Fact or Fiction: Resorts and DVC being sold off

[Maistre Gracey]

I'm not an expert, but I don't believe there is any money to be made by selling a sold out timeshare. DVC does collect a management fee, but I doubt Marriott would be enticed by that assuming Disney would still want a slice of that.
The new sales are a different story..

MG

 

[OrlandoMike]

Easy fix!

Next time you hear a bus driver going on about such things....just reply with....

"Really? From what I hear, transportation, specifically busses, is the next thing to be outsourced!"

That will give them something to talk about over lunch!

 

[Uncleromulus]

And you might add that you heard it from a car parking attendant, who are themselves now outsourced and thus in a splendid position to know who might be next..

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Why is it everyone else who speaks with Disney bus drivers gets juicy albeit absurd stories about DVC sales and monorails through the Swan and Dolphin, and when I last spoke with a bus driver I got a sob story about how Disney doesn't give them medical benefits?

Can't I get some gossip fresh off the vine?

I read this and LOL'd!!!!!!!
I'm thinking I need to spend more time talking with bus drivers on our next trip. LOL Sounds like fun!

 

[Swazie]

I, too, have stayed at the Portofino Bay and the Hard Rock at Universal. Both stays were expensive and both stays were nightmares. At Hard Rock they had given away our room and "upgraded" us to concierge for a night and then we had to move, again. We had five in a room (with sofa) but the room they "upgraded" us to was a rollaway. I will never stay concierge level again at the Hard Rock. It was awful. That being said, the problem with both hotels were the people working there. Unfriendly, rude and uncaring. Our rooms, while very nice when originally built, were poorly maintained. We had connecting rooms at the Portofino, and the difference from one to the other was significant. Absolutely no continuity and spotty maintenance.

We stayed at these hotels specifically for the front of the line privileges and only do it about every three years. I am constantly amazed at the difference in attitude, CLEANLINESS and presence of staff to accommodate our needs. My 27 year old licensed pharmacist daughter was actually in tears from words spoken to her by a CM on a children's ride. She was exiting the ride when she realized she forgot her sunglasses in the netting on the car. She told the CM her glasses were right there and could she please get them for her. The CM told her to move along or she would call security. My daughter pointed out that the car was only one person ahead and could someone please hand her her sunglasses. She told her she would have to wait four hours and check with lost and found. The glasses were within REACH of another CM but they said no. These were prescription glasses, expensive and never seen again.

That was four years ago and while we travel to Disney at least twice a year (last year it was four times), our desire to stay at a Universal property is very low. The kids will want to see the Harry Potter world when it it opens, so I suppose we will try it one more time. They kids really love the Marvel section of the park, and while I assume the rides will remain the same with new themes of some kind, the aquisition of Marvel comics by Disney was a coup in our opinion. If Disney can use the Marvel products to equal or surpass what Universal did with them, we will never feel a need to return Universal again.

We are DVC members and I shutter at the idea of Disney not running the hotels. If I wanted Marriott, I would have bought Marriottt. We would re-evalute and probably sell our shares.

 

[johnGorski]

Funny thing a few years back a bus driver told us that MGM/Mirage was going to buy the Dolphin and the Swan by MGM studios and turn that into a MGM grand. Look how far that went. Holiday INN is owned the ICH group and most of these properties are owned by separate owners, right there his accountablity to his answer is out the door. These hotels could be integrated into there booking system and that is it. Same with Marriot.

 

[LisaS]

Remember Digital? If you don't, it's because its now twice removed from existence. They sold off profitable divisions (storage to Quantum, Alpha to Intel), leaving them with nothing to give them income. They ended up getting acquired by Compaq, who then got acquired by HP.

 

[BathelB]

I really doubt that DVC is being sold, especially given they are starting an entire new project w/ Hawaii. Given the cost of that, would imagine they would have made the sale before this capital outlay.

 

[Jason@dvcstore]

OK, I cant find anything about this online and it sounded far fetched to me, but maybe someone else here will now if it is a rumor or truth.

On a WDW bus this morning (OKW to DHS) the driver told us that Disney is selling The Contempoarary, Poly and Grand Floridian to Marriot. And Port Orleans and Carribbean Beach to Holiday Inn; And that DVC is merging with Marriots time share.

I scanned the first page the the DVC and Resorts thread but didnt see anything.

My vote is fiction. Rumors I hear is that DVC will be building another "Bay Lake Tower" on the other side of the Contemporary and added a DVC resort to the Grand Floridian.

