You closed on your first DVC contract. Now what? A three-phase checklist to make sure your points are booked, your reservations are set, and your first stay actually delivers.
New DVC owners routinely close on a contract, log into the member site once, and then feel paralyzed by unfamiliar terminology, booking windows, and rules. Six months later they still haven't booked a stay. This checklist breaks the process into three phases — 90 days out, 60 days out, 30 days out — with concrete actions at each stage that keep new members moving toward a successful first trip.
Confirm your points are in your account. Set up your online member profile at disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com. Add every family member as a "friend and family" contact. Download the My Disney Experience app. Note your use-year month and record it in your phone calendar. Read the DVC Member Guide (a PDF sent after closing). Book a Magical Beginnings meeting if offered — free one-on-one guidance from Member Services.
Decide the trip length (5–7 nights is standard). Decide travelers (adults, kids, ages). Choose a target month based on point-cost seasonality. Confirm you have enough current-year points; borrow from next year if needed. Write down the resort candidates in priority order — your home resort at 11 months, plus 7-month backup candidates.
If your home resort has 11-month priority and your trip is within that window, book immediately at exactly 11 months minus 1 day at 8:00 AM Eastern. If you're booking at 7 months, mark the 7-month release date. Log in at 7:59 AM the morning of your target date and refresh at 8:00. Have backup resorts and room categories ready if your first choice is unavailable.
Book Advance Dining Reservations for signature restaurants exactly 60 days pre-check-in at 5:45 AM Eastern (system opens 6:00). Buy park tickets. Link everything to My Disney Experience. Set park reservations if the park reservation system is still in place for your dates. Book any special experiences (fireworks dessert party, Cirque du Soleil, character breakfasts).
Confirm all reservations are still in the member site. Order Magic Bands if desired. Set up Disney Genie+ / Lightning Lane strategy. Print or screenshot key confirmations. Set travel-day reminders (flight, arrival transportation, check-in time). Pack the "arrival day essentials" separately: swim clothes, sunscreen, park backpack, and any medication (rooms are often not ready until 4:00 PM even for early flights).
Don't overplan the parks — you own DVC to enjoy the resort too. Spend at least one afternoon at the pool or exploring the resort grounds. Don't skip Advance Dining Reservations — walk-up availability at signature restaurants is nearly zero during peak weeks. Don't stress about your points balance mid-trip — enjoy the trip; the math still works if you spend a little more than budgeted. Book your NEXT trip while you're still at the resort, when you're excited.