Well, it seems our 2020 DVC plans are not as they were. As a type-A planner, I can only imagine how upsetting it must be to cancel a DVC trip (my next one is in October… fingers and toes are crossed). I am someone who has a spreadsheet with point plans for the next 3 or 4 years and having something happen like this can really upset that. Plus… I just miss Disney! It’s hard when even your escape from reality is also being hit with reality.
But I’d like to suggest making lemonade from lemons and rethinking our future vacation plans. Thanks to some new temporary accommodations from DVC, if your vacation was affected by Covid-19 you now have more points to play with on future trips. What could you do with those extra points?
- Double the length of your next vacation. What if you went for 2 weeks instead of 1?
- Do two trips closer together. Last fall I went the end of October and the beginning of December. It was an INSANE feeling to be leaving the Magic Kingdom and saying “see you in 32 days!” An annual pass would save you money in this instance as it’d be cheaper than buying two sets of park tickets (in most cases)
- Upgrade your next DVC stay. Maybe you can pull off a 1 bedroom now instead of a studio. Maybe you can add on an extra night and stay at a Polynesian Bungalow! Is there a bucket list DVC stay you’ve always dreamed of, but it’s so many points you never thought it possible? Well, maybe you can pull it off now.
- Rent your extra DVC points (hello DVC Store!). Use that extra cash to upgrade your next trip in other ways: build a Droid, attend After Hours, check out the water parks!
It’s so normal to be disappointed with canceled plans. Don’t feel guilty — I empathize with you. But I would encourage you to think positive, and dream about how you can “plus” your Disney plans in the coming years. You might be able to do something you’ve never been able to do before!
Need to cancel your next stay or have questions? Check out some helpful info here.
This was great to read with some great suggestions. We ended up canceling our spring break Aulani trip, moving it to June, and having to cancel it again. We booked a short stay at Vero Beach before the Disney announced they are opening in June, and luckily, our dates matched! We are so excited about trying out a resort that wasn’t on our list for this year. We are hopeful to get to Aulani spring break 2021! Be safe and be well!
That is great! I hope you enjoy Vero in just a couple weeks!
We did exactly that…plan a dream trip. I’ve been waiting for mid June to roll around so I can set up a May 2021 trip… celebrating multiple family milestones AND Disney World 50 year anniversary. So banked all points (from our cancelled May 2020 trip) forward to May 2021 and using those plus points from a second membership, plan on trying to spend at least a couple of nights in one of the Copper Creek cabins on the lake (would be in a 2 bedroom unit at Copper Creek the other nights of that trip). We’re very excited about that silver lining!
Oh wow!!! A Copper Creek cabin would be insane!!! And the two bedrooms there are gorgeous. Sounds fabulous!
We had to cancel our Disney World trip, but we are going to do a road trip instead and will do some nightly RCI exchanges when doable. If that doesn’t pan out, we will do a staycation at the Grand Californian before the end of our use year. Yeah, we were ones that canceled before the policy change was announced, so our borrowed points are now stuck in this use year.
Aw that’s too bad. Though a staycation at VGC sounds really lovely! I’ve never stayed, hoping to next year!
Unless you rent DVC points and instead of them letting you cancel your trip because the DVC resorts are open in Orlando when the parks are not, they keep your money and break your heart. We were planning on take our 3 kids to Disney World for the first time on July 5 before COVID. We’re out of a lot of money, and your kids are disappointed.
Oh I am so sorry to hear that 🙁 Renting DVC points can be tricky with cancellations or modifications.