Lakeshore Lodge (or any other future resort)....a random thought??

[Sandisw]

Based on everything I’m seeing, the association is responsible for their portion of a hypothetical lounge. The money would have to come from somewhere and it’s ultimately the maintenance fees, and the points in my previous post would still be applicable.

If the lounge is declared to the association, like in the case of AKV, then they are responsible for all its costs, not just some.

In the AKV case, the hotel side currently pays becwuse they sell access to it for some of their rooms.

So, yes, if they want to add a CL lounge to a new DVC resort, and that resort is not a shared resort with cash rooms using it, owners at that resort would be on the hook for it all.

My guess is that the costs to run it without having the hotel division would be too high and not worth it…

 

[Patmcpsu]

If the lounge is declared to the association, like in the case of AKV, then they are responsible for all its costs, not just some.

In the AKV case, the hotel side currently pays becwuse they sell access to it for some of their rooms.

So, yes, if they want to add a CL lounge to a new DVC resort, and that resort is not a shared resort with cash rooms using it, owners at that resort would be on the hook for it all.

My guess is that the costs to run it without having the hotel division would be too high and not worth it…

That’s not how I interpret the screenshot that you shared. The key word they use in the language is “equitable share” which I take to
mean as “proportional”. For example, if DVC has 30% of the CL rooms and the hotel has 70%, the annual dues are responsible for funding 30% of the lounge’s operation.

I’m not a lawyer, I don’t know the exact numbers, and I’m not trying to parse words, but my understanding is a vastly different scenario than what is being described.

 

[Chili327]

That’s not how I interpret the screenshot that you shared. The key word they use in the language is “equitable share” which I take to
mean as “proportional”. For example, if DVC has 30% of the CL rooms and the hotel has 70%, the annual dues are responsible for funding 30% of the lounge’s operation.

I’m not a lawyer, I don’t know the exact numbers, and I’m not trying to parse words, but my understanding is a vastly different scenario than what is being described.

Can't you just pay to get CL access in some hotels? (regardless of what room you're in)

 

[Sandisw]

That’s not how I interpret the screenshot that you shared. The key word they use in the language is “equitable share” which I take to
mean as “proportional”. For example, if DVC has 30% of the CL rooms and the hotel has 70%, the annual dues are responsible for funding 30% of the lounge’s operation.

I’m not a lawyer, I don’t know the exact numbers, and I’m not trying to parse words, but my understanding is a vastly different scenario than what is being described.

Except the CL lounge belongs solely to the AKV association as it was declared as a limited common element.

So, it’s operation is ultimately the responsibility of DVC….which is included in the clause.

However, the hotel division wanted to continue to offer the services to their guests,…it existed before DVC did,,, that stipulation was added to the declaration that if they did, they would have to pay for that and as you say, it’s equitable share to help offset the dues charged to owners…

What we don’t know is how DVC and the hotel determine what the hotel pays as its “equitable share.

If the hotel side decides it no longer wants to offer it, then all expenses become solely the responsibility of DVC …which is why if that happens, the contract gives DVC the authority to shut it down and redistribute the extra points

IMO, that is exactly what would happen if the hotel got rid of CL for its cash guests.

Remember , AKV only has CL because the lounge was on the same floor as those 6th floor rooms, and there was no way to make them DVC and prevent guests staying in those rooms from using the lounge.

It is why I said that if there was no hotel side to help pay for CL, then it’s all DVC….and why I believe is the reason we haven’t seen it since.

Had the CL lounge been located on the 4th floor of AKV, it wouldn’t be part of DVC at all.

The current deluxe resorts all have their own CL lounge and therefore would have no need to use a DVC one…

 

[Sandisw]

Can't you just pay to get CL access in some hotels? (regardless of what room you're in)

Not for WDW…guests either have to book a CL room or not. They can not pay to add those services.

 

[CarolynFH]

Not for WDW…guests either have to book a CL room or not. They can not pay to add those services.

I think that pre-Covid I read on the Disney (not D.V.C.) Resorts forum that at WL it was sometimes possible to pay for CL access when not booked into a CL room. It was something guests had to ask for at time of checkin and wasn’t always available.

