Information About Disney Vacation Club Villas and Bungalows

Studio Villas

Disney Vacation Club is now part of Disney’s Polynesian Resort Village. Moorea, Pago Pago Tokelau longhouses were converted into rooms for Disney Vacation Club Deluxe Studios. The names of the Moorea and Pago Pago went back to their original names that they were before the name change in 1999. Moorea and Pago Pago rooms opened on April 1, 2015 for the first DVC guests to stay in.

Originally Tokelau was not part of the plan to convert to DVC. There is some speculation that the addition of Tokelau is either an indication that they believe the desire to own at the Polynesian is going to be greater than they first expected.

The rooms in those 3 longhouses are some of the largest on Disney property and are the largest studios in the Disney Vacation Club collection. The rooms are 465 sq-ft. although Disney lists them at 447 sq-ft. For many years DIsney listed the rooms at the Polynesian at the wrong square footage so we took the construction plans and actually measured rooms to come up the the size I list on my site. The studios at the new Grand Floridian Villas is 374 sqft. I am told the next largest studio is at Old Key West and it is 390 sqft. They will have a much different layout than has ever been seen in a Disney Vacation Club room.

You can see in the photo the difference just in the width of the room compared to the Grand Floridian Studio when you look at the space between the Queen bed and the trundle bed when it is folded down.

Bora Bora Bungalows

There will be 20 bungalows around the shore of the Polynesian Village Resort. The information I have at this point is they will be 2 bedrooms and sleep 8. They will not be lock-offs and they will all be the same. They are aprox. 1650 sq-ft. That size includes a 300 sq-ft deck with views of the Magic Kingdom and the decks will all have plunge pools (small pools to soak in). The bungalows cost about the same for one night as a studio would cost for a week and they will not allow the room total to exceed 9 people. All Bungalows have a viw of the Castle and Seven Seas Lagoon. You can see the fireworks and the Electrical Water Pageant with nothing to block your view. The boardwalks out to the bungalows are only accessible if you have a room reservation out in a bungalow. There is one bungalow out of the 20 that was built as a Handicap Accessible room with a roll in shower and other different amenities. I was told that the bungalows closest to the Ferry docks were given added sound proofing in the construction. How well that works is debatable.

Points Chart

Cost to book

New member of the team

Here is my friend Duane Lingle telling you a little about himself.

As many of you are aware, Steve Seifert is launching this new website which will continue his historical web pages of Disney’s Polynesian resort.  For many years, he has been providing valuable information regarding this masterpiece which is located near the most famous theme park in the world, the Magic Kingdom.  I had the pleasure of meeting Steve, AKA the “Tikiman”, during a private event in August 2007.  Steve arranged a gathering called Tikifest which took place backstage in EPCOT.  Since that time, Steve and I have kept in touch over the years and have also spent some time together while vacationing at the Disney World Resort.  Tikifest allowed me, along with several other guests who attended, to celebrate my love for Disney and the Polynesian resort.

Who am I?

I am currently an elementary school teacher and also perform professionally as a musician in a corporate type band. I have been a DVC Member since July 2007. As a child, my first Disney visit was during the summer of 1968. At this time, Disneyland was the only Disney Park operating so my family had to travel from the East Coast to meet the Mouse. I clearly remember how heartbreaking it was when our vacation ended and it was time to return home.

Am I a DVC Member?

My wife and I experienced Disneyland together in August 1998. This was her first visit to a Disney Park. The Disney Bug bit us both and we have not recovered from the fever yet! We have now visited Disneyland, Disney World, and Disneyland Paris over 100 times collectively. During our earlier visits to the Disney World Resort, we noticed the DVC Kiosks in the Parks and became curious. We signed up for the tour and were cheerfully whisked away to Saratoga Springs so we could learn about “Disney’s Best Kept Secret”. Initially, we did not feel that DVC was the right choice for us so we declined. After all, it is a timeshare and we felt reluctant to involve ourselves in that type of situation. I was amazed that, after declining, we were not contacted by DVC in any manner or form to persuade us to change our minds. We continued our multiple visits to Disney and always stayed in the Deluxe Resorts. Our two favorites were the Contemporary and the Polynesian. I continued to have zero interest in becoming a DVC Member until two events opened my eyes rather quickly. At the end of 2006, I received an Annual Summary from my credit card company. They had itemized all of my purchases for the year into different categories such as food, gas, travel, etc. As a result, all of my Disney purchases were lumped together. The numbers were shocking! I came to the realization that I could join DVC and experience 50 years of magic for less money than I had spent in one year. The whole DVC idea was making a lot of sense now! The other event which caused me to reconsider DVC was the fact that I was about to become a father. My parents gave me the opportunity to enjoy Disney and I wanted to do the same for my children. I knew that my financial situation was about to change but I wanted the ability to continue visiting Disney on a regular basis. We eventually joined DVC during a Disney cruise in 2007 and have no regrets.

