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View Full Version : New DVC at Disneyland is now official! [merged]



kennythepirate
09-18-2007, 09:39 AM
First West Coast Disney vacation villas planned
ANAHEIM, Calif., Sept 18, 2007 – Responding to a growing demand for guest accommodations in Anaheim, the Disneyland Resort today celebrated an expansion of Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa that will increase accommodations by more than 30 percent and will include the first Disney Vacation Club villas in Anaheim.
This expansion, scheduled for completion in late 2009, will involve 300 union construction jobs and result in 100 new hotel jobs. It underscores Disney’s long-term commitment to growing and investing in Anaheim. The expansion also marks the latest in a series of major additions to the Resort that include the newly launched Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney’s California Adventure.
“This expansion underscores our commitment to growing and investing in both the Disneyland Resort and the Anaheim Resort Area,” said Ed Grier, president of the Disneyland Resort. “These new hotel rooms and villas will give more people the opportunity to enjoy the immersive vacation experience Disney is known for. We know that our guests value being able to stay in the middle of the magic with our world-class theme parks, shopping and dining just steps away.”
The 2.5-acre expansion on the hotel’s south side will add more than 200 new hotel rooms and 50 two-bedroom equivalent vacation villas. Those vacation villas, to include kitchens, living and dining areas and other home-like amenities, will mark the West Coast debut of Disney Vacation Club, Disney’s innovative vacation-ownership program.
“For more than 50 years, the Disneyland Resort has been investing in our community and they have helped us build a world class resort destination in which all of Anaheim can be proud,” Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle said. “Thanks to Disneyland and the Anaheim Resort Area, Anaheim boasts one of the fastest growing markets in the country for hotel occupancy.”
Other elements planned for the project include a rooftop deck for viewing fireworks, a new swimming pool and about 300 underground parking spaces. Peter Dominick of 4240, architect for Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa as well as Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida is designing the ambitious expansion. It will reflect the same California Arts & Crafts architecture of the existing hotel, which immerses guests in a turn-of-the-20th-century California experience.
Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa currently features 745 guest rooms, including 44 suites. Upon completion of the expansion project, the hotel will feature 945 guest rooms, including 44 guest suites, and 50 Disney Vacation Club two-bedroom equivalent vacation villas.
Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa
Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa is an architectural and artistic celebration of California’s renowned Arts & Crafts style of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
One of three hotels at the Disneyland Resort (others include Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel and the Disneyland Hotel), Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa is home to the nationally renowned and award-winning Napa Rose restaurant, where Wine Country cuisine tempts taste buds and expert sommeliers help guests make selections from one of the world’s finest collections of California wines. The nearby Storytellers Café lets kids and adults alike enjoy a dining experience that only Disney can do, complete with an array of popular Disney characters.
These dining experiences, coupled with a luxury spa, onsite shopping and other amenities, helped the hotel earn the No. 3 spot on Travel & Leisure Family magazine’s list of the top family-friendly resort destinations.
Disney Vacation Club
The development of 50 two-bedroom equivalent vacation villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa represents the first dedicated Disney Vacation Club accommodations on the West Coast. Disney Vacation Club is a vacation-ownership program that helps families enjoy flexibility and savings on vacations for decades to come. By purchasing a real estate interest in a Disney Vacation Club resort, families enjoy flexible vacations at Disney destinations worldwide as well as more than 500 other popular Member Getaways vacation locations around the globe.
Disney Vacation Club, currently celebrating its milestone 15th anniversary, has grown to serve more than 350,000 individual members from more than 100 countries and all 50 U.S. states.
“We are excited to bring our hugely popular Disney Vacation Club to the West Coast for the first time,” said Jim Lewis, president of Disney Vacation Club. “Our member community has more than doubled since 2003, which illustrates families’ deep desires to enjoy quality vacations for years to come. Like most Disney fans, our members have great affection for the original Disney vacation destination, and we’re thrilled that this expansion project will allow our members to call the Disneyland Resort ‘home’ for the first time.”
The expansion project marks the latest growth for Disney Vacation Club, which recently opened the first phases of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The new Disney Vacation Club resort, located at the popular Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, is scheduled to open in phases through early 2009.
Construction is already underway on the new Kidani Village building and amenities, with completion scheduled for late 2009.

http://www.disneylandnews.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=234&view_id=5829

DVC Mike
09-18-2007, 09:41 AM
Responding to a growing demand for guest accommodations in Anaheim, the Disneyland Resort today celebrated an expansion of Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa that will increase accommodations by more than 30 percent and will include the first Disney Vacation Club villas in Anaheim.

