Disney Vacation Club is celebrating the new year with a new direct pricing increase for certain sold out resorts!
As updated on the Disney Vacation Club website earlier today, select sold-out Disney Vacation Club resorts have seen a direct purchase price increase to the following levels:
| Resort | Previous Direct Price | NEW Direct Price | Increase |
| Bay Lake Tower | $235 | $245 | + $10 |
| Beach Club Villas | $235 | $245 | + $10 |
| BoardWalk Villas | $200 | $210 | + $10 |
| Grand Californian | $280 | $295 | + $15 |
| Polynesian | $245 | $250 | + $5 |
Sold-out resort pricing for all other Disney Vacation Club properties remains unchanged at this time.
This increase puts The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa in reach of what was once believed to be an untouchable threshold of $300 per point. It also positions Bay Lake Tower, Beach Club, Polynesian, and Grand Floridian into what we will now refer to as the ‘$250s Club’.
With the effects of COVID-19 continuing to hurt direct sales for Disney’s Riviera Resort and Aulani, Disney Vacation Club Villas, it appears that DVC is looking to grab a little extra cash wherever they can as we head into 2021. This thought process aligns itself with their new sales processes at Walt Disney World, including the ability to tour villas at all the DVC resorts on property.
It is now becoming harder and harder to ignore the huge savings associated with purchasing a DVC resale contract. Many direct membership perks and purchasing motivators such as Moonlight Magic and the ability to buy Annual Passes remain discontinued at this time, lowering the appeal of a direct contract to members.
Here’s a look at the current difference between direct and average resale pricing, taking these new increases into consideration:
| Resort | Direct Price | Average Resale Price | Resale Savings |
| Animal Kingdom Villas | $186 | $116 | $70 per point |
| Bay Lake Tower | $245 | $147 | $98 per point |
| Beach Club Villas | $245 | $145 | $100 per point |
| BoardWalk Villas | $210 | $122 | $88 per point |
| Boulder Ridge | $186 | $122 | $64 per point |
| Copper Creek Villas | $220 | $151 | $69 per point |
| Grand Californian | $295 | $219 | $76 per point |
| Grand Floridian | $255 | $165 | $90 per point |
| Hilton Head | $135 | $69 | $66 per point |
| Old Key West | $165 | $106 | $59 per point |
| Polynesian | $250 | $154 | $96 per point |
| Saratoga Springs | $165 | $106 | $59 per point |
| Vero Beach | $120 | $74 | $46 per point |
While it is important to remember that new resale purchases cannot book at the newest Disney Vacation Club property, Disney’s Riviera Resort, this small restriction hardly outweighs the cost savings associated with a resale contract. This increase will eventually have an impact on the average resale price of these resorts, but this is typically not seen immediately.
If you are interested in learning more about purchasing a Disney Vacation Club resale contract, be sure to check out our friends over at DVC Resale Market!
What do you think the motivation is for raising sold-out resort pricing at this time? Does this increase make you more likely to buy resale or direct? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments!
Aulani is not listed on the table
Hey Keith – Since Aulani is not considered a sold-out property and continues to be actively selling, we did not feel like this was a good place to include that comparison. It is, however, crazy between direct and resale! As of February 6th, Aulani moves to $201 per point when last month it was selling at an average of $96 per point resale! Crazy!
I’ve never understood the marketing strategy.
Why would anyone pay more than the current resort price for a contract that is 50% used (Boardwalk)
Certainly they can no longer say “save half” on your disney vacations year after year.
Just bought Boardwalk resale at $100, I’m only planning on keeping it 7 years, I’m more confident that it should still hold value with 15 years left if Disney keep pushing prices up