4/1/05 - Orlando Sentinel - DL DVC Sales Center Info

[RobDoc]

<a href="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-bizclarke01040105apr01,1,7463089.column?coll=orl-business-headlines&ctrack=1&cset=true">Orlando Sentinel Report- April 1, 2005- by Susan Strother Clarke</a>

Time shares make magic for Disney
Published April 1, 2005


The Mouse goes where the money is.

That's why I take this as a sign that the time-share business is
booming: Disney is opening a sales office in California to market
its Disney Vacation Club.

Expect an official announcement in May, but I'm told the new place
will look like the cozy "preview center" at the Saratoga Springs
resort in Orlando.

Disney has put a lot of muscle into time shares lately, and with
good cause. Nationally, time-share sales now total about $5 billion
a year. What's more, the business stood the test after 9-11 and
through the recession, when time-share owners traveled while others
stayed home.

The opening of a sales office in Anaheim near Disneyland doesn't
mean Disney is building time shares in California -- not yet,
anyway. Folks there will sell time at Disney's existing resorts in
Orlando, Vero Beach and Hilton Head, S.C.

But Mouse managers are talking a lot about how much they like this
business -- and I wouldn't be surprised to hear soon that something
more is planned.

Jim Lewis, local chief of the vacation club, says demand is
especially strong among the 50-something crowd. Minimum buy-in at
Disney is about $14,000.

About 90,000 people are members of the Disney Vacation Club, making
it among the top time-share operators in the country.

In Orlando, Disney will complete the second phase of the Saratoga
Springs resort at the end of this year, with a third phase to start
in 2006.

 

[iluvdisney]

Interesting, Doc! I wonder if this will be the much rumored DVC addition to Grand Californian.

 

[JimC]

Yet, they tried DVC off property before and it did not work well enough to continue it -- so what is different this time around?

I wonder it the Disney vacation tours announced recently is also a part of their thinking. It would be a complimentary business line to the timeshares.

 

[WDWLVR]

Interesting, Doc! I wonder if this will be the much rumored DVC addition to Grand Californian.

That would be sweet! Don't think we would buy any more points, but I could see us using points to stay there.

 

[rsschneck]

We would LOVE something on the West Coast. I get a little jealous when people talk about a quick weekend getaway. We live so far away that we always travel for at least a week. I would love a weekend getaway!

 

[SoCalKDG]

Yet, they tried DVC off property before and it did not work well enough to continue it -- so what is different this time around?

I wonder it the Disney vacation tours announced recently is also a part of their thinking. It would be a complimentary business line to the timeshares.

This time DVC would be on property at DLR. In the past they only had one park, which would only make a 3 day stay worthwhile. The addition of another park could easily lead to 5 day stay just for the parks(Sunday-Thursday). Combine with the many locals that would use it for weekends, as well as the other places to visit, a DLR DVC makes more sense now.