New Rare Character Costumes Debut at Disney World's Best Kept Secret

If you visited Walt Disney World in the 1990s or 2000s, you undoubtedly saw advertisements on buses, in-room televisions, around the resorts, and even in the parks for “Disney’s Best Kept Secret.” This was the original marketing slogan for Disney Vacation Club until it became a punchline because it was so poorly-kept.

The jump-the-shark moment was probably a Travel Channel special in 2008 that was literally titled “Disney’s Best Kept Secret” and was just an hour-long DVC infomercial. The one-two punch of that special unveiling Bay Lake Tower and the in-plain-sight construction of BLT that Disney simply pretended wasn’t happening for over a year was a comical combo.

I’m not sure when Disney Vacation Club officially retired the “Best Kept Secret” slogan, but it reminds me of a simpler time. A window when DVC still was a charming little club, offering great money-saving potential and strong benefits, compared to the well-oiled machine that it is today.

Ironically enough, 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 at the beginning of last year.

There have been some changes for 2026, but they’re fairly minor in the grand scheme of things. I wonder how many DVC Members aren’t even aware that Membership Magic Beyond exists. If I weren’t active online, there’s a good chance I would’ve missed it. I’ve seen no ads for Membership Magic Beyond on the buses, in the hotels, or even inside the DVC lounges. And normally Disney Vacation Club isn’t shy about self-promotion!

This is curious, because Membership Magic Beyond would hold appeal to a decent number of DVC Members if they simply knew about its existence and stopped for a moment to put a dollar value on its benefits. The problem, at least in part, is that MMB is a bit incoherent as a product offering. It’s a grabbag with a bit of something for everyone, and high likelihood that not everything offered will be worthwhile to everyone.

Maybe it’s a messaging problem? “Paid perks” creates a strong, negative first impression. Disney Vacation Club Members already have understandable upcharge fatigue, and this is yet another thing to add to the list after Lightning Lanes and everything else. It’s easier to just say “nope” and dismiss paid perks out of hand.

Perhaps it’s all of the above, plus internal politics within Disney? Because, again, it doesn’t seem like much of an effort is being made to market Membership Magic Beyond. Normally, Disney performs mental gymnastics to stress the value of its product offerings. With Membership Magic Beyond, the strategy is more like a single email per year saying “this exists, buy it or don’t, we couldn’t care less.” It’s an interesting approach, to be sure.

To quote one of the great thinkers of our time, Michael Scott, “reverse psychology is an awesome tool, I don’t know if you guys know about it, but basically you can make someone think the opposite of what you believe, and that tricks them into doing something stupid. Works like a charm.”

When I got the “message” that Disney didn’t care whether I bought Membership Magic Beyond, that only made me want it more. You better believe that the first thing I went out and did was bought it. Didn’t even bother with the math. Just took one look at the first set of unique character costumes and the tease of more to come, and bought right then and there.

I’m not sure whether there’s interest in a full Membership Magic Beyond review or breakdown, but what I will say is that I’ve been incredibly satisfied with the MMB perks. I’m a bit of an outlier because of the way I visit the parks, but I couldn’t be more happy with my decision to buy.

Honestly, I’m a little worried that this Membership Magic Beyond experiment won’t continue into 2027 because it feels too good to be true. I’d be shocked if it’s not losing money. Suffice to say, the “Disney’s Best Kept Secret” slogan is completely apt. And although I’ve enjoyed the fruits of this secret, it’s probably in my own best interests of the word getting out a little bit more so MMB sticks around.

Let’s start with the latest update, which is that Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse are embracing the provincial life with charming “cottagecore” outfits. These brand-new styles look like they’re right out of a quiet village; you know, the kind that’s home to a peculiar girl with her nose always stuck in a book, and a barge-sized man who eats five-dozen eggs each day for breakfast.

The costumes may not technically be inspired by the French countryside, and I could also see Mickey & Minnie doing a photoshoot at the quirky cottages at BoardWalk Inn, but they look the part to me. These detailed outfits feature denim, floral pattern-work, and other details, and are yet another hit in the Membership Magic Beyond-exclusive costume line.

These directly replace the cruise-inspired outfits that were perfectly at home over at Disney’s Beach Club Villas, and the dynamic duo’s alpine apparel for winter. The previous costumes have lasted about two months each, which suggests that the adventurous outfits inspired by the U.S. National Parks will take over in August, presumably followed by fresh ‘fits for Halloween and Christmas.

Between these short-lived and exclusive costumes for Minnie & Mickey Mouse, and the character appearances at Moonlight Magic events, DVC has quietly become the club for rare character fans. There must be someone in DVC leadership who is a rare character hunter, as members have been treated to some deep cuts from the vault over the years, plus costumes that never appear elsewhere.

These costumes sported by Minnie & Mickey Mouse are exclusive to Membership Magic Beyond. They’re 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.

With that in mind, I took a two-hour trip up to the ImaginAtrium for the very important research of capturing the photos below. It didn’t hurt that there were never more than three other parties in the lounge the entire time I was there, making for a relaxing experience. I’ve been taking even more research trips than usual up to the lounge this year because it’s so peaceful and relaxing up there.

If you’re unfamiliar with Membership Magic Beyond because the secret has been so well kept, here’s basic background on the 2026 version of the program:

Membership Magic Beyond Basics

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 2026 Membership Magic Beyond benefits package for $99, with a usage window from now through December 31, 2026.

In other words, 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, 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 in the second half of 2026 who visit annually during the Halloween or holiday season and no other time, so there’s no ‘loss’ to them in not having the previous months of eligibility. Either the value is there for their annual week, or it isn’t. Simple as that!

Membership Magic Beyond offers the following paid perks for 2026:

Purchase specially priced 5-day weekday Walt Disney World Theme Park tickets, each with up to 5 water park visits or sports options included. Available for the enrolled Member and up to 7 guests in the traveling party. Save up to $140 per ticket compared to the non-discounted price of a standard ticket.
Purchase specially priced 3-day weekday Disneyland Resort Theme Park tickets that include Lightning Lane Multi Pass. Available for the enrolled Member and up to 7 guests in the traveling party. Save up to $177 per ticket.
Receive an 8×10 photo print during your stay at AULANI.
Receive a 30-day Memory Maker entitlement to capture and share treasured Walt Disney World memories. Up to a $210 value if purchased separately.

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. Same rules apply for party sizes as above.

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.
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.
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.

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

If you’ve joined Membership Magic Beyond, would you agree that it’s actually Disney’s Best Kept Secret? If you’re a rare character hunter, do these costumes and other character exclusives make you want to join DVC or MMB? Will you be doing Membership Magic Beyond at some point this year or in 2027 (if it still exists)? Or is MMB a non-starter for you? 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!