WDW Future Effect On DVC

[WolfpackFan]

This may be a crazy question (and the more I think about it, I'm sure it is) but here goes anyway. I am 75% sure we will join DVC in June. Has anyone ever had any misgivings about the future of WDW itself and how that future might effect your DVC membership? I guess what I'm saying is 10-20 years from now do you think WDW will still be the "magical" place we've come to love? Do you see any possibility WDW might could really slide downhill over a period of time and maybe even close some parks? It seems to me that DVC membership hinges so much on WDW (as versus other timeshares like at a beach) that if WDW had major problems your investment could really be in question. I'm not sure if any of this makes sense but I just want to quell any doubts I might have before June when we go down.

Thanks.

 

[Lisa F]

Anything is possible. At a timeshare resort at a beach, I think it is MUCH more likely that the resort itself will fall into disrepair and you will be stuck paying maintenance fees on something in scary shape than ANYTHING run by disney having that fate.

It's also possible that something catasrophic will happen to WDW and that the parks will close, but IMHO, if the economy gets bad enough that they start closing parks, we are essentially talking about another great depression and the least of my worries at that point would be where to go on vacation. Disneyland is approaching 50 years old and there is less than 40 years left in DVC so I feel extremely confident that barring anything extraordinarily bad that WDW is here for a good, long time.

Lisa

 

[WolfpackFan]

That's a good point about Disneyland, I hadn't thought about how long it had been around. Thanks for your reply. Hopefully over the years, Disney will keep putting money into the parks and they will stay as nice and magical as they are now. And we certainly see signs of that with the planned changes to Epcot and AK and even with the new rides opening up like Mission: Space.

 

[colleen costello]

I actually figure the world will end sooner than Disney will. If things are so bad, as said above, the last of our problems will be out vacation club.

I barely remember, but wasn't the economy really bad for a while in the 70's with inflation and such? Disney was so full-up back then that reservations needed to be made a year in advance. I see the DVC as fairly recession-proof and imagine that if all else failed, we could have a nice vacation without leaving the resort.

 

[dianeschlicht]

It was magical to us 25 years ago and still is, so I don't worry about that changin in the next 25!

 

[laceemouse]

Even when profits are sliding at Disney, it is still worth billions of dollars. Barring armageddon, I'm not too worried about Disney being around until my DVC expires!

 

[Pa@okw95]

WDW has changed a great deal since it opened in the early 70's. It once was a upscale place with only deluxe accommodations-the Contemporary, the Polynesian, and the Disney Inn were the only 3 resorts and there was the camp grounds. In 1988 they opened the first moderate resort, the the mid to late 90's they opened their first value resort as well as selling the Disney Inn. It also has opened many more parks and attractions which is great because when they just had MK too crowded. The attractions are now changing to attract a more local base of young people. What you have to ask yourself is WDW and where it is headed the place you want to go to for a good part of your life for vacations??I no longer love WDW, I think the level of service has fallen as the place has become more open to everyone. I think WDW has gotten away from the family theme of attractions where the whole family could enjoy like Walt Disney wanted to the more thrill ride amusement park type rides. If WDW continues this trend it may be in for trouble or then again it may not. I don't beleive that even if the parks close or get into a situation where they may only be open during more popular times it will effect DVC. DVC will be there if WDW is open or not and at this point in my life I really do not care one way or another. Florida is a great place to go in the winter and OKW is just a great place to stay, WDW or not.

 

[sgtdilbert]

Are you kidding? Eisner has had a decade to take down the company and still hasn't been able to manage that despite his best efforts! If Eisner can't bring it down, then I imagine our investment is a wise and safe one!



s.

 

[colleen costello]

I also agree with Pa that even if the parks got completely revolting, I would still enjoy visiting Florida for the climate as well as the Disney resorts. I think DVC can stand alone!

 

[crisi]

I need about six trips to get return on investment. For us, that's twelve years. Then, if I'm unhappy, I can sell it - at a loss if I need to.

Yes, I think Disney could lose its magic in 39 years. Its less likely to lose it in twelve.

And, even if the parks loose quality, if the golf courses are kept in shape, we will be happy once the kids get older (Disney can't go downhill while my kids still like Dumbo). Besides, we live in Minnesota. A dump in Florida in January would be a pleasant retreat.

 

[dvc guy]

Any timeshare is a roll of the dice. Think that Hilton, Sheraton or Marriott is a better purchase, think again. Disney is a hugh company made up of many parts and is not going away anytime soon.

As posted it you are really concerned , figure out your break even point.

When I bougth DVC 99 , my thoughts were is Disney going to be here in 10 years and will they maintain the resort.
The answer to both questions was yes.

I have already gotten past the breakeven point , one of the best purchases I ever made. DD, DS now look forward to our Christmas trip every year. As they say on the MasterCard ad
Look on the kids face every year in WDW " PRICELESS"

 

[SlyHubby]

If WDW and/or some of the parks close, then you can bet the city of Orlando and the state of Florida are going to have much bigger problems than we will - tourism will go down enormously, tax revenues will go down dramatically, unemployment will skyrocket, etc., etc.

WDW and tourism are an extremely high percentage of what keeps the Florida economy going strong.

From a business perspective, Disney's franchise is probably one of the strongest in existence. There are very few strong competitors in their space. How many companies that target kids 10 years old and younger have the brand awareness that Disney has? It's not like the world population is going down or there are less kids being born - and how many parents do you know that deny their kids of anything Disney? ABC, ESPN, and their other franchises - not the best right now, but in the bigger corporate picture, they fit well and when the economy performs well, so do they.

My personal bet - sometime within the next 10 years you are going to see a merger between Disney and McDonald's.

You should not be concerned that WDW and/or Disney will go away in the future. They'll be around to take all the DVC memberships back in 39 years.

 

[timC]

Here are 4 senarios that might have a negative impact on DVD.

1. Serious competition to the theme park industry as a form of family entertainment; people would get bored with WDW and move on to ___. Disneyland has proven the concept has staying power, and even competition such as Universal Studios, seems only to have strengthened the industry.

2. Disney management gives up on WDW. If Disney management somehow screws up the company, and is forced to sell WDW, all bets are off. Disney is an enormous, diversified corporation. It would take a decades, but certainly is not out of the relm of possibilities.

3. Disney sells it's DVD interest, to _____ . This would certainly take some of pixie dust out my vacation experience. Again, a management blunder, but certainly possible.

4. The most likely scenarios will be the ones closer to home... Your family moves on to other interests; You make a lifestyle change that excludes vacationing in Florida; Financial issues force you to sell your interest; Divorce, death, or other life altering events are also possible.

There are plenty of re-sales our there, probably because of one of these reasons in #4. The good news is that there are also plenty of buyers...including Disney! The financial risk is currently very low.

Bottom line.... If it feels right for you and your family and it fits your budget, go for it!

 

[WDWguruDH]

Actually I did think of this...was concerned that, as with any timeshare, that we were tying ourselves to one place. Furthermore, we are tied to an entity, WDW that we really have no control over. But, as already stated, we realized that Disneyland has been going for 40+ years and WDW has be been going for 30. It has only gotten bigger and better, so it is reasonable to expect it to continue for at least another 40. Even if it doesn't, it will last long enough to get to a break-even(about 7-10 years). Anything beyond that is bonus. One of the things that tipped us over was the success of DVC...with this many people buying in, it is probable that there will be continued success with the parks and resorts - they have a built in 65,000 plus members to help keep it all going. There isn't another timeshare area that has been that successful - you throw in all the other timeshares in Orlando and the built in visitors to the area is huge.