Why Lakeshore Lodge?

[PolyRob]

Yeah things never get cheaper

Yeah, I just don't know that size, especially if DVC has taken over previous cash inventory, will dictate the points chart. CCV is one of the smaller DVC resorts and the points chart is low and mirrors BRV. Riviera is more of a moderately sized resort and it's high and PVB is twice the size of Riviera and even higher.

I was going off MK resort area, boat access, room occupancy, and villa layout with potential for a full extra bathroom. If LSL has all of those things with "luxurious nature inspired rooms," it will be differentiated from every MK resort, even the monorail resorts. PVB would come close, but PVB IT studios only sleep four. The longhouse studios sleep five.

 

[RivGirl]

All good points. I was just responding to the quip the CM was said to have made about lower points charts, and if that were true, what that made me wonder about the rooms themselves.

Maybe the resort will have a wide variety of rooms, with some Value level that would be lower points than RIV, but otherwise have a similar (or higher) points chart.

Or maybe they’ll all be higher! Who knows.

BLT has 1BR that sleep 5 and have 2 bathrooms, no? But I guess the studios there only sleep 4, IIRC.

 

[PolyRob]

All good points. I was just responding to the quip the CM was said to have made about lower points charts, and if that were true, what that made me wonder about the rooms themselves.

Maybe the resort will have a wide variety of rooms, with some Value level that would be lower points than RIV, but otherwise have a similar (or higher) points chart.

Or maybe they’ll all be higher! Who knows.

BLT has 1BR that sleep 5 and have 2 bathrooms, no? But I guess the studios there only sleep 4, IIRC.

Yes, we may get some interesting configurations if the original plan had cash rooms that DVC has now taken over.

You are correct about BLT! And VGF sleeps five in both studios and one-bedrooms, but only has one full bathroom similar to Riviera.

 

[LoveToDisney]

Better point chart and 2 bathrooms in a 1BR please!!

 

[Disney Spaz]

I doubt we will add on as we love and are pretty dedicated to our home resorts. That being said I cannot wait to try it out. If the Poly Tower says anything Disney has learned 2 bathrooms is critical in a 1bdrm to justify the extra points costs when they have the same occupancy as a studio. The single bathroom in the VGF 1bdrm was a huge disappointment to me after BLT and AKV KV added a second bathroom in their 1bedrooms.

As far as points charts I would hope/expect them to be less than PVB, VGF & BLT but not as low as CCV or BRV as I think the rooms will be bigger. I am also wondering about the configurations of those rooms with no balcony. I think those might need to be their own catagory and slightly lower points cost.

I also believe that the location and proximity to both MK and FT Wilderness is a huge benefit. There is so much to do at the fort and you have the luxury of being close to MK but far enough away to get a peacful break from the crowds and the action.

 

[DonkeyHoTay]

Better point chart and 2 bathrooms in a 1BR please!!

Under appreciated point and suggestion! Lately I find myself with a strong preference for 1 bdrm villas at Poly tower, BLT and Kidani Village specifically because of the generous number of bathrooms!

 

[Disney Spaz]

Under appreciated point and suggestion! Lately I find myself with a strong preference for 1 bdrm villas at Poly tower, BLT and Kidani Village specifically because of the generous number of bathrooms!

This is why we added on at PVB 18 months ago. We were going to add on to our CCV points but the 1bdrms at the Tower having 2 bathrooms swayed us and we did an add on there. I really think Disney missed the mark at some of the resorts by not having 2 bathrooms in the 1bedrooms.

 

[DonkeyHoTay]

This is why we added on at PVB 18 months ago. We were going to add on to our CCV points but the 1bdrms at the Tower having 2 bathrooms swayed us and we did an add on there. I really think Disney missed the mark at some of the resorts by not having 2 bathrooms in the 1bedrooms.

100% Yes and same for us - we bought a favorite week 1 bdrm villa TPV at the Poly Tower, and the 2nd bathroom in that Villa was a major factor. The convenience is amazing!

 

[airjay75]

I'll dissent slightly on the 2 bathrooms in a 1 BR. I mean, I'll gladly take it - without a doubt, it is nice and, all else being equal, I'd pick 2 bathrooms over 1. But, I am also of the perspective that, if I'm really in need of a 2nd bathroom, that probably means I just want the extra space of a 2 BR villa to go along with that second bathroom. But, clearly, perspectives vary on this. Some people are just fine cramming 5 people into a studio with 1 bathroom.

