Old Key West Incentives

[Yankee626]

If your gonna buy direct I would buy VGF for a few bucks more and get more value. Thats just me.

 

[D-Trick]

If your gonna buy direct I would buy VGF for a few bucks more and get more value. Thats just me.

You're not the only person who thinks that, and you're not wrong in terms of dollar value... but I have a feeling that the only people buying OKW direct know what they're buying as it compares to VGF or RIV. Also, at a certain age, the extra years have no value.

 

[Genie+]

OKW has high dues which makes trading out less appealing. But… for those who really enjoy OKW, the low point chart and big room offerings, makes sense to own there. Recently I tried to add an OKW studio in Dec at 7 months and days were already blocked. Likely because they were only 10pts/nt! For a studio that has 2 real beds. OKW seems like a great resort for those wanting to host friends and family without breaking the bank.

 

[Cfabar1]

When you consider just how far those points go and the fact DVC began with a 230 point minimum, it’s so clear that DVC began as a very different product than it is today with a 150 point minimum. OKW points chart is amazing.

 

[CarolynFH]

When you consider just how far those points go and the fact DVC began with a 230 point minimum, it’s so clear that DVC began as a very different product than it is today with a 150 point minimum. OKW points chart is amazing.

Somewhere on these boards is a link to an early 1990s marketing video for The Disney Vacation Club. Those 230 points covered something like a week in a 2BR with the family plus an extra vacation in a studio for just the two of you. Very different from today!

 

[Genie+]

Somewhere on these boards is a link to an early 1990s marketing video for The Disney Vacation Club. Those 230 points covered something like a week in a 2BR with the family plus an extra vacation in a studio for just the two of you. Very different from today!

That sounds like a good plan!

 

[Cfabar1]

That sounds like a good plan!

Somewhere on these boards is a link to an early 1990s marketing video for The Disney Vacation Club. Those 230 points covered something like a week in a 2BR with the family plus an extra vacation in a studio for just the two of you. Very different from today!

Would LOVE to see that video. I'll search and see if I can find it.

 

[Cfabar1]

Found it!

 

[Genie+]

Found it!

32” Color TV in the Grand Villa. I’m sold!

It’s interesting. Many details are still the greatest ones today. Ability upsize, downsize, bank, borrow, change seasons, etc. More parks and more resorts make that even better.

 

[Epcot Forever Forever]

32” Color TV in the Grand Villa. I’m sold!

It’s interesting. Many details are still the greatest ones today. Ability upsize, downsize, bank, borrow, change seasons, etc. More parks and more resorts make that even better.

The only real changes for an original OKW owner are the ability to use points at other resorts and the retooling of points from being dirt cheap on weeknights and insane on weekends to the more balanced current system.

And some bigger TVs. Still on the back of the kitchen island!

 

[Cfabar1]

Sorry, was going to post a link to the original points chart, but it is blocked.

 

[Epcot Forever Forever]

Sorry, was going to post a link to the original points chart, but it is blocked.

Even as recently as 2009 a weekend night could be 2.5X a weeknight. Wild stuff.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Found it!

This is awesome to see again. Thanks. Reminds me why we bought in 93 - a really, really good decision for our family! All the way back to the original name, too - Old Key West was called The Disney Vacation Club before a name change due to other DVC resorts being built!! I don't think they could have imagined how much it would grow.

 

[Cfabar1]

This is awesome to see again. Thanks. Reminds me why we bought in 93 - a really, really good decision for our family! All the way back to the original name, too - Old Key West was called The Disney Vacation Club before a name change due to other DVC resorts being built!! I don't think they could have imagined how much it would grow.

No, I really don't think they imagined the product they ended up with at all. Based on the early advertisements they emphasized variety of vacationing, and strongly emphasized the exchange system. I think Disney still uses Interval. Maybe initially they had a stronger exchange program. I also found it interesting they emphasized that you could exchange into Paris Disneyland or the Disneyland Hotel in California, something they certainly don't emphasize today given the hideous exchange rates. Maybe initially in the old days they weren't so bad?

Also, look at where they built their next resorts, and at the proposed locations they had at the time.
- Vero Beach
- Newport (never built) https://www.yesterland.com/ncv.html
- Hilton Head Island

as well as the rumored locations where they had land in Colorado and New York City.

What they envisioned, I think, was a program similar to Marriott, Westgate, etc. and an expansion of "bringing Disney across the country" and making Disney's name "synonymous with customer experience and tourism". Watching some of the older videos, it is interesting who they viewed the target demographic based on who appeared in the video. Lots of empty nesters for example. Ultimately, Disney found great success with the resort properties, and decided it was not necessary to rely on these properties.

This is way off topic, but I personally would love to see return to the Eisner and Wells vision of being a bold, large scale company that tried new things, experimented and succeeded and failed boldly. Under Iger, Disney now runs like a well-oiled machine, but in some ways, arguably too well-oiled and unwilling to take chances. I am not optimistic it will happen until Disney gets new leadership and/or goes through a much more existential challenge than what it currently faces.