Category: Buying DVC

Direct DVC Sales Update

Direct DVC Sales for Walt Disney World resorts reach highest level in 4 years

Direct DVC Sales for Disney Vacation Clubs’s Walt Disney World resorts reached 244K points in April – the highest level in 4 years.  Disney Vacation Club’s newest resort, Copper Creek Villas and Cabins, which went on sale in April, contributed to the results.  The prior high for monthly sales was 227K points in March 2015, the first full month of sales for the Polynesian Villas and Bungalows.

Direct DVC Sales July 2017
Direct DVC Sales through July 2017 (click for larger image)  Total includes Aulani, Hilton Head, and Vero Beach resorts through March 2017.

Copper Creek Villas and Cabins Sales

Copper Creek Villas and Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Disney Vacation Club’s 14th resort, began pre-sales to existing members on March 8, and began sales to new members on April 8.  Copper Creek Villas and Cabins sales for April, which include pre-sales for March, totaled 51,675 points.  Sales for the first four months of sales of Copper Creek Villas and Cabins totaled 172,466 points – 30% of Polynesian Villas and Bungalows Sales for the same period.

 Apr-17May-17Jun-17Jul-17Total
CCV51,67534,26940,96945,553172,466
PVB167,904150,335138,581107,734564,554
Other WDW Resorts24,17531,25326,32424,822106,574
WDW Resorts Total243,754215,857205,874178,109843,594

Comparable Sales

Although Walt Disney World resort sales decreased the past 4 months sequentially, comparable sales from the same period last year are up the past 4 months. Sales in July are up 32% from the same period last year.

Direct DVC Comparable Sales July 2017
Direct DVC Comparable Sales through July 2017 (click for larger image).  Total includes Aulani, Hilton Head, and Vero Beach resorts through March 2017.

These charts are based on data gathered by @wdrl2 (Wil) and @hakunamatata (Dan), who have graciously provided the data to DVCinfo.

Please join the discussion on our forums and tell us what you think!

DVC announces new benefit restrictions to resales buyers

New Resale Restrictions
New Resale Restrictions

In an announcement today, Ken Potrock announced new restrictions to benefits available to resale purchasers after today – including discounts on dining, shopping, annual passes, and access to member-exclusive events. In a letter to DVC members, he states:

Dear Disney Vacation Club Member,

Our goal at Disney Vacation Club has always been to create magical experiences for you and your families – experiences you simply can’t find anywhere else but Disney.

As our Member community continues to grow, we want to make sure we can continue to deliver the Membership Extras that add value to your overall experience – offerings that are provided as a premium advantage to our Members who purchase directly from Disney Vacation Club.

With that in mind, please be aware of a policy change regarding the availability of Membership Extras to our membership. As previously communicated (effective March 21, 2011), Getaways included within the Disney Collection (e.g., Disney Cruise Line and Adventures by Disney) and the Concierge Collection, which are now part of Membership Extras, have not been available for ownership interests not purchased directly from Disney Vacation Club. Now, effective April 4, 2016, Members who do not purchase their ownership interest directly from Disney Vacation Club will not have access to other Membership Extras, such as exclusive Member experiences and discounts. Please know that as a current Disney Vacation Club Member (regardless of when or where you bought your membership), your access to Disney Differences and these additional Membership Extras will not be affected by this policy change. For more details about our Membership Extras program, please refer to our Membership Extras Acknowledgment and Disclosure Statement available online at disneyvacationclub.com.

We see this policy change as a very positive step to ensure that, going forward, our Members who purchase directly from Disney Vacation Club receive a premium advantage – in addition to all the magic that Disney has to offer.

Speaking of membership advantages, you’ve probably heard about the exciting Membership Extras introduced as part of the Disney Vacation Club 25th Anniversary. With this celebration, we’ve created unprecedented and exclusive Disney experiences for you and your family. In fact, just weeks ago, nearly 16,000 of you were able to enjoy the Disney Vacation Club 25 and Beyond Bash at Magic Kingdom Park. Meanwhile, more than 10,000 Members have entered our Disney Vacation Club Silver Anniversary Sweepstakes, and thousands of you have booked the Member Cruise sailing from New York later this year.

In the coming months we’ll be bringing you even more spectacular Membership Extras as part of the anniversary, from exclusive merchandise and one-of-a-kind events (including exciting plans for the West Coast) to an all-new Member Lounge opening later this spring in the Imagination! Pavilion at Epcot. And there’s so much more Disney Vacation Club fun on the horizon!

Thank you, as always, for being part of the Disney Vacation Club family – a family we are proud to serve. We look forward to welcoming you home again soon!

