Just back and my feelings on Saratoga Springs

[tjkraz]

Um, just so we compare apples to apples (that is studio to studio, not studio at SSR to a regular room at VWL)

VWL Studio $305 $349 $415 $465

SSR Studio $279 $309 $359 $399

Different rates for different seasons

So yes, you can stay cheaper at WL than SSR, but I personally would pay more to stay in a studio.

Good point. Probably better to leave WL out of the discussion since the DVC rooms have always been ovepriced anyway. (BW and BC cash rates are MUCH higher than WL--there's no way that the DVC point charts should have been equitable between the three.)

Back to AKV vs. SSR. AKV has two DVC room classes cheaper than SSR. Even with the added appeal of the savannah, some rooms / seasons in that class are the equal of SSR. Why? To offset the lack of demand at AKV.

 

[loribell]

I agree- if history has showing anything about accomodations at WDW in general, it's that those close to the theme parks (ANY of them) generally draw more demand and higher premiums than those not near them, irrespective of whatever else the latter are close to. As example relative to SSR, DTD is clearly a secondary, not primary reason for visiting WDW.
As for the appeal of AKV vs. SSR, the themeing of the former is definitely going to factor in to that debate - just read the reviews of AK Lodge here to get a sense of how large that impact might be:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g34515-d189076-Reviews-Disney_s_Animal_Kingdom_Lodge-Orlando_Florida.html

Yet AK is the park that many people love to hate. If we were not busy trying to convince people that SSR is so terrible we would be talking about why they would put a DVC resort out there by that park way out in the middle of no where with nothing else around it that isn't even open at night time. Also it is only a half day park. Just what were they thinking?!?

And no I do not have a problem with it. AK is my absolute favorite park. I will do an add on at AKV some day, although it will be a small one because the resort is just to dark to stay there for an extended period.

Good point. Probably better to leave WL out of the discussion since the DVC rooms have always been ovepriced anyway. (BW and BC cash rates are MUCH higher than WL--there's no way that the DVC point charts should have been equitable between the three.)

Back to AKV vs. SSR. AKV has two DVC room classes cheaper than SSR. Even with the added appeal of the savannah, some rooms / seasons in that class are the equal of SSR. Why? To offset the lack of demand at AKV.

This is correct. AK has had trouble with booking since it opened. It regularly has some of the best discounts on rooms available. They are regularly upgrading people to higher catagory rooms because people book the lower catagory for the lower price, knowing they have a very good chance of being upgraded.

Besides, what other resort have we seen have part of their enterior rooms converted to DVC? The other resorts just had buildings added. None of them have taken over part of the actual resort.

 

[CR88]

LOL....Funny thing. I went to Trip Advisor (Thank You) and Saratoga is ranked #23 in Orlando. The highest ranking of the DVC resorts in Disney!

#23 Saratoga Springs
#33 Old Key West
#35 Villas at Wilderness Lodge
#36 Boardwalk Villas
#45 Beach Club Villas

Non DVC resorts are as follows:

#22 Wilderness Lodge
#28 Animal Kingdom Lodge
#30 Pop Century
#31 Polynesian
#32 Grand Floridian
#40 Port Orleans
#52 All-star Movies
#56 Caribbean Beach
#58 Beach Club
#59 Yacht Club
#77 All-star Music
#82 Contemporary
#83 Swan
#84 Dolphin
#89 Coronado
#101 Boardwalk Inn
#153 All-star Sports

 

[Muushka]

Good point. Probably better to leave WL out of the discussion since the DVC rooms have always been ovepriced anyway. (BW and BC cash rates are MUCH higher than WL--there's no way that the DVC point charts should have been equitable between the three.)
Back to AKV vs. SSR. AKV has two DVC room classes cheaper than SSR. Even with the added appeal of the savannah, some rooms / seasons in that class are the equal of SSR. Why? To offset the lack of demand at AKV.

