The DVC board official Animal Kingdom Villas discussion thread

[The DIS-DVC Team]

A number of different threads (more than a dozen) have been started discussing the announcement of a DVC resort at the Animal Kingdom Lodge area.

To help keep the boards clean, all those threads are being merged here into this thread.

Please restrict all AKV discussion to this thread, and do not start any new threads, as they will only have to be merged by a moderator into this thread, or may just be closed instead.

Note that since Disney is calling it Animal Kingdom Villas, we will use the acronym AKV to describe the resort. Many have been using VAKL and may wish to start using AKV.

Thanks for your cooperation.

The DVC board moderators.

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The following is a copy of a post made by tikiman which shows an artists rendition, and a copy of the announcement text. It is reposted here for information......




October 11, 2006, Lake Buena Vista, Fla. – Disney Vacation Club announced today that it is building a new timeshare resort on Walt Disney World® property to meet ongoing strong demand for its unique vacation-ownership program.


Disney's Animal Kingdom® Villas will be part of Disney's Animal Kingdom® Lodge, which readers of Travel & Leisure Family magazine recently honored with the No. 4 spot on their list of the 50 greatest family resorts in the United States and Canada. The Disney Vacation Club® accommodations will feature intricate African-inspired details and home-like amenities, and most will offer sweeping views of an expanded savannah inhabited by a variety of African animals. These new accommodations are scheduled for development in phases with an anticipated opening beginning Fall 2007 and a completion date planned for Spring 2009. The project's first phase will include 134 remodeled accommodations on the fifth and sixth floors of the existing Disney's Animal Kingdom® Lodge building, and subsequent phases will include the construction of 324 vacation homes in a new building on the resort property, for a total of 458 Disney Vacation Club homes.


The project also calls for construction of a new table-service restaurant, themed pool and water-play island, fitness center, merchandise shop, sports and recreation facilities and more.


"We continue to see strong demand from families who want to build a lifetime of unforgettable memories by vacationing in ways they never dreamed possible," said Jim Lewis, President of Disney Vacation Club. "I am delighted to announce that our members will have yet another place to call home with Disney's Animal Kingdom® Villas. This begins another exciting new era for Disney Vacation Club as we continue to explore future destination possibilities both domestically and internationally."


Disney Vacation Club, now celebrating its milestone 15th anniversary, is an innovative timeshare program that lets families enjoy flexibility and savings on future vacations at Disney destinations and more than 500 other popular vacation sites around the world. Since 2000, Disney Vacation Club membership has doubled to include more than 300,000 individuals from over 100 countries and every U.S. state.


Disney's Animal Kingdom® Villas will be the eighth Disney Vacation Club Resort, joining five others at the Walt Disney World® Resort, one in Vero Beach, Fla., and one in Hilton Head Island, S.C. Disney Vacation Club has sold out of memberships at its first six resorts, and sales remain ahead of schedule at its seventh property, Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, which opened in May 2004 near the Downtown Disney area at the Walt Disney World® Resort.

[DVCTiff]

I just heard it from a DVC rep that DVC at Animal Kingdom Lodge was announced today (sorry if this has been reported already, but I was pretty darn excited).

She said there would be new construction with its own check-in, which is GREAT, plus two floors in the original Lodge (5+6 maybe) will be converted. I asked if every room would have a savannah view, and she suggested that while most would there will probably be two sets of points like at the Boardwalk (standard vs. preferred or something similar).

I missed the Members' meeting today but she said it hadn't even been announced there.

She had no deadline for the new construction but I would think the Lodge rooms would be ready first. She also mentioned that the rooms would be bigger, with the two bedrooms sleeping 9 and the grand villa sleeping 15. WOW!!!

[isyt]

I just saw this on another site and was going to post here. I think its exciting, although I am still holding out for Contemporary.

Let the conversation begin!!!

[calypso*a*go-go]

That would be awesome if it pans out. We've heard so many rumors on these boards about AKL and CR becoming DVC options that I wish I had a point for everytime it happened...I'd be able to stay in a DVC villa all year long. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

[Boston5602]

hmmm maybe gonna have to work some overtime to get some VAKL points

[JimFitz]

Originally Posted by DVCTiff

I just heard it from a DVC rep that DVC at Animal Kingdom Lodge was announced today (sorry if this has been reported already, but I was pretty darn excited).

She said there would be new construction with its own check-in, which is GREAT, plus two floors in the original Lodge (5+6 maybe) will be converted. I asked if every room would have a savannah view, and she suggested that while most would there will probably be two sets of points like at the Boardwalk (standard vs. preferred or something similar).

I missed the Members' meeting today but she said it hadn't even been announced there.

She had no deadline for the new construction but I would think the Lodge rooms would be ready first. She also mentioned that the rooms would be bigger, with the two bedrooms sleeping 9 and the grand villa sleeping 15. WOW!!!

Was it announced to Employees only?

[Scotch]

Is this for real?

[TammyAlphabet]

Originally Posted by isyt

I just saw this on another site and was going to post here. I think its exciting, although I am still holding out for Contemporary.

Let the conversation begin!!!

Link please!!!!!

[3DisneyKids]

ALL of us here are excited about WHERE the new DVC will be...even if we don't want VAKL (which many do), we all basically just want to KNOW. So, if you are going to post this as fact, please post the link and/or specifically cite where the info. came from....

Thanks

[JandD Mom]

I'd love to know too...

We don't want it, but if anyone out there is looking to unload some BWV points to buy in to AKV, please let me know!

[2angelsinheaven]

Animal Kingdom Villas was just announced on Local Channel 9 Orlando, the new DVC will feature 450 rooms, restaurants, a pool, some shops... it is expected to be open within 1 year, and finished in 2009.

[Seahunt]

This is just being reported on the 11:00 news channel 9 WFTV Orlando station - sorry nothing on their website yet (wftv.com) but will probably show up by tomorrow AM....

They said rooms to open by fall 2007, completed by 2008 - 450+ rooms - called Animal Kingdom Villas - featuring pools, fitness center - trying to type as fast as I listen, sorry I didn't get it all!

[LisaS]

Yahoooooo!!!!!! Thank you to our DIS board members in Florida for posting the confirmation !!! So we'll have to get used to a new acronym now: AKV!

[Sammie]

Yes it is real, and I think I mentioned I really thought it would be announced in October and I was told the new facility would be to the left of the existing one.

For all you Contemporary lovers I was told it was not out of the running, just not going to be first.

[3DisneyKids]

From the DVC-operations board:

Just re-posting it here since this is where the "rumors" are always discussed...

Animal Kingdom Villas was just announced on Local Channel 9 Orlando, the new DVC will feature 450 rooms, restaurants, a pool, some shops... it is expected to be open within 1 year, and finished in 2009.

Name will be Animal Kingdom Villas (AKV, not VAKL as we have all been saying!)

Get those checkbooks ready....