Well, it's happening, can't get VWL or BCV at 7month window, and I own at both!!!!!

[Muushka]

Excellent suggestion, WDW could use a fresh Dinner Show...or if nothing else, a reincarnation of Broadway at the Top that used to be where CA Grill is now. Or even some play having to do with the "horse" theme of the resort.

I loved that Broadway show!

I know,

 

[Beca]

If I said the one thing about the Yacht and Beach Club resort that I dislike the most was the addition of DVC, I am sure some would get defensive about that. I just think it is natural when one really likes something to be somewhat protective of others wanting to change it.

Actually, I have heard that A LOT on the resort board....and, it is a fair statement. If I was a die hard YC/BC fan....I might be a little "miffed" about that. I have even heard of CM's at the BCV telling hotel guests things to the effect of "This place has really gone downhill since they let the DVC people in". They talk about us unloading our Walmart grocery bags in the lobby, and trying to "stuff" too many people into the room. Some CM's definitely think we are the "crack dealers" of the resort. I'll still never forget the time when I added my dh and dd into my mom's room (on my points...we were staying offsite for a competition). They made ME check everyone in, since my name was on the contract, and they were too busy pin-trading with Art. The CM at the check-in counter told me no less than FIVE times that, although the rest of my party could swim at SAB, that I was NOT to do so, and that I was NOT allowed to sleep on an air mattress in the room!! I thought...."Boy, she really thinks we are trash!!" I thought it was REALLY funny!!

I have to admit....I did get a little nervous when the BCV GM said they were "remodeling" the BCV But, then I took a deep breath and said, "Well....maybe it will be better?!" And seriously...who doesn't want new mattresses and sleeper sofas?

But, if DVC made an announcement that they were "improving" BCV by adding more amenities....I'd be all over that!!! Hot air balloons are part of the theming, so if they offered Hot Air balloon rides off the tennis courts...I'd say, "Bring 'em on!!" And, if they want to re-open Ariel's...ABSOLUTELY!!! And, if they want have Ariel standing the BCV lobby to greet guests as they arrive...LET's GO!!!! AND....if they want to hire Johnny Depp to pose for pictures every day at SAB....well, that one would be "iffy"....but, I guess I would just have to endure it. But, it would never occur to me to say, "Why are they doing this? Does this mean there is something WRONG with my resort? Are people saying it's not good enough that they should have to "add" to it? I guess I don't care WHAT the reason is....I'd take Johnny Depp anyway I can get him!!!

Beca

 

[2Princes2Princesses]

I guess I don't care WHAT the reason is....I'd take Johnny Depp anyway I can get him!!!

Beca

I love SSR the way it is, but Mr. Depp is more than welcome to share it in any way he sees fit.

I would be booking the "Johnny Depp view" at 11 months out...day by day.

I do think a small ice cream stand would be great at SSR.

This is a good a place as any to mention this, but I thought about it earlier....I paid a buttload of money at a place 1200 miles a way to stay at a resort themed after somewhere I could drive to in an hour.

Maybe that is why I am so sensitive. It really does remind me of home. Now all they need is 90 inches of snow.

 

[Beca]

Now all they need is 90 inches of snow.

Now, I'd be booking that view day-bay-day for sure!!!



Beca

 

[gjw007]

Actually, DVC can restrict us to booking only our home resort. This is extremely unlikely, of course, but they do have the ability to do so by our contracts. I imagine we may see his put into effect about 2040, to control bookings during the last years of the original DVC resorts. Of course, there may be no problem, even then...who knows. But just clarifying that DVC does have the ability to do that.

Just as they can restrict an individuals usage of points if the building they own is destroyed by some sort of catastrophe. They seemed to try to plan for all the "what ifs" they could when they designed the program.

Chuck:
I understand that but the points that was coming across in some of the postings appear to have a different purpose. I will leave it that there are some very passionate opinions on the subject and leave it there. But I do disagree with the sentiment of these posts.

