The Magic and Adventure of Disney Vacation Club

I am often asked about Disney Vacation Club. How does it work? Is it worth it?

In 2012 we took a 21 month old Quinn to Walt Disney World for the very first time and just like his Mum all those years ago, it was love at first sight! Kevin and I had previously always stayed at a family or friends villa nearby, but this trip we decided to book a split stay. The first week we spent at Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter, the second at my family’s villa in Kissimmee. We loved everything about our stay at a Disney Resort and decided that was the future for our Walt Disney World trips. We signed up for a DVC tour and took all the figures and information back home with us to research further.

The following year we stayed at our very first Deluxe resort, Saratoga Springs Resort. We had well and truly been bitten by the DVC bug, but still didn’t commit just yet. 8 months later In May 2014, we returned to Saratoga Springs and officially joined the Disney Vacation Club. It felt like an absolute dream come true to finally be Welcomed Home and for our little family to have a whole 46 years of Disney Magic and memories to look forward to!

We purchased Animal Kingdom points and returned for our first Welcome Home in December 2014, staying at Disney’s Boardwalk Villas and Disney’s Villas at Grand Floridian Resort. To stay at Grand Floridian had been a dream of mine since I was a little girl, so to finally stay there with my little boy meant everything to me. During our stay we fell in love with VGF so much, we decided to add on more points at the Grand Floridian. Still to this day it amazes me that our little family can call my favourite place in the world Home.

Our second DVC trip followed in May 2015, where we finally stayed at our original Home resort Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas. Another split stay for us, the second resort being the new Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows. We fell in love with the Polynesian Resort and headed back again in October 2015 for a split stay here and at Grand Floridian. Unsurprisingly we added on more points again at Polynesian, taking our total Home resorts to three.

We have since stayed at Bay Lake Tower twice, Animal Kingdom three times, Grand Floridian once and Polynesian twice and this year we are returning to Boardwalk Resort, Grand Floridian and Animal Kingdom Villas. We would never have been able to stay at any of these resorts once if it hadn’t been for Disney Vacation Club. It truly has been the best thing we could ever have done for our little family. We haven’t added on any further points since, but growing our vacation points is something we will definitely be investing in for the future.

My advice for anyone considering joining the Disney Vacation Club is research beforehand. DVC is a points based vacation ownership and does not suit everyone. Aside from the initial financial outlay, you have yearly annual dues to pay for the duration of the contract. Take into consideration which Resort or Resorts you would like to make your Home as at certain times of year, you will require your Home resort reservation window to secure your desired reservation.

Perks of being a DVC Member include discounts on Annual Passes, dining and merchandise (currently 20%) and special events. We have been luckily enough to attend the Members welcome brunch at Top of the World Lounge and several other membership magic events including the Mothers Day brunch, Independence Day dessert party, Christmas Eve Holiday dinner, Merry Mixer and the Moonlight magic event at Typhoon Lagoon. The members lounge at Epcot is a great place to stop for a light refreshment and a break from the Florida heat. Top of the World lounge is a perfect place to unwind after a busy day at the parks and the perfect viewing place for the Magic Kingdom fireworks.