Inside the Disney Vacation Club Timeshare Presentation — Is It Worth It? [Review]

Thinking about attending a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) timeshare presentation? I attended one with my husband during a June 2025 stay at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, and we walked away with $200 in Disney gift cards that we used at Walt Disney World the same day.

Our experience was low pressure and took about an hour and a half, including room tours. If you’re considering a DVC presentation, see what you can expect, how to earn a gift card, and tips to make the most (or least) of your sales meeting.

What Is DVC?

DVC is Disney’s points-based timeshare program. Members purchase deeded real estate interest at home resorts, pay annual dues, and receive a yearly allotment of points that can be used to book participating Disney accommodations.

Upgraded Points’ Jamie Larounis, senior content contributor, is an owner at several DVC properties. Learn more about his experience after a year of DVC membership.

How We Booked and Checked In

We had a stay booked at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa and received a voicemail with an offer to attend a presentation during our stay. We could get $100 per adult attending the presentation, and we called to schedule our presentation at 9 a.m. on our second day at the resort.

You can attend a DVC presentation without staying at a Disney resort, but the $100 gift card offer is only available to Disney resort guests. Unlike other timeshare presentations, which often trade a discounted hotel stay, our only perk for this meeting was a gift card.

Hot Tip:

To schedule a presentation, call 877-849-2799 or inquire at one of the parks’ DVC kiosks, though gift card incentive amounts may vary. When scheduling your tour, you can also typically arrange transportation to and from the presentation location.

Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa has a DVC preview center on-site, so we didn’t have to go anywhere else to attend. First, we stopped by the DVC desk in the lobby to check in. 

We were directed to walk to the nearby presentation building.

Once we reached the presentation building, we checked in at the lobby and waited for our salesperson to meet us. The lobby had beautiful stained glass art featuring Disney park castles.

Our salesperson quickly greeted us and asked us if we had any plans for the day, such as dining reservations, so we could stay on schedule. Depending on questions and touring, the DVC presentation can be as short as 30 minutes or as long as 2 hours or longer. 

Although our kids weren’t with us on this trip, the presentation building had a kids room and an ice cream parlor where they could have hung out during our presentation.

Hot Tip:

If you don’t have a lot of time, tell your guide up front how much time you have so they can adjust as needed. 

Inside the DVC Timeshare Presentation 

Our guide directed us to a small meeting room to review membership details. 

He started by asking us about our typical Disney travel habits, including how often we visit Disney properties, how many people come with us, and our usual travel dates. 

We explained that although we typically visit Disney World a few times per year, we don’t always stay at Disney resorts. Though we usually visit as a family of 5, we sometimes do adults-only trips as a couple or with friends. 

He was happy to use that information to customize recommendations for DVC membership, essentially calculating how many points we’d need to make it worthwhile.

I’d researched DVC beforehand and volunteered that we’d probably be good at 150 points. With 150 points or more purchased directly from DVC (not on the resale market), we could take advantage of Membership Extras benefits, including:

• Moonlight Magic after-hours access, exclusive to DVC members
• DVC member lounges with complimentary refreshments at Magic Kingdom and EPCOT
• Florida resident pricing for Disney Sorcerer Pass (the annual pass)
• Discounts on private tours, select dining, and experiences
• Access to DVC member merchandise

Points and Pricing

We looked at quotes for membership at Disney’s Riviera Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, and the Cabins at Fort Wilderness Resort. As we discussed not wanting to rent a golf cart or make the trek to a faraway cabin after a day at the theme parks, we quickly eliminated the Cabins at Fort Wilderness Resort.

The price per point was $235, the same across all properties. At 150 points, we’d pay $35,250 at either Disney’s Riviera Resort or Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows. We’d pay $904 in closing costs at either resort.

Our salesperson said 150 points would be good for about 7 nights in a deluxe studio. Of course, the points needed for a particular booking depend on the season, room selection, and property, so getting more (or fewer) nights is possible depending on when you visit and what you book. 

Annual dues varied between the properties. Disney’s Riviera Resort was on the higher end at $1,359, but had a longer expiration date in 2070, while Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows contract expiration was slightly shorter at 2066 and had a $1,190 annual dues rate. That means if we purchased a DVC contract, it would be good until the expiration date — assuming we stay on top of paying annual membership dues. Our salesperson said the annual dues typically increase between 4% to 6% each year.

