It’s the great debate for some. Should I buy at a DVC resort that expires in 2042 (Old Key West, Boardwalk, etc). Before I go into detail on why I don’t really care about expiration dates, here’s a list of each Disney Vacation Club property and when it’s set to expire.
| Resort | Expires |
| Animal Kingdom Lodge | 2057 |
| Aulani (Hawaii) | 2062 |
| Bay Lake Tower | 2060 |
| Beach Club | 2042 |
| Boardwalk Villas | 2042 |
| Boulder Ridge | 2042 |
| Copper Creek | 2068 |
| Grand Californian | 2060 |
| Grand Floridian | 2064 |
| Hilton Head | 2042 |
| Old Key West | 2042 |
| Polynesian | 2066 |
| Riviera Resort (Opens Dec 2019) | 2070 |
| Saratoga Springs | 2054 |
| Vero Beach | 2042 |
As you can see, 6 of the 14 resorts are set to expire in 2042. I currently own at three of those properties – Boardwalk, Boulder Ridge Villas and Beach Club Villas (I like buying dvc resales that start with ‘b’ apparently). My other two contracts are at Copper Creek (2068) and Bay Lake Tower (2060)
As I did my research before buying DVC, I thought about this for about 20 seconds before deciding I didn’t care, about 2042 and here are a few of the reasons why.
It’s cheaper.
The price per point at the resorts that expire in 2042 are measurably less expensive than resorts that expire after. For example – You can pick up a resale at Old Key West for $95 a point depending on the contract. 11 month windows aren’t particularly important to me since I don’t usually book that far out, so why not save the money on the points?
I’ll be 77.
I’m not saying that I won’t still want to ‘do Disney’ when I’m 77, but I figure I’d have gotten 23 years of use out of my DVC contracts and that will more than justify the price I paid for them. If I was 15-20 years younger, I would probably feel differently about it. But hell, I’m surprised I’m still alive so it’s all bonus at this point 🙂
I don’t have kids
… and if that changes it would be pretty much a miracle on the order of the parting of the Red Sea. I’m not worried necessarily about passing it on. I might very well pass it on to my nieces and nephews, but I’m not as focused on ‘legacy gifts’ as folks that have kids. I imagine my feelings on this topic would change dramatically if I did have children.
Extensions
Not everyone agrees with me on this next point – but I’d be VERY surprised if they don’t offer extensions on the 2042 properties. They offered extensions for those who purchased Old Key West direct from Disney a few years back. From what I understand, it wasn’t received well. I firmly believe they will (in the next 5 years) start offering extensions for 2042 contracts again, albeit with a different approach than last time. If you want to learn more about DVC’s attempt at extensions, here’s a thread on DISboards.com that explains it pretty well: https://www.disboards.com/threads/dvcs-old-key-west-extension-ordeal.3078317/
Resale
I’m not buying with ‘resale’ in mind – A big selling point for Disney Vacation Club is the fact that they retain a tremendous amount of value on the resale market. While it’s nice to know that I can sell it if I need to, and recoup at least some of my money – I’m not going in with that plan.
Now, with all that said, these are MY reasons and I completely understand (and agree) that this isn’t necessarily right for everyone. Let me know in the comments below how you feel about the ‘2042’ resorts? Are they worth buying? Do you think DVC will offer extensions?
Our family is looking at an additional resale purchase. Extremely torn between Saratoga Springs for the value and years left and Hilton Head for 11 month availability in summer. We have stayed twice in the summer in a studio but thinking maybe I am just super lucky. We love Hilton Head but the 2042 expire date and high dues give me pause. We are 30s and have a 4 year old so lots of vacations left. We plan to use the new one for mostly beach vacationa between hilton head, vero, and aulani with some disneyworld trips too.
For us we have no plans on selling so years left matter to us. But in 2042 we will only be in our fifties. But Hilton head and beach club I love so might have to get over it.
Decisions, decisions.
Thanks for this. This has been a sticking point with me. I have virtually the same age and heir issues -/ but for me it means that I do plan to resell when I am no longer able to enjoy my contracts somewhere (hopefully far) down the road. I have thought of it as I did with my car purchase – while resell value wasn’t by any means the most important variable, if factored into the equation. I am a Beach Club/Boardwalk fan but the 2042 date soured me a little on buying there. It is still actively in the mix and while the other appealing elements may well outweigh it – it is a critical piece of my calculus. Very helpful to hear your analysis.
Great points in this article. Here is insight from a 33 year old who bought a resort expiring in 2042.
