Grand Californian Villas to be announced 9/18!

[todd222222]

If and when a 3rd park were to open I'd expect more DVC units to be built.

A little off topic,
Where could a new park be built? Does Disney already own land?

It looks very dense there:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=...117.91523&spn=0.033947,0.082569&t=h&z=14&om=1

Of course if you asked me during my last visit to DL (I think 95) I would have asked the same question and would have never thought of the parking lot.

 

["Got Disney"]

One thing that should be noted is that 2-5 days might be a normal stay at the resort. Maybe out of town visitors going Sunday-Thursday while more locals going Friday to Sunday. 3-4 full days at the DLR is a normal stay with the two parks.

This could effectively double the amount of rooms available each week, putting it in the same class as VWL.

Using myself as an example I'll be staying just offsite Friday, October 26th to Sunday, October 28th as I'm local, and have an AP. We are making it a mini-vacation combined with DCA Halloween party Friday night. We might have used points that weekend instead if the DVC's were available and priced around 26 points per night for a studio.

If and when a 3rd park were to open I'd expect more DVC units to be built.

Yes I agree with you. What's nice know is that I can call up and get a ressie for this weekend if I wanted using my pts. No 11 or 7 month needed for just a few days.

When I booked for our 7 day GCH/Concierge the morning of the 11 mo. mark for summer of 2008, we booked park view and could only get 6 days, the 7th we had to take garden view and change to another room

That is due to the Magic being here for the summer. She mentioned something about a black out day(on a Sat) and that seemed very strange to me being that the ship was in town and they new darn well that DVC members would want to use there pts there prior sailing.


But as you know only a certain amount of rooms are used for DVC since they are not DVC the can due as they want with there rooms.

I can not imagine them not increasing somehow someway mostly when the new ships come out because they are talking about leaving one of the ships here in Ca. So seems logical that they would be planning more of DVC to house the DVC members that come here to sail on DCL.

 

[disney-super-mom]

A little off topic,
Where could a new park be built? Does Disney already own land?

It looks very dense there:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=...117.91523&spn=0.033947,0.082569&t=h&z=14&om=1

Of course if you asked me during my last visit to DL (I think 95) I would have asked the same question and would have never thought of the parking lot.

Southeast of the DLR (kitty corner) you'll see a large parking lot and an open field area (bordered by Katella on the north and Harbor on the west). This land is owned by Disney and could possibly be the future site of a third gate at DLR.

 

["Got Disney"]

A little off topic,
Where could a new park be built? Does Disney already own land?

It looks very dense there:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=...117.91523&spn=0.033947,0.082569&t=h&z=14&om=1

Of course if you asked me during my last visit to DL (I think 95) I would have asked the same question and would have never thought of the parking lot.

They must have room because I remember reading an artical about 6 mo. back or so about Disney wanting to get permits to build a 3rd park but many were saying that before they do that that they need to add more to California Adventure.

also that they wanted to get land that was to be used for low income housing. So Anaheim was fighting them on it.

 

[Pluto 2]

[QUOTE="Got Disney";20870780]Yes I agree with you. What's nice know is that I can call up and get a ressie for this weekend if I wanted using my pts. No 11 or 7 month needed for just a few days.

When I booked for our 7 day GCH/Concierge the morning of the 11 mo. mark for summer of 2008, we booked park view and could only get 6 days, the 7th we had to take garden view and change to another room

That is due to the Magic being here for the summer. She mentioned something about a black out day(on a Sat) and that seemed very strange to me being that the ship was in town and they new darn well that DVC members would want to use there pts there prior sailing.


But as you know only a certain amount of rooms are used for DVC since they are not DVC the can due as they want with there rooms.

I can not imagine them not increasing somehow someway mostly when the new ships come out because they are talking about leaving one of the ships here in Ca. So seems logical that they would be planning more of DVC to house the DVC members that come here to sail on DCL.[/QUOTE]

a saturday black out date this sucks. im thinking about staying at dl before the repo cruise, using points.

 

[todd222222]

Southeast of the DLR (kitty corner) you'll see a large parking lot and an open field area (bordered by Katella on the north and Harbor on the west). This land is owned by Disney and could possibly be the future site of a third gate at DLR.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=....910488&spn=0.009129,0.023518&z=16&iwloc=addr

Cool, so how far south and east do they own? There seems to be apartments on the sound end as well.
do they own the land the hotels are on at the corner? What about the crops. Of course who knows how old these sat photos are.

