disney vacation club

One of the best ways to build those life-long memories we all crave is by taking family vacations. But in spite of all those smiling faces we see on travel commercials or inside Hawaii brochures, pulling off a memorable getaway takes some work.

Last month I touched on family vacations in the context of traveling during the off-season (primarily spring and fall) to save money, as well as other money saving tips. In this column, I am going to put aside the cost issue and try to tackle some of the logistics of putting a family trip together and answer some of the re-occurring questions that come up when families come to us for their travel plans.

Probably the biggest issue other then the cost, is, "how do we find a vacation that's going have something for everyone when our family consists of Mom and Dad, who want down time and a little romance, a teenage son who would rather stay home and hang with his friends then go on vacation, an artistic middle-school daughter, and an energetic toddler." Cruise lines, especially Royal Caribbean, have taken the lead in appealing to the wide range of family interests with such features as wave pools, rock climbing walls, skating rinks, mini golf, video arcades and clubs for all age groups from 2 to 18 years.

For those that want to remain land-locked but still not have to do a lot of planning many resorts, mainly in the Caribbean, offer all-inclusive packages that include meals, drinks, activities, water sports, etc., that ensure everyone enjoys the vacation. Club Med, and Beaches are the two chains that cover the full spectrum from 2 to 92. Of course there is always the Disney brand, but be prepared for crowds, oppressive weather and a steep price tag if you venture to Disney World in Orlando in the summer.

Sometimes we can create those memories by getting away with one or two family members with whom we share a common interest. For example, my two teenage boys and I have a passion for hockey, so we have taken road trips to many places in North America off the beaten tourist paths like Ottawa, Buffalo and Montreal, as well as New York, Washington, Boston and Chicago to catch an NHL game. I also took my daughter when she was 13 to Europe because we both had interest in castles.

One of my clients took her mother to Victoria Island to see Butchart Gardens because of their interest in gardening and flowers, while her father and husband went golfing in Palm Springs. Another client took her two daughters to New York City for a girl's weekend of shopping and a Broadway play.

Another issue that crops up is traveling with children on long distance flights. Obviously the age of the child determines how you prepare, but preparation is the key. If the children are old enough, explain ahead of time how you expect them to behave on the plane and in the airport. With iPods, Gameboys, portable DVD players, and laptop computers, there is no shortage of electronic devices to keep older kids occupied, if they don't like to read.

Infants and toddlers present different challenges, especially if they are awake during the landings. Giving them something to suck on helps with the cabin pressurization. We found a little Benadryl an hour or two before landing allowed our kids to sleep during that time. If you have traveled recently, you know that food service, at least on domestic flights, is practically non-existent. So make sure to pack plenty of munchies, especially if you have teens.

Occasionally, I get "this is too overwhelming and I don't know where to start." My best advice is work with a travel agent who is interested in family travel, use the resources that are out there, and take it one step at a time.

The Internet has lots of great information, but take consumer reviews with a grain of salt because every family is different in its needs and expectations. Check out www.tripadvisor.com to get info on hotels and resorts or www.cruisecritic.com for anything cruise related. Many of my clients swear by Rick Steves' guidebooks which can be purchased most book retailers.

Finally, expect the unexpected. Some of the most memorable times are created when something unforeseen happens. My daughter Heather's most vivid memory of our trip to Europe was when my wallet was stolen as we were boarding a train in Luxembourg and we arrived in Paris with no money. But how we made it through that day and resolved the problem is what sticks with her.

And oh yeah, bring a good camera.
- By Jim Baldwin, Special to the Ledger DispatchAmador Ledger-Dispatch, USA
- Oct 24, 2007
- 16 hours ago
Club Med, and Beaches are the two chains that cover the full spectrum from 2 to 92. Of course there is always the Disney brand, but be prepared for crowds, ...
clipped from Google - 10/2007
Disney Expands Resort Business on Oceanfront Property in HawaiiWELT ONLINE
- Oct 04, 2007
- Oct 04, 2007
The expansive resort, scheduled to open in 2011, will have more than 800 units including hotel rooms and villas for Disney Vacation Club, which is Disney's ...
clipped from Google - 10/2007
Disney Building 800 Room Disney Vacation Club Hotel In HawaiiNetcot.com
- Oct 04, 2007
- Oct 04, 2007
The Walt Disney Company is planning on building an 800 room resort on the island of Oahu. The hotel is going to be the first Disney Vacation Club and resort ...
clipped from Google - 10/2007
Disney planning Hawaiian resortBizjournals.com, USA
- Oct 05, 2007
- Oct 05, 2007
The resort will include an as-yet undetermined mix of hotel rooms and time-share units to be sold through its Orlando-based Disney Vacation Club subsidiary. ...
clipped from Google - 10/2007
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Blog posts


