Next DVC resort?

[SugarSweetLee]

Once again AI is wrong

Fixed it for ya.

 

[Cfabar1]

Disney certainly has the ability to add capacity, and on some rides it likely wouldn't even cost too much...

But the real issue is they keep removing large capacity rides out and replacing them with things that can't move people as easily and quickly... One reason why I am very disappointed Muppet Vision is going away for example...

 

[Kailunkat]

I'm a little late to the party here but can't resist adding on to a great topic.

... my guess would be that they just do a massive remodel and sell the whole thing as DVC for BCV and BWV.

I don't think Disney will ever make an entirely DVC resort. They gain too much flexibility by splitting resorts. Cash rooms can soak up unrented/sold DVC and help cover common expenses (like lobby renos) in a more flexible way than DVC can. Cash rooms in shared resorts are also the best possible advertising that DVC gets. On the flip side, cash guests are more needy in terms of staffing (housekeeping and front desk especially but also restaurant usage too) but DVC also get the benefits of restaurant and common space staffing to enjoy. I don't think a DVC only resort can support the same type of ammenties for bellhop, front desk, or restaurant spaces without having cash rooms to offset the less predictible demand/usage that comes with units that have kitchens.

I think they created a lot of space between the Grand Floridian and the Magic Kingdom by moving Florida Way west through the golf course. This bends the road way out of the way and its hard to see them doing all this just to ease traffic past the Grand Floridian. It is possible but I believe that they have freed up this space to add a new resort with direct entry into the Magic Kingdom and monorail station. Also, the area between the Contemporary and the TTC will eventually be developed. I know they say the land is not suitable for building but that translates to it is not cost effective. At some point the value of a resort there will outweigh the cost of making that land suitable for development. Ditto with the remaining contemporary garden wing.

This is a really intriguing idea. My main concern is that everything I have heard/read on the Monorail seems to suggest it has a limited life expectancy going forward (and I say that as someone who owns over 1k points at 2 monorail resorts - yikes). Disney knows that there is no possibility of adding additional trains due to safety/track timing. Apparently parts for fixing the machinery are also in limited supply and are quite costly (have to be custom made in house at this point?). I don't think it's feasible to add any additional stops or capacity.

I can see a possibility that, as construction finishes on Cars / Villains, the team then focuses on an adjacent DVC hotel, perhaps on the Adventureland pad or maybe on the laydown yard that is being used now for construction set up. But I think a hotel that has direct access to the MK, especially with the two new lands, would be a huge selling point for DVC. As DVC expands, the DVD sales strategy seems clearly to be to go back to the same set up customers--again--to sell them more points. And those new resorts need to offer something more to existing owners (hello lazy river and maybe hello direct access to the MK).

1000% this. With the addition of Helios over at Epic Universe - I think this option only becomes more appealing to DVC. Also - as of today (11/3/2025) Shanghai Disney announced that they are building a new hotel that will have a dedicated park entrance/gate - which means Disney World will be the only Disney Park that does NOT have a direct gate hotel. Surely, such an injustice cannot stand?

I don't think that there is a chance in hell it will happen, but I would love to extend the starcruiser with another tower and form a star wars hotel.

I really do think a themed hotel would make a lot of money, what people don't want to do though is be trapped in their hotels for 2 to 3 days to feel like they're getting their money's worth and not be able to go to the parks.

The actors were great but it's a little too much IMO and definitely drove up the price of Starcruiser, people generally want a more passive experience where they can come and go as they please like if during random times in the day there were attacks from Stormtroopers in the lobby and then a show ends after like 10 minutes and then people can go about their day. People WILL pay extra money for a very well themed hotel.

I absolutely agree - Starcruiser was such a cluster but it could have and probably should have been successful. The issues were in the execution but not the idea of a heavily themed hotel (particularly a heavy space/star wars theme - just look at how successful Space 220 has been). If anyone reading is interested in what went wrong - Jenny Nicholson's Youtube video about it's failure is absolutely worth the 4 hour watch. Seriously, it's incredible.


So - TLDR for those with sort attention spans (no shade, me too) - I think the next DVC project after LSL has to be a MK direct gate off Adventureland. It would sell like crazy regardless of the cash cost or points chart, DW will be the last Disney park without a direct gate hotel, alot of the site prep has been accomplished already with the clearing, leveling and filling of the laydown yard for Villians/Cars, and they don't need an additional transportation option besides buses to other parks.

 

[pzw90]

I don't think Disney will ever make an entirely DVC resort

I disagree. Look at Riviera, CFW, and PIT addition, all DVC. I think it’s the opposite, and all DVC gives them more flexibility, what they don’t sell they can offer as a cash room. Then when they sell more as DVC, less they need to worry about filling rooms and MF are paid for upkeep. They can always hold more back from being sold if they want more cash rooms.

