Right now, AKV's MF's are subsidized by Disney until the resort sells out. Once it sells out, you should see an adjustment to those MF's. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't get right up there with BWV.
The AKV subsidy has been eliminated as of the 2009 budget, and AKV is still about 5% less than BWV.
The purpose of a subsidy is to avoid charging a small population of owners for the full cost of amenities designed for a much larger population. In other words, if AKV were only projected to be 50% sold by the end of 2009, those owner should not have to pay the full cost of operating the main pool or front desk.
If the subsidy is calculated properly, it should disappear organically once the resort is completely sold.
For what its worth (and not that we necessarily believed it), our guide told us that the resorts with enclosed hallways had higher maintenance fees because of the electric used to keep the hallways cool as well as to maintain the hallways,i.e. carpeting, shampooing. Outside entranceways cost much less to maintain by simply hosing them down. Out guide was pretty upfront when AKV came on the market and told us he expects AKV to eventually have the highest maintenance fees because besides the inside hallways, there is the shared cost with AKL to maintain the animals.
I'm sure there is some truth to the hallways costing more, but it's probably pennies over a full resort's budget. At SSR the 2009 utilities budget is $.30 per point. For BWV it is $.37.
As others have said, the biggest factor at BWV is the low point Standard View rooms. Those Standard View units add fewer points to the system, which means each point carries a higher portion of the dues burden. If the Standard View rooms had instead been classed the same as other Preferred View, the additional points at BWV would effectively reduce the budget by at least 5% per year.
Aside from that, there will always be differences from one resort to another. Variations in building materials used, construction methods, resort amenities, refurbishment timelines, etc.
As for AKV passing BWV, that certainly could happen. Right now BWV is only 7% higher. If BWV were to increase at a rate of 3% annually and AKV 4% annually, it would only take 8-9 years for AKV to pass BWV. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen.
Add to that only one pool to maintain and less elevators to inspect every year.
The Contemporary resort will have at least two pools once BLT opens and owners will most likely share in the cost of maintaining both.
I'm sure there are some reductions due to the smaller footprint of the BLT resort, but the biggest difference compared to others is the higher
point charts. More points sharing the dues burden means each point contributes less.
disneynutz said:
What about the fact that it's a brand new resort? What is there to maintain when it first opens?
BLT may be brand new but there will still be a maintenance budget. I believe it's slated at $.30 per point which is a few pennies less than SSR and AKV. But BLT owners will begin contributing to the Capital Reserve fund from day one. Over $.80 per point of their dues will go into the fund to help pay for roof replacements and parking lot repaving projects years down the road.
