Download - Disney Vacation Club (DVC):an overview of Disney's timeshare points system

R M V a c a t i o n ‐ T i m e s L L C

w w w . v a c a t i o n ‐ t i m e s . c o m

by Richard Marquette This document was created to provide training information and a general

overview of the Disney Vacation Club timeshare points system for real estate

agents in the timeshare resale industry . It contains information about the

history of Disney's vacation ownership program, profiles of DVC resorts, point

usage by owners, a history of maintenance fees, plus usage and reservation

strategies for owners.

Disney Vacation Club (DVC): an overview of Disney's timeshare points system

2 | P a g e D V C O v e r v i e w

Disney Vacation Club (DVC): Disney Vacation Development, Inc. markets and operates the Disney Vacation Club, which is a points-based vacation ownership and exchange system of timeshare resorts. The first DVC resort opened in late 1991 in Orlando, Florida. Since that date, Disney Vacation Club has grown to become a respected leader in the vacation ownership industry- now offering eleven DVC resorts throughout the United States and boasting more than 350,000 DVC owners! Ownerships are a deeded interest in real estate, and each interest equates to a specific number of Disney Vacation Club points, which are awarded each year on the first day of the anniversary month. These points are used as your vacation currency to book reservations in any DVC resort. Each reservation will require a certain number of points as defined by the published point charts. Disney Vacation Club Management Corp provides property management services to all DVC resorts. At the date of publish, DVC resorts located in Florida, South Carolina, California, and Hawaii and are marketed across the United States, in the United Kingdom, and also in parts of Asia. All DVC related companies are wholly owned by the Walt Disney Company (stock ticker DIS). Other well known brands owned by Disney include Miramax Films, ABC television group, ESPN, Pixar Animation Studios, Muppets Studios, Marvel Comics, and Hyperion Books. Disney is perhaps the most well known brand in the world, and DVC has quickly become one of the fastest growing timeshare programs in the world!


Disney's Old Key West Resort:

1510 North Cove Road

Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

(407) 827‐7700

Disney's first vacation club resort opened in December of 1991. It was created as a deeded leasehold that expires Jan 31, 2042. It's legal name is Disney Vacation Club resort at WALT DISNEY WORLD Resort, a leasehold condominium. It consists of 531 vacation villas (274 2BR Villas, 230 Lockout villas, and 27 Grand Villas). In late 2007, DVC offered owners at Old Key West the opportunity to purchase an extension to the leasehold expiration. Extended ownership contracts for this resort will expire on Jan 31, 2057.

Disney's Old Key West Resort is themed to create the aura of Key West from the early 1900's. The decor blends classical elegance with the festive atmosphere and flavor of the Florida Keys. Resort amenities include full kitchens and washer/dryers in the spacious villas, a themed restaurant featuring character dining, in-room grocery delivery, exercise facilities, championship golf, direct river access and boat launches at the marina, four swimming pools, sauna, hot tubs, and of course, a full slate of children's activities.

Recent maintenance fee history for Disney's Old Key West Resort:

2010: $4.87 per point 2009: $4.73 per point 2008: $4.56 per point 2007: $4.40 per point 2006 $4.24 per point 2005: $3.86 per point

View the point chart for Disney's Old Key West Resort

The DVC Timeshare Resorts:


Disney's Vero Beach Resort:

9250 Island Grove Terrace

Vero Beach, FL 32963

(772) 234‐2000

Disney's second vacation club resort opened in October of 1995. It was created as a term-for-years ownership that shares the same expiration of Jan 31, 2042. It's legal name is Disney Vacation Club at Vero Beach, a condominium. It consists of 175 vacation villas (18 2BR Villas, 36 Lockout villas, 115 Inns, and 6 Grand Villas). This breathtaking Disney destination stretches along a private beach that embodies the best of a Florida vacation. Luxury villas boast all the comforts of home, offering full kitchens, dining areas, and laundry facilities. On site amenities include two full service restaurants, a themed lounge overlooking the water, feature pool areas for adults and children, general store, exercise room, sauna, hot tubs, tennis, and planned activities for every age group. This destination is the ultimate Florida beach getaway, combining the award winning service of Disney resorts with a vacation wonderland of waves and relaxation!

