Disney Vacation Club
 | |
| Disney Vacation Club | |
| Subsidiary corporation | |
| Industry | Hospitality, tourism |
| Founded | December 20, 1991 (in Bay Lake, Florida) |
| Headquarters | Celebration, Florida |
Key people |
|
| Products | Timeshare |
| Parent |
|
| Website |
Official website  |
The Disney Vacation Club (DVC) is a vacation timeshare program owned and operated by Disney Vacation Development, Inc., a subsidiary of Disney Signature Experiences, a division of Walt Disney Parks, Experiences and Consumer Products, a segment of The Walt Disney Company. It allows buying real estate interest in a DVC resort.
History
The first Disney Vacation Club property, known as the Disney Vacation Club Resort (later renamed Disney's Old Key West Resort in January, 1996), opened on December 20, 1991 at Walt Disney World. [1] In 1991, Disney had registered its time share plan with the state of Hawaii but did not establish an escrow agreement with Hawaii at the time of its creation. This allowed Disney to advertise its time share company in the state but did not allow for sales.[2] On January 17, 1992, Disney Vacation Club was incorporated as Disney Vacation Development, Inc.[3]
On March 30, 1993 Disney Vacation Development Inc announced plans for a 440-unit time-share resort 95 miles south-east of Walt Disney World in Florida[4] with ground breaking on July 28, 1994. This resort hotel, today known as Disney's Vero Beach Resort, opened on October 1, 1995, as the Vacation Club Resort at Vero Beach, Florida.[5] Disney would then open Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort just five months later on March 1, 1996 in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.[6]
Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas opened its first phase in 2007 at $17,000 for a membership. By September 17, 2008, Disney Vacation Development had two new time share properties being built, Bay Lake Tower and Treehouse Villas in Orlando at existing Disney park hotels and both were to open in 2009. Bay Tower was expect for its timeshares to open at $18,000.[7]
On October 3, 2007, Disney announced it would open its latest Disney Vacation Club resort on 21 acres it had purchased in Ko Olina Resort, Honolulu/Oahu, with building slated to begin in 2008 with completion in 2011. The resort would offer both DVC units as well as standard hotel rooms for guests of the resort. With the announcement, DVC filed its remaining paperwork to allow its timeshare units to be sold in Hawaii. Three top executives were fired for selling 460 Ko Olina timeshare units for what were deemed unprofitable prices. The Hawaii resort opened as Aulani on August 28, 2011.[8]
In early 2011 it was reported that Disney had purchased land near National Harbor, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C., to potentially build a resort similar to the three Disney Vacation Club resorts not located at Walt Disney World. In late November 2011, however, Disney announced that it had canceled plans to build a 500-room resort hotel at National Harbor.[9]
In 2011, the company announced that it would no longer allow secondary market DVC points purchasers to use their points on Disney Cruise Line, Adventures by Disney or the Concierge Collection luxury hotel group. In April 2016, Disney Vacation Development also ended the extension of Membership Extras benefits to those who purchase DVC contracts through secondary markets.[10] Disney was one of the last major timeshare companies to eliminate these benefits according to the American Resort Development Association.[11]
Starting in mid-2015, DVC began using a nonjudicial foreclosure process forcing auction bidders to be present instead of allowing online bid submissions with the Orange County Clerk of Court's office.[12] In May 2016 DVC approved Vacatia for DVC resales. This would be in addition to such sales through Fidelity Resales. In May 2016, DVC announced that its new property at Disney's Wilderness Lodge would be called Copper Creek Villas & Cabins.[13]
A brisk aftermarket with a perceived high resale value exists for the Disney timeshare memberships. In May 2016, Sharket time-share market research company issued a 2015 resale value list (having a score based on resale volume and prices) which saw memberships in Disney Vacation Club locations crowded out the competitors. Saratoga Springs, Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary and Animal Kingdom Villas were the company's timeshares near the top of the list.[11]
Membership