Since they put 2 bathrooms in the VDH and PIT 1 BRs, seems like a decent bet that trend will continue. If nothing else, to help justify higher points charts.

 

[beccasmom]

As far as points charts I would hope/expect them to be less than PVB, VGF & BLT but not as low as CCV or BRV as I think the rooms will be bigger. I am also wondering about the configurations of those rooms with no balcony. I think those might need to be their own catagory and slightly lower points cost.

I have heard that the rooms without balconies will be on the hotel side of the resort (and would appear, by photos I’ve seen, to have the least impressive “view”). But of course that is hearsay, although I can’t imagine a DVC unit without a balcony.

 

[Add-On-Itis]

I can see them creating a new low point category for these no balcony rooms. The point chart will be very low and will look amazing for potential new buyer. "Look at these room that starts at 9 points per night". It will be a good lure that will sell itself. And you bet it will require home resort to book these value rooms.

I have heard that the rooms without balconies will be on the hotel side of the resort (and would appear, by photos I’ve seen, to have the least impressive “view”). But of course that is hearsay, although I can’t imagine a DVC unit without a balcony.

 

[DoubleBaconBLT]

I'm skeptical, but curious to see it and going in with an open mind.

Points charts and dues. Let's see what it looks like. I'm skeptical the points chart will look very enticing, but let's see it. You never know. I think the dues will be over $10/point (as will quite a few other DVC resorts likely by the time LSL opens), but maybe we'll get surprised.

Resort and its overall vibe/feel. I'm not the biggest fan of the people soup/zoo resorts - I don't need to be at the center of the action the entire time I'm at WDW. I like the resort to feel like it's a nice respite and getaway from the parks. In that respect, the location might help. But, do they get the resort right sized? Are people rope dropping the pool and lazy river or can you always find a seat and a tube for the lazy river? Let's see what they give us.

Rooms. Presumably, we're getting nicely appointed and larger rooms. How nice, how large, and how well done do they seem to be? Any improvements in design over recent builds? And, how do they balance the resort between studios, 1 BRs, dedicated 2 BRs vs 2 BR lock-offs, and GVs. Going studio heavy and making it more difficult to get 1 or 2 BRs would be a deal breaker for me. Same if they don't put in any GVs.

New direct point or trust perks? I know we all focus on the negatives of the trust structure. But, there could just as well be potential positives/perks that Disney may intend to roll out. I already have a fair amount of direct points. Are they going to give me a reason to buy more? Let's see.

The points chart is my big concern too. LSL is huge, but there's a 99/100 chance it's going to be an absolute points hog, possibly worse than the Poly Tower. That's going to cause people to buy points there, but then want to use them at cheaper resorts, driving down availability everywhere else. Sure it will take a few years before that fully hits, but it's not great.

 

[aka Charles]

With the whole resort being DVC, it is looking like they may take a page from Aulani and have a "Hotel Room" category, judging from the design of what we have been calling the "Hotel side".

Here is some speculation on the possible room categories:

Hotel room - without balcony
Hotel room - with balcony
Hotel room suite (aka 1BR or 2BR)
Duo Studio Villa
Deluxe Studio Villa
1 Bedroom Villa
2 Bedroom Villa - lock off
2 Bedroom Villa - dedicated
3 bedroom Grand Villa
1 Bedroom Lake House
2 Bedroom Lake House


Here is some speculation on the possible view categories:

Value - think parking lot view and all without a balcony
Resort - a view of something other than parking lot or dumpsters
Preferred - View of pool area and partial lake view
Lake View - Full view of the lake
Theme Park View - Basically a lake view with a good angle to see the MK fireworks


And, if the impossible dream comes true, add club level to the mix.


The points chart could possibly have both the cheapest and the most expensive rooms of all DVC.
And it may have to be two pages, lol.
.

 

[Add-On-Itis]

The points chart is my big concern too. LSL is huge, but there's a 99/100 chance it's going to be an absolute points hog, possibly worse than the Poly Tower. That's going to cause people to buy points there, but then want to use them at cheaper resorts, driving down availability everywhere else. Sure it will take a few years before that fully hits, but it's not great.

