Grand Floridian 2 info

[Paul Stupin]

Sorry I don’t think DVC will market it as “all studios with no sink”. And so I don’t think “all studios” is a reason to assume the price will be low. It will be marketed as what it is- the flagship resort, a walk away from Cinderella’s castle. And it will be marketed to people staying at the resort that just paid $900+/night . And I think pricing will reflect that market.

No matter how they market it, the reality, as you pointed out, is that the new building is indeed all studios and no sinks! And it’s clearly going to be marketed to the value oriented DVC buyer, or they wouldn’t have turned an entire building into one with exclusively studios. It’s also going to be marketed not just to GF guests, but to everyone staying on property.

The pricing will reflect a small premium over Riviera. At least that’s what I think. But am I an expert? No! We’ll all find out together in a few months!

 

[DVCPAT]

They’re not going to expand VGF and price it so high that it won’t sell, but will instead drive buyers to other cheaper DVC resorts. I’m pretty sure Big Pine Key is being remodeled because Disney actually wants to sell it. Personally, I think the strategy is pretty clear. Do it on the cheap and make a quick buck. And, as Sandisw has mentioned, the new 150 point minimum for new buyers will increase the price anyway.

I think Disney stopped selling it at $255 for the very reason that sales will open at a lower price. It’s the law of supply and demand. VGF is no longer a sold out resort, hundreds of thousands of new points will be available, and they’ll price them to move, but still higher than Riviera.

Yes, Disney will price VGF to sell. They’ll also offer a lower cost alternitive to membership at Riviera. When I purchase DVC, I have no clue how many points remain in sales inventory. The resort location and amenities dictate the selling price. If my family loves MK, it will be great to walk or take the monorail to the park. I also enjoy walking to the Poly in the evening for a dole whip. I’ll pay a premium so I can book my stay at 11 months. I could care less how many points are attached to the Resort.

 

[Marionnette]

No matter how they market it, the reality, as you pointed out, is that the new building is indeed all studios and no sinks! And it’s clearly going to be marketed to the value oriented DVC buyer, or they wouldn’t have turned an entire building into one with exclusively studios. It’s also going to be marketed not just to GF guests, but to everyone staying on property.

The pricing will reflect a small premium over Riviera. At least that’s what I think. But am I an expert? No! We’ll all find out together in a few months!

You keep repeating that these studios will have no sink, by which I assume that you mean no sink in a kitchenette. How do you know this for a fact?

 

[CarolMN]

You keep repeating that these studios will have no sink, by which I assume that you mean no sink in a kitchenette. How do you know this for a fact?

Short answer is that we don't. But it's a pretty good assumption based on the projected opening date of summer 2022. That doesn't seem like nearly enough time to replumb 200 rooms and complete the rest of the work to remodel the rooms for DVC.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Are there any dvc rooms without at least a sink?

 

[Marionnette]

Are there any dvc rooms without at least a sink?

RIV Tower Studios do not have a true kitchenette and the only sink is in the bathroom.

 

[RebelScum]

When we stay in studios, the kitchenette sink gets very little use. So, it may not be a deal killer for some. For me, price will be the determinate, not whether it has an extra sink.

 

[DVCPAT]

Short answer is that we don't. But it's a pretty good assumption based on the projected opening date of summer 2022. That doesn't seem like nearly enough time to replumb 200 rooms and complete the rest of the work to remodel the rooms for DVC.

Maybe, maybe not. If they locate a sink on the opposing wall of the neighbor bathroom, the drain and water supply is easily accessible. It’s a very easy retrofit with today’s plumbing hardware.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

I wouldn’t want to stay in a studio without a sink in the “kitchen,” especially with kids.

 

[CarolMN]

Maybe, maybe not. If they locate a sink on the opposing wall of the neighbor bathroom, the drain and water supply is easily accessible. It’s a very easy retrofit with today’s plumbing hardware.

I haven't ever stayed in a GF hotel room, so that could certainly be possible. However, many of the hotels I am familiar with are set up to mirror the adjacent room. So the bathrooms are on the same wall. Even so, there may be an easy way to place a kitchenette to take advantage of the existing infrastructure. I am a long way from expert in anything related to design & construction.

I really hope the new studios are like the existing VGF studios, just bigger & with the new Murphy bed instead of the sleep sofa. But I think that since DVD is calling them "resort" studios instead of just studios, that will not be the case.

 

[DVCPAT]

I haven't ever stayed in a GF hotel room, so that could certainly be possible. However, many of the hotels I am familiar with are set up to mirror the adjacent room. So the bathrooms are on the same wall. Even so, there may be an easy way to place a kitchenette to take advantage of the existing infrastructure. I am a long way from expert in anything related to design & construction.

I really hope the new studios are like the existing VGF studios, just bigger & with the new Murphy bed instead of the sleep sofa. But I think that since DVD is calling them "resort" studios instead of just studios, that will not be the case.

Looking at the GF room layout, the adjoining room bathroom is positioned perfectly to locate a kitchenette sink on the wall. Without seeing the prints, I’m guessing but adding a sink is very easy. We use the sink to rinse coffee mugs so it’s not a big deal to us. I can take 3 steps and use 1 of 2 bathroom sinks. I understand if it’s important to others.
We really like VGF1 layout so I hope VGF2 improves on the existing layout.

 

[Sandisw]

Sorry I don’t think DVC will market it as “all studios with no sink”. And so I don’t think “all studios” is a reason to assume the price will be low. It will be marketed as what it is- the flagship resort, a walk away from Cinderella’s castle. And it will be marketed to people staying at the resort that just paid $900+/night . And I think pricing will reflect that market.

