Disney Vacation Club Members will have an opportunity to be among the very first guests to stay at Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge with a new Member First Wave experience taking place June 24 through June 27, 2027. The three-night, four-day event happens before the resort officially opens to guests on July 1 and bundles a Lakeshore Lodge stay with Walt Disney World theme park tickets, exclusive dining, Member experiences, commemorative keepsakes, and more.
This First Wave experience is also not simply an early room reservation! Disney Vacation Club is packaging the opening of Lakeshore Lodge into the type of Member-exclusive experience we have seen DVC use for special Disney Cruise Line sailings, complete with its own booking day, Reservation Point requirements, and a substantial list of inclusions.
For Members who have spent the last several years watching Lakeshore Lodge evolve from concept art and construction walls into Walt Disney World’s newest resort, the chance to actually sleep there before the official opening is here. Let’s check out the details!
What You Need to Know About the Lakeshore Lodge Member First Wave
The DVC Member First Wave experience will take place June 24-27, 2027, giving eligible Members a three-night stay at Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge before the resort’s July 1 grand opening.
The package includes:
- Four days and three nights at Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge
- A three-day Walt Disney World theme park ticket with Park Hopper option for each guest
- DVC event-exclusive dining experiences
- Dinner at Moonglade
- Breakfast at Pioneer Hall
- Dinner at Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue
- A $200 Disney Dining Promo Card for each guest age 3 and older
- Special insights into the making of Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge
- Commemorative keepsakes
- Additional Member-exclusive experiences and offerings
Disney says more details about the exact itinerary will be shared closer to the event.
The important distinction here is that this is much more than paying extra points simply for the privilege of entering the resort a week early. Theme park tickets, several meals, $200 per-person dining cards, special programming, and keepsakes are all being incorporated into the package price.
That will be important to remember when looking at the point chart.
Members Will Stay at Lakeshore Lodge Before Its Official Opening
Disney recently confirmed that Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge officially opens July 1, 2027, making the Member First Wave dates particularly interesting.
First Wave guests arrive June 24, an entire week before the resort begins welcoming regular guests.
That creates the possibility of a very different experience from a typical opening-week resort stay. These Members will presumably be among the first paying guests sleeping in the rooms, eating at the restaurants, exploring the grounds, and experiencing whatever special programming DVC has planned around the resort’s debut.
Disney has revealed that Lakeshore Lodge will feature 967 rooms across a wide variety of accommodations, ranging from Duo Studios and Deluxe Studios to larger villas and new waterfront Lake Houses. The resort will also introduce several new dining and recreation venues along Bay Lake.
One of those restaurants will play a prominent role in the First Wave experience.
Dinner at Moonglade Is Included
Each First Wave package includes dinner at Moonglade, the new table-service restaurant located along the Lakeshore Lodge waterfront.
Disney describes Moonglade as a restaurant built around seasonal and locally sourced ingredients, with floor-to-ceiling windows looking toward Bay Lake and the surrounding cypress trees.
For those first Members staying at the resort, having a Moonglade dinner incorporated directly into the event should remove one of the obvious opening-week headaches: trying to secure a reservation at Walt Disney World’s newest table-service restaurant.
The package ventures beyond Lakeshore Lodge as well.
Members will have breakfast at Pioneer Hall and dinner at the nearby Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. That proximity makes sense. Lakeshore Lodge sits along Bay Lake next to Fort Wilderness, and incorporating the neighboring resort into the event gives the experience a broader feeling than simply spending three days inside the new hotel.
Theme Park Tickets and a $200 Dining Card Are Also Included
Every guest participating in the Member First Wave receives a three-day Walt Disney World theme park ticket with Park Hopper, another significant component of the package.
Guests age 3 and older will also receive a $200 Disney Dining Promo Card per person.
For a couple, that represents $400 in additional Disney dining credit. A family of four with everyone over age 3 would receive $800.
That is before considering the meals already included as part of the Member First Wave itinerary.
How much free time Members will actually have to use those park tickets and dining cards remains to be seen. Disney has not yet released the complete event schedule, and the promised Member-exclusive programming could fill a meaningful portion of the trip.
Still, including Park Hopper tickets rather than designing this as a completely self-contained Lakeshore Lodge event gives Members some flexibility during their stay.
Who Is Eligible for the DVC Member First Wave Experience?
This experience is limited to Disney Vacation Club Members who are eligible for Membership Extras and Member Benefits.
This primarily means direct owners, or those grandfathered resale owners. Members should confirm that their ownership interest qualifies for Membership Extras before making plans to call on booking day.
Eligible Members may reserve a maximum of two rooms per Membership.
