Disney website MousePlanet.com published additional information regarding the rumored Disney Vacation Club addition to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
Citing unnamed sources, MousePlanet is reporting that there will not only be new villas constructed at the Grand Floridian but that Disney Vacation Club will also take ownership of a portion of the 900 current hotel rooms and suites. This development plan is similar to what was employed at Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas. The fifth and sixth floors of Jambo House were leased by Disney Vacation Development and converted into Vacation Club villas while construction of the new Kidani Village facility progressed.
The conversion process yields numerous benefits to Disney: It is cheaper than new construction and villas can be ready for sales much quicker than the typical 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 year construction timeframe for a new facility. Converting rooms to DVC villas leaves Disney with fewer hotel rooms to market to the public--a particularly daunting challenge during difficult economic times.
As for the new construction, MousePlanet claims that it will add 200 "keyed entries," which is defined as any room which can be entered separately. By that logic, a dedicated Two Bedroom villa would represent one keyed entry while a lock-off Two Bedroom--which can be booked separately as a Deluxe Studio and One Bedroom--would be two keyed entries. Following that logic, one possible configuration for 200 keyed entries would be 67 lockoff Two Bedroom (134 keys) and 66 dedicated Two Bedroom villas.
For additional details, visit MousePlanet.com.
