Disney Vacation Club, also known as DVC, is a fantastic vacation membership program that is Disney’s version of a timeshare. DVC currently stands at 18 properties, stretching from the Atlantic coast of Florida to Oahu, and the past two years have been significant for DVC and its inventory expansion. First, in December 2023, a new DVC exclusive tower opened in Anaheim, CA, at the Disneyland Hotel, then in the summer of 2024, the first new DVC Cabins opened at Fort Wilderness Resort at Disney World. Finally, in December of 2024, the DVC tower at the Polynesian Village Resort opened at Disney World. If all of that is not enough, construction recently restarted on a resort on the site of the old River Country water park at Fort Wilderness Campground – Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge, due to open in 2027 as DVC’s 19th property.
However, even with the new additions, we can all be certain that DVC will continue to add inventory, given the immense popularity of the program and its resorts, and it is likely Disney’s deep thinkers are even now considering what the 20th DVC property will be. It is possible they have already made the decision and are just waiting for the right time to announce the project.
For the next DVC property, it is possible Disney will opt for a simpler and smaller option given the size and scope of the recent additions – three major construction projects along with the replacement of over 300 cabins at Fort Wilderness with new units. In other words, do not be shocked if Disney opts to go the tried-and-true route of repurposing existing rooms at a deluxe resort into DVC Villas. This, of course, has been done at Animal Kingdom Lodge (Jambo House), the Wilderness Lodge (Copper Creek), the Polynesian, and most recently at the Grand Floridian when the Big Pine Key building was converted into DVC studios and reopened in June 2022.
If Disney decides to go this route for its next DVC property, one potential location stands out above all others – the Garden Wing at the Contemporary Resort Hotel. The Garden Wing is a part of the Contemporary that many Walt Disney World guests likely do not even know about. While the iconic a-frame main building the monorail goes through is one of Disney World’s most recognizable structures, the Garden Wing, a low-rise three-story building consisting of approximately 250 additional hotel rooms tucked along the shore of Bay Lake is easy to miss unless you are staying there or you are a Walt Disney World veteran.
The rooms of the Garden Wing could also be easily converted into DVC studios, similar to those at Big Pine Key at the Grand Floridian. For a little history, Disney took one of the Grand Floridian’s buildings, Big Pine Key, and all 202 of its rooms, and converted them into DVC studios with charming Mary Poppins theming. The reimagined Big Piney Key studios opened in June in 2022 and were integrated into the existing DVC Grand Floridian property interest, subsequently reducing the standard room inventory of the hotel while increasing options for DVC members who want to stay at Disney World’s flagship resort. Converting all or even some of the rooms of the Garden Wing into DVC studios and adding them to the existing ownership interest of Bay Lake Tower, the Contemporary’s attendant DVC property could be done with a similar level of effort and would quickly and easily add DVC inventory at a popular location along the Monorail Loop that is also within walking distance of the Magic Kingdom.
Currently there is no information Disney plans to convert any rooms in the Garden Wing at the Contemporary into DVC studios, doing so would be consistent with Disney’s practice of converting existing room inventory at Deluxe Resorts into DVC Villas. With DVC having taken on four major projects and one minor project in the first half of the 2020s, it should not surprise anyone if Disney and DVC pursue an easy win in the next round of DVC expansion.