Disney Vacation Club Tips

"Why Choose Membership?"

Our first trip to Walt Disney World as a family was during Christmas 2012. We surprised the two older kids on Christmas Eve at the airport with a week-long stay at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge with a savanna view room. During our trip (which was amazing!), we came across a DVC kiosk and decided to take a tour. I was looking for shade to fix one of the kid's shoes and struck up a conversation with a Cast Member. To give a little backstory, my boss/dear friend is a Disney Vacation Club Member, and right before I left for the trip, she suggested taking a DVC tour. She really talked up how easy her family vacations are as DVC members. So the power of positive suggestion was already working when we passed the kiosk.

The Cast Member was super friendly and as we chatted about Disney, and where we were staying, the Cast Member mentioned that Animal Kingdom Lodge had DVC Villas. That sparked our interest because we had loved our visit so far and liked the idea of returning and making it a family tradition.

 

We were immediately sold on the value of DVC when the Cast Member laid the cost of Membership (with equivalent points for our stay) next to the cash price we paid for our Christmas vacation. We were amazed at how much value the points system gives my family in comparison to the retail cash price. We knew two things - we wanted to continue the tradition of a family Christmas vacation to Walt Disney World AND we never wanted to pay the cash price again. The value for our money is incredible, and we have continued our family tradition of Christmas stays at Animal Kingdom Villas. I can never pass up a "discount," and this is the best one I've chosen yet!

 

We also love that we are not committed to vacationing at Walt Disney World Resort. We can choose how and where we travel. Last Spring, we were new to Florida and wanted to experience its gorgeous beaches. We didn't consider any other option except Disney's Vero Beach Resort. We knew we could have a fantastic spring break at the beach, with exceptional Disney service. My husband enjoyed it so much that when I suggested a new place this year he said nope! Disney's Vero Beach or no beach!

 

For my husband’s 40th birthday, the only thing he wanted was a relaxed family vacation. His birthday weekend happened to coincide with a medical conference in Hilton Head, SC. We made sure there was availability at Disney's Hilton Head Resort before I committed to the conference because we didn't want to stay anywhere else! Almost all the rest of the conference participants stayed at the same Resort as the conference, but not us! To this day, this is our favorite Disney property. The service is excellent, the setting is beautiful and the atmosphere is relaxed. We love it!

 

Another quick back story - my husband is Scottish with Viking ancestry, and once he found out he was Viking, Scandinavia has been on our bucket list. We were also planning on a Disney cruise at some point, but dates and locations hadn't worked with our schedule. When we found a Northern European cruise with Adventures by Disney on board (and knew twins would finally be old enough for ABD), we basically planned close to two years in advance!

 

I have heard nothing but excellent things about ABD trips, and I loved the idea of port meals and excursions being completely taken care of by someone else (with HIGH standards) since I am the one who usually does ALL the planning! I figure they are like combining the Disney Dining Plan with an Enchanting Extra VIP tour - for the entire trip! I can't wait!

 

Because of the length of our trip, we decided to not use our points towards this vacation. But, we were able to take advantage of the exclusive early booking window and received a Member discount. It's very easy to use all points, all cash, or a combination of both.

 

When I called on the first booking day I could, one of the initial questions from the Member Services Cast Member was - "would you like to use any of your points towards booking?" We had already looked at the points charts online and decided that we would prefer to use our points elsewhere, so it was a simple answer. I love that the DVC Resorts points charts are available for both the current year and the upcoming year so that we could make an informed decision.

 

Savings based on a cash purchase of Membership, plus closing costs and annual dues, compared to the cost of a non-member renting the same accommodations at rack rate over the life of Membership.

 

All accommodations are subject to availability. Theme park admission is not part of the ownership interest and is sold separately. Some elements mentioned are part of Membership Extras, which is an incidental benefit – these offers are subject to availability, change or termination and may require a fee. Membership Extras are only available with eligible ownership interests. The complete offering terms of the timeshare are in a public offering statement and purchase agreement available upon request from the developer. Disney Vacation Development, Inc., 1390 Celebration Blvd., Celebration, FL 34747. Not an offer where registration or other legal requirements for timeshare solicitation have not been met.

 

THIS PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL IS BEING USED FOR THE PURPOSE OF SOLICITING SALES OF TIMESHARE INTERESTS.

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