DVC National Harbor MD?

[Brian Noble]

I don't think the Wyndham at National Harbor is doing very well.

Depends on what you mean by "doing well". Remember that in Wyndham, home resort is a lot less important than it is in DVC. And, last I heard, *sales* at National Harbor are doing quite well. It was 40% sold before it even opened.
http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/06/29/story5.html

And availability might be more a function of its size; at 250 units, it's about 3x the size of Alexandria.

 

[shalom]

And availability might be more a function of its size; at 250 units, it's about 3x the size of Alexandria.

Our system got two new resorts this past year or so; the smaller one has no positive reviews I've heard of yet is a bear to book, while the larger one gets rave reviews and still has availability this weekend, as well as pretty much anytime this summer except July 4th weekend. That seems to be standard; a few people rush to try out new resorts but the rest are either more "wait and see", committed to plans they made before the resorts were brought in - or just plain oblivious. "Really? We've had a resort there for three years? Huh."

 

[Sammie]

I have family that have stayed at the Wyndham and Gaylord to visit relatives in DC and they really like that area.

I figure it is about like the Hawaii location, some will like, some won't.

 

[Greysword]

I guess the big question is, "how many points would you buy at a DVC National Harbor resort at $140 per point (before discount)"?

As for the cemetery idea, if DVC sold cemetery plots at WDW, I'd buy one

 

[Halle]

National Harbor is only a 15 minute cab ride from one of the metro stops and Reagan airport so it really isn't that far from the rest of DC. They are planning on having water taxis run to and from DC.

There are many hotels already there. The sign there announcing Disney is coming simply says Disney and nothing else.

Also, they are putting in an outlet mall soon.

DS lives in Arlington and it took us 50 minutes to get to the National Harbor on a Saturday in March.

 

[Doug7856]

DS lives in Arlington and it took us 50 minutes to get to the National Harbor on a Saturday in March.

Hopefully once the construction in Alexandria is completed, this won't be a problem.

 

[csharpwv]

I've made the drive from the west end of DC - around the Mall - to the National Harbor in around 25-35 minutes. That was with ZERO traffic though.

I would imagine the water taxi would be 20-30 minutes - then a cab to the King Street metro would be 20 minutes - and then 20 minutes into DC on the Metro - so I can see how it would easily add up to an hour on public transit.

But the location is great - it's out of the chaos of the city - a huge step toward serenity - it could be a great relaxing get away!

 

[Sammie]

It may be only a 15 minute cab ride to the nearest Metro station (through a not-quite-elegant area, I might add), but I think it's a lot farther trip than that to the airport. If you talking about Metro-ing to the airport, it's probably more than an hour trip including the cab ride. Even just into DC, it's another 15-20 minute ride (or more) once you actually board a train.

Its 8 miles to Regan from National Harbor, from the Gaylord.

 

[Garthilk]

Also, they are putting in an outlet mall soon.

Nothing says Disney like an outlet mall right outside to help the branding.

 

[JimMIA]

I've made the drive from the west end of DC - around the Mall - to the National Harbor in around 25-35 minutes. That was with ZERO traffic though.

I would imagine the water taxi would be 20-30 minutes - then a cab to the King Street metro would be 20 minutes - and then 20 minutes into DC on the Metro - so I can see how it would easily add up to an hour on public transit.

But the location is great - it's out of the chaos of the city - a huge step toward serenity - it could be a great relaxing get away!

If you were going to take the Metro from NH, you wouldn't go to Alexandria. There's a station in Maryland that's 15 minutes or so by cab from NH, but then you've still got the wait for the train and a substantial train ride.

 

[JimMIA]

Its 8 miles to Regan from National Harbor, from the Gaylord.

You're right -- I forgot there was a bridge there. So 20 minutes to 4 hours depending on traffic!

 

[Doug7856]

Now that Gaylord has the Dreamworks characters and the National Children's Museum will have the Sesame Street characters, it would be great to have the Disney Characters at National Harbor! For a three night stay, you could see most of the characters in the universe. Disney may even add the Marvel characters. Imagine a Marvel themed water park. For good fun, maybe the Nationals could trot out the Presidents.

 

[Doug7856]

You're right -- I forgot there was a bridge there. So 20 minutes to 4 hours depending on traffic!

I've been in very bad traffic on 495, but it's never been so bad that it would take 4 hours to get from National Harbor to Reagan!

It can take 30 to 40 minutes to get from AKL to MK, not much different than getting to the Mall/Smithsonian Museums from National Harbor. Throw in some Adventures by Disney tours and you will have an awesome history experience in the Philadelphia/Baltimore/Washington DC/Williamsburg area.

 

[JimMIA]

I've been in very bad traffic on 495, but it's never been so bad that it would take 4 hours to get from National Harbor to Reagan!

I know...just poking a little fun. I have known it to take more than 4 hours for folks to get home from DC when it snows, however. Seems like every time it snows is the first time!

Throw in some Adventures by Disney tours and you will have an awesome history experience in the Philadelphia/Baltimore/Washington DC/Williamsburg area.

Or...save a ton of money and hit National Park Service interpretive programs, tour the Smithsonian museums, Capitol, White House, National Archives, Arlington, etc. So much to see, so much history!

In many ways, it's a mistake to focus just on DC, but you can easily spend a week just in the museums, so you have to compartmentalize somehow.

 

[Doug7856]

I know...just poking a little fun. I have known it to take more than 4 hours for folks to get home from DC when it snows, however. Seems like every time it snows is the first time!

Did someone say "snow"? I may have to get some milk, bread and TP.

 

[HebeJebe]

If you were going to take the Metro from NH, you wouldn't go to Alexandria. There's a station in Maryland that's 15 minutes or so by cab from NH, but then you've still got the wait for the train and a substantial train ride.

The Metro system is odd and it would be faster to take the taxi to the King Street Station in VA then take 2 metro stops to Reagan airport or stops in DC.