With a little time to digest the recently announced banking, borrowing and reopening changes announced for Disney Vacation Club, members still have many questions about how these new policies will affect their vacation plans. Today, we will dig in a bit further and answer some of the questions we have seen frequently asked in the DVC Fan Facebook Group, as well as over on DISboards.
As a quick review, here are a few of the key takeaways from the recently announced changes:
- Disney Vacation Club resorts at Walt Disney World will open to members and guests on June 22.
- Disney’s Vero Beach Resort and Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort will open to members and guests starting on June 15.
- No plans have been announced at this time regarding the reopening of The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa or Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa.
- April, June, and now August, September, and October 2019 Use Year points that are set to expire in 2020 and that were used for reservations during the closure period will be extended for one year from the current expiration date. (Essentially meaning they are banked into 2020)
- April, June, and now August, September, and October 2018 Use Year points that were banked into 2019 Use Years and used for these reservations will now all expire November 30, 2020.
- This temporary policy only includes expiring points that were used to book a stay arriving between March 12 and the end of the closure period and that involve a reservation canceled after February 29.
- Due to anticipated availability issues, DVC has temporarily limited point borrowing for all members. Members will only be able to borrow up to 50% of their future use year points per contract.
- In regards to annual dues, it has been proposed that if a resort has an operating surplus at the end of this year, that amount will be issued as a credit to Members toward 2021 annual dues.
Q: I have a vacation planned that has already used more than 50% of my borrowed points for next year. Am I affected by these changes?
No – Members with reservations booked prior to the new guidelines being issued will not have their vacation plans affected.
Q: I previously transferred my vacation points to RCI so that they would not be lost. Can I now get these back?
DVC and RCI are allowing members with a June Use Year with points that were transferred to RCI as a result of expiration to return to DVC with no penalty. These points will then be subject to the extensions listed above.
Q: If I have a current reservation and planned to modify this reservation at 7-months, which would use more than 50% of my borrowed points from the next year, will this be allowed?
No – Based on reports we have read, any modification would need to be equal to or less than the total number of points already used for that reservation if you are already over the 50% threshold.
Q: I have a waitlist associated with an upcoming stay that, if fulfilled, will use more than 50% of my borrowed points. Will I still get this waitlist?
Yes – If the waitlist were made prior to Friday – April 24th, it would be fulfilled regardless of whether you go over the 50% limit.
Q: What does DVC mean when it says they will not extend the life of expiring “developer points”?
As the developer of a resort, once points are declared, DVC can utilize these in any manner they wish until they are sold. Essentially, in this statement, they are saying that although they would be entitled to the same extensions being granted to members, they are forgoing this to allow for more availability. We do not believe this pertains to any member points.
Q: I previously purchased one-time-use points that were affected by the closure. What happens to these points?
DVC has stated that they will refund one-time-use points from a canceled reservation upon request.
Q: Are one-time-use points still available to purchase?
Prior to May 27th, Disney Vacation Club was continuing to allow members to purchase one-time-use points if needed. It is unknown at this time whether this will continue now that a reopening plan has been announced.
Q: These new borrowing rules will severely impact my future vacation plans. Are they allowed to do this?
Unfortunately, Yes. Disney Vacation Club has always had the right to limit borrowing in the event of unforeseen circumstances. They state, “To maintain a proper balance of Vacation Points in the central reservation system, borrowing may be suspended or limited from time to time.”
Q: I have an upcoming DVC reservation but not Walt Disney World theme park tickets. Will I still be able to purchase tickets for my trip?
Disney Parks Blog has announced that sales of new park tickets are being paused for the time being so that the needs of guests with existing reservations and tickets can be addressed.
Guests with existing tickets, as well as Annual Passholders, will be allowed to make theme park reservation requests in a phased manner before the sale of new tickets is allowed. Disney will be communicating with pass holders and those with existing tickets in the days ahead. New ticket sales and new resort reservations will be reopened after that time.
This ticket situation is evolving and our best advice is to be patient and wait for further guidance from Disney.
Q: Will masks be required at Disney Vacation Club Resorts?
Yes – Guests (ages 3 and older) will be asked to wear face coverings in all resort common areas. Members are also asked to please keep social distancing practices in mind when in the resorts.
We hope that this helped answer some of the lingering questions you had regarding the current changes. Please note that our answers are not official and are primarily based on our interpretation of the new policies, as well as reports from fellow DVC Members. We would highly encourage everyone to call Member Services at 800-800-9800 for guidance regarding how their individual situation will be handled.
If you have a question we didn’t answer, feel free to leave it in the comments, and we will try to get you an answer!
Stay tuned to DVC Fan, the DVC Fan Facebook Group, and The DIS for more information as it becomes available!
My question is what activities will be available, restaurants open, pools open, etc. at the hotels in between the time DVC properties open (June 22nd) and when the parks open (July 11th). In other words, I have a reservation from June 22nd to July 3rd. What will we be able to do?
I had a May reservation cancelled. It was booked with current year points. I also have a reservation for November made with borrowed 2021 points. I wouldn’t have had to borrow those points without the May reservation. Can I get those 2021 points unborrowed, instead of banking the 2020 points?
Even before DVC or Disney World made these latest announcements regarding treatment of points, I had no issues whatsoever in requesting that my August 2019 points set to expire July 31, 2020 be banked forward to my August 2020 use year. It took close to a couple of weeks for the points to be moved forward, but the transaction was smooth.
I purchased Two DVC annual pass holder tickets. I have a confirmation # for them. Tried to link to my reservation in November at the Boardwalk. The system claims the Ticket number does not have enough digits to log in. What happens to us when we go to epcot to PICK UP? Our tickets. Will we be recognized for admission as we need to make reservations for park entry or are we going to go in what direction?