View Full Version : Expansion Planned for Disney's Grand Floridian Resort
Figment!
03-17-2011, 11:19 PM
Environmental Resource permits filed with the South Florida Water Management District on March 7 & March 16, 2011 have revealed plans to expand the Grand Floridian Resort.
According to the site plans, a new 3-wing building is planned to be built on a plot of land bounded by the existing resort grounds to the north, the Seven Seas Lagoon to the east, the Wedding Pavilion to the south, and the monorail track to the west. The new building is planned to be connected to the Grand Floridian Main Building/Monorail station by a covered walkway.
In addition to the new building, two new parking lots are planned to be built between the existing Grand Floridian health club and Floridan Way. The larger 125 space parking lot is presumably for the new resort building; however, the smaller 111 space parking lot is marked as "Proposed Gated Wedding Pavilion Parking Lot".
The site plans can be found per the links below:
110307-4_site plan86186.pdf (http://my.sfwmd.gov/cmsdk/content/ifs/apps/RegDocFolder/ERPTechnical/110307-4_site%20plan86186.pdf)
110307-4_plans_2011022286188.pdf (http://my.sfwmd.gov/cmsdk/content/ifs/apps/RegDocFolder/ERPTechnical/110307-4_plans_2011022286188.pdf)
The use for the planned expansion has yet to be announced, but it is speculated to be for the long rumoured Honeymoon Suites mini-resort or the Disney Vacation Club.
plutosnana
03-18-2011, 07:48 AM
AWESOME!
:goofy:
Sounds like the Grand Floridian DVC villas we've all been waiting for.
faline
03-18-2011, 08:11 AM
Sounds like the Grand Floridian DVC villas we've all been waiting for.
If so, I'll bet it will use some additional points to stay!
waymickey
03-18-2011, 08:48 AM
MNOP???? Still can't figure it out driving me a bit nutty!:giveup:
Basket Mommy
03-18-2011, 08:49 AM
Sounds like the Grand Floridian DVC villas we've all been waiting for.
Except I don't see a separate DVC pool with a slide that always accompanies a DVC property?
Goofster
03-18-2011, 11:14 AM
Looks kind of small to be a DVC resort. Maybe Honeymoon suites?
BrerGnat
03-18-2011, 11:41 AM
I'm calling DVC.
I'm really not sure there is that much demand for a honeymoon suite wing, is there? Do most people on their honeymoons currently splurge on suites at the Deluxe level? It seems to me that would be taking a big risk. When they build these things, they expect a specific level of capacity, and I just don't see how they could expect that many people on their honeymoons to choose, first the GF, then the specific honeymoon suite wing within that property. Seems like too narrow a demographic.
What I can envision is a premuim sort of "exclusive" property, with a higher level of more personalized service, and perhaps an "all suite/all club level" setup, similar to how many Vegas resorts have axuillary properties that fit this description, to cater to a more exclusive clientele. Perhaps this is Disney's answer to the competing Four Seasons?
DizneyRox
03-18-2011, 12:26 PM
I'm calling DVC too...
It's small enough for a quick build which I think they will need as properties sell out. It's out of the way, which is what DVC usually does. It's too far away from the main building to be a higher priced exclusive area IMHO.
DVC won't be able to tell you anything. Florida law is very specific about when they can announce a property for sale. Remember BLT? That was almost finished before Disney officially announced it.
But I'm certain it's DVC. This has been talked about for years ... they're definitely going to add DVC at the Floridian and the Poly. They wanted to build at all three MK area resorts and they started with the Contemporary.
laprana
03-18-2011, 12:55 PM
Ooooh! I really hope it is DVC! That would be awesome! And I'm all about more DVC resorts on the monorail line! :thumbsup:
seanyred
03-18-2011, 02:41 PM
I think it will be DVC as well. Assuming it sells well I wonder if there would interest in converting exsisting rooms to DVC like AKL. Either way I hope DVC is going to be built there not because I want to stay at the GF but I feel the variety of resort choices helps out with demand at other resorts.