I guess only time will tell what is fact and what is fiction.

 

[cmash95]

this is why they now have recorded spiels on busses. The drivers love to spread rumors. Frankly as much as I love their friendliness and helpfulness. the only thing i trust coming out of their mouths is the closing times of the parks on that day and where to catch the bus back to the resorts anything else is just speculation. oh and there have been talks with mears over the years about them taking over the busses, but from what I have heard nothing has come from it. I think it isn't cost effective for mears.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

As for getting rumors from bus drivers...consider the source.

However, why would Disney get rid of DVC or the resorts?

1) Disney lost the ability to bundle DVC mortgages and is now having to carry its own paper. [That really changes the equation for DVC for them.]

2) Disney has to do a lot to keep people coming to Walt Disney World even when the economy is in the dumpster. There is A LOT of overhead in maintaining 20+ resorts. High overhead makes your profitability much more volatile.

3) DVC has been most successful in developing on-property. That market is becoming saturated. The days of being a cash cow is numbered.

4) Publicly traded corporations MUST play the numbers game, and managers would sell their mothers for more profits or market share. Of course Disney would never do that. That would be like totally revamping fantasyland to milk the Disney Princess franchise. Oh Wait! Nevermind.

 

[TDSAXX]

The question may not be why would Disney get rid of DVC as much as why would Marriott or anyone else buy DVC?

 

[Geubux]

We were there in June and I was talking to one of the engineering managers (my degree was engineering and I had inquired about an interview).

He casually mentioned three big things that were to occur, but I didn't think anything about them until this weekend.

He said:
1) The skyway terminal in tomorrowland was coming down.
2) There was to be an expansion in Fantasyland
(Hence they needed engineers)
and
3) Disney was outsourcing/selling the DVC properties.

Of course, I thought he was bragging or feeding me a line at the time, but now....

 

[doconeill]

We were there in June and I was talking to one of the engineering managers (my degree was engineering and I had inquired about an interview).

He casually mentioned three big things that were to occur, but I didn't think anything about them until this weekend.

He said:
1) The skyway terminal in tomorrowland was coming down.
2) There was to be an expansion in Fantasyland
(Hence they needed engineers)
and
3) Disney was outsourcing/selling the DVC properties.

Of course, I thought he was bragging or feeding me a line at the time, but now....

The first two are in fact engineering projects...the third is not.

Just sayin'.

 

[Geubux]

And we were just talkin'

I'm just sayin'

Sorry I didn't take rumor notes during a "business" interview.

And these weren't the projects I was interviewing for anyway.

So sorry I bothered to bring up what I was told and "offend" you or question your right to interrogate me.

I had asked him about the possibility of longetivity of a welding engineer, me, working with Disney and these were a few of the subjects that came up as examples of ongoing and future growth within the company.

Also sorry I was talking with a senior VP as I was not interviewing for a junior level engineer.

 

[doconeill]

And we were just talkin'

I'm just sayin'

Sorry I didn't take rumor notes during a "business" interview.

And these weren't the projects I was interviewing for anyway.

So sorry I bothered to bring up what I was told and "offend" you or question your right to interrogate me.

I had asked him about the possibility of longetivity of a welding engineer, me, working with Disney and these were a few of the subjects that came up as examples of ongoing and future growth within the company.

Also sorry I was talking with a senior VP as I was not interviewing for a junior level engineer.

You are taking my response FAR too seriously.

I'm just referring to the fact that a VP of engineering would certainly know about engineering projects on the books - but is less likely to know for certain about business plans for a completely different division...

What that MIGHT say is that there are no current new DVC construction plans on the horizon...

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Even if he did know, which I doubt, he certainly wouldn't be at liberty to spill the beans.

I'm just sayin'

MG

 

[alamode]

I for one hope that this is not the case. I try not to associate with companies who are knowingly promoting inequalities, as the owners of the Mariott's do.

 

[spiceycat]

after tearing down part of one of their cash cows (CR) to put up BL - you are saying they are going to sale DVC to Marriott.


very strange.

why? DVC sales are still going pretty strong - in a bad economy. that says a lot.

can't believe with DME, DDP, WDW transportation - all of this would also go away with Marriott.

so having a hard time understanding this rumor now.

think your contact allows for a new management company to use THEIR rules - so home resort OKW want to stay at BCV - that will cost you some money with Marriott.

you pay for everything with Marriott. Nothing seems to be free with them.

 

[majortom1981]

Since us dvc members own a little part dont we need to vote to have marriot buy the resorts?