I think Beca has the right approach in making some suggesting in improving SSR but I think that all the resorts could use some positive suggestions, not just SSR. I like it as it is but really there are always improvements that can be made as long as it does lose its charm.

 

[KLEONARD]

I have been reading the posts about SSR. I googled “Saratoga Springs Resort Architect”. I came up with Graham Gund. I googled Graham Gund. He is an architect who is credited with working on Vero Beach, Coronado Springs, Saratoga Springs and the Celebration Hotel. Gund is known for designing on college campuses. Clusters of individual buildings set into distinct neighborhoods. The grounds are left with space for water features and landscaping.
WDW had 65 acres to work with for SSR. If another DVC is to be built on a large parcel of land, in my opinion, Gund may have the inside track. The building process at SSR sounds like steel framing with cast-concrete construction. This technique explains why the buildings are going up so quickly, as apposed to traditional "stick" built construction. This new construction is supposed to be relatively maintenance free (hopefully lower fees for SSR owners). It may also explain the concrete hallways that are semi-open to the elements. Noise dampening is a side benefit to this type of building.
Will Disney build more CSR and SSR type projects? Probably. They seem to work (I think all the proposed phases of SSR are built or are nearly complete. I own at SSR, that is why I was so curious about these mundane details. I will be going in Sept for my wife's Birthday. I will be trying to take a good look at the new buildings, after reading about the construction details.
It all boils down to the future of DVC. SSR is bigger than the previous resorts. Does Disney think it failed in this endeavor? On the contrary, sales SEEM to be progressing as fast as construction. The newest Villas (Grandstand?) and the accompanying pool look like a great location. I like the way the architect has filled the grounds. I agree with the other SSR owners. I bought there because I was impressed with the quality. Now that I understand the thought process behind the size of the resort, I can appreciate it even more. In the end, to each his/her own.
But if you hear the name of Gund on the next DVC project, take a good look at SSR. You might be looking at the future of DVC.

 

[HUFF590]

I have been reading the posts about SSR. I googled “Saratoga Springs Resort Architect”. I came up with Graham Gund. I googled Graham Gund. He is an architect who is credited with working on Vero Beach, Coronado Springs, Saratoga Springs and the Celebration Hotel. Gund is known for designing on college campuses. Clusters of individual buildings set into distinct neighborhoods. The grounds are left with space for water features and landscaping.
WDW had 65 acres to work with for SSR. If another DVC is to be built on a large parcel of land, in my opinion, Gund may have the inside track. The building process at SSR sounds like steel framing with cast-concrete construction. This technique explains why the buildings are going up so quickly, as apposed to traditional "stick" built construction. This new construction is supposed to be relatively maintenance free (hopefully lower fees for SSR owners). It may also explain the concrete hallways that are semi-open to the elements. Noise dampening is a side benefit to this type of building.
Will Disney build more CSR and SSR type projects? Probably. They seem to work (I think all the proposed phases of SSR are built or are nearly complete. I own at SSR, that is why I was so curious about these mundane details. I will be going in Sept for my wife's Birthday. I will be trying to take a good look at the new buildings, after reading about the construction details.
It all boils down to the future of DVC. SSR is bigger than the previous resorts. Does Disney think it failed in this endeavor? On the contrary, sales SEEM to be progressing as fast as construction. The newest Villas (Grandstand?) and the accompanying pool look like a great location. I like the way the architect has filled the grounds. I agree with the other SSR owners. I bought there because I was impressed with the quality. Now that I understand the thought process behind the size of the resort, I can appreciate it even more. In the end, to each his/her own.
But if you hear the name of Gund on the next DVC project, take a good look at SSR. You might be looking at the future of DVC.

Thank you for the research .I think Disney new exactly what they wanted in SSR and I think it will continue to grow on alot of people.

 

[rinkwide]

...I think Disney new exactly what they wanted in SSR...

