DVC Right of First Refusal Report (ROFR): March 2025

Grand Floridian - Main Lobby Exterior

DVC Exercises Right of First Refusal (ROFR)

Year-to-date (YTD), Disney has exercised their right of first refusal (ROFR) on 41 Disney Vacation Club (DVC) contract, and DVC Resale Market (DVCRM) has sold 1,336, resulting in a 3.1% buyback rate (Contracts Bought Back in 2025/Contracts Sold in 2025). The 2025 waiver rate is 96.9%.

Key ROFR Updates

After a quiet end to 2024, Disney has now ROFR’d 19 Grand Floridian contracts so far in 2025, making it the most actively bought-back resort this year. That’s more than 20% of all Grand Floridian resale contracts we’ve sold—and it’s only March. The surge has been sudden and steep, and naturally, it got me thinking: what’s driving this?

My gut says… it’s the resort next door.

All Eyes on Grand Floridian

Yep, I’m talking about the Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows. I chatted a bit with Senior Sales Associate, Derek DeBoer, about this and he had the following insight: People tour the Island Tower—maybe they’re wowed by the views, the location, the fresh finishes—and then they ask, “Hey, could I just buy the Grand Floridian next door instead?” The idea of a monorail resort with a touch more elegance, arguably quieter ambiance, and direct walking access to Magic Kingdom suddenly becomes pretty appealing.

And telling that guest “No, sorry, Grand’s not available” is, frankly, a bad move. If you’ve got the right buyer standing there, ready to go, you give them what they want, even if it means paying more per point. So if DVC is running short on Grand Floridian points, snatching up resale contracts—even at prices like $163 to $166 per point—makes total sense. Compared to losing a sale altogether, it’s a no-brainer.

Grand Floridian: The Numbers

Let’s talk about that $163-$166 per point range for Grand Floridian buybacks. That’s a massive increase from just a couple of months ago when the highest buyback was $131 per point in January. Now we’re looking at ROFR activity that’s matching or exceeding resale market prices—and if it continues, we may see those resale prices start to climb again.

Grand Californian: Strategic or Speculative?

Meanwhile, over on the West Coast, Grand Californian continues to show up in ROFR reports, with 6 contracts bought back out of 24 sold in 2025 (25%). While this may seem surprising, my hunch is that it has everything to do with the resort’s ongoing refurbishment. Disney might be picking up contracts to bundle with new or refurbished inventory, or simply because they want more control over availability as the project nears completion.

As a Grand Cal owner myself, I’ll admit—I’m rooting for it. The value of Grand Californian has taken some tough hits over the last year, and any effort by Disney to shore up pricing or increase demand is fine by me.


What is Right of First Refusal (ROFR)?

For those new to the concept, Right of First Refusal is the option Disney Vacation Club has to purchase any resale contract after a sales price has been agreed upon, and the contract has been executed. Each contract must be forwarded to DVC for review.

DVC typically takes no more than 30 days to review the contract. At their discretion, Disney may step in and purchase the property themselves at the terms agreed upon by the seller and original buyer. DVC then becomes the buyer, and the purchase is complete. Once DVC is the buyer there is not an opportunity to come back with a better offer in hopes of still purchasing the contract.

Highest Monthly Buy Back Numbers by DVC Resort

Highest Buyback Price Per Point by Resort from March 2024 to March 2025:

Mar. ’24 Apr. ’24 May ’24 June ’24 July ’24 Aug. ’24 Sept. ’24 Oct. ’24 Nov. ’24 Dec. ’24 Jan. ’25 Feb. ’25 Mar. ’25 Highest 
Animal Kingdom n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a $100 $103 $130 $120 $90 $138 $120 $90 $138
Old Key West n/a n/a $75 $78 $80 $78 $78 $89 n/a $82 $73 n/a n/a $89
Grand Floridian  n/a n/a $144 $148 $145 n/a n/a $145 n/a n/a $131 $163 $166 $166
Grand Californian n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a $221 $210 $224 $224
Polynesian $135 $144 $162 n/a $154 $154 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a $162

*n/a: no buybacks for that resort for that month. Also, no buybacks of Aulani, Bay Lake Tower, BoardWalk, Beach Club, Boulder Ridge, Copper Creek, Hilton Head, Riviera Resort, Saratoga Springs, and Vero Beach in rolling calendar year.

Disney Vacation Club Resort Resale Contracts Bought Back in 2025

The graph below shows the total amount of buybacks at each DVC resort for contracts sold by DVC Resale Market in 2025:

Number of ROFR Contracts YTD - March 2025

Average Right of First Refusal (ROFR) Timeframe for March 2025

In our continuous effort to provide transparent and useful insights to our clients at DVC Resale Market, we have compiled data to establish an average timeframe for contracts to pass through the Right of First Refusal (ROFR) process. It is important to understand that this duration is an average, indicating that some contracts may be processed more quickly while others might take a longer period. Keep in mind that various factors can influence these timeframes, and this average serves as a general benchmark for your expectations when navigating the ROFR process with us.

ROFR Timeframe - 23 Days

Buy Back Rates for Disney Vacation Club Resorts in 2025

The table below shows the percentage of buybacks for the resorts that have had at least one contract bought back in 2025. Note, there have been no buybacks of the following resorts in 2025: Aulani, Polynesian, Riviera Resort, Bay Lake Tower, Beach Club, Boardwalk, Boulder Ridge, Copper Creek, Disneyland Hotel, Saratoga Springs, Vero Beach, and Hilton Head.

Resort Buybacks Number Sold % Bought Back
Animal Kingdom 15 162 9.3%
Grand Californian 6 24 25.0%
Grand Floridian 19 93 20.4%
Old Key West 1 103 1.0%

 

Access all DVC resale listings and learn more about buying and selling with DVC Resale Market.

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