This expansion, scheduled for completion in late 2009, will involve 300 union construction jobs and result in 100 new hotel jobs. It underscores Disney's long-term commitment to growing and investing in Anaheim. The expansion also marks the latest in a series of major additions to the Resort that include the newly launched Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney's California Adventure.


"This expansion underscores our commitment to growing and investing in both the Disneyland Resort and the Anaheim Resort Area," said Ed Grier, president of the Disneyland Resort. "These new hotel rooms and villas will give more people the opportunity to enjoy the immersive vacation experience Disney is known for. We know that our guests value being able to stay in the middle of the magic with our world-class theme parks, shopping and dining just steps away."


The 2.5-acre expansion on the hotel's south side will add more than 200 new hotel rooms and 50 two-bedroom equivalent vacation villas. Those vacation villas, to include kitchens, living and dining areas and other home-like amenities, will mark the West Coast debut of Disney Vacation Club, Disney's innovative vacation-ownership program.


"For more than 50 years, the Disneyland Resort has been investing in our community and they have helped us build a world class resort destination in which all of Anaheim can be proud," Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle said. "Thanks to Disneyland and the Anaheim Resort Area, Anaheim boasts one of the fastest growing markets in the country for hotel occupancy."


Other elements planned for the project include a rooftop deck for viewing fireworks, a new swimming pool and about 300 underground parking spaces. Peter Dominick of 4240, architect for Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa as well as Disney's Wilderness Lodge and Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida is designing the ambitious expansion. It will reflect the same California Arts & Crafts architecture of the existing hotel, which immerses guests in a turn-of-the-20th-century California experience.


Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa currently features 745 guest rooms, including 44 suites. Upon completion of the expansion project, the hotel will feature 945 guest rooms, including 44 guest suites, and 50 Disney Vacation Club two-bedroom equivalent vacation villas.

GusMan
09-18-2007, 10:34 AM
I merged the two threads regarding this announcement. Feel free to use this thread for discussion.
Thanks.

MoKat72
09-19-2007, 12:40 PM
I can't begin to describe how excited I am about this. I love that it got announced the day after I got home from WDW and all those DVC sales desks. :)

DVC Mike
09-20-2007, 05:10 PM
I think it looks nice!

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee26/DVC_Mike/GCV.jpg

sierranevada
03-02-2008, 12:17 PM
Just wondering if anyone has bought at GCH? If so, how much availability is still there?

KJSJpipe
03-02-2008, 12:21 PM
I think it looks nice!

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee26/DVC_Mike/GCV.jpg


Very pretty! We hope to make it out there someday. Maybe with it being officialy DVC it will be something we can afford to do since the room would already be covered, and hopefully not outragous in point values.

Toocherie
03-02-2008, 12:25 PM
They have not started selling points yet. People who have bought in the last few months in the California DVC office will get the first right to purchase up to 160 points each. From what my guide has told me, for the initial units there will only be 6,500 contracts, of which 5,200 families have bought SSR/AKV and have the GCV first-right contract SO FAR (this info is as of yesterday).

I know that there are people that disagree with me, but I think GCV will sell out with just the people that have this first right, or at the very most there may be some points that get released to other existing DVC members. (Depending on the economy people that have this right may not decide to buy or may not buy the entire allotment of 160 points--in my case I specifically bought at SSR with the intended purpose of having the right to purchase GCV and won't let the opportunity pass.) I don't think the general public will get the chance to purchase -- however, I do think once the popularity is known Disney will do what it can to build on additional units--either as part of Grand Californian or elsewhere to satisfy the desires of the general DVC membership first and then the general public.

sierranevada
03-02-2008, 01:14 PM
They have not started selling points yet. People who have bought in the last few months in the California DVC office will get the first right to purchase up to 160 points each. From what my guide has told me, for the initial units there will only be 6,500 contracts, of which 5,200 families have bought SSR/AKV and have the GCV first-right contract SO FAR (this info is as of yesterday).

