Reasons Why You Need to Buy DVC Points RIGHT NOW
Are you on the fence about buying a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) contract? Are you trying to decide whether you should buy or wait? Whether you’re purchasing your first contract or giving in to that wonderful impulse of Add-On-It is, you’re making a huge decision. Well, I’m here to give you positive reinforcement on your urge. This is legitimately the best time EVER to buy a DVC contract. Let me explain all the reasons why…
New 2018 Additions at Walt Disney World
We are only a couple of weeks past the introduction of a pair of new themed lands at Disney theme parks. Pixar Pier debuted at Disney California Adventure on June 23rd, and Toy Story followed at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on June 30th. New themed lands are fairly rare, which is why the appearance of three of them in just over a calendar year is so remarkable. As you’ll recall, Pandora – The World of Avatar debuted at Disney’s Animal Kingdom on Memorial Day weekend in 2017.
You may think that The Walt Disney Company has expanded the parks plenty enough for the time being. Ha! As we learned during the 2017 D-23 Expo, the company’s just getting started.
During 2019, the company will add the following new features at Walt Disney World: the Disney Skyliner, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Disney’s Riviera Resort, and the other thing. The Skyliner will vastly improve transportation from resorts to parks, adding a third dimension to the proceedings. The Runaway Railway will become the first Mickey and Minnie Mouse attraction in park history.
The new DVC resort will work as a connection between the two. It will have a gondola station nearby. This structure will transfer guests from the resort to Hollywood Studios, the home of the new ride. It will also carry DVC members to Epcot, too. All three of these new amenities are reason enough to visit Walt Disney World next year. They aren’t the reason why millions of people will show up at Hollywood Studios next year, though.
The Massive Impact of Star Wars Land
The central appeal is the heavily anticipated arrival of Star Wars Land. It should do for Hollywood Studios what Pandora did for Animal Kingdom, boosting its attendance by 15 percent. Star Wars Land might even have a Wizarding World of Harry Potter kind of impact. The two parks at Universal Resort Orlando increased from combined attendance of 10.1 million in 2008 to 19.7 million in 2017. That’s the halo effect of a hugely popular themed land.
Hollywood Studios is currently the least visited of the four gates at Walt Disney World. It managed 10.7 million in attendance last year, which seems great compared to the Universal gates. It’s a full two million behind Epcot, though. The gap between the bottom two Disney gates is roughly a 20 percent difference!
Imagine how much that will change when Star Wars Land opens. We’ve witnessed the impact of Avatar and Harry Potter on their respective parks. Let’s be honest that neither of them compares as a brand to Star Wars, though. Demand for Hollywood Studios will skyrocket in 2019, and DVC points will grow scarce because of it. You may view this as a one-time instance of heightened demand. You shouldn’t.
Star Wars Demand Will Come in Two Waves
Disney has demonstrated a great deal of savvy with their Star Wars Land rollout. They spaced it roughly 18 months away from Toy Story Land. This gives Hollywood Studios something new and exciting for 2018 and then again in 2019. But the plan is even smarter than that. They’ve held back on the opening of Star Wars Hotel, too.
The most exciting hotel project in the world today won’t arrive in 2019. Disney’s going to hold it back at least a year. You may wonder why they aren’t in a hurry to introduce what will instantly become their most expensive hotel. They’re losing money that way, right?
Well, the company isn’t worried about any financial issues with the impending debut of Star Wars Land. They’ll be flush with cash. What they want is to give tourists another reason to visit after their first trip to Star Wars Land. The Star Wars Hotel becomes a second justification for a vacation.
After you’ve seen the themed land, you’ll still need to experience this new form of Star Wars universe immersion. You’ll get to role play the instant you check in at your hotel, and the journey will continue until you depart. It’ll cause another entire wave of fanboy rush to Hollywood Studios. Once again, DVC points will be scarce.
The Path to 50
Maybe you’re thinking that the situation will calm down after Star Wars Land loses its newness. You’re underestimating the park planners at Disney. Everything that they’re doing right now is part of a meticulous plan. After years of relative stability at the Disney parks, they’ve grown proactive about future expansion.
Part of the explanation for this projected growth is something that happens three years from now. On October 1, 2021, Walt Disney World will celebrate its 50th anniversary. As was true of Disneyland during its 60th anniversary in 2015, park planners will make a huge deal out of the celebration. They’ve carefully constructed a road map for the upcoming event. The aforementioned D-23 Expo served this purpose. It alerted Disney fans to what’s in store at Walt Disney World.
We know that Tomorrowland will receive a version of Tron Lightcycle Power Run. We know that Epcot will gain a Guardians of the Galaxy roller coaster. We received word that Remy’s Totally Zany Adventure aka the Ratatouille ride will debut at the France Pavilion over the next few years. Disney also threw in some tidbits about a new Mission: Space-based restaurant and a new movie at the China Pavilion. In short, many new updates will arrive that will add to the perceived value of a Walt Disney World visit.
Disneyland’s Getting Better, Too!
These updates aren’t reserved for Walt Disney World, either. The Happiest Place on Earth is FINALLY going to get a second DVC resort. The belief is that the new Downtown Disney hotel under construction, the one that forced the closure of several Downtown Disney restaurants and shops, will have some DVC rooms. Oh, and Disneyland is getting a Star Wars Land, too. In fact, theirs will debut several months ahead of the one in Orlando.
Over at Disney California Adventure (DCA), Imagineers will continue its conversion into a themed paradise. They’ve already added new Pixar elements, and they recently announced an Inside Out attraction for 2019. Simultaneously, they’re introducing more Marvel-based attractions at DCA, too. This park’s historically been perceived as the lesser sibling of Disneyland, but it’s the one with the most exciting propositions moving forward.
In Future Years, You’ll Get More but You’ll Pay More
With so much growth at all the North American gates, think about how these factors will impact DVC membership. When Disney’s Riviera Resort opens to the public, you should expect record-setting introductory prices. The same will be true of the Downtown Disney location, presuming that the rumor about a DVC presence is true. What will that do to current contract values?
Rising introductory prices inevitably have a ripple effect on other contracts, whether direct or via resales. Should you wait until next year, you’ll pay more. It’s inevitable. The impending opening of Star Wars Land at two different Disney theme parks assures unprecedented demand for hotel rooms. When demand and supply go up, prices increase, too.
With so many exciting additions planned between now and October of 2021, you always can’t wait for a slow period when pricing might dip. There won’t be one. Disney’s planned one blockbuster opening after another. At this time in three years, you’ll look back wistfully at DVC contract prices during the summer of 2018. You’ll lament the fact that you didn’t buy when DVC was more affordable.
Don’t make that mistake! Be proactive! Bid on a DVC contract right now. As soon as you’ve finished the paperwork, start planning your trip for the debut of one of the two Star Wars Land openings. They both represent rare opportunities to experience something before anyone else, and you can do either one easily thanks to your DVC membership points. And since you get more annual points each year, you’ll have many opportunities to enjoy all of the new activities coming to Disney theme parks between now and 2021.