I don't think that $10 per villa per night would be considered MUCH higher (BCV and BWV over VWL).
I guess I might be a little too picky though.

BWV

Studio $315 $359 $429 $475
1-Bedroom Villa $425 $480 $560 $625
2-Bedroom Villa $595 $770 $975 $1,105
Grand Villa $1,440 $1,645 $1,850 $2,090


VWL
Studio $305 $349 $415 $465
1-Bedroom Villa $415 $470 $570 $615
2-Bedroom Villa $590 $765 $920 $1,075

BCV
Studio $315 $359 $429 $475
1-Bedroom Villa $425 $480 $560 $625
2-Bedroom Villa $595 $770 $975 $1,105

 

[tjkraz]

Actually that plays right into the point I was making: Using cash room prices, the VILLA component at WL is overpriced in comparison to BC and BW.

For instance...

Standard View:
BC: $315 $359 $429 $475
BW: $315 $359 $429 $475
WL: $215 $265 $325 $359

Water / Courtyard View:
BC: $385 $440 $500 $545
BW: $390 $450 $510 $585
WL: $270 $320 $385 $420

Concierge:
BC: $435 $490 $565 $625
BW: $445 $505 $580 $655
WL: $375 $425 $490 $525


On that basis, VWL should never have been given the same point chart (and DVC cash room rates) as the other two. It seems they are correcting this with AKV.

 

[Muushka]

I always thought that the point structure was the same with BCV as VWL because the villas are the same.

I thought that WL was less $$ than BC because the rooms were smaller.

But I have not had any coffee yet........

 

[Firebug]

think many have missed the point. I look at this whole subject this way. I don't look at this like I own specific resort. I bought into a vacation club that allows me to stay at the properties that the club owns subject to availability. I get to book at my home resort at eleven months and the rest at seven months if there is room available. One resort is not better that the other just different. Some people myself included will like some properties better than others. This was true even before I became a DVC member. I don't like the Grand Floridian for instance it just was not our cup of tea but we really liked the POLY and AKL. I like SSR as well. I like to visit Boardwalk for the activities but I would not like to stay there. As for the resorts needing to be close to the parks again it is all what you are used too. Where I live if you want to go shopping at Wal-mart that is a two hour car ride. The whole bashing another resort just doesn't make sense. If you don't like a particular resort fine don't stay there but I guarantee that their are just as many people that do like it just fine. That is the nice thing about DVC their is something for everybody.

Is this the same DVC now that existed in 1993? No, of course not. Things change. As the club gets bigger many things probably will change. What I think is happening now is the Club is outgrowing some of the smaller properties that it owns. Happens all the time, that is why families have to buy bigger houses when new babies come along, stores have to buy bigger buildings when their business takes off, this is no different.

PF

 

[jakenjess]

think many have missed the point. I look at this whole subject this way. I don't look at this like I own specific resort. I bought into a vacation club that allows me to stay at the properties that the club owns subject to availability. I get to book at my home resort at eleven months and the rest at seven months if there is room available. One resort is not better that the other just different. Some people myself included will like some properties better than others. This was true even before I became a DVC member. I don't like the Grand Floridian for instance it just was not our cup of tea but we really liked the POLY and AKL. I like SSR as well. I like to visit Boardwalk for the activities but I would not like to stay there. As for the resorts needing to be close to the parks again it is all what you are used too. Where I live if you want to go shopping at Wal-mart that is a two hour car ride. The whole bashing another resort just doesn't make sense. If you don't like a particular resort fine don't stay there but I guarantee that their are just as many people that do like it just fine. That is the nice thing about DVC their is something for everybody.

Is this the same DVC now that existed in 1993? No, of course not. Things change. As the club gets bigger many things probably will change. What I think is happening now is the Club is outgrowing some of the smaller properties that it owns. Happens all the time, that is why families have to buy bigger houses when new babies come along, stores have to buy bigger buildings when their business takes off, this is no different.

