Originally Posted By vbdad55 My experiences there are Disney quality service many of us here reminisce about - likely because it's a small facility --
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo fraid not Sharon, the merchandise at DLP is woeful. True, there is no where near as many interesting things in any of the western resorts as there used to be, but yep, last trip to DLP, if it were not for the 15th Anniversary merchandise, we would have spent very little in the stores (but the limited edition 15th anniversary wine took $400 from us - great gifts and keep sakes)
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo You are probably right VBDAD. I hear great things about Vero and Hilton Head, as well as the cruises. And DL is awesome. I suspect smaller makes it easier to be selective on casting, and makes training and QA easier. I bet DVC Hawaii will be pretty awesome if they get it right.
Originally Posted By sharon2 Is it DLP that's not technically a Disney owned theme park? could be why
Originally Posted By vbdad55 you're right Dave in that the cast members at Vero are in a more relaxed atmosphere.Most have years of experience @ WDW and likely like the slower pace that allows for customer interaction. I believe if you ever dropped in there, you would love it. Have a great pool, their own beach, lots and lots of activities every hour for the kids.. two very good restaurants ( and many more close by- includingmy favorite crab shack anywhere ) - they have CM's whose only role is to stroll the lobby, talkin to visitors and make sure you're having the best time you can....
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo I suspect you are right. I know buying into Marriott Vacation Club was one of the best things I ever did for the same reasons. And they have a property right on the DLP golf course (we would have likely been DVC members otherwise, but SE US centrism of the club put us off). I have joked with Sarah that if we do our numbers this fiscal, the bonus is earmarked for DVC points (then she asks, not another MVCI?). Lol It's funny, so many people on the boards hate Vacation Clubs, but those of us that own them love them.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 As I have always said since day I when I bought almost 15 years ago. It is not for everyone, each situation is different. For me one of the best purchases I ever made ( especially considering free park passes for the family the first 6/12 year I was a member.
Originally Posted By danyoung This is kind of an interesting thread. I'm on the side that's happy with the park layout as is - I can't imagine the parks or the hotels being any closer together. But I really have a problem with this - >When it came to EPCOT, no one was sure how it would go over with the public and it was built a good distance away from MK because no one was confident that it would be a surefire success. If EPCOT failed, it could be quietly closed down and kept out of sight from WDW travelers that still headed to the MK for a day.< Sport Goofy, in my opinion this is simply conjecture on your part, with no basis in fact. As everyone knows, E.P.C.O.T. was originally going to be an actual city, and the MK was going to be just a short monorail ride away from downtown. When it came time to build EPCOT as a park, it was decided to put it on the same spot as the city was going to be. Nothing more than a decision based on allocation of resources and existing infrastructure. Disney sank almost 2 BILLION dollars into EPCOT - there was simply no way that they were ever going to shut the doors and ignore that it ever happened. Just like there's no way the current Disney company would ever seriously consider shuttering DCA - they simply throw more money at it till it's closer to being a true Disney park. EPCOT was a hit right from the start, and was never even slightly at risk of closing.
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 While it sounds really nice to me to be able to say I own..... I'm thinking between the original outlay and yearly fees, VC ownership must only be for the rich and famous. Maybe if they threw in free plane fare.....
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Not really. In fact, we worked out that ownership pays for itself within 6 years. When it comes to MVCI, considering we get 1400 sq ft 2 bedroom suites, and one week is about $1400, well frankly I feel like it is a bargain. for those joining DVC with the view of using normal hotel room style facilities, then it may not be worth it. But when you need more space (we have a boy and girl, so that day is coming), they are cheaper than 2 budget rooms for a week, for 5* accommodation. Wonderful!
Originally Posted By vbdad55 I'm neither rich nor famous, but I do travel to a Disney desitnation yearly ( or sure try to) - so consider it a pre payment plan of sorts. If one is not going to travel often enough to cover the points bought - it is likely a bad choice. It's really a financial decision that I acknowledge is driven by sentiment. However I can tell you between 10 family visits on free tickets to the parks ( total of about 100 days) - and 22 visits in 15 years - I have gotten my money's worth already ( assuming I would always stay in a resort in the past and future of that level of quality) -- again,is it for everyone, certainly not and I would never sell it that way. For my family and I it was a good purchase.
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 7 nights for just the room (Smoke House and a very small area of monorail view)at WL was $1,950. The whole trip was $5,600. Admittedly I didn't spend as much as I expected on clothing and souveniers. I tried, honest, but I couldn't find alot I wanted to buy. I'm thinking your original purchase price is around 30-50,000? How long a period does that cover? I'd never heard about free admission before, that's a real plus.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<I'm thinking your original purchase price is around 30-50,000? How long a period does that cover?>> Way less expensive than that. I believe the current minimum purchase is 160 points at approx $105 per point. That would total $16,800. That will pay for a studio accommodation (like a typical hotel room with the addition of a mini-fridge and a wet bar) for 7-10 days depending on time of the year. If you wanted to stay in the one bedroom units I would recommend a minimum purchase of 200 points which would pay for 6-7 days at during the lower cost times of the year. You can get very detailed analysis on whether it is a good deal or not at this site: <a href="http://www.mousesavers.com/dvc.html" target="_blank">http://www.mousesavers.com/dvc.html</a> Frankly, I got about 25% of the way through that analysis and got dizzy!! The simple way I've always explained it is that you get to stay in Deluxe level hotels for Moderate prices. If you go every year (or at least every two years) and that sounds like a good deal to you, then it is. If you would just as soon always stay at the All Stars, then it is probably not a good deal.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip ^^^ One thing I should have added... the points you purchase are typically valid for at least 40 years.
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 Wow, I can just see it now, me 40 years from now running for a fast pass for Kali River at 105. And I ain't talking about the temperature in Florida. At those prices, and the way things were for us financially 20 years ago, it might have been a good thing. I'm a Poly girl and would realistically prefer going every 3 years for 2 weeks at a time. Hey daughter of mine, sell your Disney stock and go DVC, I'll sponge off of you!!
Originally Posted By Park Hopper Just to get back to the topic for a second, I have seen some very early concept art of a version of Epcot (not the one they eventually built) constructed across the lagoon from the Magic Kingdom, where the TTC is now. But I heard they discovered a sink hole in the area—apparently it’s located in one of those stands of trees in the MK parking lot—that prevented them from building it. This is the same reason, reportedly, why there is no hotel between the TTC and the Contemporary. There is supposedly a sink hole in that area as well. Why they chose to build Epcot where they did, I do not know. But I do know that if Epcot had failed, it would have taken Walt Disney Productions with it. The idea that they had some kind of plan for the property if Epcot had failed doesn’t make much sense to me because if Epcot had failed, that would have been it for the company.
Originally Posted By hopemax > I'd never heard about free admission before, that's a real plus. The free admission was an incentive during the first years of DVC, but it was only valid through 1999. Now they have a discount on an AP, but it's not free.
Originally Posted By barboy Funny story on #46 But I have to ask why you didn't hit the front desk as they would definitely know where your room was or did you have too much San Angel fiesta in you to even find guest registration?
Originally Posted By X-san ***So.... X, fkur and trek do you find the WDW buses to be a less 'magical' than the Tokyo ones----I sure do!*** Of course. The WDW ones are just plain old city buses with a logo...what's special about THAT? ***Those TDR buses have Mickey ear shaped windows, Mickey rings to hold when standing and Mickey's voice and greeting over the intercom, plus they are 'retro' in design and spotless.*** Yup, very kitschy. I like them.
