2027 Membership Magic Beyond at Disney World & Disneyland: New & Improved Perks, No Price Increase

Far and away the best Disney news of the week in the Bricker household is that Membership Magic Beyond is returning for 2027! Not only is it coming back for a third year, but it’s improving its perks while not raising its price–an early Christmas miracle! Here are full details on what we’ve previously dubbed Walt Disney World’s actual Best Kept Secret and why you should join in the new year.

As longtime fans probably know, “Disney’s Best Kept Secret” was the original ad campaign for Disney Vacation Club. The slogan was plastered everywhere to the point that it became a punchline. As you’re also probably aware even if you’re a newer Walt Disney World fan, one thing that cannot be said about DVC is that it’s marketing is secretive. It’s the exact opposite of that.

Fast forward a couple decades and Membership Magic Beyond actually has become Disney’s Best Kept Secret. Or at least, DVC’s Best Kept Secret. For whatever reason, Disney Vacation Club hasn’t really pushed the paid perks program or iterated on it all that much since it launched. In fact, the argument could be made that Disney Tourist Blog is doing more than the Walt Disney Company to “market” MMB.

We’ve done our part to raise awareness about Membership Magic Beyond. We have several posts about the paid upcharge program, including ones for each of the new character costumes that have debuted in the Imagination Lounge. We also had a post earlier this year about Disney surveying guests about what they’d like to see added to the program, with one of those proposals joining the program in 2027.

Most notably, we’ve repeatedly sung the praises of the ImaginAtrium lounge at EPCOT during its extended evening hours. Disney Vacation Club owners who are enrolled in Membership Magic Beyond have exclusive access to the ImaginAtrium every night of the week. The value of kicking back in the ImaginAtrium at night, when the lounge above Journey Into Imagination is basically a better and more exclusive version of Club 33!

Since joining Membership Magic Beyond, there have been several occasions when I’ve been one of only two guests in the entire lounge. There have been countless other occasions when the lounge has fewer than four parties at any given time, and I’ve never seen it anywhere close to capacity. I haven’t even seen it at half or even one-quarter capacity.

This lounge is great on its own, but it’s also home to a Mickey & Minnie Mouse meet & greet where the characters sport exclusive costumes. This year, there was a rotation of 4 different outfits for the dynamic duo. The year started with an apres ski look over the winter (which has since returned following Halloween), followed by cruise-inspired spring outfits, “cottagecore” summer looks, and U.S. National Parks-inspired hiking gear for fall.

These costumes sported by Minnie & Mickey Mouse are exclusive to Membership Magic Beyond. Mickey & Minnie are available nightly to eligible members from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM at EPCOT’s DVC ImaginAtrium – A Member Lounge.

This is a fantastic experience in the former upstairs ImageWorks above Journey into Imagination, and one that I highly recommend. That’s doubly true during dates when the sunset is earlier and you can enjoy evening in the ImaginAtrium, like right now through March 2027 and again next holiday season.

The ImaginAtrium during its extended evening hours for Membership Magic Beyond is likely the most “exclusive” escape in EPCOT. It’s just an exceptional escape from the crowds, and a secret I don’t mind sharing because–quite frankly–I’m worried that if more people don’t buy into Membership Magic Beyond, Disney is going to pull the plug on it eventually. I cannot imagine this program being viable at its current volume.

That is precisely why I’ve posted about Membership Magic Beyond like a half-dozen times this year. Because we love it so much, and I was worried it wouldn’t return for 2027. That’s also why this announcement is the best news of the week in our household. We weren’t sure it would happen, but are relieved that Disney is giving Membership Magic Beyond another year to find an audience.

Membership Magic Beyond would appeal to many DVC Members if they simply knew about its existence and stopped to put a dollar value on its benefits, including the less-quantifiable ones. Part of the problem is that MMB is a grabbag with something for everyone, but not quite enough for a lot of DVC Members.

Personally, I think the bigger issue is overcoming the perception of paying for perks. Walt Disney World fans already have upcharge fatigue, and this comes across as another cash grab to add to the list after Lightning Lanes and everything else. Upon seeing the marketing email or whatever, it’s easy to just say “nope” and dismiss Membership Magic Beyond out of hand.

My advice would be to give it more thought than that! Beyond the easily quantifiable benefits like the ticket deals, one-time use points, PhotoPass packages and everything else, consider the intangibles.

Think how cool it would be to have a “private” meet & greet with Minnie & Mickey Mouse, meeting them in exclusive costumes throughout the year. That’s not an exaggeration, either.

I would say that the majority of the time I’m in the lounge, Minnie & Mickey aren’t meeting anyone. It’s actually amusing to watch them remain in character, doing their routines for no one. Well, except me, I guess…since I am watching these routines.

Our daughter absolutely loves this private Mickey & Minnie encounter, which far exceeds the experience at any character meal. I’d also add that the cost is significantly lower than character dining, although it also doesn’t come with the food. Well, except for Coke Freestyle and bags of chips…but I don’t think that counts.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. That’s our ‘sales pitch’ for joining Membership Magic Beyond; now for the actual selling points beyond just the exclusive evening access to the Imagination lounge and unique character costumes…

Membership Magic Beyond Basics

Let’s break down the basics of Membership Magic Beyond, which is different from the current Disney Vacation Club Membership Extras. That is the list of 300+ regular perks, including things like the free Moonlight Magic parties, restaurant and shopping discounts, access to Annual Passes, and more. See our List of the Top 10 Disney Vacation Club Member Perks for the best extras.

