This past year was a bit quieter than 2024 but still included the opening of a new lounge, long-awaited refurbishments, and more! Here are the big DVC headlines from 2025.
Opening of McKim’s Mile House
DVC listened to its Members and added another in-park lounge! DVC had initially announced that McKim’s Mile House would open summer 2025, but they surprised us with an opening on March 18. McKim’s Mile House is DVC’s new lounge in Frontierland at Magic Kingdom. The lounge is available to DVC Members who are eligible for Membership Extras and offers a great spot for a midday break with seating, complimentary soft drinks and snacks, Wi-Fi, and charging stations.
New DVC Welcome Home Center in EPCOT’s Canada Pavilion
In March, DVC announced its first in-park Welcome Home Center at Walt Disney World. Known as Château de Voyage, the Welcome Home Center in the Canada Pavilion of EPCOT offers another way for guests to learn about DVC Membership. While visiting, guests can also tour a model room for the Polynesian Island Tower.
DVC Updates Rental Rules
In an effort to crackdown on commercial renters, DVC updated its Terms & Conditions, which now gives it greater authority to enforce rental activity rules. While the occasional rental is still permitted, DVC now makes a distinction between personal use and commercial use of DVC points. DVC has the right to cancel any reservations it believes are made for commercial gain. For most DVC Members, the only noticeable change is an extra step in the booking process that asks you to check a box if you agree to the Terms & Conditions and attest that the reservation is for personal use.
A Lackluster Grand Californian Refurbishment and a Surprise Second Phase
It was finally time for the Grand Californian to get its full refurbishment, but this one didn’t quite hit the mark. In fact, it felt incomplete compared to some of the recent soft goods refurbishments we have seen at the Beach Club and Copper Creek. Beyond a Murphy bed to replace the sofa bed and new flooring, not much has been upgraded at the Grand Californian, leading many Grand Californian owners looking for answers as to why this renovation is so lacking compared to other hard goods refurbishments.
In November, the DVC website posted an announcement that the DVC villas at the Grand Californian would undergo refurbishments beginning in late 2026. At December’s Grand Californian DVC Condo Association Meeting, DVC leadership acknowledged that the renovations fell short of Member expectations and confirmed that the refurbishments planned for 2026 were intended to correct this. Although no specific plans have been shared yet, the focus of this second phase of refurbishment seems to be the bathrooms.
Condo Association Meetings Revert Back to Annual Meetings
Per legislation passed by the state of Florida in July 2025, DVC condo association meetings for Florida-based resorts reverted back to annual meetings instead of the quarterly meetings that have been hosted since late 2024. Unlike in previous years, DVC is not hosting a Member gathering or reception this year, which leaves the condo association meetings as the main opportunity for Members to engage with DVC leadership.
Membership Magic Beyond Confirmed for 2026
Perhaps it was a given that this paid program would continue, but what was more surprising was that the price for 2026 will remain the same as the one for 2025: $99 for the year. However, the benefits that come with Membership Magic Beyond are more or less the same.
Big Changes Continue for the Grand Floridian Lobby
The Grand Floridian lobby renovation is nearing completion and now has a new check-in desk, furniture, carpeting, and more! On November 10, the new bird cage-inspired Grand Floridian lobby bar (The Perch) opened to guests with a menu of wine, beer, cocktails, and a non-alcoholic blueberry and basil iced tea. We also learned that the Garden View Team Room will finally reopen early in 2026 as the Garden View Lounge! While not many details have been released yet, Disney did share that the lounge will feature a refreshed look and offer a “new tea experience with whimsical Disney touches for Guests of all ages.”
More DVC Attraction Previews
DVC has been offering attraction previews to eligible Members for some time, but this past year it was notable that not all of them required resort stays. The Test Track preview was opened up to Florida locals, and Zootopia: Better Zoogether offered a general registration to eligible Members who did not have a resort reservation for the preview dates. This broader approach to attraction previews is a nice change for local DVC Members as well as any Members who may have had cash stays.
Resale Contract Administration Fees
In December, eagle-eyed DVC Members noticed that the FAQs on the DVC website now mentions a new one-time contract administration fee of $500 that is charged as part of the contract closing costs for resale buyers. This is in addition to the estoppel fee that is part of the seller’s side of the closing costs. The new fee will be effective as of January 1, 2026, but contracts that are signed, fully executed, and submitted to Disney prior to January 1, 2026 will be exempt.
Changes for the 2027 DVC Points Charts
Just days after the contract administration fee was announced, the 2027 points charts were released. While most of it the charts were nothing out of the ordinary, Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Polynesian saw significant changes beyond the typical shifts for holidays or differences in weekends versus weekdays.
At Animal Kingdom Lodge, point values for Value and Kilimanjaro Club Concierge rooms increased and were balanced out by decreases in point values for some Savanna View rooms. This will hopefully ease some of the demand for Value and Concierge rooms.
At the Polynesian, it initially appeared that there were only point increases. However, what may not be evident from the chart alone is a possible reclassification of some the less-than-optimal Theme Park View rooms. While this has yet to be confirmed by DVC, such a change would help keep the overall Polynesian points chart in balance by decreasing the number of rooms in the highest point category.
That’s a wrap on 2025. Happy New Year, DVC Fans!