Sincerely,

Ken Potrock
Senior Vice President & General Manager Disney Vacation Club & Adventures by Disney

Copy of the letter: DISNEYVACATIONCLUB_414860FINAL

New Membership Extras document: MEADSFinal

The loss of benefits applies to any resale purchase closing after April 3, 2016. As of April 7, DVC now says that anyone with a contract that was received by Disney Vacation Club by the end of the day on April 3, will be grandfathered in to have the same access to Membership Extras that are available to others who have purchased DVC memberships from sources other than Disney since March 21, 2011.

Join the discussion of this change in our discussion forum.

DVC Price Increases – Feb 2016

On February 16, 2016, Nick Cotton of DVC Resale Market published a blog post that Disney was raising prices on most of its DVC resorts, with the increases expected February 19.

The price increases are summarized below.

Resort Old Price New Price Increase
Animal Kingdom Villas $155 $160 $5
Aulani $168 $168 No change
Bay Lake Tower $170 $180 $10
Beach Club Villas $155 $160 $5
Boardwalk Villas $155 $160 $5
Old Key West $135 $140 $5
Polynesian $168 $168 No change
Saratoga Springs $135 $140 $5
Villas at the Grand Californian $170 $180 $10
Villas at the Grand Floridian $170 $180 $10
Villas at the Wilderness Lodge $155 $160 $5
Vero Beach $110 $110 No Change
Hilton Head Island $110 $110 No Change

Deciding whether or not to buy DVC

Go to any discussion forum or social networking site where the question of whether or not it’s a good idea to become a Disney Vacation Club member comes up, and chances are you’ll find people on both ends of the spectrum.

While you will hear from people who have rationally considered DVC and made the right decision based upon their specific situation, you’ll also hear others expressing extreme, polarizing opinions.

Some people bluntly state that DVC is wrong for everyone, and buying DVC is just plain stupid. Others say DVC is great for everyone. I see a lot of passion (and unfortunately ignorance) in these discussions, which typically turn into debates when people from both ends of the spectrum debate the question of DVC.

Obviously, DVC is not for everyone. Nor is becoming a DVC member a bad decision for everyone. Like many other things, the right answer to the question of whether or not someone should become a DVC member is “it depends” (I’ve covered some of my thoughts here.)

Since DVC is a major purchase, some people spend a lot of time thinking about the pros and cons, while others view it as a luxury purchase, have the cash and buy it because they want it.

One of the things you hear a DVC member say is: “I wish I would have joined sooner”. While some folks immediately join the Disney Vacation Club and become members, others need to think it over before purchasing. In fact, some give considerable time to working through the pros and cons of buying DVC. Their thought process may take hours, days or even months.

Some people never get over potential concerns or worries they have, and decline the opportunity to become DVC members. Others finally get comfortable with the program and move forward with a decision to buy in.

I thought this thread would be a good place to discuss what your concerns were before you joined. What were your concerns, and how long did these reservations about becoming a DVC member delay you signing on the dotted line? Why did you decide DVC was right for your family? For others who are right now facing the same decision of whether to join or not, how did you overcome your concerns?

If you are a prospective member who is considering DVC, what are your big questions? How are you working through the decision-making process?

Join in the discussion on our DVC discussion forum.

DVC Contract Foreclosure Sales

On the heels of an article by Wil Lovato on the sale of DVC deeds at public foreclosure auctions comes this morning’s article in the Orlando Sentinel.

Disney Vacation Club foreclosures attract interest

Hundreds of Disney Vacation Club contracts go to foreclosure sales each year.

December 28, 2015 | Orlando Sentinel | Sandra Pedicini

Disney advertises ownership in its time-share resorts as “vacations you never outgrow.” If the vacations outgrow their owners’ bank accounts, though, the properties can end up in foreclosure.

Orange County’s foreclosure auctions each year include hundreds of Disney Vacation Club deeds, as owners walk away from or can’t pay their loans or annual assessments. Disney often ends up getting the contracts back, but a small group of entrepreneurs wins some of them.

Foreclosures are not uncommon in the time share world. The default rate for time-share loans last year was 6.3 percent, according to the American Resort Development Association, an industry trade group. Disney did not provide its default rate but says it is “significantly less,” and that the number of annual auctions makes up only about half of 1 percent of its membership of more than 200,000.

Still, that there is any significant number of foreclosures surprises some in the industry because Disney time shares are known for their high resale value.

“I’m shocked and surprised,” said Chris Skeldon, vice president of sales for Fidelity Real Estate, which resells time shares from companies including Disney Vacation Club. “I think virtually anyone who’s in foreclosure with a Disney property, the vast majority of them have options they may not know about.”

Read the complete article at orlandosentinel.com