Attack of the Lakeshore Lodge

[intamin]

Towers are cheaper to build, but they're also cheaper to maintain. I selfishly bought at BLT because you can innately tell that it's low maintenance just by looking at it. That creates an ideal SAP situation where you pay low maintenance fees for your home resort, while enjoying everyone else's high maintenance (and admittedly cooler) resorts.

I also bought at Poly after the tower was built, and the maintenance fees there immediately went *down*.

Old = high maintenance
Wood = high maintenance
Sprawling = high maintenance
Elaborate pool complex = high maintenance
Responsible for the welfare of zoo animals = high maintenance

The upfront cost of DVC is nothing to sniff at, but maintenance fees become the biggest cost if you own long enough. #TeamTower

Ditto, absolutely love towers and if it weren't for PIT being built I probably would've bought into BLT. It's just so nice to be able to walk around the resort without having to go outside especially in a place like Florida where the weather isn't always the greatest. The convenience of a tower can't be beaten. A huge perk is also not having to deal with an internal bus loop. Then there's the fact of the sheer number of rooms those huge sprawling resorts have. A little part of me is always glad I'm not staying at SSR/OKW when inevitably at the end of the night, the lines for the buses going back to those resorts are completely full with 3 rows of guests who will likely have to wait for multiple buses to go back. I'm actually okay with spending dues on a big pool *points to AUL* and on the animals *points to AKV* but I still value having the resort having a compact footprint from a maintenance and logistics standpoint.

 

[Girlstar30]

I really hope that CFW isn’t rolled into LSL. I am getting really excited about this property but will have a hard time giving up my direct RIV points to stay there.

I feel like we’re stuck right now waiting for details! Should we wait and buy LSL? Buy more direct RIV before they sell out? Buy resale RIV equal to what we own direct as a swap?

Im in the same boat, but i feel like theyre going to want riv to sell out or at least come really close to before any announcements because if this is awesome that will slow riv sell out.

 

[eticketplease]

A little part of me is always glad I'm not staying at SSR/OKW when inevitably at the end of the night, the lines for the buses going back to those resorts are completely full with 3 rows of guests who will likely have to wait for multiple buses to go back.

Or you could drive back from 3 of the parks and park at your door. Since you already paid for your room with DVC points splurge for a Minnie Van from the MK and have them drop you off at your door.

 

[Mouseforward]

I don’t see LL being combined with Fort wilderness campground. I do see I do see it possibly being combined with just the cabins.

I don’t think it would raise maintenance fees. In fact, I think the opposite. There’s like 300+ cabins and if 600 of the 900 rooms are DVC we would have a Saratoga Springs like denominator to share the dues.

The benefit of combining the cabins, A-frame, treehouses, and hopefully duo studios through Gran Villas is that LL would be a self-sufficient ecosystem where people would not mind making it their one and only resort. That would give you options from one person to 12. Based on the size, I don’t see this resort booking at 11 months. This could be a magic Kingdom seven month resort.

I think there’s zero chance that they pitch this as equal to a greater than grand Floridian in luxury. I believe they’d have to pitch it below wilderness Lodge.

 

[eticketplease]

As for LL, the place is absolutely massive. It's really hard to understand until you're on the boat passing by and you realize that where you think the resort ends, is actually just half of it. IT went up, LL went out, so to me it feels like it would be a lot of walking.

Are you thinking a taller Kidani/Boardwalk with long hallways?

 

[Chili327]

I don’t see LL being combined with Fort wilderness campground. I do see I do see it possibly being combined with just the cabins.

I don’t think it would raise maintenance fees. In fact, I think the opposite. There’s like 300+ cabins and if 600 of the 900 rooms are DVC we would have a Saratoga Springs like denominator to share the dues.

The benefit of combining the cabins, A-frame, treehouses, and hopefully duo studios through Gran Villas is that LL would be a self-sufficient ecosystem where people would not mind making that they’re one and only resort. That would give you options from one person to 12. Based on the size, I don’t see this resort booking at 11 months. This could be a magic Kingdom seven month resort.

I think there’s zero chance that they pitch this as equal to a greater than grand Floridian in luxury. I believe they’d have to pitch it below wilderness Lodge.

How would they separate the cabins from the campgrounds... or wait, are the campgrounds able to book via DVC now??

 

[eticketplease]

How would they separate the cabins from the campgrounds... or wait, are the campgrounds able to book via DVC now??

No only cabins. It will most likely be a SAB situation where they scan your MB and give you a wristband for their pool complex

 

[intamin]

Or you could drive back from 3 of the parks and park at your door. Since you already paid for your room with DVC points splurge for a Minnie Van from the MK and have them drop you off at your door.

That's fair but idk for me when I'm on property I don't really want to think about going to the parking lot after a day in the parks. I'm doing that right now since I live here and the magic is definitely different than when we're staying in a resort. If I was going to drive Id probably have just booked a room off property.