View the point chart for Disney's Vero Beach Resort

Recent maintenance fee history for Disney's Vero Beach Resort:



Disney's Hilton Head Resort:

22 Harborside Lane

Hilton Head Island, SC 29928

(843) 341‐4100

The third DVC resort opened in March of 1996. It also was created as a term-for-years ownership that expires on Jan 31, 2042. It's legal name is Disney Vacation Club at Hilton Head Island Horizontal Property Regime. It consists of 102 vacation villas (76 2BR Villas, 21 Lockout villas, and 5 Grand Villas).

This luxury resort provides spacious cottage-style villas on the vacation playground of Hilton Head Island. Minutes away, there is a 13,000 square foot private beach house located on 3½-acres of beachfront property that is exclusive to Disney guests. The beach house features a pool, snack bar, and comfortable relaxation center where you can cool down after a hot day on the beach. Other resort amenities include themed pools area for children and adults, a fishing pier, exercise facilities, grocery, and activity programs for all ages. Recreation, dining, and shopping opportunities are also nearby.

View the point chart for Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort

Recent maintenance fee history for Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort:



Disney's Boardwalk Villas:

2101 North Epcot Resort Boulevard


(407) 939‐5100

Disney's BoardWalk Villas opened to guests in June of 1996 and was the first DVC resort built with a sister hotel onsite, Disney's BoardWalk Inn. Its legal name is Disney Vacation Club at Disney's BoardWalk Villas, a leasehold condominium. Ownerships at this resort are deeded as a ground lease that expires on January 31, 2042. This resort consists of 383 vacation homes: 149 lockout villas, 130 one bedroom villas, 97 studio villas, and 7 grand villas.

This deluxe Disney resort is built on the shore of Crescent Lake, and is themed to create the ambiance of Coney Island in the early 1900's. There is an authentic wooden boardwalk which encircles the lake with restaurants, shopping, a retro dance hall, midway games, and street performers. Guests can rent bicycles or pedicabs (multi-seat pedal vehicles) to cruise around the lake, or simply relax at a cafe by the water and listen to the cycling pianist! Luxury villas offer full kitchens, dining areas, and laundry facilities. On site amenities include themed restaurants, an interactive feature pool area for adults and children, general store, exercise facilities, sauna, hot tubs, and planned activities for all ages. Guests at this resort can walk to a private Epcot entrance.

View the point chart for Disney's Boardwalk Villas Resort

Recent maintenance fee history for Disney's Boardwalk Villas Resort:



The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge:

801 Timberline Drive


(407) 824‐3200

The DVC Villas at Wilderness Lodge opened to guests in November of 2000. Its legal name is The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge, a leasehold condominium. Ownerships at this resort are deeded as a ground lease that expires on January 31, 2042. This resort consists of 136 vacation homes: 44 two bedroom villas, 45 lockout villas, 27 one bedroom villas, and 20 studio villas. This deluxe resort is the sister property to Disney's Wilderness Lodge hotel.

This incredible Disney destination is themed to evoke the spirit of an elegant wilderness lodge in the Pacific Northwest and features artificial geysers and hot springs. Amenities include themed pool areas, direct lake access, a marina and lakeside beach area, sauna, exercise room, mercantile, full service spa, planned activities, and all the renowned magic of a classic Disney vacation!