BrerGnat
03-18-2011, 03:00 PM
Is BLT sold out yet?
Is BLT sold out yet?Nope and as far as I know neither is SSR, AKV, GCV, or Hawaii.
Joannelet
03-18-2011, 03:04 PM
Wow! This is great news!
And for the previous question....I thought BLT was sold out...but now I'm not sure....
Joannelet
03-18-2011, 03:05 PM
I have a feeling that Hawaii will take a while....
Florida law is very specific about when they can announce a property for sale.I'd put money on DVC too, but what are the rules? I thought they just couldn't announce two being built at the same time. Is there another one i'm missing?
BrerGnat
03-18-2011, 03:53 PM
Nope and as far as I know neither is SSR, AKV, GCV, or Hawaii.
I remember hearing recently that GCV sold out a few months ago.
At the kiosks at DLR, they are pushing Aulani...
DizneyRox
03-18-2011, 05:35 PM
DVC won't be able to tell you anything. Florida law is very specific about when they can announce a property for sale.
I meant that I bet it's DVC, not that I'd actually call Member Services. Besides, everyone knows you first ask the bus drivers about new developments!
Melanie
03-18-2011, 05:40 PM
Nope and as far as I know neither is SSR, AKV, GCV, or Hawaii.
I thought they didn't start a new one until the previous one was sold out, or at least a certain percentage?
I get all the supply and demand stuff, but I really feel DVC is getting to be too much. A DVC at each monorail resort? How many folks can you stuff into one area? The monorail capacity can't grow as far as I know.
This from a non-DVC owner. Just doesn't fit our needs/desires at this time.
magicofdisney
03-18-2011, 06:11 PM
I meant that I bet it's DVC, not that I'd actually call Member Services. Besides, everyone knows you first ask the bus drivers about new developments!
:thumbsup:
wildernesslady
03-19-2011, 07:37 PM
I like the idea of it becoming DVC. Hopefully the points wont be too high.
Brer Longhorn
03-19-2011, 09:02 PM
I'm fairly sure DVC will be the final verdict on what this site becomes, but was wondering if anyone has ever heard of Disney expanding the idea of family suites to the Deluxe resorts? I know you can buy points from DVC members and stay at locations with more room, but didn't know if Disney has kicked around the idea as something they offer the family with more people in tow. Don't know all the ins and outs - hopefully not asking a stupid question.
DizneyRox
03-19-2011, 10:17 PM
There are cash rooms available at all DVC properties. A two bedroom would probably qualify as a family suite. In some cases a one bedroom will sleep 5. I don't see much need to build out a seperate property like pop at a deluxe. Probably a very small need and too much overhead (people need salary and benefits) so a few sprinkled around is probably better business.
If Disney is running at capacity and has to turn away a few people, that's good compared to a resort full of empty rooms 80% of the time.
Goofster
03-21-2011, 12:57 PM
Rumor on another DVC site is that BLT, based on current sales, will be sold out by the end of this summer.
Story from today's Orlando Sentinel ~~
Disney planning addition to Grand Floridian
By Jason Garcia, Orlando Sentinel
5:43 PM EDT, March 22, 2011
Walt Disney World is preparing to build an addition to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, the most expensive of the giant resort's 17 hotels.
A permit application submitted to the South Florida Water Management District describes a six- to seven-story, T-shaped building that will be connected via a covered walkway to the existing Grand Floridian. The nearly 900-room, Victorian-themed hotel, next to the Magic Kingdom, has standard room rates that begin at $440 a night.
No construction timetable was provided, and Disney wouldn't discuss the project Tuesday.
"At any given time, we have numerous projects in various stages of development across our resort," spokesman Bryan Malenius said. "If a project comes to fruition, we will share details when it makes sense to do so for our business."
