Walt Disney World is a big place. It’s actually more than 40 square miles, as big as the city of San Francisco and twice the size of Manhattan. With all that land and all of those winding roads, it’s easy to lose your whereabouts. Let’s go over the different DVC resort locations and, surprise, a few are at Disney destinations other than Disney World in Florida!
DVC Resort Locations
We’ll start with the basics. There are fifteen Disney Vacation Club Resorts. Whether you’re picking your home resort, considering where to add on or choosing where to book with your points, understanding where the resort is located precisely can help. Most DVC resorts are on Walt Disney World Resort property in Central Florida. There are eleven of those: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas, Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Beach Club Villas, Disney’s BoardWalk Villas, Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Copper Creek Villas and Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, Disney’s Old Key West Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, Disney’s Riviera Resort and Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort. Below we’ll discuss where each of these are within Walt Disney World property. As you can see, some resorts have more than one Disney Vacation Club property present. While some are closer to parks than others, all are just a few minute ride via complimentary Disney bus, or other transport, to get where you want to go. To drive across the entire Walt Disney World property, it would take about fifteen minutes either way you look at it. That means everything is still relatively easy to reach no matter where you stay. If you want to be near a certain park, though, that’s totally possible. You can search Disney World resorts by their locations. The Walt Disney World website classifies resorts into different areas based on their location: Magic Kingdom Area, Epcot Area, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Area, Disney’s Hollywood Studios Area and Disney Springs Area. It’s possible to walk to some parks from some resorts. There are also modes of transport provided by Disney, in addition to busses, from certain resorts to nearby parks. For example, the Disney Skyliner, Friendship Boats or water taxis, and monorails!
Then there are four DVC resorts outside of Disney World. Disney’s Vero Beach Resort is another Florida property and it’s about a two hour drive from Orlando. Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort is located in South Carolina about four hours by car from Disney World. The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel is at Disneyland Resort in California and Aulani, Disney Vacation Club Villas are in Hawaii on the island of O’ahu.
Magic Kingdom Area DVC Resorts
The three Disney Vacation Club Resorts on the Magic Kingdom monorail loop are Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows and The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. This means they each have their own monorail station right at the property that you can access as a guest. You can board the monorail from any of these three resorts and be taken right to Magic Kingdom. What a delight! This makes early mornings in the kingdom a breeze. Monorail loop resorts can also take you to the Transportation and Ticket Center stop which allows you to switch over to the Epcot line. All three of these resorts are also connected to Magic Kingdom by a walking path around the Seven Seas Lagoon.
Just across Bay Lake is the beautiful Wilderness Lodge resort. Here, Members can choose a home resort of Boulder Ridge, the original DVC building at this resort, or Copper Creek, the newer refurbished section added in 2017. Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort is not connected to a monorail but offers quick bus or boat transport to Magic Kingdom.
Epcot Area DVC Resorts
Epcot is connected by waterway to Hollywood Studios. With boats, walkways and the Disney Skyliner connecting the two parks, it’s easy to put nearby resorts in the same location category. Disney considers Disney’s BoardWalk Villas and Disney’s Beach Club Villas Epcot area DVC resorts. Both of these are a short walk to Epcot’s International Gateway entrance in the back of World Showcase.
Hollywood Studios Area DVC Resorts
Disney’s Riviera Resort is also just a Skyliner ride away from both Epcot and Hollywood Studios. There’s a direct line to Epcot and one stop and a transfer will get you to Hollywood Studios. By Disney’s standards, Riviera is considered a Hollywood Studios and Epcot area resort.
Disney Springs Area DVC Resorts
Both Disney’s Old Key West Resort and Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort are considered Disney Springs area DVC resorts. Saratoga Springs has a beautiful walking path to the shopping and dining district as it’s located just across the water. You can also take a boat from Saratoga to Disney Springs. Old Key West isn’t quite as close but offers a water taxi, called the DVC Ferry, to Disney Springs.
Animal Kingdom Area DVC Resorts
Animal Kingdom is on the opposite side of Walt Disney World from Magic Kingdom. It’s kind of off on its own. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas is located right next to the park, has fantastic restaurants and is perfect for early morning Pandora trips. Though Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas is considered one home resort, there is the Kidani Village DVC building and DVC rooms in the Jambo House area of the hotel.
DVC Resale Experts Makes Magic
DVC Resale Experts is a licensed real estate broker with a team specializing in resale DVC. Our independent, licensed real estate agents have decades of experience selling DVC. The Experts once made magic as Disney Vacation Club Guides so you can expect a magical experience complete with pixie dusted service. Our professionals can help those who want to sell DVC points, become a Member through resale or add on points to their current Membership. Take a look at our resale DVC listings for current pricing and availability. Ready to sell DVC points? You can get in touch for a complimentary valuation of your contract. Don’t see your dream contract listed on the market? Join the DVC Resale Experts Buyer Wish List to be contacted when one that’s a perfect fit for you becomes available.