Maintained margin.

 

[seabright1]

But if you hear the name of Gund on the next DVC project, take a good look at SSR. You might be looking at the future of DVC.

A housing project?

 

[2Princes2Princesses]

A housing project?

Oh boy......

 

[Chuck S]

A reminder, discussion of the 7 month window is NOT an open invitation to resort bash.

 

[jjohnson]

This is a good a place as any to mention this, but I thought about it earlier....I paid a buttload of money at a place 1200 miles a way to stay at a resort themed after somewhere I could drive to in an hour.

My DH said the same thing before we bought "we could stay at the Gideon/Putnam for ALOT less money"

 

[jjohnson]

A housing project?

Oh ENOUGH already!

 

[crisi]

I have been reading the posts about SSR. I googled “Saratoga Springs Resort Architect”. I came up with Graham Gund. I googled Graham Gund. He is an architect who is credited with working on Vero Beach, Coronado Springs, Saratoga Springs and the Celebration Hotel. Gund is known for designing on college campuses. Clusters of individual buildings set into distinct neighborhoods. The grounds are left with space for water features and landscaping.
WDW had 65 acres to work with for SSR. If another DVC is to be built on a large parcel of land, in my opinion, Gund may have the inside track. The building process at SSR sounds like steel framing with cast-concrete construction. This technique explains why the buildings are going up so quickly, as apposed to traditional "stick" built construction. This new construction is supposed to be relatively maintenance free (hopefully lower fees for SSR owners). It may also explain the concrete hallways that are semi-open to the elements. Noise dampening is a side benefit to this type of building.
Will Disney build more CSR and SSR type projects? Probably. They seem to work (I think all the proposed phases of SSR are built or are nearly complete. I own at SSR, that is why I was so curious about these mundane details. I will be going in Sept for my wife's Birthday. I will be trying to take a good look at the new buildings, after reading about the construction details.
It all boils down to the future of DVC. SSR is bigger than the previous resorts. Does Disney think it failed in this endeavor? On the contrary, sales SEEM to be progressing as fast as construction. The newest Villas (Grandstand?) and the accompanying pool look like a great location. I like the way the architect has filled the grounds. I agree with the other SSR owners. I bought there because I was impressed with the quality. Now that I understand the thought process behind the size of the resort, I can appreciate it even more. In the end, to each his/her own.
But if you hear the name of Gund on the next DVC project, take a good look at SSR. You might be looking at the future of DVC.

And if that is the case, if you want to enjoy the smaller resorts regularly, buy a contract there and utilize your home advantage. Some percentage of ALL resort owners enjoy the flexibility of staying "somewhere other than their home." As I said earlier, there will always be less than 200 rooms at VWL (sorry, VWL guys, its small and the BCVs folk get picked on enough) - with each member that is added who has any desire to stay at VWL, the competition for those rooms increases. And while a CRV or VAKL might be interesting, if it isn't large, the competition at seven months may be such that most people never get an opportunity to stay if they don't own - or don't know how to work the system. Even knowing the system may turn this more into a Cindy's breakfast dial-a-thon than I'd like to participate in.

I do think there is some "walling in" with people unable to cancel where they are because what they have is booked working from both ends. I also think the loophole of transferred points is biting people - particularly with rentals. I think that a lot of resort owners are booking reservations and renting, but that is their perogative. I also think that the waitlist is "bent" - that if Beca cancels her reservation, and Chuck calls before the waitlist batch is run to see I'm on the waitlist, Chuck will get the room - and his perception is that "I got BCVs at five months - I don't know why there is this big deal about seven months" while I think that the waitlist isn't working (I think bent is a better description than broken, since from DVCs perspective, it works).

