| Product: |
Disney Vacation Club |
| Date: |
19/10/03 (657 review reads) |
| Rating: |
 |
Advantages: An upmarket self catering accommodation ?on property? in DisneyWorld. , Time Share with all the benefits and none of the downside
Disadvantages: It?s getting too big , ? but I bet you haven?t even heard of it.
I was an early purchaser of the real estate interest that was Disney Vacation Club. (DVC). I have been a member since November 1992 and was the second person from the UK to sign up. My family have made more than a dozen visits since then. In the early days promotion was very low key: there were advertisements in the buses and a single information booth tucked away in the corner of Main Street in the Magic Kingdom. Viewing was by appointment only and there were many people who were turned away because the diary was full that day. There was never any pressure selling. Indeed within two days of signing on we increased our initial points from 310 to 400.
SO, WHAT IS DISNEY VACATION CLUB?
Whose life experiences cannot have been touched in some way by the organisation spawned by Walt Disney - whether it be a childhood memory of tears shed in the cinema at the death of Snow White or the fond togetherness of the Rescue Rangers around the small screen? Who has not dreamed of the magical vacation to DisneyWorld Florida (its theme parks, its character breakfasts, its larger than life hotels) or gasped in disbelief at the wonderment of it all when actually there?
Walt himself was instrumental in the development of central Florida, buying up large tracts of undeveloped scrub in secret deals as his place to build his dream empire of entertainment, relaxation and vacation. It was his dream that thrust a sleepy backwater town, Orlando, into the forefront of the worldwide holiday market. He dreamed of a place where the present and the future could combine, where families could take holidays in perfect safety. The practical outcome became DisneyWorld - a series of theme parks, recreation sites, hotel complexes and entertainments covering forty three and a half square miles.
The Disney Organisation has always been prepared to look at successful ideas and adapt them into their own. In the late 1980s they examined the Time Share concept and decided
to make it better. Instead of just buying a one or two week share in a single accommodation block, DVC would be flexible in both the size of party it catered for and also flexible in time of year that the member could use it. Disney built a series of accommodation units within DisneyWorld - initially behind Disney Village and just over the road from EPCOT Center. Prospective members bought a part share in one those units which became their Home base. The size of the holding was equated to a number of annual membership points. Once a year each member was allocated a set number of points that could be used to make reservations at the Home property (not necessarily your own house though).
Well I remember the winter of 1992. I happened to see the advertisement on one of the Disney buses and made a booking for the tour. There was never any pressure - Disney had done its homework and knew full well that the concept would sell. Unlike the timeshare sellers on the Costa del Sol, if you hadn't prebooked, you could not get in - therefore you couldn?t buy into the dream. There were many unhappy people who went away empty handed. We were sold immediately, even though there was precious little of the accommodation to see at that stage. We signed up to 310 points. Within two days we had got back in touch with the management and bought a further 90 points, bringing our holding up to 400 points.
At the outset, there were several very attractive incentives to help the decision making process. Each new member had a Staff Counsellor. You were encouraged to think that you were joining the Disney family: that as a member you were special amongst guests to the parks. Members were to have their own activities. You were encouraged to feed back ideas and suggestions to the staff. Added to that were the free passes - valid for entry to Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and MGM Studios until December 31st 1999. These were allotted according to the size of the accommodation you
booked. Compare the savings against the cost of a Length of Stay pass. For a party of four staying for ten days this was a saving of about $1000. It never did extend to the Water Parks or The Animal Kingdom. There was also the member discount on cash bookings if you did not want to use points for a stay.
Added to that you had your own password into the DVC members area of Disney.com on the web. You were sent a quarterly membership magazine that brought you titbits of news from home and updates on the latest developments.
VACATION CLUB IN ACTION
The original DVC consisted of a self-catering resort complex within DisneyWorld. Designed in the style of the gingerbread houses of Key West, it was built alongside the fairway of the Lake Buena Vista golf course. Accommodation was of four types: a studio apartment with twin double beds (sleeps 4); a one-bedroom vacation home (sleeps 4); a two-bedroom vacation home (sleeps 8) and a grand villa (sleeps 12). The vacation homes and grand villas all have fully fitted kitchens, lounge accommodation with drop down couch, spa baths and showers. Each unit has a balcony which looks out over the manicured grounds. In total there are 565 units in the complex. The unit is cleaned twice a week during your stay.
It has its own check in area and front desk, general store (Conch Flats) and restaurant (Olivia's). The latter used to arrange character breakfasts featuring Winnie the Pooh and Tigger. There are swimming pools, kiddie pools, gym and sauna, cycle and walking tracks, a Community Hall with family organised entertainments. The boat harbour (Trumbo Landing) has a signal red and white striped lighthouse. It has its own ferry which runs a regular service down into Disney village and a bus service which links to the other attractions of DisneyWorld.
As a member you are free to apply for bookings at any time of the year. Your points are awarded at the beginning of your "Use Year&quo
t; - mine starts in March. You then have up to eleven months in which to book your accommodation. The year is divided into seasons: Adventure (January, September, early December); Choice (October, November - excluding Thanksgiving, Rest of December - excluding Christmas); Dream (early February, May, June, late August); Magic (Late February, March, April - excluding Easter, June, July, early August, Thanksgiving); Premier (Easter, Christmas). Fridays and Saturdays are much more expensive than Sundays through to Thursdays. Don't worry: you are given a comprehensive planning chart that contains all the details.
Some examples of points required are:
A week in a studio apartment in Adventure Season - 80 points
Ten days in a two-bedroom vacation home (including one weekend) in late August - 344 points
If you don't want to use your points in a particular year you can arrange to bank them to add to the next Use Year. If you are short of points this year you can borrow points against your next Use Year allocation.
