You can OWN a piece of Walt Disney World
Aug 04 '00
How often do you travel to Walt Disney World?
If your family likes to visit Mickey Mouse more than once, a year, you may want to consider a membership in the Disney Vacation Club.
The Disney Vacation Club, is not like the Mickey Mouse Club, It is a Real Estate interest. By purchasing "Points" Your family is entitled to customize vacation packages at one of the four, (Soon to be 5) Disney Vacation Club resorts.
Currently the Disney Owned Vacation Club resorts are, The Old Key West Resort, and The Board Walk Villas, both located on the Walt Disney World Property, and The Vero Beach Resort, which is located about an hour away from Walt Disney World, in Vero Beach Florida, and The Hilton Head resort, located in Hilton Head South Carolina. Soon, the Walt Disney World Property will expand it's Vacation Club Offering by adding Villas at the Wilderness Lodge.
Old Key West, is a fun resort, based on the Florida Keys. It is surrounded by Water, and it has one of the best swimming pools on property. The homes are all painted in soft pastels. There are special activities for kids, and don't miss Olivia's restaurant, for the Character breakfast with Winnie the Pooh and his friends.
The Boardwalk Villas, are based on the Turn of the Century Atlantic City Boardwalk. You will be only a boat ride away from both MGM Studios and Epcot. The night life at The Boardwalk rivals Disney's Pleasure Island. The Pool area looks like an Amusement Park roller coaster.
Disney's Vero Beach, The resort is right on the Beach! You will have a view of the Atlantic Ocean from your balcony. Besides a few Mickey Mouse T-Shirts in the gift shop, and the great Disney Cast Members, you would never know that this is a Disney Resort. You can join a treasure hunt, or go on a tour of the nearby Indian River. This is a true get away, but with the Great Disney Service that we love!
Disney's Hilton Head Resort. The resort is a little out of the Way, It is on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. I have never been there, but I here great things about it. The southern hospitality, combined with Disney Magic has to be special!
As I mentioned earlier, you can customize your Disney Vacation Club membership. You can determine the number of "Points" that you need, based on your travel needs.
For example, my family purchased 600 points, at a cost of $37,650.( In 1997) That entitles us to several weeks at our Home resort of Old Key West a year. Each room night is valued with a certain number of points. A Studio room, in January cost 8 points, a Two Bedroom Vacation Home, in May is worth 64 points, and a Grand Villa Home in June is worth 107 points.
Here is what our 600 points got us last year:
One week in a Vacation home at Old Key West, in May ---------- 196 points
3 days at the Grand Floridian Hotel, in January ----------- 78 points
One week in a studio at Disney's Boardwalk Villas,
Fourth of July week -----------134 points
3 day weekend for Mother's Day at Disney's
Boardwalk Villas in a 2 Bedroom Suite ------------188 points
Total points used were 696, we were able to use 96 points that we had left over from 1998. You can also borrow points from the next year, if you need to.
The weekend at The Grand Floridian was a splurge, I could have gotten an extra week and a half, at a cheaper resort, but it was a spur of the moment trip, and it was really worth it!
The points are valued at $67.00 each. You get the same number of points every year, unless you bank them or borrow them. We met a family last weekend that saved their points for 5 years, They are spending the entire summer (9 weeks) at the Boardwalk Villas, so that there kids can attend the Dolphin Education program at Epcot.
You are not limited to travel within Walt Disney World. The Disney Vacation Club is part of the Buena Vista Trade Company. As a member, you can trade your Disney Pints for travel at a number of Top travel destination, around the World, including the Plaza Hotel in New York City, Several Hotels at Disneyland Paris, An African Safari, The Disney Cruise Line or even a trip to Las Vegas.
You may be asking, if the Disney Vacation Club is worth the price. Well, I added it up, for the price of what each resort stay would cost me, after 14 years, the cost of the membership begins to pay for itself. When you purchase an interest in the DVC, you own it until the 2052.
Yes, $37,000 is a lot of money, but for 55 years of travel, for the price of 14 years of travel, in a World Class Hotel, it seems like a bargain, It is money that I would be spending anyway, and if I had to pay "Full Price." I would not be able to afford to go as often as I do.
As a member of the DVC, you can book you rooms up to a year in advance.
I would not look at my membership as an investment, nor do I plan to sell it, to make a profit, but as a means to save money, over several years on trips to the Disney Resort.
If you would like to speak to someone about the Disney Vacation Club, you can call them at 1-800-800-9100.Or, If you are at WDW, You can stop by one of the Kiosk in any of the Disney Parks for information. You can also arrange for a free tour, by watching the DVC Channel on the Television in the hotel rooms at WDW.
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