There are so many choices to make when planning your next Disney vacation as a Disney Vacation Club member or renter. One of the most important things to consider is which DVC Resort to choose for your next Disney vacation.
Disney’s locations in California, Hawaii, South Carolina, and South Florida each only have one DVC Resort, making the option easier for guests travelling to any of those locations. The resorts at these locations are Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa at Disneyland, Aulani in Hawaii, Disney’s Hilton Head Resort in South Carolina, and Disney’s Vero Beach Resort on the Florida Atlantic coast.
However, if you’re travelling to Walt Disney World, there are eleven different DVC Resorts to consider for your vacation. This choice will likely depend on which factors are most important to you on this particular stay. Factors you may consider are price, availability, transportation, room types, amenities, and dining options.
Price
In terms of pricing, there is some variation among points for rooms at the resorts, depending on the resort and the type of room you choose. The least expensive rooms on property are the Studio-Value Accommodations (which sleep 4) at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House, ranging from 7 to 18 points per night, or 55 to 116 points for weekly stays. For comparison, one of Jambo House’s Three-Bedroom Grand Villas, which sleeps 12, and with a Savannah View, range from 74 to 144 points per night, and 540 to 923 points weekly.
A resort that is somewhat in the middle range despite being a Deluxe Resort within both walking distance and access to monorail to Magic Kingdom is Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. A Deluxe Studio here with a Standard View, sleeping 4, ranges from 13 to 29 points per night, or 97 to 188 weekly. One of its Three-Bedroom Grand Villas, with a Theme Park View, ranges from 101 to 207 points per night, or 745 to 1294 weekly.
Finally, at the upper range we have The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, which is easily Disney World’s most expensive resort. A Deluxe Studio with a Standard View at the Grand ranges from 16 to 37 points per night, and 120 to 234 weekly. A Three-Bedroom Grand Villa at the Grand Floridian ranges from 111 to 228 points per night, and weekly it ranges from 819 to 1431 points. It’s important to note that these are only three of Disney World’s 11 DVC Resorts, but this shows the range of points that a room at a DVC Resort can cost. In addition to point variations based on resort, points are going to change based on which travel season you choose. Slower seasons will be less expensive than busier (and more popular) seasons.
Availability
Availability is also going to be a huge factor in choosing a DVC Resort for your vacation. Some resorts, such as Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows and The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, may be difficult to find availability unless you’re booking your trip at least 11 months in advance. The closer to your vacation date you wait to book your room, the fewer options there will be, limiting which resorts and room sizes will be available. Generally speaking, the sooner you book your room, the more availability and options there will be.
Location, Transportation, Ambiance
For some guests, resort theming, room types, and location are an important factor to consider. If you want to feel like you’re at the beach, trying Disney’s Beach Club Villas, Disney’s BoardWalk Villas, or Disney’s Old Key West Resort would be a perfect fit. If you want to have a more rustic vacation, Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, as well as the resort’s Boulder Ridge Villas will absolutely make you feel absorbed into nature and all its beauty.
If you aren’t driving to Disney World or renting a car, your resort’s location and transportation options might also be very important for your vacation. If you stay at The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, or Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, you’ll have access to the monorail directly to Magic Kingdom, be within walking/monorail distance of other resorts, as well as have access to the monorail to EPCOT.
If you would like to be close to EPCOT, Disney’s BoardWalk Villas and Disney’s Beach Club Villas are a ten-minute walk, or a short boat ride away from EPCOT’s International Gateway. If you plan to visit Disney Springs often, you might want to stay at Disney’s Old Key West Resort, as guests have access to a short, scenic boat ride to Disney Springs. And if you want to have quick access to the parks on the new Disney Skyliner, DVC’s Riviera Resort might be your best choice.
For those guests staying at resorts that don’t have boats, monorails or a skyliner to the parks, all of the resorts do have buses scheduled to go between the parks and the resorts throughout the day.
Dining and Amenities
Dining and amenities are an important factor to consider, since many guests come to Disney World specifically for their exceptional dining, amenities and entertainment. Both Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas and Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows have some of the most unique and popular dining locations on Disney World property. While resorts like Disney’s BoardWalk Villas and Disney’s Beach Club Villas have a huge number of dining options as both resorts are located in the BoardWalk entertainment area and have access to all of the dining options at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa also has quite a number of dining options, though most are Themed and Table-Service dining, with only one main quick service option. Or maybe you want to choose a resort with multiple lounges or bars. In which case, both the Polynesian and the Grand Floridian have several options.
If you’re interested in amenities such as pools, you might want to stay at the BoardWalk, Beach Club, or Polynesian, all of which have several popular themed pools, some with special effects and waterslides. Most of the resorts offer amenities and activities such as Movies Under the Stars, jogging trails, and several have boat and bike rentals. These are all factors you might want to consider before choosing which resort to call home on your Disney vacation.
When choosing a DVC Resort for your next Disney vacation there is no “wrong” or “best” answer. The best choice will be based on your preference and what is the priority on this particular vacation.
When choosing a DVC Resort, try to keep in mind what you’re excited for on this particular vacation. And remember, no matter which one you choose, it’s a DVC Resort at Disney World, so you can be sure that you’ll have a truly unforgettable and excellent stay. Plus if there is something you’d like to experience at another DVC Resort, there’s always the option to try another resort on your next Disney vacation.
Are you planning a Disney Vacation? Book your next vacation with DVC Shop Rentals for discounted vacations at DVC’s Deluxe Resorts.
What’s your favorite DVC Resort at Disney World and why? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
DVC Shop Editorial Team