Disney Building 800 Room Disney Vacation Club Hotel In Hawaii Oct 4, 2007
The Walt Disney Company is planning on building an 800 room resort on the island of Oahu. The hotel is going to be the first Disney Vacation Club and resort outside the theme parks. Disney announced the plan on Wednesday with Hawaii's ...

Kinn and Mom have been in the Disney Vacation Club resale business for quite a few years and just recently made the decision for Kinn to open his own Brokerage. They hired me to be the Broker because.....well.....because I am soooooo ...

Disney time-share boss honored by alma mater Oct 23, 2007
Jim Lewis, the president of Disney Vacation Club, Disney's Celebration-based time-share arm, was honored by his alma mater earlier this month. Indiana State University named Lewis one of four "distinguished alumni" for 2007. ...

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Web results


Disney Vacation Club | Family Vacations At Disney & Around the World
Disney Vacation Club Resorts are different from other timeshares. Gain access to 8 Disney Vacation Club Resorts and over 500 other destinations worldwide.

MouseSavers.com - Disney Vacation Club
Disney Vacation Club (DVC) is a timeshare program operated by Disney, with resorts located at Walt Disney World as well as Vero Beach, Florida and Hilton ...

DVC Resales / Disney Vacation Club / The Timeshare Store, Inc.
Disney Vacation Club � The #1 DVC resales company in the World, the largest selection of Disney Vacation Club resales, selling your Disney time share or ...

Disney Vacation Club - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Disney Vacation Club (DVC) is a company, wholly owned by The Walt Disney Company, that operates as a vacation timeshare, allowing families to purchase a ...

Disney Vacation Club
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Disney Vacation Club (DVC) is a company, wholly owned by The Walt Disney Company, that operates as a vacation timeshare, allowing families to purchase a real estate interest in one of the DVC resorts. Operations of DVC and its resorts are managed by Disney Vacation Development.

Contents
1 How it works
1.1 The vacation point system
1.2 Home resort
1.3 Expiration
2 Resort locations
3 Future Projects
4 Room types
5 DVC at other Disney resorts
6 Cancelled projects
7 External links
8 References



[edit] How it works

[edit] The vacation point system
The real estate interest is represented by "vacation points". A customer purchases a number of vacation points as a one-time purchase, becoming a "member" of the "club". The price as of March 5th, 2007 was $16640.00 ($104 per vacation point with the minimum purchase being 160 vacation points). After the initial purchase members are charged annual dues based on the number of vacation points they own. In 2007, the dues ranged from $4.12 to $5.63 per vacation point. Members receive a yearly allotment of these vacation points. Vacation Club members can then use these points to make reservations at one of the Vacation Club resorts or any of the other options available. The number of points needed depends on the room type, resort, and time of year selected. Points can be saved, or "banked", for use the following year. Points can also be borrowed from the upcoming year, for use in the current year.


[edit] Home resort
A member's "home resort" is the resort in which they have a real estate interest. The main advantage to owning a real estate interest in one resort over another is that members are allowed to make reservations at their home resort up to eleven months in advance. For the other resorts it is only seven months. Another very important fact relating to the home resort is that any exchanges for accommodations external to resorts are made to and from a member's home resort. Lastly, a member's home resort determines the amount of a member's annual dues.


