The “Hidden” Cost to Being a Disney Vacation Club Owner

As a Disney Vacation Club member, there are certain perks we get year after year. For instance, DVC members get the chance to book their rooms on a completely separate reservation system, attend special member-only events in the parks, hang out in exclusive lounges during the park day, and more!

DVC lounge at EPCOT

I’ve already talked a little bit about how it works to become a DVC member (even after dropping thousands of dollars on your Disney World vacation), and for the most part, that’s pretty much all there is to it. But there’s a separate cost that will sneak up on you if you’re not careful, and for the DVC owners who know, it’s that time of year again!

Before we get too ahead of ourselves, let’s recap a bit. To become a Disney Vacation Club member, it’s pretty straightforward. You figure out how many “points” you would like to purchase as your annual allotment which is then used to buy your reservations for hotel stays throughout the year. If you don’t use them all, you can “bank” your points for the following years, and on the other hand, if you find yourself in need of a few extra to complete your vacations, you can also “borrow” from years in the future.

Riviera Resort Room Model

Seems pretty simple, right? So, with that, one could easily assume that once you’ve purchased your contract for points and paid your closing costs (remember, you’re buying a deeded real estate interest in a Disney hotel), that’s all the money you’ll be shelling out for your hotel stays for the next 50 years. WRONG! There’s another cost you’ll need to know about even after your contract purchase is complete.

Welcome Home, member!

Talk to any Disney Vacation Club member, and they’ll probably give you a wide array of emotions regarding annual dues. No matter how DVC members might feel about them, they’re a necessity to the program and your continuance in the membership. Annual dues (as you would guess) are paid at the beginning of each calendar year and are similar to condo or HOA association dues you might pay to your neighborhood. These dues go into a pool that Disney draws from (remember, you’re an owner, not a hotel guest anymore) to complete refurbishments to the villa rooms and general areas of the hotel. These notices are sent to each owner from the annual budget assessment documents for review based on their chosen property. I’ll include what that looked like for 2025 at Disney’s Copper Creek owners below. 2025’s annual dues hovered between $7.60 to over $14 per purchased point with DVC.

©DisneyVacationClub for Copper Creek Cabins and Villas (2024)

Where this gets sticky is sometimes owners forget about these dues until they sneak up on them in January. In order to stay in good standing with DVC, each owner must pay their part of the annual dues outlined in their contract. So, what exactly is that cost? I’m so glad you asked! That’s one of the items outlined in your contract before you purchase your points! Each hotel is unique and comes with its own purchase cost, and your annual dues are no different. Annual dues are calculated per point based on the hotel you’ve agreed to purchase as the “home” in your contract. Sometimes, these numbers can fluctuate between years, and it can be an important point to talk over with your sales guide before you purchase a particular property.

A glimpse at one of the updated rooms at the DVC Grand Floridian

Ok, I hear you — the holidays have JUST happened, and you might not have a spare chunk of change lying around to hand over so quickly into the new year. There’s another option for you, then! If the idea of handing over your annual dues to Disney Vacation Club all in one swift motion isn’t quite for you, you can also opt to have these dues paid monthly throughout the year in payments. This separate cost will go directly to your annual dues and can even be paid with your contract purchase if you’re still making payments toward your ownership. However, if you didn’t initially select this option when you purchased your membership and want to change from an annual payment to a monthly payment, you’ll want to be aware of any deadlines that DVC may impose.

Disney Vacation Club

So, there you have it. This cost to becoming a Disney Vacation Club owner — while necessary — can sneak up on you if you’re not expecting it, and I hope this will encourage you to ask about these costs in the future if you’re exploring becoming a DVC member, too!

We’re constantly sleuthing the secrets of Disney World! Be sure to stay tuned with us at AllEars for even more.