Everything You Need to Know About Disney's Timeshare Program

DVC launched in 1991 with a points-based system (instead of the traditional "you get this week, in this space, every year" approach), and today it has more than 220,000 member families from about 100 countries. What's cool is that you're never locked into a specific resort, length of stay, accommodation type, or time of year, so you can always work your trip around your budget — and life.

So how much does it cost? The starting price to become a DVC member is $18,200. That's not an annual cost — it's a one-time fee for your "timeshare," and it entitles you to up to 50 years of DVC membership. (For context, the average sales price for a one-week timeshare in the US is $20,040, according to the American Resort Development Association.) With Disney, the fee gets you 100 flexible points per year to use for vacations, although some people opt for bigger point packages. You can pay this as a lump sum or in monthly payments — like a mortgage on your own little slice of Disney.

Disney Vacation Club has 14 properties in the US: 10 at Disney World and one each at the nearby Disney's Vero Beach Resort, Disneyland, Hawaii, and South Carolina. Across the board, members (and their guests) pick between Deluxe Studios and one-, two-, and even three-bedroom villas at most locations, and all come with a kitchenette or kitchen and other amenities. I stayed at the elegantly rustic Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney World's Wilderness Lodge (shown here!), which opened late last year, and loved the private hot tub, washer and dryer, and full kitchen.

Ready for a break from your favorite park? DVC members can use their points to book vacations at Disney resorts around the world (oh hi, Paris, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Hong Kong), on Disney Cruises (such as on the Disney Dream, pictured here), and on Adventures by Disney excursions around the world, from Cambodia to Costa Rica and Iceland to Italy.

DVC members save on annual park passes, backstage and other VIP tours, spa bookings, golf outings, meals at certain restaurants, and merchandise from select shops.

Every week, members and their guests can book fun activities — think a fireworks cruise, a mixology class, chef demonstrations, and the like. At both Disney World and Disneyland, members also get access to special events around the holidays.

My favorite perk is regular Moonlight Magic nights, when (for no additional fee) members get to enjoy a park for hours after it's closed. I ran around Animal Kingdom until I got kicked out at 1 a.m., taking in rides, shows, and character sightings with a thinned-out crowd of only DVC members. (Did I ride Expedition Everest three times in a row at midnight because there was no line? Yes, yes I did.)