But the plans, which were filed with the water-management district earlier this month and quickly surfaced online in Disney fan forums:rocks:, have touched off widespread speculation that the building will be used for Disney Vacation Club time shares.
"It has all the markings of it," said Tim Krasniewski, publisher ... a news website for Disney time-share owners.
Disney would be following a familiar model if that's what it does. The company's newest time-share project in Orlando, the 15-story Bay Lake Tower, was built as an addition to Disney's Contemporary Resort, another high-priced Disney hotel by the Magic Kingdom.
Disney also has a history of attempting to keep its time-share projects quiet for as long as possible, for fear of undermining sales at already-open properties. Disney refrained from discussing its Bay Lake Tower plans until nearly two years after breaking ground on the project.
Disney is currently peddling units in three open time shares at Disney World — Bay Lake Tower, Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas, and Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa — as well in an under-construction resort in Hawaii dubbed "Aulani." That project, the first major resort Disney has built that isn't tied to a theme park, is scheduled to open in phases beginning this fall.
A new time-share project would be the first Disney has launched since the global recession and credit crunch, which decimated much of the time-share industry. Sales at Disney's time-share business fell during the downturn; the unit generated an estimated $190 million a year in operating profit before the slump.
Still, Disney says it has been happy with Vacation Club's performance through the recession.
"It has been a business that has been far more resilient than I think any of us internally would have thought," Walt Disney Co. Chief Financial Officer Jay Rasulo said during an analyst conference earlier this month.
Rasulo added that Disney prefers not to do lengthy pre-sales for its time-share developments. "We basically like people to be able to use their unit as soon as they buy in for the Vacation Club," he said.
Krasniewski said it would make sense for Disney to begin work on its next Orlando time share now. He said he expects Bay Lake Tower to sell out before the end of the year, based on documents filed with Orange County.
Disney declined to discuss the pace of sales in Bay Lake Tower, other than to say it is "pleased with the continued popularity" of the project.
Goofster
03-22-2011, 10:31 PM
Story from today's Orlando Sentinel ~~
Disney planning addition to Grand Floridian
By Jason Garcia, Orlando Sentinel
5:43 PM EDT, March 22, 2011
That project, the first major resort Disney has built that isn't tied to a theme park, is scheduled to open in phases beginning this fall.
Hmmm...I must've missed the theme parks connected to Hilton Head and Vero Beach! ;)
Hmmm...I must've missed the theme parks connected to Hilton Head and Vero Beach! ;)
I guess the Sentinel doesn't consider them "major"... :confused: :shrug:
SBETigg
03-23-2011, 08:51 AM
Sounds like the Grand Floridian DVC villas we've all been waiting for.
Oh my gosh, wow. I would be so in for that! So in!
Victor Kelly
03-23-2011, 12:29 PM
The more I read the more concerned I get depending on where they are building.
BLT looks very nice and all. No DVC is not in our price range or even on our priorities list right now since we just got married.
But as a person who understand why Walt bought the huge chunck of property in Florida, it seems as if the current Disney company is ok letting guests see build up around it's parks while you are in the parks.
Seems like it is ok to build high rises that you can see from inside a Disney park, as long as they are Disney owned.
I am by no means a purist, and understand things have to change sometimes. But with the amount of land surrounding Bay Lake, and there are even land areas intended for resorts that were never built around the Seven Seas lagoon, could they not just build there instead?
DizneyRox
03-23-2011, 03:30 PM
The more I read the more concerned I get depending on where they are building.
BLT looks very nice and all. No DVC is not in our price range or even on our priorities list right now since we just got married.
But as a person who understand why Walt bought the huge chunck of property in Florida, it seems as if the current Disney company is ok letting guests see build up around it's parks while you are in the parks.
Seems like it is ok to build high rises that you can see from inside a Disney park, as long as they are Disney owned.
I am by no means a purist, and understand things have to change sometimes. But with the amount of land surrounding Bay Lake, and there are even land areas intended for resorts that were never built around the Seven Seas lagoon, could they not just build there instead?