Our guide also reviewed the membership details, explaining that DVC members get a deeded interest in a home resort and that all stays are booked with points. 

We’d get an 11-month booking window at our home resort. For example, if we purchased a DVC membership at Disney’s Riviera Resort, we could book stays there up to 11 months in advance. The booking window is 7 months at other resorts. 

I asked about shorter booking windows, as we often plan our visits within 2 months of arrival. He recommended calling member services for help with finding the right fit for short booking windows, but suggested it would be better to book earlier when possible.

He explained point flexibility, allowing members to bank or borrow DVC points without fees. We could use a maximum of 3 years’ worth of points, using points up to 1 year old and 1 year ahead. We would also have the option to gift or rent out our points if we didn’t personally use the points.

We were given a 7-day offer window, which meant the numbers we were quoted would be honored for 7 days. That was a nice feature compared to other timeshare presentations we’ve attended, where there was a lot of pressure to buy on the spot. With DVC, we could think it over for up to a week and still get the same deal.

Here’s an overview of our DVC offer:

Payment and Financing

Although we went into the meeting knowing we wouldn’t buy a DVC membership, I am always curious about how the money works, so I asked questions about payment and financing.

We could pay in full or finance. If financing, we’d put 10% down and pay closing costs, then finance the rest over 15 years.

Credit cards are accepted for payment, whether you’re paying in full or making a down payment for financing. If you pay with the Disney^® Visa^® Card or Disney^® Premier Visa^® card, you can use the card’s 0% promo APR for 6 months on select Disney vacation packages from the date of purchase, after that a variable APR of 18.24% - 27.24%.

Disney^® Premier Visa^® Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

2% back Disney Rewards Dollars at Disney, gas stations, grocery stories, and restaurants means more rewards dollars for Disney fans.

Disney^® Premier Visa^® Card

2% back Disney Rewards Dollars at Disney, gas stations, grocery stories, and restaurants means more rewards dollars for Disney fans.

Welcome Offer

Earn a $300 Statement Credit after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

$300

Annual Fee

$49

APR

18.24% - 27.24% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

Mickey and his friends are like part of the family. Your kids can recite the words to everything from Aladdin to Toy Story. And there’s no question where you’re going on Spring Break (Space Mountain, anyone?).

As a premier Disney fan, you always have the Disney^® Premier Visa^® Card on hand. It earns you cash back and discounts at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and more.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Save 10% on select purchases at shopDisney.com when you use your card
• Earn 5% in Disney Rewards Dollars on purchases at DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com, or ESPNPlus.com
• Earn 2% in Disney Rewards Dollars on card purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, and most Disney U.S. locations

Cons

• Does not earn transferrable rewards
• Has a foreign transaction fee

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn a $300 Statement Credit after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Earn 5% in Disney Rewards Dollars on card purchases made directly at DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com or ESPNPlus.com. Earn 2% in Disney Rewards Dollars on card purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants and most Disney U.S. locations. Earn 1% on all your other card purchases. There are no limits to the number of Rewards Dollars you can earn.
• Redeem Rewards Dollars for a statement credit toward airline purchases.
• 0% promo APR for 6 months on select Disney vacation packages from the date of purchase, after that a variable APR of 18.24% to 27.24%
• 10% off select merchandise purchases at select locations and 10% off select dining locations most days at the Disneyland^® Resort and Walt Disney World^® Resort.
• Save 10% on select purchases at DisneyStore.com
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 18.24% - 27.24% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: 3% of the amount of each transaction in U.S. dollars.

Rewards Center

Disney Rewards

You have a 60-day window to pay, and you can do so in increments. That’s handy for using multiple credit cards and earning welcome bonus offers. Annual dues are also payable by credit card if you pay annually. If you pay monthly, you’re required to use an automatic draft from your bank account.

Our guide explained how we could sell back points to get a break on the cost with Magical Beginnings. The Magical Beginnings program allows you to sell back your first year of points for a cash rebate when you sign up as a DVC member. We were offered $20 per point, which at 150 points would give us $3,000 back that we could apply toward the total membership cost.