View the point chart for Disney's Villas at the Wilderness Lodge Resort

Recent maintenance fee history for Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort:



Disney's Beach Club Villas:

1900 North Epcot Resort Boulevard


(407) 934‐8000

What is perhaps Disney's most popular resort opened to guests in July of 2002. Its legal name is Disney's Beach Club Villas, a leasehold condominium. Ownerships at this resort are deeded as a ground lease that expires on January 31, 2042. This resort consists of 208 vacation homes: 78 two bedroom villas, 74 lockout villas, 20 one bedroom villas, and 36 studio villas. This deluxe resort is the sister property to Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resorts.

DVC's Beach Club Villas are located across the lake from the Boardwalk Resort, and are within walking distance to a private entrance for Epcot. This deluxe resort is themed after the seaside cottages of Newport, and offers an incredible vacation experience for all ages. Amenities include Stormalong Bay- a themed sand bottomed pool area with one of the highest resort slides on Disney property, a pristine lakeside beach area, marina, health club, tennis, playgrounds, bike rentals, volleyball, arcade, and children's activities.

View the point chart for Disney's Beach Club Villas Resort

Recent maintenance fee history for Disney's Beach Club Villas:



Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort:

1960 Broadway


(407) 827‐1100

The largest DVC resort opened its doors in May of 2004. Its legal name is Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort, a leasehold condominium. Ownerships at this resort are deeded as a ground lease that expires on January 31, 2054. This resort consists of 888 vacation homes: 360 two bedroom villas, 432 lockout villas, 60 three bedroom Treehouse villas, and 36 grand villas.

This deluxe resort is themed after Saratoga Springs, NY in the late 1800's. The resort is located across the lake from Downtown Disney, and offers both riverboat and bus transport for guests. This vast 65-acre lakefront resort has been built in four phases, and the final phase was recently completed- adding the unique Treehouse Villas. These villas are built upon pedestals in a wooded area along the river, creating the magical atmosphere of a luxury tree house experience! Amenities at this resort include a renowned full service spa, direct access to the Lake Buena Vista Golf Course, themed pool area and children's pool, exercise room, marina, tennis, sauna, hot tubs, restaurants, grocery, and planned activities.

View the point chart for Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort

Recent maintenance fee history for Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort:



Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas:

291 Osceola Parkway


(407) 938‐3000

Disney's next resort opened its doors in July of 2007 as the sister resort to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. Ownerships at this resort are conveyed as a deeded leasehold that expires on January 31, 2057. This resort consists of 458 vacation homes: 140 two bedroom villas, 250 lockout villas, 46 studio villas, and 22 grand villas.

The deluxe resort was designed to embrace the art and culture of Africa, combining traditional architecture and decor with views of exotic animals throughout the surrounding savannah. Guests can see antelope, giraffes, exotic birds, and other African animals in a pristine natural setting. Amenities include themed pool areas for adults and children, nature trails alongside three savannah areas, restaurants and shopping, grocery, fitness center, tennis, hot tubs, and children's activities and child care.

View the point chart for the Villas at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

Recent maintenance fee history for Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas:

2010: $4.95 per point 2009: $4.86 per point 2008: $4.71 per point 2007: $4.62 per point


Disney's Bay Lake Tower:

4600 North World Drive


(407) 824‐1000

What was Disney's most anticipated DVC resort opened its doors in August of 2009. Ownerships at this resort are conveyed as a deeded leasehold that expires on January 31, 2060. This resort consists of 295 vacation homes: 148 two bedroom villas, 133 lockout villas, and 14 grand villas.

The sister property to Disney's Contemporary Resort, this deluxe DVC destination overlooks Bay Lake and features incredible views of the Magic Kingdom! The resort connects to the Contemporary with an elevated walkway, and has direct access to Disney's famous monorail system. The villas feature full kitchens, washer/dryers, and many offer huge bay windows to provide the famous view. Amenities are shared with the Contemporary, and include the themed Bay Cove pool area, the Top of the World lounge, restaurants, grocery, tennis, a fitness center, marina, lakeside beach area, playground, and plenty of planned activities for the children!