They need to leverage the infrastructure already in place at the Grand. Adding a whole new resort or location will require significantly more resources than leeching off what's already in place. Also, guests don't want to travel too far when you're spending the amount of money you're spending to stay at the Grand. It doesn't appear to be a huge addition (compared to AKL and BLT) that would necessitatetoo much change to what's already in place.
BrerGnat
03-23-2011, 05:47 PM
I don't think they are going to go with a high rise at the GF. Thematically, it doesn't match. Since the Contemporary is a high rise, BLT is a high rise, albeit a different shape.
Also, you can't really see the GF from inside the park at all right now. I'm sure the addition will stay well hidden as well.
Victor Kelly
03-24-2011, 11:49 AM
I understand the need to balance things around the lagoon.
But lets not forget that they had to do a lot of demolition to take out the North wing at the Contemporary. Which added more people to an already slow but still very capable monorail system. As well as adding to the bus system at its stop.
I will be the first to admit, that the Bay Lake tower is beautiful. But there is a swath of land south of the Contemporary that could have been utilized with low story buildings.
The Contemporary was already a beacon because of its height. The Poly cannot be seen unless you are at the entrance plaza and pretty much the same with the Grand Floridian.
I am all for the low story buildings like at the Poly and at the Grand Floridian. You cannot see them from within the park. I would just hate to see high rises around the Lagoon and Lake. Which I think will be coming because it just means more money for the company.
I also understand the economics of keeping guests more on property. Our honeymoon made us decide that we will not be going to Universal at all next trip. Yet we will be doing one day trips to Seaworld, Tampa, Daytona, etc. The rest of the time will be spent on Disney property. Because despite the negatives I perceive at Disney, it still has tons more plusses than anywhere else.
SBETigg
03-24-2011, 12:30 PM
I see your point about high rises, Victor. I have mixed feelings on Bay Lake Tower taking a little away from what used to be the focus on the neat a-frame Contemporary. Keeping buildings low would be ideal. If this addition dwarfs the red roof spire splendor of the current GF main building, that would be a shame, too.
BrerGnat
03-24-2011, 01:44 PM
I will be the first to admit, that the Bay Lake tower is beautiful. But there is a swath of land south of the Contemporary that could have been utilized with low story buildings.
That swath of land, along with a couple others around the lagoon, are NOT suitable for building on. The ground is too porous and cannot support the infrastructure necessary to house a resort building. This is why those areas are not developed. They had to demo the North Wing (or the South Wing) to be able to build up in a spot that they knew was stable to support the structure.
I think it's already been speculated that if they add DVC to the Poly, they will simply convert existing longhouses to do so, since there is no space in the area to build additional structures.
DVC2004
03-24-2011, 02:58 PM
I'd also be willing to bet on DVC, too. Why though they would build more, at this time, I have no idea. Nothing is sold out right now and there's tons of points on the formerly "sold out" properties due to forclosures/deed backs.
DVC2004
03-24-2011, 03:04 PM
Rumor on another DVC site is that BLT, based on current sales, will be sold out by the end of this summer.
I don't know about that. When it launched,
they were saying it would be sold out in three months. That was 2 and a half years ago. Sometimes things are said to create a false urgency to buy...just sayin'.
Goofster
03-25-2011, 12:55 PM
I don't know about that. When it launched,
they were saying it would be sold out in three months. That was 2 and a half years ago. Sometimes things are said to create a false urgency to buy...just sayin'.
True, but it's an insider site, not a sales site, so I imagine there is some truth to it. If this is DVC, it would make sense since BLT could very well sell out while this is still finishing up construction.
kathiep
03-28-2011, 02:37 PM
I get all the supply and demand stuff, but I really feel DVC is getting to be too much. A DVC at each monorail resort? How many folks can you stuff into one area? The monorail capacity can't grow as far as I know.
This from a non-DVC owner. Just doesn't fit our needs/desires at this time.
Our family completely agrees.