If we took the rebate, we wouldn’t be able to use that year’s points to book stays at Disney resorts, though we could borrow from the following year if desired. Even if we took the Magical Beginnings option, membership benefits would start immediately, including lounge and event access and passholder pricing.

Hot Tip:

Renting DVC points on the secondary market is also an option if you’d like to experience a DVC property. Learn more in our detailed guide.

Touring DVC Suites and Villas

Once we had all the information, our salesperson gave us a few minutes to discuss the details privately before we took a tour of the model rooms. Then we headed over to the model building to see the rooms.

There was a model of the buildings in the lobby and model rooms down the hallway.

We started by looking at a deluxe studio model for the new Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, which sleeps up to 4 and has queen beds.

It had a kitchen, Murphy bed, and a small dining area.

Next, we saw a 1-bedroom villa at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows Island Tower with room for up to 5. It had a separate bedroom with a king-size bed.

The villa living room had a queen-size Murphy bed that functioned as a sofa during the day. There was also a single pull-down bed under the TV. Like the deluxe studio, the villa had a kitchen and dining area.

The villa also had a generously sized bathroom, a hall closet, and a stacked washer and dryer.

Next, we saw rooms for Disney’s Riviera Resort, starting with the deluxe studio. This room accommodates up to 5 guests with 1 queen bed, a queen-size Murphy bed, and a single pull-down bed.

We also toured a 1-bedroom villa at Disney’s Riviera Resort, which had room for up to 5.

The living room had additional beds and a kitchen with a dining area.

The bathroom had a large soaking tub.

Ending the Presentation 

Once we returned from the tour, our guide asked us if we had any more questions and then went in for a soft close, explaining the next steps we could take if we were ready to purchase a DVC membership.

When we declined, it was refreshingly low pressure, and he reminded us that we had up to 7 days to sign up and still receive the offers we’d discussed that day.

Our $200 gift card — $100 for each of us — arrived via email immediately. I could add it to my mobile wallet, and we used it to pay for food and merchandise while visiting the parks that same day.

Tips for Attending a DVC Presentation 

• Confirm your offer when you book your tour. We received $100 per adult while staying at a Disney resort, but offers may vary.
• Set a time limit if you’re short on time and communicate it at the start. You can ask to skip room tours or keep things moving quickly if you don’t have much time. 
• If you’re just there for the gift card, you can be clear about that so the guide understands you’ll probably want to keep your presentation minimal.
• If any details are unclear, ask questions and get specifics — including price per point, annual dues, and incentives — in writing or summarized in a follow-up email.
• If you’re seriously considering DVC membership, run the numbers on your typical Disney stays, including how many nights you stay per year and what it costs you in cash (not hotel points). The guide can help you match an offer that fits your typical travel habits.
• Plan for follow-ups. You can expect post-presentation emails and calls within your 7-day offer window. 
• You can attend a DVC presentation and receive perks (such as a gift card) as often as every 12 months.

Should You Attend a DVC Presentation?

We had a great experience on our DVC tour. It was interesting to get the details on DVC membership, even though we didn’t take the offer. I especially liked touring the model rooms. Overall, it was a fun way to spend about an hour and a half while getting $200 to spend at the parks.

Attending a DVC presentation is a good idea if:

• You’re staying at a Disney property and have a resort day to hang out.
• You’re curious about DVC (even if you don’t intend to purchase on the spot).
• You want to earn $100 per adult to spend with Disney.

That said, if you have a tight schedule, spending time on a presentation may not be worth it. Disney vacations can be costly, and you might not want to give up precious vacation time to spend it on a sales meeting. 

We experienced a casual and easy sales meeting, but you might want to skip it if sales presentations are stressful for you.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re DVC-curious or just want a gift card, a DVC presentation is a low-pressure way to see room models and learn how the program works. Plan it for a resort rest day and set a clear time cap.

We appreciated the efficient check-in, room tours, and speedy gift card delivery. The only real trade-off is spending time on the meeting during a Disney trip, so schedule it when you won’t feel rushed and be sure to communicate any time limitations with your salesperson.