When I bought my first DVC contract via resale (150pts at BRV) the 2042 date was attractive. Here is what a 2042 end date means to me: Contracts cost less (initial purchase price), I will be free of annuals dues in my 50’s, I can travel to other destinations, I am not burdening my children with passing on a dvc contract (they might not want it or be able to afford it). I should note that I also own 160pts at AKV to ensure that my husband and I can still travel to WDW as we grow old together.
Having one contract that expires in 2042 benefits us as we will need smaller accommodations and possibly be traveling to WDW less often without kids around. Yes, I think about passing on a contact to my children, but what if, God forbid, they grow up and aren’t as obsessed with WDW as me?!
I also believe in buying where you love (or don’t mind) staying. For me, Wilderness Lodge is probably my favorite resort. Buying the resort you love should be considered regardless of expiration date. I agree that DVC will offer extensions on some 2042 contracts. I guess by then I’ll know if extending a contract is right for me.
I wish Disney would just offer an extension anytime and not make it limited time.
Wait. No matter when you bought your contract at BWV it expires in 2042? I bought back in 1999 and recently wondered when my contract expired. Too lazy to call DVC! This is good news to me….a single, no children DVCer.
Correct! All contracts at a resort share the same expiration date regardless of when they were purchased.
Thanks Paul! Great news.
There are too many unknowns regarding 2042 to make any kind of educated predictions, but I do feel confident in saying that whatever Disney decides to do will be for the benefit of Disney. A few things to consider:
When will DVC reach its saturation point? The ability of DVD to continue to build new and progressively more expensive resorts isn’t infinite and interest will begin to wane in DVC at some point.
At what point do the dues increases begin to kill off interest in extensions from current members?
What happens if less than 100% of current members opt for the extension? Any extension would need to have a large percentage of current members buy in or it would likely suffer the same fate as the OKW extensions.
What will the price and length of extensions be? The cost and number of years of the extension will play a large part in whether current members decide to stay or go.
With so many unpredictables, it almost seems that the simplest thing for Disney to do in 2042 would be to let the contracts expire and start again, market willing.
Anyway, In 2042 I’ll be in my late 80s, so this issue isn’t likely to affect me one way or the other. I would be interested in seeing what they decide to do though!
I do not know if there would be enough interest in the older resorts for them to start over. It is a guessing game but at that point DVC would be a cash cow, particularly at the older resorts. With that being said it would be interesting if Disney did not offer extensions to “milk the cow.”
We bought in 2000…We love the Boardwalk villas and so does all 12 of our family members…kids,spouses and now 5 adult grand kids…Most never want to stay anywhere else….We are now 73 and 78….if and when the contract runs out ..so be it…We love walking and boating to 2 parks….and all the good restaurants…! so to each his own…i mean if i was buying today its still 22 years away….lots can happen…
Totally agree with your points. I bought BWV direct last year and heard the whole “shorter contract” argument. When my contract expires, I’m going to be 62 years old (no kids) and will have had 23 years of being within walking distance to Food & Wine which is exactly what I wanted when I purchased. I will most likely add on a second contract at some point (hopefully the Poly) but I’m a firm believer in buying where you want to stay so that decision isn’t going to be swayed by the idea of a longer contract.
But if the price and dues are too high, the cow may be out of milk!
I feel they will offer extensions on the 6 resorts that are expiring…why? Money pain and simple. Look at it this way. You have SIX resorts ending at the same time….SIX!…that is a CHUNK of change NOT coming in. All paperwork with a horde of attorneys will be making sure all of these DVC members contracts are all ended correctly. LOTS OF TIME and in the meantime…these properties aren’t brining in money. I wouldn’t want the liability of selling one of these “new” contracts if all the i’s weren’t dotted and t’s crossed. If I were Disney I would extending the contracts happily and let all DVC members do what they do. Some keep them some sell them. Disney will continue to build more DVC and continue to make money.
My wife and I have been discussing this recently as we plan our first DVC purchase. We are weighing Boardwalk which is our favorite resort vs AK just because of the difference in years. We are leaning towards Boardwalk thinking that 23 years at our favorite resort is better than 38 at another resort. Thanks for your thoughts on this subject Pete.
The one reason 2042 matters is the calculation of cost per point. You get many years fewer points than a longer contract, so the purchase price is higher per point. As long as the purchase price is low enough, then your points are valid. E.g., beach club at $150 per point resale is very expensive (as much as copper creek or Riviera direct) considering you will only get 20+ years of points.
YES! I got so excited about buying Boulder Ridge because of the price per point for a Magic Kingdom (proximity) resort. But getting 20 more years out of a BLT contract makes $150 per point have MORE value than $95 per point at Boulder Ridge.
i will be 90 in 2042. my grandsons can make that decision on keeping it.