5 Things You Need to Know Before You Stay at a Disney Vacation Club Resort

Whether you are thinking of investing in a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) purchase or renting DVC points, there are a few things you should know BEFORE you stay at a DVC Resort.

©Disney

Housekeeping, parking fees, and more can be DIFFERENT at a DVC resort. So here are the five things you should know about staying in a DVC resort!

You Will Have Limited Housekeeping

Housekeeping is different using Disney Vacation Club points than when you pay cash for a standard/normal Disney resort room.

Trash & Towel Service

Typical Disney World hotel guests currently get “light cleaning service” every other day, though some hotels have swapped back to more full-service offerings or are doing things differently.

If you booked your stay at a DVC Resort (or in a DVC room) as a cash guest (just as you would book any other Disney World hotel) then you’ll also get that light housekeeping every other day.

Cleaning information

But DVC members using their Membership to stay, or those who are staying through another DVC membership, will only get trash and towel service on the 4th day. That includes removal of trash and towels, replenishment of towels and other amenities, as well as cleaning of vanity, surfaces, and vacuuming (as needed).

Full Cleaning Service

For stays over eight nights, Full-Cleaning Service is generally provided on the 4th day of your visit, and a Trash & Towel service (more light-service-style cleaning) is provided on the eighth day.

With Full-Cleaning service, Housekeeping will provide everything included with the Trash & Towel Service, plus: change the bed linens, vacuum and dust, clean the bathroom(s), clean the kitchen/kitchenette and wash the dishes.

Disney Vacation Club

Keep in mind that these are the general policies but different hotels can sometimes operate under different rules and rules can change.

You Might Save on the Parking Fee at the Resort

Disney Vacation Club Members will not be charged for standard overnight self-parking when staying in a Disney World Resort using their DVC Membership. This could include a stay at a DVC villa that was booked with vacation points, or a standard room that was booked with reservation points.

Additionally, DVC members don’t have to pay for standard overnight self-parking if they stay at a Deluxe Villa when paying cash.

Old Key West Resort Hotel

But Disney notes that standard Disney World Resort hotel stays (non-villa) where the individual is paying cash will result in an overnight guest parking fee being charged.

Click HERE for current pricing and other parking-related information.

You May Have Access to DVC Exclusive or Designated Areas and Locations

Some of the DVC resorts have DVC exclusive areas and locations. These include:

Top of the World Lounge
  • Moonlight Magic events, which provide DVC members with access to select Disney Parks (and even water parks) after they close on select nights. During the events, there are special character sightings, entertainment, and treats.
Moonlight Magic Popcorn Bucket
  • Most of the DVC resorts have pools dedicated to DVC guests; however, these pools are not exclusive to DVC members.

Click here to see what Moonlight Magic is like!

You Can Cook Your Own Meals

Depending on the size of the room you book you will have some sort of kitchen facilities — from a kitchenette in the studio villas (these will generally have a microwave and no oven) to a full kitchen (oven, microwave, refrigerator, dishwasher) in 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom villas.

A full kitchen.

The shops in the resorts have a limited supply of basic grocery items (they are expensive!) so if you do plan on doing some of your own cooking it may be easier on your budget to stop, taxi, or take an Uber/Lyft to a Publix (Florida’s grocery store chain) and pick up the groceries you will want during your vacation. You can also have groceries delivered to your hotel!

Click here to learn about getting your groceries in Disney World

Your Room Will Be 100% Pre-Paid by the Time you Arrive

Whether you are a DVC member or are renting points, you generally will have pre-paid for your room before your arrival – one less thing to think about during your trip. Typically, when you stay and pay “cash” at a Disney resort, you pay a deposit and when you arrive the remainder of your room fee is charged. If you are renting DVC points or are a DVC member using points, you will have essentially already taken care of that!

Don’t you just want to jump on that bed?!

That’s the list of five things we would be sure to tell people before renting DVC points or investing in DVC. What tips would you share? Let us know in the comments below!

To read more about renting Disney Vacation Club points, click here to visit our “Renting DVC Points” page or click here to see our guide to renting points. To learn about buying a Disney Vacation Club resale, click here to read our “Introduction to DVC Resales” page. And stay tuned for more Disney news!

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What about staying in a DVC Resort surprised you the most? Tell us in the comments!

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Sarah has built a career in communications and marketing that started when she was the editor of her high school newspaper. She has written for AllEars.net since 2018, and enjoys sharing Disney news and updates with the AllEars community. She's been a Disney fan ever since her first visit to Walt Disney World when she was 5, and has been known to arrange trips around visiting a Disney park!

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2 Replies to “5 Things You Need to Know Before You Stay at a Disney Vacation Club Resort”

  1. “Cook your own meals”: Versus going off property, Garden Grocer will deliver to the resort, Disney will keep the cold stuff refrigerated, and deliver to your room. We have used them for years, and Disney staff does a great job getting it to your room.