 

[eticketplease]

That's fair but idk for me when I'm on property I don't really want to think about going to the parking lot after a day in the parks. I'm doing that right now since I live here and the magic is definitely different than when we're staying in a resort. If I was going to drive Id probably have just booked a room off property.

Fair point

 

[Girlstar30]

It looks fancy. Just give me an amazing pool/lazy river better than the rest and some good food and im sold

 

[BrianLo]

These look like they are going to cost a TON of points, but who will be able to book them? At least the Poly Bungalows and CCV Cabins can be used by people who have a lot of cheap sleep-around-points. With resale restrictions, the LSL treehouses are not SAP-compatible.

For years, these treehouses will only be accessible to whales who bought a ton of direct points. Down the road, sure, normal folk may be able to hoard enough LSL points via resale. But even then, LSL would need to keep its maintenance fees in check (which the Cabins at Fort Wilderness would potentially screw up).

I’m still waiting for the shoe to drop (cough cabins cough)… but the premium rooms are not the problem this time. They’ve actually restrained themselves compared to PVB and CCV. In addition to only have four treehouses, I think they’ll be relatively competitive to book.

 

[BrianLo]

I think the worse thing they can do is roll in the cabins entirely. Way too many of them to not flood the broader resort with a glut of a single unit type that most buyers likely aren’t seeking. At least they are cheap points wise. Let alone the fact these are distinctly marketed resorts.

They’ll still muck up the maintenance fees, it’s a relatively large points total. But the Hail Mary with a shared trust and an in between baked in booking advantage for the cabins (?8-10 month window) provides the cabins enough of a bone and resell potential. Also it gives LL owners not just an entire downgrade.

 

[MattB2G]

Also, how would DVC do the declaration of units??? There are already a bunch of Cabins declared, but what happens when the owners all want to stay at LL and no one books Cabins. They would have to declare a ton of LL inventory to satisfy all new and old points owners or face the wrath of people not getting what they want to stay in.

 

[SugarSweetLee]

Also, how would DVC do the declaration of units??? There are already a bunch of Cabins declared, but what happens when the owners all want to stay at LL and no one books Cabins. They would have to declare a ton of LL inventory to satisfy all new and old points owners or face the wrath of people not getting what they want to stay in.

Do they? Is it any different from people wanting to book studios/duos at some other resort but the only availability they can find is for 1 bedrooms or cabungahouses?

 

[intamin]

Also, how would DVC do the declaration of units??? There are already a bunch of Cabins declared, but what happens when the owners all want to stay at LL and no one books Cabins. They would have to declare a ton of LL inventory to satisfy all new and old points owners or face the wrath of people not getting what they want to stay in.

That's an interesting question, they could do it like a ratio so in the beginning declare more of LSL to make up for the tiny amount of sales that CFW has had and then as sales eventually ramp up if CFW has 8 million points and LSL has 4 million points (totally made up numbers obviously) they would just sell it as 2 points at CFW for every 1 point at LSL so that it's proportionate.

 

[MattB2G]

That's an interesting question, they could do it like a ratio so in the beginning declare more of LSL to make up for the tiny amount of sales that CFW has had and then as sales eventually ramp up if CFW has 8 million points and LSL has 4 million points (totally made up numbers obviously) they would just sell it as 2 points at CFW for every 1 point at LSL so that it's proportionate.

I guess they could do that, but I wouldn't want to be the CM that gets the call from a new owner who can't book the room they want in the new tower. I'm guessing there will be a lot of undeclared inventory used to make new owners happy for their first visits.

 

[ark101]

I guess they could do that, but I wouldn't want to be the CM that gets the call from a new owner who can't book the room they want in the new tower. I'm guessing there will be a lot of undeclared inventory used to make new owners happy for their first visits.

Declarations are based on projected sales, not availability of rooms. They managed Island Tower availability by using their own points to help book for new owners.

 

[Mouseforward]

I guess they could do that, but I wouldn't want to be the CM that gets the call from a new owner who can't book the room they want in the new tower. I'm guessing there will be a lot of undeclared inventory used to make new owners happy for their first visits.

You do realize the cabins are booked up at seven months. Saying nobody wants to book the cabins it’s not really accurate. The new tower will have 900 rooms there’s not gonna be an issue booking.

We act like this wasn’t done before. If you recall, they added the treehouses to SSR and the world did not end.

 

[ark101]

You do realize the cabins are booked up at seven months. Saying nobody wants to book the cabins it’s not really accurate. The new tower will have 900 rooms there’s not gonna be an issue booking.

We act like this wasn’t done before if you recall, they added the treehouses to SSR and the world did not end.

Agree, I feel like the cabins are the most difficult to book at 7 months, even more than BCV or VGC at this point in time lol.

 

[SugarSweetLee]

Agree, I feel like the cabins are the most difficult to book at 7 months, even more than BCV or VGC at this point in time lol.

Is that partly due to fewer declarations since sales are so slow