New clubhouse, no mention of OKW slide...

[Mrs.Milo]

Yes, the question was asked awhile ago. But when they asked, part of the question was would you be willing to help pay for it. Maybe that's why it was voted down. If they are adding it now, does that mean that Disney will pay for it?

 

[walter]

They may pay for the slides installation, but maintainence and any daily staffing costs would be passed on to the members. But probably the money to construct the slide somehow comes from us members.

 

[sgtdisney]

According to what has been reported here on DIS, Disney will pay for the slide and the installation/construction. The members at OKW will have to pay to maintain it, insure it and staff it with their annual dues. They gave an estimate as to how much the dues would go up, but I forgot what was said.

It would have been nice for Disney to have left this up to the members in my opinion. They could have sent out another survey explaining why they felt it was this important. Rumors have been flying that if OKW gets a pool slide pool hopping will cease. They could have explained this as well. If the members voted for it, so be it.

Since they haven't surveyed us (as far as I know) it would have been nice too if they had told the members in some formal way instead of telling people who were able to attend the meetings and no one else

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by Richyams
Hopefully they realized that the majority of OKW owners have no desire to have their beautiful, tranquil pool ruined by an obnoxious slide.

ITA!!!

 

[Desperado]

Originally posted by Richyams
Hopefully they realized that the majority of OKW owners have no desire to have their beautiful, tranquil pool ruined by an obnoxious slide.

Baloney. A slide is needed.

 

[Desperado]

Originally posted by Richyams
When polled, the majority of OKW owners were against it. I think Disney has some nerve doing this in the face of that survey.

Funny how readily and vehimently some posters attack and discount polls, and then in other cases bend them to try to make thier own points. If polls are not valid as some have repeatedly stated in numerous threads, then they are not valid in both directions. Please make up your mind.

Yes, the question was asked awhile ago. But when they asked, part of the question was would you be willing to help pay for it.

Ahhhh now we see that a slide funded through other means was not the question that was asked in the poll being referred to. No need to twist and misrepresent an ancient poll, it does not reflect the current situtation, or recent changes in pool hopping policies at SAB.

Now in their usual fashon, Disney laid down for a bunch of whiners. That's actually amazing and they do it all the time. Whiners win with WDW.

DVC is probably determining the slide needs to be put on place in advance of ending pool hopping which they haven't told us about yet. With the DVC communitiy growing and growing, there may be a decision that other deluxe resorts cannot handle the impact of additional pool guests. We also read on this board of people abusing parking priviledges at other resorts in the guise of pool hopping. Regardless of some posters misrepresenting polls just to aurgue, I hope a slide will occur, and I'm glad it has been announced.

A slide is great addition, and has been announced by the president of DVC. It is a needed improvement at OKW, as we have seen on this board in multiple posts in other trheads. It has been reported in this forum that some DVC members avoid making reservations at OKW because of the absence of a slide for thier kids to play on. A slide should be put in place to help provide additional interest in OKW, even if it is just a little. There is another quiet pool available for those who do not wish to be around the slide.

 

[CM Tinkerbell]

Hi everyone. We just returned less then a week ago from OKW. While at the main pool one day, there was a man near the pool area with survey equipment (the architectural type). So they may be looking into putting some there.

 

[Desperado]

Originally posted by CM Tinkerbell
Hi everyone. We just returned less then a week ago from OKW. While at the main pool one day, there was a man near the pool area with survey equipment (the architectural type). So they may be looking into putting some there.

Excellent news!

 

[PamOKW]

The announcement probably won't be made until they have an actual construction schedule and design details to announce as well. I thought we had a rumor/info from someone that construction won't begin until after this summer? I would expect an announcement on the member site and/or VM probably mid-summer.

 

[lenshanem]

This is so odd to me how soem are so againist the slide! There will still eb a quiet pool! Why woudl you not wnat another pool with a slide for kids, grandkids to play on? If you are so wooried about the pools staying "quiet" I wodul think thsi wodul help! Now, all the kids wodul go over to the pool with the slide and the quiet pool wodul even be more qiuet! So that is just not a good enough reson IMO.

As it is I have no desire to stay at OKW cause the pools there are no more exciting than our neighborhood pool at home. We spend a lot of time at the pool midday at WDW and the slide is at least for now an important part of our decision as to where we stay.

If WDW's mods have slides then OKW shoudl ahve a slide, too. Isn't OKW suppossed to be more deluxe than the mods?!? Right now the pools are on a value resort level.