The “Membership Magic Beyond” add-on option is a yearly enhanced benefits package over and above Membership Extras, which gives you special ways to elevate your family’s stays. Eligible Members can purchase the 2027 Membership Magic Beyond benefits package starting January 1, 2027, with a usage window from then through December 31, 2027. Between now and then, the benefits package is still available for purchase for usage through December 31, 2026.

As you might’ve gathered from the above timelines, Membership Magic Beyond is a calendar-year paid perks program, as opposed to one with a rolling 365-day membership. The program is not prorated for those who purchase it later in the year, so you could theoretically buy for a family vacation during Christmas week and still pay $99 for that one week of access.

This is probably purposeful on Disney Vacation Club’s part, both to allow for tweaks to the program by calendar year and also since many DVC members are only doing one stay per calendar year, regardless. There are probably plenty of DVC Members with trips over the next few months who visit annually during the holiday season and no other time, so there is no ‘loss’ to them in not having the other 9 months of eligibility.

Disney Vacation Club’s Membership Magic Beyond will offer the following paid perks:

Enjoy Enhanced Value

• NEW 2027 Benefit: Starting January 7, 2027, save $150 per ticket on Walt Disney World 5-day Weekday Theme Park tickets, with the Water Park and Sports Option. Discounted ticket valid Monday-Friday only for theme parks and any day of the week for water park and sports-related visits. Standard ticket valid any day of the week. Available for ticket start dates of January 11, 2027 through December 16, 2027.
• NEW 2027 Benefit: Starting January 7, 2027, purchase 3-day weekday Disneyland Resort Park Hopper Ticket for $117 per day (total of $350). Tickets are valid only on Monday through Friday beginning on January 11, 2027 and expire 13 days after first use or on December 31, 2027, whichever occurs first.
• Receive an 8×10 photo print during your stay at AULANI, Disney Vacation Club Villas, Ko Olina, Hawai‛i. For instructions on how to take advantage of this benefit, visit Hoku Hideaway after enrollment in Membership Magic Beyond.
• Receive a 30-day Memory Maker entitlement to capture and share treasured Walt Disney World memories. (Up to a $210 value if purchased separately.) The entitlement will appear within the My Disney Experience account of the enrolled Member and may take up to 24 hours or more to appear from purchase of Membership Magic Beyond option or Benefit season start date, whichever is later. Activation begins when the Member downloads the first photo on Disney PhotoPass or the My Disney Experience Mobile App—or otherwise redeems the Memory Maker.

Get Exclusive Access

• Special Character Access: Meet and mingle with special Disney Characters daily from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM (subject to change) at Disney Vacation Club ImaginAtrium – A Member Lounge at EPCOT. The enrolled Member can bring up to 4 guests or the number of guests on their resort stay reservation, whichever is greater. Available 7 days a week. Capacity restrictions may apply.
• Priority Access to Member Lounges: Take advantage of priority access to Disney Vacation Club ImaginAtrium – A Member Lounge, Disney Vacation Club Star View Station – A Member Lounge and Disney Vacation Club McKim’s Mile House – A Member Lounge at Magic Kingdom Park. Use this benefit when lounge access goes on a waitlist. The enrolled Member can bring up to 4 guests or the number of guests on their resort stay reservation, whichever is greater. Capacity restrictions may apply.

Experience More Flexibility

• Use your Points to purchase the Disney Sorcerer Pass to enjoy Walt Disney World Resort Theme Parks. Get a new pass for 75 points or renew your pass for 65 points. To take advantage of this benefit, call Member Services at (800) 800-9800 after enrollment in Membership Magic Beyond.
• Get one bonus One-Time-Use Point for each One-Time-Use Point purchased! Members can purchase up to 12 Points for a total of 24 One-Time-Use Points in a Benefit Season. Excludes bookings offered through the hotel exchange program. To take advantage of this benefit, call Member Services at (800) 800-9800 after enrollment in Membership Magic Beyond.
• Enjoy having your $95 transaction fee waived when booking Disney Collection Resorts and experiences, including Adventures by Disney, Disney Cruise Line and National Geographic Expeditions experiences. To take advantage of this benefit, call Member Services at (800) 800-9800 after enrollment in Membership Magic Beyond.

The Membership Magic Beyond option is part of Membership Extras which, effective June 3, 2021, requires having an ownership interest with 150 Vacation Points or more purchased directly from Disney Vacation Development, Inc.

This is an incidental benefit subject to availability, change or termination. Yearly enrollment fee applies. All offers are subject to availability. Special ticket and Annual Pass offers are not part of the ownership interest and are subject to change or termination.

This means Membership Magic Beyond is what’s colloquially known as a “blue card” perk. It’s all-digital now, so “blue card” member is a misnomer, but that’s what most DVC members still call it. Disney Vacation Club is able to restrict perks to only certain owners because these things are funded by DVC’s marketing budget–or some other budget–and not annual owner dues.

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 Membership Magic Beyond? Did you join the paid perks program this year? Will you be doing Membership Magic Beyond in 2027? Excited or disappointed about this new upcharge, or do you not really care? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Share any questions, tips, or additional thoughts you have in the comments!