On
Mar 15, 2012
Sean from ME
Asked
Note: This answer was provided prior to the change to planDisney and may still contain references to Disney Parks Moms Panel.
Experiences, policies, pricing and other offerings are subject to change and may have changed since the date of this answer.
“
I am also a high school English teacher, & my husband & I have been looking into DVC. I've read reviews that teachers may not want to invest because the only time for us to travel is also the busiest (& most expensive). Do you have any advice?”
Hello, Sean!
You are correct: we teachers are locked into traveling during the busiest and most expensive travel periods. That part, as you know personally, won't change.
However, since we're traveling during those time periods, I've found that Membership in Disney Vacation Club actually helps us to afford more luxurious accommodations, for lengthier periods of time, or exchanges, for example, for cruises on Disney Cruise Line. Many of these would never have been in our budget otherwise.
Members are given a yearly allotment of points, which can be managed to suit your schedule. You can bank points from one year's membership into the next year, as well as borrow points from the following year, enabling you to use up to three years' worth of points at a time. (Restrictions apply, but with planning, this shouldn't hamper your plans.) Thus, you're using Membership Points for your vacations, not cash, and will know ahead of time which weeks require a few more points than others. Depending on your school calendar, you might be able to sneak in a trip to WDW in early June or mid-to-late August, when the cash / point rates are sometimes a bit lower. If you're blessed with a Spring Break that's not during Easter Week, or even some long weekends, too, those rates are a bit lower as well.
DVC Membership will help you to forget the crowds because your resort is so darn luxurious and your extended stay is so relaxing! Member Benefits, at the time of this writing, include Annual Pass discounts, merchandise and dining discounts help as well.
Let me know if you have any additional DVC questions; I'd love to help!
By the way, my dearest "fairy godfriend" who advised me to join DVC 10 years ago is a DVC Member from its charter year; she just retired from teaching English after 35 years of service! Thanks to her advice, several of us are happy DVC Members, and loving every minute of it!