Well, for starters, AKL is changing some of their rooms and adding new rooms to become part of the Disney Vacation Club. There will still be regular rooms and concierge and all that. But there will also be "studios" with kitchenettes, one and two-bedroom suites that can be rented with DVC points.
So, yeah, there might be some construction going on, but how much it'll affect your stay, I don't know. I think, during June, they're only going to be renovating some of their existing rooms into kitchenettes. I don't think they'll be in the process of building by then. Sorry if I'm wrong.
Here's the original press release...
October 11, 2006, Lake Buena Vista, FL - Disney Vacation Club announced today that it is building a new timeshare resort on Walt Disney World property to meet ongoing strong demand for its unique vacation-ownership program.
Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas will be part of Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, which Travel & Leisure Family magazine recently honored with the No. 4 spot on its list of the 50 greatest family resorts in the United States and Canada. The Disney Vacation Club accommodations will feature intricate African-inspired details and home-like amenities, and most will offer sweeping views of an expanded savannah inhabited by a variety of African animals. These new accommodations are scheduled for development in phases with an anticipated opening beginning in fall 2007 and a completion date planned for Spring 2009. The project's first phase will include 134 remodeled accommodations on the fifth and sixth floors of the existing Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, and subsequent phases will include construction of 324 Vacation Homes in a new village of buildings, for a total of 458 Disney Vacation Club homes.
The project also calls for construction a new table-service restaurant, a themed pool and water-play island, fitness center, merchandise shop, sports-and-recreation facilities and more.
"We continue to see strong demand from families who want to build a lifetime of unforgettable memories by vacationing in ways they never dreamed possible," said Jim Lewis, President of Disney Vacation Club. "I am delighted to announce that our members will have yet another place to call home with Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas. This begins another exciting new era for Disney Vacation Club as we continue to explore future destination possibilities both domestically and internationally."
Disney Vacation Club, now celebrating its 15th anniversary, offers flexibility and savings on decades of future vacations at Disney destinations and more than 500 other vacation hotspots around the world. Membership has doubled since 2000 to include more than 100,000 families, which represents more than 300,000 individuals from more than 100 countries and every U.S. state.
Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas will be the eighth Disney Vacation Club Resort, joining five others at the Walt Disney World Resort, one in Vero Beach, Florida, and one on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Memberships have sold out at the first six Disney Vacation Club Resorts, and sales remain ahead of schedule at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, which opened in May 2004.