Except, the resort is going to be mostly studios now. Just like PVB. The 1 and 2 bedrooms will be a small part of the resort.

All those new points will be attached to studios so it’s going to be a reality that they are selling a studio heavy resort.

Now, you may have a captive audience with the GF guests but millions of points is a lot to sell. And the current sales data does seem that price is playing a role in what people are choosing.

Of course, we don’t know the sales strategy either so they may not care how long it takes to sell this and will price high.

 

[Sandisw]

You keep repeating that these studios will have no sink, by which I assume that you mean no sink in a kitchenette. How do you know this for a fact?

Several have reported being told that by the guides at the resort as well. It is not official though and rumored as not being part of the renovation.

 

[Nabas]

Disney already has cancelled Reflections because of the pandemic. With the recent surge due to the Delta variant having an impact on attendance (and preventing International Guests from traveling to WDW), does it make sense for Disney to hit the pause button on VGF2 until attendance returns to normal?

What's happening to Riviera sales appears to be unique, but so is the pandemic. In prior years, active (or recently "sold out") resorts made up more than 80% of WDW DVC sales. (I'm excluding Aulani since my data for this is incomplete.)



Since WDW reopened in July 2020, "sold out" resorts have made up a disproportionate number of DVC direct sales. I agree with @gkrykewy's theory that the mix of current WDW visitors is having some effect. (Because of COVID, a lot of visitors are already DVC members resulting in more add-on sales.)

Still, price seems to be another significant factor. OKW and SSR have combined for over 30,000 points sold for the last 3 months, and these happen to be the 2 least expensive WDW DVC resorts. These 2 DVC resorts haven't seen these sort of sales numbers since the last time they were being actively marketed.

CCV has seen average sales of 13,000 per month since reopening, and that's priced at $225 per point. Not up to recent SSR and OKW sales but maybe what's happening at RIV is not just about price? To @gkrykewy's point, are these add-on sales?

What does all this suggest for VGF2 prices? Does it make sense for DVD to put the brakes on VGF2 until the market returns to normal?

 

[Greyhound22]

So, my biggest question is not sinks or price.... It's when will Disney start selling? I desperately need to add-on points and don't want to miss out on 2021 points if I add going the Direct route. It's virtually impossible to find a small contract resale with April UY.

I'll need to make a decision before the end of the year. (FYI - I'm April use year and wouldn't get 2020 points regardless.)

Will Disney begin selling GF2 before the end of 2021??? HELP!

 

[Nabas]

So, my biggest question is not sinks or price.... It's when will Disney start selling? I desperately need to add-on points and don't want to miss out on 2021 points if I add going the Direct route. It's virtually impossible to find a small contract resale with April UY.

I'll need to make a decision before the end of the year. (FYI - I'm April use year and wouldn't get 2020 points regardless.)

Will Disney begin selling GF2 before the end of 2021??? HELP!

I think if Disney starts sales before April 2022, you might be able add-on and get April 2021 points.

 

[Marionnette]

So, my biggest question is not sinks or price.... It's when will Disney start selling? I desperately need to add-on points and don't want to miss out on 2021 points if I add going the Direct route. It's virtually impossible to find a small contract resale with April UY.

I'll need to make a decision before the end of the year. (FYI - I'm April use year and wouldn't get 2020 points regardless.)

Will Disney begin selling GF2 before the end of 2021??? HELP!

Will DVC start selling VGF2 before the end of 2021? Probably not. But even if they did, you would not be likely to get April 2021 points.

 

[DVCPAT]

Disney already has cancelled Reflections because of the pandemic. With the recent surge due to the Delta variant having an impact on attendance (and preventing International Guests from traveling to WDW), does it make sense for Disney to hit the pause button on VGF2 until attendance returns to normal?

What's happening to Riviera sales appears to be unique, but so is the pandemic. In prior years, active (or recently "sold out") resorts made up more than 80% of WDW DVC sales. (I'm excluding Aulani since my data for this is incomplete.)

View attachment 604194

Since WDW reopened in July 2020, "sold out" resorts have made up a disproportionate number of DVC direct sales. I agree with @gkrykewy's theory that the mix of current WDW visitors is having some effect. (Because of COVID, a lot of visitors are already DVC members resulting in more add-on sales.)

Still, price seems to be another significant factor. OKW and SSR have combined for over 30,000 points sold for the last 3 months, and these happen to be the 2 least expensive WDW DVC resorts. These 2 DVC resorts haven't seen these sort of sales numbers since the last time they were being actively marketed.

CCV has seen average sales of 13,000 per month since reopening, and that's priced at $225 per point. Not up to recent SSR and OKW sales but maybe what's happening at RIV is not just about price? To @gkrykewy's point, are these add-on sales?

What does all this suggest for VGF2 prices? Does it make sense for DVD to put the brakes on VGF2 until the market returns to normal?

I think Riviera has an 800lb gorilla in each room being resale restrictions. When I purchased DVC years ago, I had no idea resale or sold out inventory points were available. Resale restrictions have caused a buzz among DVC customers. The pandemic swung the economic pendulum in both directions. Some people (tech stocks) made a fortune while some lost everything. I wouldn’t discount demand for VGF2.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I wouldn’t want to stay in a studio without a sink in the “kitchen,” especially with kids.

Also, making coffee without a kitchenette sink would require one to go into the bathroom for water. I think. That would make me uncomfortable. Or (I hope) I'm missing something. At BCV, at least the vanity sink isn't in with the toilet. I hope that's what they'd do.

 

[PinkPixel]

Are there any dvc rooms without at least a sink?

What are they in Poly? They look tiny