I know that there are people that disagree with me, but I think GCV will sell out with just the people that have this first right, or at the very most there may be some points that get released to other existing DVC members. (Depending on the economy people that have this right may not decide to buy or may not buy the entire allotment of 160 points--in my case I specifically bought at SSR with the intended purpose of having the right to purchase GCV and won't let the opportunity pass.) I don't think the general public will get the chance to purchase -- however, I do think once the popularity is known Disney will do what it can to build on additional units--either as part of Grand Californian or elsewhere to satisfy the desires of the general DVC membership first and then the general public.

If you buy SSR/AKV and ave GCV first-right contract, does that mean you purchase the additional GCV points or you can "trade" yours in for them? If it is purchasing the additional GCV points, then you end up with 2 home resorts?

GusMan
03-02-2008, 04:13 PM
If you buy SSR/AKV and ave GCV first-right contract, does that mean you purchase the additional GCV points or you can "trade" yours in for them? If it is purchasing the additional GCV points, then you end up with 2 home resorts?
You would have to buy the GCV points as a separate contract. DVC does not take contracts in trade. However, you would be able to sell the other contract after purchasing GCV, but you would have to do that on your own or via a reseller. If you decide to keep both contracts then yes you would have two home resorts.

Dom262
03-03-2008, 01:09 PM
They have not started selling points yet. People who have bought in the last few months in the California DVC office will get the first right to purchase up to 160 points each. From what my guide has told me, for the initial units there will only be 6,500 contracts, of which 5,200 families have bought SSR/AKV and have the GCV first-right contract SO FAR (this info is as of yesterday).

I know that there are people that disagree with me, but I think GCV will sell out with just the people that have this first right, or at the very most there may be some points that get released to other existing DVC members. (Depending on the economy people that have this right may not decide to buy or may not buy the entire allotment of 160 points--in my case I specifically bought at SSR with the intended purpose of having the right to purchase GCV and won't let the opportunity pass.) I don't think the general public will get the chance to purchase -- however, I do think once the popularity is known Disney will do what it can to build on additional units--either as part of Grand Californian or elsewhere to satisfy the desires of the general DVC membership first and then the general public.

We went on the tour Saturday morning ant the DVC people said the same things. We have been members since 2002, buying in FL with the hopes of someday a resort opening in CA. We have been waiting so we could buy interest into GVC. When we found out the news about it only being offered initially to those that bought in CA (typically it is opened up to all members), we were very upset.

We agree that with only 900K in points being available, this will more then likely never reach the remaining members, let alone the general public. If they are successful in doing this, this will set a precidence for future properties. How many people are interested in Hawaii? Are they going to put the same limitations on that property? Yes it will be bigger than GVC, but smaller then a typical DVC resort.....

Tony
03-03-2008, 02:30 PM
Keep in mind though - ownership in a specific property only gets you the 11 month booking window. So long as you don't plan to book Christmas week or other extreme peak times, I am willing to bet that your odds of being able to book at 7 months will be pretty good.

sierranevada
03-03-2008, 02:35 PM
Keep in mind though - ownership in a specific property only gets you the 11 month booking window. So long as you don't plan to book Christmas week or other extreme peak times, I am willing to bet that your odds of being able to book at 7 months will be pretty good.

So if I bought AKV/SSR, I could book GCV 7 months out based on availability?

GusMan
03-03-2008, 03:10 PM
So if I bought AKV/SSR, I could book GCV 7 months out based on availability?
That is correct.
My speculation is that availability might be more limited when it first opens than a couple years down the road. But at the same time, sometimes availability is also a factor of how flexible you are with your travel plans. This is why when we call for a non-home resort, we try to keep our options open. I think the same would work in this case as well.

AVP
03-03-2008, 03:11 PM
So if I bought AKV/SSR, I could book GCV 7 months out based on availability?Yes. Also, even if you had GCV as your second (3rd, 10th) "home resort," you can only book your GCV points during that 11-month window. Any points you own at other resorts could only be used to book GCV during the 7 month window.

So... you have 160 pts at SSR, and you buy 160 pts at GCV. You can't book 320 pts at GCV at the 11-month window, you can only book up to your GCV 160 pts at that time. At the 7-month window you can use your SSR points to add or upgrade, depending on availability. We found that out when we were considering AKV, and so instead decided to buy our second contract at SSR with the same use year. We thought it would be nice to have a choice of "home resorts," but if we can't use all of our points at the 11-month window, the advantage is pretty much moot.

AVP