The Disney Vacation Club (“DVC”) Resorts at Walt Disney World

OVERVIEW: THE DISNEY VACATION CLUB RESORTS

The Disney Vacation Club (“DVC”) Resorts at Walt Disney World are time-share resorts whose rooms can also be reserved by anyone like any other Disney World resort hotel rooms.

Moreover, the rooms at these resorts can also be gained (usually at a huge cost saving) by privately renting “points” from Disney Vacation Club members on websites like SellMyTimeshareNOW.com, a sponsor of this site. See this for how.

For most first time family visitors, the Disney Vacation Club Resorts are worth considering only under a few circumstances:

• Large families—especially those aimed at a Deluxe property—who are not willing to bet on actually getting connecting rooms. (You can request connecting rooms at WDW, but getting them is not guaranteed.) See this for more on large families. “Villas” which can sleep 8, 9 and 12 people are available.
• Families aimed at a deluxe hotel, but who can only pull it off through the cost savings of renting DVC points. See this for more on renting DVC points
• Families who for one reason or another have targeted a resort with which a DVC property is paired, find it is sold out, but can get into the DVC resort
• People who already are DVC owners

For other first-time visitors looking for deluxe lodging, the Polynesian remains the best choice.  No DVC property has the combination of kid appeal and convenience that the Polynesian presents.

See this for more on where to stay, this for more on Walt Disney World resorts ranked by kid appeal, and this for Walt Disney World resorts ranked by convenience.

THE DISNEY VACATION CLUB RESORTS

There are currently 7 DVC resorts at Walt Disney World.

DVC Resorts include five paired with regular resorts, and two standalone DVC resorts.

The paired resorts are the Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary Resort, the Animal Kingdom (Lodge) Villas, the Beach Club Villas, and the Boardwalk Villas, each paired with the regular resort of similar name, sharing services, restaurants, pools, transportation, etc., and having the same convenience and kid appeal as the regular resort.

The two stand-alone resorts are Disney’s Old Key West Resort, and Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa. The “Treehouses” are a separate section of Saratoga Springs.

Because the two sets of resorts at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and Saratoga Springs are so different, for review and ranking purposes I count a total of nine resorts.

Their overall ranking for first time family visitors is as follows (live links lead to reviews):

• The Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas–Jambo House
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas–Kidani Village
• Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Disney’s Beach Club Villas
• Disney’s Boardwalk Villas
• Disney’s Old Key West Resort
• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, main resort
• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort, Treehouse Villas area

There’s variability within these overall rankings by room type–click the reviews themselves for what’s what.

DVC RESORT ROOM OPTIONS: STUDIOS THROUGH GRAND VILLAS

All DVC resorts have three room types: Studios, One Bedroom Villas, and Two Bedroom Villas.

In addition, most DVC resorts also have a fourth room type, Grand Villas (the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge and the Beach Club Villas do not have Grand Villas).

The Treehouses section at Saratoga Springs offers a unique fifth room type, a three bedroom layout that sleeps 9.

Studio rooms sleep 4 (either in  two queens, or a queen and a couch that  folds out into a full size bed) and are similar to regular deluxe hotel rooms with  the exception of having a microwave and (usually) a little more space.  For first time family visitors they are without merit except under two circumstances:

• as a backup means of getting into a resort whose normal rooms are sold out, or
• for getting a major price break compared to the regular rooms at that resort by successfully renting points from a DVC member to pay for the room.

This material continues here.

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MORE ON WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• For where to stay, see this
  • For your next best choices, in order, see this
  • For picking your resort based on appeal to kids, see this
  • For picking your resort based on convenience, see this
  • For where not to stay, see this

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• For what you get in each resort price category, see this
  • For Walt Disney World resort price seasons, see this
  • For resort reviews, see this
  • For the value resorts, see this
  • For the moderate resorts, see this
  • For the deluxe resorts, see this
  • For suites at the deluxe resorts, see this
  • For the Disney Vacation Club (“DVC”) Resorts, see this

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• For a (geeky) overview of comparative room size, see this

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• Large families should look at this, and also at
  • Large Families Looking for Value Pricing at Walt Disney World
  • Large Families Looking for Deluxe Accommodations at Disney World
  • Beds and Sleeping Spaces at the Walt Disney World Resorts
  • Renting Disney Vacation Club Points
  • Suites at Walt Disney World

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• Military/DOD families should look at this

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• Tightwads should look at this

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• Families seeking the most comfortable place to stay should see this

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