What is my role on Tikiman’s new website?

Over the past 6 years, I have stayed in every DVC resort at the Walt Disney World Resort. I have experienced the good and the bad of what this program has to offer. Steve feels that my knowledge of DVC Membership will be beneficial to his new website and has allowed me the opportunity to share this information with others. My goal is to write articles which give a realistic picture of what to expect as a DVC Member. There are many questions to be answered regarding DVC and it can be a bit overwhelming for newcomers. I plan to discuss DVC related topics in simple terms and help others gain a better understanding of how the program operates and what it has to offer. I will also be discussing updates, changes, and future developments which will be useful for both current and future DVC members. -Duane

DVC, is it worth the money?

by Duane Lingle

Now that we know the Polynesian will soon join the DVC Family, there are many individuals and families who have not bought into DVC in the past but are now considering taking the plunge.  The question I hear time and time again from prospective DVC Members is, “How much is this really going to cost me”?  Considering the fact that DVC membership is going to require thousands of dollars and a commitment which will last for several decades, this is a legitimate question which often goes unanswered.  Many current DVC members are not exactly sure if they are really saving money or if DVC membership is just a way to own a piece of the Magic.  There is also a large pool of DVC members who possess a genuine love and admiration for the company and they will fight you tooth and nail to defend all things “Disney” regardless of the price tag.   I have read many articles which support buying into the program and claim DVC will save you money on future vacations.  There is also a multitude of information which suggests the complete opposite.  Allow me to share my calculations of membership costs in regards to a contract I purchased in January 2008.

Which DVC resort works for me?

Although I am a DVC member who owns at Saratoga Springs, I stay in all of the DVC resorts.  Due to the fact that I am the father of two very young children, we currently prefer booking accommodations at DVC resorts which offer easy access to the Magic Kingdom or EPCOT.  Using the Disney Bus Transportation System can be somewhat inconvenient for those of us with little ones riding in baby strollers.  Considering this factor, Bay Lake Tower is presently one our most frequented DVC resorts.  I will calculate my actual room costs for a week long stay at this resort to exemplify what I paid for a Studio Villa during the summer of 2013.  My DVC points were used for this accommodation.  Shall we begin?

Let’s do the calculations!

I purchased a 200 point Saratoga Springs contract through the resale market in January 2008.  I was very fortunate and found a fully loaded contract for $60 per point.  The term fully loaded simply means that the contract had all 200 points available from the previous use year 2007, the current use year 2008, and the upcoming use year 2009.  Contracts of this nature are not easy to find and can require a lot of time and patience when considering a purchase in the resale market.  I am going to use this contract to calculate my actual costs for a stay at Bay Lake Tower during the summer of 2013.  During this vacation, my family visited the Walt Disney World resort for 7 nights in a Lake View Studio Villa.

To begin my analysis, I compute the total cost of my 200 point contract.  I paid $60 a point for 200 points which comes to $12,000.  I did not finance this contract so there are no interest fees to include in this calculation.  I do need to include the $450 closing fee I paid which now brings my purchase price grand total to $12,450.

Next, I need to calculate the number of points I have available until my contract expires in the year 2054.  I will receive 200 points per year plus the 200 points from the previous year since I purchased a loaded contract.  Simply stated, I had 9400 points in the year 2008 to use before my contract expiration date.  To determine my “buy in” cost per point, I divide $12,450 total buy in cost by 9,400 remaining points which averages out to be a “buy in” of $1.32 per point.  During the year 2013, the maintenance fees at Saratoga Springs resort were $4.81 a point.  I now add “buy in” cost per point to the current maintenance fees  to get my grand total cost per point which is $6.13.

My final step to this analysis is to multiply my $6.13 grand total cost per point by the amount of points required for my Lake View Studio Villa.  The entire week required 153 points total.  I now multiply $6.13 times 153  and determine my actual cost for this room was $937.89. 

If I would not have used my DVC points for this reservation, I would have paid a rack rate of $3992.66 for the entire week.  I actually paid $937.89 for the 7 night stay.   The rack rate for this room was $570.38 a night including tax but I was paying an average of $133.98 per night.  How much did my DVC membership save me for this vacation at Bay Lake Tower?  Subtract my actual cost from the rack rate and the difference is $3054.77.  I would say that is a substantial savings.

