If you’ve visited EPCOT in the last ~18 months, you might’ve noticed a mystery project in Canada at EPCOT–or at least encountered walls blocking your path on the upper level of the pavilion. Walt Disney World fans have wondered whether it’d be a maple syrup taste-testing counter, moose calf petting zoo, or Dan Flashes Flannel Outpost, with the Canada’s most complicated patterns ever.
As it turns out, it’s going to be a new Disney Vacation Club location called “Château de Voyage.” The company announced that this dedicated space inside the Canada pavilion will be the first in-park Welcome Home Center at Walt Disney World, and is set to open in Spring 2025.
Château de Voyage in Canada will serve as a standalone location for guests to learn about the benefits of Disney Vacation Club Membership while exploring a model room from the recently-opened Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows. While this is the first in-park Welcome Center, Gateway to Discovery – A Disney Vacation Club Welcome Home Center, located in Town Center at Disney Springs, debuted last year.
Prior to that, the main DVC presence of this nature was at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort. The DVC Preview Center there has multiple model rooms, free ice cream, and a gorgeous atrium with glass window representations of Disney’s castles around the world (below). We first visited here many moons ago in 2007, and the heartstrings-tugging pitch is one of the things that convinced us to eventually buy into DVC, albeit via resale. (We’re emotional…but rational.) The free ice cream and bonus FastPasses for our time also didn’t hurt!
If guests were serious about Disney Vacation Club, wanted to see model rooms, or sign a contract to join–that DVC Preview Center was once the primary option. Disney Vacation Club guides would load guests into vans and whisk them away from the parks or wherever, and over to Saratoga Springs. It’s still a popular spot for all of that, but now there are satellite locations, such as the Welcome Home Center at Disney Springs.
And soon, the Château de Voyage in EPCOT’s Canada pavilion. This location inside the Hotel du Canada is expected to be purely a sales center for recruiting new wallets, as opposed to an existing DVC member lounge like in the Imagination pavilion. Think of it more like a gift shop, selling the most expensive ‘souvenir’ in all of EPCOT.
Disney Vacation Club also offers Open House tours at the following locations from 8 a.m. to 6 or 7 p.m. daily:
- Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
- Disney’s Riviera Resort
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort
Open House tours are available from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily at:
- Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
- Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
- The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness – A Disney Vacation Club Resort
- The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
You can also stop by Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, Disney’s Riviera Resort, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort or The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness – A Disney Vacation Club Resort to see model rooms from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM daily.
Or, book a tour of a model cabin—located at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort near Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue—to explore that new offering. This location is open from 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM daily. In other words, there’s already no shortage of options for this.
Our Commentary
This is lame. I get why Disney Vacation Club would want it, as the sales center removes one layer of friction and increases the likelihood of selling a DVC contract if guests don’t have the leave the park they’re already in. But there are plenty of alternatives, from having actual model units at the Poly that are open all-day long to giving guests 4 free use Lightning Lanes for going to Saratoga Springs. Given the costs of ~18 months of construction, I cannot imagine this option is cheaper than those from Disney’s perspective, either!
Personally, I think there’s something to be said for a bit of friction in signing a multi-decade commitment for tens of thousands, if not one-hundred thousand dollars or more over time. If prospective buyers aren’t willing to go to the Poly or wherever, are they really that serious? I’m sure DVC has metrics to show that, yes, they are. And who cares if they aren’t–Disney can still extract some money from them in the meantime, right?!
This perspective is mind-boggling to me, as someone who spent months–if not years–poring over Disney Vacation Club from every angle before taking the plunge. I cannot fathom making such a life-altering financial decision between the Unibroue and Bumblebee while Drinking Around the World.
More than that, this just rubs me the wrong way from a regular guest perspective. The ubiquity of DVC sales kiosks throughout the parks is already a punchline. Those have become a bit much, but whatever, they are not coming at the expense of anything of value.
I suppose the same could be argued here, as the interior of the Hotel du Canada, where this will Welcome Home Center will go, has not been used for guest purposes in decades. From my perspective, the difference is that this could be something. It has the potential to be a great little location tucked away up there that draws guests away from the main corridor and deeper into the pavilion.
It could be something culturally authentic, which might be a nice little friendly gesture as tensions are high (mild understatement) with our neighbors to the north. Instead, it’s yet another DVC sales center in a blatant and ill-fitting location. (Walt Disney World doing its part to help ‘earn’ those boycotts, I guess.)
Château de Voyage is also coming hot on the heels of McKim’s Mile House – A DVC Member Lounge in Magic Kingdom taking over the space previously occupied by the free-to-play Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade. As I’ve conceded previously, I will personally get far more use out of McKim’s Mile House. I visited the location this week for the first time, and it’s lovely.
I nevertheless had misgivings about McKim’s Mile House in principle–removing an attraction for an exclusive lounge didn’t sit right with me. I understand that I’m one of the lucky few who has access, and what’s good for me–personally–isn’t always the same as what’s good for the park-going public as a whole.
Well, this is that sentiment extended a step further. This new Château de Voyage won’t be good for anyone–except Disney Vacation Club’s bottom line. (Oh, and for anyone who thinks this might be reimagined into something else after the Island Tower sells out, think again. Those model rooms will be swapped out with Disney Lakeshore Lodge and then whatever’s after that–and rest assured, something will be after that. (Disney Vacation Club will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination money left in Walt Disney World guests’ pockets.)
There’s also just something about this that feels more desperate from Disney Vacation Club’s perspective. Sales are strong, so it’s not like they need to do this. Yet they choose to take another step that’s more like the stereotypical timeshare from which DVC once wanted to distance itself. I’m not truly mad about this, as it doesn’t really impact me either way. I’m just disappointed. It’s a bad look for Disney Vacation Club, and it’s a long-term losing proposition for the company, guests, and membership program. This isn’t healthy for anyone.
Ultimately, it would be one thing if Walt Disney World were in the midst of actively building a ton of projects, and had several openings this year. That would make this easier to overlook. Instead, they’re still in the early stages of construction on a 5-year plan that will most come to fruition after 2027, ground is just starting to move, and there are a tiny handful of smaller-scale projects debuting in 2025, and even fewer in 2026.
This would always be a tad too crassly commercial, but it’d at least be more forgivable if it didn’t also feel like the resources put towards the construction of Château de Voyage wouldn’t be better allocated on projects that have moved at a glacially slow pace. I don’t know, perhaps I’m being a curmudgeon, but I would honestly much rather have this be another another 21+ bar that I’ll never step foot inside than a DVC sales center. While some of the same criticisms could be levied at lounges, at least those benefit some guests and (don’t laugh) EPCOT actually does need more permanent dining and drinking capacity. (I’m not even kidding–look at how packed the existing lounges are, and lines for the current temporary kiosks.)
If you’re thinking about joining DVC, be sure to read our Ultimate Guide to Disney Vacation Club. This covers the pros & cons, resale v. direct, how much money you’ll save, and other important things to know before taking the plunge. If you still can’t decide whether membership is right for you, “try before you buy” with the recommendations in How to Save BIG on Deluxe Disney Accommodations Renting DVC Points.
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think about the new Château de Voyage DVC Welcome Home Center in the Canada pavilion at EPCOT? Disappointed that this ~18 month project on the Hotel du Canada isn’t going to yield another bar, Dan Flashes Flannel Outpost, or something actually cool and fun for everyone? Or are you looking forward to another DVC sales center for some reason? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? If you’re an existing Member, what do you think? Share any questions, tips, or additional thoughts you have in the comments!