Are those parking lots for DL? Depending on how much land they own I guess they could leave those.

 

[squidmo]

Any thoughts on which units will get the premium resort view locations? The 200 hotel rooms or the 50 GVC villas or a combination of both?

My guess is DVC will get entire floors, and will have a variety of views. By my calculation, DVC is ~43% of the addition (200 rooms + 50 2BR = 350 total "rooms"; and 150/350 = 43%). Since DVC studios are usually larger than std rooms (and a 2Br would usually be larger than 3 std rooms), so it may actually be 50% of the addition.

Now, the addition is rumored to have 6 floors of rooms by adding ground floor rooms (the current hotel does have 6 floors, but no ground-floor rooms). This would mean DVC needs somewhere between 2.6 and 3 floors worth of rooms. The very top floor of the hotel is currently the concierge level, so I don't know if we can hope for rooms there; I'm hoping for the three floors below that.

 

[Robo-Daddy 3000]

This is correct, and not suprising since the other 2 small DVC resorts (VWL and BCV) have no Grand Villas either.

I was hoping that there would be a GV so we could add-on and do a big vacation there every 3 years. We have family out West and it would make for a great vacation together, although, as I think about it, a 2BR and 1BR might work out just as well for us.

I want to add-on but I really need to see how much they are going to be selling the points for and what the points charts look like before I get too worked up about this. Will we see a points chart for GCV by the end of the year?

 

[kikiq]

I'm thinking that they won't be selling GCV that soon. I just received a postcard in the mail to add on points incentives to AKV and SSR.

It begins withthis statement:

"Because you live so close to the magic of the Disneyland Resort, we have a special offer just for you."

So why would I add on SSR/AKV if GCV was going to available jsut around the corner? Guess I'm just going to have to call my guide tomorrow, I would prefer to add on GCV even if I only live 30 minutes from DLR.

Also, I just watched a local news report on the DVC announcement. It was Jim Lewis that made the announcement. A quick pic of the room,craftsman type headboards, lighter feel than AKV, maybe similiar to the rest of the resort. I haven't stayed at GC yet, booked for my bday night, so can't say if it looked like the hotel rooms.

 

[wdw4life]

On another, somewhat related note.... Bob Iger just mentioned that they will build a "Cars Land" in California Adventure on the Goldman Sachs webcast. With the tremendous investment they are planning for this park, in a few years, these DVC units may overlook one of the best Disney parks anywhere!

For anyone who didn't see it, Al Lutz had an article last month on the proposed changes to DCA. http://www.miceage.com/allutz/al082807a.htm If it is anything like what was mentioned it is going to be a fabulous park. I'm one of the few people who actually like it now but it is going to be fantastic!

 

[wdw4life]

Not if the points per night are astronomical.

I don't think points will be any higher than BCV. If they make them to high no one will want to stay there.

 

[dwelty]

I'm thinking that they won't be selling GCV that soon. I just received a postcard in the mail to add on points incentives to AKV and SSR.

It begins withthis statement:

"Because you live so close to the magic of the Disneyland Resort, we have a special offer just for you."

So why would I add on SSR/AKV if GCV was going to available jsut around the corner? Guess I'm just going to have to call my guide tomorrow, I would prefer to add on GCV even if I only live 30 minutes from DLR.

I got this post card as well last week. My guess is that they were trying to stimulate sales before the announcement knowing full well that after the announcement California residents would prefer to wait for Grand Califonian Villas to go on sale. Why else would they just focus on residents near DLR?

 

["Got Disney"]

Do they usually post pts and price prior to sale so we have time to decide, or will they post all that the day that they go on sale?

If DVC were to do Hawaii or Cabo in Mexico as some seem to think they will down the line that I would not ming waiting at the 7th mo. Mark to get. But at DL will be hard to get in at the 7th mo, mark.

So what do you think the odds will be if we purchase pts at the GC on getting in when we want at the 11th mo. Time? seems that we will have to take bits and peaces of dates.

There are only 4 of us and so we would have no problem just getting a studio since we live so close and go so often no big deal for a 1 or 2 bedroom so there for our pts will go furthere and can purchase less.