You want to know about prices? When I bought in, the base price was $52 a point. On top of that you will be charged a maintenance fee which in my case is currently $82 a month. The contract runs until at least 2042.
You can book into DVC and pay cash. The current rate for a two bedroom vacation home is $425 a night plus sales tax. (Cash paying members do get a substantial discount on this price and the bonus of daily maid service).
EXPANSION
Of course the original DVC complex was renamed Old Key West Resort (OKW). Since then DVC has grown. The first expansion took place outside DisneyWorld at Vero Beach (we went there once but were left with the sense that there was something missing ? Disney without the Disney perhaps) on the Atlantic Florida coast. The next development was outside of the State entirely at Hilton Head Island of the South Carolina coast.
Over the last ten yea
rs there have been further major developments within DisneyWorld itself which have been, in part, DVC resorts. The massive Boardwalk resort has a major commitment to DVC. Two further DVC resorts have now opened: Wilderness Lodge and the Beach Club (the latter with 208 units). Part of the original site in Disney Villas across the lagoon from Downtown Disney is now in the process of demolition and the new buildings will be the latest DVC resort by 2004. I was in DisneyWorld last week and this new complex - to be called Saratoga Springs - is HUGE! In addition to Disney property there are possibilities for swapping points around the world and also with the Disney Cruise Line.
DISNEY VACATION CLUB NOW
So; what is the current situation?
Most of my comments will apply to my own Home Resort (OKW). In the most recent member newsletter we are told that there are in excess of 60,000 member families worldwide (1900 from the UK alone). The accommodation at OKW remains superb. It was always well decorated and appointed and the standard of maintenance cannot be faulted. There is a constant rolling programme of repainting and refurbishment meaning that the "just opened look" is preserved. The place is a quiet haven with plenty of passing bird life and golfers! OKW was however fully subscribed about three years ago. Within the last eighteen months the old administration buildings have been converted into further rental units and this availability has also been sold. We are told that Boardwalk and Beach Club sold out last year too.
There is a downside to this however. It seems that there has been overbooking both in terms of availability of accommodation and space in the parks. Disney's motto recently seems to be "Build 'em up; pack 'em in". There is much less evidence of the personal touch. The queues at check in get longer. The transportation system from OKW has left a lot to be desired for two or three yea
rs. There is no proper timetable and the destination on a given bus was not always predictable.
I love the concept of Disney. The whole family love going to OKW. In some respects it must rank as one of the eight wonders of the modern world - starting from nothing to an area of 43 square miles and employing over 55,000 people. The concept of Vacation Club was exciting and special.
The acid question then is would I buy again now? I would have to say - probably not. Purchase is certainly not cheap. There was another price hike at the end of 2002 from $75 to $82 a point (although I gather this has remained pegged following the considerable fall in demand for vacations after the September 11th disaster). Added to that there are the annual dues. The parks themselves get busier and busier at every time of the year (Not the spirit of Disney but perhaps that is a good reason for exploring other parts of Orlando while using OKW as a base!) and the cost of the passes continues to increase. Given the frenetic development "on property" (Disney now has 18 major resort hotel complexes within its borders - let alone all the development along the I4 and International Drive) the longer term prospects do not perhaps look as rosy. Commercialism rather than personal involvement seems to be the watchword.
Time is also moving on. The original plan was for an ownership contract of 50 years from 1992 - not that I should worry at my age but title is supposed to be passed on to future generations. Indeed as our family vacation needs have changed we have reduced our holding by 90 points. We used a Timeshare Reseller based on Central Florida Parkway, Orlando and had no difficulty finding a buyer and completing the transaction. Since then second hand points sales have dropped somewhat as has the price although there is still an active second hand market. You have to be aware that Disney take first option on buying back the points themselves.
Wha
t could DVC do to improve things?
1. Make us feel special and that we belong again. I made a brief visit to Conch Flats General Store at the end of last year (I was not staying "on property") I was wearing my first edition DVC Member's jacket (turquoise and purple with a prominently signed Member insignia) which raised interested comments FROM THE STAFF.
2. During the 25th year anniversary activities a couple of years ago DVC issued red pennants to members which still cause interest when we wear them around the parks.
3. I suggested a long time ago to our Vacation Adviser that perhaps membership badges would be a point of interest (similar to Staff Member badges) with the ability to add 'stars and bars' to indicate length of "service". Such badges would also be a powerful advertisement for the concept of DVC.
4. Restore the "free" park passes. This would be a considerable bonus and I see no reason why some such scheme could not be encompassed in the annual dues. It could be offered at a price comparable with the cost of an Annual pass. We always bought Annual passes (which in any event don't seem to be advertised widely) for the children of the party - and then made sure we came a second time within the validity of the pass.
I am proud to have been one of the very earliest members. I hope to look forward to seeing out my membership term with the same rosy optimism and sense of belonging that I had on the day I signed on. It is a one-of-a-kind vacation experience in the vacation capital of the world. It's been there now for over ten years and the likelihood is you won't have come across it!
I rate the concept of DVC (and old Key West) *****
My overall rating taking into account my concerns has to be ***
My recommendation to potential buyers must be only a qualified 'yes'. Ten years ago it would have been a whole hearted 'yes'
If you wo
uld like an all singing all dancing animated introduction to DVC, try the web page at: http://dvc.disney.go.com/disneyvacationclub/intro
[POSTSCRIPT: If you are going to DisneyWorld for any period longer than a week, drop me a comment and I'll be happy to advise about passes, accommodation etc]
Summary:
|
|
