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I'm no expert but we visited HHI over the MLK holiday weekend in January '13. Temps got into the upper 60s and it was quite pleasant. Needed jackets on the beach, though. We rented bicycles from the resort and rode down to the beach. Kids did a couple activities in the Community Hall...

For the most part, I agree. However, never discount the desperation of an executive who needs to find a way to cover for a period of slow sales. I'm quite sure that was one of the contributing factors in the OKW extension. A few million dollars from extensions looks pretty good added to the...

Splitting hairs. Note I did say "virtually identical." We both know those take backs don't amount to much. It's still essentially the same product. Same booking windows...same nightly point cost...same dues...same expiration date...same level of service, etc. Those rules may be enough to...

Agree. Disney...like most corporations...is very interested in growth. They want (need) to be able to report that guest spending in the parks is up, that Thor 2 made more than Thor 1, that ABC ad revenues are higher than last year and ESPN carriage fees are up. Stagnation is not...

The "Administration and Front Desk" charges total more than $3.4 million for 2014. That's up about $800k from 2013. (Incidentally, that Front Desk increase combined with higher property taxes account for about 80% of the BLT dues increase in 2014.) The $800k is probably linked to the fully...

The physical bridge isn't even necessary. BLT guests use the same monorail platform and bus stop as CR hotel guests. That's all that matters. Disney Transportation is obviously an expensive department to operate. For years they've had formulas which charge-back a portion of the total cost...

For the most part, that is true. DVC is required to submit to an independent audit every year and the Florida Timeshare Bureau exists to provide state oversight. But the books will never be completely transparent to owners. I understand that DVC members do have the right to inspect certain...

Respectfully, this is pretty popular Internet rhetoric where Aulani is concerned but I've yet to see anything concrete which backs it up. Do you know how many units have been declared? I'm sure it's only a fraction of what they are building but there's a pretty big disparity between 25 units...

I think the target market for Aulani is a bit different than sites like this. Aulani doesn't necessarily appeal to the Mickey-ear-wearing / TDO-slamming crowd that typically populates Disney websites and discussion boards. There are no attractions. No shows. No fireworks. Few characters...

Doesn't really matter. If Disney is entitled to certain accommodations, whether they grab those rooms at 15 months, 12 months or exactly 11 months, the net impact is the same.

Hotels often provide complimentary upgrades when they have better rooms which are unsold. The idea is that they want to spoil you with the better room to increase the odds you'll pay for it next time. Some operations--particularly cruise lines--will intentionally overbook lower priced rooms /...

Overall I think Jambo has the better facilities. More and better restaurants, grander lobby, larger gift shop, more resort activities. And since Studio villas are pretty much identical at Jambo and Kidani, Jambo gets the nod for all of the reasons above. For 1B and 2B, the scales tip toward...

Jambo for a Studio. Kidani for One or Two Bedroom villa.

If you want to book the Grand Californian Villas, the normal 11/7 month windows apply. If you want to book a hotel room at any of the 3 resorts, I believe you can do so as early as 11 months. Be warned that once points are used for a non-DVC destination like that, they are converted to...

Has nothing to do with RCI. RCI is a trade facilitator. DVC rooms are only given to RCI when a DVC owner first trades OUT. It's a 1-to-1 relationship. DVC owner books a week in Cancun through RCI...DVC sends a week at one of its resorts to RCI. If your concern is limited to the past...

You have to understand the nature of any timeshare ownership. The developer (in this case, Disney) can sell enough points for EVERY room to be filled EVERY night of the year, less some accommodation for maintenance. In Disney's case, they sell 98% of all availability leaving that 2% (one week /...

Agree with you, and I probably should have elaborated more in my post. What I really meant to say was: 1) Getting a KTTW card rather than a Magic Band for the express purpose of possibly getting into the Top of the World Lounge isn't an approach many people are going to embrace. 2) Disney...

The days are numbered for KTTW cards. At some resorts, they may already be gone if Magic Band "testing" transitions directly to daily operations.

A big factor in waitlist success has to do with what you're looking for. The usual booking trends apply--smaller and more popular resorts will be harder to get. More popular dates are harder to get. Studios tend to book much quicker than One Bedroom villas. The "better" and cheaper views...

You can only BORROW one year's worth of points at a time. However owners can have access to three years worth of points: banked from the prior year, current year plus borrowed. It does take advance planning, though, to make sure points are properly banked.