Ownership Demand for Hawaii DVC Resort?

[3DisneyKids]

Hawaii is an adult destination.

Not so much anymore. The Hawaii tourism bureau is making a strong campaign for Hawaii to be a family destination...and it is working. (Think Vegas...now becoming very family-friendly.) Many of the resorts are beginning to cater to the needs of families because that is who is vacationing there.

 

[dvc at last !]

subscribing...

 

[3DisneyKids]

Thenks for the respectful counterpoint, simzac.

My attitude is probably too strongly effected by my experience with Disney's Vero Beach retrenchment.

It was sad for me to see DVC unable to compete when offering timeshares on the ocean. I bought VB right after it was offered and expected it to be the cat's pajamas. (Yes, I am very old!)

This is a good point. However, literally everyone knows that Hawaii is the "ultimate" vacation spot. And even if Hawaii is not someone's cup of tea, they readily admit that it is one of the top vacation destinations. On the contrary, how many folks have heard of Vero Beach? I wonder if this had something to do with the "failure" of Vero Beach (and I use that term very lightly).

As they say in real estate, it is always about location, location, location. Disney seems to have that with this HI resort. Time will tell.

 

[Boardwalker]

Hey guys, I only read the last page of this thread but how far back do I have to go to see History repeating itself?
Guess what, General Public?
Disney has started resorts that have no ties to themeparks, that are on beaches, and that you can buy into?
Just get the old brochures to VB and HHI, cross out turtles and write in whales... Oh and the characters don't fit in either so if that is what you think Disney means, think again...
And I may be old, but I am not yet senile enough to forget that we have THAT teeshirt. The one that says Vero Beach, or is it Hilton Head Island? ...

 

[paulasillars]

I stand corrected. I was referencing being able to check availability online not just sending MS an e-mail.

Now that would make me a very happy DVC'er

 

[Anal Annie]

Hawaii is an adult destination. It is served by many extra-deluxe timeshares which will be cheaper than DVC, with lower maintenance costs, and will have much better tradability for all but accomodations inside WDW. (And those only at seven months out)

Just because it is Disney doesn't mean it will be a success. I expect that this will be a money losing disaster and that the building will have to be sold at a breathtaking loss to a company with more experience and acceptance in the Hawaii market.

I disagree with that statement! Hawaii is NOT just an adult destination! Oh sure - there are a lot of honeymooners but there's also a lot of families. Maybe if you prefer the quietness of Kauai...but that is not true for us!

We went to Hawaii in 10/01 w/o our DS - it was the first and only time we vacationed without him 'cuz there were so many other families there that we missed him every time we saw another kid! I felt like such a loser the whole trip! I had never noticed on our previous trips how many people traveled there with their kids until we left ours at home! So when we got home we promised him we'd take him next time we went and last summer we did! Other than lots of great swimming & snorkeling he had a great time at Pearl Harbor and on the USS Missouri - very educational for him to have that opportunity. Then of course there was the volcano on the Big Island (what little boy doesn't love the idea of hot lava?!).

I might consider one of those romantic bungalow huts built out over the water in Tahiti or BoraBora to be an adult destination...but not Hawaii!!!! I believe Disney will build it right and will build it to compete and that it will be a complete success! We live on the east coast and if we can't get in at 7 months then we'll probably do an add-on that would give us enough points for a stay there every few years. Until we get a chance to try it out in 2011 I will say that we will probably still prefer Maui to Oahu - so we'll only need enough points for a studio for 3 or 4 nights.

I am more anxious to see how they define a "season" there tho as Hawaii is a popular destination year round...I think they're going to be hard pressed to form 5 "seasons" there like they do at the other DVC resorts...I would imagine the "Adventure" and "Choice" seasons will be quite short!!

 

[phyllisnnj]

Yes, there's stuff for kids too on Oahu

Hananuma Bay - http://www.hanauma-bay-hawaii.com/
Polynesian Cultural Center - http://www.polynesia.com/
Sea Life Park - http://www.sealifeparkhawaii.com/
Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park - http://www.hawaiianwaters.com/
Honolulu Zoo - http://www.honoluluzoo.org
Waikiki Aquarium - http://www.waquarium.org/
Arizona Memorial - http://www.nps.gov/usar/index.htm
USS Battleship Missouri Memorial - http://www.ussmissouri.com/
USS Bowfin Submarine Museum - http://www.bowfin.org
Iolani Palace - http://www.iolanipalace.org
Bishop Museum - http://www.bishopmuseum.org/

 

[phyllisnnj]

What do some of these extra-deluxe timeshares run in terms of maintenance?

Don't know what is considered an extra-deluxe timeshare but there's a current thread on the Timeshare User's Group website regarding Hawaii maintenance fees with a link to Marriott's MF history for all resorts including Hawaii - see http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55964

 

[burnsoc]

Thanks for that link Phyllisnnj. I wish I knew more about the properties to determine where they are in relation to DVC.

 

[BeccaG]

With all the comparison to Eagle Pines and HH and Vero, I was wondering at what point was Eagle Pines canceled and HH (or was it Vero) downsized? I mean we heard this great promising announcement from Disney regarding Hawaii, and I know that nothing is in stone, but as a new DVCer I have no idea at what point in the process Eagle Pines was canned. So what was the exact course of events that led to the Eagle Pines resort that never was?

