Every Monday, Disney Vacation Club members are invited to mingle with fellow owners, enjoy complimentary refreshments & door prizes, and learn a bit more about the latest Disney happenings.
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The Royal Member Gathering is an hour-long casual get-together exclusively for DVC owners. The setting for the Royal Member Gathering is a small room on the second floor of the Disneyland Hotel. The arrival point is near the check-in desk for Goofy's Kitchen, with large signs posted to direct attendees to the second floor meeting space. The room is arranged with a dozen or so tables round tables, each set-up to accommodate four guests.
Upon arrival, members are asked to enter their name and contact info on a card which is later used to draw winners for gift baskets and other door prizes. A continental breakfast is offered to all, featuring coffee and other beverages, pastries and fruits.
The presentation itself is a combination of trivia games and short pre-recorded video clips. Audience members participating in any fashion were given red Disney Vacation Club luggage tags for their efforts. In fact, the luggage tags are seeming passed-out by the handful, with some participants walking away with a half-dozen or more for repeatedly answering questions.
For one game, audience members are recruited to stand-in for each of the twelve Disney Vacation Club resorts. Participants were charged with arranging themselves in the order that the resorts originally opened--a variation on a game which is often used at DVC hosted member get-togethers.
Mixed in between the games are video clips highlighting different aspects of the Disney theme park and resort empire including Disneyland, Disney Californa Adventure and Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa.
Conspicuously absent from the Royal Member Gathering was any attempt to sell Disney Vacation Club points to attendees. There was no mention of resorts available, pricing or limited-time incentive offers. Walt Disney World's Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort was barely mentioned in passing, despite going on sale barely two months prior.
Perhaps the highligh of the event was an appearance by a certain beloved Disney mouse, who arrived late in the hour to greet attendees. Given the length of some lines to meet Mickey in the theme parks, the Member Gathering is a good opportunity to get those photos and autographs out of the way.
Upon departure, all attendees were handed a navy blue Disney Vacation Club baseball cap. Also provided is a Royal Member Gathering pin featuring Donald Duck and Daisy Duck. The pins are distributed one per family. (Note giveaway items are subject to change.)
The Royal Member Gathering is currently held most Mondays at 8:00am at the Disneyland Hotel. It is open to all current DVC members, friends and family members. No advance registration is required, and there is no charge to attend.