Seen what they did with Cabins. I don't think they will dilute the value of points. Instead they will raise the price of the points at LSL by not providing incentives.

I think the point chart will be fair. BLT level point chart. What they will do is mess with view category. I can see the Premium view point chart being too high. Fireworks view category. Lake View. Pool View. Garden Walkout.

 

[Add-On-Itis]

Here is some speculation on the possible view categories:

Value - think parking lot view and all without a balcony
Resort - a view of something other than parking lot or dumpsters
Preferred - View of pool area and partial lake view
Lake View - Full view of the lake
Theme Park View - Basically a lake view with a good angle to see the MK fireworks

They can add a "Poolside Garden View" like Aulani.

 

[Brian Noble]

I don't think there is much evidence for "point charts always go up." The point charts (at least post-OKW) seem to me to depend on a set of variables:

• The resort's location relative to the theme parks (I thnk even SSR gets a small bump here for Springs being next door.)
• The size of the rooms
• The quality of the rooms' fit-and-finish
• Other random distinguishing factors (animal programs at AKV, Poly's "nostalgia tax", etc.)

"But Brian," you say, "prices only go up!" And yes, that's true. But there are two levers to raise the cost of a room: increase the points allocated to it, or make each point more expensive. And, DVC definitely does the latter.

I suspect that LSL will come in somewhere between BRV/CCV and RIV, and probably closer to the former. I expect LSL's fit-and-finish to be more like CCV's, but the room sizes to be at leat BRV if not a bit bigger. If the room sizes/fit-and-finish warrant it, maybe even a smidge higher than BLT-ish, but that's iffy.

I could well be wrong about all of this; we'll know shortly.

 

[tjkraz]

So I am a confused person on why you are buying Lakeshore and want to hear all the amazing things in your view.

Nobody is writing any checks yet. Is curiosity really so surprising?

Wasn’t that overcrowding the reason they built the second feature pool at SSR? I thought that was after SSR sold out.

Sort of. The original plan was 12 buildings (about 550 rooms) with one feature pool and two quiet pools. It was only after the resort expanded to 18 buildings and 60 treehouses that they added the second feature pool and attached QS dining.

EDIT: The Paddock pool conversion did come a couple years after the additional buildings were added. So I guess it's fair to say the decision was more demand-driven than part of the expansion plans.

 

[Brian Noble]

I vaguely recall the Paddock pool also being expanded after the resort was "complete." I'd have to go back and remind myself of the details.

 

[tjkraz]

I vaguely recall the Paddock pool also being expanded after the resort was "complete." I'd have to go back and remind myself of the details.

Yes. Paddock was originally a modest quiet pool. Turned it into feature pool in 2011 and added Grandstand when the resort plan expanded.

 

[DoubleBaconBLT]

I don't think there is much evidence for "point charts always go up." The point charts (at least post-OKW) seem to me to depend on a set of variables:

• The resort's location relative to the theme parks (I thnk even SSR gets a small bump here for Springs being next door.)
• The size of the rooms
• The quality of the rooms' fit-and-finish
• Other random distinguishing factors (animal programs at AKV, Poly's "nostalgia tax", etc.)

"But Brian," you say, "prices only go up!" And yes, that's true. But there are two levers to raise the cost of a room: increase the points allocated to it, or make each point more expensive. And, DVC definitely does the latter.

I suspect that LSL will come in somewhere between BRV/CCV and RIV, and probably closer to the former. I expect LSL's fit-and-finish to be more like CCV's, but the room sizes to be at leat BRV if not a bit bigger. If the room sizes/fit-and-finish warrant it, maybe even a smidge higher than BLT-ish, but that's iffy.

I could well be wrong about all of this; we'll know shortly.

The lowest points chart is OKW. The other really low ones are all older - BWV, BRV, BCV, AKL, SSR (the left side of the chart below). Starting in 2009, you start seeing higher charts with BLT. The highest charts are the most recent resorts - VGF, Poly, RIV, DLH (the right side of the chart below. The two exceptions are 1) the cabins at Fort Wilderness, which are a different thing, and the dues make up for the low point chart. And 2) the non-cabin CCV rooms, which used BRV's point chart due to being part of the same resort, even though it's a separate association.

Put another way, it sure looks like Disney has taken nearly every chance they've seen to lean on both price levers. I think LSL will have a high point chart, probably similar to RIV.