I think it will be lame for SSR owners that OKW owners can hop over to their pool and use their slide. Put the slide in at OKW and end the pool hopping and increase the amount of guests wanting to stay at OKW, both mmebers and non members who pay cash.
I think it woudl add much more appela to the resort.

I own at BCV and to be honest don't think it is fair we can hop to other resorts, but nobody else can to ours. I coudl care less if they end pool hopping.

I think it is also unfair to keep referring to an old poll that wasn't asking qute the same questions.

 

[sgtdisney]

Lenshanem, the reason there are so many people against the slide is that we were perfectly content to buy at OKW without the slide. The resort didn't have it when I bought in 1992 and I have never missed it. There are other resorts which offer slides and I am sure people have passed on OKW because it didn't have a slide. That is fine, that is why there are choices.

What I personally find amazing is the number of people who are so much in favor of this slide when they don't own points at OKW, and therefore aren't paying for the maintenance of it. If people who aren't OKW members don't like OKW, they don't have to stay there. There is at least one DVC resort that I don't like and have no desire to stay at, but I don't feel I have any right to expect anything to be different or changed there as I am not paying the bills for it.

As for the pool hopping, end it as far as I am concerned. I have never pool hopped in 12 years and don't plan on it in the future. If I didn't like OKW the way it is, and didn't' want to spend my vacations there I wouldn't have bought there in '92.

Bottom line though, if the majority of the OKW members were polled and decided that they wanted this slide, I would be fine with it. My biggest issue is that Disney has done this without the OKW members opinion. It appears that they can (and will) do this, but I don't have to really like it. I just wonder what will be the next thing they decide to take or add at other members resorts without their input.

 

[sgtdisney]

Originally posted by PamOKW
The announcement probably won't be made until they have an actual construction schedule and design details to announce as well. I thought we had a rumor/info from someone that construction won't begin until after this summer? I would expect an announcement on the member site and/or VM probably mid-summer.

Pam, you are probably right. Since the majority of the OKW Members don't read this site, and weren't at the meeting where this was annouced they still don't know. I am guessing that Disney waits to announce this to the majority until after it is started and it is too late to do anything about it.

 

[Richyams]

Who cares if they still have a quiet pool?

Why does that make any difference?

We are talking about the HH area, the area where most people go, the area with activities, a bar and food all the time. Ruining that area with an obnoxious slide against the will of the majority of OKW owners is awful.

Some people seem to think that who is paying for the slide will make a difference in the poll, I seriously doubt that and think it is a pretty dumb idea. We are talking about nothing in terms of cost either in the building or the ongoing mantainence. The bigger thing will be the ongoing mantainence anyway, its just silly to think that that would make a difference in the poll.

They didn't take another survey because they knew it would be voted down again and they have some other reason(to quell whiners) for doing it.

 

[lenshanem]

What I personally find amazing is the number of people who are so much in favor of this slide when they don't own points at OKW, and therefore aren't paying for the maintenance of it. If people who aren't OKW members don't like OKW, they don't have to stay there. There is at least one DVC resort that I don't like and have no desire to stay at, but I don't feel I have any right to expect anything to be different or changed there as I am not paying the bills for it.

OK, that makes sense. Although, when all thsi first started I said I'd be willing to chip in on my BCV dues to support a slide at OKW.

Out of curiosity, since OKW is usually from what i ahve read the easist resort to book into how many peopele own at OKW for the lower dues, but stay at teh other DVC resorts for the better pools with the slides?

And for pool hoppers? I wodul think the majority are on the ones staying at OKW, not at the other resorts wth the more exciting pools. If pool hopping is stopped plus no slide built at OKW woudl there be even fewer peopel wanting to book at OKW?

I woudl think with the larger rooms, lower points AND a new slide built in OKW wodul be a hit! I'd imagine the resale value woudl go up, too.

 

[sgtdisney]

Originally posted by lenshanem
I woudl think with the larger rooms, lower points AND a new slide built in OKW wodul be a hit! I'd imagine the resale value woudl go up, too.

It would be a hit with who though? The members who already like it, or others who 'have' to stay there because their home resort is full? Maybe the majority of the members do want the slide now, we will never know. And it is obvious to me that Disney isn't really concerned about the membership's opinions anymore. That is really the thing that bugs me most, honestly.

As to the resale value, that is only a plus if you are expecting to sell. Resale values could potentially plummet if Disney is sold to the wrong company anyway.

