New Resort

[walter]

See today's "Orlando Sentinal" for an article about a 46 acre-744 unit Fairfield Resort to be constructed adjacent to the Caribbean Beach Resort.

 

[Terry S]

I don't think it is acutally adjacent to CBR. Here is part of the article:

Orlando-based Fairfield Resorts Inc. said Wednesday it will be the first company to built at the 480-acre Bonnet Creek Resort, which is bordered on three sides by Walt Disney World.

Fairfield said it will buy 46 acres from Bonnet Creek Venture Ltd. for a 744-unit time-share resort.

The deal is expected to close on Oct. 1. Construction will start in 2003, and the Fairfield Orlando at Bonnet Creek should open in June 2004.

Bonnet Creek is between Interstate 4 and Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort. Fairfield's resort will be accessible from Buena Vista Drive, which runs across Disney property.

 

[Werner Weiss]

Here's the story: Bonnet Creek to get Fairfield time shares

The link above works as of now, but the URL is likely to change tomorrow.

Here are the first two paragraphs:
<DL><DD>Orlando-based Fairfield Resorts Inc. said Wednesday it
will be the first company to built at the 480-acre Bonnet
Creek Resort, which is bordered on three sides by Walt
Disney World.

Fairfield said it will buy 46 acres from Bonnet Creek
Venture Ltd. for a 744-unit time-share resort.</DD></DL>
(I didn't post the whole news story due to copyroght considerations.)

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by Terry S
I don't think it is acutally adjacent to CBR.

The Bonnet Creek Resort development borders the Caribbean Beach Resort (CBR). The article even says, "Bonnet Creek is between Interstate 4 and Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort."

The entrance road to the Bonnet Creek Resort development is from Buena Vista Drive, just east of the entrance road to the Caribbean Beach Resort. Based on this location, the Fairfield timeshare resort will be the most "on site" resort that isn't actually on property owned by Disney.

Don't confue the name Bonnet Creek Resort with Disney's Bonnet Creek golf course, which is several miles north. These two "Bonnet Creek" locations are along different parts of the same creek.

 

[Fenceman]

Thanks for the clarification Horace. First reading the story, I was afraid DVC was giving up on the Bonnet Creek Golf Course Site and selling it to Fairfield. Then what would be next? Sell all DVC Resorts to Fairfield?

Just a little unfounded panic.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I found the full press release about the new Fairfield timeshare resort that will be next door to the CBR: http://www.thetimesharebeat.com/2002/ts/june/0628-04t.htm

 

[Beth]

Thanks so much for posting this. I've driven by that "Bonnet Creek Resort Construction Entrance" sign numerous times in the last couple of months, and couldn't for the life of me figure out why the construction entrance for the new DVC would be all the way over by CBR (and just on the other side of the overpass from OKW, actually).

This makes things a lot clearer....

 

[dianeschlicht]

OOOOOO, sounds like DVC will be getting some competition! THey wont have the perks of Disney transportation though!!

 

[lawgs]

fairfield seems to be good at developing but not so good at "upkeep"....just a personal observation from staying in some fairfield timeshares over the last ten years....

if we see fairfield attached to the name .....we tend to look for some other resort when we are "exchanging".....

 

[Lisa P.]

THey wont have the perks of Disney transportation though!!

Probably not. But since Swan/Dolphin and the DD hotels are not managed by Disney and yet they do have regular transportation to the parks, it's not impossible to think that this new resort may have regular shuttle service as well. I suggest this because of the location of the likely entry drive for the Fairfield resort - Buena Vista Blvd. Having regular shuttle service benefits Disney by reducing car traffic in on their busy roadways.

Competition can be a very good thing. Perhaps DVC will move more seriously toward getting a section open at one of their two newest onsite properties planned - Eagle Pines & Disney Inst. They may not want any lapse in time where their onsite DVC reps are only able to sell offsite resort points. With a projected opening for the Fairfield's first phase sometime in 2004, there may be some incentive for DVC to move along on their projects.

lawgs, I agree with you that FF has not always maintained all of their properties as well as they could have. However, they do have some older properties which have been well maintained. If you've had disappointing exchange experiences, I'd suggest that you consider joining TUG - Timeshare Users Group and peruse the Resort Reviews prior to accepting any resort on exchange. We have. We don't always need the most deluxe of resorts - sometimes, we just like a rustic, family-friendly resort week for relaxing. But having a good idea of what to expect is very important to us. Hope you enjoy the website - it's a fabulous resource for anyone who owns a timeshare!

Lisa P.
(p.s., if you decide to join, please use my name as a referral - it grants me half a year's renewal for free - thanks!)

 

[Maistre Gracey]

No matter how close they get, or how hard they try...
IT WILL NEVER BE DVC!!!

 

[Lisa P.]

Why, Maistre Gracey, how very kind and gracious of you to point that out! I'm not sure that Fairfield has any interest in being DVC. These are very different companies with very different agendas (other than both seeking our hard-earned $$$$$, of course).

Disney's market is a very upscale, Disney-focused community, who enjoys the exceptional quality of their resorts and who are pleased with the very specific locations of the Disney resorts for their membership usage. This market enjoys and appreciates the upscale alternative options that DVC offers in the way of top-tier hotels, B&Bs, etc.

Fairfield's market is decidedly closer to middle/upper-middle class (and perhaps a bit older?), who enjoy the family-friendly, laidback atmosphere at most of their resorts and who are pleased with the extensive list of FF's USA resorts spread out across the country (and growing rapidly). This market enjoys and appreciates the diversity of destinations and alternatives (including Warner Inns in England and many, many options throughout the cruise industry) that FF offers.

FWIW, just as Marriott can provide a very nice complementary ownership for many DVC owners (including the ability to trade into the Marriott near Disneyland Paris), FF may provide a nice complementary ownership for some DVC owners (including the closest timeshare to the California Disney parks - Dolphin's Cove, which borders Disney-owned land slated for likely development as a Disney water park). Many FF owners also use the RCI Enhancement to FF (like "RCI Points") features for hotels, airfare, car rentals and cruises.

Just a thought worth considering for some DVC members, who may have been looking for a different points program to round out their timeshare ownership. JMHO.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Lisa, I'm sorry if that came off wrong. I did not mean it that way. It was more in response to the competition thing. I feel that the people who want DVC... want DVC, not something else...hence no competition (though I am sure Fairfield puts out a very fine product).
You make some very good points.

 

[Lisa P.]

Maistre Gracey, thank you for your generous response. I agree with you completely that DVC will definitely always attract those who are seeking DVC's high quality, excellent themes and flexible program. I do hope that the competitive potential for some prospective buyers will encourage DVC to move forward with their other planned WDW DVC resorts.

On another note, Hilton (HGVC) has announced that they are converting a NYC hotel into timeshare, to open (at least the first phase) in December 2002. This will be the 2nd RCI luxury timeshare in Manhattan, both offering nightly stays to their owners (HGVC is points-based). If this resort does well and sells quickly, it'd be great to see more branded companies (like DVC) put a resort in NYC. I've always thought that with so many northeast (USA) DVC members, that this would make terrific sense. At the least, it may provide another option for direct exchanges with non-DVC timeshare owners.