Poly DVC

[Disney Spaz]

I just wanted to say thank you Steve for all of the information you have shared. I am sorry you have received anything negative. Your Poly site, I don't do facebook, has been a godsend to me. I was married on Luau Beach and your site always takes me back to that moment. Sometimes I just listen to the music. Thank you again for all you are kind enough to share.

 

[awilliams4]

I appreciate the kind words. If you had ever met me you would know I really only am interested in sharing facts from sources involved and not second hand info. Running the site and keeping it up to date has been hard enough and now with all the changes and sometimes weekly info it has been a struggle keeping everyone informed but not share what I can’t. People want to know to plan or just out of curiosity and I want to be able to give them info they can plan to. I have no intension of being a place to post rumors unless I say it is a rumor.

I totally agree that people need to wait and see how it turns out. I am fairly confident I know 90% of what will be done and at this point it won’t change much but even I don’t know how it will look. I am in this waiting game with you guys. I am not even sure I know what to think. I have seen a little more than I have shared and I have to have faith it will turn out well but I am not so sure I will like it when it is done. It has changed a lot since the first concept and I am concerned with some of the things they took out of the initial design but the positive I take from the scaling back is that there will be a lot less increase in number of guests that the original concept. They finally told some of the staff at the Polynesian today so there should be more info coming out soon. Since my sharing has created a lot of negativity directed towards me (not speaking of you specifically) and negative emails I am considering just sitting on info as I get it. After 15 years of doing my site it has never really had a negative reaction until now.

I have been trying to release a new web site for the last year but family and hobbies have kept me from completing that. Now with all this construction stuff it has taken away more of my time and if it is just going to cause people stress over what they read it may be best to not share it.

I appreciate you taking the time to comment and I have enjoyed many of your posts in the past.

Steve

I believe the angst has more to do with the disapproval of what we are reading not that you are providing it.

I love reading your updates, I am just a little uncertain about the content within them. My guess is that if they are building GV and Studios only:

a. This is just phase 1 of 2 and 1/2 Bedrooms are next.

b. The GVs will really be 2 Bedroom villas while the Studios would be closer to a 1 Bedroom Suite.

Or there is some other logical explanation....I hope

I plan to buy. Or at least I did. Some of your feedback is making us re-think skipping out on the Grand Floridian Villas.

We will see.

 

[wdrl]

After 15 years of doing my site it has never really had a negative reaction until now.

I appreciate all the work you put into your site and that you share with us what you know.

Unfortunately, we tend to overreact to rumors and are likely to shoot the messenger before thinking things through. Someone will post that their second cousin talked to a neighbor whose friend is a Disney bus driver who said XYZ, and next thing you know there are a hundred posts about why Disney should or shouldn't do XYZ. Just look at some of the speculation on the DVC boards about possible resale restrictions or loss of perks.

Even when there are substantiated facts and objective evidence, it doesn't prevent us from jumping to the wrong conclusions. Some people want to believe what they want to believe.

Hang in there, Tikiman. Your efforts are appreciated.

 

[Tikiman]

I believe the angst has more to do with the disapproval of what we are reading not that you are providing it.

I love reading your updates, I am just a little uncertain about the content within them. My guess is that if they are building GV and Studios only:

a. This is just phase 1 of 2 and 1/2 Bedrooms are next.

b. The GVs will really be 2 Bedroom villas while the Studios would be closer to a 1 Bedroom Suite.

Or there is some other logical explanation....I hope

I plan to buy. Or at least I did. Some of your feedback is making us re-think skipping out on the Grand Floridian Villas.

We will see.

I am just as worried and confused as you. I was hoping for a 1 bedroom at least to buy into and it sounds like I will not be able to do the GV bungalows unless I can bank points for 7 years.

I's it possible another phase will happen years from now? Sure, but there has been no mention of it since they scaled back the plans.

I guess we will have to wait and see what happens.

 

[twinsouvenirs]

Argh...we bought in to GFV (and DVC) expressly because of those fabulous one bedrooms. On the other hand... a Poly studio could work for a romantic parents-only weekend away (if we can get in at the 7 mo mark).

IF they skip the 1Brs, we likely won't buy in, but we would possibly visit in the far future in a studio or GV. The studios are too much like hotel rooms for our taste and the appeal of owning DVC is the space and comfort of a wall separating us from our rambunctious little miracles. I'll still put $ into an add-on fund because saving money never hurt anyone, but if indeed it is only studios and 2BR/GVs we're not buying points there. I'd rather buy elsewhere resale and visit once or twice.

What would be horrible/interesting is if they did not make the Poly part of the overarching 'Club'... meaning you'd have to book rooms like you do with RCI. The terms in our GFV purchase noted that only current buildings are guaranteed to be part of the reservation systems and even then only until their leasehold expires. There is nothing saying a Poly Vacation Club has to be in the main pool.

