Hi Penny,
Welcome to the Moms Panel! I have to tell you, the Disney Vacation Club is anything but your usual timeshare. We have been members since 2001 and it was the best investment in "family" that we have ever made!
There are a lot of details to consider when looking at the Disney Vacation Club, but what we liked best was that is a point-based system (as opposed to buying a specific week), so we can really tailor our vacations to what fits our family best. Our vacation habits and needs have changed over the years, so having the flexibility of the Disney Vacation Club has been wonderful!
Our intention has always been to use our DVC points to vacation outside of the Disney Vacation Club properties, but we haven't finished exploring all the ways we can at Disney yet!
As a Disney Vacation Club member there are always special Member "Perks" available that offer discounts and specials on dining, tours, recreation, spas and many more things throughout Walt Disney World.
You can learn much more at
www.disneyvacationclub.com.
Hope this helps!