Let me start by saying—I know this is a battle I’m not going to win. Disney isn’t going to suddenly change direction because one frustrated fan is shouting into the void. The financial incentive to keep expanding Disney Vacation Club (DVC) is simply too strong. But that doesn’t make it any less frustrating to watch more and more valuable theme park real estate being swallowed up by DVC sales efforts.
It started with kiosks scattered throughout the parks. Then came the exclusive lounges. Now, Disney is taking things even further. This spring, Walt Disney World will open its first-ever in-park DVC Welcome Home Center. Dubbed Château de Voyage, the new space will be a dedicated location for guests to learn about DVC membership while touring a model room from the newly opened Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows.
I get it—DVC is a massive moneymaker. But at what cost? The parks should be about experiences, not sales pitches. While the DVC lounges don’t really bother me—since they tend to repurpose unused space and stay relatively tucked away—the kiosks scattered around the parks always strike me as odd. Who is making a major real estate-style financial decision between rides on Space Mountain? Disney parks are meant to be an escape from the real world, yet they’re turning into a showroom floor.
But this latest move—the model room tucked inside the Canada pavilion in World Showcase in EPCOT—feels like a serious escalation in this slow-moving invasion. This was a prime location that could have been an iconic bar, a walk-through attraction, or even an extension of the pavilion’s existing theme. Instead, it’s being used to sell timeshares. And, of course, a unique themed experience wasn’t even considered, because it wouldn’t bring in direct revenue. That’s just the reality of today’s Disney—if it doesn’t make money upfront, it’s not even on the table.
And here’s the thing—I don’t even mind the kiosks or sales desks at the resorts. That makes sense. After all, when you buy into DVC, you’re not buying the parks—you’re buying the resorts. So why not keep the hard sell where it belongs?
I know this take might get me in trouble with die-hard DVC fans, but this isn’t an attack on DVC members or even the club itself. I just don’t like seeing it slowly take over more and more space in the parks. Is that really too much to ask?