 

[lenshanem]

sgtdisney, you ask a hit with whom?
Perosnally, I might wnat to book at OKW first for all the poinst I mentioned before not because the other resorst were full, but because OKW wodul seem more appealing to my family. I think there are many who wodul agree.

And yes, you are correct. A slide in the scheme of thinsg seems rather pointless, when you consider the state of thinsg right now at Disney. I am worrying about my BCV purchase, especially since I only bought last year. The magic is disappearing for me fast. Thinsg just don't look the smae as they did when we bought. Figures it wodul start to go downhill for me right after we finally decided to buy in. Who knows what will happen with Disney... At least my 3 year old still loves the mouse and is clueless to other matters of state.

 

[sgtdisney]

Originally posted by lenshanem
sgtdisney, you ask a hit with whom?
Perosnally, I might wnat to book at OKW first for all the poinst I mentioned before not because the other resorst were full, but because OKW wodul seem more appealing to my family. I think there are many who wodul agree.

Yes, and that was my point I guess. Is this slide being put in to make OKW more 'acceptable' to other members or because it is something that the OKW members wanted.

 

[PamOKW]

If someone hasn't stayed at a resort, how can they really evaluate what is or isn't missing at that resort? I can understand that if a person has a top priority of pool time with a slide when they come to WDW that they don't want to stay at OKW or any resort that doesn't have a slide.

In any case, the pool issue is out of our hands. Further debate among ourselves would be purely for fun or to rile each other up on both sides of the issue. DVD/DVC has made it clear that it will be their decision what is and isn't put into the resorts. I think the slide is coming because they have been hinting at it ever since the first poll. It will also make all the DVC resorts consistent in their facilities. Other resort owners might want to file this information "back of mind" that changes can be made to the resort facilities without the consent of members.

I think people are misleading themselves if they think OKW is wide open for reservations whenever the whim hits. I have had a great deal of difficulty booking OKW lately in any size accomodation on a short term basis. It has worked out but has required staying on the wait list and piecing together a reservation as individual days in varying size units became available until I finally had a whole reservation in one unit. In fact, this year has been trickier than ever before. While some folks are concerned that people are buying OKW and staying elsewhere because there is no slide at OKW, OKW could ask the same question about people who purchased elsewhere but are intrigued by the points at OKW and, just maybe, by how impressed they are by the resort once they give it a try. Or how about those who rent out their non-OKW points and use OKW to book rental stays to get a greater rate of return on those points? These are things we can never truly know until DVC shares their reservation data with us.

 

[Scoootch]

Well, just to add my 2 cents......

We DO own at OKW and would love to see a slide put in. When we bought in, the only other DVC property available for sale on WDW property was BWV's and although they had a waterslide at their pool, BW is just totally not our taste. It's nice to visit but a bit too busy and noisy for us. Plus we liked the larger "homey" style units at OKW as oppossed to the "hotel like - boxy" units at BW. OKW did not have a waterslide, but the rest of the resort was gorgeous so we bought there (and still love it ) but have always pool-hopped in order to be able to use a waterslide. I know many will argue about "that's why WDW has waterparks" but we have 2 small children and to us it just isn't worth the expense to go to a waterpark yet. But right now our almost 4yr old really enjoys the waterslides and so do we.

Anyway, my point is -- we do own at OKW and although we bought in knowing they didn't have the slide, we would still love to see one put in (and for the record, no one ever surveyed or polled us to ask our opinion on the subject ) but are still perfectly fine with not having one as long as pool-hopping is still aloud. If pool-hopping ceases, then it's only fair for them to add the slide IMO. With 3 other pools besides the main pool by HH, and all of them having hot-tubs and Turtle shack pool still having the snack bar, I don't see why anyone should be all that upset with the exception of maybe dues going up a little. With all the extra music and people and whatnot already at the main pool - how much worse could it be with a slide? It's already much busier at the main pool than the other pools throughout the resort just because it's near HH,Community hall,Gugling Suitcase and the fact that they run activities at the main pool like when they sometimes have the DJ there. And maybe those of us who own at OKW would stay more often rather than making it harder for those who own at BCV's or anywhere else to get a ressie on shorter notice at their home resorts.

 

[lenshanem]

Thansk Scoootch for posting.
It sounds from what you say that the main pool at OKW isn't really all that quiet right now anyway. Sounds like a pretty happening kind of place! Sooo, how much more noise is a slide really gonna add to that mixture. Seesm liek a DJ wodul cover up any slide noise.

I think adding the slide woudl really help even thinsg out more in the reservation system. And liek Scoootch said they are using the pool hopping because there is no slide there.