 

[tjkraz]

So what was the exact course of events that led to the Eagle Pines resort that never was?

It's pretty simple, really. 9/11 happened. The Eagle Pines resort and Saratoga Springs were apparently both on the table at the same time. Disney announced Eagle Pines about 2 weeks after 9/11 (back in 2001.) Shortly after that they realized that tourism wasn't going to bounce-back anytime soon. WDW started a series of major cost-cutting moves which included closing an entire Moderate resorts for "refurbishment."

The Eagle Pines resort would have been brand new construction with both Villas and cash rooms. Suddenly Disney had way too many cash rooms already.

Switching gears from EP to SSR enabled Disney to close the Disney Institute entirely (more savings) and still have its DVC project. But it's pretty clear that if not for 9/11, Eagle Pines would be part of the DVC family now.

As for Hawaii, even if we leave tragic events like 9/11 out of the equation, Disney has been rebuffed in its expansion plans before. While Hawaii seems to be embracing this project thus far, anything can happen over the next 3 years.

Once Disney holds an official groundbreaking we will probably have reached the point of no return--there's almost nothing that could stop the project once construction has begun. But until then, let's all just keep our fingers crossed.

 

[BeccaG]

 

[tvwalsh]

Many of us have several contracts at OKW. I have a 230 pt and a 50 pt. I really don't know which approach in the long run is going to be the better choice for my future, so I have decided to extend the smaller contract and not extend the other.

If the proposal is found to be illegal I will probably get my money back.

 

[Snookies]

Yes, there's stuff for kids too on Oahu

Hananuma Bay - http://www.hanauma-bay-hawaii.com/
Polynesian Cultural Center - http://www.polynesia.com/
Sea Life Park - http://www.sealifeparkhawaii.com/
Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park - http://www.hawaiianwaters.com/
Honolulu Zoo - http://www.honoluluzoo.org
Waikiki Aquarium - http://www.waquarium.org/
Arizona Memorial - http://www.nps.gov/usar/index.htm
USS Battleship Missouri Memorial - http://www.ussmissouri.com/
USS Bowfin Submarine Museum - http://www.bowfin.org
Iolani Palace - http://www.iolanipalace.org
Bishop Museum - http://www.bishopmuseum.org/

And on other Islands too. There were plenty of kids everywhere we went & in every activity we did (including ours ) when visiting the Big Island and Maui in June 07.

 

[epicureangirl]

Hawaii is an adult destination.

Yes, adults alone, as well as adults taking their kids. I will agree that there are a few ultra-high end hotels that primarly cater to adults (no kids camp for instance), but money is money -- and they like MY family money just fine. Amongst my co-workers, Hawaii is a place they fly their families (babies and kids too) for a week vacation (or more) every winter. Condo's, resorts with kids programs, timeshares -- it is an ideal family destination. As far west as I am, it is not the norm to do WDW as a family vacation. California and Hawaii are the big draw.

 

[akk]

I bought at OKW in 1993 and have bought at several other resorts since. When we first bought, the plan for DVC was to expand to Colorado, Hawaii, the Carribean, etc. I don't think that any of he DVC's have been failures but HH and VB slowed national and international expansion because they did not sell as well as on Disney DVC's. However, I think that was due to poor planning. Hilton Head was not built oceanfront. Most of the Marriott timeshares and the hotels in Hilton Head are oceanfront, and it was difficult to convince people that the marsh side was as nice as the oceanside and that it was just as good because they had a shuttle to the beach. VB I think was not the best site for a DVC. The beach is very short and no where as nice as the beaches in say Miami or Ft. Lauderdale. There is very little to do there. Yes, it is a great relaxing vacation,(but not at the pool with 1000 kids) So it was a little schizophrenic resort. A family resort in a quiet Florida beach with little else to do and a short (little sand) beach. Unfortunately, this, as well as 9/11 caused Disney to continue to make DVC's around WDW. We were very disappointed that the promises of worldwide DVC's was not kept. Eisner publically announce a DVC in Beaver Creek on Larry King, but it fell through. The excuse given was that Beaver Creek would not guarantee DVC members lift tickets. A lame excuse for cancelling national and international expansion of the club, and I think a big mistake. I couldn't be happier than with the announcement of a DVC in California and Hawaii. Finally, the expansion of DVC. Up until now they would sell the "tradeability" of Disney to other time shares but trading is nearly impossible and painful unless you are extremely flexible. Now there is finally other options. Yes, it may be difficutl to trade in the 7 month window, but it will still be possible. On our first trip to Disneyland this last summer, we were terribly disappointed in Paradise Pier and wished that there could be a DVC in Disneyland and couldn't understand why there wasn't one. We are now glad that they have agreed. And I hope they reconsider a ski resort and the Carribean and Europe, because I think that would continue to increase the value of DVC membership, and if planned properly and location chosen properly, will have no trouble selling out. I think there is no comparison with DVC properties (much nicer)and Marriott properties and Marriott doesn't seem to have any problems selling.