Disney Vacation Club has launched a new promotion effective today, April 30, 2024, offering a generous discount of up to 40% on a cash stay at a DVC Resort.
This special promotion is available from 5/16/2024 through 10/3/2024 and 12/9/2024 through 12/21/2024. It is surprising to see this promotion apply to the beginning of the holiday season, as the first two weeks of December tend to be one of the busiest times for DVC Resorts. Many members book their vacations during this time due to lower points per night and all of the extras Disney World has to offer during the holidays.
The offer is only available by calling DVC Member Services at 800-800-9800. In this day and age, it is mind-boggling that you need to call DVC Member Services and wait on hold just to find out what is available and what the discount is since it is “up to 40% off”. It is a shame that Disney cannot integrate the qualifications and discounts with their own website, but Disney is certainly not known for their IT. At least providing some static sample pricing to give members an idea of the discount would have been helpful though.
The promotion specifically calls out Old Key West and Saratoga Springs as available resort options but mentions that other rooms may be available if you call Member Services and ask about “special Member Friends and Family rates.”
Thanks to DVC Fan member Jen Jones, we’ve learned that alternate resorts like Polynesian and Animal Kingdom Lodge were accessible at lower rates than Disney’s current 30% promotion on their website. However, availability hinges on the specific booking dates.
The promotion also suggests that only 1- and 2-bedroom Villas are available for this special promotion; however, in a call to Member Services, they verified that Deluxe Studios are also available, although 3-bedroom Grand Villas and 3-bedroom Treehouse Villas are specifically excluded.
Another interesting part about this promotion is that you can book these discounted rates for non-DVC members. To get the rate, you must be a DVC member, and you may need to qualify for Membership Extras – but it specifically says you can book up to 3 additional rooms at the special rate for friends and family.
Contemplating the reasons behind DVC’s extensive promotional duration sparks curiosity. Disney says cash stays occur when people exchange their points for something else, such as a Disney cruise or the Disney Collection Exchange, and members can then pay for cash stays at a discount. However, it would surprise me that Disney has many members exchanging their points this way. DVC also owns some points that they could be using as well. Normally, these points are used to do things like take rooms offline for maintenance. It still surprises me that there is enough room inventory available for them to offer this promotion at up to 40% off.
Obviously, Disney hopes you’ll invite your friends and family to stay in a 2-bedroom Villa and your non-DVC friends and family will end up wanting to buy into Disney Vacation Club after experiencing one of the DVC Villas. While DVC remains a “no hard sell” product, they continue to try to find different ways to promote the product to drive sales. However, if your friends and family enjoy Old Key West or Saratoga Springs, they would be much better served to buy a resale contract from DVC Resale Market and to save, on average, 50% off of Disney’s direct pricing.
Will you be calling Member Services to book a cash stay at 40% off? Let us know in the comments!