Below is a mathematical formula which will allow you to calculate your actual room cost regardless of what you paid for your DVC membership.  I’ve included my actual numbers.

Total Buy In Cost   DIVIDED BY   Total Remaining Contract Points   =   Buy In Cost Per Point
$12,450 DIVIDED BY 9,400 = $1.32

Buy In Cost Per Point   PLUS  Current  Maintenance Fees   =   Grand Total Cost Per Point
$1.32 + $4.81 = $6.13

Grand Total Cost Per Point   TIMES   Points Required For Accommodations   =   Your Actual Room Cost
$6.13 X 153 = $937.89

Let me be certain to explain that the resale contract I purchased in 2008 was a rare find.  Most buyers do not find fully loaded contracts at that price.  As a comparison, I decided to use the same formula above to calculate actual room cost for a member who purchased a 200 point contract at Bay Lake Tower in 2009 for $104 per point.  This would be a purchase made directly through Disney with no closing costs, or financing.  I was pleasantly surprised by the savings which could still be achieved even by paying premium rates with a direct purchase.  In short, a member who purchased direct in 2009 also saved a considerable amount of money versus the rack rate.  In fact, they would only pay a total of $68.85 more for the same room during an entire week.  Since the Bay Lake contracts have 6 more years than my Saratoga Springs contract, I would consider this a fair trade.  I have modeled this scenario below.

Total Buy In Cost   DIVIDED BY   Total Remaining Contract Points   =   Buy In Cost Per Point
$20,800 DIVIDED BY 10,000 =  $2.08

Buy In Cost Per Point   PLUS  Current  Maintenance Fees   =   Grand Total Cost Per Point
$2.08 + $4.50 = $6.58

Grand Total Cost Per Point   TIMES   Points Required For Accommodations   =   Your Actual Room Cost
$6.58 X 153 =   $1006.74

Will I experience similar savings by purchasing at the Polynesian Villas?

At this point, we do not know the price per point DVC will charge for the upcoming contracts at the Polynesian.  In addition, we also do not know what the points charts will be for each type of Villa or maintenance fees.  As a result, we cannot currently calculate what type of savings, if any, a member will experience if they become a DVC member at the Polynesian.  Any type of statement at this time would be pure speculation.

I think I will save money. Should I purchase DVC?

There are many factors involved when purchasing a DVC membership.  Purchasing direct through Disney, buying a resale contract, financing, maintenance fees,  and remaining contract points all greatly affect the total buy in cost and/or the value of your contract.  When you choose to travel will also determine how many days your DVC points will allow you to visit.  Nightly point requirements are higher during certain seasons of the year.  Maintenance fees will also continue to increase in the future but so will the rack rate for rooms.  As the years progress, DVC members stand a good chance of experiencing about the same percentage discounts compared to the present rack rates.  The rule of thumb is to take your time and not rush into a purchase until you have considered all factors. My personal scenario listed in the previous paragraph is definitely one of the better cases to calculate actual room cost as a DVC member.  Other DVC contracts may not offer quite the savings.  I recommend using the formula above to match your situation and travel preferences to predict what type of gains or losses you may encounter as a member.Many Park guests are lured into the DVC idea while experiencing a fabulous vacation and having the time of their lives.  In a sense, it is a way for them to continue the Magic for several more decades. If you plan to use your points for destinations other than the DVC resorts, you will get very little bang for your buck and may want to reconsider.   DVC members will acquire much more value from their contracts by using points for accommodations only at DVC resorts.   -Duane

Disney Vacation Club- What sort of benefits will I receive as a member?

by Duane Lingle

As a DVC Member, you will be able to book accommodations for a period of 50 years after the opening date of your home resort.  Regardless of when a member buys into a DVC resort, all contracts expire 50 years after that particular resort’s opening date.  Members currently have the ability to book their Home resort up to 11 months prior to arrival date and up to 7 months in advance when staying at a non-home DVC resort.  There are additional benefits that come along with membership which may enhance your vacation experience.  These extra benefits are referred to as “Member Perks” and are constantly changing year by year.  Prospective members should not buy into the DVC program expecting to receive these Perks because they are not guaranteed and can be removed at any time.  Members currently may take advantage of Perks in the areas of dining, recreation, accommodations, park tickets, tours, and much more.  I have been a DVC member for almost 7 years and have enjoyed several of the Perks which membership has allowed.  Not only have these Perks made my trips more enjoyable, they have saved me a considerable amount of money.  Below, I will outline some of the benefits I have personally experienced over the past few years.