[edit] Expiration
A DVC membership expires based on the home resort of the membership. The following table provides the year in which a membership at each home resort will expire:

Home Resort Expiration Year
Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas 2057
Disney's Old Key West 2057
Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa 2054
All Other Home Resorts 2042


[edit] Resort locations
Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas (Walt Disney World)
Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas is the latest addition to Disney Vacation Club. This resort was first announced in October 2006[1]. The first vacation homes are slated to open in summer 2007 and will be located in the existing Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. Additional units will be located in the new Kidani Village, which will open in phases and be completed in 2009. The addition will contain a new restaurant, children's water play area, and its own savanna.
Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa (Walt Disney World)
This Disney Vacation Club resort recreates the upstate New York country retreats of the early-1900s, featuring babbling brooks, a themed pool, dark wood antique-style furniture, and Victorian era architecture, fabrics and colors. The first buildings opened in May 2004. Construction of Phase 2 at Saratoga Springs is currently underway. The recently announced Phase 3 will consist of six additional buildings and is expected to open in 2007. When complete, Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa will be the largest Disney Vacation Club resort. Ownership interests at Saratoga Springs went on sale in August 2003. The resort is located in the Downtown Disney resort area.
Disney's Beach Club Villas (Walt Disney World)
The Beach Club Villas are located in the Epcot resort area adjacent to Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resorts and across Crescent Lake from the BoardWalk Resort. It opened its doors in July 2002. Like the BoardWalk Villas, the Beach Club Villas are integrated into a larger resort that includes a hotel. The Yacht & Beach Club resort compound includes a three-acre pool. Like the BoardWalk Villas, boat service is available to the Disney-MGM Studios and Epcot. There are also sidewalks to both of these parks.*
Disney's Old Key West Resort (Walt Disney World)
Located near Downtown Disney, Disney's Old Key West Resort is the first of the Disney Vacation Club Resorts (in fact, at one time it was simply known as the Disney Vacation Club Resort). Old Key West opened in late 1991. This resort has an Old Florida theme and is set on Disney's Lake Buena Vista Golf Course. Boat service is available to Downtown Disney Marketplace.
The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge (Walt Disney World)
The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge opened November 15, 2000. Like the BoardWalk Villas, the Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge are integrated into the hotel portion of Disney's Wilderness Lodge. The resort sits among tall timber and wildflowers, continuing the tradition of 19th century National Park Service lodges. The Villas at Wilderness Lodge is located on Bay Lake with boat service to the Magic Kingdom and Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. A special part of the resort houses a collection of train memorabilia and artwork, including an exhibit featuring two of Walt Disney's personal scale-model railroad cars.
Disney's BoardWalk Villas (Walt Disney World)
Disney's BoardWalk Villas opened during the summer of 1996. The BoardWalk Villas are different from Old Key West in that the Villas are integrated into the hotel portion of Disney's BoardWalk Resort. The BoardWalk Resort consists of the Villas (the DVC units) and the Inn, which has the hotel units. The Boardwalk Resort is located near Epcot and contains an entertainment district with several restaurants. Guests can walk to the Disney-MGM Studios and Epcot, or take boats.
Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort (Hilton Head Island, South Carolina)
Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort opened on March 1, 1996.
Disney's Vero Beach Resort (Vero Beach, Florida)
Disney's Vero Beach Resort is located in Vero Beach, Florida on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, around two hours southeast of the Walt Disney World Resort. The resort opened on October 1, 1995 as the first Disney Resort to be constructed away from of one of its theme parks.

[edit] Future Projects
Disney's Contemporary Villas (rumored)(Walt Disney World). It has been rumored among DVC members that DVC accommodations would be added at Disney's Contemporary Resort. The design is a C-shaped tower, replacing the northern garden wing, connected to the main Contemporary building by a pedestrian bridge on the fourth floor. Although nothing has been officially announced yet, demolition of the northern garden wing was completed in the spring of 2007 and castmembers were alerted to express to guests Disney's pending expansion plans of Disney's Contemporary Resort.
Disney's Grand Californian Villas (Disneyland Resort)
On September 18, 2007, it was announced that a Disney Vacation Club presence at Disneyland will be developed as part of an already-begun expansion of Disney's Grand Californian Resort. 52 villas will be available in a configuration that will permit use of studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom accommodations.
Unnamed Hawaiian Resort (Announced) (Ko Olina, Hawaii)
press release on October 3, 2007.