Booking Opens November 7 at 10 a.m. Eastern
Reservations for the Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge Member First Wave experience open Saturday, November 7, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.
Members will need to call DVC Member Services at 800-800-9800 to book.
DVC is modifying its normal Member Services operations specifically for this booking event. On November 7, Member Services will be open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Eastern exclusively to assist Members booking the Lakeshore Lodge First Wave experience, along with Members requiring assistance for resort arrivals occurring within the following five days.
Normal Member Services operating hours resume at 9 a.m. on Sunday, November 8.
If you have ever participated in one of DVC’s Member Cruise or First Wave booking mornings, the process should sound familiar.
Members should expect busy phone lines and long wait times.
Have This Information Ready Before You Call
Disney is asking Members to be prepared with the information needed to complete their reservation, including:
- DVC Membership number
- First, second, and third accommodation preferences
- Any special needs or requests
- Legal name of every guest
- Age of every guest
- Telephone number
- Payment information
Having three accommodation choices ready could be particularly important.
With only one three-night event and Members permitted to book up to two rooms per Membership, some room categories could disappear quickly. Going into the call with only one acceptable room type could make an already hectic booking morning considerably more difficult.
You Must Use Reservation Points to Book
There is another major difference between this event and a typical DVC stay. The First Wave experience is part of the Disney Collection Exchange, and Members will be booking it using Reservation Points.
Payment for the first and second guests in each accommodation must be made entirely using Reservation Points. Additional guests may be paid for using either Reservation Points or cash.
Full payment is due at the time of booking.
Disney Vacation Club will waive its normal $95 transaction fee for these reservations.
Remember: Reservation Points Cannot Go Back to Regular DVC Points
When Vacation Points are converted into Reservation Points for an exchange such as this one, that conversion is effectively a one-way street.
Once converted, those points cannot simply be returned to normal Vacation Point status and used for a stay at a Disney Vacation Club resort.
Reservation Points remain subject to the rules governing the Disney Collection and eligible exchange experiences. That can include uses such as Disney Cruise Line and other qualifying exchange options, but they can no longer be used like regular Vacation Points for DVC resort accommodations.
How Many DVC Points Does the Lakeshore Lodge First Wave Cost?
Disney Vacation Club has released the complete point chart for the Member First Wave experience, and the pricing ranges from 184 Reservation Points for a Duo Studio to 532 Reservation Points for a three-bedroom Grand Villa.
Importantly, these prices are inclusive of double occupancy. In other words, the listed Reservation Point amount includes the first and second guests staying in the same accommodation.
| Accommodation | Maximum Occupancy | Reservation Points |
|---|---|---|
| Duo Studio | 2 | 184 |
| Deluxe Studio – Resort View | 4 | 196 |
| Resort Studio – Preferred View | 4 | 198 |
| Deluxe Studio – Preferred View | 4 | 200 |
| Deluxe Studio – Premium View | 4 | 216 |
| 1-Bedroom Villa – Resort View | 5 | 248 |
| 1-Bedroom Villa – Preferred View | 5 | 260 |
| 1-Bedroom Villa – Premium View | 5 | 308 |
| 2-Bedroom Villa – Preferred View | 9 | 336 |
| 2-Bedroom Villa – Premium View | 9 | 420 |
| 3-Bedroom Grand Villa | 12 | 532 |
| 1-Bedroom Lake House | 5 | 424 |
| 2-Bedroom Lake House | 8 | 524 |
Those numbers make the lower end of the chart especially interesting. A Duo Studio costs 184 points for two guests, while moving to a Deluxe Studio with a Resort View costs only 12 additional points. A Preferred View Resort Studio is another two points beyond that, and a Preferred View Deluxe Studio comes in at an even 200 points.
At the other end of the spectrum, the new Lake Houses carry a substantial premium. The one-bedroom Lake House costs 424 points for the First Wave experience, while the two-bedroom Lake House comes in at 524 points, only eight points below the three-bedroom Grand Villa.
What Do Additional Guests Cost?
The accommodation prices above cover the first two guests. Beginning with the third guest, Disney charges on a per-person basis regardless of accommodation type.
Additional guests can be paid for with either cash or Reservation Points:
| Additional Guest | Reservation Points | Cash Price |
|---|---|---|
| Adult age 10+ | 68 | $1,349 |
| Child age 3-9 | 50 | $999 |
Disney lists these additional-guest rates for the third through twelfth guests staying in the same accommodation.
This is another reason the First Wave chart should not be viewed like a traditional DVC point chart. The additional-person pricing reflects the entire event package, not simply another person occupying the villa. Those guests are also receiving the included theme park admission, dining experiences, Disney Dining Promo Card, Member programming, and other event benefits.