Lukley Dh works out of the house and I am a SAHM but kids are in school and they will be the ones that we work our vacation around. Summer no brainer and can just pick up and go.

 

[dwelty]

I don't think points will be any higher than BCV. If they make them to high no one will want to stay there.

I agree, DVC wants consistency, and jacking up the points requirements for just this resort will turn off alot of people.

 

[Pennyguy23]

Southeast of the DLR (kitty corner) you'll see a large parking lot and an open field area (bordered by Katella on the north and Harbor on the west). This land is owned by Disney and could possibly be the future site of a third gate at DLR.

REALLY? I go visit friends there once a year and we always pass it. I just figured it was grandfathered to someone a long time ago and they had enough money for it to be fruit farm or something. Thanks for that tid bit.

 

[disney-super-mom]

REALLY? I go visit friends there once a year and we always pass it. I just figured it was grandfathered to someone a long time ago and they had enough money for it to be fruit farm or something. Thanks for that tid bit.

You're very welcome!

This land is right across Katella from the new Anaheim GardenWalk project, so 'IF' Disney ever does use this land for a third gate, it'll be very conveniently located for those staying at the hotels and timeshares of Gardenwalk.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

REALLY? I go visit friends there once a year and we always pass it. I just figured it was grandfathered to someone a long time ago and they had enough money for it to be fruit farm or something. Thanks for that tid bit.

During his lifetime, Anaheim farmer Hiroshi Fujishige refused to sell his farm to Disney or anyone else.

The Walt Disney Company acquired the 56-acre Fujishige strawberry farm in Anaheim right after Hiroshi Fujishige died in September 1998. When combined with a smaller adjacent Disney-owned parcel, also southeast of the corner of Katella and Harbor, there is a contiguous 80+ acre undeveloped site.

With some careful planning, 80 acres is enough for a major Disney theme park.

 

[dwelty]

REALLY? I go visit friends there once a year and we always pass it. I just figured it was grandfathered to someone a long time ago and they had enough money for it to be fruit farm or something. Thanks for that tid bit.

The reason it is still a fruit farm is that the city still can only tax it as Agricultural land. Disney has sub-leased that land to a farm family that sells locally. only 60 years ago, this whole area contained some of the best farm land in America. Now there is only this 80 acre parcel left in the whole city that is still being used that way.

Taxes are based on land value. This is also why it has not been declaired into the Resort District. Can you imagine what the true value of this land is???

 

[todd222222]

The reason it is still a fruit farm is that the city still can only tax it as Agricultural land. Disney has sub-leased that land to a farm family that sells locally. only 60 years ago, this whole area contained some of the best farm land in America. Now there is only this 80 acre parcel left in the whole city that is still being used that way.

Taxes are based on land value. This is also why it has not been declaired into the Resort District. Can you imagine what the true value of this land is???

Interesting, it seems that it would be taxed at the rate it was purchased at. Anyone know what they paid for it?

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

The reason it is still a fruit farm is that the city still can only tax it as Agricultural land. Disney has sub-leased that land to a farm family that sells locally. only 60 years ago, this whole area contained some of the best farm land in America. Now there is only this 80 acre parcel left in the whole city that is still being used that way.

Taxes are based on land value. This is also why it has not been declaired into the Resort District. Can you imagine what the true value of this land is???

dwelty is mistaken.

The 56-acre Fujishige strawberry farm parcel is within the boundaries of the Anaheim Resort District. The adjoining Disney property, which is also within the Anaheim Resort District is a parking lot.

See http://www.anaheimoc.org/pdf/ResortMap405.pdf for a map of the Anaheim Resort District.

Disney paid somewhere around $90 million for the land. In California, property taxes are based on the purchase price of property, with the tax rates and annual increases controlled since the passage of Proposition 13 in the 1978.

dwelty might be thinking of California's Williamson Act which provides property tax breaks for agricultural use. However, under the Williamson Act, a landowner must commit to restricting the use of land to agricultural and open space for at least 10 years. I have never read that Disney made such a commitment to tie up this land for ten years. In fact, earlier timetables from Disney suggested that a third park would be open or well underway by now.

Disney has not yet done anything with the Fujishige parcel because Disney's California Adventure was so poorly received by guests. Disney will not build a third park until they're able to turn the second park into something that makes the turnstiles spin.