DVC News Archives - Page 11 of 15

Next DVC to be at the Caribbean Beach Resort?

WDW News Today has said that Disney is planning on building a Disney Vacation Club resort at the Caribbean Beach Resort as the next DVC after the Copper Creek Cabins & Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.

Back before DVC had started the expansion at the Wilderness Lodge, rumors had focused on these as the next likely DVC expansions:

Wilderness Lodge
Yacht & Beach Club
Fort Wilderness
Caribbean Beach Resort
Coronado Springs Resort
DVC near Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Second BLT Tower

DVC selected the Wilderness Lodge expansion after the Polynesian Villas and Bungalows. Will the Caribbean Beach Resort be the next DVC? It appears very likely, based upon DVCinfo’s multiple reliable sources.

Will this be the first DVC at a moderate resort? Perhaps. Or it may not be attached to the Caribbean Beach Resort, but be a standalone deluxe DVC resort.

The old rumors about a DVC at the Caribbean Beach Resort had Disney tearing down some resort buildings, but the report by WDWNT states that Disney will use the small piece of land between the the Caribbean Beach Resort and the Pop Century Resort / Art of Animation Resort.

Possible DVC at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort — Possible DVC at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort

What do you think? Add a comment below or join the discussion on our DVC Boards.

Fencing and Signs go up along Shorelines at Disney World

With temporary fencing and signs going up along shorelines at Walt Disney World in the wake of the unfortunate tragedy of a 2-year old child getting killed by an alligator, one wonders what the permanent solution might be.

The fencing looks like this:

Temporary Fence and Signs along the shoreline (click for larger image)

The new signs:

Temporary fence and signs along shoreline (click for larger image)

Disney Statement on the fencing and signs

Disney released the following statement:

“We are installing signage and temporary barriers at our resort beach locations and are working on permanent, long-term solutions at our beaches. We continue to evaluate processes and procedures for our entire property, and, as part of this, we are reinforcing training with our Cast for reporting sightings and interactions with wildlife and are expanding our communication to Guests on this topic.”

There have been reports of guests feeding alligators from the decks of the new Polynesian bungalows which are over the Seven Seas Lagoon. If true, this could have contributed to the tragic loss of life. I wonder if Disney is going to install cameras to watch the bungalow decks like they do at the Animal Kingdom Villas?

What do you think of this? What options should Disney consider for the permanent solution? What about doing something like this?

Click here to discuss this on our forum, or add your comments below.

Thanks to WilsonFlyer (Bob) for the photos.

DVC Resort Refurbishment Updates

The Summer 2016 edition of Disney Files Magazine provides additional updates on the Disney Vacation Club Villa Resort Refurbishment projects announced at the Dec 10, 2015 annual meeting.

Animal Kingdom Villas Refurb

Jambo House Soft Goods Refurbishment complete (updated fabrics and decor)
Kidani Village Soft Goods Refurbishment scheduled to begin this Summer and continue through end of year

Bay Lake Tower Refurb

Soft Goods Refurbishment has begun (updated fabrics and decor) and will continue through end of year

Beach Club Villas Refurb

Refurb began in January, including Soft Goods (updated fabrics and decor), updated bathroom, larger television, replacing sofa sleeper in second bedroom with queen bed in dedicated 2 bedrooms and addition of 5th bunk-size pull-down bed in Studios and will continue through the summer

Boardwalk Villas Refurb

Refurb is largely completed, including Soft Goods (updated fabrics and decor), flooring, backsplash, artwork, and addition of 5th bunk-size pull-down bed in Studios

Villas at Grand Californian Refurb

Soft Goods Refurb (updated fabrics and décor) will be starting this fall

Treehouse Villas Refurb

Soft Goods Refurb began in February and will continue through summer

Vero Beach Refurb

Refurb began in January including Soft Goods Refurb (updated fabrics and décor), updated bathroom, larger television, and replacing select furniture and will continue through Summer.

Join in the conversation in our DVC discussion forum.

Epcot Member Lounge Photos

Below are some photos of the new Epcot member lounge, which is located on the second floor of the Imagination pavilion. It is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily through the 25th anniversary celebration, which will last through the end of this year.

The entrance is through the pavilion’s merchandise shop. DVC Members will need their membership card as well as ID to enter. A Cast Member will be at the bottom of the stairs (there is also an elevator) to check in you and your party.

Epcot DVC Member Lounge — the perfect place to spend a few moments away from the hustle and bustle of the Park

What do you think of it?

Thanks to WilsonFlyer (Bob) for the photos!

Valid Membership Card and photo ID required at check-in.
Party size is limited to the Member and up to 5 guests per Membership Card.
No automatic re-entry allowed. Members and guests who leave the space must follow the same entry policy.
Children may not be left unattended in the Member Lounge.
Personal cups may not be used with the Coke Freestyle machines.
Access to the Member Lounge is part of Membership Extras. New purchasers after April 4, 2016, must purchase directly from Disney to have access to Membership Extras.

DVC Looks Back at Past 25 Years

The Summer 2016 edition of Disney Files, a publication made available to Disney Vacation Club members, takes a look back at 25 years of “membership milestones.”

I enjoyed reading the latest Disney Files, but I was particularly pleased to see DVC include this.

Earlier this year, I was disappointed when the Spring 2016 edition failed to have any sort of look back.

I have an interest in the history of DVC (in fact, I have a whole section of this web site devoted to just that – available here).

I’ve personally enjoyed my membership and what it has provided for our family, and it’s interesting to see the Disney Vacation Club expand and change.

The publication presents a membership milestone for each of the past 25 years. Below is an extract from Disney Files. Members should look forward to reading the latest edition, which also covers the “Frozen” attractions opening this summer, Membership Extras and other news and information.

