What is a Disney Timeshare and is it Worth Buying?

The Disney timeshare brand revolutionized vacation ownership as we know it today, offering flexible points-based ownership, special perks and discounts, and beautiful resort properties around the country.

What is a Disney Timeshare? Known as Disney Vacation Club, or DVC for short, Disney timeshares allow Disney lovers and families the ability to own a piece of their favorite resort with priority access to make reservations.

The first Disney Vacation Club property opened its doors in 1991 and has since massively grown with fifteen resorts across the United States. To become a member of the Disney Vacation Club, you can purchase DVC points while on a timeshare presentation or the DVC resale market.

There are fifteen Disney timeshare resorts within the United States, eleven on Walt Disney World property in Orlando. When you buy a Disney timeshare, you select one of the resorts as your “Home resort,” which is the property where your ownership deed is.

How Disney Timeshare Works Disney Vacation Club works by offering points-based ownership, meaning owners receive an annual allotment of points that they can spend like vacation currency. When you purchase a DVC timeshare, your contract indicates how many points you receive every year.

What is a DVC Use Year? Every owner is assigned a “Use Year” when purchasing their DVC points. Despite what you may think, DVC Use Year refers to a month, not a year. Your Use Year (UY) is the month in which you receive your annual allotment of points.

Not every resort offers the same Use Year contracts, but no Use Year is better than the other. Ideally, you’ll want to choose a Use Year that coincides with when you usually travel. Also, it’s best to travel as soon as possible once you enter your Use Year. That is because if you cancel your reservation within 30 days of check-in, your points will go into a holding account.

Disney timeshare owners can make reservations up to 11 months before check-in at their Home resort. That’s why taking the time to choose your Home resort is so important! Often, Disney properties sell out fairly quickly, especially during the holiday seasons or spring.

DVC Contract Expiration Dates Some may see this as a drawback, but all DVC contracts have an expiration. Every owner that owns points at the BoardWalk resort, for example, will have an expiration date of 1/31/2042. Despite what you may think, it’s not because DVC sells right-to-use (RTU) timeshares. Disney Vacation Club leases land for each resort property from Disney Vacation Development, Inc.

If you decide that a Disney timeshare is worth it, you can buy DVC points directly from Disney Vacation Club. At every DVC property, there is usually a desk or kiosk in the main lobby where you can inquire about membership and sign up for a tour.

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