Hi Dan!
Welcome Home and welcome to planDisney! As a
Disney Vacation Club Member Family for 12 years our Membership has already brought us a lifetime of memories, and we still have many more years to go!
Dan, this is a big question! Let’s see if I can help get you started on your way to your next vacation. I’m going to cover just
the basics. Disney Vacation Club Members have purchased a real estate interest that comes in the form of Vacation Points. You will receive the same number of Vacation Points every year to use for the lifetime of your contract. With those Vacation Points, you can
book a stay at a Disney Vacation Club Resort! (It gets more complex and you can use your Vacation Points to book other types of vacations, but for now, let’s focus on DVC Resorts.) Busier times of the year like the holidays will require more Vacation Points, as do larger rooms, with smaller rooms and less popular times of year requiring less. I recommend
reviewing the Points Charts to get an idea of what you might be able to book with your contract.
To book a vacation, you can either use the Disney Vacation Club Website or you can
call Member Services over the phone. Currently, the phone queues can be longer than most of us would like. That said, if this is your first time booking a stay with your Membership, you might want to consider doing it this way. The Cast Member should be able to walk you through your options and booking. You’ll be able to book your Home Resort up to 11 months before check-in and other Disney Vacation Club Resorts beginning at 7 months before check-in. I always highly recommend you plan well in advance. Book as early as you can, and you can always try to modify your room to a different resort or room style later. Members who wish to travel in the next 2-3 months may find availability very tight, so always plan ahead!
If you are a brand new Member and haven’t yet used the Disney Vacation Club Member Website, you will need to call Member Services so they can set you up with online access. Once you have access you can book your stays online! This is typically what I do. Once you are signed into your account, you’ll want to hover over “Plan a Vacation” from the menu options along the top of the screen. Then select
“Book a Vacation.” From there, you’ll enter the dates you are wanting to search, the number of Guests, and what resorts you’d like to consider! If you see something you want to book, follow the prompts to book your trip!
A few things to keep in mind, Dan. Right now, borrowing Vacation Points from your next Use Year is limited to 50%, so know that when deciding how many Vacation Points you plan to use. I hope this helps to get you started Dan, and know you are always welcome to submit more questions to the Disney Vacation Club Panelists here on planDisney.
Wishing you
Membership Magic!- Kate