*****Update: The Disney Vacation Account program has been discontinued*****
Should you still have funds in this program here is what you need to know, straight from their FAQ Page:
” To current account holders:
Thank you for your participation in the Disney Vacation Account program. At this time, we are discontinuing the program and no new accounts or contributions are being accepted.
As a true Disney fan, and to show our appreciation for your participation in the program, below are four (4) options you can choose from. If you have more than one account with the Disney Vacation Account program, you may want to take action for each account.
Option 1
Use the total amount in your account to purchase a Disney Gift Card (depending on the amount in your account, you may need to purchase multiple Disney Gift Cards) by September 27, 2017, and we’ll add an extra 5% on your Disney Gift Card(s). We’ll email the gift card right to your inbox for immediate use. If you are entitled to more than $10,000 in Disney Gift Cards (after including the extra 5%), they will be emailed to you over the course of a few days.
Option 2
Redeem your Disney Vacation Account toward the Disney vacation of your choice. And, if you haven’t already booked a vacation, here is an amazing offer for Walt Disney World® Resort:
for a family of 3 with this package that includes
a 3-night stay in a standard room at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort or
Disney’s All-Star Music Resort AND 2-day Theme Park tickets!
For stays most nights 7/25–8/5, 8/27–9/9,
9/24–10/5, 10/22–11/4 and 12/10–12/21/17.
Book through 9/27/17.
Ask about great rates available at other Disney Resort hotels!
Price based on 2 adults and 1 child (ages 3 to 9). The number of rooms allocated for this package is limited. Tickets valid for one Theme Park per day and must be used within 14 days of first use.
Length-of-stay requirements may apply. Additional per-adult charges may apply if more than two adults per room. Advance reservations required. Offer is nontransferable and cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion. Call (407) 934-7639 for more information or to book.
Be sure to mention your unique offer code found in your email or letter.
Option 3
Do nothing. Starting after September 27, 2017, Disney will begin to close Disney Vacation Accounts and process refunds. If you have funds in a Disney Vacation Account after September 27, 2017, then sometime after that date you will receive a full refund of your balance to your original form of payment or by check to the mailing address we have on file for you. Due to the nature of the program, Guests may experience delays in the refund process.
To thank you for your participation and for your patience during the refund process, a bonus of 2% of your closing balance or $5.00 (whichever is greater) will be placed on a Disney Gift Card and emailed to you. The bonus Disney Gift Card will be delivered separately from your refund. Please allow up to 15 days between the delivery of the refund and the bonus Disney Gift Card.
Option 4
Request a refund before the refund process described in Option 3 is completed, and your full unused balance will be refunded to your original form of payment or by check to the mailing address we have on file for you. With this option 4, you will not be eligible to receive the bonus, Disney Gift Card.
Thanks again for your participation and for your understanding. All amounts in your Disney Vacation Account are fully refundable.
– The Disney Vacation Account Team. “
For anyone planning a Disney vacation, the Disney Vacation Account is the best thing since sliced bread. It makes saving for a Disney vacation essentially painless! If you are planning a trip to a Disney property or cruise in the next 1-3 years start saving now and you’ll be glad you did.
Estimate your dollar amount
First, use their Budget Estimator to figure out how much you want to save and by what date. You will want to take into consideration where you want to stay, whether or not you want a dining plan and extra possible expenses like souvenirs or parking. Keep in mind that you can also use the savings plan to purchase airfare if you plan to get that as part of a Disney package vacation. You can use the Disney Vacation Account even if you plan to work with a Disney consultant or travel agent. If you haven’t figured all the details out yet, but you know you still want to go, that’s fine, just start saving.
Automatic Contributions
Set up automatic contributions into the account and just let it start working for you. I personally only needed to save up about $2,000 and started about 18 months before my trip. My contributions were about $25 a week. You can make changes to your account at any time and can pause or cancel your contributions if needed. You can also make one-time contributions. So when your mom asks what the kids want for Christmas you can just ask for a contribution to their Disney trip! The entire process is super easy to use and to manage.
A Risk-Free Investment
If you set up the account and for some reason decide you no longer want to go to Disney, your contributions are fully refundable, so really it’s a completely risk-free investment. You can also request a partial refund. So if you save up $5000 but then decide to stay off property you can get a refund on the portion you had allotted for lodging.
Disney is not cheap, so start saving as soon as possible for your future trip. I can’t tell you how nice it is to know that when we go in October everything will be paid for and I don’t have to worry about a thing.
Above is a graph that shows my account information for the last few months. I first saved up $1,200 and once I had that saved I went ahead and bought my park tickets. I didn’t need to buy those so soon, I was just excited and really wanted to! That put me back at zero and I started over. So now I am saving up some spending money. You can see green dots where the contributions are made. You can also see a few times where the green dot is missing. There were a few instances where I opted to skip my weekly contribution, like the week of Christmas. When you skip your weekly contributions will then adjust so that you still meet your target savings, by the date you have set. So I skipped a contribution, but then the rest of my contributions may go up a $1 to make up for that. You have complete control.
Don’t delay, start saving today!
