Hi Stephen,
My husband and I purchased Disney Vacation Club (DVC) several years ago before we had children, and both agree, it's been a great value for our Disney-loving family. By carefully allocating our points, we are usually able to travel to Disney two to three times per year, often bring along my parents, and stay in huge, deluxe accommodations with fully-equipped kitchens, jacuzzi-style bath tubs and other luxury amenities. We also agree that we would never be able to afford either the number or caliber of vacations we are privileged to take without having purchased DVC. Finally, we've stayed at Disney's Vero Beach Resort and Hilton Head Resort, and look forward to visiting DVC Hawaii in the near future (it's not finished yet!)
DVC members are eligible for pages and pages of benefits and discounts, including discounts on dining, annual passes, special experiences (tours, Cirque du Soleil, etc.), PhotoPass, childcare centers and special events These discounts change (generally, more are added!) from time to time, and can be found on the
DVC website.
You are correct that the specials and offers available to guests booking packages and DVC members sometimes vary. The dining promotion that was offered the past two years at the end of the summer did not apply to DVC members.
If your family vacations at Disney frequently (I'd say at least every other year), enjoys large/deluxe accommodations and you plan to continue vacationing at Disney for the foreseeable future, I think DVC is a wonderful option to pursue. If you would like additional information, please don't hesitate to call (800) 500-3990, or visit the link above, send them a "request to talk" email, and someone will call you back within five minutes.
Feel free to send more DVC questions my way if you have others outstanding.
Tanya