PF

Well said! We've loved all the DVC resorts so far, and I hope we get to stay at all of them at some point. That's the wonderful thing about DVC, so many different choices!

 

[Madi100]

think many have missed the point. I look at this whole subject this way. I don't look at this like I own specific resort. I bought into a vacation club that allows me to stay at the properties that the club owns subject to availability. I get to book at my home resort at eleven months and the rest at seven months if there is room available. One resort is not better that the other just different. Some people myself included will like some properties better than others. This was true even before I became a DVC member. I don't like the Grand Floridian for instance it just was not our cup of tea but we really liked the POLY and AKL. I like SSR as well. I like to visit Boardwalk for the activities but I would not like to stay there. As for the resorts needing to be close to the parks again it is all what you are used too. Where I live if you want to go shopping at Wal-mart that is a two hour car ride. The whole bashing another resort just doesn't make sense. If you don't like a particular resort fine don't stay there but I guarantee that their are just as many people that do like it just fine. That is the nice thing about DVC their is something for everybody.

Is this the same DVC now that existed in 1993? No, of course not. Things change. As the club gets bigger many things probably will change. What I think is happening now is the Club is outgrowing some of the smaller properties that it owns. Happens all the time, that is why families have to buy bigger houses when new babies come along, stores have to buy bigger buildings when their business takes off, this is no different.

PF

Good point. Very well said. I think it's rather funny that people get so defensive about the resorts. I can say that I think that Chef Mickey's is the worst restaurant on property and no one takes offense. However, if someone puts down DVC resort, people act like they've just been told their baby is ugly. None of us designed the resorts. I've not been active on the DVC boards all that long. I thought it was kind of like a "family" of people. Really, it's split into groups by home resort, and it's silly. I LOVE Saratoga Springs. I really, truly do. Is it better than the rest? Nope. Are there things about it that are better then some of the others? Yep. But, it does have its downfalls. None of those I take personally, because I am not responsible for them. I really don't understand why people have to be against each other just because of their home resorts.

 

[mwmuntz]

Good point. Very well said. I think it's rather funny that people get so defensive about the resorts. I can say that I think that Chef Mickey's is the worst restaurant on property and no one takes offense. However, if someone puts down DVC resort, people act like they've just been told their baby is ugly. None of us designed the resorts. I've not been active on the DVC boards all that long. I thought it was kind of like a "family" of people. Really, it's split into groups by home resort, and it's silly. I LOVE Saratoga Springs. I really, truly do. Is it better than the rest? Nope. Are there things about it that are better then some of the others? Yep. But, it does have its downfalls. None of those I take personally, because I am not responsible for them. I really don't understand why people have to be against each other just because of their home resorts.

Hey! You leave Chef Mickey alone!

 

[Budshark]

Hey! You leave Chef Mickey alone!

You're right... Chef Mickey's rocks - Boo to Madi for dissin' Chef Mickey's...
Now Akershus - That's an AWFUL restaurant...



Oh yeah... and Saratoga stinks, BWV rules... RAH RAH RAH

Sorry - I'm done. I'll go back to my corner...

Chris

 

[CR88]

think many have missed the point. I look at this whole subject this way. I don't look at this like I own specific resort. I bought into a vacation club that allows me to stay at the properties that the club owns subject to availability. PF

Great point, I didn't think we were joining the Saratoga Springs Club. We looked at it the same way. We love to vacation on Disney property, but we may vacation differently from year to year so we bought into a vacation club. Sometimes we may want to be close to the action and want to book a couple days at one of the DVC's within walking distance to the parks, some days we may not even go to the parks at all and just want to get away. For now, we love SSR and it's distance from the parks, and it's layout/design. I would be content staying there yearly, but given that we also like to be close the parks, I know for sure I would love to be within a short walk to Epcot some day, we may even buy a small contract at BWV to get the 11 month window. I always thought of a vacation “club” as offering a number of different vacation locations and styles, just the opportunity to vacation at the same spot year after year, wouldn’t that be a timeshare?