 

[Sandisw]

I think that pre-Covid I read on the Disney (not D.V.C.) Resorts forum that at WL it was sometimes possible to pay for CL access when not booked into a CL room. It was something guests had to ask for at time of checkin and wasn’t always available.

That I do not know but I can say that if guests want CL now, the room must be avialable to book.

 

[Cfabar1]

DVC is meant to be a limited service offering.

Club level or concierge are meant to be the fullest of full service offering. Typically access to a lounge is only one part of that experience.

That’s the fundamental tension DVC has had. I do not think we are likely to see the product added beyond AK. They’ve had a long time to add more if they wanted.

 

[Patmcpsu]

DVC is meant to be a limited service offering.

Club level or concierge are meant to be the fullest of full service offering. Typically access to a lounge is only one part of that experience.

That’s the fundamental tension DVC has had. I do not think we are likely to see the product added beyond AK. They’ve had a long time to add more if they wanted.

I agree with this entirely; adding a club lounge is a departure from the DVC business model which creates complications of other owners swooping-in and eating food that they didn’t pay for.

But that being said, I understand why people are brainstorming some unique perk for LL. Without it, LL doesn’t stand out thematically, it’s in an awkward location, it will have resale restrictions, and The Cabins boondoggle seems like a bad omen.

LL needs SOMETHING to make it competitive with a Copper Creek resale contract or a Poly direct contract. Otherwise, this feels like building-a-resort for the sake of building-a-resort.

 

[Cfabar1]

I agree with this entirely; adding a club lounge is a departure from the DVC business model which creates complications of other owners swooping-in and eating food that they didn’t pay for.

But that being said, I understand why people are brainstorming some unique perk for LL. Without it, LL doesn’t stand out thematically, it’s in an awkward location, it will have resale restrictions, and The Cabins boondoggle seems like a bad omen.

LL needs SOMETHING to make it competitive with a Copper Creek resale contract or a Poly direct contract. Otherwise, this feels like building-a-resort for the sake of building-a-resort.

I agree with you. If they want a high points chart I think they need to create something that compares favorably with a true resort property you would see off property. Something that makes you say “wow. I need to be here!” And that stands out.

Though personally I am hoping they go for a more middle of the road points chart and through some bungalows in if they feel they need more high end inventory.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Can't you just pay to get CL access in some hotels? (regardless of what room you're in)

Just wanted to chime in on this. The only hotel that you can pay to access the CL lounge is Wilderness Lodge. This was implemented after the CC conversion as the remaining hotel CL room count was a fraction of what it was pre-CC and quite small relative to other resort CLs. You add it when you check in (can’t be done in advance). The price has had a few increases over the years, but I think the latest report I saw was $150 per day for the length of stay.

Disney doesn’t advertise this and it’s not in writing anywhere, just something that gets posted about on message boards and such. Several DISers on the resorts board do this frequently as they don’t like the top floor recessed dormer balconies of the CL rooms but still want CL access.

This is unique to WL, it’s not an option anywhere else.

Hope that helps!

 

[jolynne28]

Just wanted to chime in on this. The only hotel that you can pay to access the CL lounge is Wilderness Lodge. This was implemented after the CC conversion as the remaining hotel CL room count was a fraction of what it was pre-CC and quite small relative to other resort CLs. You add it when you check in (can’t be done in advance). The price has had a few increases over the years, but I think the latest report I saw was $150 per day for the length of stay.

Disney doesn’t advertise this and it’s not in writing anywhere, just something that gets posted about on message boards and such. Several DISers on the resorts board do this frequently as they don’t like the top floor recessed dormer balconies of the CL rooms but still want CL access.

This is unique to WL, it’s not an option anywhere else.

Hope that helps!

I did some digging on this and from what I can see this is only applicable to cash stays at CCV and BRV. I've not found anyone who said you can add this while staying on DVC points. Would be amazing if you could, we would definitely take advantage of that, I love CL at WL.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I did some digging on this and from what I can see this is only applicable to cash stays at CCV and BRV. I've not found anyone who said you can add this while staying on DVC points. Would be amazing if you could, we would definitely take advantage of that, I love CL at WL.