 

[walt34]

If they build a resort right next to the Magic Kingdom, the hotel can make use of the MK station, so they won't need a monorail station. Another stop this close just wouldn't make sense. If you tried to use it in the morning to go to the TTC and Epcot, it would always be full of people going to MK (but empty after the MK stop), and in the evening people would be trying to use the hotel stop to get on the resort monorail and beat the MK crowds.

I'm still not sure they will build a hotel there, because if they decide to expand Magic Kingdom further in the future, they won't be able to move the hotel. This real estate is irreplaceable and how far would they be able to push the room prices to make it worth it? Helios Grand is already cheaper than the Grand Floridian.

Regarding the monorail, I think they will replace it with something like the Skyliner at some point in the future. I'm not saying that's what I'd like them to do, but I think that's what they'll do.

 

[SugarSweetLee]

I don't think Disney will ever make an entirely DVC resort. They gain too much flexibility by splitting resorts. Cash rooms can soak up unrented/sold DVC and help cover common expenses (like lobby renos) in a more flexible way than DVC can.

I think this is backwards? My understanding is that unsold DVC (still owned by Disney) can be rented out as cash, but cash-declared inventory can't be added back to DVC availability, so Disney is on the hook for unfilled rooms. When cash rent traffic is down for whatever reason, DVC is a dependable source of (essentially) prepaid bookings.

 

[SugarSweetLee]

I disagree. Look at Riviera, CFW, and PIT addition, all DVC. I think it’s the opposite, and all DVC gives them more flexibility, what they don’t sell they can offer as a cash room. Then when they sell more as DVC, less they need to worry about filling rooms and MF are paid for upkeep. They can always hold more back from being sold if they want more cash rooms.

Exactly this.

 

[Chili327]

I think the next DVC project after LSL has to be a MK direct gate off Adventureland. It would sell like crazy regardless of the cash cost or points chart, DW will be the last Disney park without a direct gate hotel, alot of the site prep has been accomplished already with the clearing, leveling and filling of the laydown yard for Villians/Cars, and they don't need an additional transportation option besides buses to other parks.

Indeed, if there was a monorail stop more people would get off there and use that entrance, this way it keeps it to more hotel guests only.

 

[BrianLa]

Indeed, if there was a monorail stop more people would get off there and use that entrance, this way it keeps it to more hotel guests only.

I believe Universal Helios Grand Hotel restricts the Hotel Park Entrance to Helios guests only to prevent this.

 

[Kailunkat]

I think this is backwards? My understanding is that unsold DVC (still owned by Disney) can be rented out as cash, but cash-declared inventory can't be added back to DVC availability, so Disney is on the hook for unfilled rooms. When cash rent traffic is down for whatever reason, DVC is a dependable source of (essentially) prepaid bookings.

Yes - this is totally true as well. My point was that you would not want a hotel with only DVC or only Cash for these reasons. If it were only cash you might loose out on the occupancy side but if you were only DVC you would lose out on amenities for guests (you can sell a DVC room as a cash room if needed but those guests still function as a cash guest - they need more support and amenities for their stay and tend to vacation differently from DVCers). So it makes sense to have the synergy. Does that make sense? Sorry if that was unclear - I wrote the original at 4am lol

 

[Kailunkat]

I disagree. Look at Riviera, CFW, and PIT addition, all DVC. I think it’s the opposite, and all DVC gives them more flexibility, what they don’t sell they can offer as a cash room. Then when they sell more as DVC, less they need to worry about filling rooms and MF are paid for upkeep. They can always hold more back from being sold if they want more cash rooms.

You make an interesting point with RIV (CFW has not been even close to being 100% declared and I don’t think it ever will be, and PIT is part of the overall PVB/Polynesian site which is cash and DVC mixed). Is RIV all DVC suite rooms and not a mix of hotel style rooms and DVC? If so then you are completely correct. RIV is usually so off my radar (the restricted points thing makes most of my points invalid there) that I didn’t even think about it.

 

[Tatebeck]

I think OKW (and maybe SSR?) are 100% DVC in addition to (eventually pending declarations) RIV and CFW

 

[pks_domer]

The thing with us is we would never (unless no other choice) stay in value studios. My wife will always want savannah.

I can't remember how many values at Jambo have savannah view, but we had a week in a value that was SV...

EDIT: I should've read further-- @disneylandtour had the numbers!

 

[pks_domer]

It depends on what you want. About six months a year, I work fully remote. The AKV value studios are perfect for seven to ten days. They have an actual table and regular chair (not all studios do--I'm looking at you Boulder Ridge). They have drawers for clothes, not just under the bed storage. (That's you, RIV.). Compared to some other resorts (CCV, GF), it's super quiet during the day. The one big drawback (aside from the bus only transportation) is that the showers here are the old style tub showers without a hand nozzle. Still, work nine-ish hours for the day and then chill out at the bar or pool.

Are the value rooms a little smaller than the regular studios?

 

[Carouselofplanning]

I believe Universal Helios Grand Hotel restricts the Hotel Park Entrance to Helios guests only to prevent this.

The Disney “park entrance” hotel will be at Epcot.