Disney Cruise Line and Disney Vacation Club...seemingly a match made in heaven. Every single DCL voyage leaves port
with thousands of Disney fans who have spent thousands of dollars to be pampered on the high seas while feeding their obsession. It is the perfect setting for marketing the DVC product, and Disney doesn't miss a beat.
Whether the cruise is booked with Disney Vacation Club points or cash, DVC members are identified before they even board the ship. Members' stateroom doors are decorated with magnets sporting the familar "Welcome Home" greeting--often two magnets forming an extemporaneous Hidden Mickey.
Every Disney Cruise Line voyage features a series of meet-and-greet events for both members and non-members 
alike. On our recent 3-night Disney Wonder voyage, the first meeting occurred shortly after boarding. Before the ship had even left port an hour long "member celebration" was held in the Deck 3 sports bar called Diversions.
Upon arrival at the meeting, members are given gift bags with DVC baseball caps, lanyards, a pen and a stack of marketing materials. Attendees are also invited to jot their names and contact information on slips of paper later used to award additional prizes.
The first half of the meeting is dominated by video presentations. DVC Guides also sailing on the ship lead the 
meeting, assisted by a large video screen and a series of video clips. Included are popular topics like the RCI exchanges and the newest Vacation Club resorts.
Next up is a look at the incentive pricing available for members looking to add to their DVC ownership. Given the captive nature of its audience, DVC has been known to offer some very attractive pricing to guests who choose to buy or add points during the voyage. In this particular instance, there did not seem to much difference between the cruise pricing and what was offered to the general public. Offers included a cash discount plus the a complimentary future DCL voyage for add-ons of 100 or more points. At 200 points buyers would receive the discount, a 7-night cruise and a free week at an RCI destination. The RCI week may have been a cruise-only offer for those willing to buy at that threshold.
The final minutes of the meeting featured a trivia contest. Attendees were randomly chosen to answer questions with attractive Disney Vacation Club logo merchandise given as prizes. The trivia topics had all been addressed earlier in the presentation, and those who were stumped received help from a room full of fellow DVC members. Prizes included DVC beach towels, soft coolers, blankets and even shipboard credits.
As the meeting came to a close, members were encouraged to don their DVC baseball caps and lanyards 
throughout the voyage. The DVC Guides in attendance offered trading pins and other trinkets as rewards for those who were spotted in their DVC garb.
Similar meetings were held during the cruise for non-members looking to learn more about the Disney Vacation Club. Theme park fans would be all too familiar with the shipboard TV channel devoted to DVC and the sales booth located on Deck 4. And there are also ample marketing pieces placed in guests' cabins and even shipboard announcements. Member or not, the Disney Vacation Club is impossible to ignore while sailing on the Disney Cruise Line.
It's impossible to avoid being a tad cynical about the cruise gatherings. The aim is undoubtedly to sell points to new and existing members. But since DVC shuns the sleazy marketing tactics commonly used by others in the timeshare industry, that cynicism is about the only reason not to participate in the events. In exchange for an hour of time, members will walk away with some complimentary DVC swag, learn a few new things about their vacation homes, and perhaps even be presented with some "too good to refuse" incentives for an additional purchase.