 

[Madi100]

You're right... Chef Mickey's rocks - Boo to Madi for dissin' Chef Mickey's...
Now Akershus - That's an AWFUL restaurant...



Oh yeah... and Saratoga stinks, BWV rules... RAH RAH RAH

Sorry - I'm done. I'll go back to my corner...

Chris

I'm sorry. Chef Mickeys is the best restaurant ever. The Chefs there have to train for many, many years.

 

[DutchsMommy]

Le Cellier sucks......in fact all Canadians suck.......

 

[wdw4life]

Le Cellier sucks......

I tried Le Cellier once after having several people recommend it to me. Didn't like it all at all. So, I agree. Le Cellier sucks.

 

[Sammie]

think many have missed the point. I look at this whole subject this way. I don't look at this like I own specific resort. I bought into a vacation club that allows me to stay at the properties that the club owns subject to availability. I get to book at my home resort at eleven months and the rest at seven months if there is room available. One resort is not better that the other just different. Some people myself included will like some properties better than others. This was true even before I became a DVC member. I don't like the Grand Floridian for instance it just was not our cup of tea but we really liked the POLY and AKL. I like SSR as well. I like to visit Boardwalk for the activities but I would not like to stay there. As for the resorts needing to be close to the parks again it is all what you are used too. Where I live if you want to go shopping at Wal-mart that is a two hour car ride. The whole bashing another resort just doesn't make sense. If you don't like a particular resort fine don't stay there but I guarantee that their are just as many people that do like it just fine. That is the nice thing about DVC their is something for everybody.

Is this the same DVC now that existed in 1993? No, of course not. Things change. As the club gets bigger many things probably will change. What I think is happening now is the Club is outgrowing some of the smaller properties that it owns. Happens all the time, that is why families have to buy bigger houses when new babies come along, stores have to buy bigger buildings when their business takes off, this is no different.

PF

Ahh, a voice of reason, if only it would make a difference. But it won't, because for some reason there is a segment of this group that wants uniform agreement that certain resorts are better than others, when truly we all know that is not the case.

 

[Dean]

think many have missed the point. I look at this whole subject this way. I don't look at this like I own specific resort. I bought into a vacation club that allows me to stay at the properties that the club owns subject to availability.

That may be the way you look at it but legally and technically, that's not what you bought.

Ahh, a voice of reason, if only it would make a difference. But it won't, because for some reason there is a segment of this group that wants uniform agreement that certain resorts are better than others, when truly we all know that is not the case.

Actually I think some resorts are better than others, they are not all the same. While your list may be different than mine, the real question is what is the aggregate opinion of a given resort compared to it's "peers". It's a shame DVC is no longer required to share occupancy as they were years ago in FL.

 

[BroganMc]

That may be the way you look at it but legally and technically, that's not what you bought.

Dean, I'm afraid you are more wrong than right in this instance. You know very well how vacation clubs work. Buying an ownership interest gives you the rights and privileges to stay at ANY resort in the system subject to availability. The fact that extra perks are given to owners of a specific property does not negate the wider benefits of the program.

Disney is even more flexible than say Marriott in this regard. With Marriott, if one wants to stay outside a home resort or season an extra booking fee is required and one must go through a 3rd party (II). With Disney, it is just a matter of slightly different points and 4 fewer months. You're still dealing with the same reservation system and the same out-of-pocket expenses for the year (i.e. MFs).

 

[Dean]

Dean, I'm afraid you are more wrong than right in this instance. You know very well how vacation clubs work. Buying an ownership interest gives you the rights and privileges to stay at ANY resort in the system subject to availability. The fact that extra perks are given to owners of a specific property does not negate the wider benefits of the program.

Sure I know exactly how the system works and the only guarantee is the ability to reserve at the home resort.

 

[JerJan]