Does Disney regret Aulani?

[DVC Doctor]

Disney needed to add a Hawaii location as that was the #1 requested location outside of WDW or DL and it is an amazing flagship location that makes tons of money with DVC or cash rates. So, NO they do not regret this resort.

 

[MagicDVC]

Everytime we have been there, the resort has been packed. Nothing beats being able to rent DVC units and only having to cover the shortfall between costs and dues collected. I think we are starting to see that with all the resorts currently being sold.

 

[SL6827]

Could Disney add day guest there with their cruise ships visiting? Would they have enough room, or enough pool chairs?

 

[MagicDVC]

Could Disney add day guest there with their cruise ships visiting? Would they have enough room, or enough pool chairs?

Definitely not. There’s not enough space with a full resort.

 

[SL6827]

Could Disney expand the resort?

 

[Sykes]

It seems like they're able to fill the resort pretty effectively with cash guests so I'm guessing that they're not especially upset if DVC sales are a bit slower there. Aulani is a bit of an interesting case--I think that they successfully accomplished their goal of creating a proper Disney resort in Hawaii, but they did it complete with overpriced mediocre food, chaotic crowds, and a concrete jungle that hides the natural beauty of the surrounding area. We did a split stay with the Marriott two doors down and I enjoyed Aulani because there were so many activities (and I can happily float in a lazy river for 8 hours a day), which is a nice contrast to the more laid-back pace of most of the rest of Hawaii, but my wife vastly preferred the Marriott because to her it actually felt like being in Hawaii.

Could Disney expand the resort?

It would be difficult for them to do meaningful expansion on the existing land, but there is a lot for a resort next door that is completely unoccupied that they could use. Having said that, with the way the resort was constructed it seems like any expansion would be pretty disjointed from the existing property.

 

[J-Dog]

It would be difficult for them to do meaningful expansion on the existing land, but there is a lot for a resort next door that is completely unoccupied that they could use. Having said that, with the way the resort was constructed it seems like any expansion would be pretty disjointed from the existing property.

Yes, I agree. The Atlantis project next door is dead, and I haven't heard of anything taking it's place, so theoretically Disney could buy that land and expand. But I'm not sure that is in the cards for them.

 

[Sykes]

I would expect they’d instead expand into the DHS parking lot. But I also don’t expect it will actually happen. I think Galactic Starcruiser is more likely to become some sort of space for daytime use.

I suspect you're in the wrong thread.

 

[CastAStone]

I suspect you're in the wrong thread.

Omg

 

[SL6827]

Omg

It's OK.

 

[Cfabar1]

Yes, I agree. The Atlantis project next door is dead, and I haven't heard of anything taking it's place, so theoretically Disney could buy that land and expand. But I'm not sure that is in the cards for them.

They'd be smart to just buy the land, but then again I am not sure why they sold all the VB parcels they had either - even if they weren't building....

 

[DVCSunDevil]

I have no idea. What I DO know is that I don’t regret them building it, lol. We went in April of last year and loved it! We plan to go again some day.

 

[The Jackal]

I don’t think Disney regrets building Aulani, DVC is probably very embarrassed that it has not sold out. But Disney sells all the other rooms for cash money. That is all they care about.

 

[J-Dog]

I don’t think Disney regrets building Aulani, DVC is probably very embarrassed that it has not sold out. But Disney sells all the other rooms for cash money. That is all they care about.

I disagree. If DVD really wanted it to sell out quickly they could make it happen with large incentives - they haven't done that.

 

[DanCali]

A better (perhaps poll) question is which to they regret more:

(i) Doing Aulani?, or
(ii) Not doing Newport Coast Villas (and selling the project/land to Marriott in the 1990s)?

Newport Coast (30 minutes from Disneyland) would probably have been a fantastic DVC resort...

https://yesterland.com/ncv.html

 

[The Jackal]

I disagree. If DVD really wanted it to sell out quickly they could make it happen with large incentives - they haven't done that.

They have done it in the past. They just do it for a short period. About two, or three years ago you could get 200 or 300 points for $130 pp. don’t forget if they always have a new resort being sold. So if 95% of sales went to AUL, their goals and expectations for the new resort would be in the tank.

 

[J-Dog]

They have done it in the past. They just do it for a short period. About two, or three years ago you could get 200 or 300 points for $130 pp. don’t forget if they always have a new resort being sold. So if 95% of sales went to AUL, their goals and expectations for the new resort would be in the tank.

Okay. Not sure that I agree with your logic here. So you're saying that they are embarrassed about not being able to sell AUL, but they are worried that it outselling another resort would be a problem for optics? So basically, they are embarrassed about AUL, but more embarrassed if they don't outsell it with another resort?

