News Round Up 2017

[TheMaxRebo]

So a couple things to note here with a real quick glance:

1) The points for studios, 1-bedrooms, and 2-bedrooms are the same amount as for Boulder Ridge (WLV 1.0). This makes a lot of sense, making neither side preferable to the other. It also makes it easier when/if they try to combine the two resorts into a single one someday. I could see them doing this when BR expires they sell extended contracts to match the ending of CC.

2) The cabins are about 20 % less expensive than the Poly cabins, and they are also slightly less expensive (7-8%) than a Grand Villa. This seems to be more in line with where these cabins SHOULD be versus what they are "charging" at the Poly. They still sleep only 8 and are a heck of a lot more than the 2-bedroom villas - as in 250% more points than a 2-bedroom villa.

3) We don't know 100% what the total units will be - but this resort seems like it might be EXTREMELY top-heavy. In other words - while the Poly has the cabins that account for 25% of the total number of points, the rest of the units are studios. IF the predicted #s are right and (breaking up the lock-offs) and there are 53 studios, 55 1-bedrooms, 72 dedicated 2-bedrooms, 6 grand villas, and 26 cabins, that means that means only 9.4 PERCENT of the available room points are in studios, while SEVENTY PERCENT of points are tied up in 2-bedrooms or larger. (The remaining 20% is in 1-bedrooms.) If the predicted distribution is correct - and I hope like heck it is not - getting a studio at Copper Creek is going to be virtually impossible for owners there. (Studios typically account for about 20% of points at a resort, and at many resorts a much higher percentage than that. VGF - where owners have difficulty getting studios at 11 months - 16% of the points are available as studios.) I really hope those predicted numbers are wrong and there are more lock-offs than predicted.

Interesting analysis - still think the cabins are more than they should but at least they did lower them a bit from the Poly ones

So probably a really stupid question but I don't know a lot about the inner workings of DVC. Why would getting a studio there being "virtually impossible for owners"? Shouldn't it be easier to get what you want at the location you own and be harder for people that own elsewhere

 

[rteetz]

Interesting analysis - still think the cabins are more than they should but at least they did lower them a bit from the Poly ones

So probably a really stupid question but I don't know a lot about the inner workings of DVC. Why would getting a studio there being "virtually impossible for owners"? Shouldn't it be easier to get what you want at the location you own and be harder for people that own elsewhere

Also not an owner but as Pete said Studios are the most popular option. If the majority of rooms they added are not studios and studios are already a problem to book it wouldn't make it much easier to book a studio still.

I will say that yes Owners are allowed to book at their home resort at 11 months out but that doesn't always mean there is wiggle room or availability for what you want. For example I know a ton of people are renting points for Marathon weekend this year. Everything is booked up except for OKW and SSR two resorts that are less preferable to people. We are 10 months from Marathon weekend.

 

[rteetz]

Photo Update

Magic Kingdom and Epcot update

http://micechat.com/153804-star-wars-land-aerial-shots-epcot-flower-garden-magic-kingdom-updates/

 

[rteetz]

News

DCA Food and Wine Festival Merchandise

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...nia-adventure-food-wine-festival-merchandise/

 

[rteetz]

News

Disney themed nail styles by Jamberry

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...ry-options-debut-at-walt-disney-world-resort/

 

[beer dave]

Also not an owner but as Pete said Studios are the most popular option. If the majority of rooms they added are not studios and studios are already a problem to book it wouldn't make it much easier to book a studio still.

I will say that yes Owners are allowed to book at their home resort at 11 months out but that doesn't always mean there is wiggle room or availability for what you want. For example I know a ton of people are renting points for Marathon weekend this year. Everything is booked up except for OKW and SSR two resorts that are less preferable to people. We are 10 months from Marathon weekend.

AKV kidani is available too. Maybe it's just that there aren't any more owners renting points for that time.

 

[rteetz]

AKV kidani is available too. Maybe it's just that there aren't any more owners renting points for that time.

Makes sense. I just saw several say only OKW and SSR were available. Also might depend on who they are renting from since there are several ways to do such.

