Is an AKL DVC just wishful thinking?

[mooses41]

I was just wondering if anybody thinks that after beach club dvc will build at akl. Is there enough open land there? To me it seems like a logical choice because they already have 2 epcot area resorts, i dont think theres alot of open land at the poly, contemp, or gf, and it would defidently be different.The only other options, imho, are to build another outside wdw resort(not likely) or build another stand alone resort like okw. I don't know how much of a chance there is for that. Another reason they might build at akl is because they'll probably charge more points per night, and the uniqueness of the resort will probably make up for the location (though they should raise the buy-in price instead of points per night, but vero is perventing that) What do you think?

 

[Werner Weiss]

Interesting question...

I just took another look at the DIS information page about Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. The 1307-room resort complex has been designed with its own African savannah -- 90% of the rooms will have a view of that savannah. The resort is 74 acres, of which 33 are animal pastures. It appears a great deal of care has gone into integrating the lodging areas, lobby area, landscaping, and animal habitats so that "the resort will resemble a small African lodge, built on a watering hole, near an extinct volcano."

The big question would be how to add a DVC building without destroying the design and balance of what's already there. Most likely, the Lodge has already been designed so that as many rooms as possible have a view of the savannah.

One possibility would be to add a DVC wing without any views of the savannah -- just as the Villas at Wilderness Lodge DVC resort doesn't offer views of Bay Lake. Even such a DVC wing could hurt the resort's design balance, unless the the architects already included a future DVC wing in the plan.

Is a DVC resort at AKL a possibility? Sure. Is it next after BCV? The people who know that answer aren't talking.

I still choose to believe the rumor that the next DVC location is a massive standalone resort at one of the golf courses north of Dixie Landings (Eagle Pines, Bonnet Creek, or Osprey Ridge). But I really don't have anything to back up this opinion aside from the feeling that Disney is ready to try another DVC resort in the tradition of OKW.

Any other speculation or opinions?

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Werner Weiss, Curator of Yesterland, featuring discontinued Disneyland attractions

 

[Dean]

I'm of the opinion that BC will be it for the current DVC. If I'm wrong, a smaller add on at a current resort like AKL would make more sense that an OKW type, very large resort. With DVC ending in 2042 and some possible indications that DVC is unwilling to extend beyond that, thy are rapidly approaching the time when the years remaining on the Right To Use will start to impinge on sales. I say any resort will need to be sold out before 30 years is reached to keep remaining time from having a major impact on sales. A large 500-700 unit stand alone resort announced in 2001 or 2002 and ready for sales in 2003-4 would push that window. A smaller 140-200 unit add on at an existing resort seem to be doable but it remains to be seen if DVD is interested. The one ray of hope that I have is that BW ended up selling much quicker than expected and WL is apparently doing the same, maybe this will convince them to proceed with AKL or something similar.

Of course there's no guarantee that any new resort will end in 2042 or even be included in the current "club" structure. I can see no unsolvable problem with having resorts in the club that end at a date later than 2042 however.

Dean

 

[Werner Weiss]

I understand the point that Dean is making about the current 2042 expiration date of the current DVC resorts.

It's my opinion that Disney will stay in the timeshare resort business as long as it's a profitable business for Disney. Future resorts could be part of the existing DVC (although Dean makes good points) or they could be under a new umbrella with a new expiration date and a new name (such as "Magic Vacation Club" or "DVC2"). But I think there will be future Disney timeshare resorts.

Future resorts could once again use a point system, or they could use a simpler system such most other timeshare developers use ("floating weeks" within seasons).

I predict there will be an easy way to exchange between the current DVC and any future Disney timeshare program.

On-site WDW timeshare resorts are very good business for Disney. They already own the land. If you add up the points for a given condo for a full year, you'll find that the condos are selling for a healthy multiple of the construction costs, even taking marketing and sales costs into account. Disney collects a management fee (makes a guaranteed profit) as part of the annual maintenance fee. And such resorts bring guests back year after year to spend money at WDW.

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Werner Weiss, Curator of Yesterland, featuring discontinued Disneyland attractions