The Nightmare Disney World Hotel Stay That Convinced Me to Buy Disney Vacation Club

Have you ever reached a breaking point during a Disney World vacation that has made you say, “Alright, next time we’re ponying up for a nicer stay”?

There’s no sugarcoating it: Not all Disney World hotels are equal. Separated into different price tiers, Disney’s Value Resorts won’t provide you with the kind of accommodations and luxury you’ll find at the Moderate and Deluxe tiers, but they will save you a pretty penny. With that said, sometimes when you go looking to save and end up compromising, you’ll find that splurging was actually the better call.

We reached out to our readers on Facebook and asked, “We’re talking Disney World hotel stays! What was the best you ever had? What about the most nightmarish?” We received well over 100 responses, but one in particular brought up an excellent point about considering a more expensive option versus staying at a Value hotel.

Reader Mitch praised the Boardwalk Villas, but added, “The worst [is] at All-Stars Sports when the Pop Warner Football and cheerleaders were there. That visit helped us decide to buy DVC.”

Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort is part of the All-Star Resort trio and a popular Value option. As such, it’s usually a hotbed of traveling youth sports programs throughout the year — especially with the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex practically across the street.

Often, you’ll spot teams competing in tournaments at Disney World staying at this hotel.

If you’re trying to avoid large crowds of highly active kids, this is probably not the place to stay — as Mitch discovered.

While staying at this All-Star hotel will save you cash, it could ultimately cause a headache. You’re not particularly close to the Disney Parks, the only free form of transportation is the bus system, your amenities are limited, and you may have to deal with loud and rambunctious crowds. If you’re looking for a more relaxing, convenient location for your vacation, this ain’t exactly your best bet.

Mitch released this and instead moved over to the Disney Vacation Club (DVC).

The DVC is the Disney version of a vacation ownership program that works sort of like a timeshare, albeit with a point system that gives owners the flexibility to travel whenever they want, as often as they want, for however long they want, and in whatever size unit they choose. This program is eligible at both Disneyland and Disney World, as well as other locations like the Aulani Resort in Hawaii. It grants you access to luxurious stays at Disney resort villas and special rooms.

You can purchase a set number of “vacation points” (when buying directly from Disney, the initial minimum is 150, and the maximum is 2,000), which are bought once and then allocated on a yearly basis until your contract ends.

You also get a “home resort,” which is the DVC resort at which you bought your vacation points. Once the minimum purchase of 150 points is complete, you may also “add on” points at any other DVC resort. However, the perk of staying at your home resort is that you can book your stays here up to 11 months ahead, as opposed to 7 months ahead for other DVC resorts.

Members also get other perks, including toll-free vacation, pool-hopping privileges at other Walt Disney World Resorts (excluding the Animal Kingdom Lodge and Stormalong Bay at the Yacht and Beach Club and Beach Club Villas) when pools are not at capacity, discounts on golf, shopping, spa treatments (at Saratoga Springs), Annual Passes, dining discounts at select restaurants (usually 10% – 20%), and discounted tickets for the water parks. Reduced room rates are also available at DVC resorts if you’re staying on a cash reservation.

Additionally, the price of your yearly vacation only changes by the increase in annual dues, which are usually much less than the yearly increase in resort room rates.

There are several other stipulations and perks that come with the membership, but let’s hone in on probably the number one question you’ve got: “How much will this cost me?”

The current price to purchase ownership in the DVC is a minimum of $235 per Point (price is based on the resort) with a 100-point minimum (unless a special offer is available). Discounts are fairly common, and points for older “sold out” properties — when inventory becomes available — are usually lower in price.

When purchasing through the Disney Vacation Club directly, financing the cost of membership is also an option, and the DVC offers fixed interest rates as low as 9.99% (10.0% APR) for a 15-year loan and up to a maximum rate of 18.0% (18.01% APR). Keep in mind that this takes into account a 10% down payment and a fixed annual rate of 15.0%.

Annual dues are paid yearly and start at $67 per month (depending on the resort you chose) but depend on which resort you chose. Closing costs start at $393, but vary depending on your Home Resort and the Vacation Points owned.

There’s also an exchange fee of $95 when booking a vacation through the Member Getaways program, the Concierge Collection, or the Disney Cruise.

But if you’re looking for a DVC experience that doesn’t tie you down monitarily for a decade-plus, keep in mind that points can sometimes be purchased through a resale agent like David’s Vacation Club Rentals for far less than the current DVC retail price.

So if you’re like Mitch and want to embrace the DVC, you can still buy points without needing to invest in ownership.

If you’re looking for a travel agent to help with your vacation, we recommend our friends at Mouse Fan Travel. They’re experts in the field with over 20 years of vacation planning experience, and they can help take a bunch of the stress out of the entire booking process for you!

Are you a DVC member, and/or have you stayed at a Value Resort? Share your experiences in the comments below and continue to follow us here at AllEars for all the latest Disney tips and updates!

Disney Vacation Club – What You Need to Know

Let us know about your best and worst Disney World hotel stays in the comments below!

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