Anyone plan on buying DVC-Hawaii or DVC-DC?

[Dean]

Oh I agree that it so easy to just walk just about anywhere in Waikiki. We never bother renting a car on Oahu. Since we only stay there for 2 or 3 nights we usually just stay at one of the Outrigger Properties which are convenient for walking just about anywhere. They're right on the beach and are close to the International Marketplace...many decent restaurants are within a 10 min. walk - especially from the Outrigger Waikiki over the Outrigger Reef. The Cheesecake Factory and Hula Grill are right downstairs. One will definitely have to rent a car for Ko'Olina. Just another cost factor to have to budget for. We usually fly into Honolulu and spend 2 or 3 nights there to acclimate. It's the cheapest island so it's good for getting over the jet lag. Then we move on to the Big Island and / or Maui for the remainder of our trip. I will be curious to hear more about the amenties at this property tho. I cannot imagine going all the way to Hawaii and not going to Maui!!!!

It's such a shame to go to Oahu and not have a car at least part of the time to see the various parts of the island though if you've done it once I could see not doing it every trip. Then again I would say the same for Waikiki, I'd prefer to stay elsewhere in a nice place like DVC or Marriott.

 

[DMKEDM]

Count us in the group that bought DVC to stay on site at WDW...no interest at all in HI (I'm probably the only person in the world who dislikes HI, but I do...I've been twice and disliked it both times) and my office is in DC, on Capitol Hill...definitely won't do more than visit (if that, and if so, probably not overnight) a DVC (or a Disney hotel) in DC...

I have been mulling over the idea of a trip to DisneyLand, and the DVC there, tho...but I'm having the same problem w/DL as I have w/any vacation destination that isn't WDW...I can't easily give up any time at WDW! I suppose when Hogwarts/Harry Potter opens at Universal in Orlando I'll be pried loose from WDW, at least for a day...but that's the only thing I can think of that isn't trumped by another day at WDW!

 

[Simba's Mom]

OK, I guess I've been out of the loop or something-what's this about a DVC in DC? This is the first I've heard of it.

 

["Got Disney"]

I live in San Diego and we were going to buy at the GCV but decided not to. WE use our 400 points to stay at the Grand every year when we don't go to WDW and hate the fact that we will have to give that up to stay in the villas that may be hard to get into when we want since there are not that many of them. We will wait and see what they do if they fill up as for deciding to throw us into the main hotel or turn us away.

As for HI...we want to but that will depend on the pricing. We will most likely stay there on the points we do have and than after our stay decide. But we will need to stay there first to see if it is the area we want to always go.

I wont buy in DC either but would stay there on the points we do have. We want to buy another 200 points just not sure where yet.

 

[JenSop]

Have to admit - I'm too tired to read the whole thread, but I do have thoughts on the resorts.

DH went with friends to Hawaii in August and fell in love with it there. Now he wants to add on there. He can't wait to go back there and can't wait for me to be able to go along with him. So I guess we'll really consider doing an add on in HI.

DC? Heck no. We only live three hours away, so it's an easy day trip. I've been many many times. And we can go anytime we want without having to do an overnight.

 

[lulubelle]

It's a NO for me.

We own AKV and VGC. Plus we own a Westin timeshare that we have owned and enjoyed for years. We have more than enough.

Add me to the list of "must buy left coasters" who paid whatever the cost was to own at DL. I am a DL freak and spend way too much money staying on site. Now I have the villas. But do feel like I overpaid. A lot. Oh well, live and learn. At least I know I will enjoy staying there year after year.

 

[FindTheMickeys]

My thoughts are this: I want to add on sometime in the future but not a huge amount of points. So I may buy a small add-on at HI, say 50 or 75 points (I currently have 150). Also depends on the incentives. That 75 points won't get me home resort advantage for a long vacation stay in HI but I can use those points in FL if I so desire... I've never been to HI but have LOTS of friends and family who have already volunteered to join me on my vacation to the Islands so there must be something there worth seeing (they have all been).

 

[brandip22]

DVC is great for us due to DW as well. However, we would probably spend some points on the DC and HI trips- just to go. As our kids get older, DC would of course be wonderful. For HI- that'd just be a great trip I think. We don't plan to go yearly to either though, so wouldn't buy there.

 

[Longhairbear]

We would book a DC DVC trip on our way to FLA., but not buy there. Same with HI, but might add on at CA., especially if they build a second DVC at DLR.
What exactly are the rumors of a DC DVC?

 

[Kdisney]

National Harbor, despite a lousy locaiton and not even being open yet

are you KIDDING me?? National Harbor is incredible. It's a beautiful location, where else can you stay in the DC area on the water???with the exception of a few G'town properties and the Mandarin Oriental. With shuttle service to DC every hour and a water taxi to Mt. Vernon and Old Town. I personally can't wait for DVC at the National Harbor. Yes, I will buy and hope to spend many happy Independence Days there.

 

[MrShiny]

I do think HI will be heavily marketed to asia. I would expect DVC booths to pop up at HKDL and TDL (are they there already?)

These plus DC add another factor other than sales. They make the DVC value proposition more appealing. Sure, it can be hard getting into a non-home resort, but it is generally easier than a non-DVC trade (at least less hassle).

So even if HI doesn't sell out for years, it will aid in selling other DVC. Not many people here have said they both would not buy AND never book a stay at HI...

 

[Longhairbear]

National Harbor, despite a lousy locaiton and not even being open yet

are you KIDDING me?? National Harbor is incredible. It's a beautiful location, where else can you stay in the DC area on the water???with the exception of a few G'town properties and the Mandarin Oriental. With shuttle service to DC every hour and a water taxi to Mt. Vernon and Old Town. I personally can't wait for DVC at the National Harbor. Yes, I will buy and hope to spend many happy Independence Days there.