DVC Looks Back at Past 25 Years — The first 10 years (click for larger image)

New Names for the Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

Copper Creek Villas & Cabins

Disney Vacation Club announced the name for its new development currently under construction at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.

The proposed 14th Disney Vacation Club Resort will be known as Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.

Boulder Ridge Villas

As part of this transition, Disney Vacation Club is pleased to announce an enhanced name for The Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge that deepens the Resort’s roots in Disney storytelling.

Since welcoming its first Members home in 2000, this rustically elegant Disney Vacation Club Resort has celebrated the optimistic journey of Americans who rode the rails west to forge a new way of life. The villas draw inspiration from the quaint residential communities established by those pioneers along the tracks that enabled their mass migration.

The Resort’s new name – Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge – gives that rustic community a more distinctive identity and allows Walt Disney Imagineers to bring the community’s story to life in new ways, including through the re-imagined (and soon to be renamed) Hidden Springs Pool area.

As a reminder, below is the plan for the DVC expansion:

Wilderness Lodge DVC Expansion April 2015 plans (click for larger version)

Overlay of April 2015 Wilderness Lodge DVC Expansion plans — Overlay of Expansion April 2015 plans (click for larger image)

DVC Member Lounge at Epcot scheduled to open on June 6

Disney Vacation Club has announced the scheduled opening date for the Member Lounge at Epcot.

As Disney Vacation Club nears the midpoint of this 25th anniversary year, Members have discovered an historic array of new offerings, with even more on the horizon.

During the past five months alone, Members have enjoyed complimentary “25 and Beyond Bash” parties at Magic Kingdom Park, a special ticket offer that added a free Theme Park day to multi-day ticket purchases, new Member merchandise items (including limited-edition MagicBands), complimentary anniversary buttons and commemorative photos, and new Membership Cards that unlock an ever-evolving world of Membership Magic…and that’s just scratching the surface.

Up next is the highly anticipated Member Lounge at Epcot, scheduled to open on June 6 and welcome Members and their guests home daily throughout this anniversary year!

Hidden on the second floor of the Imagination pavilion at Epcot (with a Member entrance through the pavilion’s merchandise shop), this centrally located lounge surrounds its casual seating areas with complimentary beverages (including Coca-Cola Freestyle machines), device-charging stations, Wi-Fi, computer stations with printers and mounted tablets pre-set to easily access select Disney websites, including MyDisneyExperience.com.

Member Services Advisors will be available in the lounge daily to assist with dining reservations, future resort stays and more, while an RCI advisor will be available in the lounge on weekdays to help Members navigate exchange options for upcoming vacations. You’ll even find displays of the latest Member merchandise available in stores and online.

It’s the perfect place to spend a few moments away from the hustle and bustle of the Park, and it sets the stage for even more magic to come as 2016 continues to unfold.

23-year old DVC Promotional Video

The Disney Vacation Club Resort at Walt Disney World

Since it’s the 25th anniversary of the Disney Vacation Club, here is a look back at a 23-year old DVC promotional video. It’s 17 and a half minutes long, and it’s interesting to compare this to the DVC of today.

When this video was made, there was only one DVC resort – the Disney Vacation Club resort at the Walt Disney World Resort – and it was not even half completed.

The furnishings in the rooms are quaint (but were luxurious at the time) and the plants and trees are not as lush as they are today at Old Key West (as the resort is called today).

The logo in the video is the original 3-mountain logo (they didn’t switch to the 2-mountain logo until 1995).

The video stresses the flexibility of the program and the accommodations and amenities of the resort. Interestingly, Member Services was a full-fledged travel service who took care of your plane reservations, rental car and more.

The biggest perk mentioned were the free theme park tickets to the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT Center, and Disney-MGM Studios through 1999.

Finally, prices started at just $11,210 ($56-57 per point), quite lower than today.

For more videos like this, review our History of DVC.

DVC Revenue for past 3 years is over $1B

DVC Revenue of $1 Billion over the past 3 years

Looking back on just the past three years (2013 to today), sales of Disney Vacation Club points add up to over one billion dollars (USD). This is the estimated gross revenue and not an estimation of profits. DVC’s revenues are estimated at $320M in 2013, $265M in 2014 and $267M in 2015.

But wait, this is not the complete picture. There are some facts I should state behind this calculation. The price per point used in the calculations was the base price in place, exclusive of incentives. DVC incentives would lower the number. However, since this revenue does not include sales of points for the Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian or Aulani, I am confident that actual revenues were higher than what I have estimated. DVC’s revenues were above $1 billion over the past 3 years.

DVC had revenues of $320M in 2013, with average sales per month of $26.7M.

DVC Sales Revenue for 2013 (Click for larger image)

DVC had revenues of $265M in 2014, with average sales per month of $22M.

DVC Sales Revenue for 2014 (Click for larger image)

DVC had revenues of $267M in 2015, with average sales per month of $22.2M.

DVC Sales Revenue for 2015 (Click for larger image)

DVC revenues for the first three months of 2016 average $22M.

DVC Sales Revenue for 2016 (Click for larger image)

When looking at just the number of points sold, there has been a general decline (refer to Direct Sales Statistics). However, DVC has raised the cost per point to keep revenues from falling.

Feel free to leave a comment below, or to join the discussion in our DVC discussion forum.

More Wilderness Lodge DVC Construction Photos

Work continues on the 14th DVC resort (the 2nd DVC at the Wilderness Lodge), which will be called “Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge” (although since Silver Creek Springs starts in the main lobby of the Wilderness Lodge and runs along the South Wing, it would seem “Silver Creek Cabins and Villas” would be a better name).

Today’s post is a collection of some photos taken the past few days with little commentary.