View the point chart for Disney's Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary

Recent maintenance fee history for Disney's Bay Lake Tower:

2010: $3.78 per point 2009: $3.67 per point


The Villas at Disney's Grand Californian Resort:

1600 South Disneyland Drive

Anaheim, CA 92802

(714) 635‐2300

The very first DVC resort in California opened its doors in September of 2009. Ownerships at this resort are conveyed as a deeded leasehold that expires on January 31, 2060. This is Disney's smallest vacation club resort consisting of only 48 vacation homes: 23 two bedroom villas, 23 lockout villas, and 2 grand villas. This resort is the sister property to Disney's Grand Californian hotel.

Designed to complement the Redwood forest theme of the Grand Californian, these villas feature architecture and decor that creates the ambiance of a mid 1900's western mountain lodge- all within walking distance to the Disneyland Resort and theme parks. Amenities include several themed pool areas including the Redwood, Fountain, and Mariposa pools, the world class Mandara Spa, a state-of-the-art fitness center, restaurants, grocery, arcade, and children's activities and child care at Pinnochio's Workshop.

View the point chart for Disney's Villas at the Grand Californian

Recent maintenance fee history for Disney's Villas at the Grand Californian:

2010: $3.94 per point 2009: $3.82 per point


Disney's Aulani Villas:

Under Construction in Ko Olina, Hawaii

Disney Vacation Club has expanded into the tropical paradise of Hawaii! The newest DVC destination is scheduled to open its doors on August 29, 2011. Ownerships at this resort will be conveyed as a deeded leasehold that expires on January 31, 2061. Upon completion, this resort is expected to consist of more than 400 vacation homes, a mixture of grand villas, 2 bedroom villas, and lockout villas (which can be split into a 1 bedroom villa and a studio villa).

The designers of Aulani have worked to respect traditional Hawaiian architecture and traditions to create a unique resort experience that blends the magic of Disney with the true history and culture of Hawaii. The resort will feature an incredible volcano themed pool area, exercise facility, spa, restaurants, snorkel lagoon, stingray pool, gorgeous beach access, and much more. Plus, as always- the resort will be carefully designed to thrill children of all ages. A planned activity for kids that is creating quite a stir is the Menehune Hunt, a scavenger hunt where children solve clues to try and locate eighty small wooden statues hidden throughout the resort grounds!

View the point chart for Disney's Aulani Villas

Estimated maintenance fee for Disney's Aulani Villas:

2011: $4.31 per point


Introduction to DVC Ownership, System Rules, and Usage Strategies:

The First Rule of Timeshare is that ownership should never be considered a financial investment in real estate. Timeshare properties do not generally appreciate over time. Often, the only true gauge of a timeshare's value lies in the personal usage and enjoyment of the property.

Ownership Types: All DVC ownerships are a deeded interest in real estate, and each interest equates to a specific number of Disney Vacation Club points, which are awarded each year on the first day of the anniversary month . A percentage of ownerships at Disney's Aulani Resort are also being sold as a guaranteed fixed week and unit. For these fixed intervals at Aulani, the owner will have the right to use their deeded week and unit, or to exchange that usage week for the equivalent allotment of Disney Vacation Club points.

All Disney Vacation Club resorts have been established on either a ground lease, or as a term-for-years. This means that the timeshare ownerships have a specific expiration date, at which point the usage rights will revert back to Disney Vacation Development, Inc.

Seasons: The calendar year is divided by Disney into distinct season categories: Premier, Magic, Dream, Choice, and Adventure. The particular dates that fall within these seasons will vary depending on the resort, and some resort calendars will not include all five seasons. Some locations will have only four season designations.

These DVC season designations should not be confused with other terminology used by external usage systems such as RCI to denote demand values. For example, RCI considers Beach Club Villas to be red season usage all year long because of the traditional high exchange demand for the property- regardless of the calendar date or the specific Disney season in which a reservation will fall.

