Earlier this week the Orlando Sentinel fanned the flames of a future DVC + Contemporary Resort marriage. Now it's our turn to throw a log on the fire.
It's been over a year since permits were discovered on the website of the South Florida Water Management District related to the construction project at Disney's Contemporary Resort. Despite a handful of DVC mentions, those permits are difficult to accept as definitive proof that the structure will house Vacation Club Villas.
But rather than focus on the words, take a moment to examine the drawings within the permit filings. What you see may surprise you.
Here is an enlargement of one of the guest rooms within the Contemporary plans:
While the Contmporary image is not particularly clear, it's fairly easy to make out the standard villa configuration. In the center we have the living / kitchen area with bedrooms on either side. This particular room appears to be a Two-Bedroom villa--most likely a dedicated Two-Bedroom given the presence of two queen-sized beds in the second bedroom and the single point of entry to the villa.
Now compare some specific room features to recent DVC developments. For example, in BLUE we see a fold-out sleeper chair in the living room--the same type recently introduced at Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas.
Last week we posted floorplans for the DVC Villas under construction at Disneyland's Grand Californian Hotel. One feature within those plans that particularly caught our eye was the manner in which the living room was extended out further by moving the balconies into flanking positions adjacent to the villa bedrooms. It turns out that same design has been used in the Contemporary Resort design (PINK.)
Also noteworthy are the presence of the more oblong jacuzzi tub (ORANGE) and likely location of an added bathroom (PURPLE)--probably the same 3/4 bath from the Grand Californian design.
While the Animal Kingdom Lodge and Grand Californian designs suggest that Disney is refining its villa designs, the one question we unfortunately still cannot answer is whether Disney would also build suites with similar featues and amenities.
Incentally, Contemporary Resort fans may want to take a look at this recent Walt Disney World Resort update at MousePlanet.com. Among the topics discussed is the recent roll-out of Disney's Online Concierge services at the Contemporary. Under this new program, guest rooms have been outfitted with computers and free Internet service, allowing guests to access park and restaurant information, operating hours and so forth.
