It can be tricky bringing the ocean to a Disney resort so since the mid-’90s Disney Vacation Club (DVC) has brought Disney destinations to the beautiful, briny sea. The first DVC resort built separately from a Disney park opened in October 1995 with breathtaking views of the ocean from its suites in Vero Beach, Florida — about 100 miles southeast of Walt Disney World. The second property, which opened not more than a year after the first, opened in South Carolina. With outdoor excursions around every corner, Disney’s Hilton Island Resort in South Carolina paved the way for Disney destinations outside California and Florida and marked the beginning of a new era in DVC properties. Separate from the lodge itself, but a part of the resort, is Disney’s Beach House in Palmetto Dunes, featuring private access to a 12-mile beach. Opening later in Hawaii, and continuing this tradition of DVC’s exciting beachfront properties, Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, was the third DVC resort to bring ocean views and themed adventures hundreds of miles away from any Disney park.
