Disney Vacation Club Tips

What it's like visiting a re-opened Walt Disney World?

For months, the word vacation was only a dream for my travel-loving family, looming far off in the distance. Now that the Disney parks in Florida have opened up their gates, my family and I can't stop talking about how much we loved our return to the "Most Magical Place on Earth."

 

Like many other Disney Vacation Club Members, we have a deep love of the Disney parks and when we walked back into Magic Kingdom Park, it was truly like coming home. I was very lucky to take two trips to the Walt Disney World Resort this summer. The first was with just my husband for a couples' getaway and the second with our young boys. Between two vacations we purchased tickets to visit all four theme parks and stayed at three different Disney Vacation Club Resorts and when people ask, "what was it like" my first thought is always about the Cast Members.

 

Everywhere we went the Cast Members were so helpful and happy to welcome guests, which immediately put me at ease. When we first walked into the Sandcastle Pool at Disney's Old Key West Resort a Cast Member greeted us warmly, explained the enhanced health and safety procedures and showed us how the lounge chairs were positioned to promote physical distancing. I found myself smiling broadly (under my face covering) at the Cast Members at Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas- Kidani Village and Disney's Contemporary Resort who did the same.

 

We also spent less overall time at the parks which resulted in a more laid back, restful vacation. We used some of that time to check-out different Disney Vacation Club Resort accommodations through the drop-in open houses. On one morning of our second trip we had breakfast reservations at Topolino's Terrace- Flavors of the Riviera and while we were there, we were able to see a 2-Bedroom Villa and chat with a Disney Vacation Club Cast Member.

 

My boys were so excited to see a different room and now a 2-Bedroom Villa stay has risen to the top of my DVC bucketlist! While we only made it to one other open house (at Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort), there are opportunities to visit an open house at almost all Walt Disney World Disney Vacation Club Resorts. I absolutely LOVED how easy and convenient it was to spontaneously drop-in whenever our schedule allowed. I also felt like it was a great way to stay "hands-on" with our Membership since we could walk through and imagine unpacking in those spaces.

 

Another Disney Vacation Club Member perk that I took full advantage of this summer was the discount on merchandise. Sometimes when we are in the parks from rope drop to fireworks, my shopping time gets cut short. Not so this time! In addition to the parks, I was able to shop at each of the resorts and I was very happy to pull out my Member card for that discount… and of course I'll be sporting my new Member Spirit Jersey all fall!

 

Speaking of park time, since Fastpass+ was on pause during our trip, we felt like brand new guests navigating attractions, but there was a surprise waiting that I hadn't anticipated: the queues. Since I love to plan and often have a Fastpass+ for rides like Peter Pan's Flight, my family and I usually miss the standby queues. I was amazed by all we hadn't seen. Walking through the queue for Avatar Flight of Passage, my oldest son wanted to stop and look at every computer, relic and detail to the point where we were encouraging him to hurry up!

 

That excitement carried over into all we were able to see and do throughout our trips, whether it was increased pool time, enjoying a slower-paced dinner at our favorite restaurant, California Grill, or scoring a boarding group for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. We found that this trip only reinforced the power of letting go and having fun. While there were things that were different or that we missed, we were happy with all that we could enjoy. We became Disney Vacation Club Members because we value time away from our day-to-day responsibilities and now more than ever we were so happy to hear that "welcome home."

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