Mousemates
03-28-2011, 04:55 PM
Our family completely agrees.
:ditto:
candleshoe
03-31-2011, 10:14 AM
Rumor on another DVC site is that BLT, based on current sales, will be sold out by the end of this summer.
I never trust these rumors. DVC has been telling me that BLT will sell out "in the next few months" every time I ask them starting back in early 2010. They are like used car salesmen (no offense to any out there!) - trying to generate up that desire to buy before it's too late! Don't get me wrong, I love DVC and am a proud owner at BLT, but that is their MO. They won't announce GF until the last possible moment because they want to maximixe sales on their exisiting units and don't want people to hold out for GF. I, however, am already saving up my $ for points at GF. I will bet my entire Disney Freak reputation on that expansion being DVC.
Aurora
03-31-2011, 11:20 PM
Hmmm...I must've missed the theme parks connected to Hilton Head and Vero Beach! ;)
I guess the Sentinel doesn't consider them "major"... :confused: :shrug:
It really bugs me that they keep using this line. It's not just the Sentinel. I think it's in some news release that keeps getting rehashed over and over. Yeah, those resorts are smaller, but it's not like they're Howard Johnsons.
Bethanymouse
04-03-2011, 05:05 PM
We were told by our DVC rep that BLT is sold out. We are not currently DVC'ers but were looking into it. My bet is that this is another DVC resort.
Christine
04-03-2011, 08:12 PM
We were told by our DVC rep that BLT is sold out. We are not currently DVC'ers but were looking into it. My bet is that this is another DVC resort.
It's still available- When we were on the Dream two weeks ago we added on at Aulani. The only available for sale were : Aulani, BLT, treehouse villas, and AKL.
Today I was at the DVC office at SSR & they still have BLT. But I think it's close to sold. And points have jumped $20/point since we bought there last year! That's wild!
Today I was at the DVC office at SSR & they still have BLT. But I think it's close to sold. And points have jumped $20/point since we bought there last year! That's wild!Yeah, last I saw BLT was going for like $120 per point or something. Yikes!
We bought on the same day points first went on sale and, with incentives, we paid like $101 per point or something.
I'd feel good about it were it not for the fact that you can buy as many resale points as you'd like at BLT for an average of about $90 - $95 per point. :shake:
Victor Kelly
04-04-2011, 11:43 AM
What is a point and why do you need to buy them?
faline
04-04-2011, 11:49 AM
Disney Vacation Club is a timeshare. Unlike many timeshares which have an assigned week, with Disney Vacation Club, one buys points and can use those points at any time during the year.
You can find more information here. (http://intercot.com/resorts/dvc/default.asp)
One can still access vacation club resorts by renting rooms the same way as you do for any other Disney resort.
Christine
04-04-2011, 07:30 PM
Yeah, last I saw BLT was going for like $120 per point or something. Yikes!
We bought on the same day points first went on sale and, with incentives, we paid like $101 per point or something.
I'd feel good about it were it not for the fact that you can buy as many resale points as you'd like at BLT for an average of about $90 - $95 per point. :shake:
I can make you feel better my friend! BLT is at $140 a point right now!! Not kidding! Still have my sale paper from the ship. So you did well!
I can make you feel better my friend! BLT is at $140 a point right now!! Not kidding! Still have my sale paper from the ship. So you did well!:eek:
Seriously, how crazy is that??? Nearly double what the fair market value is for the property ... insane! :confused:
Belster
04-05-2011, 01:06 PM
DVC won't be able to tell you anything. Florida law is very specific about when they can announce a property for sale. Remember BLT? That was almost finished before Disney officially announced it.
But I'm certain it's DVC. This has been talked about for years ... they're definitely going to add DVC at the Floridian and the Poly. They wanted to build at all three MK area resorts and they started with the Contemporary.
I knew about the Grand Floridian DVC but really a Poly???? You just made my day!!!! Whooooo hooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:mickey:
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