Exchange Options: There are different ways to exchange your Home Resort for another resort stay. Internal exchange for another DVC resort-. The easiest way is simply using your DVC points to make a reservation at another DVC resort. If you own multiple DVC contracts at different home resorts, your points may be combined as DVC Vacation Points for reservations made less than seven months in advance. Internal exchange for a non-DVC resort - To do this, your Home Resort Vacation Points are converted to Reservation Points, which are then used to reserve accommodations at non-DVC Resorts, except for accommodations available through the affiliated exchange company, which at this time is RCI.


Reservation Points cannot be banked, borrowed, transferred or used to reserve accommodations through RCI or another third-party exchange system. Nor can they be used to reserve accommodations at DVC Resorts. Reservation Points must be used to reserve a non-DVC resort through the Central Reservations System. These points will expire at the end of the Use Year in which they are converted. External exchange- Owners may also use a third party exchange system such as RCI, or a smaller system such as SFX Resorts.

Use Year: A Use Year is a 12-month period beginning on the first day of a month. This is also sometimes referred to as the anniversary date. Each unit in a resort has a specific use year assigned to it. All ownership interests deeded from that unit will be assigned the same use year, which is shown on the purchase agreement and on the DVC Member Card. Because the Use Year is tied to the individual ownership interest, it cannot be changed.

Reservation Windows:

Home Resort Priority Period- Owners may make reservations at their home resort up to eleven months in advance of their desired check in day by using their Home Resort Vacation Points.

Club Reservation Period- Owners may make reservations at other DVC Resorts up to seven months in advance of their desired check in date. At this point, their points are no longer considered Home Resort Vacation Points, but rather are considered to be Club Points. During this period, all DVC owners will be able to request reservations at all DVC resorts.

Special Season Reservations- Because of very high demand at DVC Resorts during certain periods, Disney may establish a Special Season Preference List to try to ensure that all owners have an equal opportunity to make reservations. Owners are added to a Special Season Preference List on a first come/first served basis- but owners cannot be on a particular list more than once at a time. For these situations, Member Services may begin contacting owners from the Preference List up to fifteen months in advance of the high demand period. It is not unusual for an owner to be on a list for more than a year, therefore additional reservation windows apply to these requests.

Home resort owners may request to be placed on a Special Season Preference List up to thirteen months prior to their desired check-in date. DVC Owners may request to be placed on a Special Season List for a resort other than their home resort up to twelve months in advance of their desired check-in date.

If you are called from the list and offered a Special Season Reservation, and you choose to decline it- your name will remain on the list for one additional year. If you decline a Special Season Reservation more than once, your name will be automatically removed from the list. If you call to have your name added again, it will be entered as a brand new request and placed at the bottom of the list. When you choose to accept a Special Season reservation, you name is removed from the list.

Member Services can tell you if a Special Season list has been established for a resort.


Fixed Week Reservations- Exclusive to the Aulani Villas in Hawaii, Disney began selling a limited number of fixed week and fixed unit ownerships. These owners have the exclusive right to their deeded week and unit each year. If they choose not to use their deeded week, they have the option of converting the usage into an equivalent number of DVC points to be used for reservations throughout the Disney Vacation Club system.

Banking and Borrowing Points:

DVC owners have the ability to move DVC points from one Use Year into an adjacent Use Year. If a member needs more points for a reservation, they may borrow points from the next succeeding Use Year to secure their desired reservation. If a member does not plan on using all of their current use year allotment, they can save these points by banking them into the next usage year.

In order to Bank points, the member must make the request during the first eight calendar months of their use year. In other words, for a member with a February anniversary- the banking request must be made by the end of September. Any or all of a members annual point allotment may be banked. Once banked, the points cannot be returned to the original use year. However, there is a strategy that is commonly used if a member has banked points and later needs additional points in the current use year. They will simply borrow the needed points from the future usage year (basically reaching into their other pocket so to speak!).

