Disney Timeshares Are Changing Timeshare Points Structure
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
In the first change in timeshare points used at the Disney Vacation Club in over 18 years, the Disney Company is redistributing the number of timeshare points needed for lodging at its resorts. Points represent the timeshare owner’s percentage of ownership in the Disney Vacation Club properties.
Up until now, Disney timeshare required more points – almost twice as many – for weekend accommodations as for weeknight stays. The fact that weekday/weeknight timeshare stays required so many fewer timeshare points created greater demand for vacations Monday through Thursday than for accommodations on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights.
Now, Disney Vacation Club is redistributing (reallocating) throughout the week the number of timeshare points required to stay in their properties. Their objective is to more evenly distribute the occupancy levels for weekdays vs. weekends. In so doing, they are also taking away much of the consumer saving gained by avoiding weekend stays.
With the changes, weekday stays will still require fewer timeshare points, but will now be much closer in points required to weekends than in the past. Florida State law permits a timeshare company to make this type of reallocation to their points values during the year as long as the total number of timeshare points required for a timeshare week at a Disney Vacation Club or Disney resort property remains the same.
Interesting Info about Timeshare Points at Disney Vacation Club
Unlike many other types of timeshare, Disney Vacation Club membership is not held in perpetuity. Instead, Disney Vacation Club membership expires on January 31, 2042; timeshare membership at Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa expires on January 31, 2054; while timeshare membership at the Animal Kingdom Villas ends on January 31, 2057.
Disney Vacation Club timeshares is defined as a real estate interest and does carry a deed, deeded ownership at a Disney timeshare resort simply expires on the predetermined date.
Although you are buying a “real-estate interest” and your purchase is actually deeded, your ownership ceases to exist after these dates.
For many families, this time structure is ideal as it means that at a predetermined point in the future, they will be free from the commitment to their timeshare, after having had the benefit of enjoying it for many years.
Source: The Orlando Sentinel and others.