Disney Institute News!

[Tinkerbelloncapecod]

This is an article from our friends who work at Disney World. The Eyes and Ears is Disney Employee's Newspaper:

Disney Vacation Club to expand to the Disney Institute

Disney Vacation Development, Inc., has announced that a new Disney Vacation
Club development will be built at the Disney Institute.
Leaders made the decision based on guest demand for the Disney Vacation Club
product on property, as evidenced by strong sales at the newest Disney
Vacation Club Resort -- The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge. Disney
Vacation Club has grown to include more than 60,000 member families from
more than 60 countries and is preparing for the
earlier-than-originally-projected debut of Disney's Beach Club Villas this
summer.

The new Disney Vacation Club project at the Disney Institute calls for the
construction of four residential-style buildings featuring studio, one- and
two-bedroom villas, as well as Grand Villa units that will sleep as many as
12 guests. The new, 192-unit development is slated to replace the Disney
Institute townhouse accommodations currently occupying a 16-acre site
overlooking the Downtown Disney lakefront.

Guests staying in the new Disney Vacation Club villas will enjoy convenient
access to the Downtown Disney area and use of the spa and recreational
facilities currently offered at the Disney Institute.

"The proposed ownership-resort expansion will combine one of our highly
successful offerings with an exciting complement of existing resort
amenities," said George Aguel, senior vice president of Walt Disney Parks
and Resorts.

Development of the new Disney Vacation Club site is scheduled to begin this
spring with a targeted opening date in Spring 2004.

Look for more information about this new project in the Feb. 7 issue of Eyes
& Ears.

 

[ralphd]

This must be a joke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ralphd

 

[MikeScott8]

Sorry looks real. go HERE to read the press release.

Mike

 

[chris1gill]

As I said in the other Disney institute post, YUCK!!!

They are essentially taking a resort they couldn't book to cash paying guests at any lowly price & converting it to a DVC resort... This is a new level of LOW if you ask me....

Not to mention the complaints I've read of guests staying at the townhomes that listen to the Downtown Disney music all night long....

One big YUCK!!!

 

[Orky15]

Interesting.... on the other hand, if they make the points for rental low enough, it'd be a nice 'discount' option. Not that I want to stay in a 'discount' property myself, but some people surely will.

 

[DisneyCrazy]

I happen to like the Disney Institute - at least the places we've stayed. Actually the Fairway Villas were the first place we stayed 'on-site' way back in 1981. I still think I like them the best of any place I've stayed - maybe because as a kid I remember the loft - looking down on everything/everyone.

More recently I've stayed at the 'bungalows' - I like them, call me crazy. I liked walking over to the Downtown area (hey, have you tried to get a parking spot there recently!).

But, from the way I read this announcement, this is going to be NEW construction.

Personally I'd like to see them convert the Fairways to 2Br villas and the bungalows to 1Br (well, maybe 'studio+'). I've never stayed in a townhouse or treehouse so I'll reserve comment for those that have.

I think any DVC expansion is good expansion - gives more choices. Like the saying goes, if you don't like it, don't stay there! I for one welcome it.

 

[Tinkerbelloncapecod]

I agree with you. I became a DVC member back in '98 because it was Disney and I knew my investment would be a good choice with the Disney name behind my investment. I certainly don't think Disney is going to build junk....they have a reputation to uphold. Besides, this investment will be theirs in 40 years. They are adding to DVC in hopes that more people will become DVC Members.

We get the opportunity to stay at another Disney site on our points and if we don't like the site we can choose not to stay there or we can add on. I believe our investment in DVC has just increased in value!

 

[DaveH]

I honestly think there will be and are members who would enjoy being near Downtown Disney and near a golf course. It would be interesting on the themeing and point costs.

 

[PamOKW]

This makes more sense. It does say they will be building new buildings not just converting what is there. 4 buildings sounds like it is only a portion of the existing DI....possibly they will be "linking" it to OKW. I just hope this doesn't replace the Eagle Pines plans.

 

[gemmie214]

I have stayed at the DI townhouses many times. I happen to like it there alot and can't wait to buy into it. The location is wonderful and grounds are peaceful. I am sure they will do the pools over and build new buildings but evem if they didn't I would still buy there. I also have never had a problem with the music from PI.

 

[ncligs]

I think DVC wouldn't build anything that wasn't "1st Class". I wonder the same as PamOKW...what about Eagle Pines??????

 

[sgtdisney]

From what I can gather from the news I have read, they will be leveling the townhouses as well as the existing Disney Instute 'classroom' buildings and building an entirely new DVC building or group of buildings. I think that these buildings will be more like VWL or BWV as opposed to OKW. Probably similar to the conceptual drawings that have been published for the Eagle Pines project. I am willing to bet that the Fairway and Treehouse Villas (as well as the Grand Vista Suites) will remain intact and in place. What I can't figure out is if the bungalows will remain or not.

 

[fkj2]

It may alleviate some of those times when it's difficult to book at the existing DVC; Christmas, Easter. I'd rather take an accommodation there than not be able to use the points when I'd like to. Besides, I stayed at the Tree House Villas once and as long as your not physically challanged by arthritis for example, it was fun. Maybe they'd figure out a way to make them more accessible.

 

[wdw1972]

This is great news, in my opinion. I like the location, and love that they're going to knock down those awful townhouse units and build new. I stayed in a townhouse a few years ago, and was shocked at how unlike dvc it was (that's a polite way of saying it was scummy, lol) - of course moving there from a grand villa at okw was probably not the smartest thing to be doing ;-)

The only negative thing about the DI DVC will be the bus transportation. Currently DI has 7 bus stops, which makes for a tedious trip. A car will come in handy when staying there.

I wonder if they'll eventually take another section of the resort & turn it into dvc? In my opinion, the bungalows & Fairway Villas are pretty nice (unlike the townhomes), so they'll probably leave them alone as long as they're able to rent them. The Treehouses are pretty far removed - I don't see them as dvc property unless they were gutted and completely redone.

 

[Princess Tess]

hi all, i just got back thurs. from okw,theres a boat that goes to downtown, it passes disney institude, our driver had told us that disney sold it to the armed services for the families of servicemen?
then i here tthis news ? weird..... is it just me or is anyone else having problems connecting to this site ? it seemed down for a while. promblem for me started 8-10 days ago.

we had a great time at disney,we had a 3 bedroom villa at okw. it was our 1st trip as a dvc member, the place was great !!! 80-84 degree weather, a little crowed but we still had a great time.

 

[Mooobooks]

One of the greatest consistent pleasures we have when going to WDW is spendng a few evenings over at The Adventurer's Club in Pleasure Island. If you rely on the bus system to get you back to your on-site hotel, it puts a nasty kink in the end of your night. The waits are VERY long: sometimes 45 minutes, which is not something we want to face at the end of the day. So, we've generally been taking a taxi back at night to the Wilderness Lodge or wherever we stay.
It would be really convenient for all the DVC members who like Pleasure Island and Downtown Disney to be able to get home quickly, easily, and inexpensively.

 

[Tigger1]

I vote for Eagle pines


Tigger