Yeah, that’s a good point that I should have added. It’s only for cash stays, and most frequently reported with WL hotel side stays. I’ve seen inconsistent reports of CCV and BRV cash stay eligibility. Points stays aren’t eligible.

 

[Chili327]

Just wanted to chime in on this. The only hotel that you can pay to access the CL lounge is Wilderness Lodge. This was implemented after the CC conversion as the remaining hotel CL room count was a fraction of what it was pre-CC and quite small relative to other resort CLs. You add it when you check in (can’t be done in advance). The price has had a few increases over the years, but I think the latest report I saw was $150 per day for the length of stay.

Disney doesn’t advertise this and it’s not in writing anywhere, just something that gets posted about on message boards and such. Several DISers on the resorts board do this frequently as they don’t like the top floor recessed dormer balconies of the CL rooms but still want CL access.

This is unique to WL, it’s not an option anywhere else.

Hope that helps!

Thanks, I thought I had read about it somewhere.

 

[CarolynFH]

Yeah, that’s a good point that I should have added. It’s only for cash stays, and most frequently reported with WL hotel side stays. I’ve seen inconsistent reports of CCV and BRV cash stay eligibility. Points stays aren’t eligible.

Thanks for confirming and clarifying my unclear memory!

 

[samsp99]

I love club level, and have been hoping that they would do it at other DVC resorts besides AKV. But I agree with others, while they could do it, they most likely won't since they've only done it once. To me club level makes sense when you are doing a resort heavy stay, and AKV sort of fits that criteria b/c it is rather isolated. If they are trying to make LL more like a vacation in and of itself, with the lazy river (that hopefully takes longer than 5 minutes to get around) and other amenities, I could see club level possibly being on the table, but I wouldn't get my hopes up.

I think it would make more sense for them to support club level as an additional cash option as part of the reservation. Make the club facilities card key + wrist band required for entry. Anyone staying at that hotel can add it on as an extra for the trip, with a cost per person. The concierge can be located by the door to verify if the people have wrist bands, which would also become a status symbol. The extras like robes can be delivered to the room before checkin.

Adding club access may affect room location to be closer to the lounge.

They could even have an option to convert points to club access.

 

[PrincessKL]

I always think of DVC as a less-deluxe offering in Disney deluxe hotels, and Disney deluxe is not even deluxe comparing to other luxury hotels. Most people buy DVC because it saves money in a long run.

DVC rooms are not even cleaned every day, so I doubt they are willing to add more expenses to run a club level lounge each day, even if the members will pay for it. The dues at the cabins are already too high that not a lot of people want to buy it. I thought people are hoping that the dues will decrease after the lodge is part of this. So it would be the best to not add any more operations that will cost higher dues.

To me, as long as they build a shiny new building that feels nice, people will buy it. Maybe not for us, but for younger people who want to get into DVC. If they want to distinguish from RR and Poly Tower, then add a lazy river and a unique restaurant. If they want it to sell well, price it lower than others.

They are not worried about selling these points out as the cash side generates income too. If they sell out, they will need to worry about building another DVC resort. They will probably try to sell out Riviera before the Lakeside Lodge starts selling.

 

[Mle8308]

Yeah, that’s a good point that I should have added. It’s only for cash stays, and most frequently reported with WL hotel side stays. I’ve seen inconsistent reports of CCV and BRV cash stay eligibility. Points stays aren’t eligible.

I was offered it once staying on a cash reservation at BRV. Didn't do it.

 

[Judique]

I think that pre-Covid I read on the Disney (not D.V.C.) Resorts forum that at WL it was sometimes possible to pay for CL access when not booked into a CL room. It was something guests had to ask for at time of checkin and wasn’t always available.

I did it almost every visit at AKL before AKL had DVC rooms. I would ask if it was available while checking in. It usually cost a set amount for my stay, as low as $50. This combined with a discounted room (sometimes 40% off with annual pass) was a nice bargain.

I was never able to catch it at WL.

Edit to add: After DVC was added, I just booked the CL level DVC rooms.