We all pay admission!

Since DVC members have the power to secure “on property” accommodations at the Disney World resort and Disneyland, there is no doubt that Park visits will be taking place.  Not only will members be visiting the Parks, they will most likely be doing it multiple times per year.  Simply stated, tickets will be required so entrance can be granted.  I have been purchasing the standard Annual Pass at Disney World over the past few years and have received about $100 off each ticket compared to the regular admission price.  Depending on the number of people in your immediate family, this can quickly add up to a substantial savings.  DVC just announced new ticket discounts which will be available for members to purchase from February 6 to April 30 in the year 2014.  During this timeframe there will be 3 options to choose from when purchasing a discounted DVC Annual Pass:

• Disney World Premium Annual Pass- DVC price $484 (**$245 savings**)- AWESOME DEAL!
• Disneyland Deluxe Annual Pass- DVC price $429 ($70 savings)
• Premier Annual Passport- DVC price $849 ($130 savings)

We need groceries in our room…

I can still clearly remember my vacations to the Walt Disney World resort before my wife and I had children.  We could quickly stop by the gift shop in the hotel to pick up a few necessary items such as chips, beer, and soda.  We were on vacation so what else could we possibly need for a weeklong visit?

Now that we have two rug rats tagging along with us, the items available in the gift shop do not even come close to meeting our grocery needs for the trip.  DVC currently offers a grocery service which allows members to order groceries before their vacation begins and DVC will deliver them to your room before you arrive.  They will even place perishable items in your refrigerator.  This service is not free but the magic of walking into a hotel room stocked with all your requested groceries is very convenient.  There are other grocery delivery services available aside from DVC but they will not place the items in your room before you arrive.  Typically, these delivery companies leave the grocery order with Bell Services instead.

We are at the airport, let’s go to the hotel now.

Many DVC members travel to the Walt Disney World resort by airplane and choose the Orlando airport (MCO) as their arrival destination.  DVC currently offers complimentary transportation on Disney’s Magical Express to all members securing accommodations with their points. This transportation is offered, on your arrival and departure date, to all guests registered in your room.  The Magical Express service is provided round the clock and is available seven days a week.  When returning home, passengers for the Magical Express transportation will be picked up at their resort 3 hours prior to Domestic flight departure time and 4 hours prior to International flight departure time.  The Magical Express service is very convenient for guests visiting the Walt Disney World resort but additional arrangements will be needed for transportation if visiting Universal Studios, Sea World, or any other Orlando destinations off Disney property.  One goal of the Magical Express system is to keep you on Disney property so Mickey can exclusively get your vacation dollars!

I’m going to the Park and I’m going to get hungry!

Several years ago, Disney introduced the Dining Plan.  It was originally offered only to guests who purchased a vacation package and were staying on property at a Walt Disney World owned resort.   This plan was a spectacular savings in the beginning but has incurred some changes over the years.  The plan does not offer quite the value and savings now as in the past but it does still allow families to save money.   The Disney Dining Plan is simply a way to prepay your meals before your vacation begins.   When used strategically, it will allow you a discount when dining on property.  DVC members can currently purchase the Disney Dining Plan when staying on property at a Walt Disney World owned resort.

Please wash those smelly clothes.

Anyone who has visited a Disney Theme Park is aware that the weather is usually hot and you are going to sweat while being outdoors for hours.  Nobody wants to waste their time or money going to a laundromat while enjoying a vacation.  DVC members enjoy the amenity of laundry machines.  Members staying in a 1-bedroom unit, 2-bedroom unit, or Grand Villa type accommodation have a washer and dryer in their room.  If staying in a Studio type room, each DVC resort has a laundry room onsite which allows members to use washers and dryers free of charge.  Having cost free access to laundry machines can greatly reduce the amount of clothing needed for a vacation. 

What else can I get?

In addition to the ones listed above, DVC currently offers many more Perks to its members. I would have to write an article much longer than this to discuss all of them. Some of the most popular Perks not mentioned include pool hopping, access to the Top of the World Lounge which is the bar located on the roof top of Disney’s Bay Lake Tower, free parking, and complimentary use of fitness centers. Members also currently enjoy 10%-20% discounts on tours, dining, spa services, cash room accommodations, and merchandise. Although these Perks are very appealing, they are not a promise and DVC can eliminate these benefits without notice. My personal opinion is that many Perks will be available as long as new DVC properties are being developed.They are a great incentive for those considering a DVC purchase. Current and future DVC members should not expect these Perks to continue indefinitely.     -Duane