[edit] Room types
Studio
The studio is similar to a standard hotel room. The studio unit consists of two double beds (or one queen bed and a sleeper sofa) and a table. Also included is a wet bar with an under-counter refrigerator, microwave and a coffee maker. Each unit has a small patio with two chairs and a small table. The studio unit sleeps a total of four people.
One-Bedroom Vacation Home
The one-bedroom unit has a master suite, a living room, a kitchen, and a private patio. The master suite has a king-size bed, a master bath with a whirlpool tub and separate shower, and a television. The living room has a queen-size sleeper sofa and a television. The kitchen is fully equipped with a range, stove, refrigerator, sink, dishwasher, coffee maker, and microwave oven. There is also a laundry closet with a washer and a dryer. The one-bedroom unit sleeps four people.
Two-Bedroom Vacation Home
The two-bedroom unit usually consists of a one-bedroom unit and a connecting studio. Some are dedicated two-bedroom units consisting of a one-bedroom unit and a second bedroom with two queen sized beds, a table with chairs, a television set, a private balcony or patio, and a full bathroom. The two-bedroom unit sleeps a total of eight people.
Three-Bedroom Grand Villa
The three-bedroom unit is the most luxurious vacation home at Vacation Club resorts. Each unit has three bedrooms and three baths, spanning two floors. The first floor has a master bedroom suite, a living room, a kitchen. The master bedroom suite has a king-size bed, a master bath with a whirlpool tub and separate shower, and a television. The living room has a cathedral ceiling, queen-size sleeper sofa, and a television. The kitchen is fully equipped with a range, stove, refrigerator, sink, dishwasher, coffee maker, and microwave oven. The second floor has two additional bedrooms. Each of these rooms has two double-size beds (or one queen bed and a sleeper sofa) and a private bathroom. There is also a laundry closet with a washer and a dryer on the second floor. Three-Bedroom Grand Villa unit sleep a total of twelve people. The Grand Villas at the BoardWalk Villas are single story units. Both the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge and the Beach Club Villas do not contain Grand Villa units.
Note: There are slight variations in unit configurations from resort to resort.


[edit] DVC at other Disney resorts
In the early-2000s, it became possible for DVC members to use their membership on accommodations at the Disneyland Resort in California and the Disneyland Resort Paris. In 2005, it became possible to use their membership at the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. In 2006, Tokyo Disney Resort became available to members.

In May 2005, Disney Vacation Club began advertising and selling at Disneyland Resort in California. Since there is not a Disney Vacation Club resort in California, the sales centers sell real estate interests in Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas. In the summer of 2006, a model of the Saratoga Springs units was built adjacent to the Disneyland Hotel.On September 18 2007 in responses to a growing demand for guest accommodations in Anaheim, the Disneyland Resort today celebrated an expansion of Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa that will increase accommodations by more than 30 percent and will include the first Disney Vacation Club villas in Anaheim. The 2.5-acre expansion on the hotel's south side will add more than 200 new hotel rooms and 50 two-bedroom equivalent vacation villas. Those vacation villas, to include kitchens, living and dining areas and other home-like amenities, will mark the West Coast debut of Disney Vacation Club, Disney's innovative vacation-ownership program. Other elements planned for the project include a rooftop deck for viewing fireworks, a new swimming pool and about 300 underground parking spaces. Peter Dominick of 4240, architect for Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa as well as Disney's Wilderness Lodge and Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida is designing the ambitious expansion. It will reflect the same California Arts & Crafts architecture of the existing hotel, which immerses guests in a turn-of-the-20th-century California experience.


[edit] Cancelled projects
A project in Newport Coast, California began in March 1994, followed by rumors of resort plans in Beaver Creek, Colorado. In August 1995 an issue of Wired magazine reported that Disney Vacation Club was considering a site at Times Square in New York City, part of the 42nd Street Project near the New Amsterdam Theater and ABC studios. Neither the Beaver Creek nor the Times Square project ever came to fruition.

In February 1997, Disney announced that they were canceling the plans for Newport Coast resort and 11 months later Marriott announced a project on Disney's former site which was expected to open in June 2000.

On July 23, 2001, Disney issued a press release[2] announcing the construction of an un-named Vacation Club resort at Walt Disney World's Eagle Pines golf course. The architectural style was going to be a tribute to early-20th century Florida resort style, with its Moorish and Spanish influences. Opening was scheduled for 2004 and 2005, but the post-September 11 vacation slump derailed the plans for this resort. Disney instead opted to use the infrastructure at the floundering Disney Institute to serve as the hub for the resort that became Saratoga Springs.