In order to Borrow points, a member must be making an immediate reservation that requires more points than are available in the current use year. A member may borrow up to 100% of their next year's point allotment. Just like with banking, once borrowed the points cannot be returned to their original use year, and if they are not used by the end of the current use year they will expire and be forfeit.

It is possible for a member to have up to three times their annual point allotment available for reservations in a single use year. This is a strategy used by members who purchase a smaller point allotment, with the intention of manipulating points so they receive their desired vacation every third year. This is also a common strategy used to take advantage of additional vacation options such as Disney Cruise Line reservations and the Disney Concierge Collection.

If you cancel a reservation that was made with banked or borrowed points, those points still remain in the current use year and will expire at the next anniversary unless used. Disney reserves the right to suspend banking and borrowing privileges if necessary to maintain the integrity of the reservation system and ensure that there is enough availability in a use year for the available points.

Cancelling a Reservation:

If a member cancels a reservation made at a DVC resort more than thirty days prior to the reservation, those points are returned to the current use year. If a reservation is cancelled thirty days or less from the expected usage date those points are still returned to the current use year, but are now classified as Holding Points. Holding Account Points can only be used to make reservation requests within a sixty day window of the desired check in date. Also, Holding points cannot be banked.


Likewise, if a member cancels a reservation made for a non DVC resort or activity (remember that these points became Reservation Points), those points are returned to the current use year with limitations on their future use. Again, Reservation Points can only be used for reservations at non DVC resorts.

Transferring Points to Another DVC Member:

A member may choose to transfer some or all of their DVC points from a use year to another Disney Vacation Club member. For this to occur, both accounts must be in good financial standing, and the points being transferred must be from the current use year. Banked or borrowed points may not be transferred. Once the transfer is complete, the recipient may choose to bank them into a future use year, or may use them for a reservation. Members can only transfer or receive points once in a use year. Therefore, just like the banking policy- points cannot be moved back and forth!

Finally, Disney's policies restrict the commercial rental of DVC points or reservations. Because of this policy, members may not receive compensation for the transfer of points from their account. The member giving points is still responsible for the applicable maintenance fees and taxes.

Maintenance Fees and Taxes:

At the beginning of each calendar year, DVC owners will receive a statement of Annual Dues for their share of the common expenses, reserves and ad valorem taxes at their Home Resort. Annual Dues are based on calendar years, not on Use Years so they are always considered to be due in January. Dues may be paid in full as a lump sum payment on or before January 15th. Due are considered to be late on February 15th, or on the check-in date if there is a reservation made for earlier in the year. Members may also choose to pay for their dues with a monthly payment plan. This option is only available as a direct debit from a US checking account. Member services can provide you with details about the monthly debit option. If a member does not maintain an account in good financial standing, Disney retains the right to restrict that members usage and may also cancel any reservations made from the account.

DVC Breakage Policy:

Disney considers the "Breakage Period" to be sixty days prior to a given use day. If a unit has not been reserved prior to the breakage period, Disney retains the right to rent that unit to non-members. Because of this, all members should attempt to make reservations as early as possible in order to receive the best chance for availability.


Contact Information for DVC Member Services: All owners reservations for DVC Resorts are taken by Member Services. Current operating hours are Sunday through Saturday, 9:00am to 5:30pm EST. Member Services is closed on holidays.

Member Services Reservation Lines:

(800) 800-9800 United States, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and parts of Canada (407) 566-3800 All Other Areas

Fax Line:

Reservation requests and member correspondence can also be faxed to Member Services.

(407) 938-4151

Email:

Reservation requests can be emailed to [email protected]

Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD):

Hearing-impaired Club Members with access to a (TDD) Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) may use the following numbers.

(800) 800-9837 United States, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and part of Canada (407) 566-3320 All Other Areas

Download - Disney Vacation Club (DVC):an overview of Disney's timeshare points system

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