Disney World Guests Hit With Jaw-Dropping Price Surge Coming in 2026

In 2026, Disney World confirmed that prices would be rising for guests seeking a good deal. What could this mean for you and your future vacation plans?

The Future of Disney World Prices Are Rising and Things Could Get Much More Expensive

For many longtime Disney Vacation Club members, December is usually when numbers start to feel personal. Not wait times, not Genie+ prices—but the one figure that quietly dictates the entire year ahead: annual dues. They’re the often-overlooked backbone of the DVC system, and this year’s update left many members blinking twice. Why are some owners seeing some of the highest percentage increases in recent memory? And more importantly… what does this signal for the future of the program?

Before revealing the most significant bump of the year, it’s worth asking: Is this simply routine inflation—or an early hint that DVC is entering a new, more expensive era?

A Gradual Rise… With One Resort Standing Out

Every DVC resort is seeing an increase in 2026, but the differences between them paint a much more interesting picture than a simple rate adjustment.

While most jumps fall somewhere between 4% and 7.5%, one Walt Disney World resort quietly sits at the top of the list—and it’s the same one that completed a major refurbishment not long ago. Meanwhile, another resort introduced just last year is seeing the smallest percent increase, raising questions about long-term maintenance planning and whether newer properties are being positioned more strategically to attract buyers.

So what’s actually going on?

Let’s break down the confirmed numbers released by Disney Vacation Club:

• Animal Kingdom Villas: $9.6470 → $10.1608 (+5.32%)

• Aulani: $10.1219 → $10.9572 (+8.25%)

• Aulani Subsidized: $7.6090 → $8.2369 (+8.25%)

• Bay Lake Tower: $8.0150 → $8.7415 (+9.06%)

• Beach Club Villas: $9.1207 → $9.8113 (+7.57%)

• BoardWalk Villas: $9.0570 → $9.6717 (+6.78%)

• Boulder Ridge: $9.1885 → $9.7672 (+6.3%)

• Copper Creek Villas: $8.4914 → $9.0200 (+6.23%)

• Disneyland Hotel: $9.8207 → $10.5354 (+7.28%)

• The Cabins at Fort Wilderness: $11.8769 → $12.2756 (+3.36%)

• Grand Californian: $8.7974 → $9.5203 (+8.22%)

• Grand Floridian: $7.9298 → $8.3142 (+4.85%)

• Hilton Head: $11.9207 → $12.8621 (+7.9%)

• Old Key West: $10.5049 → $11.2054 (+6.67%)

• Polynesian Villas & Bungalows: $7.9263 → $8.3334 (+5.14%)

• Riviera: $9.0572 → $9.4553 (+4.4%)

• Saratoga Springs: $8.5394 → $9.1877 (+7.59%)

• Vero Beach: $14.3026 → $14.8939 (+4.13%)

• Vero Beach Subsidized: $11.2374 → $11.6859 (+4%)

Where the Biggest Increase Lands—and Why It Matters

The standout this year is Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, showing a 9.06% dues increase—the highest of any DVC property in 2026.

Considering the building recently completed a full refurbishment, the rise suggests several things:

• Higher maintenance costs following a major refresh

• Operational increases tied to proximity to Magic Kingdom

• Continued high demand, especially for monorail-area resorts

For existing members, this matters because Bay Lake Tower has historically been considered a relatively low-dues monorail resort. That gap is now narrowing.

For prospective buyers looking at resale or direct points, this shift could influence long-term cost projections—and even the value perception of monorail-area ownership.

The Smallest Increase—and What It Reveals About Disney’s Strategy

On the opposite end, The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness, one of Disney’s newest DVC additions, shows the smallest increase at just 3.36%.

A jump that modest for a brand-new resort raises questions:

• Is Disney deliberately keeping dues lower to make the new product more attractive?

• Does the resort benefit from more efficient construction or shared infrastructure?

• Or is this simply a reflection of early-stage operations and lower immediate maintenance needs?

Whatever the reason, early owners of the Cabins may experience a brief window of unusually stable dues—something DVC veterans know doesn’t last forever.

How These Increases Affect DVC Members and Regular Walt Disney World Guests

For current members:
Annual dues represent the real long-term cost of ownership. A 5%–9% increase may not break the bank in a single year, but compounded over a decade, it reshapes the financial picture. Those with large point contracts at high-dues resorts like Vero Beach or Hilton Head will especially feel the difference.

For those considering joining:
Rising dues could push future buyers to reconsider which resort they buy into—or whether direct membership remains the best value.

For regular Walt Disney World guests:
DVC dues increases often reflect wider financial trends across the resort. Rising operational expenses, maintenance costs, and labor market pressures can gradually influence hotel pricing, dining costs, or even the pace of resort refurbishments.

In other words, when DVC dues rise, it’s often a small preview of what may eventually ripple through the rest of Walt Disney World.

What This Means for the Future of DVC and Disney World Prices

This year’s increases—especially at Bay Lake Tower—suggest that we may be entering a new normal where annual rises hover closer to 6–8% instead of the older 3–5% pattern many long-time members remember.

If that trend continues:

• Contracts with traditionally low dues may lose their advantage

• New resorts could be priced aggressively at first, then rise sharply later

• Members may rethink which resorts they choose to stay at to maximize value

With Disney developing new DVC properties and shifting its long-term strategy, the 2026 dues release feels less like an isolated adjustment and more like the first chapter of a larger transition.