 

[beer dave]

Makes sense. I just saw several say only OKW and SSR were available. Also might depend on who they are renting from since there are several ways to do such.

Right. I searched 3rd through the 7th. Alot of others had availability but not all 4 nights.

 

[rteetz]

News

Tours of Copper Creek Villas start tomorrow March 2.

 

[rteetz]

News

Limited Edition Pandora Pins

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...ra-the-world-of-avatar-with-collectible-pins/

 

[soniam]

News/Rumor

La Nouba to end?

http://wdwnt.com/blog/2017/02/rumor-cirque-du-soleil-la-nouba-coming-end-disney-springs/

It could stand to have a new show. It's a little dated, and so many repeat visitors have seen it. I just hope they don't make it like Ka and make it more like the older shows, ie Allegria, O.

Photo update

Volcano Bay aerial update

http://mickeyxtreme.net/blog/new-set-of-volcano-bay-aerials

I know this is just a water park but this opens in May and I'm starting to wonder how they will get it done. Avatar while only a land opens in May and looks further along than this.

I have heard that they won't be doing as much structural theming as they will landscape theming. If that's true, then they will hide a lot of the slide structures with plants, which won't take as long to do as permanent structure.

They are going to milk Baby Groot until they cant anymore. Merchandise is going to be big there.

I just bought a baby Groot plush, along with a big-eyed baby Dory Can anyone say sucker

 

[rteetz]

Photo Update

PHOTOS – Take a look around the 2017 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival Center; the Wonders of Life pavilion

 

[rteetz]

Photo Update

2017 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival Outdoor Kitchens, menus, and prices

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Photo Update

2017 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival Outdoor Kitchens, menus, and prices

Thanks for this. Now I can make my budget for next week. I also like the addition of non-alcoholic drinks since I don't drink alcohol. That was my big complaint during Food and Wine last year. I always had to get the bottle water if I wanted a drink with the food. I do realize that "wine" is in the name lol.

 

[danikoski]

So a couple things to note here with a real quick glance:

1) The points for studios, 1-bedrooms, and 2-bedrooms are the same amount as for Boulder Ridge (WLV 1.0). This makes a lot of sense, making neither side preferable to the other. It also makes it easier when/if they try to combine the two resorts into a single one someday. I could see them doing this when BR expires they sell extended contracts to match the ending of CC.

2) The cabins are about 20 % less expensive than the Poly cabins, and they are also slightly less expensive (7-8%) than a Grand Villa. This seems to be more in line with where these cabins SHOULD be versus what they are "charging" at the Poly. They still sleep only 8 and are a heck of a lot more than the 2-bedroom villas - as in 250% more points than a 2-bedroom villa.

3) We don't know 100% what the total units will be - but this resort seems like it might be EXTREMELY top-heavy. In other words - while the Poly has the cabins that account for 25% of the total number of points, the rest of the units are studios. IF the predicted #s are right and (breaking up the lock-offs) and there are 53 studios, 55 1-bedrooms, 72 dedicated 2-bedrooms, 6 grand villas, and 26 cabins, that means that means only 9.4 PERCENT of the available room points are in studios, while SEVENTY PERCENT of points are tied up in 2-bedrooms or larger. (The remaining 20% is in 1-bedrooms.) If the predicted distribution is correct - and I hope like heck it is not - getting a studio at Copper Creek is going to be virtually impossible for owners there. (Studios typically account for about 20% of points at a resort, and at many resorts a much higher percentage than that. VGF - where owners have difficulty getting studios at 11 months - 16% of the points are available as studios.) I really hope those predicted numbers are wrong and there are more lock-offs than predicted.

I believe Disney shot themselves in the foot on this one. The price per point is $176, which is the same for the Poly...The studios only sleep 4, the 1 bedroom only sleeps 4, meaning the 2 bedroom only sleeps 8. So although points per night are less than Poly, for someone who needs 3 sleeping areas, they'd have to get two studios (which may prove to be hard), or a 2 bedroom...Add on the higher dues, and it doesn't look like a good buy

 

[mickeyfanachey1999]

Also not an owner but as Pete said Studios are the most popular option. If the majority of rooms they added are not studios and studios are already a problem to book it wouldn't make it much easier to book a studio still.

