DVC Press Release

[TW1]

Interesting news about SSR and DVC.

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Press Release Source: Disney Vacation Club
Opening Day Surprise: Disney Vacation Club Announces Expansion of Latest Ownership Resort
Thursday May 27, 2:59 pm ET

First Phase of New Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa Is Nearly Sold Out
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla., May 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, the latest Disney Vacation Club property, opened Thursday with resort membership sales so brisk that officials announced plans to expand the property by another 276 units.
The newest resort in the Walt Disney Company's highly rated vacation ownership program, Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa opened with its first phase already three-quarters sold out, said Walt Disney World Resort President Al Weiss.
"The guest response to Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa has been so overwhelming, we have decided to add a third phase of development to the resort," Weiss said.
The third phase of 276 units will be available in 2007 and will increase the resort room count to a total of 828 accommodations. The resort is opening with 184 units in its first phase and previously announced a second phase of 368 units in 2005.
"Guests increasingly want opportunities for ownership in our unique vacation experiences, and Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa is our latest entry in this exciting new market," Weiss said. "We bring together unparalleled guest service, outstanding attractions and accommodations second to none to create an experience that is perfect for every member of the family. Our member families have made a long-term commitment to Disney and their dedication is a testament to the enduring appeal of the Disney brand to all generations."
The seventh and largest of the growing collection of popular Disney ownership properties, Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa lies just across the lake from Downtown Disney and is near the four Walt Disney World theme parks.
"The tripling of DVC's membership to more than 81,000 member families in just over five years underscores the growing popularity of the company's vacation ownership program," said Jim Lewis, senior vice president and general manager of Disney Vacation Development, Inc. "By offering our most loyal and frequent guests a special way to enjoy our properties, we continue to generate demand for DVC and, in fact, we expect to completely sell out of the first phase by fall 2004."
All previous DVC properties are now sold out. Pre-opening membership sales for Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa began in August 2003, following the record-breaking 13-month sell-out of the Company's previous project, Disney's Beach Club Villas at Walt Disney World Resort.
From its colorful Victorian architecture to the influence of horse racing, Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa recaptures the heyday of upstate New York country retreats in the late 1800s. The resort features a full-service spa, a neighborhood eatery and market, and a spectacular rockwork theme pool.
Earlier this month, Disney Vacation Club opened its new sales headquarters located at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. This state-of-the-art facility doubles the Company's current guest tour capacity, which was needed to meet the growing demand for Disney vacation ownership.
The current collection of Disney Vacation Club Resorts includes five locations at Walt Disney World Resort (Disney's Old Key West Resort; Disney's BoardWalk Villas; The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge; Disney's Beach Club Villas and Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa), as well as Disney's first resorts beyond the theme park locations -- Disney's Vero Beach Resort located on Florida's Atlantic Coast and Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort in South Carolina.



Source: Disney Vacation Club

 

[pumpkinboy]

and that is even after they raised the per point price to $95.

 

[Pa@okw95]

Thanks for the report--81,000 members now!!

 

[Montana Disney Fan]

Great news article. Thanks!!

 

[kweaver]

I think the big plus SSR has going for it from a *sales* perspective is its location right across the lake from DTD. With the thousands of people who visit DTD every day, there had to be a lot of curosity during the construction process about what was being built....automatically leading folks to an introduction to DVC.

Now people see this beautiful, huge brand-spanking-new resort, and they are asking the same questions again...and wondering if they can stay there during their next trip. I'm not surprised it's selling so quickly.

I only hope DVC has big plans for the next resort. I will say that other than the drawings of the actual buildings at Eagle Pines (or whatever it might be called), I'm not to thrilled with the theme/location of that potential resort. I'd much rather see another DVC connected to an existing (monorail) resort. Can't wait to find out!

 

[FLYNZ4]

I only hope DVC has big plans for the next resort. I will say that other than the drawings of the actual buildings at Eagle Pines (or whatever it might be called), I'm not to thrilled with the theme/location of that potential resort. I'd much rather see another DVC connected to an existing (monorail) resort. Can't wait to find out!

There is a large parcel of land on Seven Seas Lagoon between Contemporary and TTC that was supposed to be a deluxe hotel. I know they had some sinkhole problems that kept the project from starting... but the location is nice if they could solve that problem.

Another good location would be on the site of the runway, which is right alongside the Epcot monorail mostly hidden by some trees. Since they do not seem to use the airport for anything... maybe that could be a location next to an existing monorail.

If you look at pics #3 and #4 in the following link... you can see the areas that I am discussing. There is also a lot of open land just south of VWL which is adjacent the the airport.

http://www.pappasfam.com/massachusetts.htm

/Jim

 

[kweaver]

Jim -

Thanks for the pictures. I think either of those locations would be excellent. If I'm looking at these pictures correctly, it's kind of amazing to me that DVC didn't make WLV bigger from the beginning.

 

[lsutigger2]

Jim: Thanks for the photos from the plane. They are cool. I love looking at those types of shots. It really puts things into prespective for you. And stuff that you think is far from each other, is actually close! Thanks.

Once leaving from Orlando on a commerical flight, we passed over the Magic Kingdom. That was pretty cool also.

Thanks again.

 

[FLYNZ4]

Thanks,

I doubt that I will be flying my plane to Orlando again any time soon. I was on a sabbatical from work last summer, and one of the things that we did was cirumnavigate the US. Our daughters flew into Orlando to meet us there for a 2 week trip to WDW.

On a future trip, I think I will rent a plane locally, and get some better shots. I looked at all of my pics, and I do not have any of the SSR construction... I wish I had those!

/Jim