Our own Dave Welty braved near-capacity holiday crowds at Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure to snap some new photos of construction work on the Grand Californian DVC villas.

For over a decade Disney has used the same basic room layout for DVC resorts ranging from the BoardWalk to the Beach Club to Saratoga Springs.  That is, until 2007 saw us introduced to larger units at the Animal Kingdom Villas' Kidani Village.  So what will Disney use at the Grand Californian Hotel?

DVCNews.com has confirmed a rumor recently making the rounds among Disney Vacation Club discussion groups—DVC members who purchased their master contracts at the Disneyland Resort will be allowed to add points at Disney’s Grand Californian Resort several weeks before members who purchased elsewhere.  The proposed “Founding Member” sales program will allow existing members who initially purchased through the California sales center an exclusive two week period to purchase up to 160 points at the Grand Californian. 

Our latest photo update takes a look at progress on the new Disney Vacation Club construction at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel in Anaheim.  Included is a short video clip that provides an overhead view of the entire construction site.

Following is a series of exclusive photos taken September 22, 2007 at Disneyland's Grand Californian Hotel. 

At this stage the valet parking lot has been totally removed, and a temporary walkway cover has been erected to shield pedestrians from the construction that will soon begin. 

DVC has released the first piece of concept artwork for the forthcoming addition to Disneyland's Grand Californian Hotel: