River Country Area Rumor

[mrssparrow]

They also didn't officially announce Bay Lake Tower until the construction was well underway, and I see that trend continuing as long as they still have a good amount of inventory to sell at Saratoga and Animal Kingdom. There is no question that BLT will be selling out soon (they are pushing it ahead of everything else). Before they start selling a new resort (which will probably have a good number of units), they are going to want to chip away at their already available inventory before it becomes more obsolete. So, I would expect this project to be well underway before they announce it and sell it...if they are doing this anyway.

-I just spoke to our DVC agent last week.... They are no longer selling Saratoga... They are selling AKL, and Hawaii and are in the final stages of selling BLT which is almost at capacity.

Hearing about another DVC does excite me only because we own points; however, I totally agree with the previous posters that the more hotels/dvc that are built only crowds the current parks. At the same time, it would be nice to re-build that area.....

 

[trr1]

I'm hearing Buffalo Junction
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=28.4093884&lon=-81.569463&z=17&l=0&m=b

why is there a boy scout camp below buffalo junction?

 

[Random Vids Inc]

Disney makes something like $700,000,000 selling out the BLT building. QUOTE]



I know Disney's rolling in dough but it still amazes me whenever I see actual figures!

 

[Disneygal1]

I have heard the same thing about it being DVC related. But FINALLY they are doing something with the land, for the past tenish years that area has been rotting away. I was kind of hoping that they would turn it into a river country again, but I knew that that dream was far fetched... But I wonder if this will affect Fort Wilderness...

 

[TheBeatles]

i hope this actually blends in with its surroundings. i just can't see how a resort building matches anything in the fort wilderness area.

lessons should have been learned from the design of blt....

 

[Yankee Mouse]

I'm not a person who thinks Disney needs a fifth park, or needs to constantly expand the parks... BUT, if you continue to make more and more hotels and don't add any new attractions or destinations, eventually all we will get is more and more crowded parks. That's probably good from a business perspective, but there's a point where the huge crowds make you want to stay away.

Despite what was previously posted about not reaching capacity I agree.
They are also building the Art of Animation resort, so if this project is a new DVC that makes BLT, AoA, AKV, Treehouse all being built recently.

I'd rather see a new park to help dissipate some of the crowds during peak season rather than yet another new resort, of course I suppose one could argue that would also bring more crowds and not enough lodging.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Despite what was previously posted about not reaching capacity I agree.
They are also building the Art of Animation resort, so if this project is a new DVC that makes BLT, AoA, AKV, Treehouse all being built recently.

I'd rather see a new park to help dissipate some of the crowds during peak season rather than yet another new resort, of course I suppose one could argue that would also bring more crowds and not enough lodging.

Art of Animation will not be DVC. Nothing has indicated that it will be and it would also be very hard for them to sell it when they market DVC as deluxe accomodations.

i hope this actually blends in with its surroundings. i just can't see how a resort building matches anything in the fort wilderness area.

lessons should have been learned from the design of blt....

I think that they would blend the building in well. While they might make some choice decisions...I can't really think of how Disney lets us down when it comes to theme, especially at the resorts. I would imagine buildings that look similar to their surroundings at Pioneer Hall and the Cabins.

 

[officeboy]

I am still interested in seeing how they intend to get people in and out of the lake building area. I can't figure out how they could use the current FTW infrastructure and retain the campgrounds atmosphere. I can only assume they will either expand the W. Wilderness Rd. from the lodge, or cut a new path from the campground entrance around the west side to Frontier Way. Anybody have any thoughts on this?

 

[parkgoer]

Yes and no. At present if all the resorts were at maximum capacity and every guest went to either MK or Epcot neither park would reach a even phase one closing. The majority of guests stay off property.

regardless, theoretically it will increase attendance if said resorts were full, and another was to be added.

 

[Master Yoda]

regardless, theoretically it will increase attendance if said resorts were full, and another was to be added.

Theoretically it will not. At most it would increase attendance at EMH but a new resort on property would no more increase attendance at the parks than one built off property. There is not a shortage of rooms around WDW but you could make an argument that there is at times on property. The majority of people who want to go to WDW and stay on property will go off property if nothing is available on property. New resorts on property will for the most part reduce the number of park guests that are staying off property but not really increase the number of people coming to the parks. Expansion to the parks and promotions will be what increases park attendance.

 

[Phonedave]

Art of Animation will not be DVC. Nothing has indicated that it will be and it would also be very hard for them to sell it when they market DVC as deluxe accomodations.
.

In order to market it as DVC, they would have to make the point costs insanely low.

Somwhere on the order of 5 points a night for a standar room.

If point costs were in line with the other DVC properties, why would anybody want to stay at Art of Animation.

That might even work to their advantage. Make the point costs about half of the other properties, and allow people to buy in at AoA for 80 points. $8,000 is a easier pill to swallow for many as opposed to $16,000.

They could market it as being about stay at AoA every year, or if you wanted to go every other year, you could bank your points and then go 'deluxe'. It would also be good for people like me, who sometimes just want a room for one night because I am in the area - like the night before a cruise - and I could get away with using 5 or 6 points as opposed to 12..

-dave

 

[disneyny]

I am really excited about the possibility of this project. We own points at VWL and I think the location of the resort would force it to have a theme somewhat related to WL and FW. It would be really awesome if it was an extension of WL but I imagine it will be a stand alone new DVC. I also really hope they are careful to preserve what people love about FW but also hope this improves some things for the Fort such as having a quick service dining location near by. I also don't see how building anything here can be bad since it will be an improvement over the rotting RC. I get a creepy sick to stomach feeling when I see it over at the edge of the lake rotting. It is like a ghost town. What would be really cool is if somehow they keep some nods to RC in the new resort- like maybe in the pool area. I don't know if this would work with the Buffalo Junction theme but another woodsy type DVC would be good with me. I may even have to add on some points!

 

[Pioneer Hall]

In order to market it as DVC, they would have to make the point costs insanely low.

Somwhere on the order of 5 points a night for a standar room.

If point costs were in line with the other DVC properties, why would anybody want to stay at Art of Animation.

That might even work to their advantage. Make the point costs about half of the other properties, and allow people to buy in at AoA for 80 points. $8,000 is a easier pill to swallow for many as opposed to $16,000.

They could market it as being about stay at AoA every year, or if you wanted to go every other year, you could bank your points and then go 'deluxe'. It would also be good for people like me, who sometimes just want a room for one night because I am in the area - like the night before a cruise - and I could get away with using 5 or 6 points as opposed to 12..

-dave

I really can't see DVC creating a tiered system like this where different points cost different amounts. If people could purcahse points for less at a value and still use them elsewhere, then people would be buying the points like crazy in order to use them at the other resorts. Why spend 150 a point (likely cost in 2 years) at the deluxe level DVC being sold when I can get them for less at the value resort? At 7 months, those points will all be the same and now I can use my cheaper points to stay at the Beach Club or Wilderness Lodge.

I believe that for the first time in a long time, Disney is building a resort that will not have DVC accomodations.

 

[Testtrack321]

If anything Disney will add higher tiered DVC, not lower. And that's what I kinda hope with this resort, buildings overlooking water, etc. I hope we'd see something with rooms that rival the size of OKW, a private shuttle boat to MK, and other amenities.

 

[Phonedave]

I really can't see DVC creating a tiered system like this where different points cost different amounts. If people could purcahse points for less at a value and still use them elsewhere, then people would be buying the points like crazy in order to use them at the other resorts. Why spend 150 a point (likely cost in 2 years) at the deluxe level DVC being sold when I can get them for less at the value resort? At 7 months, those points will all be the same and now I can use my cheaper points to stay at the Beach Club or Wilderness Lodge.

I believe that for the first time in a long time, Disney is building a resort that will not have DVC accomodations.

I was not saying make the points cheaper.

They will still be $150 (to use your example). The difference is where at current resorts the minumum contract is 160 points, at AoA as your home, you could buy a 80 point contract. You points are still worth the same, you just have less of them.

A room at AoA would be - lets say - 6 points a night, while the current average for the other properties is about 12 points a night (weeknights)

My points at SSR still have the same value as somones points at AoA, it's just 'cheaper' (less points) to stay at AoA than at SSR. DVC is already like this. Resorts have different point charts - some (Beach Club) 'cost' more per night than others (Old Key West)

-dave

 

[Phonedave]

Now that I think about it some more, DVC is sort of stuck with how they build DVC resorts.

They have to keep each offering of points at roughly the same price per point (adjusted for inflation of course). As DisneyInsider said, you can't have different prices per point if you want to be able to swap points between resorts.

The basic (very basic) equation when creating a DVC property is (Total Cost of Property + Profit) / number of points = price per point.

We know what one of the variables is = price per point. Lets say $110. So now if WDW goes bananas and creates a super expensive DVC resort, there is only one way to bring the price per point down to the +/- $100 level. Thats is by increasing the total number of points. There are two ways to do that. You either build more rooms, or you increase the number of points per night it takes to stay.

Building more rooms is not really an options, because then you end up spending more money - so they increase the number of points required to stay.

Lets say WDW does that, they create a very expensive (to build) upper tier resort and to make the numbers work, they need to make a weeknight stay in a stuido 20 points. Very few people with a 160 point contract is going to be able to stay there. Either they hope that a lot of people buy larger contracts because of the draw of the place, or they are going to have a lot of empty rooms that they have to fill on a cash basis.

-dave

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Now that I think about it some more, DVC is sort of stuck with how they build DVC resorts.

They have to keep each offering of points at roughly the same price per point (adjusted for inflation of course). As DisneyInsider said, you can't have different prices per point if you want to be able to swap points between resorts.

The basic (very basic) equation when creating a DVC property is (Total Cost of Property + Profit) / number of points = price per point.

We know what one of the variables is = price per point. Lets say $110. So now if WDW goes bananas and creates a super expensive DVC resort, there is only one way to bring the price per point down to the +/- $100 level. Thats is by increasing the total number of points. There are two ways to do that. You either build more rooms, or you increase the number of points per night it takes to stay.

Building more rooms is not really an options, because then you end up spending more money - so they increase the number of points required to stay.

Lets say WDW does that, they create a very expensive (to build) upper tier resort and to make the numbers work, they need to make a weeknight stay in a stuido 20 points. Very few people with a 160 point contract is going to be able to stay there. Either they hope that a lot of people buy larger contracts because of the draw of the place, or they are going to have a lot of empty rooms that they have to fill on a cash basis.

-dave

This seems to be what they did with Grand Californian. By creating a resort with very little inventory, they are able to charge a very high point per night cost to stay there. Even in the cheapest season a weeknight studio will cost you 17 points per night in 2011.

 

[GarryandLindy]

Would Disney need a permit and if so would that explain what's going on?

 

[TheBeatles]

I think that they would blend the building in well. While they might make some choice decisions...I can't really think of how Disney lets us down when it comes to theme, especially at the resorts. I would imagine buildings that look similar to their surroundings at Pioneer Hall and the Cabins.

I consider BLT a let down, but more so from design/placement.

 

[Yankee Mouse]

Art of Animation will not be DVC. Nothing has indicated that it will be and it would also be very hard for them to sell it when they market DVC as deluxe accomodations.

I think you misunderstood me. I never said it was going to be a DVC, I just meant that it was new lodging being built, along with all the new lodging recently built that was DVC, like BLT, AKV, etc.