A new Disney Vacation Club (DVC) Welcome Home Center is now open in EPCOT’s Canada Pavilion, taking over the Hotel du Canada building. Hotel du Canada has not been used for guest-facing purposes for years. If you go far enough back in the pavilion’s history, you will find that it was utilized as a merchandise location, but it was reportedly just utilized for storage in recent years. We stopped by EPCOT earlier today to take a look around the space, which is only available to access via in-person appointments.

So, what is a DVC Welcome Home Center? In short, it is a space where all guests can learn about the Disney Vacation Club offering, including the ability to tour a model room. It is a space that, while beautifully designed, simply serves the purpose of allowing guests to learn more about what DVC offers, and to sign up to become a DVC member.

More importantly, the Welcome Home Center is not a lounge. It may look like a lounge, but it’s simply a space for conversations to occur between guests and Disney Vacation Club Cast Members. With that in mind, here’s a photo tour of the space, which includes a sitting area on the first floor, and a “model room” on the second floor.

Guests looking to learn more about Disney Vacation Club can either speak with a Cast Member at the podium, or at any of the DVC kiosks throughout EPCOT and Walt Disney World’s other theme parks.

The Chateau de Voyage is the first in-park DVC Welcome Center, eliminating the need for guests to leave a theme park to gather more information about DVC and potentially sign up for Disney’s timeshare offering.

When stepping inside, you’re met with a wonderfully warm space, somewhere between a classic cruise lounge and a real-world hotel lounge. Of course, you have to remember that this is not a lounge space. Pay no attention to the bar-looking space at the end of the room – that’s simply for light refreshments during your conversation with DVC Cast Members about the Disney Vacation Club offering.

Honestly, the space is wonderfully themed. The prevailing theme is trains and the natural wonders of Canada, including a beautiful mural. There is even a train that runs along the ceiling of the room!

In order to check out the “model room”, you’ll head upstairs with a Cast Member via the elevator under the “departures” plaque.

Upstairs, there is a “model room” of the Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. Of course, the layout of the room is different than what you’ll actually find at the Island Tower due to restrictions of the Hotel du Canada building layout. That said, you’ll find (mostly) the same finishing touches within the model room as you’d find at the Island Tower.

It’s a great way to get a feel for what to expect from the Island Tower without having to leave EPCOT to go check out the Island Tower yourself.

Some unique elements found within the “model room” include a circular sitting area and more windows than you’d find in an actual Island Tower room. Beyond the tour, it was surreal and cool to be in a space that you know is Hotel du Canada from the exterior, but with a Polynesian flair.

Here’s a peek out of the window, which reminds you that you’re still in the Canada pavilion at EPCOT.

Because the Chateau de Voyage DVC Welcome Home Center isn’t a lounge, it really isn’t a space that is available for “tours”. You can see the inside of the space while learning more about a Disney Vacation Club membership, or, if you’re already a DVC member, you can tour the space during the first hour or so of park operation following rope drop. Other than that, it is a functional space to help guests learn more about DVC, and to sell DVC memberships.

As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!