vacation Club Loans – personal loans for ALL DVC properties

Light stream – an online lending division of SunTrust Bank that offers unsecured timeshare financing for consumers with good to excellent credit histories

Yes. Once an offer is accepted, all buyers must send a good-faith deposit to the closing company. The deposit amount varies based on the purchase price:

• up to $20,000 — $1,000 deposit
• $20,000 to $30,000 — $2,000 deposit
• $30,000 and above — 10% deposit

A licensed and bonded title company or real estate attorney will handle all earnest money deposits in their company escrow accounts.

The typical timeframe is about 8 weeks from offer acceptance.

When an offer is accepted, we prepare the contracts and email them to you. At this time, you will need to sign and return the contracts to us and also send your deposit to the title company. Once signed contracts are received and a deposit is on record with the closing company, we then forward all contracts to Disney to start the ROFR process.

It takes Disney approx. 30 days to approve a sale. When Disney approves your contract, it then takes 2-4 weeks for the title company to get the transaction to closing. At closing, the remainder due will need to be a certified bank check or bank wire transfer to the title company (international buyers). Once the sale has closed, it takes Disney approx. 14 days to set up your new membership. It’s a very easy process for buyers and we keep you updated every step of the way!

No. With the majority of all DVC resales being accomplished via the internet, we are set up to handle all contract processing by e-mail, fax, and mail. All is completed from the comfort of your home. You do not have to come to Florida.

Having been in the resale business for over 20 years, we only recommend the most knowledgeable, reliable, and efficient closing companies to our clients. For your protection, all closings are handled by licensed, bonded, and insured title companies and/or real estate attorneys well-versed in DVC closings. The closing costs will include title search, title insurance (unless otherwise requested), administrative fees and recording fees. The closing costs are paid to the title company at closing. A title search is conducted prior to closing to be sure that the title is “free and clear,” and an insurance policy is issued to insure the same.

Once the sale has closed and the new deed sent to Disney, it takes 2-3 weeks for Disney to set up your new membership and for you to have the ability to schedule your first vacation. Please plan accordingly if you have dates in mind you want to book. The sooner you start the purchasing process, the better!