Also, I hate fixed weeks. We'll see how they function but I think they are a game changer.

 

[Tikiman]

I appreciate all the work you put into your site and that you share with us what you know.

Unfortunately, we tend to overreact to rumors and are likely to shoot the messenger before thinking things through. Someone will post that their second cousin talked to a neighbor whose friend is a Disney bus driver who said XYZ, and next thing you know there are a hundred posts about why Disney should or shouldn't do XYZ. Just look at some of the speculation on the DVC boards about possible resale restrictions or loss of perks.

Even when there are substantiated facts and objective evidence, it doesn't prevent us from jumping to the wrong conclusions. Some people want to believe what they want to believe.

Hang in there, Tikiman. Your efforts are appreciated.

Haha. Yeah I totally get it. I hope that 14 years of working on my site and giving good inside info would have helped people understand my sources are not coming from the guy cleaning toilets in Epcot or the motor launch captain. In fact over the years I am surprised how much even the long time CMs at the Polynesian get wrong about the resorts history. I wish I could be more specific about my sources but I need to protect them. I am the type of person that just wants to be open and honest but I can’t share everything. Keeping stuff to myself is not easy but sometimes necessary. I take some comfort in knowing that when things happen that people will see I was not just blowing smoke. I don’t want to take credit for it as much as I hope it will make people realize that I was sharing correct info with them.

I see wrong information even on Disney’s own site. They still don’t have the room sizes correct when they post that info. I had to measure myself and get the construction plans to find out the real information. Unfortunately people still trust Disney’s site over some unofficial one. I guess I can’t blame them.

 

[Reddog1134]

...and if you think it is false info because it changed then you don’t understand how things behind the scenes at Disney evolve.

Anyone that doesn't understand that Disney changes their plans should look up "Flamingo Crossing" and "Hyperion Wharf".




...and "Western River Expedition" and "National Harbor DVC" and "Buffalo Junction"...

 

[jennylyn_b]

Anyone that doesn't understand that Disney changes their plans should look up "Flamingo Crossing" and "Hyperion Wharf".

...and "Western River Expedition" and "National Harbor DVC" and "Buffalo Junction"...

Totally agree. They are always changing and making adjustments or canceling already announced and mocked up plans. Lol. Tikiman, you are doing great! Keep it up. Some people don't like or handle change well.

 

[twinsouvenirs]

I am just as worried and confused as you. I was hoping for a 1 bedroom at least to buy into and it sounds like I will not be able to do the GV bungalows unless I can bank points for 7 years.

I's it possible another phase will happen years from now? Sure, but there has been no mention of it since they scaled back the plans.

I guess we will have to wait and see what happens.

Tikiman-- please please please keep posting. It gives us something to think about during the interminable wait for the final product, and lets us weigh and measure the possible forms of what we are waiting for

 

[nd43]

I am just as worried and confused as you. I was hoping for a 1 bedroom at least to buy into and it sounds like I will not be able to do the GV bungalows unless I can bank points for 7 years.

Tikiman, is it possible some of these design decisions are being driven by a required faster timeline? If VGF sells quickly, they could be out of the market without a new DVC WDW resort for a long time. The pressure to get product back into market might be putting pressure on the Poly design team.

I would guess this would not force them to make terrible decisions, but perhaps, some "compromise" was needed to get it moving faster. This is a result of some of those "compromises" for a quicker timeline.

 

[nd43]

Tikiman, is it possible some of these design decisions are being driven by a required faster timeline? If VGF sells quickly, they could be out of the market without a new DVC WDW resort for a long time. The pressure to get product back into market might be putting pressure on the Poly design team.

I would guess this would not force them to make terrible decisions, but perhaps, some "compromise" was needed to get it moving faster. This is a result of some of those "compromises" for a quicker timeline.

p.s. I have been around a lot of sales teams in my professional life. They are the ones applying the pressure. The sales management team says "we cannot survive without new product by XXXX". The design team says "we could accelerate but it would mean not having XYZ in the design". The sales management team says "I can still sell that".

In sales, they would rather have a lessor product to sell then no product to sell every time. In my experience, they do not worry about the long term. They just want something to sell. The business manager has a tendency to fear a complete sales revolt (and large loss of revenue) and sides with sales management if the compromise is not "terrible".

Could this be happening inside DVC w/ Poly? Hmmm.

 

[Tikiman]

Tikiman, is it possible some of these design decisions are being driven by a required faster timeline? If VGF sells quickly, they could be out of the market without a new DVC WDW resort for a long time. The pressure to get product back into market might be putting pressure on the Poly design team.