To be a DVC member, one must purchase a one-time real estate interest in one of the Disney Vacation Club Resorts, and thereafter pay annual dues. All memberships are sold as either a ground lease or a term-for-years. Their timeshare may not be sold in Nebraska.[2] Disney includes a right of first refusal clause in their membership contracts and uses a nonjudicial foreclosure process. The company has only two approved resale companies, Fidelity Resales and Vacatia.[11] Disney also provides time-share loans for the purchaser.[12]
Locations
  Aulani Locations of Disney timeshares |
 Hilton Head Resort Vero Beach Disney World Grand Californian Villas Locations of Disney timeshares |
| Property | Co-located | Location | Units | Opened | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Villas at | Grand Californian Hotel | Disneyland Resort | 71 | September 2009 | [7] |
| Bay Lake Tower | Contemporary Resort | Walt Disney World Resort | 300 | August 4, 2009 | [7] |
| Animal Kingdom Villas | Animal Kingdom Lodge | 708 | 2007 | [7] | |
| Beach Club Villas | Beach Club Resort | 282 | July 1, 2002 | ||
| BoardWalk Villas | Boardwalk Resort | 530 | July 1, 1996 | ||
| Polynesian Villas & Bungalows | Polynesian Village Resort | 380 | April 1, 2015 | ||
| The Villas at | Grand Floridian Resort & Spa | 147 | October 23, 2013 | ||
| Boulder Ridge Villas | Wilderness Lodge | 181 | November 15, 2000 | [13][14] | |
| Copper Creek Villas and Cabins | 185 | July 17, 2017 | [14] | ||
| Old Key West Resort (formerly Disney Vacation Club Resort) |
stand alone | 761 | December 20, 1991 | [1] | |
| Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa | 888 | May 17, 2004 | [7] | ||
| Riviera Resort | 300 | pending fall 2019 | [15] | ||
| Vero Beach Resort | Vero Beach, Florida | 211 | October 1, 1995 | [5] | |
| Hilton Head Island Resort | Hilton Head Island, South Carolina | March 1, 1996 | [6] | ||
| Aulani | Ko Olina, Hawaii | Oahu, Hawaii | 460 | August 28, 2011 | [8] |
See also
References
- 1 2 Polsson, Ken. "Chronology of Walt Disney World (1990-1994)". Chronology of the Walt Disney Company. Ken Polsson. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- The Disney Magazine, Spring 1996, Volume 31, Number 2. Page 18.
- Disney A to Z – The Updated Official Encyclopedia, by Dave Smith, 1998. Page 584.
- 1 2 Allison Schaefers (October 6, 2007). "Disney's travel club cannot sell in Hawaii: A resort on Oahu is set, but the firm needs an OK to offer time shares". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved December 3, 2010.
- ↑ "Business Entity Detail: Disney Vacation Development, Inc. (search on name or Entity Number: C1701937)". California Business Search. California Secretary of State. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
- ↑ Polsson, Ken. "Chronology of Walt Disney Company (Early 1993)". Chronology of the Walt Disney Company. Ken Polsson. Retrieved September 18, 2015. The New York Times, March 31, 1993. Page D4.
- 1 2 Smith, Dave (1998). "Vacation Club Resort, Vero Beach, Florida". Disney A to Z – The Updated Official Encyclopedia. p. 584. Retrieved September 24, 2015 – via Chronology of Walt Disney Company (End of 1994).
- 1 2 Vacation Club Resort, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Page 584. Disney A to Z – The Updated Official Encyclopedia, by Dave Smith, 1998. Via Chronology of Walt Disney Company (1996 January-June).
- 1 2 3 4 5 Jason Garcia (September 16, 2008). "Disney's time-share kingdom grows". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on September 19, 2008. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
- 1 2 Kain, Matthew (October 12, 2011). "Disney's Hawaiʻi-themed resort awakens local hopes and dreams". Honolulu Weekly. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
- ↑ Heath, Thomas (November 25, 2011). "In a blow to Prince George's, Disney backs out of National Harbor". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
- ↑ Pedicini, Sandra (April 4, 2016). "Disney Vacation Club eliminates perks for resale buyers". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
- 1 2 3 Pedicini, Sandra (June 2, 2016). "Disney time shares fuel a robust resale market". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
- 1 2 Pedicini, Sandra (January 18, 2016). "Disney begins bypassing courts with time-share foreclosures". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
- 1 2 Pedicini, Sandra (May 22, 2016). "DVC approves Vacatia, names its newest project". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
- 1 2 Bevil, Dewayne (June 26, 2017). "First look: Disney Vacation Club's Copper Creek". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
- ↑ Kubersky, Seth (July 15, 2017). "DVC Disney Riviera Resort and Skyliner gondola transportation announced for Walt Disney World". Attractions Magazine. Retrieved April 5, 2018.