For larger parties, however, those costs can add up quickly. A family with two adults and two children would pay the base double-occupancy rate for its room plus another 100 Reservation Points if both additional guests are children ages 3 through 9. If those additional guests are both age 10 or older, the surcharge would instead be 136 points.
Which First Wave Rooms Look Like the Best Value?
Even before getting into a deeper point-by-point analysis, a few things immediately stand out.
The Duo Studio at 184 points establishes the lowest possible entry point for two guests, but the studio categories are grouped remarkably close together. Only 32 points separate the Duo Studio from the most expensive studio option, the Deluxe Studio with a Premium View at 216 points.
For many couples, spending slightly more for the added space and amenities of a Deluxe Studio could therefore be an easy decision.
The one-bedroom villas show a much wider spread. Resort View starts at 248 points, Preferred View costs 260, and Premium View jumps to 308. That 48-point increase from Preferred to Premium is significant enough that Members will probably want a better understanding of exactly what those Premium Views provide before making them a first-choice booking preference.
Then there are the Lake Houses.
At 424 points for a one-bedroom and 524 points for a two-bedroom, these accommodations sit among the most expensive options on the chart. The two-bedroom Lake House is almost identical in price to the 532-point Grand Villa despite accommodating eight guests compared with the Grand Villa’s maximum of 12.
That does not necessarily make the Lake House a poor value. These are some of the most distinctive accommodations Disney has created for Lakeshore Lodge, and their location and design may be exactly what some Members want from a once-in-a-lifetime First Wave trip. But purely from a capacity-per-point standpoint, the Grand Villa certainly catches your attention.
A Few Important Details Hidden in the Fine Print
Full payment is required when the reservation is confirmed, and Disney Vacation Club reserves the right to cancel the booking if full payment is not received at that time. Reservations also remain subject to availability along with the applicable cancellation and modification rules.
For that reason, this is one booking where Members should have their travel party, room preferences, and points situation completely settled before getting through to Member Services.
This Feels a Lot Like a DVC Member Cruise on Land
DVC has used the “First Wave” concept before with Disney Cruise Line, including a Member First Wave sailing aboard the Disney Destiny. Those experiences pair access to something new with special Member programming and a dedicated reservation process.
Lakeshore Lodge essentially takes that idea and brings it onto Walt Disney World property.
Instead of simply telling qualifying Members that they can begin booking rooms a few days earlier than everyone else, Disney Vacation Club is creating a packaged event around being among the first people inside the resort. That is a much more interesting use of the Member-exclusive model.
There will certainly be debate over the point requirements, whether its worth the coast, and also if Members should just save their points and book a normal Lakeshore Lodge stay once standard DVC reservations begin. But for Members who enjoy DVC cruises, opening-day events, Moonlight Magic, and the social side of the Membership, this may be exactly the type of experience they want DVC to offer.
And unlike many Member events that last only a few hours, this one effectively takes over an entire three-night vacation.
Is the Lakeshore Lodge Member First Wave Worth the Points?
At first glance, I have to lean towards a yes – the real value proposition here is the package.
You are getting the Lakeshore Lodge stay before the resort opens, Park Hopper tickets, dining experiences, dining credits, exclusive programming, and keepsakes together in one reservation. For two Members who would otherwise purchase three-day Park Hoppers and spend several hundred dollars dining around Walt Disney World anyway, those inclusions matter.
On the other hand, Members who primarily value their DVC points as a way to maximize nights in villas may find the Reservation Point requirement harder to justify.
And that is probably where the community conversation around this event is going to get interesting.
There is a big difference between asking, “Is 184 points a lot for three nights in a Duo Studio?” and asking, “Is 184 points reasonable for two people to spend three nights at Lakeshore Lodge before opening day with park tickets, dining, exclusive programming, and other extras included?”
Those are two very different questions.
Final Thoughts on the DVC Member First Wave at Lakeshore Lodge
The DVC Member First Wave experience at Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge will give qualifying Members something nobody booking the resort normally can get: the chance to stay there before it officially opens.
From June 24 through June 27, 2027, eligible Members will spend three nights at Walt Disney World’s newest resort while enjoying Park Hopper tickets, exclusive dining, a $200-per-person Disney Dining Promo Card for guests age 3 and older, special Lakeshore Lodge programming, commemorative keepsakes, and additional Member experiences still to be announced.
Stay tuned to DVCFan.com and the DVC Fan Facebook Group for the latest updates on Disney Vacation Club and Disney News. Want to share your thoughts? Join the conversation in the DVC Fan Forums at forums.dvcfan.com!