 

[LoveMyDVC2]

As a proud owner of SSR I feel that I can't be the only new owner who wants to try all the other DVC resorts. Think about it, all these new owners...why wouldn't they want to see what is out there. Me included. I also should add that while I have a reservation at SSR for my next vacation, I plan to try and get VWL at the 7 month window.(last year we stayed at BWV) Not because I don't like SSR, but because according to some discussion on the DIS, it will become harder to get into one of these resorts as time goes by. Is it wrong to believe that I should try other resorts now while I can. Before it gets too difficult?

I bought SSR because I loved it. I think the location is great (DTD), I love that there is a spa there, and I also love the relaxed feeling there. That being said, I can't wait until I have tried them all so that I can feel like I CAN stay at my beloved SSR.

Perhaps, a lot of SSR owners just want to TRY things out elsewhere while we can. Maybe this will ease all you BCV, BWV, and VWL owners. Maybe in 5 years when all the SSR owners have made it through all the DVC properties, the ease of booking at 7 months will even out.

Just a thought
Pam

 

[Chuck S]

As a proud owner of SSR I feel that I can't be the only new owner who wants to try all the other DVC resorts. Think about it, all these new owners...why wouldn't they want to see what is out there. Me included. I also should add that while I have a reservation at SSR for my next vacation, I plan to try and get VWL at the 7 month window.(last year we stayed at BWV) Not because I don't like SSR, but because according to some discussion on the DIS, it will become harder to get into one of these resorts as time goes by. Is it wrong to believe that I should try other resorts now while I can. Before it gets too difficult?

I bought SSR because I loved it. I think the location is great (DTD), I love that there is a spa there, and I also love the relaxed feeling there. That being said, I can't wait until I have tried them all so that I can feel like I CAN stay at my beloved SSR.

Perhaps, a lot of SSR owners just want to TRY things out elsewhere while we can. Maybe this will ease all you BCV, BWV, and VWL owners. Maybe in 5 years when all the SSR owners have made it through all the DVC properties, the ease of booking at 7 months will even out.

Just a thought
Pam

This is true, also. Many existing members try a new resort when it opens, there are always reviews posted shortly after opening day. Why shouldn't the reverse also be true, that new members want to try the existing resorts?

 

[starbox]

Perhaps, a lot of SSR owners just want to TRY things out elsewhere while we can.

I agree. We WDW in part because of the resorts. I'm a resort hopper, and we collect our little pins from each place we stay and take pictures in the lobby. One thing that made DVC attractive was that it opened up all the resorts including the DVC specific ones. Sure, I could have rented points or gone through CRO - but at some point it made more sense to be a DVC member.

We own at SSR. I'd like to try the other resorts once and I'm sure I'll want to try whatever new resorts they open at least once. It seems like there is often an assumption that people "choose" one resort and that's it, but I think a lot of DVC members just like Disney. I also like the AP discount on other resorts and will continue to stay in non DVC WDW resorts despite the membership.

 

[seabright1]

This is true, also. Many existing members try a new resort when it opens, there are always reviews posted shortly after opening day. Why shouldn't the reverse also be true, that new members want to try the existing resorts?

Tried BCV, OKW, WVL and they resorts with "some" AWE. 2 months ago, I was forced to try Saratoga because there are no availabilities at the resorts with "some" AWE. This has not happened before Saratoga Springs. NOthing against the owners, but I am really upset at DVC for building that thing. I can say that the experience 2 months ago was "ful" of AW.
Lesson learned: If I don't want "leftovers" book early.

 

[gjw007]

I wonder, if I were a perspective owner of DVC, after reading this thread, would I want to get a DVC ownership? Probably not! And that would include BCV, BMW, OKW, and VWL in addition to SSR.

 

[Sammie]

I wonder, if I were a perspective owner of DVC, after reading this thread, would I want to get a DVC ownership? Probably not! And that would include BCV, BMW, OKW, and VWL in addition to SSR.

No offense, but truly if a perspective owner of DVC lets anything posted to these forums make or break their decision, then I agree they should not buy.

We are dealing with people's opinions here, they would do good to remember that.