I would guess this would not force them to make terrible decisions, but perhaps, some "compromise" was needed to get it moving faster. This is a result of some of those "compromises" for a quicker timeline.

The timeline I was told about back in 2011 seems to have remained the same. They always planned to finish the DVC by the end of 2015 or early 2016 but it seems either budget or factors I have not been told about affected the initial plan they had. The main focus seemed to be on the Luau side of the resort but now I hear nothing about that. The idea of converting Tahiti has been in the plan since the first time I heard about DVC back in 2006. Considering the built the whole original resort in 6 months I am sure they could have built the original planned DVC in 2 years. My guess is the money crunchers got a hold of the plan and cut it way back. I think the original plan involving two new 5 story buildings was going to be adding too many guests to the resort myself but I would have liked to have seen them just take down Tahiti and Rapa Nui and make one of the T shaped buildings with a mix of types of rooms and add the pool over between that and Tokelau. I have seen nothing about the 3rd pool since the original concept so I have a feeling that was removed from the plan also.

 

[Tikiman]

Anyone that doesn't understand that Disney changes their plans should look up "Flamingo Crossing" and "Hyperion Wharf".




...and "Western River Expedition" and "National Harbor DVC" and "Buffalo Junction"...

Night Kingdom was closer to being started than most people would ever imagine and some still think it was nothing but a rumor.

 

[nd43]

The timeline I was told about back in 2011 seems to have remained the same. They always planned to finish the DVC by the end of 2015 or early 2016 but it seems either budget or factors I have not been told about affected the initial plan they had. The main focus seemed to be on the Luau side of the resort but now I hear nothing about that. The idea of converting Tahiti has been in the plan since the first time I heard about DVC back in 2006. Considering the built the whole original resort in 6 months I am sure they could have built the original planned DVC in 2 years. My guess is the money crunchers got a hold of the plan and cut it way back. I think the original plan involving two new 5 story buildings was going to be adding too many guests to the resort myself but I would have liked to have seen them just take down Tahiti and Rapa Nui and make one of the T shaped buildings with a mix of types of rooms and add the pool over between that and Tokelau. I have seen nothing about the 3rd pool since the original concept so I have a feeling that was removed from the plan also.

Fair enough. These projects might have such a long planning cycle that sales does not hold the power position as with other companies. They carried a big stick in my other industries when it came to product launch timing, etc.

 

[DenLo]

I too want to thank you Tikiman for all that you do. It's not that we think you have got it wrong. But that the powers that be are coming up with strange decisions. From past experience with other rumors of DVC resorts we have learned the hard way that rumors and reality are not always the same. Even sources can be fooled. Or like you have said many times plans are always changing.

I do really appreciate your accuracy and detailed information with the Poly and hope you will continue to give that kind of information on a Poly DVC.

 

[vonpluto]

Anyone that doesn't understand that Disney changes their plans should look up "Flamingo Crossing" and "Hyperion Wharf".




...and "Western River Expedition" and "National Harbor DVC" and "Buffalo Junction"...

...and the DVC members only lounge at the Boardwalk....and the Noah's Ark water show on Crescent Lake....and the western town, Buffalo Junction hotel and River Country expansion at FW...and the second half of Caribbean Beach....

....and the list goes ever on...

 

[mdsd8700]

Tikiman-- please please please keep posting. It gives us something to think about during the interminable wait for the final product, and lets us weigh and measure the possible forms of what we are waiting for

Agree!

It makes sure I have plenty of DVC info to discuss with my DH, which he just loves.

Very much appreciate your site and all your posts!!

 

[Andrew015]

Tikiman - I also love your website and have been a follower for quite some time. Please continue to post the updates as you receive them and have the time to do so. Don't let the few bad apples ruin a good thing!

Best regards,

--Andrew from Ohio

 

[DreamerWDW]

Tikiman, the Poly is very special to my family and we love your site. I appreciate your updates and information!!! Thanks!

 

[jerseyduke]

p.s. I have been around a lot of sales teams in my professional life. They are the ones applying the pressure. The sales management team says "we cannot survive without new product by XXXX". The design team says "we could accelerate but it would mean not having XYZ in the design". The sales management team says "I can still sell that".

In sales, they would rather have a lessor product to sell then no product to sell every time. In my experience, they do not worry about the long term. They just want something to sell. The business manager has a tendency to fear a complete sales revolt (and large loss of revenue) and sides with sales management if the compromise is not "terrible".

Could this be happening inside DVC w/ Poly? Hmmm.

Interesting and very pertinent.

Bottom line is, despite the seemingly vast disappointment expressed here about the current plans, it will sell basically no matter what.

Tikiman....keep it up please!