I will say that yes Owners are allowed to book at their home resort at 11 months out but that doesn't always mean there is wiggle room or availability for what you want. For example I know a ton of people are renting points for Marathon weekend this year. Everything is booked up except for OKW and SSR two resorts that are less preferable to people. We are 10 months from Marathon weekend.

I love OKW and never want to stay anywhere else so I'm glad it's not high on lots of people's lists

 

[skier_pete]

Interesting analysis - still think the cabins are more than they should but at least they did lower them a bit from the Poly ones

So probably a really stupid question but I don't know a lot about the inner workings of DVC. Why would getting a studio there being "virtually impossible for owners"? Shouldn't it be easier to get what you want at the location you own and be harder for people that own elsewhere

I don't want to completely hijack the news thread - but as a quick tutorial as to how DVC works and why studios will be hard to get - I'm gonna post this anyways:

So, people buy into DVC buy in with the intent on renting a certain size room. Some buy only enough points for a week in a studio (Let's call it 150 points.) While other buy enough for a week in a 2-bedroom. (Let's call it 450 points.)

At $176 a point - that one week in a studio costs $26,400 for a buy-in, while the 2-bedroom costs $79,200. How many buyers are going to be able to afford that two-bedroom buy-in?

So, let's say you have 4 new customers coming in to buy DVC. Three of them buy 150 points with the intention of staying in a studio. One of them buys 450 points with the intention of staying in a 2-bedroom. So Disney has sold 4 contracts worth 900 points or 225 pts per contract - and of those 900 points, half of them (150 x 3 people = 450 ) are bought by people wanting to stay at a studio. This is a simplification - but I DO know that the AVERAGE new contract at the Poly is about 150 points - some of that is smaller 50 pt contracts offsetting large contracts, but still I think the assumption here is reasonable, that somewhere around 50% of the points sold will be for people looking at studios or maybe 1-bedrooms.

Now you look at the amount of studios available for the property - and only 11% of the property is available as studios. But 50 % of the points you sold are to buyers that are looking for studios. So that means for every studio available, you have 5 owners that want to rent that studio - and at more popular times of year, that might be 10 or 20 owners for each studio.

This exact same thing happened at VGF only a few years ago. Owners there find it impossible to get a studio because people snatch them up at 11 months. And VGF has 16% of the property (roughly) that is studios. CCV will only be 11 % studios because of all the cabins - so it will be even worse.

The result in addition is a cascade effect...CCV owners that can't get in at their home resort will now be looking elsewhere for their studios - making studios harder to get everywhere. I assumed that DVC learned the lesson of VGF was partly why they made everything studios at the Poly...but it appears they did NOT.

 

[Grand Admiral]

The studios only sleep 4

We stayed in a WL studio in October. The studio can sleep 5. It has a queen bed, a double sofa bed, and a twin bed that folds out from behind the table beneath the TV.

 

[danikoski]

We stayed in a WL studio in October. The studio can sleep 5. It has a queen bed, a double sofa bed, and a twin bed that folds out from behind the table beneath the TV.

That was at Boulder Ridge (the original Villas at Wilderness Lodge)... Copper Creek are the new villas in the south wing of the main lodge and those studios are going to only sleep 4, which I find rather odd...But since BRV does have the 5 person studios, maybe OK...But I'm really confused why they didn't do a 5 person 1 bedroom and therefore 9 person 2 bedroom...
Also, people buying into Copper Creek for DVC will have an 11 month window to book Copper Creek studios, not BRV 5 person studios (at least that's how I understand it right now).

 

[skier_pete]

One thing is for sure - two separate DVCs at a single location is going to confuse the heck out of everyone. Especially when the two AKV at the same location - Kidani and Jambo - are interchangeable and these are not.