 

[DVC Doctor]

The proposed multi-billion-dollar Atlantis resort in Hawaii shows no signs of life after the company entrusted to build it went into liquidation last month, according to a filing on the Hong Kong exchange.

That company, Chinese developer Oceanwide, entered into an agreement in 2016 with Atlantis brand owner and operator Kerzner to build the Atlantis Ko Olina.

Oceanwide paid $280 million for the land on Oahu. But last year, it said it would sell the land to pay off debts. There are no takers yet.

 

[Cfabar1]

A better (perhaps poll) question is which to they regret more:

(i) Doing Aulani?, or
(ii) Not doing Newport Coast Villas (and selling the project/land to Marriott in the 1990s)?

Newport Coast (30 minutes from Disneyland) would probably have been a fantastic DVC resort...

https://yesterland.com/ncv.html

Of the two, doing AUL.... I don't think they regret selling Newport Coast Villas...

If they have one failed DVC (off property) they regret didn't get off the ground - my guess it is NYC... Would have added something new, plus Disney kind of owns Broadway and I could see families wanting to buy their half week or week in NYC to come back year after year... I think people would have bought it - and bought it to own it... And cash rates could have been through the roof.. Very similar to Aulani...

They may also regret the ski property, but I don't think they do that much - highly seasonal, quite isolated from the Disney footprint - I think there's a reason it had been tried so many times over the decades and never done....

Newport Coast Villas is too close to DL... Kind of made sense before VGC, but to me makes less sense now.... You want those people staying close enough to capture all the meal revenue, snacks, shopping, etc. I suspect the idea was a beach resort not too far from the resort like Vero Beach, and when sales for VB became what they were, it was decided to drop the property....

I'd be curious if they regret building HHI.... The original plan they wanted called for something like 68 more units - built on the ocean that never materialized... They also don't operate any TS or Bar. This may mean staffing costs are low, but I would imagine it also limits profit opportunities....

Newport Coast Villas, Hilton Head, and Vero Beach all offer a similar amount of cachet... People in the know are aware of them, but they don't have the same universal appeal, nor do they offer anything compelling enough to require families to come back "Year after year" to do the "same" vacation over and over again... I have read that when DVC launched, they were extremely nervous about the lack of exchange opportunities and thought it would hamper sales... That's why the other resorts happened... As time went on, it became apparent that members were buying DVC to experience WDW primarily, so selling those non WDW resorts became much more problematic, and members didn't care too much about being able to visit or not visit non DL/WDW locations...

 

[hhisc16]

Of the two, doing AUL.... I don't think they regret selling Newport Coast Villas...

If they have one failed DVC (off property) they regret didn't get off the ground - my guess it is NYC... Would have added something new, plus Disney kind of owns Broadway and I could see families wanting to buy their half week or week in NYC to come back year after year... I think people would have bought it - and bought it to own it... And cash rates could have been through the roof.. Very similar to Aulani...

They may also regret the ski property, but I don't think they do that much - highly seasonal, quite isolated from the Disney footprint - I think there's a reason it had been tried so many times over the decades and never done....

Newport Coast Villas is too close to DL... Kind of made sense before VGC, but to me makes less sense now.... You want those people staying close enough to capture all the meal revenue, snacks, shopping, etc. I suspect the idea was a beach resort not too far from the resort like Vero Beach, and when sales for VB became what they were, it was decided to drop the property....

I'd be curious if they regret building HHI.... The original plan they wanted called for something like 68 more units - built on the ocean that never materialized... They also don't operate any TS or Bar. This may mean staffing costs are low, but I would imagine it also limits profit opportunities....

Newport Coast Villas, Hilton Head, and Vero Beach all offer a similar amount of cachet... People in the know are aware of them, but they don't have the same universal appeal, nor do they offer anything compelling enough to require families to come back "Year after year" to do the "same" vacation over and over again... I have read that when DVC launched, they were extremely nervous about the lack of exchange opportunities and thought it would hamper sales... That's why the other resorts happened... As time went on, it became apparent that members were buying DVC to experience WDW primarily, so selling those non WDW resorts became much more problematic, and members didn't care too much about being able to visit or not visit non DL/WDW locations...

I do not think that Disney regrets building DHHIR.

I think Disney wished their original plan would have worked though.

Disney had some strong connections on HHI, but their original plan got scrapped by one neighborhood with stronger connections.
After they had to go with Plan B, it is now the second smallest DVC.
Disney and the town of HHI have agreements in place that still stand almost 30 years later.
The more I dig into the deeds of DHHIR, the more I see that the property may remain in the DVC world after 2042.

Since the resort is very small and maintains almost 100% occupancy year round since 2020, it is profitable.