News

The previously announced Reunion Station Lounge at Wilderness Lodge will open April 30, 2018.  The multi-purpose space will be exclusive to eligible DVC Members as part of Membership Magic, offering a paid food and beverage-inclusive lounge in the morning and evening, paid workshops throughout the day, and a complimentary Member mix and mingle at night for all DVC Members.

Food and Beverage Private Lounge

A food and beverage-inclusive private lounge will be available for DVC Members to book for the length of their stay at either Boulder Ridge or Copper Creek Villas.  Prices are $50 a night for adults and $33 a night for kids age 3-9, which must be booked for length of stay for every person listed on the resort reservation.  Food and beverage services will  include pastries, fruits, cereals, juices, and more from 7 AM – 10 AM, and wine, beer, cheeses, salads, soups, desserts, and crudités from 4 PM – 6 PM.  Reservations can me made starting April 4.

Special Events

From 1:30 PM – 3 PM , Reunion Station will host special paid events, currently including a Beverage Tasting Series, Phone Photography,  and Animation 101 on on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays respectively.   You do not need to have purchased the food and beverage-inclusive private lounge option to participate in these events, and all eligible DVC Member may book these events (including those not staying at Wilderness Lodge).  The price for these events is $40 per person, including tax and gratuity.  Special events are limited  to a maximum party of four people. Participants under 18 must be accompanied by a participating adult.  Reservations can me made starting April 4.

Complimentary Member Mix and Mingle

From 7 PM – 10 PM Reunion Station will be open for a complimentary mix and mingle for all eligible DVC Members (including those not staying at Wilderness Lodge).  A lounge host will be on hand during this time to answer questions and offer assistance.

Member Eligibility

The food and beverage-inclusive private lounge, special events, and member mix and mingle are offered as part of Membership Magic Membership Extras, therefore available to DVC Members who purchased resale prior to April 4, 2016, DVC Members who purchased 25 or more points direct prior to February 25, 2018, and DVC Members who purchased 75 points or more direct on or after February 25, 2018.

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Yesterday Disney Parks & Resorts filed plans with the South Florida Water Management District for an elusive “Project 89” at the former River Country Water Park site, located between Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge.  The stated purpose of the project is to “conduct geotechnical investigation to assess the suitability of subsurface soils” for development.  The work is planned to commence 03/05/18 and be completed by 4/6/18.

This is not the first time Disney Parks & Resorts has eyed River Country for development.  In September 2011, Disney filed plans for a Fort Wilderness DVC resort.  Below is the site plan dated September 30, 2011 for “Project 2011-2” at Fort Wilderness.

After the project was canceled, the design firm for the project released the following rendering and video of the planned resort:

While these plans never came to fruition, they could be revived.

Three other DVC developments that never came to be

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As a new Membership Extras benefit, Disney Vacation Club Members will be offered early booking on Disney Cruise Line for the first time, starting with Summer 2019 Itineraries that were just announced today.

Booking Window for Castaway Club and Disney Vacation Club Members

Early booking will be available to Disney Vacation Club Members on Wednesday, March 7 at 7:00 AM:

Reservations

Disney Vacation Club Members can make reservations by calling Member Services at 1-800-800-9800 to book with Vacation Points or a combination of Vacation Points and cash, or call Disney Cruise Line at 1-866-325-6348 to book with cash only.

Eligibility

This benefit is being provided to DVC Members as part of DVC’s Membership Extras program, and is subject to change.  Membership Extras are available with eligible ownership interests, including all DVC Members who purchased DVC interests prior to 4/4/16, DVC Members who purchased directly from DVC  between 4/4/16 and 2/24/18, and DVC Members who have purchased 75 or more points directly from DVC on or after 2/25/18 (see Membership Extras Eligibility Changing Feb 25).

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At the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference on February 26, 2018 Bob Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company, was asked about the effect of dynamic pricing on single-day tickets and the plan to take it beyond single day.  Mr. Iger responded by saying “Technology has given us the ability to add a substantial amount of more flexible, a variable pricing, across the board. We just announced it in Shanghai, we’ve been doing it in California, we’re doing it in Florida. In Florida, by the way, very few people buy the 1-day pass. We have talked about putting into place flex pricing on the multi-day pass, and that’s coming sometime towards the end of the year.”

“We have talked about putting into place flex pricing on the multi-day pass, and that’s coming sometime towards the end of the year” – Bob Iger

Mr. Iger said “we’re trying to smooth out the experience for everyone by basically increasing the pricing during the peak periods and decreasing or not increasing the pricing, I should say, as much in the off periods, so that the experience you have when you come to our park is just as good in the peak time as it might be in the times where the park is less crowded. By and large, this has been an initiative or strategy in parks and resorts that is really starting to  work, both from a bottom-line perspective, but also from a guest experience perspective.”

“this has been an initiative or strategy in parks and resorts that is really starting to  work, both from a bottom-line perspective, but also from a guest experience perspective.” – Bob Iger

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The 2018 US News & World Reports Best Hotels in Orlando-Walt Disney World includes 6 Disney Vacation Club Resorts in the top 56 hotels.  The rankings are based on analysis of awards, expert recommendations, and user ratings.

Included in the list are 6 Disney Vacation Club Resorts:

#17 Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village

#21 Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

#36 Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows

#39 Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa

#42 Disney’s BoardWalk Villas

#44 Disney’s Beach Club Villas

Also included are 7 Disney Resorts with DVC accommodations:

#5 Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

#12 Disney’s Beach Club Resort

#15 Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

#16 Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

#23 Disney’s Contemporary Resort

#24 Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

#27 Disney’s BoardWalk Inn

See the complete list here.

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Disney Vacation Development, Inc. filed the First Amendment to Declaration of Condominium for Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge this week.

This amendment declares “Phase 5” consisting of 5 Residential Units on the Fourth Floor with 2 Dedicated Studios, 2 Dedicated One-Bedrooms, 4 Dedicated Two-Bedrooms, 3 Two-Bedrooms Lock-Offs, and 1 Alternate Two-Bedroom Lock-Off:

DVC deeds are based on a fractional percentage of an underlying Residential Unit, corresponding to the total number of points purchased.

The 5 Residential Units declared in this amendment represent approximately 210,640 points out of the total 3,321,966 points, or approximately 6% of the total points available.

This brings the total points declared to DVC Members to 37%. This is the first amendment since the original declaration of Phase 1-4 a year ago on February 21, 2017.

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Effective February 25, 2018, to be eligible for Membership Extras, Members must own and maintain a minimum of 75 Points purchased directly from Disney Vacation Development, Inc.

All Members who are eligible for Membership Extras as of February 24 will not be impacted by 75-Vacation Point requirement, as long as they continue to meet the previously implemented eligibility requirements, detailed below.

Membership Extras Eligibility Requirements

Based on these requirements, you are grandfathered in if:

1. You bought resale before 4/4/16
2. You bought 25 or more points direct prior to 2/25/18

See Membership Extras Acknowledgment and Disclosure Statement for more information.

What do you think of these changes?

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