Source: as seen in Wall Street Journal; January 20^th, 2011

Disney Vacation Development, Inc has the first right to purchase any Disney Vacation Club (DVC) real estate interest that is sold on the secondary market. Basically, what this means is that every resale contract must be submitted to Disney for review prior to closing. If DVC feels the purchase price is below market, they have the right to assume the position of the Buyer in the contract and purchase the ownership from the Seller at the contracted price.

When Disney exercises their right of first refusal (ROFR), the original Buyer is released from the contract to purchase. The Seller continues on with the closing as before, only now they are deeding the interest back to Disney. The terms of the sale remain the same, except that a third-party closing agent is no longer used- as Disney handles the new deeding process internally.

The purpose of DVC’s Right of First Refusal process is to help control and maintain the value of their timeshare properties. All aspects of a sale are considered by DVD including, but not limited to: sales price, number of vacation points, dues reimbursements, and closing cost distribution. While the ROFR process can be frustrating to a buyer, the end result can be positive for all owners- as consistent decisions for ROFR help to maintain a more consistent resale market for owners. During the recent challenging economic period, Disney has become far less aggressive in assuming contracts. A possible result of this inactivity is the decline in resale prices over the past year.

If you are the buyer, and DVC exercises their right of first refusal and replaces you in the transaction, any funds you have deposited into escrow should be promptly refunded in full. You can then make another offer to purchase a DVC resale.

Source: Disney Vacation Club, June 30, 2010

On August 2nd, guests will be able to begin booking reservations for one of Disney’s 360 hotel rooms or 481 two-bedroom at Disney Vacation Club villas on the island’s west side; arrivals will commence on August 29, 2011.

The resort, which has been under construction on 21 acres of beachfront property for the past year, will also feature an 18,000 square foot spa, a wedding lawn, a convention center, and two restaurants.  Disney plans to market this resort located, at Ko Olina on the almost always sunny west side of Oahu, toward luxury oriented family vacationers.

Disney’s newest Hawaii vacation resort will include almost 50,000 square feet of outdoor features and will include snorkeling lagoons, waterfalls, fishponds, sunset-facing hot tubs, water slides, and more.

As a leader in customer service, Disney Vacation Club is constantly making improvements and enhancements to the services provided to their owners.

One of these changes is an alternative to borrowing points for any year’s usage. If an owner is “short” on points needed for a reservation, they may now pay DVC for a one-time assignment of up to twenty four vacation points. These may be purchased currently at the rate at fifteen dollars a point, subject to change. These purchased points may not be refunded or transferred, nor can they be banked or borrowed. Additionally, these points are not able to be used for waitlist reservations, and cannot be applied retroactively to existing reservations. They can only be used up to seven months prior to arrival. However, these points can be used to book stays at any Disney Vacation Club resort, Disney Collection Resorts, Disney Cruise Line voyages, Adventures by Disney trips, and World Passport Collection resorts.

Additionally, there are many changes to the booking and reservation process that will be unrolled over the next year. These include confirmation emails being sent to DVC members and other guests in their traveling party, as well as other booking enhancements. Members will also have more comprehensive control over “travel plans”, allowing for an advanced itinerary for multiple rooms and resorts versus needing one confirmation number for each room and each resort. The new “travel plans” system allows for members to make dining reservations for the entire length of the stay up to one hundred and eighty days prior to the first check in, regardless of how many reservations are involved. Members can now use their vacation points to make reservations online, and can check in to their resorts online up to ten days prior to arrival.

These changes are just a sample of the improvements that Disney Vacation Club is making for their owners. There has never been a better time to join this fantastic vacation ownership club!

As part of Disney Vacation Club’s westward expansion, plans are set for their newest resort to open in Fall of 2011. Located in Ko Olina, Oahu, the Hawaiian timeshare resort will be named Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa. When completed, the resort will have three hundred and sixty hotel rooms, and four hundred and eighty one two bedroom DVC villas. The resort will also include an eighteen thousand square foot spa, two restaurants, a fourteen thousand five hundred square foot conference center, a number of outdoor venues and swimming pools, a snorkeling lagoon, and a variety of children’s programs. The resort is estimated to cost in the range of $800 million.

Situated on the Wai’anae Coast, this resort offers a secluded retreat that is close enough to Waikiki to for guests to enjoy the famed shopping, nightlife, and activity there. The resort features spectacular views of the mountains, lagoons, and sandy beaches, and the resort offers winding pathways among the rivers, waterslides, fish ponds, tide pools, streams, waterfalls, tropical gardens, and more. Younger guests will take pleasure in the hidden native menehue, elf-like figures known for their magical, mythical, and mischievous nature in Hawaiian folklore.

The resort itself is inspired by Hawaiian architecture, featuring local materials and native artwork. A large volcanic rock passes from the outside to inside the glass lobby wall. The resort also features volcanic stone columns, local woods, lily filled ponds, pitched beam ceilings, torch lights, and Hawaiian geometric patterns, as well as visual tributes to local storytelling, culture, and craftsmanship.

The name of the resort, Aulani, means “the place that speaks for the great ones”, or “the place that speaks with deep messages”, and in tradition with other Disney Vacation Club resorts, it is sure to live up to its name! For more information, click here!

Disney Vacation Club timeshare is a unique kind of flexible vacation ownership that is currently owned by over 100,000 families. Created in 1991, the club features eight Disney Resorts, as well as over 500 resorts available through the Member Getaways Program. Although the Disney Vacation Club was originally geared towards families visiting Walt Disney World annually, it has expanded to include many different types of destinations worldwide!

When becoming a member, owners will have a real estate interest, right to use contract, in a specific Disney Resort. Members will receive an annual or biennial allotment of Vacation Points. These points can be used to book vacations. Each unit size, season, and resort has a point value, with that value being higher for weekends, prime season, and larger accommodations.

With seven Disney Vacation Club resorts on Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, one Disney Vacation Club Resort in DisneyLand in Anaheim, California, one resort in Vero Beach, Florida, and one resort on Hilton Head, South California currently, as well as plans to expand in California, Hawaii, and beyond, DVC owners can experience the Disney treatment anywhere you’d want to go! Additionally, their affiliation with the largest exchange company, RCI, means that a Disney Timeshare Sale provides access to the finest resorts on the globe!