Thanks, so has Disney actually purchased property for the express purpose of a hotel/DVC? I would definitely use points at a DC DVC.

 

[ILUVPOOH1]

Alexandria is effectively sold out and has been for some time---I don't think they are in active sales there anymore. National Harbor, despite a lousy locaiton and not even being open yet (it opens in Feb 2010), was 40% sold this past summer, selling into the teeth of a nasty recession.

http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/06/29/story5.html

That doesn't sound so bad to me. On the other hand:


This is a big problem for Disney. They just haven't translated well outside RCID's boundaries. They do keep trying though.

Edited to add: I suspect they are going to see how HI moves before making a final decision on the DC property. If HI does poorly, the DC space may be a conventional hotel.

We were just at National Harbor a few weeks ago for the Washington Capitals Hockey Convention. So I think a lot is open there. It was really nice, they were still building, but the convention center is open as well as a couple hotels/shops. There was a HUGE sign outside that said "National Harbor Welcomes DISNEY"

But, no way I'd buy there, I only live 30 minutes away. Also, we're in DC up to 3 times a week during hockey season (we're season tix holders) so I kind of get sick of it! However, if you don't get to go often, it is a really nice place to visit! The kids get a lot out of it, monuments and muesums (sp?) are great. I think it would make a really nice vacation spot for families!

Personally I would love to get out on the West Coast. Been an East Coast gal all my life!!

 

[rentayenta]

Flights are too spendy too Hawaii as is touring in Hawaii. I doubt we would buy in DC either.

 

[JimC]

I was surprised when they announced that they were going into the non-theme park resort business (Hawaii and DC) and even more surprised that a DVC was announced in Hawaii. I thought that the prior DVC experience off property would preclude further such activity.

Maybe the success of the Cruise Line and Adventures By Disney have altered their market position enough to make a go of a broader vacation offering. Owning resorts not contiguous to a theme park is quite an undertaking for Disney. It is a balance sheet laden and inflexible investment in leisure that the Adventures program fortunately lacks. The cruise ships, while still a significant investment, have the virtue of locale flexibility that resorts lack.

I think Hawaii is too far and likely too expensive to own for us. DC has great attractions if you like history, museums and government. But I can't conceive of it as a regular year-after-year vacation site.

 

[Dean]

Flights are too spendy too Hawaii as is touring in Hawaii. I doubt we would buy in DC either.

I think the perceived cost of going to HI is more than the actual cost. Compared to flying anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere inc the Caribbean, MX and across the continent, the air isn't that much more. Rental cars are pretty cheap and hotels/condo's/timeshares are as reasonable as anything else as are restaurants. Sure a nice OF villa will cost you but there are plenty of reasonable options. One should be able to do HI for around $150 pp/pd plus air including rental car, eating out, some activities and interisland. For DVC, I think there is a skewed perception of cost given that Orlando is still fairly cheap overall if you exclude extended park admission media. I spent more in Aruba and in LV comparatively than any of my trips to HI and HI was still that much better.

 

[Dean]

I was surprised when they announced that they were going into the non-theme park resort business (Hawaii and DC) and even more surprised that a DVC was announced in Hawaii. I thought that the prior DVC experience off property would preclude further such activity.

Maybe the success of the Cruise Line and Adventures By Disney have altered their market position enough to make a go of a broader vacation offering. Owning resorts not contiguous to a theme park is quite an undertaking for Disney. It is a balance sheet laden and inflexible investment in leisure that the Adventures program fortunately lacks. The cruise ships, while still a significant investment, have the virtue of locale flexibility that resorts lack.

I think Hawaii is too far and likely too expensive to own for us. DC has great attractions if you like history, museums and government. But I can't conceive of it as a regular year-after-year vacation site.

Unfortunately I think we (and DVC) are destined to repeat the history of VB/HH to a large degree. I'm sure there'll be variations but it has all the look of a painful ordeal from a business standpoint. I do hope I'm wrong because I'd like more options as a member.

 

[toniosmom]

I've never been to Hawaii and hope to one day make it there, but I don't see me buying into the DVC property there. At most, I may try to get there once or twice. (It's a looooooong trip from the East Coast!)

As far as DC is concerned, being in NJ, it's not too far of a drive, so I've love to visit several times. (I love DC!) I don't plan to buy there at this point -- my son is only 4, so it's going to be a while before we start making trips to DC.

And I have a feeling that my January MF bills are going to preclude me from any add-ons for a long time!!!

 

[musical2]

No I won't buy DVC Hawaii. I did buy Marriott Ko Olina EOY for a steal on Ebay though, and Marriott seemed to have suspended ROFR on it because it passed. So I don't need it DVC Hawaii. Plus, I live in the DC area so I don't want to buy there.

 

[KiminChicago]

It all depends. If it turns out to be really difficult to get a reservation at the 7-month window, we might consider adding on some points in Hawaii.

When we bought our AKV points, our first trip wasn't back to WDW, we used our first points to go to HHI. The kids thought we were nuts, but when we were getting packed up to come home, they both wanted to know when we'd go back again. Now we're considering adding on some points at HHI via resale -- enough to get a couple of weekday nights at the 11-month window since the resort fills up so fast over the summer. Then we'd use some of our AKV points for the weekend since they don't fill up as fast and there might still be availability at the 7-month window.

I can see the same thing happening in Hawaii, we'd add on just enough points to make it possible to get a room for a couple of nights at the 11 month window and hope that we could extend our stay at the 7 month window using the AKV points.

I think what we really liked about our HHI stay was all the activities Disney provided -- we didn't miss having a theme park nearby. I'm hoping that at both Ko Olina and DC, Disney will provide lots of tours and things to do which makes the vacation planning so much easier for me.