Does Your DVC Home Resort Really Matter?

When most people think about DVC home resorts, the first thing that may come to mind is home resort advantage.  This allows you to book a stay at your home resort 11 to 7 months out from your check-in date, which is before any DVC Members who own contracts at other resorts.  While home resort advantage plays a big role in using your DVC points, your home resort matters for a few other significant reasons.  

When Purchasing a Contract

While the price of a contract will vary depending on a few different factors such as the number of points available on the contract, the home resort will be one of the biggest factors.  As you can see from the DVC Resale Market’s monthly average price report, there is a wide range when it comes to price per point.  At the time of writing this blog, Vero Beach is going for an average of $59 per point while the Grand Californian is going for an average of $268 per point.  

When Booking a Stay

As mentioned in the introduction, your home resort determines where you have priority booking.  That makes a big difference when it comes to availability if you are trying to book a popular resort.  For instance, owners at the Beach Club don’t typically have difficulty getting a room at the 11-month mark.  However, availability is very limited by the 7-month mark, which is when non-owners can book there.  

Home resort also matters when you book a stay with more than one DVC contract.  If you have more than one home resort, you cannot pool all your points together at the 11-month mark to book at one resort.  That is, if you owned 100 points at Saratoga Springs and 75 at the BoardWalk, you would not be able to combine all 175 points into one reservation at the BoardWalk until the 7-month mark since the Saratoga Springs points cannot be used at the BoardWalk before that.

Over the Lifetime of Your Contract

The length of your contract will depend on which home resort you choose.  Although DVC contracts typically have a lifespan of 40 to 50 years, the clock starts ticking on those years when the resort opens–not when you buy the contract.  In essence, if you purchase a contract at an older DVC resort, you have fewer years left on it.  As an example, Boulder Ridge and Copper Creek are both located at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.  However, Boulder Ridge contracts expire in 2042 while Copper Creek contracts expire in 2068.  

Finally, over the lifetime of your contract, you’ll have to pay annual dues to cover the maintenance of your home resort.  These dues vary based on the resort.  In general, the coastal resorts like Hilton Head and Vero Beach tend to have the higher annual dues since they are more prone to beach erosion or even damage during hurricane season. 

Access all available Disney Vacation Club resale listings, or learn more about buying and selling with DVC Resale Market.